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turning now to the drawings , an animal watering device 10 is illustrated . the device 10 broadly includes a water tank 12 , a tank support assembly 14 , a water fill assembly 16 , a drain valve assembly 18 , and a control assembly 20 . the tank 10 is designed to provide low - maintenance watering of farm animals , especially cattle , and particularly in the cafo context . to this end , the device 10 provides automatic water filling as animals consume water from the tank 12 , as well as periodic , complete water drainage so as to minimize contaminant buildup . in more detail , the tank 12 is in the form of an elongated , open - top vessel having a bottom wall 22 , a pair of upstanding , oblique sidewalls 24 and 26 , and end walls 28 and 30 . the bottom wall 22 is equipped with a water inlet fill opening 32 covered by a deflector 34 . additionally , the bottom wall 22 has a drain opening 36 with a spacer 38 affixed to the underside of the bottom wall in registry with opening 36 . the end wall 28 has an upper overflow opening 40 , and an elongated , centrally located , exterior tank guide rail 42 . as best seen in fig5 - 7 , the tank walls 24 - 30 cooperatively present an outwardly extending , continuous lateral lip 44 . the tank support assembly 14 includes a box - like frame assembly 45 including a lower , rectangular , ground - engaging frame 46 , upstanding corner posts 48 , and three top stringers 50 of inverted l - shaped configuration supported by the posts 48 and extending around the periphery of the frame assembly 45 except for the end section adjacent end wall 30 . oblique cross braces 52 and 54 extend between the superposed side rails of the ground frame 46 and side stringers 50 as shown . the like manner , cross braces 55 extend between the end posts 48 . the ground frame 46 also has a pair of medial , spaced apart crosspieces 56 which support a pair of central , upright , tank stops 58 surmounted by a top rail 59 , and a lift spring mount 60 . an upright valve support post 57 of inverted t - shape is attached between a cross piece 56 and the adjacent cross rail of ground frame 46 ( fig4 ). as best seen in fig2 and 46 , the ground frame 46 further supports an upstanding , obliquely oriented , generally u - shaped guide channel 62 which receives tank guide rail 42 . a tank pivot shaft 64 extends between the posts 48 opposite channel 62 . the shaft 64 engages the underside of lip 44 across tank end wall 30 , and a transverse shaft hold - down lug 66 serves to secure the shaft 64 in position . accordingly , the tank 12 is pivotal about the longitudinal axis of shaft 64 . the opposite end of tank 12 is supported by means of an elongated lift arm 68 pivotally supported and extending between the tank stops 58 . the outboard end of lift arm 68 is equipped with a tank - engaging pad 70 . a coil lift spring 72 extends between spring mount 60 and the underside of lift arm 68 , and serves to bias tank 12 upwardly . in normal practice , the frame assembly 45 is covered by side and end panel walls 74 and 76 , and the upper periphery of the frame 45 is likewise covered by a rectangular , u - shaped in cross section top cover 78 ( see fig1 and 3 ). an access hatch 80 is affixed to end wall 76 adjacent channel 62 , in order to allow access to the working components within the frame assembly . the water fill assembly 16 includes a solenoid - operated water inlet valve 82 mounted on valve support post 57 . the valve 82 has an inlet nipple 84 adapted for coupling to a source of pressurized water ( not shown ), as well as an outlet nipple 86 . an elongated water inlet pipe 88 extends between nipple 86 and tank inlet opening 32 for delivery of water to tank 12 . the valve 82 has an electrically actuated on - off solenoid operator 90 controlled by assembly 20 as will be described . in other forms , use can be made of other known inlet valves such as mechanical valves , instead of solenoid valves . the drain valve assembly 16 includes a motor - operated gate valve 96 which is secured to the underside of spacer 38 . the valve 96 is itself conventional , and has a reciprocal gate 98 moveable via a gear drive ( not shown ) between a closed position preventing the flow of water through drain opening 36 , and an open position permitting such drain flow . a suitable commercially available drain valve is commercialized by phasefour industries under the designation dm20 - rp drain master valve . a cylindrical , upstanding tubular drain collector 100 is mounted beneath the outlet of valve 96 and presents a lowermost drain opening 102 . the valve 96 is selectively actuatable under the control of assembly 20 as will be described . the control assembly 20 is schematically illustrated in fig8 and includes a digital controller in the form of a programmable logic control ( plc ) 104 powered by source 106 and operably coupled with the solenoid 90 of water inlet valve 82 , and gate valve 96 . the assembly 20 further includes a tank position sensor switch 108 having a toggle arm 109 . an elongated , depending , slotted actuating arm 110 is attached to the exterior of tank side wall 24 . the slot of arm 110 receives toggle arm 109 as shown . the purpose of this arrangement is to sense the up or down position of tank 12 so that plc 104 can operate inlet valve 82 as necessary to fill tank 12 . in addition , up or down actuation of toggle arm 109 provides count information to counter 104 a associated with plc 104 , so that the number of tank movements and water fills is counted in lieu of the sensor 108 and actuating arm 110 , the position of tank 12 may be sensed by a proximity sensor , a position transducer , or an optical sensor such as a laser . alternately , a pair of limit switches could be provided at the limits of tank movement . in all instances , the goal is to determine the number of up or down tank movements and / or water fill cycles for the tank 12 , and to count these movements and / or cycles . it will be appreciated that the watering devices of the invention are often used in harsh and highly corrosive environments . accordingly , it is possible to construct the tank and frame assemblies from a variety of materials , e . g ., steel , stainless steel , concrete , synthetic resin , or rubber - like materials . the operation of watering device 10 will next be described , assuming that the tank 12 is filled with water as shown in fig5 and is therefore in its lowermost position owing to the weight of water within the tank , and the tank position sensor 108 , toggle arm 109 and actuating arm 110 are oriented to count when the tank reaches its uppermost level depicted in fig6 . preferably , the tank holds about 20 gallons of water when fill , and the water level is approximately 2 - 3 inches from the top of the tank . at the lowermost water level the water at a minimum preferably covers the inlet 32 to prevent freezing in cold weather conditions ; in such a case the quantity of water at the lowest level is 2 - 3 gallons . as animals consume water from the initially full tank 12 , the weight of the water within the tank decreases , causing spring 72 to incrementally , pivotally move the tank 12 upwardly about the axis of pivot shaft 64 until the fig6 position is reached . preferably , the tank 12 pivots through an arc of about 2 . 5 - 3 , which corresponds to approximately 1 . 65 inches of vertical travel of the tank on the side thereof opposite shaft 64 . at this point the actuating arm 110 shifts toggle arm 109 , and such action is communicated to plc 104 and counter 104 a . the plc 104 then operates to open water valve 82 via solenoid 90 so that water flows through the valve and pipe 88 to fill opening 32 of tank 12 . water is thus added to the tank 12 until the tank is again full , such action gradually pivoting the tank 12 downwardly against the bias spring 72 because of the increasing weight of water therein . it will be appreciated that the up and down movement of tank 12 is guided by means of the interfit between tank guide rail 42 and guide channel 62 . this down - up cycling of tank 12 , corresponding to water depletion and subsequent water addition thereto , continues for a predetermined number of cycles , typically around 10 cycles . when the predetermined number of cycles is recorded in counter 104 a , the plc 104 operates gate valve 96 in order to completely drain the tank 12 . during this sequence while the drain valve is open , the inlet valve 82 is again actuated to fill the tank 12 , thereby flushing debris and contaminants from the tank . thereupon , the drain valve is closed to refill the tank 12 , and the counter 104 a is reset to zero so that the process repeats itself . in preferred practice , tank drainage occurs when the water level therein is at the lowest level illustrated in fig6 . this serves to minimize the amount of fresh water used during tank drainage . it will of course be appreciated that the device 10 could be operated in the reverse fashion , i . e ., the sensor 108 could be set to toggle when the tank 12 reaches its lowermost or water full position . one operational advantage of the present invention is that the tank 12 is easily removable from the supporting assembly 14 , in order to allow easy access to all of the components beneath the tank . this facilitates repair and replacement of these components . a prototype device in accordance with the invention was tested against a conventional float - type watering device by placing each device in an individual cattle feedlot pen containing approximately 30 animals . over a 28 day period , the average water usage for the conventional device was about 280 gallons / day , whereas the prototype used approximately 360 gallons / day . the estimated amount of water drained per day for cleaning purposes was about 25 gallon for the conventional device ( 1 drain / day ), and about 15 gallons for the prototype ( 3 drains / day ). accordingly , the increased water usage with the prototype was attributed to increased water consumption by the cattle , owing to access clean water at all times . bacteria counts were performed during a five day period of the test , and demonstrated that coliform bacteria counts were 2884 cfu / ml of water for the conventional device , and only 13 cfu / ml of water for the prototype . generic e . coli counts were 127 cfu / ml of water for the conventional device , and 0 cfu / ml of water for the prototype . it is believed that these bacterial count results stem from the fact that in the conventional float - type device the water level always filled back to the same level in the tank . however , in the present invention , the water levels change within a range as water is consumed , so the build up of contaminants or scum attached to the tank walls is significantly reduced .	0
u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 761 , 333 filed jan . 18 , 2001 assigned to the same assignee as this invention and entitled cardiac electrode catheter and method of manufacturing same now______ , incorporated herein by reference describes an endocardial lead having multiple electrodes that can be deployed in a heart chamber or coronary vasculature . the electrodes are electrically isolated so that they can function independently . different embodiments of this cardiac lead can be placed into the great cardiac vein , in the right atrium , and the right ventricle . in the right atrium or ventricle , the cardiac lead can be deployed so that electrodes positioned throughout the heart chamber , including the septal wall and the right ventricular outflow tract . in the great cardiac vein , multiple electrodes can be deployed along a significant length of the vasculature . the adapter of this invention allows the terminals of a proximal end of a multi - electrode cardiac lead to be connected to the connectors of any currently marketed pacemaker or other pulse generator conforming to the is - 1 standard . refer now to fig1 a for an overview of the cardiac pacing system of this invention , consisting of a lead 5 a , a pacemaker 20 with a header or is - 1 connector 15 and an adapter 10 . in fig1 a the distal end of the endocardial multi - electrode cardiac lead 5 a is implanted within the heart 25 as described above . the proximal end of the multi - electrode cardiac lead 5 a is coupled to the adapter 10 . the adapter 10 has circuitry that selects which electrodes of the lead 5 a are connected electrically to the pacemaker 20 . in fig1 b , the distal end of epicardial multi - electrode cardiac lead 5 b is placed on the exterior surface of the heart 25 . the proximal end of the epicardial multi - electrode cardiac lead 56 is coupled to adapter 10 as described above in fig1 a . further , as described in fig1 a , the adapter 10 has circuitry to select which of the electrodes of the multi - electrode cardiac lead 5 a are connected to pacemaker 20 . as shown in both fig1 a and 1 b , adapter 10 is connected to the is - 1 type connector 15 of the cardiac pacing pulse generator 20 through a multi - conducting wire 12 . the general structure of the adapter 10 of this invention is shown in fig2 . the adapter 10 includes an is - 1 compatible connector 30 that connects to the pacing pulse generator 20 . the adapter 10 also has a lead 5 ( numeral 5 is used to refer collectively to leads 5 a and 5 b ) through the terminals 45 of the multi - electrode cardiac leads . the multiplexer 35 contains a connection matrix ( discussed in detail below ) that makes the required connections between the is - 1 connector 30 and the lead connector 40 . the adapter 10 can be customized for each patient or for each pacemaker using an external programming device . for example , if it is determined that multi - site pacing from electrodes 2 , 9 , and 16 is needed within lead 5 ( shown in fig1 a ), the appropriate connections will be made by the multiplexer 35 . refer now to fig3 a the multiplexer 35 includes a bank of links 50 . the bank consists of link 51 a , . . . , 51 n each of which is connected between one lead terminal of the multi - lead connector 40 such as 41 and one of the contacts of the is - 1 connector 30 such as 42 . the links of bank 50 can be breakable or fusible links . [ 0054 ] fig3 b illustrates a typical breakable link 51 for the bank 50 . the link 51 is formed as a metal conductor 55 deposited on a substrate . alternatively , the link 51 could be formed without a substrate . the metal conductor 55 has a thinned region 52 . the external programmer is attached to the ends 54 and 56 of the metal conductor 55 through connections 30 and 40 . a current is forced through the metal conductor 55 until the current density in the thinned region 52 of the metal conductor 55 is sufficient to melt it and the link 51 is opened . this is a phenomenon well known in the art and not discussed further . if the links 50 of fig3 a are a breakable type , an external programmer is used to break all the links of bank 50 that are not required leaving only the required link closed . [ 0056 ] fig3 c illustrates a typical fusible link 51 ′. the link 51 ′ is formed of two metal conductors separated by a dielectric material 64 . the dielectric material may be air , a polymeric insulator , silicon dioxide , or other known insulator . metal conductors 62 are placed in close proximity to the separating dielectric material 64 and the ends of the two metal conductors 60 a and 60 b . the programmer is attached to the metal conductors 60 a and 60 b through connectors 30 , 40 . the programmer ( not shown ) applies a sufficiently high voltage between the metal conductors such that the separating dielectric material breaks down and a conducting plasma is formed . the heat of the plasma melts the metal conductors 62 and they fuse to form a bridge ( not shown ) to the metal conductors 60 a and 60 b . the metal conductors 62 generally are formed of a metal having a low melting point to allow the formation of the bridge at a relatively low temperature . the lower temperature should be much less than the melting point of the metal conductors 60 a and 60 b thus allowing fusing of the link with no degradation of the metal conductors 60 a and 60 b . again , this process is well known and will not be described in more detail . for this embodiment , only the required links are fused . the external programmer 65 , as shown in fig4 has a power source 67 that provides the programming voltage ( vprog ) and the programming current ( iprog ). when a link 51 a , . . . , 51 n of fig3 a is to be broken or fused , the external programmer 65 is connected to one terminal of the lead connector 40 and to one contact of the is - 1 connector 30 . if the link 51 of fig3 a is to be opened , the programming current iprog is set to the level that allows the thinned region 52 of fig3 b to melt . alternately , if the link 51 ′ of fig3 b is to be fused , the voltage vprog is set such that the separating dielectric 64 of fig3 c breaks down causing a plasma which melts the metal conductors 62 of fig3 c to bridge the metal conductors 60 a and 60 b as described . the programmer 65 steps through each of the links of bank 50 and opens or closes them as required . importantly , once a link is opened or closed , it remains in that state and the process cannot be reversed . refer now to fig5 for discussion of a second embodiment of the adapter of this invention . in the second embodiment , the multiplexer is formed of a bank 65 of electronic switches . each switch 66 a , . . . , 66 n of bank 65 has a first switch terminal a connected to one of the contacts of the is - 1 connector 30 and a second switch terminal b connected to one lead terminal 45 of the lead connector 40 . further , each switch 66 a - n has a control terminal c connected to the control circuit 70 . the control circuit 70 provides a control signal to selectively open or close switches 66 a - n as required . a program input circuit 80 is connected to the control circuit 70 the program input circuit 80 and receives an encoded programming signal . the program - input circuit 80 decodes the encoded programming signal to define the control signal to the respective switches . the program - input circuit 80 senses the control signal to the control circuit 70 . the control circuit 70 then routes the control signal to the control terminal c of the desired switches 66 a , . . . , 66 n . in a preferred implementation of the second embodiment of the adapter of this invention , the program input 80 is connected to a radio frequency ( rf ) receiver 85 . the rf receiver 85 is connected to a receiving antenna 90 . the receiving antenna 90 receives a radio transmission from the transmitting antenna 95 . the transmitting antenna 95 is connected to the rf transmitter 100 , which is connected to the program controller 105 . upon selection of the desired group of electrodes of the multi - electrodes cardiac lead , the program controller 105 creates the encoded program signal . the program controller 105 transfers the encoded program signal to the rf transmitter , where it modulates the rf transmission . the rf transmission modulated with the encoded program signal is transferred to the transmitting antenna 95 for transmission to the receiving antenna and then to the rf receiver 85 . the rf receiver 85 then demodulates the rf transmission to extract the encoded program signal . the encoded program signal is then transferred to the program input circuit 85 . the methods and techniques for programming cardiac pacing systems is well known in the art and are not discussed further . a power source 75 is connected to provide voltage to the control circuit 70 , the multiplexer 35 , the program input circuit 80 and the rf receiver 85 . the power source could be a battery included within the adapter . in an alternate implementation of the second embodiment of the adapter of this invention , the power source 75 has a power conversion unit connected through the is - 1 connector 30 to the pulse generator 20 . the power conversion circuit captures a portion of the energy present in the stimulation signal provided by the pulse generator 20 and converts the energy to a voltage to power the circuit incorporated in the adapter 10 . the power conversion circuit shown in fig6 has a capacitor c 1 , which is charged during the active period of the pulse . the capacitor c 1 is connected to act as a voltage source to power the multiplexer circuit 35 . a diode d 1 is connected between the capacitor c 1 and the contact of the is - 1 connector 30 to prevent the charge present on the capacitor c 1 from being transferred back to the contacts of the is - 1 connector 20 when the pulse is not active . the power conversion circuit 75 , additionally , has a rechargeable battery vb 1 which acts as a voltage source if the pacing signal does not provide sufficient energy to keep the capacitor c 1 charged adequately to power the multiplexer circuit 35 . the diode d 2 is connected between the capacitor c 1 and the battery vb 1 to prevent the charge present on the capacitor c 1 from trying to charge the battery vb 1 . capacitor c 1 can be connected through appropriate diodes to a plurality stimulation wire from pulse generator 20 . as described above , multi - focal pacing or optimal site pacing can be achieved by having one electrode or group of electrodes of the multi - electrode cardiac lead designated for transmission of the stimulation signal and another electrodes or group electrodes of the multi - electrode cardiac lead to provide sense points for sensing the heart activity . this requires that different sets of electrodes of the multi - electrode cardiac lead be connected through the adapter to the stimulation pulse generator during the period that the stimulation signal is active than when stimulation signal is inactive and the pacemaker is sensing the heart activity . [ 0067 ] fig7 illustrates a third embodiment of the adapter of this invention where a pacing set of electrodes is coupled to the pulse generator during the time the pacing signal is active and a sensing set of electrodes is coupled to the pulse generator during the time that the pacing signal is inactive . the adapter 100 of this embodiment has two multiplexers , a pacing multiplexer 110 and a sensing multiplexer 125 . the pacing multiplexer 110 and the sensing multiplexer 125 are formed of electronic switches 111 a - n and 126 a - n , respectively . each switch 111 a - n and 126 a - n has a first switch terminal a connected to one of the contacts of the is - 1 connector 30 and a second switch terminal b connected to one of the lead terminals of the lead connector 40 . a control terminal c controls the opening and closing of each switch upon receipt of a control signal . the control terminals c of the switches 111 a - n of the pacing multiplexer 110 are connected to the pacing control circuit 115 . the pacing control circuit 115 is connected to the program input circuit 80 to receive a programming signal designating , which of the switches 111 a - n are closed to connect the pacing set of electrodes through the adapter 100 to pulse generator 20 to receive the pacing signal . the pacing control circuit 115 transfers the appropriate control signals to the control terminals c to close the designated switches 111 a - n connected to the pacing electrodes during the period when the pacing signal is active . the control terminals c of the switches 126 a - n of the sensing multiplexer 125 are connected to the sensing control circuit 120 . the sensing control terminals of the switches 126 a - n of the sensing multiplexer 125 are connected to the sensing control circuit 120 . the sensing control circuit 120 is connected to the program input circuit 80 to receive a programming signal designating , which of the switches 126 a - n are to be closed to connect the sensing set of electrodes through the adapter 100 of this invention to the pacemaker generator 20 to provide the sense points for the pacemaker generator 20 to sense the heart activity . the sensing control circuit 120 transfers the appropriate control signals to the control terminals c of the sensing multiplexer 125 . to close the designated switches 111 a - n connected to the sensing electrodes during the period when the pacing signal is inactive and the pulse generator 20 is sensing the heart activity . the pacing control circuit 115 and the sensing control circuit 120 are connected to the contacts of the is - 1 connector 30 . the pacing control circuit 115 and the sensing control circuit 120 examine the is - 1 connector 30 for the presence of the pacing signal . at the beginning of the pacing signal , the pacing control circuit 115 sends a close signal to the respective control terminals c of the pacing multiplexer 110 to cause closure of the selected switches such that the selected pacing electrodes of the lead 5 receive the pacing signal . moreover at the beginning of the pacing signal , the sensing control circuit 120 sends an open signal to open to the control terminals to cause all the switches of the sensing multiplexer 125 to prevent the pacing pulse from being coupled to the sensing electrodes of the multi - electrode cardiac lead and to avoid frying the sense arcuitry within the pacing electrode . after the pacing signal has terminated , control circuit 115 sends an open signal to the control terminals to cause all the switches of the pacing multiplexer 110 to be opened . at this same time the sensing control circuit 120 sends a close signal to the appropriate control terminals of the sensing multiplexer 120 to cause closure of the switches connected to the sensing electrodes of the leads to connect the selected sensing electrodes to the is - 1 connector 30 . [ 0072 ] fig8 illustrates an implementation of the pacing control circuit 115 and the sensing control 120 in the form of a control circuit 130 . the control circuit 130 has a program decoder 135 that is connected to the program input 80 to receive the programming signal . the program decoder sends the control signal 140 to the logic circuit 145 pulse . the program decoder enables each of the switches ( or gates ) of the controller . the pacing controller closes the enabled switches on a pacing pulse . the sensing controller opens the enabled switches on a pacing pulse all electronic embodiments should have a back - up fail - safe mechanism in the switch controller that assures that during a failure the adapter 10 , 100 leaves the proper pacing and sensing group of electrodes of the multi - electrode cardiac lead connected to the is - 1 connector 30 . the group of electrodes that are connected would be programmed from the programming device , eliminating the possibility that the adapter would route pacing signals to an ineffective pair of electrodes . the switches 111 a - n and 126 a - n of the mul 1 tiplexer 65 of fig5 the pacing multiplexer 110 of fig7 and the sensing multiplexer 120 of fig7 may be implemented as solid state relays that are field effect transistors fet &# 39 ; s configured as pass - gates or transmission gates as is known in the art . refer now to fig9 for a description of the steps of the method to select the group of electrodes of the cardiac lead for connection to the is - 1 connector of a pacing pulse generator . as can be seen from the above description , the adapter ( 10 , 100 ) can be provided in a number of different configurations . in the simplest configuration ( fig3 b , 3 c , 4 ) the links of the adapter are set or “ burned in ” during the implantation procedure . for the other embodiments , ( fig5 ) the links of the multiplexer can be closed and opened at will . finally in th embodiments of fig7 and 8 the adapter is dynamic in the sense that it opens and closes the links of the matrix as the patient &# 39 ; s heart is being stimulated . after a multi - electrode load 5 is implanted , its electrodes must be designated for the appropriate functions . the physician can inspect the lead and its electrodes through x - ray or other imaging means and designate the electrodes on his own . alternatively , an automated procedure may be used to identify and designate the electrodes as follows . the lead 5 is implanted ( step 200 ) into the heart . the lead 5 contains any number of independent electrodes . in the preferred embodiment the multi - electrode cardiac lead may have up to 128 electrodes or even 256 electrodes . each electrode on the lead is theoretically capable of sensing the heart &# 39 ; s electrical activity and delivering an electrical pulse to the heart . the delivery of therapy can be for optimized for bradycardia pacing and for multi - site stimulation for congestive heart failure . the endocardial cardiac lead 5 a is placed in one or more chambers of the heart and the epicardial cardiac 5 b is placed on the exterior surface of the heart , thus allowing complete sensing and stimulating control of the entire chamber . alternately , electrodes are placed along the ventricular septum and up into the right ventricular outflow tract . electrodes may be placed along one wall of the heart chamber or in the atrium and continue into the ventricle . the electrodes are spaced appropriately on the lead for the intended application . upon proper implantation ( step 200 ) of the cardiac lead in the heart , each electrode is tested ( step 205 ) to determine which of the electrodes are positional for optimal sensing of the heart activity . single site sensing only attempts to determine whether a cardiac event occurred or not . this is determined by observing the cellular electrical activity that initiates the cardiac contraction . this is the same signal that is observed on a surface electrocardiogram ( ecg ), except at a more localized level . the surface ecg is a summation of the electrical activity of all of the cells of the heart . depending on how the electrode is placed , the signal seen by a pacemaker can range between less than 1 mv to greater than 10 mv . obviously , it is desirable to find the location with the largest signal . thus , during an implant , a location with a good amplitude sensing signal is determined . referring the fig1 , an electrode of a cardiac lead is tested as follows . in step 230 one of the electrodes is selected . the magnitude of the intrinsic electrical activity served through the selected ?? is measured ( step 235 ). to be considered for inclusion for sensing , the electrode must provide a sensing signal greater than a minimum signal level . the measured magnitude of the intrinsic electrical activity as sensed by the electrode is compared ( step 240 ) to the minimum acceptable signal level . if the measured signal is not greater than the minimum acceptable signal level , a test if the chosen electrode is the last electrode being tested ( step 245 ) is performed . if it is not the last electrode being tested , a new electrode is selected ( step 230 ). if the measured magnitude of the intrinsic electrical activity as sensed by the chosen electrode is greater than minimum acceptable signal level , an electrode identifier with the measured level is logged ( step 250 ). the measured magnitude of the intrinsic electrical activity as sensed by the chosen electrode is compared ( step 255 ) to the magnitude as sensed by a previously identified electrode having the maximum measured . if the measured magnitude of the current electrode is not greater than the measured magnitude of the previously identified electrode , the electrode is tested ( step 245 ) for being the last electrode . if the electrode is the last electrode , the sensing testing ends ( step 265 ). if it is not the last electrode , the next electrode is selected ( step 230 ) and tested . if the measured magnitude of the current electrode is greater than the measured magnitude of the previously identified electrode , the electrode is identified ( step 260 ) as the electrode with the largest magnitude . the electrode is tested ( step 245 ) for being the last electrode . if the electrode is the last electrode , the sensing testing ends ( step 265 ). if it is not the last electrode , the next electrode is selected ( step 230 ) and tested . referring back to fig9 each lead is then tested 210 to determine which lead or set of leads are optimally connected for providing the pacing signal to the heart . using what is referred to in the art as “ sweet - spot pacing ”, or single - site optimization , pacing is accomplished through only one electrode , but only that electrode that optimizes a desired parameter is chosen . one parameter that could be optimized is the amount of the cardiac contraction caused by the pacing pulse to a particular electrode . a measure of a good cardiac contraction is the amount of time the entire contraction takes i . e ., the qrs width . a wider qrs indicates a slower spread of the wavefront across the heart and is usually typical of a poorly synchronized heartbeat . by pacing through each electrode and measuring the width of the qrs complex , we can find the best site from which to pace the heart . other methods , including invasive procedures , could be used to measures of cardiac output to select the optimum site . another optimization parameter can be the stimulation threshold , or the provisional amount of energy required to cause the heart to contract from a stimulating pulse ( capture ). this greatly affects the length of battery life and much time is spent during a pacemaker implant attempting to find the location with the lowest threshold . the threshold is determined by lowering the pacing energy while pacing until the pulses no longer capture the heart . the lowest value that captures the heart and augmented by a safety margin is the threshold . using the cardiac lead , the threshold of each electrode can be found and pacing is done using the electrode with the lowest threshold . as shown in fig1 , the testing ( step 210 ) for pacing begins by selecting ( step 270 ) which parameter is suitable for selecting a cardiac pacing leads . this step may be performed automatically or the parameter may be set by the physician . next , an electrode of the cardiac lead is chosen ( step 275 ) for testing . the initial selection ( step 275 ) of the electrode may be random . the electrode most likely to provide the best pacing such as one electrode near the tip of the cardiac lead , or a first terminal location on the connector . as is apparent , any initial choice ( step 275 ) of the electrode is in keeping with the intent of this invention . further , any pattern of selection of choosing ( step 275 ) subsequent electrodes is also in keeping with the intent of this invention . the pacing signal is applied ( step 280 ) through the respective electrode to the heart . the stimulation level required to stimulate the heart is recorded and compared ( step 285 ) to a maximum stimulation level allowed . if the stimulation level of the pacing signal is greater than the maximum stimulation level allowed ,. the electrode is to be ignored . the electrode is tested ( step 290 ) to determine if it is the last electrode in the cardiac lead to be evaluated . if it is not the last electrode in the multi - electrode cardiac lead to be evaluated , the next electrode is selected ( step 275 ) for testing . if it is the last electrode to be evaluated , the pacing testing ends ( step 310 ). if the stimulation level of the pacing signal is less that the maximum stimulation level allowed , the electrode identification and the stimulation level is logged ( step 295 ) and compared ( step 300 ) to the stimulation level of the previously identified electrode as having the minimum stimulation level . if the currently tested electrode has a stimulation level greater than the stimulation level of the previously electrode identified as having the minimum stimulation level , the electrode is tested ( step 290 ) if it is the last electrode in the multi - electrode cardiac lead to be evaluated . if it is not the last electrode in the multi - electrode cardiac lead to be evaluated , the next electrode is selected ( step 275 ) for testing . if it is the last electrode to be evaluated , the pacing testing ends ( step 310 ). if the currently tested electrode has a stimulation level less than the stimulation level of the previously electrode identified as having the minimum stimulation level , the currently tested electrode is identified ( step 305 ) as the electrode having the minimum stimulation level . the electrode is tested ( step 290 ) if it is the last electrode in the multi - electrode cardiac lead to be evaluated . if it is not the last electrode in the multi - electrode cardiac lead to be evaluated , the next electrode is selected ( step 275 ) for testing . if it is the last electrode to be evaluated , the pacing testing ends ( step 310 ). once the sensing electrodes and pacing electrodes are determined , the correct combination of sensing electrodes and pacing electrodes are selected ( step 215 ) to be connected to the pacemaker . if the configurations of fig3 - 5 are used , then a compromise between the pacing threshold and the sensing signal must be made in choosing which of the electrodes are to be connected to the pacemaker . the optimization criteria for sensing is simply the site with the combination of the largest sense signal and the lowest stimulation threshold . the ability to activate the pacing electrode only during pacing and to activate the same electrode during sensing as described for fig7 above eliminates the need for this compromise and can both decrease the implant time and improve the efficacy and reliability of the therapy . returning to fig9 after the sensing and pacing electrodes have been designated , the proximal end of lead 5 is inserted into the lead connector 40 of the adapter 10 . the desired group of electrodes that provide optimum sensing and pacing are programmed ( step 220 ) within the multiplexer as described above . in other words , the multiplexer is programmed to connect the sense and pace electrodes of lead 5 to the corresponding terminals of the pacemaker 20 . the adapter 10 , 100 is connected to the is - 1 connector 15 of the pacemaker 20 . the functioning of the pacemaker and the programming ( step 220 ) of the multiplexer of the adapter is verified ( step 225 ) for proper operation . the verification may be as simple as observation of the operation of the pacemaker using normal ecg criteria . alternately , in a pacemaker system having the ability to communicate the status of the connections , the address of the adapter with a coding of the electrodes connected and not connected for comparison to the logging of the sense signal magnitude and the stimulation level logging . this comparison allows for verification and diagnostics of the performance of the pacemaker . in the procedure set forth in fig9 the adapter is connected to the lead 5 only after the designation of the electrode . the adapter can be connected to the lead right after the implantation , and an external programmer can be connected to the adapter using a standard s1 connector . in this way the programmer can use the adapter to step through the electrodes of lead 5 for scanning , pacing , etc . for example , as shown in fig1 a , cable 12 can be temporarily connected to an external programmer 77 as shown . the programmer performs the function as described in fig9 - 11 to designate the electrodes , or to provide guidance to a physician regarding the designation of the electrodes . the programmer also sets the links of the adapter based either on the results of the automatic designation , or as requested by the physician . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof , particularly implantable pacemakers , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details such as use with other cardiac devices such as an implantable cardioverter / defibrillator or icd may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
in the figures of the drawing , the reference numeral 1 designates in general a coating booth , in particular a powder coating booth . such powder coating booth 1 includes powder spray devices ( not shown ), as well as powder processing and supply devices for the powder coating operation ( also not shown ). the powder coating booth 1 has a preferably jacket - shaped peripheral wall 2 , a floor section 3 and a ceiling section 4 . the peripheral wall 2 in conjunction with the floor section 3 and the ceiling section 4 bound an interior space 5 of the coating booth 1 . although not shown in detail , a coating booth 1 can also have , for example , only a single floor section 3 or a single ceiling section 4 that is separate from the peripheral wall 2 . this is meant to illustrate that embodiments of coating booths 1 could also be considered where the floor or the ceiling is formed in a conventional manner and rigidly connected to a respective end of the peripheral wall 2 . as seen in fig1 and 2 , the ceiling section 4 includes , for example , at least two segments 4 a , 4 b that are not connected with the peripheral wall 2 , but separate therefrom . during the powder coating operation , the two segments 4 a , 4 b of the ceiling section 4 bound , for example , a through - slot 17 for a suspended gear of a conveyor ( not shown ), on which the parts to be coated are arranged and transported through the interior space 5 of the coating booth 1 . this arrangement can be laid out so that the two segments 4 a , 4 b of the ceiling section 4 that form the ceiling of the coating booth 1 are moved towards one another , so that the slot 17 disappears during , for example , a cleaning operation . the dimensions of the two segments 4 , 4 b of the ceiling section 4 are smaller than the dimensions of the interior space 5 , so that the two segments can move vertically to clean the interior space 5 . here too , the cleaning device 8 ′ is installed in or additionally provided on such a ceiling section 4 . when the cleaning device 8 ′ is in a ready position or rest position , the segments 4 a , 4 b of the ceiling section 4 are located apart from one another so as to tightly seal the interior space 5 of the booth , preferably resting on the end face of the peripheral wall 2 . for the coating operation , a through - slot 17 is again formed between the two segments 4 a , 4 b of the ceiling section 4 . it will be understood that optionally additional seals can be provided between the ceiling section and the interior wall of the booth . as seen more particularly in fig2 a blowing device 9 ′ and / or a suction device 10 ′ can be associated with each of the segments 4 a , 4 b . by suitably designing the segments 4 a and 4 b , it may also be sufficient to associate only a single blowing device and / or suction device ( not shown in detail ) with the segments 4 a , 4 b of the ceiling section 4 . with this arrangement , the two segments 4 a , 4 b are moved into a mutual communicating connection for cleaning . the blowing device and / or the suction device 4 is connected eccentrically with one of the segments 4 a or 4 b . preferably , there is provided on the side facing the ceiling and above the ceiling section 4 a closing plate 18 , which advantageously surrounds the upper edge of the peripheral wall 2 when the segments 4 a and 4 b are moved closely together for cleaning the interior space 5 of a booth , so as to provide a tightly sealed termination on the top during the cleaning operation . if the segments 4 a and 4 b are spaced apart and form the through - slot 17 , then the closing plate 18 can be optionally lifted on the top side of the coating booth 1 , and preferably driven by the vertical movement of the ceiling section 4 . although the coating booth 1 in the illustrated embodiment has a cylindrical shape and a circular cross - section , the invention is obviously not limited to this particular embodiment , and polygonal , four - cornered , square , rectangular , oval and other cross - sections can also be considered for the coating booth 1 , including combinations thereof . for sake of simplicity , an exemplary coating booth 1 with a round cross - section is selected for illustration in the drawing . preferred cross - sectional shapes are , for example , round - oval or flat - oval . in the following , the floor section 3 will be described in detail with reference to fig1 . the floor section 3 forms the floor of the coating booth 1 during the coating operation and is secured in its lowest position so that the interior space 5 of the coating booth 1 is tightly sealed . optionally , a sealing element 7 can be provided below the floor element 3 which operates as an additional floor seal during the cleaning cycles . as seen from the drawing , the floor section 3 preferably includes an integral cleaning device 8 which preferably includes a blowing device 9 and a suction device 10 . advantageously , the blowing device 9 includes blowing nozzles 11 which are uniformly spaced along the circumference for blowing the blast air onto the peripheral wall 2 during the cleaning operation . the suction device 10 preferably includes suction openings 12 which are also uniformly spaced along the circumference . in the illustrated example , the blowing device 9 and the suction device 10 are arranged with an axial spacing , wherein the blowing device 9 is arranged forward in the movement direction of the cleaning direction 8 which is formed by the floor section 3 , whereas the suction device 10 is arranged in the trailing region . the order of the blowing device 9 and suction device 10 can also be reversed from the illustrated preferred embodiment . a suction line 14 in the form of a telescopic assembly is connected to the suction device 10 . the suction line leads , for example , to a following filter and cyclone device ( not shown ). a hose 15 which can be wound onto a hose reel 16 , can be connected to the blowing device 9 for supplying blast air . as shown schematically in fig1 with reference to the floor - side suction device 10 , a flap 20 which can be opened and closed as required , is arranged in the region of the suction line 14 . for example , if a color change “ tint - in - tint ” is performed , then the excess powder removed during cleaning to can be recycled into the powder loop and , for example , supplied to the recovery unit ( not shown ) of the coating facility . in this case , the flap 20 in the suction line 14 is closed , and the excess powder removed during cleaning is supplied directly to the recovery device using a suction device that is disposed in the interior space of the booth ( also not shown ) and employed customarily during the coating operation . such suction device operating during conventional coating operations can be implemented , for example , as a slot which extends over most of the length or the height of the coating booth . this suction system is typically connected with the recovery device or the associated recovery system to ensure economical powder consumption . in addition , in the region of the suction line 14 , an inspection window and / or a cleaning flap ( not shown ) can be provided in the wall region of the suction line 14 . to clean the suction line 14 itself , a schematically illustrated slot 21 can be provided which can be closed with a removable cover . suitable cleaning devices for cleaning also the floor - side suction device 10 can be inserted via this slot 21 . the detailed features described for the embodiments relating to the cleaning device 8 disposed on the floor section 3 can also be provided in an identical or similar fashion for the cleaning device 8 ′ of the ceiling section 4 having the segments 4 a and 4 b . for example , if the interior space 5 of the coating booth 1 is to be cleaned when the powder is being changed , then the floor section 3 and / or the ceiling section 4 is moved upwards and downwards vertically , as indicated by the arrow 13 . the blast jets released via the nozzles 11 of the blowing device 9 , 9 ′ are directed against the interior wall of the peripheral wall 2 for the purpose of releasing the powder particles from the interior wall . the powder particles released by the cleaning operation from the interior wall 5 are then drawn in by the suction device 10 , 10 ′ as indicated by arrows . when the floor section 3 and / or the ceiling section 4 moves vertically in the direction of the arrow 13 , the hose connection 15 of the blowing device 9 , 9 ′ and the suction line 14 of the suction device 10 , 10 ′ are automatically and uniformly carried along . in this way , powder can be removed from the interior space 5 efficiently and completely during the cleaning cycles . this type of cleaning is required , for example , during a color change . during the cleaning cycles , the sealing element 7 provides an additional seal of the interior space 5 on the floor side , thereby preventing powder from escaping into the environment . similarly , the cover plate 18 on the ceiling side also provides a seal during cleaning . the cover plate 18 can also be segmented , with the segments being moved together for carrying out the cleaning operation . when the cleaning operation is carried out with the cleaning device 8 , 8 ′, the floor section 3 and / or the ceiling section 4 is withdrawn to its respective initial position and remains locked in this position . in this way , the floor section 3 and / or the ceiling section 4 , which are separate from the peripheral wall 2 , form as intended the floor and / or the ceiling of the coating booth 1 . the communicating connections between the blowing device 9 , 9 ′ and the associated supply device , and the suction device 10 , 10 ′ and the subsequent devices , respectively , are advantageously integrated into the floor section 3 and / or the ceiling section 4 . it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the aforedescribed embodiment , but that numerous changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . in particular , the blowing device 9 , 9 ′ and the suction device 10 , 10 ′ of the cleaning device 8 , 8 ′ can be retractably disposed in the floor section 3 and the ceiling section 4 . in this way , the cleaning device 8 , 8 ′ itself is protected during the coating operation by the floor section 3 and / or the ceiling section 4 , thereby preventing contamination . optionally , the cleaning device 8 , 8 ′ can also include additional stripper lips which strip the powder from the interior wall surface of the peripheral wall 2 by brushing across the wall surface . additional brushing devices and the like can optionally be provided . moreover , wet cleaning may also be performed which would require additional water supply facilities . it is also possible to combine these additional devices in the cleaning device 8 , 8 ′. furthermore , the cleaning device 8 , 8 ′ together with the floor section 3 and / or the ceiling section 4 can also be designed to controllably rotate about its axis . however , this would require suitable modifications of the connections for the blowing device 9 , 9 ′ and the suction device 10 , 10 ′ different from the illustrated embodiment . moreover , suitable actuating devices can be employed to drive the vertical movement of the floor section 3 and / or the ceiling section 4 , as indicated by the direction of the arrow 13 , and to perform the cleaning motion of the cleaning device 8 , 8 ′. the actuating devices can be operated mechanically , hydraulically , pneumatically , electrically or by a combination of the above . any suitable drive can be employed to move the floor section 3 and / or the ceiling section 4 together with the cleaning device 8 , 8 ′ in the interior space 5 upwards and downwards in the vertical direction 13 . fig3 and 4 illustrate a modified embodiment of a coating booth 1 wherein identical or similar elements have the same reference numerals . accordingly , the identical or substantially identical elements will not be described in detail . the changes and modifications described above with reference to fig1 and 2 also apply in an identical or similar manner to the embodiment illustrated in fig3 and 4 . fig3 shows schematically a longitudinal cross - section of the coating booth 1 . the coating booth is here shown during coating operation . the floor section 3 ′ a with the associated devices is constructed similar to the previous figures . as illustrated , a projecting stop 30 is provided on the interior wall surface of the coating booth 1 , with the floor section 3 ′ a contacting the stop 30 in the conventional coating operation position . optionally , conventional sealing systems can be provided ( not shown ) which reliably seal the interior space 5 of the booth from the lower region of the coating booth 1 . the devices associated with the floor section 3 ′ a , such as the cleaning device 8 a , the blowing device 9 a and the suction device 10 a are indicated only schematically and are only partially visible ; they are constructed essentially similar to the aforedescribed embodiments . the modified embodiment illustrated in fig3 and 4 represents a combination of a cleaning device 8 a that is associated with the floor section 3 a and can be moved in the interior space of the booth 5 in a vertical direction , and a modified embodiment of a cleaning device 8 ′ a associated with the ceiling section 4 . the ceiling section 4 includes two segments 4 a and 4 b which in the operating position of the coating booth are spaced apart , thereby forming the through - slot 17 , for example , for a suspended gear . the two segments 4 a and 4 b of the ceiling section 4 rest firmly and reliably on the upper edge of the peripheral wall 2 . suitable sealing systems can optionally be provided at this location . the cleaning device 8 ′ a associated with the ceiling section 4 has , for example , the form of an annular element with a cross section matching the outer contour of the ceiling section 4 . this cleaning device 8 ′ a , shown in its rest position , is indicated in fig3 by the reference numeral 31 . as seen in fig4 an actuating device 30 is associated with the segments 4 a and 4 b , preferably in form of an articulated lever mechanism . this actuating device 30 to can be used to move the two segments 4 a and 4 b of the ceiling section 4 into the cleaning position indicated in fig4 i . e ., the segments 4 a and 4 b are slightly lifted and moved towards one another , so that the through - slot 17 of fig3 is tightly closed . the reference numeral 10 ′ a indicates the suction device for the ceiling section 4 which can be constructed as described above . the annular cleaning device 31 , which in the cleaning position of the coating booth 1 ( see fig4 ) is disposed in the space between the slightly lifted segments 4 a and 4 b and the upper edge of the peripheral wall 2 , includes several nozzle assemblies 33 which operates as blowing devices 9 ′ a . as indicated schematically , blast air exiting the nozzle assemblies 33 is preferably directed to be incident on the lower sides of the segments 4 a and 4 b that face the interior space 5 for blowing off the excess powder . the excess powder is then withdrawn through the suction device 10 ′ a by subsequent devices , as described with reference to the floor - side cleaning device . when the floor - side cleaning device 8 a is moved to its uppermost vertical position , the top side of the cleaning device 8 a can also be almost completely and automatically cleaned by the cleaning device 8 ′ a that is associated with the ceiling section 4 . the embodiment described with reference to the fig3 and 4 hence makes it possible to automatically clean both the floor - side cleaning device 8 a and the segments 4 a , 4 b of the ceiling section 4 . as depicted schematically in the enlarged detail in fig4 the floor - side cleaning device 8 a is formed like a nozzle plate 34 which forms the floor section 3 ′ a . this nozzle plate 34 has nozzle openings distributed around the outer periphery for the blowing device 9 a and the suction device 10 a . as indicated schematically by the arrows representing the flow , the blast air after the cleaning device 8 a — as viewed in the movement direction of the cleaning device 8 a — is directed onto the corresponding wall surface of the interior space 5 of the booth . the corresponding suction nozzles of the suction device 10 a immediately suction off the powder particles released from the wall by the blast air , thereby reliably preventing the powder particles released by the blast air from entering the space below the cleaning device 8 a ( see fig4 ). valves ( not shown ) can be used to control the corresponding blowing and suction air currents . after the interior space 5 of the coating booth 1 has been cleaned , the segments 4 a and 4 b of the ceiling section 4 are once more moved apart by the actuating device 32 and slightly lowered onto the upper peripheral edge of the peripheral wall . the annular cleaning device 31 then moves again outwardly into its ready position , as indicated in fig3 . the through - slot 17 is also formed again between the segments 4 a and 4 b of the ceiling section 4 . it will be understood that the annular cleaning device 31 can be modified from the embodiment illustrated in fig3 and 4 . the same applies to the nozzle devices 33 . the actuating device 32 can also be implemented differently . it is significant in the preferred embodiment illustrated in fig3 and 4 that a cleaning device 8 ′ a associated with the ceiling section 4 can be used to automatically clean both the ceiling section 4 as well as the floor section 3 ′ a . of course , in this modified embodiment depicted in fig3 and 4 , devices identical or similar to those of the previously described embodiments can also be provided . fig5 and 6 are intended to describe an alternative embodiment of a coating booth which is based on the embodiment of fig4 but differs in the cleaning process for the space between the ceiling section and the floor section . the basic design and details of the coating booth as well as of the floor section 3 ′ a and the corresponding ceiling section 4 , which includes the two segments 4 a and 4 b , are essentially identical to the embodiment depicted in fig4 . the details will therefore not be described here . all suction devices 10 ′ a of fig4 which communicate with the ceiling section 4 , are completely eliminated . as shown in fig5 the coating booth includes a ceiling cleaning device 50 associated with the ceiling section 4 . this ceiling cleaning device 50 in the embodiment of fig5 includes compressed air nozzles 51 , which are adjusted to direct a compressed air current onto the corresponding regions of the ceiling section and the floor section . the ceiling cleaning device 50 also includes a suction device 52 which suctions off the cleaning air originating from the compressed air nozzles 51 and the entrained powder . for this purpose , for example , one or several suction hose connections 52 can be provided on the ceiling cleaning device 50 . the ceiling cleaning device 50 is preferably suspended from a telescopic rail arrangement and can thereby be moved in the entire space between the ceiling section 4 and the floor section 3 , 3 ′ a parallel to the space , i . e ., in a longitudinal direction . the necessary drives to effect this movement which can be conventional drives , are not shown in fig5 and 6 . accordingly , the ceiling cleaning device 50 provides that the powder blown off with the help of the compressed air exiting from the compressed air nozzles 51 is immediately drawn off through the suction device 52 of the ceiling cleaning device 5 . the pathways between the compressed air nozzles 51 and the entrance to the suction device 52 are therefore quite short , ensuring an effective operation of the ceiling cleaning device 50 . the suction device 52 can also include one or more suction hose connections 53 disposed on the ceiling cleaning device 50 , which can be preferably controllably connected to a secondary filter of a powder recovery facility ( not shown ) using flaps 54 . the suction device 52 can also be connected to subsequent devices , such as cyclone devices and the like . in the embodiment of a coating booth according to fig6 unlike the embodiment depicted in fig5 the ceiling cleaning device 50 includes two cleaning units 55 which are constructed to match the aforedescribed ceiling cleaning device 50 . the cleaning units 55 can be moved independently of one another along telescopic rails in the space formed between this ceiling section 4 and the floor section 3 , 3 ′ a . accordingly , each cleaning unit 55 covers only approximately half the region to be cleaned between the ceiling section 4 and the floor section 3 , 3 ′ a . it should be noted with particularity that with the preferred embodiment of the ceiling cleaning devices 50 depicted in fig5 and 6 , the suction devices 10 ′ a disposed on the respective segments 4 a , 4 b can be eliminated . this simplifies , in particular , the design of the ceiling regions of a coating booth according to the invention , thereby providing a compact ceiling cleaning device 50 and a cleaning booth with a small overall height . although not described in detail above , the coating booth can also be operated during a coating operation by using the suction both on the floor and / or the ceiling . for example , when slot - like suction devices that extend along the booth length are provided for the coating operation , then the floor and / or ceiling of the cleaning device can be designed so that the slot - like suction devices that extend in the longitudinal direction of the booth can be cleaned simultaneously . while the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a coating booth , in particular a powder coating booth with a cleaning device , and method for cleaning the same , it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention .	1
referring now to the figures of the drawing , there is shown therein the inventive combination tiltable collapsible umbrella and table 10 ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; combination &# 34 ;). the umbrella 12 comprises a main telescopic solid shaft 14 operated by a bottom crank 16 which turns a gear wheel 18 whose gear teeth 20 are meshable with recesses 22 in the bottom of the shaft 14 . this telescoping feature is conceded as conventional and need not be further described . similarly conventional is the upper crank 24 which turns gear wheel 18 &# 39 ; whose gear teeth 20 &# 39 ; mesh with recesses 22 &# 39 ; in the upper portion of the shaft . thus , bottom crank 16 raises and lowers the shaft 14 while upper crank 24 opens and closes the umbrella cover portion 26 by expanding and collapsing the ribs 28 ( which latter feature is too conventional ). the table 30 portion of the combination is any standard circular or 4 - sided table , in this instance circular . the table top 32 has a central circular opening 34 and a cylindrical open cannister 36 is in registry with this opening . the entire umbrella when collapsed fits inside this cannister . a removable circular cover 38 in two semi - circular parts is adapted to cover the opening with its own central opening 40 capable of accommodating shaft 14 when the umbrella is open . a solid cover can also be used when the umbrella is not in use . the improved tilting feature of the umbrella is shown in fig4 and 5 . this is achieved by providing a separate upper shaft 15 whose lower end 17 terminates in a ball joint 19 . this allows shaft 15 to be tilted about this ball joint 19 . shaft 15 , whether tilted or upright , is urgingly held in place by a strong leaf spring 21 . leaf spring 21 is in inverted u - shape with one leg of the u mounted to a lip 23 on the upper rim of the collar 25 . no crank for this tilt feature is necessary , simple manual power will tilt the upper shaft 15 or right it . thus , there is provided by the invention a combination of an umbrella collapsible within a table and an improved tilting feature .	8
the novel formula i compounds are prepared from intermediate 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - loweralkylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 -( 2h )- ones ( 2 ) which are prepared from 2 -( 1 - loweralkyl - 3 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1h - benzimidazoles ( 1 ) according to the following reaction sequences : ## str4 ## the 3 - cyano - 1 - loweralkylpyrrolidine is added to concentrated hydrochloric acid . after the temperature of the exothermic reaction begins to subside the mixture is heated , preferably to 110 ° c . for 4 hours . the mixture is cooled to 60 ° c . and treated with a mixture of 1 , 2 - phenylenediamine in concentrated hydrochloric acid . the reaction mixture is then stirred at reflux for about 20 h . the mixture is cooled and basified carefully with concentrated ammonium hydroxide and the crude solid product collected . the product is purified by procedures known to those skilled in the art . ## str5 ## reaction of the 2 -( 1 - loweralkyl - 3 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1h - benzimidazole ( 1 ) with phosgene in an aprotic solvent such as methylene chloride with an acid acceptor such as triethylamine yields the intermediate 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - loweralkylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- ones ( 2 ). this ring - opening rearrangement reaction was disclosed in our commonly owned u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 337 , 580 and 3 , 192 , 230 and 3 , 192 , 221 . ## str6 ## the formula i compounds are obtained by reacting the intermediate ( 2 ) with the proper amine hnr 2 r 3 in a suitable solvent such as toluene or with a large excess of hnr 2 r 3 which serves both as solvent and reactant . the optical isomers can be separated by standard laboratory procedures known to those skilled in the art . the foregoing methods of preparation of compounds of formula i and intermediates thereto are broadly described and the reactions may not be applicable as described to each compound included within the scope of this invention . other synthetic procedures for the preparation of compounds of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and this disclosure should not be construed as limiting in any way . without further elaboration , it is believed that one skilled in the art will be able to carry out this invention without undue experimentation . the following preparations and examples are therefore to be construed as illustrative and not limiting to this disclosure in any way . the various reagents used in the following preparations and examples are either commercially available or readily synthesized by procedures given in the chemical and patent literature . to 240 g of concentrated hydrochloric acid was added 43 . 2 g ( 0 . 39 mol ) of 3 - cyano - 1 - methylpyrrolidine ( the temperature rose to 90 ° c .). after the temperature began to fall the solution was heated to 110 ° c . for 4 h . the solution was cooled to 60 ° c . and 42 g ( 0 . 39 mol ) of 1 , 2 - diaminobenzene in 250 ml of 1n hydrochloric acid was added . the solution was heated to reflux for 20 h . the cooled solution was made basic with concentrated nh 4 oh and the resulting crystals were collected by filtration . the product was chromatographed on a 7 . 5 × 36 cm silica column eluting with 1 gallon of 10 % nh 4 oh - 90 % ethanol . the eluent was collected in 500 - ml portions . the first 6 fractions were discarded and fractions 7 - 14 were collected and concentrated . the residue was recrystallized from ethyl acetate . yield : 18 g ( 23 %). a 5 - g sample was recrystallized three times from ethyl acetate . yield : 1 . 6 g , mp 189 °- 193 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 12 h . sub . 15 n . sub . 3 : c , 71 . 61 ; h , 7 . 51 ; n , 20 . 88found : c , 71 . 13 ; h , 7 . 47 ; n , 20 . 64______________________________________ a solution of 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of 2 -( 1 - methyl - 3 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1h - benzimidazole in 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 was added dropwise to a solution of 12 . 5 ( 0 . 025 mol ) of 20 % phosgene / toluene in 30 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . the solution was stirred for 2 h , and 10 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of triethylamine was added dropwise . stirring was continued for 2 h and the solution was extracted with dilute naoh . the organic layer was dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and concentrated . the residue was crystallized twice from isopropyl ether . yield 1 . 5 g ( 28 %), mp 88 °- 91 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 13 h . sub . 14 n . sub . 3 ocl : c , 59 . 21 ; h , 5 . 35 ; n , 15 . 93found : c , 59 . 18 ; h , 5 . 38 ; n , 15 . 89______________________________________ following the procedure of preparation 1 and substituting for 3 - cyano - 1 - methylpyrrolidine with the following : following the procedure of preparation 2 and substituting the following for 2 -( 1 - methyl - 3 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1h - benzimidazole : to 25 ml of dimethylamine was added 5 g ( 0 . 019 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one . the mixture was sealed in a glass flask and stirred for 48 h . the flask was opened and the excess dimethylamine was allowed to evaporate . the residue was partitioned between ch 2 cl 2 and dilute naoh . the organic phase was dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and concentrated . the residue was dissolved in 60 ml of isopropyl alcohol and treated with 2 . 2 g ( 0 . 019 mol ) of maleic acid . the resulting crystals were recrystallized from isopropyl alcohol containing a few drops of water . yield 4 . 6 g ( 61 %), mp 138 °- 145 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 38 h . sub . 49 n . sub . 8 o . sub . 11 : c , 57 . 39 ; h , 6 . 37 ; n , 14 . 09found : c , 57 . 69 ; h , 6 . 24 ; n , 13 . 94______________________________________ to 20 ml of morpholine was added 3 . 5 g ( 0 . 0133 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one . the reaction mixture was heated in 60 ° c . for 24 hrs . the excess morpholine was removed by rotary evaporation and finally by high vacuum ( 0 . 5 mm hg ˜ 60 ° c .). the residue was dissolved in ˜ 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 washed with 3 × 50 ml of 1n naoh , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was crystallized from isopropyl ether to give 2 . 7 g ( 65 %) of analytically pure crystals , mp 111 °- 12 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 17 h . sub . 22 n . sub . 4 o . sub . 2 : c , 64 . 95 ; h , 7 . 05 ; n , 17 . 82found : c , 64 . 93 ; h , 7 . 10 ; n , 17 . 72______________________________________ to 15 ml of n - methylaniline was added 3 . 5 g ( 0 . 0133 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one . the reaction mixture was heated to 90 ° c . ( oil bath ) for 2 days , and the excess n - methylaniline removed in vacuo at 80 ° c ., 0 . 5 mm hg . the residue was dissolved in 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 , washed with 2 × 100 ml of 1n naoh , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was subjected to high vacuum ( 0 . 5 mm , hg ) at 85 ° c . for 2 hr , and then crystallized from iso - octane / toluene to give 2 . 3 g ( 52 %) of analytically pure crystals , mp 130 °- 31 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 20 h . sub . 22 n . sub . 40 : c , 71 . 83 ; h , 6 . 63 ; n , 16 . 75found : c , 72 . 07 ; h , 6 . 69 ; n , 16 . 65______________________________________ to 18 ml of n - methylpiperazine was added 3 . 5 g ( 0 . 0133 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one . the reaction mixture was heated 60 ° c . ( oil bath ) for 24 hr and the excess n - methylpiperazine removed at ˜ 60 ° c ., 0 . 5 mm hg . the residue was dissolved in 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 , washed with 2 × 50 ml of 1n naoh , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was dissolved in toluene , treated with charcoal , filtered , and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was crystallized from iso - octane / toluene to give 2 . 4 g ( 55 %) of analytically pure crystals , mp 110 °- 12 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 18 h . sub . 25 n . sub . 5 o : c , 66 . 03 ; h , 7 . 70 ; n , 21 . 39found : c , 66 . 01 ; h , 7 . 76 ; n , 21 . 07______________________________________ to a solution of 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 015 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one dissolved in 20 ml of toluene was added 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 023 mol ) of 4 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylpiperidine and 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 04 mol ) of triethylamine . the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 24 hr and the solvent removed by rotary evaporation . the residue was dissolved in 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 , washed with 2 × 50 ml of 1n naoh , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was subjected to preparative high pressure liquid chromatography ( preparative hplc ) using ethanol as the eluent and silica gel as the stationary phase . the residue was treated with fumaric acid in isopropyl alcohol to give 3 . 2 g ( 36 . 5 %) of analytically pure crystals , mp 214 °- 17 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 39 h . sub . 35 n . sub . 4 o . sub . 6 : c , 62 . 17 ; h , 6 . 09 ; n , 9 . 67found : c , 62 . 20 ; h , 6 . 07 ; n . 9 . 61______________________________________ to 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 015 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one in 35 ml of toluene was added 6 . 5 g ( 0 . 04 mol ) of n - phenylpiperazine . the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 2 days . the entire reaction mixture was washed with 3 × 50 ml of 1n naoh , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was subjected to preparative hplc using acetone as the eluent and silica gel as the stationary phase . like fractions were combined , concentrated and the residue crystallized from isopropyl alcohol to give 3 . 7 g ( 64 %) of analytically pure , crystalline material , mp 143 . 5 °- 145 . 5 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 23 h . sub . 27 n . sub . 5 o : c , 70 . 93 ; h , 6 . 99 ; n , 17 . 98found : c , 70 . 77 ; h , 7 . 02 ; n , 17 . 81______________________________________ to 50 ml of toluene was added 5 . 0 g ( 0 . 019 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one , 6 . 19 g ( 0 . 038 mol ) of 1 -( 2 - pyridyl ) piperazine , and 3 . 8 g ( 0 . 038 mol ) of triethylamine . the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 24 hours . the reaction mixture was washed with 2 × 50 ml of naoh , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was crystallized from isopropyl alcohol to afford 5 . 5 g ( 75 %) of analytically pure crystals , mp 158 °- 59 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 22 h . sub . 26 n . sub . 6 o : c , 67 . 67 ; h , 6 . 71 ; n , 21 . 52found : c , 67 . 69 ; h , 6 . 75 ; n , 21 . 50______________________________________ to 60 ml of toluene was added 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 0152 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one , 6 . 0 g ( 0 . 033 mol ) of 1 -( 2 - pyrimidyl ) piperazine , and 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 04 mol ) of triethylamine . the reaction mixture was heated at reflux for 2 days and subsequently washed with 2 × 50 ml of 1n naoh , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated by rotary evaporation . crystallization from ethyl acetate afforded 4 . 0 g , 67 % of analytically pure crystals , mp 161 °- 62 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 21 h . sub . 25 n . sub . 7 o : c , 64 . 43 ; h , 6 . 44 ; n , 25 . 05found : c , 64 . 35 ; h , 6 . 40 ; n , 24 . 90______________________________________ following the procedure of example 1 and substituting for 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one the following : following the procedure of example 2 and substituting for 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one the following : following the procedure of example 3 and substituting for 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one the following : following the procedure of example 4 and substituting for 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one the following : following the procedure of example 5 and substituting for 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one the following : following the procedure of example 6 and substituting for 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one the following : following the procedure of example 7 and substituting for 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one the following : following the procedure of example 8 and substituting for 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h ) one the following : a mixture of 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 015 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazole - 1 ( 2h )- one , 3 . 46 g ( 0 . 015 mol ) of 1 - phenyl - 1 , 3 , 8 - triazaspiro [ 4 , 5 ]- decan - 4 - one , 9 g of nahco 3 , 0 . 5 g of kl , and 35 ml of dmf was heated on a steam cone for 24 h . the reaction mixture was poured into 500 ml of h 2 o and extracted with 3 × 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . the combined organic extracts were washed with 2 × 100 ml of h 2 o , dried ( naso 4 ), filtered and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was purified by preparative hplc using acetone and the eluent and silica gel as the stationary phase . like fractions were combined and concentrated by rotary evaporation to a glass which crystallized upon treatment with ethyl acetate to give 4 . 3 g ( 52 %) of analytically pure material , mp 173 °- 75 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calc . for c . sub . 20 h . sub . 30 n . sub . 6 o . sub . 2 . c . sub . 4 h . sub . 8 o . sub . 2 c , 65 . 91 ; h , 7 . 01 ; n , 15 . 37found : c , 65 . 58 ; h , 7 . 00 ; n , 15 . 72______________________________________ a mixture of 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 015 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazole - 1 ( 2h )- one , 2 . 93 g ( 0 . 015 mol ) of 1 -( 2 - methoxyphenyl ) piperazine , 9 g of nahco 3 , 0 . 5 g of kl , and 30 ml of dmf was heated on a steam cone for 18 h . the reaction mixture was poured into 400 ml of h 2 o and extracted with 2 × 100 ml ch 2 cl 2 . the combined organic layers were dried ( na 2 so 4 ), filtered and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the resulting oil was purified by preparative hplc eluting with acetone and using silica gel as the stationary phase . like fractions were combined and concentrated by rotary evaporation to an oil . the oil was treated with fumaric acid in 2 - propanol to give 3 . 7 g ( 42 %) of the salt , mp 100 °- 108 ° c . dec . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calc . for c . sub . 24 h . sub . 29 n . sub . 5 o . sub . 2 . 1 . 5c . sub . 4 h . sub . 4 o . sub . 4 c , 60 . 70 ; h , 5 . 44 ; n , 11 . 80found : c , 60 . 71 ; h , 6 . 32 ; n , 11 . 44______________________________________ a solution of 2 . 4 g ( 0 . 035 mol ) of imidazole , 3 . 0 g ( 0 . 011 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one and 3 . 0 g ( 0 . 03 mol ) of triethylamine in 80 ml of etoh was heated to reflux . after 24 hr 1 . 6 g of imidazole was added followed by an additional 1 . 6 g 24 hr later . another 1 . 0 g of imidazole was added and reflux continued for 3 days . the solvent was removed by rotary evaporation . the residue was taken up in ch 2 cl 2 , washed with 100 ml of 1n naoh , 3 × 100 ml of h 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was treated with oxalic acid in 2 - propanol to give 0 . 5 g ( 11 %) of crystalline product , mp 148 °- 49 ° c . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calc . for c . sub . 16 h . sub . 17 n . sub . 5 o . 1 . 5c . sub . 2 h . sub . 2 o . sub . 4 : c , 53 . 02 ; h , 4 . 68 ; n , 16 . 27found : c , 52 . 56 ; h , 4 . 64 ; n , 15 . 99______________________________________ to 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 015 mol ) of 4 -( 2 - chloroethyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methylpyrimido [ 1 , 6 - a ] benzimidazol - 1 ( 2h )- one in 20 ml of toluene was added 5 . 0 g ( 0 . 0175 mol ) of 4 -[ bis ( 4 - fluorophenyl ) methyl ] piperidine and 5 . 0 g ( 0 . 05 mol ) of triethylamine and the reaction mixture heated to reflux for 24 hr . the reaction mixture was washed with 3 × 50 ml of 1n naoh , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated by rotary evaporation . the residue was subjected to preparative hplc using ethanol as the eluent and silica gel as the stationary phase . like fractions were combined and concentrated by rotary evaporation to give 3 . 7 g ( 49 %) of an analytically pure oil . ______________________________________analysis : ______________________________________calculated for c . sub . 31 h . sub . 32 n . sub . 4 of . sub . 2 : c , 72 . 35 ; h , 6 . 27 ; n , 10 . 89found : c , 72 . 32 ; h , 6 . 27 ; n , 10 . 83______________________________________ table 1__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## exam - ple r . sup . 1 nr . sup . 2 r . sup . 3 salt__________________________________________________________________________1 ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 maleate . 0 . 5 h . sub . 2 o2 ch . sub . 3 ## str8 ## -- 3 ch . sub . 3 ## str9 ## -- 4 ch . sub . 3 ## str10 ## -- 5 ch . sub . 3 ## str11 ## 1 . 5 fumarate6 ch . sub . 3 ## str12 ## -- 7 ch . sub . 3 ## str13 ## -- 8 ch . sub . 3 ## str14 ## -- 9a c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 9b ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 9c ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 9d ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 10a c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ## str15 ## -- 10b ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ## str16 ## -- 10c ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ## str17 ## -- 10d ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ## str18 ## -- 11a ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str19 ## -- 11b ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ## str20 ## -- 11c ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str21 ## -- 11d ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ## str22 ## -- 12a ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str23 ## -- 12b ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ## str24 ## -- 12c ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str25 ## -- 12d ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ## str26 ## -- 13a ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str27 ## -- 13b ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ## str28 ## -- 13c ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str29 ## -- 13d ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ## str30 ## -- 14a ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str31 ## -- 14b ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ## str32 ## -- 14c ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str33 ## -- 14d ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ## str34 ## -- 15a ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str35 ## -- 15b ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ## str36 ## -- 15c ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str37 ## -- 15d ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ## str38 ## -- 16a ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str39 ## -- 16b ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ## str40 ## -- 16c ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ## str41 ## -- 16d ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ## str42 ## -- 17 ch . sub . 3 ## str43 ## ethyl acetate18 ch . sub . 3 ## str44 ## fumarate19 ch . sub . 3 ## str45 ## oxalate20 ch . sub . 3 ## str46 ## -- __________________________________________________________________________ adult mongrel dogs which are in the conscious state are used for the test and cardiac arrhythmias are induced by prior ( 22 - 24 hr ) surgical preparation in which blood flow through a coronary artery is occluded by use of a constrictor device as reported by smith et al , 1973 . a grass model 79 polygraph is used for recording the electrocardiogram ( grass 7p4 preamplifier ). the test compound in a suitable vehicle is administered by infusion ( harvard model 942 infusion pump ) into a saphenous vein to one group of dogs at a rate of 0 . 5 mg / kg / min . concentration of compound is adjusted according to the weight of the dog to allow a volume of infusion of 0 . 5 ml / min . to determine oral efficacy the test compound is administered orally by gavage to another group of dogs at dose levels of 10 through 40 mg / kg . for oral dosing the test compound is prepared in distilled water to give a total volume of 20 ml . following the administration of the test compound , the heart rate , number of ectopic cardiac beats per min , and the percent ectopic beats ( ectopic beats / hr x100 ) are recorded at 15 min intervals . the compound is considered active if it abolishes the ectopic ventricular frequency and causes a return to normal sinus rhythm within 2 hours of administration . for example , the minimally effective dose for 100 % reduction in ectopic ventricular beats was 3 mg / kg ( iv ) for the compounds of examples 1 and 8 . cardiac arrhythmias are produced by a modification of the method of harris , 1950 , circulation , 1 , 1318 as reported by smith et al ., 1973 , pharmacologist 15 , 192 . the invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions for administration to a living animal body comprising , as active ingredients , at least one of the compounds according to the invention in association with a pharmaceutical carrier or excipient . the compounds are thus presented in a therapeutic composition suitable for oral , rectal or parenteral administration . thus , for example , compositions for oral administration are preferably solids and can take the form of capsules , tablets or coated tablets containing carriers conveniently used in the pharmaceutical art . suitable tableting carriers or excipients include lactose , potato and maize starches , talc , gelatin and stearic and silicic acids , magnesium stearate and polyvinyl pyrrolidone . for parenteral administration , the carrier or excipient can be a sterile , parenterally acceptable liquid , e . g ., water , or a parenterally acceptable oil ; e . g ., arachis oil , contained in ampoules . in compositions for rectal administration the carrier can comprise a suppository base , e . g ., cocoa butter , or a glyceride . advantageously , the compositions are formulated as dosage units , each unit being adapted to supply a fixed dose of active ingredients . tablets , coated tablets , capsules , ampoules and suppositories are examples of preferred dosage forms according to the invention . it is only necessary that the active ingredient constitute an effective amount ; i . e ., such that a suitable effective dosage will be obtained consistent with the dosage form employed . the exact individual dosages , as well as daily dosages , will , of course , be determined according to standard medical principles under the direction of a physician or veterinarian . generally the oral effective dose to either prevent or treat cardiac arrhythmias as compared with disopyramide would consist of unit dosages containing an amount of compound equivalent to about 1 to about 10 mg / kg of body weight and thus are contemplated . based on all of the above considerations , a choice in a range of unit oral dosages for humans of about 10 to about 1000 mg is contemplated , preferably about 10 to 600 mg . daily dosages of about 100 to 1200 mg are contemplated for humans and obviously several unit dosage forms may be administered at about the same time . however , the scope of the invention is not to be limited by these contemplations due to the uncertainty in transpositions discussed above . ______________________________________capsules ingredients per cap . ______________________________________1 . active ingredient 75 . 0 mg2 . lactose 146 . 0 mg3 . magnesium stearate 4 . 0 mg 219 . 0 mg______________________________________ step 2 . pass blend from step 1 through a no . 30 mesh screen ( 0 . 59 mm ) and blend again . step 3 . fill powder blend from step 2 into no . 1 hard gelatin capsules . ______________________________________ ingredients mg ./ tab . ______________________________________tablets ( 50 mg ) 1 . active ingredient 50 . 0 mg2 . corn starch 20 . 0 mg3 . alginic acid 20 . 0 mg4 . sodium alginate 20 . 0 mg5 . magnesium stearate 1 . 3 mg 111 . 3 mgtablets ( 75 mg ) 1 . active ingredient 75 . 0 mg2 . milo starch 20 . 0 mg3 . corn starch 38 . 0 mg4 . lactose 90 . 0 mg5 . magnesium stearate 2 . 0 mg 225 . 0 mg______________________________________ step 2 . add sufficient water portion wise to the blend from step 1 with careful stirring after each addition . such additions of water and stirring continue until the mass is of a consistency to permit its conversion to wet granules . step 3 . the wet mass prepared in step 2 is converted to granules by passing it through an oscillating granulator , using a # 8 - mesh ( 2 . 36 mm ) screen . step 4 . the wet granules prepared in step 3 are dried in an oven at 140 ° f . step 5 . dried granules from step 4 are passed through an oscillating granulator , using a no . 10 - mesh ( 2 . 00 mm ) screen . step 6 . lubricate the dry granules from step 5 by blending with ingredient no . 5 . step 7 . the lubricated granules from step 6 are compressed on a suitable tablet press . ______________________________________intravenous injectioningredients per ml . ______________________________________1 . active ingredient 10 . 0 mg2 . isotonic ph 4 . 0 buffer solution q . s . to 1 . 0 ml______________________________________ step 3 . the sterile solution is now aseptically filled into sterile ampouls . ______________________________________intramuscular injectioningredients per ml . ______________________________________1 . active ingredients 50 . 0 mg2 . isotonic ph 4 . 0 buffer solution q . s . to 5 . 0 ml______________________________________ step 3 . the sterile solution is now aseptically filled into sterile ampouls . ______________________________________suppositoriesingredients per supp . ______________________________________1 . active ingredient 200 . 0 mg2 . polyethylene glycol 1000 1350 . 0 mg3 . polyethylene glycol 4000 450 . 0 mg 2000 . 0 mg______________________________________ step 1 . melt ingredients 2 and 3 together and stir until uniform . step 2 . dissolve 1 in the molten mass from step 1 and stir until uniform . step 3 . pour the molten mass from step 2 into suppository molds and allow to cool . various modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art and may be made in the compounds , method , and compositions of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof , and it is therefore to be understood that the invention is to be limited only the scope of the appended claims .	2
the coating compositions of this invention are prepared by prehydrolyzing the silane function of a silylated ultraviolet light ( uv ) screening compound and adding it to an aqueous silicone resin . the silylated uv screens which are suitable for this invention have the general formula ## str1 ## wherein r 1 is hydrogen , c 1 - c 8 alkyl or halogen ; r 3 and r 4 are hydrogen , c 1 - c 8 alkoxy , carboxy , halogen , hydroxy , amino , carbethoxy or -- q --( ch 2 ) 3 si ( or 2 ) 3 ; q is -- nh -- or -- o --; r 2 is c 1 - c 8 alkyl ; and a is an integer equal to 1 - 3 inclusive . these compounds can be made following the description in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 278 , 804 ( ashby et al . ), which is incorporated herein by reference . the silylated uv screens used in accordance with the present invention must be soluble in , and otherwise compatible with , the silicone resin . 4 -( 3 - triethoxysilylpropoxy )- 2 - hydroxybenzophenone is preferred . once hydrolyzed and mixed with the silicone resin , it is believed that the silylated uv screens copolymerize into the silicone , as is suggested by their low volatility upon curing and continuous heating . the uv compounds used in the present invention are particularly effective in protecting polycarbonate from discoloration . any amount of silylated uv screen which is effective to prevent discoloration of the substrate to which the composition will be applied can be used herein . in general , it has been found that best results are obtained if the uv screen is employed in amounts from 8 to 20 weight percent of the total solids of the coating composition . catalyzed prehydrolysis of the silane function of the silylated uv screen component of the present invention makes it possible to eliminate the long aging period ( 5 to 10 days ) usually required when using a silylated uv screen by providing the silanol functionality necessary for the uv screen to be incorporated into the structure of the silicone resin . in another feature of this invention , the silylated uv screen is prehydrolyzed in the presence of some silicone resin . this may result in a partial copolymerization of the screen and the resin , which may further assist the incorporation of the uv screen into the final silicone resin coating composition . accordingly , it may be advantageous , in the practice of this invention , to carry out the prehydrolysis of the silylated uv screen in the presence of a small amount of silicone resin , described hereinafter . it is believed that this prevents self - polymerization of the uv screen and its possible precipitation out of the hydrolysis solution . the hydrolysis catalysts suitable for practicing this invention include any acid , base , or acid - functionalized material which will increase the rate of conversion of the silane function of the silylated uv screen to a silanol . because strong acids or bases generally result in precipitation , weak acids , especially acetic acid , and weak bases , especially ammonium hydroxide , are preferred . especially preferred catalysts are solid , acid - functionalized materials , such as acid - treated clays , carboxylic acid functional cation exchange resins or base functional anion exchange resins , which can be removed easily when the optimal silanol population is achieved . most preferred such catalysts are sulfuric acid treated clay , such as that sold as filtrol # 20 ® ( filtrol corporation ), and carboxylic acid functional cation exchange resins , such as various grades of amberlite ® ( rohm & amp ; haas co .). this type of catalyst has added advantages over soluble catalysts in that ( 1 ) the prehydrolysis product containing the uv screen is more stable , ( 2 ) the catalyst is removed from the system , ( 3 ) the ph of the final coating composition will require little or no adjustment , and ( 4 ) there is no risk of the formation of salts ( for example acetates , in the case of acetic acid catalysis ) which shorten the service life of the coating composition . the silanol population in the prehydrolysis solution determines the performance of the coating composition to which the solution is added . if hydrolysis proceeds too far or not far enough , performance of the coating composition in terms of weatherability and resistance to cracking will suffer . the optimal silanol population cannot as yet be determined , but because it is a function of the reaction time of hydrolysis , which can be monitored closely , the hydrolysis can be stopped at the reaction time corresponding to the optimal silanol population . reaction time , therefore , is a critical parameter of the instant invention . it should be noted , however , that the critical reaction time varies from catalyst to catalyst . other variables such as the ph of the hydrolysis solution , the solvents used , the presence or absence of resin , and the amount of catalyst employed , have an effect on the reaction as well . therefore , some simple trial - and - error experimentation is contemplated to reveal the critical reaction times for the many catalysts suitable for practicing this invention . in order to gain a margin of flexibility with regard to the critical reaction time involved in the use of a particular catalyst , two preparation techniques have been developed which allow more precise regulation of the hydrolysis . one technique , helpful when a weak acid or acid - functionalized material is employed as a catalyst , calls for using low levels , such as about 0 . 15 to 0 . 3 weight percent of the catalyst . this drives the hydrolysis reaction at a slow enough rate to allow some flexibility on the reaction cut off time and consequently minimizes the risk of overrunning the optimum silanol population point , which may lead to the silylated uv screen precipitating out of the final coating composition . the other technique , employed to avoid self - polymerization of the uv screen silanols formed during prehydrolysis , involves the stabilization of the silanol groups by diluting the hydrolysis solution in a large volume of an alcohol , such as isobutanol . the diluted mixture , containing the uv screen , can then be used as a solvent directly in the preparation of the silicone resin coating composition . the aqueous silicone resin compositions suitable for this invention are any of the polysilicic acid coatings well - known in this art . such compositions include those described in the aforementioned patents , u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 986 , 997 and 4 , 027 , 073 ( clark ); u . s . pat . no . 4 , 177 , 315 ( ubersax ); u . s . pat . no . 4 , 277 , 287 ( frye ); u . s . pat . no . 4 , 159 , 206 ( armbruster , et al . ); and u . s . application ser . no . 964 , 910 . these patents and application are incorporated herein by reference . in the practice of the present invention , preferred aqueous colloidal silica dispersions generally have a particle size of from 5 to 150 millimicrons in diameter . colloidal silicas having an average particle size of from 10 to 30 millimicrons are most preferred . these silica dispersions are well - known in the art and commercially available ones include , for example , those sold under the trademarks of ludox ® ( dupont ) and nalcoag ® ( nalco chemical co .). a particularly preferred product for the purposes herein is known as ludox ls ® ( dupont ). such colloidal silicas are available as both acidic and basic hydrosols . in order to prevent flowmarks , dirtmarks , and the like , on the surface of the substrates to which the coatings of this invention are subsequently applied , it will be advantageous to include in the silicone resin composition a polysiloxane polyether copolymer as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 277 , 287 ( frye ). for the purposes of this invention , the polysiloxane polyether copolymer is employed in an amount from about 2 to about 15 weight percent of the total solids of the composition . most advantageous results are achieved when the copolymer is utilized at about 4 weight percent of the total solids . at these amounts , this additive prevents marks on the substrate which impair visibility or are aesthetically detracting but has no significant deleterious effects on the otherwise excellent abrasion resistance , adhesion , and resistance to discoloration of the coating . moreover , the presence of the polysiloxane polyether copolymer has been found to reduce the incidence of stress cracking in the cured coating . the coating compositions of the present invention can be applied to a variety of solid substrates by conventional methods , such as flowing or dipping , to form a continuous surface film . substrates which are especially contemplated herein are transparent and non - transparent plastics . as noted above , the coating compositions of this invention are especially useful as coatings for polycarbonates , such as those polycarbonates known as lexan ®, sold by general electric company . the coating compositions prepared according to the present invention will adhere to plastic substrates without the use of primers . a hard coating having all of the aforementioned characteristics and advantages is obtained by the removal of the solvent and volatile materials . the coating composition will air - dry to a tack - free condition , but heating in the range of 75 ° c . to 200 ° c . is necessary to obtain condensation of residual silanols in the partial condensate . this final cure results in the formation of silsesquioxane ( rsio 3 / 2 ). in the finished cured coating the ratio of rsio 3 / 2 units to sio 2 will range from about 0 . 43 to about 9 . 0 , preferably 1 to 3 . a cured coating having a ratio of rsio 3 / 2 to sio 2 , when r is methyl , of 2 is most preferred . the coating thickness can be varied by means of the particular application technique , but coatings of about 0 . 5 to 20 microns , preferably 2 - 10 micron thickness are generally utilized . in order that those skilled in the art may better understand how to practice the present invention , the following examples are given by way of illustration and not by way of limitation . 22 . 1 parts by weight of ludox ls ®, silica sol ( aqueous dispersion of colloidal silica , average particle size is 12 millimicrons , ph of 8 . 2 sold by dupont ) is added to a solution of 0 . 1 parts by weight of methyltriacetoxysilane in 26 . 8 parts by weight of methyltrimethoxysilane . the temperature of the reaction mixture is maintained at 20 ° c . to 30 ° c ., preferably below 25 ° c . the hydrolysis is allowed to continue for 24 hours . the solids content of the resultant reaction mixture is 40 . 5 % and is diluted to about 20 % solids with the addition of isobutanol . one part by weight ( 5 % of solids ) of sf - 1066 ( polysiloxane polyether copolymer , sold by general electric ) is thoroughly mixed with 99 parts by weight of the resultant composition . the final composition has a ph of higher than 7 . 2 . 55 . 7 parts by weight of isobutanol , 14 . 0 parts by weight of the stock silicone resins , and 11 . 2 parts by weight water are added to a reaction vessel and mixed until homogeneous . 0 . 5 parts by weight of filtrol # 20 ® ( acid - treated clay used as a catalyst , sold by filtrol corp ., is added slowly and stirred for five minutes . 18 . 6 parts by weight shbp is added , with vigorous stirring over a ten minute period . the reaction vents are closed off and the mixture allowed to stir . samples are removed after 3 , 4 and 5 hours . the reactions mixtures are each filtered through a 2μ pad . 1 . 0 weight percent oolitic &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;® ( a caco 3 neutralizing agent , sold by calcium carbonate company ) is added to the filtrate , stirred 30 minutes , then filtered again . the five - hour hydrolysis solution forms a precipitate and is unsuitable for use in a coating . coating compositions were prepared with the 3 - hour and 4 - hour solutions as follows : ______________________________________ coating a coating b______________________________________isobutanol 20 grams 20 gramsstock resin 200 grams 200 grams3 - hour prehydrolysis 34 grams -- solution4 - hour prehydrolysis -- 34 gramssolution______________________________________ coatings a and b are flow coated on different unprimed lexan ® panels and dried 30 minutes . after curing 30 minutes at 125 ° c ., the coated panels are tested for adhesion . adhesion of the coating compositions to the panels is tested by the scribed adhesion method , whereby a criss - cross pattern of scratches are made in the resin film , scotch 3m - 710 tape is applied and pulled away . three tape pulls without loss of adhesion is considered passing . for the two coatings above , coating a ( 3 - hour ) is hazy and shows poor adhesion ; coating b ( 4 - hour ) is clear and shows good adhesion . two more unprimed lexan ® panels are coated with coating b ( 4 - hour reaction time ), dried and cured at 130 ° for 1 hour and 2 hours , respectively , then tested for abrasion - resistance and weatherability . abrasion resistance is tested by measuring the increase in haze ( δ % h ) after 500 cycles on a taber abraser using a 500 - gram load and cs - 10f wheels . resistance to weathering is tested on a quv accelerated weathering tester , which uses continuous alternating cycles of eight - hours of ultraviolet radiation at 60 ° c ., then four hours condensation at 50 ° c . adhesion is tested periodically until it fails , the resistance then being recorded as the number of hours before adhesion failure . the results for the two panels cured at 130 ° c . with coating b were as follows : ______________________________________ δ % h quv life______________________________________cured 1 hour 8 . 5 failure at 283 hourscured 2 hours 8 . 2 failure at 431 hours______________________________________ 32 . 2 parts by weight each of isopropanol and isobutanol , 12 . 9 parts by weight water , and 1 . 34 parts by weight irc - 84 ( an amberlite ® cation exchange resin , sold by rohm & amp ; haas ) are added to a flask and thoroughly mixed . 21 . 45 parts by eight shbp are added slowly to the stirring mixture . aliquots of 14 . 7 grams of the prehydrolysis solution are withdrawn at different times , as the hydrolysis proceeds , and these are added to 100 grams of the stock resin to form coating compositions , as follows : ______________________________________coating required time appearance______________________________________1 6 hours no haze2 7 hours no haze3 10 hours no haze4 12 hours slight haze5 14 hours large precipitate6 16 hours large precipitate______________________________________ coatings 1 - 4 are applied to lexan ® panels , dried and cured 30 minutes at 125 ° c . coating 1 has good adhesion and no cracks ; coating 2 has 10 % adhesion failure and no cracks ; coating 3 fails adhesion but has no cracks ; coating 4 has poor adhesion . although coating 1 gave adequate results when used immediately , when the coatings were permitted to stand for about from 5 to 7 days , coating 3 gave a better over - all balance of properties . 26 . 7 parts by weight each of isobutanol and isopropanol , 10 . 6 parts by weight water , 17 . 8 parts by weight of the stock resin , and 0 . 44 parts by weight of 58 % ammonium hydroxide ( nh 4 oh ) are added to a flask and thoroughly mixed . 17 . 8 parts by weight shbp are added slowly to the violently stirred mixture . the reaction is allowed to proceed for 4 hours , at which time half the mixture is removed ( part a ), while the other half ( part b ) continues reacting . to part a are added 11 . 8 parts by weight filtrol # 20 ®. the part a mixture is stirred 30 minutes and filtered through a 2μ pad . 3 . 8 parts by weight of oolitic &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;® are added to the filtrate , which is stirred 15 minutes and refiltered through a 2μ pad . after 5 hours reaction time , part b is treated identically as part a . coating compositions a and b are prepared using parts a and b in the following proportions : ______________________________________coating a coating b______________________________________100 grams stock resin 100 grams stock resin 17 grams part a 17 grams part b 9 grams isobutanol 9 grams isobutanol______________________________________ both coating solutions are mixed well and allowed to settle for about a quarter hour . each is then flow coated on an unprimed lexan ® panel and air dried 20 minutes . the coatings show no haze or flow marks . both coated panels are cured 30 minutes at 125 ° c . both coatings exhibit good adhesion with no cracks and no haze . both panels are then thermoformed at 143 ° c . for 25 minutes . coating a ( 4 - hour solution ) shows cracking ; coating b ( 5 - hour solution ) shows only a few very small cracks . 2 . 6 weight percent shbp and 3 . 2 weight percent shbp coating compositions are made from the part b solution . the quv life of panels treated with these coatings and cured for two hours at 125 ° c . is as follows : ______________________________________coating quv life______________________________________2 . 6 % shbp adhesion loss at 650 hours3 . 2 % shbp adhesion loss at 1050 hours______________________________________ 28 . 0 parts by weight each of isopropanol and isobutanol , 11 . 2 parts by weight water , 18 . 6 parts by weight shbp , 14 . 0 parts by weight of the stock resin and 0 . 23 parts by weight of irc - 84 ( an amberlite ® cation exchange resin , sold by rohm & amp ; haas ) are mixed in a reaction vessel for 13 hours . the reaction product is filtered through 2μ pad . ______________________________________ coating a coating b______________________________________prehydrolysis solution 90 grams 86 gramsstock resin 700 grams 500 grams______________________________________ each of these coatings is applied to an unprimed lexan ® panel and , dried 20 minutes , and cured 1 hour at 125 ° c . the adhesion and abrasion resistance of both coatings is good . a prehydrolysis solution is prepared as in example 1 , except after the first filtration its discharged directly into a large vessel containing 388 parts by weight butanol . the mixture shows no precipitation after 2 hours at room temperature . ths solution , containing prehydrolyzed shbp , is used as the alcohol component to cut the solids content of the silicone resin / colloidal silica hydrolyzate in preparing the aqueous silicone resin . this coating solution is in turn flow coated on a lexan ® panel , dried for 20 minutes , and cured 1 hour at 130 ° c . the adhesion and abrasion resistance of the coating are good , and no cracks are present . after coating another panel and precuring for 45 minutes at 130 ° c ., thermoforming produces very little cracking along edges , and the quv life is greater than 500 hours . by following the teachings of this invention , a variety of useful , tough , and optically clear coatings can be made . the coating compositions are produced with a reduction in costs over conventional methods and are ready to use when formed . obviously , other compositions and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the foregoing disclosure . it is to be understood , therefore , that changes may be made in the particular embodiments of this invention which are within the full intended scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	2
hereinafter , embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . the descriptions set forth below merely illustrate the principles of the present invention . therefore , those skilled in the art could devise various methods and apparatus thereof which realize the principles of the present invention and which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention , even though they may not be clearly explained or illustrated in the present specification . also , it is to be appreciated that not only the principles , viewpoints , and embodiments of the present invention , but all detailed descriptions listing the particular embodiments are intended to include structural and functional equivalents . terms used in the description ( for example , a first , a second , etc .) are merely used to distinguish equal or similar items in an ordinal manner . also , the terms used in the description are merely used to describe the following embodiments , but not to limit the invention . unless clearly used otherwise , expressions in the singular number include a plural meaning . in this application , the terms “ included ” and “ stored ” intend to express the existence of the characteristic , the numeral , the step , the operation , the element , the part , or the combination thereof , and do not intend to exclude another characteristic , numeral , step , operation , element , part , or any combination thereof , or any addition thereto . unless defined otherwise , the terms used herein including technological or scientific terms have the same meaning that is generally understood by those ordinarily skilled in the art to which the invention pertains . the terms used herein shall not be interpreted not only based on the definition of any dictionary but also the meaning that is used in the field to which the invention pertains . also , unless clearly defined , the terms used herein shall not be interpreted too ideally or formally . fig1 is used as an example of an image with the uneven color deviation so as to require the compensation . fig2 is a block diagram showing the structure of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig2 the image processing apparatus 1 includes a sensor unit 10 , an image processing unit 20 , and a display unit 30 . besides , a key input unit , a memory , etc . can also be included , but descriptions on them are omitted since they are irrelevant to the gist of the present invention . the sensor unit 10 includes a color filter array ( cfa ) 12 and an a / d converter 14 . the sensor unit 10 may further include a lens ( not shown ). the color filter array 12 converts optical signals inputted through an external lens into electrical signals , and outputs the electrical signals . at this time , the color filter array 12 can use a variety of patterns such as a bayer pattern and an image signal containing chromatic information on only one of red , green and blue colors is outputted to each pixel . an image signal containing information on red color is outputted from the pixel corresponding to an r ( red ) pattern , an image signal containing information on green color is outputted from the pixel corresponding to a g ( green ) pattern , and an image signal containing information on blue color is outputted from the pixel corresponding to a b ( blue ) pattern . each pixel value obtained through the color filter array 12 having the bayer pattern , etc . is interpolated ( for example , deficit chromatic information can be inferred by averaging two pixel values of right and left sides , or four pixel values of neighboring four sides ) to obtain complete chromatic information . such an interpolation is conducted by an interpolation part 22 in the image processing unit 20 . the a / d converter 14 converts an image signal converted by the color filter array 12 into a digital signal , and sends the digital signal to the image processing unit 20 . the image processor 20 includes the interpolation part 22 , a lens shading interpolation part 23 , a gamma conversion part 24 , a color - deviation compensating part 25 , a color adjustment part 26 , and a format conversion part 27 . a noise filter 21 can be also included into the image processor 20 . the image processor 20 may further include a timing generating part ( not shown ) that generates a variety of timing signals out of a horizontal synchronizing signal ( hsync ), a vertical synchronizing signal ( vsync ), and a pixel clock ( pclk ). the noise filter 21 removes noise contained in the digital signal that the a / d converter 14 outputs . the noise filter 21 can be included in the image processor 20 if needed . the interpolation part 22 generates pixel signals of red , green and blue colors for each pixel . when an image signal outputted from the color filter array 12 has the bayer pattern , the pixel signals of green or blue cannot be obtained from the pixel corresponding to red color . consequently , the interpolation part 21 generates the pixel signals of green and blue for the pixel corresponding to red color by performing an interpolating operation . for this , the pixel signals of neighboring pixels are temporarily saved in a memory for interpolation ( not shown ), so that the interpolation part 22 uses these recorded pixel signals to perform the interpolating operation . the tens shading compensation part 23 analyzes the luminance and level of the pixel signals for each pixel , detects a central pixel and a slope of the lens shading image , and produces a mask image that can compensate the lens shading phenomenon , in accordance with a predetermined process . the compensation through the level analysis , lens shading image central pixel detection and slope detection is accomplished by setting an auto exposure value . the level relates to the luminance of each pixel , and , for example , when the levels of the pixels are all 10 , the overall brightness of the picture can be said to be 10 . as described above , the lens shading compensation part 23 compensates image signals of all pixels in the pixel array corresponding to one frame , namely , the pixel signals containing information on red , green and blue colors , in accordance with the level set by setting the auto exposure value , thereby keeping the quality of a primitive image from deteriorating . the gamma conversion part 24 converts image data to be appropriate for device characteristics ( gamma characteristics ) of the display unit 30 for output to the display unit ( e . g . an lcd , a crt ) 30 . in a gamma table ( not shown ) is stored a conversion table used for conversion to gamma characteristics . the color - deviation compensating part 25 compensates the uneven color deviation of the image . that is , for the gamma characteristics - compensated image by the gamma conversion part 24 , the color - deviation compensating part 25 generates a compensating image for compensating the unevenness of the color deviation occurred in each corner of the image as shown in fig1 according to a predetermined method . a structure and a function of the color - deviation compensating part 25 and a compensation method for the color deviation by means of the compensation image will be described in detail in reference to fig3 . the color adjustment part 26 adjusts color tone , and the format conversion part 27 converts pixel signals to have a digital format such as ntsc , yuv , ycbcr , etc ., and outputs them , as a means to convert pixel signals to have a format appropriate for the display unit 30 . a format conversion table ( not shown ) is a table for conversion to display signal formats such as ntsc or tun , etc . fig3 is a block diagram of a color - deviation compensating part 25 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig4 illustrates a method of generating a compensation table according to an embodiment of the present invention , and fig5 shows an example of the generated compensation table . fig6 shows a compensation curve obtained from the compensation table , and fig7 is a plan view of compensation images in each quadrant according to the present invention . referring to fig3 , the color - deviation compensating part 25 includes a color - deviation analyzing module 110 , a compensation table generating module 130 , a compensation image generating module 140 and a compensating module 150 . and , the color - deviation compensating part 25 may further include a beginning point creating module 120 . the color - deviation analyzing module 110 analyzes luminance of color components in each pixel of the image , which is composed of m × n pixels and is converted by the gamma conversion part 24 . here , the m is the number of pixels in a row , and the n is the number of pixels in a column . each pixel is composed of the color components of red , green and blue , and the color - deviation analyzing module 110 compares the rate of luminance change for each color component in the direction from the central pixel to the corner pixel of the image . here , a color component that has comparatively higher or lower rate of luminance change than the other two color components is determined as an object color component . since such a larger difference of the rate of luminance change of the object color component , compared to those of the other causes the color deviation in the corner of the image , it is for compensating the color deviation of the object color component . the compensation table generating module 130 calculates a compensation value for compensating the color deviation , based on the luminance of the object color component of each pixel , which is analyzed by the color deviation analyzing module 110 , and generates and stores the compensation table . the compensation value refers to a value used for the object color component to have the same or similar rate of luminance change as the other color components . and , in order to use time and memory effectively , the compensation table is produced by means of reference pixels and compensation values thereof , instead of all the pixels composing the image . fig4 illustrates a method of generating a compensation table according to an embodiment of the present invention . generally , four quadrants i , ii , iii , iv composing an image have different characteristics of the color deviation as described above . therefore , a separate compensation table is generated for each quadrant where a corner pixel 420 a , 420 b , 420 c , 420 d is positioned . the corner pixel refers to a pixel at the corner of the image . hereinafter , the method of generating the compensation table for the quadrant i is described . a straight line from a central pixel 400 to a first corner pixel 420 a in the quadrant i is decided as a first reference line 430 a . the characteristics of the color deviation are determined based on luminance of each pixel on the first reference line 430 a . the color deviation analyzing module 110 can analyze the luminance just for the pixels on the first reference line 430 a , as described above , not for the whole pixels in the image . among pixels on the first reference line 430 a is determined a first beginning pixel 410 a , where the luminance of the pixel begins to change . the first beginning pixel 410 a is determined by a user or the beginning point creating module 120 . in the case of determining by the user , the determination is performed through checking an image converted by the gamma conversion part 24 and then outputted on the screen by the display unit 30 and selecting a pixel on the first reference line 430 a , where the unevenness of the color deviation begins as the first beginning point 410 a . one or more of beginning points can be selected for each quadrant . the first beginning point 410 a is set by using the ( x , y ) coordinates in each quadrant or a distance ra from the central pixel 400 on the first reference line 430 a . or , the first beginning point 410 a is set by the beginning point creating module 120 . the beginning point creating module 120 compares the luminance of pixels on the first reference line 430 a one by one in the direction from the central pixel 400 to the first coiner pixel 420 a . and then , a pixel of which the luminance is greater than that of the previous pixel by a threshold value is designated as the first beginning point 410 a . here , the threshold value refers to a value for the rate of luminance change , which can be predetermined or controlled by the user . the reason why to designate the beginning point is that the calculation is performed only for the pixels around each corner pixel 420 a , 420 b , 420 c , 420 d where the most color deviation is occurred , so that unnecessary calculation for the pixels around the central pixel 400 where the color deviation is hardly occurred is removed . accordingly , the calculation for compensating the color deviation is processed quickly , and the amount of the compensation table is decreased , thereby simplifying logic for generating the compensation table . after the first beginning point 410 a is set by the user or the beginning point creating module 120 , pixels on the first reference line 430 a from the first beginning point 410 a to the first corner pixel 420 a are divided into 2 or more than 2 sections by a constant interval . the section interval can be a variety number of pixels such as 32 pixels , 16 pixels , 8 pixels , etc ., and is used as a base to generate the compensation table . referring to fig4 , as the first beginning point 410 a is designated a point a 0 that is the distance ra away from the central pixel 400 along the first reference line 430 a , and a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 , a 5 , . . . , an , which are pixels selected by an interval a from a 0 , are determined as boundary pixels of each section ( t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , t 4 , t 5 , etc .). here , the boundary pixels refer to pixels indicating the beginning and the end . the compensation table stores compensation values used for compensating the color deviation of the first beginning point 420 a , a 0 , and boundary pixels from a 1 to an . the compensation table is a type of lookup table , and an example thereof is shown in fig5 . the compensation table includes quadrant identifiers , object color information , beginning point identifiers , section interval information and compensation value tables . the quadrant identifier indicates a quadrant ( one of i , ii , iii and iv ) that can be compensated by a compensation table since each of 4 compensation tables can be generated independently for each quadrant . the object color information is information on an object color component of which color deviation is to be compensated . here , the object color information can be red , green , or blue . the beginning point identifier indicates the beginning point 410 a at which the color deviation compensation begins using the compensation table , and is recorded by using the ( x , y ) coordinates in each quadrant or the distance ra from the central pixel 400 to the beginning point 410 a . the section interval information indicates the interval of the compensation table , is expressed by a pixel unit , and is a in an embodiment of the preset invention . in the compensation value table are sequentially recorded compensation values c 0 , c 1 , c 2 , . . . , cn used for the color deviation compensation of the boundary pixels a 0 , a 1 , a 2 , . . . , an of each section determined from the beginning point 410 a by using the interval of the section interval information . because the beginning point 410 a and the section interval a are known , the coordinates of the boundary pixels a 0 , a 1 , a 2 , . . . , an can be omitted . or , the compensation table can include the quadrant identifier , the object color information and the compensation value table on which the coordinates and compensation values of the boundary pixels of each section are recorded . the beginning point 410 a and the interval a are can be omitted because the compensation value table contains the coordinates of the boundary pixels . the compensation image generating module 140 generates a compensation image for the whole quadrant i by using such a compensation table . the compensation table may further include color identifiers . since a color appeared more intense or fainter in each quadrant can be different , each quadrant can have a different compensation table corresponding to at least one of red , green and blue . in this case , each compensation table has a color identifier that can identify the color to be compensated . above description is focused on the quadrant i , but it is apparent that this method can be applied to the quadrants ii , iii , and iv . each beginning point 410 a , 410 b , 410 c , 410 d can be positioned at a distance ra , rb , rc , rd away from the central pixel 400 , respectively , which can be same or different . also , an section interval of the compensation table for the quadrant i is a , that of the quadrant ii is b , that of the quadrant iii is c , and that of the quadrant iv is d , in which such section intervals may be same or different . furthermore , a separate compensation table may be generated corresponding to each color to be compensated in each quadrant , and each compensation table may have same or different section interval for each color . the compensation image generating module 140 generates a compensation image for the overall pixels based on one or more compensation tables that are generated by the compensation table generating module 130 . a method of generating the compensation image is described in reference with fig6 . here , the compensation table for generating the compensation image is referred to the compensation table in fig5 . the compensation image for the quadrant i is obtained from the compensation values c 0 , c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , . . . of the beginning point a 0 and the boundary pixels a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , . . . that are selected by the interval a from the beginning point a 0 . first , boundary pixels for a first section are a 0 and a 1 , and their compensation values are c 0 and c 1 , respectively . here , a first linear function 610 connecting the boundary pixels , c 0 and c 1 can be obtained . and , compensation values for pixels included in the first section ( that is , pixels between a 0 and a 1 ) can be obtained by the first linear function 610 . such a compensation method is called a linear interpolation . also , boundary pixels for a second section are a 1 and a 2 , and compensation values for each boundary pixel are c 1 and c 2 . a second linear function 612 connecting the compensation values , c 1 and c 2 , can be obtained . and , compensation values for pixels included in the second section ( that is , pixels between a 1 and a 2 ) can be obtained by the second linear function 612 . a third linear function 614 , a fourth linear function 616 , a fifth linear function 618 , etc . can be obtained by applying the method as described above , to each section repeatedly , and thus compensation values for not only boundary pixels but also the other pixels of each section can be obtained by the linear functions . compensation values for pixels between the central pixel 0 and the beginning point a 0 are designated as a first value ( for example , ‘ 0 ’ or ‘ 1 ’), representing that the compensation is not needed , or as c 0 the same compensation value of the beginning point a 0 . the compensation values for all the pixels on the first reference line 430 a are obtained by the method as described above and the compensation values for the other pixels , except those on the first reference line 430 a , are obtained by assigning the same compensation values for the pixel having the same distance away from the central pixel 400 on the reference line 430 a . that is , all pixels 710 ( i ) on a circle with the same radius from the central pixel 400 have the same compensation value as shown in fig7 ( a ). the compensation image is formed by concentric circles with a common center of the central pixel 400 such that the color deviation is compensated more naturally and accurately corresponding to the property of the lens . and , compensation images are independently generated by using separate compensation tables for each quadrant ( referring to fig7 ( b ) and ( c )) so that the compensation is performed separately for each quadrant and in more detail . the compensating module 150 compensates the color deviation by applying the compensation image generated by the compensation image generating module 140 to the image inputted into the color deviation compensating part 25 . for example , when the compensation image is lower than the reference value 650 , the color deviation is compensated by subtracting the compensation image from the inputted image . and , the compensation image is added to the inputted image when the compensation image is higher than the reference value 655 . fig8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of compensating the color deviation according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig8 , at the step s 810 , the color deviation compensating part 25 is inputted an image preprocessed through the noise filtering , the lens shading compensation , the gamma conversion , and so on . at the step s 820 , the color deviation analyzing module 110 analyzes luminance of each pixel in the inputted image . here , the analysis is performed for all the pixels in the image or for pixels only on the reference lines 430 a , 430 b , 430 c , 430 d ( hereinafter referred to as 430 ). at the step s 380 , the compensation table generating module 130 calculates the compensation values for the boundary pixels spaced apart by the predetermined interval based on the luminance analyzed by the color deviation analyzing module 110 , and generates the compensation table that is a reference table including the coordinates of the boundary pixels or the distances between the central pixel 400 and the boundary pixels and the compensation values . the compensation table may be generated independently corresponding to each quadrant or for one or more of red , green and blue colors . at the step s 840 , the compensation image generating module 140 generates the compensation image for the whole pixels on all reference lines 430 and the whole pixels on the all quadrants , through the linear interpolation based on the one or more compensation tables . here , the compensation image is formed by concentric circles with the common center of the central pixel 400 . at the step s 850 , the compensating module 150 compensates the color deviation by applying the compensation image to the inputted image . the compensation can be performed by multiplying , adding , subtracting , etc ., to the inputted image according to the property of the compensation image . if the compensation table is generated for the whole pixels in the image , unnecessary operation is conducted for pixels around the central pixel 400 , where the compensation is not required , the volume of the compensation table increases , and logic for generating the compensation table becomes complicated . consequently , the step s 825 , which is the step of designating the beginning points 410 a , 410 b , 410 c , 410 d ( hereinafter referred to as 410 ), is inserted between the steps s 820 and s 830 , so that the process of generating the compensation table is performed from the beginning point 410 , thereby removing the unnecessary operation , reducing the volume of the compensation table and simplifying the logic for the compensation table . the beginning point can be designated by the user or the beginning point creating module 120 . in the case of selecting the beginning point by the beginning point creating module 120 , luminance of pixels on the reference line 430 is sequentially compared from the central pixel 400 , and a pixel of which luminance is changed greater than the threshold value is determined as the beginning point 410 . according to another embodiment of the present invention , the color - deviation compensating part 25 can be a recording medium where a program for performing the steps from s 810 to s 850 as described above is recorded . an apparatus and a method for compensating color deviation , and an image processor , a digital processing apparatus , and a recording medium using it , according to the present invention , can improve the unevenness of the color deviation occurred in an image . in particular , it is possible to reduce distortions occurring at each corner of the image because of differences in color due to differences in property for each color . in addition , a separate compensation table can be applied for each quadrant of an image for elaborate compensation , and the beginning points can be configured so that unnecessary computations can be omitted and compensation operations can be performed quickly , whereby the storage region for creating compensation tables can be decreased , and the logic for creating the compensation tables can be simplified . while the invention has been described with reference to the disclosed embodiments , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or its equivalents as stated below in the claims .	7
having reference now to the drawings , and with particular reference to fig1 there is shown a typical hospital laundry area in which there is a laundry receiving or soiled laundry room 10 and a clean laundry room 11 , the two rooms being separated by a wall 12 . in the prior art , as is shown in fig1 of starr et al u . s . pat . no . 3 , 318 , 122 , supra , a stationary washing machine was built into the separating wall , the machine having a loading door in the soiled room and an unloading door in the clean room . in accordance with the invention , a wall adapter generally indicated at 14 is built into the separating wall 12 so that a tilt type washer - extractor machine having a single access door can be utilized , such a machine being generally indicated at 15 . the washer - extractor machine shown in the drawings is a commercially available machine and is not per se a part of the present invention . the machine 15 includes a cylinder 16 that is pivotally connected at 17 , fig4 to a base 18 that is rigidly secured to the soiled room floor . the cylinder can be pivoted or tilted by hydraulic cylinders , one of which is shown at 20 in fig4 between three basic positions . these are the rearwardly tilted loading position shown in fig5 and in phantom lines in fig4 the horizontal operating position shown in fig1 - 3 , and the forwardly tilted unloading position shown in fig4 and 6 . on its front side , machine 15 is provided with an access door 21 that has an automatic opening and closing mechanism 22 . the wall adapter 14 is comprised of a pair of vertical side walls 24 , a narrow , horizontal top wall 25 and an obliquely disposed back wall 26 . the back wall 26 is connected at its lower edge to a short , vertical wall section 27 . as best shown in fig4 and 6 , the adapter 14 is open on its front side and the adapter is incorporated in the separating wall 12 so that this side faces or opens into the clean room 11 . as indicated in fig1 and 4 - 6 , the front edges of the adapter side and top walls are connected to the separating wall 12 , the connection being such that a sealed joint is obtained between the wall 12 and adapter . the obliquely disposed back wall 26 of the adapter is provided with a rectangular opening 28 , and this opening is normally closed by a horizontally slatted roll door 30 , fig1 and 6 . the opening 28 is surrounded by a continuous channel 31 , fig7 that is occupied by resilient gasket material 32 . the washer - extractor machine 15 is fitted with an outwardly projecting rectangular flange 34 , fig1 - 5 and 7 that surrounds the machine access door 21 as best shown in fig3 . the flange 34 is dimensioned so that it registers with the channel 31 whereby the outer edge of the flange is pressed into sealing engagement with the resilient gasket material 32 , fig4 and 7 , when the machine is in its forwardly tilted unloading position . in operation , the washer - extractor machine is initially in its rearwardly tilted loading position as shown in fig5 and in phantom lines in fig4 . the access door 21 of the machine is open and the access opening is disposed so that the machine can be conveniently loaded from above by sling or chute . during loading , the machine cylinder 16 is rotating and a water spray is directed into it to compact the load . when the loading has been completed , the access door is automatically closed and the machine is moved into its horizontal operating position in which position the washing and extracting of the load occurs . all of these operations are automatic and are under the control of a microprocessor ( not shown ) that forms a part of the machine . upon completion of the washing and extracting , the space between the machine and adapter is scanned by a known type optical sensor ( not shown ) and if the space is clear the machine is automatically moved into its forwardly tilted unloading position , fig4 at which time the machine flange 34 moves into sealing engagement with the gasket material 32 on the obliquely disposed back wall 26 of the adapter . after the machine has been moved to its unloading position , the roll door 30 is moved out of the adapter wall opening 28 by suitable means such as an electric motor 35 , fig6 . the opening of the adapter wall opening 28 signals the access door 21 to swing open , the door being powered by a commercially available rotary actuator 22 , fig3 . in this connection , it is important to note that the wall opening 28 is in registry with the access door 21 of the machine when the latter is tilted into its unloading position and is dimensioned so that the machine door can swing freely through the wall opening to expose the interior of the machine to the clean room . at this time the machine interior is in sealed communication with the clean room , and and clean laundry in the machine can be unloaded into a cart 36 as shown in fig6 or onto a conveyor ( not shown ). after the machine has been unloaded , the machine access 21 receives a signal to swing shut after which the roll door 30 is automatically lowered to close the adapter wall opening 28 . when the wall opening is completely closed , the machine is moved back from the adapter , through its horizontal position and into its rearwardly tilted loading position . the machine access door 21 is then swung open and the machine is ready for overhead loading as before . from the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention disclosed herein provides a novel and very advantageous wall adapter that permits clean room use of a tilt type washer - extractor machine . as will be understood by those familiar with the art , the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof .	3
a shutter of this invention employs a bimorph actuator 1 comprising two thin piezoelectric strips 2 , 3 brought into face - to - face engagement with their engaging faces bonded together or to opposite sides of a thin flexible electrically conductive substrate 4 as shown in fig1 . the strips 2 and 3 are made of a material having a high piezoelectric constant , for example lead zirconate titanate . if the two strips 2 and 3 are so arranged that the two negative poled faces ( or the two positive poled faces ) are bonded together , or on opposite sides of a thin flexible electrically conductive substrate 4 and connected electrically , then when a voltage v is applied across the outer faces through wires 8 one strip will increase in length while the other will decrease in length . alternatively , the two strips 2 , 3 can be bonded with a negative poled face bonded to a positive poled face either directly or on opposite sides of a thin flexible electrically conductive substrate 4 ( see fig2 ) and a voltage v applied between both outer faces and the bonded faces to obtain an equivalent effect . this effect causes the bonded bimorph strip 1 to bend , and when supported as a cantilevered beam at one end 5 the displacement obtainable at the unsupported free end 6 is substantial by piezoelectric standards . as an example , a bimorph actuator 1 which is 3 mm wide , 0 . 5 mm thick and with a cantilever length of 25 mm can achieve a peak - to - peak displacement δ of about 0 . 5 - 0 . 8 mm . thus there is provided a small , simple robust and inexpensive actuator that can directly achieve the required displacement . the thin flexible electrically conductive substrate is preferably a carbon - fibre composite . to achieve the shuttering effect , a small piece of thin metal foil 7 or other appropriate material is glued or otherwise bonded adjacent to the free end 6 of the bimorph actuator 1 to act as a shutter element , blocking or unblocking the light path to a ccd detector in a spectroscopic instrument depending on movement of the free end 6 from a first position to a second position dependent upon the polarity of the applied drive voltage v . fig3 shows one possible means of mounting piezoelectric bimorph actuator 1 and making electrical connections to it . bimorph 1 is attached to a fibreglass circuit board 9 , being inserted into a slot in said circuit board and secured therein with epoxy cement 10 or other appropriate adhesive . circuit board 9 is attached in position onto the entrance aperture of the polychromator or other spectroscopic apparatus ( not shown ). electrical connection to bimorph 1 is established by means of connecting wires 8 that are soldered to copper contact pads 11 on board 9 . electric wires 12 are soldered to pads 11 for connection to a drive circuit such as that of fig4 . the circuit diagram of fig4 and associated voltage versus time waveforms show how the required driving voltage waveform may be achieved . a pulse signal 13 applied to schmitt trigger pulse squarer 14 produces a square wave 15 that passes to an integrator and limiter 16 , producing a trapezoid wave 17 . this passes to a sine shaper 18 and generates a quasistatic ‘ sine ’ wave 19 , which is applied to amplifier 20 . the output of amplifier 20 drives the piezoelectric bimorph actuator 1 to move the shutter to block ( or unblock ) the beam for a time determined by the width of pulse 19 and then return it to its original position . the output of differentiator 21 is fed into schmitt trigger pulse squarer 14 as a lockout , so that once a movement of bimorph 1 is initiated , it must be completed before a signal is applied to drive it in the opposite direction . protection circuit 22 is shown in more detail in fig5 . referring now to fig5 voltages from supply rails 23 are monitored by microprocessor supervisory device 24 . if any of these voltages fall below pre - determined specified levels , timing and relay drive 25 is activated . this switches photovoltaic relay 26 off quickly , so that the driving voltage from amplifier 20 is passed through high - value resistance 27 to ensure that bimorph 1 is not subjected to any abrupt changes in said driving voltage . when all supply voltages 23 return to their specified values the microprocessor supervisory device 24 signals the timing and relay drive 25 to close photovoltaic relay 26 . relay 26 is closed slowly , through the linear region of its operating characteristics , to ensure that there are no abrupt voltage changes applied to the bimorph 1 . an alternative piezoelectric excitation voltage sequence , as shown in fig6 involves an initial application of the drive voltage v at time t 1 ( see lower voltage ( v ) versus time ( t ) trace 38 ) until the bimorph 1 has moved through approximately half the desired displacement ( eg . point 42 on upper displacement ( δ ) versus time ( t ) trace 40 ). ( the dashed trace 41 illustrates the decaying oscillation that an undamped bimorph 1 would experience on application of a single step voltage v ). the polarity of the drive voltage is then reversed at time t 2 to actively decelerate the bimorph 1 , so that it reaches the desired position with essentially zero velocity ( eg . point 44 on upper trace 40 ). finally , at time t 3 , as the end 6 of the bimorph actuator 1 reaches the target position the steady state drive voltage is re - applied to maintain the new position . the displacement δ of the bimorph actuator 1 approximates much more closely to a step function , as the trace 40 in fig6 shows . in practice , it has been found that the piezoelectric properties of a bimorph 1 are sufficiently constant from unit to unit and in repetition to allow the excitation drive timing to be established by independent timing elements such as monostables rather than via feedback of the bimorph position . the circuit diagram of fig7 and associated voltage traces fig8 a - e show how the required alternative excitation damping voltage waveform may be practically achieved . the circuit of fig7 comprises inverters 46 , 48 , or gates 50 , 56 and monostables 52 , 54 . the traces a - e correspond to voltage versus time signals at the positions marked a - e on the circuit of fig7 . trace a of fig8 represents the applied drive signal to actuate the shutter device 1 between times t 1 and t ′ 1 , whilst trace e of fig8 denotes the actual drive to piezoelectric actuator 1 , utilising the excitation sequence explained above . monostable elements 52 and 54 provide the voltage switching periods as triggered by the applied drive signal a , the sequence t 1 - t 3 showing the drive signal for actuating piezoelectric actuator 1 into its shuttering position , whilst the sequence t 1 - t 3 represents the drive in the reverse direction for actuator 1 to recover its at - rest position . fig9 a shows the bimorph 1 in a first position in which light rays 28 and 29 are allowed to enter the entrance aperture 32 of a spectroscopic instrument ( not shown ). rays 28 and 29 indicate the effective optical entrance beam of said spectroscopic instrument , while rays 30 and 31 indicate the edges of the beam from the light source ( not shown ) focussed onto the plane of entrance aperture 32 . fig9 b shows bimorph 1 in a second position in which shutter element 7 prevents light rays 28 and 29 from entering entrance aperture 32 , but rays 30 and 31 striking the surface 33 surrounding the entrance aperture 32 may be reflected or scattered from said surface 33 onto the proximate surface of shutter element 7 and thence into the entrance aperture 32 . fig1 a and 10b show how masks 34 and 35 placed between a source ( not shown ) of light rays 28 , 29 , 30 and 31 prevent light from striking the surface 33 around entrance aperture 32 . rays 28 and 29 indicate the effective optical entrance beam of a spectroscopic instrument ( not shown ), while rays 30 and 31 indicate the extreme edges of the light beam from said source focussed onto the plane of entrance aperture 32 . mask 35 includes an aperture 36 having a size just greater than that of the effective optical entrance beam at that location , said optical entrance beam being indicated by light rays 28 and 29 . fig1 a shows the bimorph 1 in a first position in which light rays 28 and 29 are allowed to enter the entrance aperture 32 of a spectroscopic instrument ( not shown ). fig1 b shows bimorph 1 in a second position in which shutter element 7 prevents light rays 28 and 29 from entering entrance aperture 32 , and at the same time rays 30 and 31 are prevented from striking the surface 33 surrounding the entrance aperture 32 by masks 34 and 35 . consequently the problem indicated in fig9 b of light entering entrance aperture 32 by reflection or scattering from surface 33 and the proximate surface of shutter 7 is avoided . an example of spectroscopy apparatus according to the invention , namely an optical emission spectrometer as illustrated by fig1 , comprises a spectroscopic light source 60 which emits spectral light of a sample 62 . light source 60 in a preferred embodiment is an inductively coupled plasma but may be any other spectroscopic light source adapted to emitting light of spectroscopic interest ( i . e . spectral light of a sample ). spectral light 62 emitted by spectroscopic light source 60 falls on mirror 64 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that it is advantageous that mirror 64 be provided with adjustment means ( no shown so that light can be selected according to its spatial origin within spectroscopic light source 60 . spectral light 62 is reflected from mirror 64 onto a focusing mirror 66 . the spectral light 62 then strikes a folding mirror 68 and is thereby directed onto aperture 70 , onto which it is focused by the action of focussing mirror 66 . a shutter device 72 as above described is so located with respect to aperture 70 that the shutter 72 can selectively be moved to a first position in which it obstructs spectral light 62 or to a second position in which spectral light 62 passes without obstruction . when shutter device 72 is in the second position the spectral light 62 passes through aperture 70 and falls on a first polychromator focussing mirror 74 which focuses the spectral light 62 through an order - separating prism 76 and onto an echelle grating 78 . light reflected from echelle grating 78 has been spatially separated in a first direction according to wavelength but a plurality of spectral orders are spatially superimposed , as is known to those skilled in the art . on passing through order - separating prism 76 the spectral light 62 is spatially separated in a second direction according to wavelength . the light 62 then strikes a second polychromator focussing mirror 80 which focuses it onto an array detector 82 . an image of aperture 70 is formed on array detector 82 at a spatial position that is determined by the wavelength of the light . array detector 82 is provided with a large plurality of light - detecting elements ( pixels ) that convert , by known means , incident light intensity into an electrical charge proportional to the intensity of the incident light . measurement of the electric charges generated at specific spatial positions on array detector 82 by means 84 for serially reading a plurality of elements of the detector 82 ( which means is known ) thus provides a measurement of the intensities of light of specific wavelengths . such intensity measurements are converted to measurements of the concentration of specific chemical elements by reference to measurements made when samples having known concentrations of said chemical elements are subjected to the measuring process . according to the invention , the shutter device 72 is operated by application of an electrical signal to its piezoelectric structure to move the shutter to the first position to prevent the spectral light 62 from reaching the detector 82 . this allows a plurality of the elements of the detector 82 to be serially read by the means 84 whilst the detector 82 is shielded from the spectral light 62 . thus fig1 shows spectroscopy apparatus for spectrochemical analysis of a sample which comprises a light source and a system for interacting the light source and a sample 60 for providing spectral light 62 of the sample . the optical system of the spectroscopy apparatus includes a polychromator 70 , 74 - 78 and the multi - element solid state detector 82 . the apparatus also includes means 84 for serially reading a plurality of the elements of the detector to provide light intensity measurements . in an absorption spectrometer apparatus as illustrated by fig1 , light 92 is emitted by light source 90 , which in a preferred embodiment is a hollow cathode lamp but which may be any other spectroscopic light source adapted to emitting light capable of being absorbed by a sample 98 in an absorption cell 96 . absorption cell 96 may be a chemical flame , a furnace , a glass cell , or any other device capable of containing a sample 97 of spectroscopic interest for exposure to light 92 . the light 92 is focussed into absorption cell 96 by focussing means 94 . focussing means 94 may be a lens or a mirror or a plurality or combination thereof . for the purpose of obtaining information about the chemical composition of an analytical sample , a representative portion 97 of said sample is introduced into absorption cell 96 by means as known to those skilled in the art , and is therein caused to absorb light at specific wavelengths . the extent of absorption at specific wavelengths is indicative of the chemical composition of said sample . the light 98 exiting the absorption cell 96 is the spectral light of the sample as hereinbefore defined . measurements of light absorption at specific wavelengths are converted to measurements of the concentration of specific chemical species of interest by reference to measurements made when samples having known concentrations of said chemical species are subjected to the measurement process . the rest of the apparatus shown in fig1 is the same as that shown in fig1 , and is therefore referenced by the same numerals . it separates the spectral light 98 into its constituent wavelengths and measures the intensity of said light 98 at wavelengths of interest , as hereinbefore described . measurement of the electric charges generated at specific spatial positions on array detector 82 provides a measurement of the intensities of light of specific wavelengths . those skilled in the art will appreciate that such intensity measurements are readily converted to absorption measurements by reference to intensity measurements made when a sample containing essentially none of the chemical species of interest is placed in absorption cell 96 . the invention that has been described is applicable for use with various types of spectroscopic techniques such as , for example , optical emission spectrometry with an inductively coupled plasma source . it is also applicable to emission spectrometry with any other appropriate light sources including but not limited to electrical arcs , electrical sparks , plasma , glow discharges and flames . furthermore , the invention is applicable to any spectroscopic apparatus or instrument that might require the rapid and reproducible blocking and unblocking of an optical path . the invention has been described with reference to the use of a single shutter having a bimorph actuator serving to block and unblock an optical path , but clearly a number of such shutters may be used together and operable to block different optical paths or different parts of an image area . the invention which has been described preferably makes the use of a piezoelectric bimorph arranged as a cantilever , in which the free end moves along an arc , but other configurations are possible . for example a piezoelectric bimorph might be configured as a simple beam , in which the centre of the beam moves up and down . in such a configuration the deflection is only 25 % of that achievable from a beam of the same dimensions configured as a cantilever but the force exerted is 4 times greater . by way of another example , a piezoelectric bimorph might be configured as an ‘ s ’ beam , in which the free end moves linearly . in such a configuration the deflection is only 50 % of that achievable from a beam of the same dimensions configured as a cantilever but the force exerted is twice as great . such alternative configurations are illustrated in the catalogue of a manufacturer of piezoelectric bimorphs ( reference : catalog # 3 , 1998 , piezo systems , inc ., 186 massachusetts avenue , cambridge , mass ., usa , page 33 ) the invention described herein is susceptible to variations , modifications and / or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations , modifications and / or additions that fall within the scope of the following claims .	6
while this invention is illustrated and described in a preferred embodiment , the device may be produced in many different configurations , forms and materials . there is depicted in the drawings , and will herein be described in detail , a preferred embodiment of the invention , with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as a exemplification of the principles of the invention and the associated functional specifications of the materials for its construction and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated . those skilled in the art will envision many other possible variations within the scope of the present invention . as described above , prior art solutions propose to store in an encapsulated object : b . a mostly textual description of the metadata ( the semantic of the stored data ); d . the program , also as a bit stream , that was used to store and manipulate the data ( this program runs on m2000 ), including the operating system and other necessary components ). the encapsulated object contains the same components a , b and c described above ; d is different , and e is not needed anymore . d is now seen as one or more programs ( methods , as in object programming ) that can be invoked by a client to recreate the contents of the object . the client program does not “ see ” the contents of the data itself , but accesses it by issuing a function call to an executor ; the parameters specify which method is to be invoked . as in any object - oriented scheme , the interface to the methods deals with data at the logical level , while the data itself may be stored as an internal , implementation dependent level ; the methods are actually routines that decode the bit stream into data immediately usable by the client . the returned data , at a logical level , is much more understandable to the client . it is generally intrinsic to the type of data and therefore is much easier to explain . a description of which methods are available to restore the information hidden in the data , is always available , and part of the metadata . clearly , the methods in d constitute the key to the decoding of the data . how are these methods specified ? some possibilities : 1 . describe the algorithm in a natural language . the difficulties are well known ; and computers scientists have invented all kinds of codes and pseudo - codes to avoid them , leading to the next item : 2 . use a high level language ; however , high level languages are designed to facilitate the writing of a program . they always try to incorporate the latest features that may facilitate program development ; every five or ten years , something new seems to come along and the current language gets obsolete . 3 . use the machine language of the computer on which the algorithm runs in 2000 . this is the option that requires a full emulation of the m2000 to be written at restore time ; we have discussed the difficulties above . instead , the present invention describes the methods as programs written in the machine language of a universal virtual computer ( uvc ). the uvc is a computer in its functionality ; it is virtual because it will never have to be built physically ; it is universal because its definition is so basic that it will endure forever . the uvc program is completely independent of the architecture of the computer on which it runs . it is simply interpreted by a uvc interpreter . a uvc interpreter can be written for any machine . actually , there is nothing to be saved in e since the architecture of m2000 becomes irrelevant . this approach does not have the drawbacks of the method 3 above . if a uvc program is written in m2000 , it can be tested on a uvc interpreter written in 2000 for an m2000 machine . if ten years later , in 2000 + 10 , a new machine architecture comes up , a new uvc interpreter can be written . it can be checked by running the same uvc program through both the 2000 and 2000 + 10 uvc interpreter . in other words any uvc interpreter can be checked by comparison with the interpreter of the previous generation . note that the simpler the structure of the data to be archived , the simpler the uvc program needed to restore the information later on . in addition , the uvc can be very simple — and at the same time very general , so that writing an interpreter at any time remains a simple task , far from the complexity of writing a full machine emulator . in 2100 , a machine m2100 will come with a restart program that will read the contents of the encapsulated object in a virtual memory and then issue requests to the uvc interpreter . some of these requests ( class 1 ) are part of the universal interface that will be known from generation to generation . others ( class 2 ) depend on the data ; they are specific to a class of object . a uvc has a set of registers simulated by the interpreter . a request will put some values into some specific registers before giving control to the interpreter which will execute each instruction in the uvc program , sequentially . the registers used at the interface level are : reg 0 : an integer ( k ) indicating which function is being invoked reg 2 : a pointer to memory to return the tag ( logical type of the data ) or a completion code returned by the function . the uvc interpreter reads a displacement at * reg 2 to branch to the uvc code . it interprets the code that computes the location of the code for function 0 , and starts interpreting . function 0 returns in * reg 3 an ascii description of the alphabet used to encode the characters . it contains the name of the alphabet used for character strings ( using a subset of a very well known alphabet such as ascii ) and , just in case , a full definition such as : use 8 bits per character : “ a ” 80 “ b ” 81 . . . “ a accent grave ” 122 . . . “ u umlaut ” 155 . . . the metadata describes which class 2 requests are available , what type of data each request returns , what the data mean , etc . this is done by adopting a data model . the model is linear so that its mapping onto the bit stream remains simple . flat files , as in the relational model , certainly satisfy that requirement . but , so do hierarchies — at least along one single hierarchical path . since the present invention is not concerned about query language , an old and traditional repeating group model can be used . not surprisingly , xml , which is also concerned about exchanging information between different consumers , is based on the same basic model as described by e . r . harold in xml , extensible markup language ( idg books worldwide , 1998 ). when appropriate , the present invention uses the xml constructs . this is only a preferred embodiment of a model . other equivalents may be envisaged . considering again the data in fig4 the data consist of entries . each entry consists of a sequence of fields , like in flat files . but each field can itself be a list of entries made of fields that can be lists , etc . the repeated group structure looks like this : the same structure ( and types ) can be defined in a simple subset of xml , as follows : the token * means a certain number of . . . ; + means that the item must be present ; ? means optional . we introduce the special terms cdata for character data and ndata for numeric data . for the sake of presentation we also got rid of separators . a way must be provided to be able to look at the metadata . a simple solution consists of using a data type definition ( dtd in xml ). logically , the metadata looks like this : the level specifies the depth of a group ( record ) in the hierarchy ; it takes care of the recursion . the client queries the metadata using a mechansm that is very similar to the one used to restore data ( described in a section below ). the output of the metadata retrieval is shown in fig7 . the introduction of a data model like the one presented above accomplishes the following : it defines a universal interface for accessing the archived data . since it is universal , its definition may have to be stored in more than one place but it certainly does not need to be stored with each archived object . class 2 requests actually return the data . knowing the metadata , the client knows exactly the type of information that is expected . the application executes the following sequence ( expressed here as a piece of pseudo - code in some kind of high level language ). for each field , the value is returned in variable x ( x is actually a structure containing the value together with an indication of the length ) with a tag identifying the field . in the example , the repetitive call to get_field would return the data in the form described in fig8 . the logic used to retrieve the data elements in the order shown in the hierarchy is illustrated in fig9 . since the same method is invoked repeatedly , the state of the process must be saved at each call : this includes the tag of the data element to be returned and , if the tag is ‘ dependent ’, the number of dependents still to be processed . now , we look more carefully at the uvc architecture and the method used to retrieve the data ; as mentioned above , the method is written in the uvc machine language . for example , we consider the section of code corresponding to the lines [ 901 ],[ 902 ] in fig9 . again , as in fig4 the data is encoded as : 4johna23joeb4maryc where a , b , c are 16 - bit integers with respective values 1937 , 1962 , 0 ( for unknown ). it is important to note that the uvc never needs to be implemented physically . therefore there is no actual physical cost . for example , the uvc can have a large number of registers ; each register has a variable number of bits plus a sign bit . the uvc has an unlimited sequential bit - oriented memory . addresses are bit - oriented ( so that a 9 - bit “ byte ” computer can be emulated as easily as an 8 - bit one ). also , since speed is not a real concern ( these programs are run only to restore the data , which are then stored in actual m2100 systems for actual use ), a small set of instructions is sufficient . this reduces the amount of work involved in developing an emulator of the uvc instructions onto a real m2100 machine . writing uvc program themselves is not an issue since compilers will be written to translate high level languages ( which will change in time ) into uvc instructions ( which will not ). the uvc program for lines [ 901 - 4 ] is shown in fig9 . it uses a self explanatory assembler form for loading n bits onto a register ( from a register reg or a memory address * reg ) or moving n bits from memory to memory ( where the memory addresses are specified in registers . the number of bits involved is also stored in a register . for data preservation , it eliminates the need for agreeing on standardized formats . anybody who wants to preserve a file can use any format but must make sure that uvc routines are supplied . only the uvc emulator will have to be written when a new architecture emerges . there is no impact on the archived information . the uvc can be made so general , and at the same time so basic , that its definition will remain relevant in the future . as a result of the universal interface and the fact that the actual extraction of the data is performed by the — also archived — decoding algorithm , the bit stream organization becomes very simple , consisting of : la : 32 bits that contain ( right justified ) the binary representation of the length ( in bits ) of the field a a : the name of a well known alphabet ( such as ascii , ebcdic , etc . . . ), expressed as ascii characters . this is the encoding under which the client will be able to read the field t . t : the description of the alphabet encoding for character string data . note that lt can be 0 and t empty if the alphabet is the same as the one specified in a . clearly , in 2100 , the stream can be decomposed easily in its various components . the interpretation program simply skips 8 bits , interprets the following 32 bits as a length la , reads the la following bits and decomposes them into ascii characters . this yields the name of the alphabet encoding for t . the program then considers the next 32 lt bits , interpreting them as an integer specifying the length of t , reads the next lt bits as t and passes the address of s to the executor , which takes control . note that , in order to restore the information , the present invention relies on two assumptions : that the content of a is stored in ascii , and that the lengths are stored as 32 - bit integers . these assumptions can be made today , well publicized , and identified as assumptions 0 . the value zero is stored as a binary value in the tag . so , a restore program will always first look at the tag and start the decoding using the appropriate assumptions . in the future , if there is ever a reason for changing these assumptions , a tag 1 , then 2 , etc . can be used . in this case , the information to be archived is itself a program . in the straightforward emulation approach , an emulator of m2000 is written , at restoration time , on the m2100 machine . then , that emulator will be able to run the old code . but , writing an emulator for the m2000 in 2100 may be a problem , since no version of m2000 will be in existence ; so nobody will know exactly what the right execution should be . also , any new machine will have to have an emulator to run m2000 programs . in this case , the information stored is itself a program . if the program is only a series of native instructions of the m2000 , it may not require the saving of any other package or operating system . however , if the object is a full running system with input / output interactions , then not only the emulator must be available , but the operating system as well . on the contrary , the present invention does not require the writing of a complex m2000 emulator in 2100 . the uvc approach can be naturally extended to support the archiving of programs . instead of archiving the data in d and the uvc to decode the data in c , the program ( the executable code for m2000 ) will be stored in d and a uvc program that emulates the functioning of m2000 will be stored in c . this time , in 2100 , the uvc interpreter will interpret the m2000 machine instructions . that interpretation will perform exactly as the original program on an m2000 . this suffices if the program does not have any interaction with the external world ( input / output operations or interrupts ). we now look at input / output operations . suppose the program prints on an all - point - addressable black / white printer . the program somewhere issues a start i / o operation with some data . clearly the execution of that instruction is not part of the m2000 . the m2000 only sends the data to an output device control unit which actually performs the operation . our proposal for extending the method to support such operations is as follows . in addition to archiving the uvc program that interprets the m2000 code , another uvc program that mimics the functioning of the control unit must also be archived . finally that emulator must output the page on whatever device will exist in 2100 . that part cannot be anticipated in 2000 . the present invention defines an abstract all - point - addressable printer which is invoked with the parameters ( l , w , pixels ) where l represents the number of pixel lines in the page , w the number of pixels per line and pixels , a bit stream of l times w pixels . in 2100 , the abstract machine will map the pixels into an actual device . this scheme , again , ensures that the difficult part ( which depends heavily on the details of the device ) is written in 2000 when the device exists . it can be fully tested in 2000 by mapping the abstract device into a 2000 device . abstract devices must be similarly defined for sequential tapes ( with operations such as r , w , rewind , skip ), for random access storage units ( r , w at a particular record address ), for sequential character output or input ( screen , keyboard ), for x / y positioning ( mouse , touch - screen , cursor ), etc . in 2000 , for each existing or new machine , the manufacturer needs to provide an emulator of the m2000 written as uvc code . manufacturers of devices in 2000 need to provide uvc code that emulates the device control unit . in 2000 , whoever creates a new data format needs to produce a uvc program to decode the data . in 2100 , every machine manufacturer needs to produce a uvc interpreter . each device manufacturer needs to produce an implementation of the abstract device on the particular 2100 device . the present invention analyzes the challenges of the 100 - year problem : how to archive digital information that is being created so that it may be readable a century from now and beyond . we made a distinction between the archiving of data and the archiving of a program to be executed . the same technique is used to solve both problems : both rely on a virtual computer . for archiving data , the uvc is used to archive methods to access the data . for archiving a program , the uvc is used to specify the functioning of the original computer . what the method accomplishes is to avoid the problem of defining standards under which the data should be stored . these standards would have to be defined for all types of applications , and would have to remain valid for centuries ; this is just unfeasible . instead , the present invention replaces the need for a multitude of standards ( for each format ) by a single standard on a uvc , which is actually independent of any application , and is so basic that it remains relevant in all ages . it would be naive to think that solving the archiving problem is simply a technical challenge . for example , the success of any effort would hinge on the overall agreement of all parties generating new technologies or creating new types of information . but the computer science community has at least the obligation of trying to shed some light on the challenges , and to start addressing the problems . the above uvc used to archive computer data and programs and its described functional elements are implemented in various computing environments . for example , the present invention may be implemented on a conventional ibm pc , mainframe , or equivalent , multi - nodal system ( e . g . lan ) or networking system ( e . g . internet , www ). all programming , guis , display panels and dialog box templates , and data related thereto are stored in computer memory , static or dynamic , and may be retrieved by the user in any of : conventional computer storage , display ( i . e . crt ) and / or hardcopy ( i . e . printed ) formats . a system and method has been shown in the above embodiments for the effective implementation of long term archiving of digital information . while various preferred embodiments have been shown and described , it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention by such disclosure , but rather , it is intended to cover all modifications and alternate constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention , as defined in the appended claims . for example , the present invention should not be limited by software / program , computing environment , specific computing hardware and uvc .	6
fig1 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment . referring now to fig1 , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . the n - type well layer 2 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of n - type well player 2 , p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are formed such that p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are spaced apart from each other . depletion - type nmosfet 21 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 3 . enhancement - type nmosfet 22 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 4 . in depletion - type nmosfet 21 , n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 such that n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed such that n − - type depletion layer 7 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 . an impurity such as phosphorus ( p 31 ) is doped in n − - type depletion layer 7 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , p + - type pickup layer 8 is also formed . gate electrode 10 is formed above n − - type depletion layer 7 with gate oxide film 9 interposed between n − - type depletion layer 7 and gate electrode 10 . for example , gate oxide film 9 is 170 å in thickness . in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 , n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 such that n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed such that p − - type channel layer 13 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p + - type pickup layer 14 is also formed . gate electrode 16 is formed above p − - type channel layer 13 with gate oxide film 15 interposed between p − - type channel layer is 13 and gate electrode 16 . for example , gate oxide film 15 is 170 å in thickness . field oxide film 17 is formed in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 such that field oxide film 17 spaces apart depletion - type nmosfet 21 and enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from each other . field oxide film 18 isolates depletion - type nmosfet 21 from the other devices not shown . field oxide film 19 isolates enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from the other devices not shown . output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . now the method for manufacturing a mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described below . first , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . then , field oxide films 17 , 18 and 19 are formed . in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 , p - type well layers 3 and 4 are formed . then , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 . depletion layer 7 is doped , for example , with phosphorus ( p 31 ). then , gate oxide film 9 of , for example , 170 □ in thickness is formed on n − - type depletion layer 7 . further , gate electrode 10 is deposited on gate oxide film 9 . in p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed . then , gate oxide film 15 of , for example , 170 å in thickness is formed on p − - type channel layer 13 . further , gate electrode 16 is deposited on gate oxide film 15 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any n + - type layer will not be formed . then , n + - type drain layers 5 , 11 and n + - type source layers 6 , 12 are formed by implanting n - type impurity ions over gate electrode 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any p + - type layer will not be formed . then , p + - type pickup layers 8 and 14 are formed by implanting p - type impurity ions over gate electrodes 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . then , output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . in fig2 , depletion - type nmosfet 31 and enhancement - type nmosfet 32 are shown . fig3 is a block circuit diagram describing the configuration of a voltage detecting circuit that uses the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 , voltage detecting circuit section 42 in voltage detecting circuit 40 includes comparators 44 connected to respective lithium battery cells 41 , and mos reference voltage circuits 43 which feed reference voltages to respective comparators 44 . mos reference voltage circuit 43 is configured by the semiconductor device shown in fig1 and 2 . if the cell voltage of each lithium battery cell 41 is 4 . 0 v , the high - potential - side voltage of the battery , which includes four lithium battery cells 41 as shown in fig3 , will be 16 v . mos reference voltage circuit 43 according to the first embodiment is connected to the reference - potential - side of each lithium battery cell 41 . therefore , it is effective to divide the voltage difference of 4 . 0 v and to feed the divided voltage difference to the input - potential - side of each comparator 44 . since comparator 44 is disposed for every lithium battery cell 41 in the mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment , the voltage of every lithium battery cell 41 is detectable . when the battery includes four lithium battery cells , the error caused by the resistance for dividing the high - voltage cell potential and for obtaining a low voltage is suppressed to be ¼ the error caused in the conventional voltage detecting circuit including one comparator . therefore , the voltage of every cell in the battery including many battery cells is detected very precisely according to the first embodiment of the invention . in detail , when the battery includes four lithium battery cells 41 , the voltage for over - charge detection is different by the magnitude of several tens mv from maker to maker according to the prior art . further , for trimming the detected charging voltage finely , it is necessary for voltage dividing resistance r 1 ( cf . fig7 ) to be 16 mω to 20 mω . in contrast , for dividing the voltage of each cell according to the invention , it is enough for the voltage dividing resistance to be 4 mω to 5 mω . therefore , the error caused by the voltage dividing resistance according to the invention is ¼ the error caused according to the prior art . as described above , the precision , with which the voltage of the battery including many cells is detected , is improved and the safety of battery charging is improved . according to the first embodiment , the circuit for detecting the voltages of the respective cells included in a battery can be configured on one chip . fig4 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment is different from the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment in that gate oxide films 51 and 52 thereof are around 300 □ in thickness . generally , the recommended operating voltage per the thickness of a gate oxide film in the mosfet is from 3 . 0 mv / cm to 3 . 3 mv / cm . therefore , the gate oxide film is 300 å in thickness for sustaining the breakdown voltage of around 10 v . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment facilitates detecting a voltage very precisely when it is required for the semiconductor device to exhibit a breakdown voltage of around 10 v . fig5 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is different from the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments in that the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is manufactured using an epitaxial substrate . as shown in fig5 , the epitaxial substrate includes n - type buried layer 71 on p - type substrate 1 , and p - type epitaxial layer 72 laminated on n - type buried layer 71 . epitaxial layer 72 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of p - type epitaxial layer 72 , p - type well layer 73 is formed . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 73 , depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are formed such that depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are spaced apart from each other . by making the potential of p - type epitaxial layer 72 float , the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment obtains the effects similar to the effects which the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments exhibit . as described above , the semiconductor device according to the invention is very useful for a reference voltage circuit . especially , the semiconductor device according to the invention is suitable for a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage of a battery such as a lithium ion battery . this application is based on , and claims priority to , japanese patent application no : 2007 - 238924 , filed on sep . 14 , 2007 . the disclosure of the priority application , in its entirety , including the drawings , claims , and the specification thereof , is incorporated herein by reference .	7
heart cells from mouse embryos were cultured in dmem supplemented with 20 % fcs , l - glutamine ( 2 mmol / l ) and nonessential amino acids ( all chemicals from sigma - aldrich ). a drop of the cell suspension ( 10 7 cells / ml ) was placed on an mea produced by the applicant and having 60 microelectrodes . after attachment of the cells , culture medium was added to give a final volume of 800 μl . after 1 to 3 days in culture , the cells formed a confluent monolayer of multicellular aggregates which showed spontaneous beating activities . the fp wave shapes measured with the mea after 4 days in culture are shown in fig1 a . different fp wave shapes were recorded on different microelectrodes , of which two representative examples are shown enlarged in fig1 b . the field potential shows in each case a recurring pattern in the beat rhythm with a first minimum fpmin and a last maximum fpmax , where fpmin and fpmax could in each case be preceded by a further maximum fppre and fpslow . the time interval between the first minimum and the last maximum is designated as fpdur . a further parameter of the fp wave shape is the duration of the falling or declining flank in the fp wave shape from the base line to the first minimum fpmin which is characterized by a parameter fprise . fprise is calculated as the duration between reaching 10 % of fpmin and reaching fpmin . it was found that fpdur and fprise are important parameters which can be calculated from the extacellularly derived fp wave shape and which change in a manner comparable to qt upon addition of qt - modifying substances . in a method comparable to example 1 , ventricular myocytes from chicken embryos were in this case cultured on the mea . the heart muscle cells were obtained by trypsin digestion of the isolated ventricle of chicken embryos ( 10 - 12 days after fertilization ). the heart was freed of blood vessels and atria . the cells were cultured in mem medium supplemented with 10 % fetal calf serum ( fcs ). one to two days before the measurement , the medium was replaced by standard tyrode solution . the heart cells were again cultured on the mea , the derivation and recording time being 10 minutes , which in most cases proved sufficient to permit conclusions to be drawn in this control experiment concerning heart rate and stability of the qt interval . the standard tyrode solution was then replaced by a tyrode solution with 5 μm of a test substance and the change in fpdur was determined . thereafter , the concentration of the test substance was increased in logarithmic steps . a measurement was now taken every 10 minutes . in a first test , the substances tested were quinidine and digoxin , the influence of which on qt has long been known . quinidine has a qt - prolonging effect and is used as an antiarrhythmic agent ; see for example w . b . campbell , “ ekg of the month : qt prolongation induced by quinidine in therapeutic doses ”, in j . tenn . med . assoc . 1982 , 75 ( 5 ): 340 - 341 . by contrast , digoxin has a qt - shortening effect and is used in chronic heart insufficiency and to prevent and treat tachycardia ; see , for example , joubert et al ., “ a correlative study of serum digoxin levels and electrocardiographic measurements ”, in s . afr . med . 1975 , 49 ( 29 ): 1177 . in measurements with quinidine , 0 . 5 % dmso was added to the cell tyrode since quinidine is not water - soluble . the control experiment was also carried out with dmso here . initial evaluations of these experiments showed that addition of digoxin led to a decrease in fpdur and addition of quinidine led to an increase in fpdur . in these qualitative evaluations , i . e . comparison of data from the respective control experiment and the data derived from addition of the qt - modifying substance , possible changes in the heart rate were taken into account . fig2 shows typical measured values which were determined in the tests described here for quinidine at different concentrations . fig2 a shows a typical time course for a field potential measured on meas , while fig2 b shows field potential courses after addition of the respectively indicated quinidine concentrations for 200 seconds . a qt prolongation increasing with concentration can be clearly seen from the increase in fpdur . in fig2 c , the dose - dependent prolongation is indicated as fpdur ( qt ) or as fpdur normalized with the heart rate ( qtc ). for the normalized case , the fpdur value was divided by the square root of the time span ( in seconds ) between two action potentials . fig3 shows the diagrammatic comparison between ecg , action potential , potassium ion current i ( kr ) and mea field potential for ventricular myocytes from chicken embryos without addition ( normal ) and with addition ( qt prolongation ) of quinidine . it can clearly be seen that the qt prolongation observed in the ecg has its correspondence not only in the measured action potential but also in the field potential , fpdur changes measured by meas are therefore a direct measure for qt changes . fig4 shows by comparison the normalized qt interval for four different active substances whose effect on ventricular myocytes from chicken embryos was determined with meas . it has been found that verapamil ( 5 -[ n -( 3 , 4 - dimethoxyphenylethyl ) methylamino ]- 2 -( 3 , 4 - dimethoxyphenyl )- 2 - isopropylvaleronitrile hydrochloride ) in the concentration range of from 1 nm to 3 μm has only a very slight effect on qt , although it is known as an antagonist for the l - type calcium channel and blocks potassium channels . although verapamil would therefore be ruled out as potential medicament in an herg test , the mea measurement on spontaneously active heart cells shows that no appreciable qt change is caused . it follows from this that measurements on only one channel ( such as herg ) do not correctly reflect the complex inter - relationships and may lead to false - positive results , whereas this is not the case in mea measurements ( via fpdur ). as a control , fig4 plots the qt changes for the above - discussed quinidine and for e4031 and sotalol , each of which is known to lead to a qt prolongation . for quinidine , the prolongation of the qt interval in the ecg has been described by a great many authors , and it is recognized by the fda . likewise , the fda confirms an influence of quinidine on the occurrence of tachycardia / torsades de pointes leading to ventricular fibrillation . the qt prolongation was already demonstrated in the 70 s . more recent works show an inhibitory effect of quinidine on heterologously expressed herg channels , as a molecular mediator of qt prolongation . qt prolongations are already shown in vitro in the mea system at therapeutic concentrations in the range of 2 - 7 μm . sotalol , ( n -[ 4 -[ 1 - hydroxy - 2 -( isopropylamino ) ethyl ] phenyl ] methanesulfonamidehydrochloride , is also used as an antiarrhythmic agent . qt prolongation and triggering of torsades de pointes have been described in many instances and accepted as side effects . the risk of torsades de pointes is much higher in female patients than in male patients . in the measurements carried out here , a clear prolongation of the action potential was shown ( about double ). for the known effects of sotalol , reference is made , for example , to : farkas a ., lepran i ., papp j . g . : proarrhythmic effects of intravenous quinidine , amiodarone , d - sotalol , and almokalant in the anesthetized rabbit model of torsade de pointes ; j . cardiovasc . pharmacol . 2002 february ; 39 ( 2 ): 287 - 297 . e4031 , { 4 ′-[[ 1 -[ 2 -( 6 - methyl - 2 - pyridinyl ) ethyl - 4 - piperidinyl ] carbonyl ] methanesulfonamide , 2hcl }, is not a medication , but a highly selective inhibitor of i ( kr ) current . this current is responsible for the repolarization of the ventricular action potential . in terms of molecular biology , the channel through which most of the i ( kr ) current flows is referred to as herg ( human ether - a - gogo - related gene ). since herg channels are often used in heterologous expression systems as in vitro assay for a potential qt prolongation , this substance is of particular importance as a reference . the sensitivity of the mea system is also clear from the fact that even submicromolecular concentrations of e4031 lead to inhibition of the i ( kr ) current , which is expressed in a prolongation of the ventricular action potential of over 90 %. at higher concentrations , the cells no longer have any spontaneous contractions . for the effect of e4031 , see for example webster r ., allan g ., anto - awuakye k ., harrison a ., kidd t ., leishman d ., walker d . : pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic assessment of the effects of e4031 , cisapride , terfenadine and terodiline on monophasic action potential duration in dog , xenobiotica . 2001 august - september ; 31 ( 8 - 9 ): 633 - 650 . in so far , the inventors could show the prolongating effect of quinidine , amiodarone ( antiarrhythmic agent ), terfenadin ( antihistaminic agent ), astemizol ( antihistamic agent ), e - 4031 , cisapride ( prokinetic agent ), sotalol and fexofenafine ( antihistaminic agent ) ( the latter only at very high concentrations ), respectively , on the qt interval . no qt prolongation was found for verapamil ( herg blocker ) and ivabradine ( ikf blocker , regulates pace maker current ). further , two substances with so far unknown effect on qt interval have been tested , whereby rilmakalim ( ikatp opener ) reduced the frequency but did not prolong the field potential , but h1098 had a remarkably prolonged field potential .	2
while this invention may be embodied in many different forms , there are described in detail herein a specific preferred embodiment of the invention . this description is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment illustrated . the cut - to - size piece 1 ′ of fig1 has a bottom wall 2 , a side wall 3 hinged to a longitudinal side of bottom wall 2 , a side wall 5 hinged to another longitudinal side of bottom wall 2 and a top wall 6 hinged to another longitudinal side of side wall 5 . side walls 3 , 5 each have a lower side wall portion 3 ′, 5 ′ in the shape of a rectangle and an upper side wall portion 3 ″, 5 ″ in the shape of a trapezoid . bottom wall 2 , top wall 4 , and further top wall 6 are rectangular with top wall 4 and further top wall 6 being of a slightly smaller longitudinal extension than is bottom wall 2 . the two transverse sides of bottom wall 2 have hinged thereto approximately rectangular bottom wall elements 7 ′, 7 ″. the transverse sides of top wall 4 have hinged thereto upper side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″ which also are approximately rectangular . the transverse sides of rectangular portions 3 ′, 5 ′ of side walls 3 , 5 have hinged thereto lower side wall flaps 9 ′, 9 ″, 10 ′, 10 ″ which are of a substantially rectangular shape each . the transverse sides of trapezoidal portions 3 ″, 5 ″ of side walls 3 , 5 have hinged thereto upper side wall flaps 11 ′, 11 ″, 12 ′, 12 ″ which are of a substantially trapezoidal shape each . the transverse sides of the further top wall 6 have hinged thereto side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″ which are of an approximately trapezoidal shape . top wall 4 and side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″ have defined therein a handle portion 14 by punched lines . it has a strip - shaped central portion 15 which is completely disposed in top wall 4 . further , handle portion 14 has fork - shaped end portions 16 ′, 16 ″ which extend each in top wall 4 and a side wall element 8 ′, 8 ″. fork - shaped end portions 16 ′, 16 ″ each have two prongs 17 ′, 17 ″ and 17 ′″, 17 iv , respectively which extend in top wall 4 and into one of the two side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″. fork - shaped end portions 16 ′, 16 ″ end in the side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″ not very distant from their hinging point at top wall 4 . the outer punched lines which define handle portion 4 end in filletings 18 ′, 18 ″, 18 ′″, 8 iv bent away from handle portion 14 in side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″. top wall 4 has punched - out portions 19 ′, 19 ″, which are approximately tray - shaped , on either side of strip - shaped central portion 15 . punched - out portions 19 ′, 19 ″ are apertures to place hands in . punched - out portions 19 ′, 19 ″ have tabs 20 ′, 20 ″ hinged to the longitudinal sides of strip - shaped central portion 15 which are separated by weakening lines from the remaining top wall 4 . the further top wall 6 has a further strip - shaped central portion 21 defined by a circumferential weakening line which runs in the longitudinal direction of the further top wall 6 . the two longitudinal sides of the further strip - shaped central portion 21 , in the further top wall , have prepared thereon approximately rectangular tabs 22 ′, 22 ″ which can be pressed in by hand , which exposes further apertures to place hands in which are approximately in congruence with the punched - out portions 19 ′, 19 ″ and , for simplicity , are also designated as 22 ′, 22 ″. the further top wall 6 has located therein four reversing tabs 23 ′, 23 ″, 23 ′″, 23 iv which are oriented lengthwise and extend to the transverse sides of the further top wall 6 . those have two transversely oriented channelled lines 24 ′ 24 ″. further , each side flap 13 ′, 13 ″ has located therein two reversing tabs 25 ′, 25 ″, 25 ′″, 25 iv which also are transversely oriented and extend to the hinged joints of side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″ on the further top wall 6 . each of the reversing tabs 25 ′, 25 ″, 25 ′″, 25 iv is oriented to an adjoining reversing tab 23 ′, 23 ″, 23 ′″, 23 iv with a slot - shaped punched - out portion 26 ′, 26 ″, 26 ′″, 26 iv being therebetween . side walls 3 , 5 have located therein pull - up tabs 27 , 28 which are defined by weakening lines . pull - up tabs 27 , 28 extend downwards from the hinged joint on top wall 4 and further top wall and have a short tongue - shaped gripping tab 29 , 30 at the lower end . a bottle carrier may be manufactured from this cut - to - size piece 1 ′ and be filled with bottles as follows : the cut - to - size piece 1 ′ may be enveloped around a set of three times four bottles with top wall 4 being placed on top of further top wall 6 and top wall 4 and further top wall 6 being glued to each other in the area of the strip - shaped central portion 15 and the further strip - shaped central portion 21 disposed underneath as well as outside the handle portion 14 and the reversing tabs 23 ′, 23 ″, 23 ′″, 23 iv disposed under the fork prongs 17 ′, 17 ″, 17 ′″, 17 iv . glueing can be done even before , in which case the set of bottles can be introduced subsequently into the cut - to - size piece 1 ′, which has been brought into an envelope shape , through the front - sided aperture . the bottles will seat their bottoms on the bottom wall 2 and orient their mouths onto top wall 4 . subsequently , all of the side wall flaps 9 ′, 9 ″, 10 ′, 10 ″, 11 ′, 11 ″, 12 ′, 12 ″ are folded into the front - sided apertures . finally , the side wall elements 7 ′, 7 ″, 8 ′, 8 ″ are also folded into the front - sided apertures and are glued to each other and to the side wall flaps 9 ′, 9 ″ to 12 ′, 12 ″. this will form further side walls . this completes the bottle carrier which is then ready to be stored and carried . to carry it , the user presses the fingers of one hand against the tabs 20 ′, 20 ″ and 22 ′, 22 ″, forcing them downwards until they fold under the ( further ) strip - shaped central portions 15 , 21 . then , he pulls the ( further ) strip - shaped central portions 15 , 21 upwards . as a result , fork prongs 17 ′ to 17 iv are slightly drawn into the inner volume of the bottle carrier , which causes them to enter the vacant spaces between the upper areas of adjoining bottles . three bottles each are arranged on the transverse sides of the bottle carrier with each middle bottle gripping in between the prongs 17 ′, 17 ″ and 17 ′″, 17 iv of a fork - shaped end portion 16 ′, 16 ″ and the outer bottles being placed each at the outer surfaces of fork prongs 17 ′ to 17 iv . the deformation of the fork - shaped end portion 16 ′, 16 ″ is limited by the reversing tabs 23 ′ to 23 iv and 25 ′ to 25 iv , which force the fork prongs 17 ′ to 17 iv onto an approximately curved path . at this point , the adjoining reversing tabs 23 ′ to 23 iv and 25 ′ to 25 iv may escape each other because of the slots formed 26 ′ to 26 iv therebetween and the channelled lines 23 ′ to 23 iv . the “ retraction ” of areas of the fork - shaped end portions into the interior of the bottle carrier makes it possible to remove the ( further ) strip - shaped central portion 15 , 21 from the bottles by such a distance that they will not interfere with carrying . in addition , this achieves a favourable transfer of forces from the handle portion 14 into the further side walls . in contrast to the cut - to - size piece 1 ′, the cut - to - size piece 1 ″ has pull - up tabs 27 ′, 28 ′ in the side walls 3 , 5 that are torn open from top and do not have any gripping tab at bottom . the embodiment of fig2 is of advantage particularly for long - neck bottles . here , the parabolic pull - up tabs 27 ′, 28 ′ still achieve sufficient stability even after bring opened , which allows to carry reinserted bottles . in addition , the top wall 4 and the side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″ have upper pull - up tabs 31 , 32 which are arranged on either side of handle portion 14 . they are defined by punched lines which externally define the punched - out portions 19 ′, 19 ″ and the fork - shaped end portions 17 ′ to 17 iv . further , straight - lined weakening lines run from the filletings 18 ′ to 18 iv in the side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″ to the lateral borders of the side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″. as a particularity , the further top wall 6 has four reversing tabs 23 v to 23 viii which are tapered towards the side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″ in the shape of an arrow tip . on either side of the further central portion 21 , the further top wall 6 and the side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″ have located therein further upper pull - up tabs 34 , 35 . those are defined by further pull - up lines 36 ′ to 36 iv which extend from the narrow ends of rectangular tabs 22 ′, 22 ″ to the outer borders of reversing tabs 23 v to 23 viii . in addition , the further upper pull - up tabs 34 , 35 are defined by further straight - lined weakening lines 37 ′ to 37 iv which run in the side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″ from the reversing tabs 25 ′ to 25 iv to the lateral borders of side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″. in this cut - to - size piece 1 ″, the top wall 4 and the further top wall 6 are glued to each other in the area of the strip - shaped central portion 15 and the further strip - shaped central portion 21 . furthermore , the upper and further upper pull - up tabs 31 and 34 as well as 32 and 35 are glued to each other . also here , a set of bottles may be pushed through a front - sided aperture of the cut - to - size piece 1 ″ brought into an envelope shape , in which case the reversing tabs 23 v to 23 viii facing the push - in aperture , because of the taper , are raised by the bottles being pushed in if they protrude into the interior . for handling , the tabs 20 ′, 20 ″ and 22 ′, 22 ″ are folded under the central portions 15 , 21 and are then raised together with these . for bottle removal , the upper pull - up tabs 31 , 32 , along with the further upper pull - up tabs 34 , 35 pasted on , are torn out starting from the punched - out portions 19 ; 19 ″, at least until the weakening lines 33 ′ to 34 iv and 37 ′ to 37 iv are torn apart . the user may outwardly fold the tom - apart pull - up tabs 31 , 32 , 34 , 35 or may even detach the pull - up tabs 27 ′, 28 ″ from the bottle carrier . then , the bottles may be conveniently drawn out both at top and at the side and may be reinserted later . the cut - to - size piece 1 ′″ is initially distinguished from the cut - to - size piece 1 ′ by the configuration of the pull - up tabs 27 ′, 28 ″ in the side walls 3 , 5 . the pull - up tabs 27 ″, 28 ″ each are defined by a straight - lined weakening line which runs between the lower side wall portion 3 ′, 5 ′ and the upper side wall portion 3 ″, 5 ″. in the side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″, the upper pull - up tabs 31 ′, 32 ″ are defined by weakening lines 33 v to 33 viii which extend from the filletings 18 ′ to 18 iv and initially run in parallel with the borders of the side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″ and are then angled towards the borders . in the side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″, the further upper pull - up tabs 34 ′, 35 ′ are defined straight - lined weakening lines 37 v to 37 viii which come to terminate towards the ends of the side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″. the top wall 4 and the further top wall 6 are glued to each other in the area of the central portion 15 and the further central wall portion 21 and in the area of the upper and further pull - up tabs 31 ′ and 34 ′ as well as 32 ′ and 35 ′. for opening , the upper pull - up tabs 31 ′, 34 ′, 32 ′, 35 ′ are torn out starting from the punched - out portions 19 ′, 19 ″, at least until the weakening lines 33 v to 33 viii and 37 v to 33 viii are torn apart . the pull - up tabs 27 ″, 28 ″ may also be torn out in addition afterwards . the cut - to - size piece 1 iv of fig4 is distinguished from the cut - to - size piece 1 ′ by the fact that the further central portion 21 in the further top wall 6 is joined to two further fork - shaped end portions 38 ′, 38 ″ which extend to end in the side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″. the further central portion 21 and the further fork - shaped end portions 38 ′, 38 ″ are substantially in congruence with the central portion 21 and the fork - shaped end portions 16 ′, 16 ″ of the top wall 4 or side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″. fork prongs 39 ′ to 39 iv of the punched lines defining the fork - shaped end portions 38 ′, 38 ″ extend to terminate in filletings 40 ′ to 40 iv in the side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″. fork prongs 17 ′ to 17 iv have located therebetween intermediate tabs 41 ′, 41 ″ which extend from the side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″ to terminate in the top wall 4 . fork prongs 39 ′ to 39 iv have located therebetween further intermediate tabs 42 ′, 42 ″ which extend from the side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″ to terminate in the further top wall 6 . they have a mushroom head - shaped widenings 43 ′, 43 ″ each within the further top wall 6 . large punched - out portions or flaps 22 ′″, 22 iv are located on either side of the further central portion 21 . in a bottle carrier formed by the cut - to - size piece 1 iv , the central portions 15 , 21 and the fork - shaped end portions 16 ′, 38 ′ and 16 ″, 38 ″ are glued to each other . furthermore , each intermediate tab 41 ′, 41 ″ is glued to a further intermediate tab 42 ″, 42 ″. when the central portions 15 , 21 are raised the fork - shaped end portions 16 ′, 38 ′ and 16 ″, 38 ″ penetrate into the intermediate areas between the bottles . the outer portions of fork - shaped end portions 38 ′, 38 ″ are pushed over the mushroom head - shaped widenings 43 ′, 43 ″, retaining the further intermediate tabs 42 ′, 42 ″ and the intermediate tabs 41 ′, 41 ″ on the upper surfaces of the bottles . in contrast to the cut - to - size piece 1 v of fig5 the cut - to - size piece 1 ′ has a handle portion 14 ′ including fork - shaped end portions 16 ′″, 16 iv which have three fork prongs 17 v to 17 x each . the punched lines externally defining the fork prongs 17 v , 17 vii , 17 viii , and 17 x have a filleting 18 ′ to 18 iv each . furthermore , the further strip - shaped central portion 21 ′ in the further top wall 6 has strip - shaped end portions 21 ″, 21 ′″ which come to terminate in the side flaps 13 ′, 13 ″. the reversing tabs 23 v to 23 viii and 25 ′ to 25 v are designed as for the cut - to - size pieces 1 ′ and 1 ′″. a bottle carrier formed from the cut - to - size piece 1 v is capable of accommodating four times five bottles . the strip - shaped central portions 15 and 21 ′ are glued to each other and so are the fork prongs 17 vi and 17 ix to the strip - shaped end portions 21 ″, 21 ′″. for carrying , the tabs 20 ′, 20 ″ and 22 ′, 22 ″ are folded down on either side of the strip - shaped central portions 25 , 21 ′ and are raised , along with the strip - shaped central portions 25 , 21 ′. at this stage , the fork prongs 16 iii , 16 iv , and the strip - shaped end portions 21 ″, 21 ′″ penetrate into the vacant spaces next to the two middle bottles of the two outer rows of bottles . the handle portion 14 ′ of the bottle carrier made from the cut - to - size piece 1 iv is specifically protected against being torn off due to torsional loads . in contrast to the cut - to - size piece 1 v , the cut - to - size piece 1 iv of fig6 has ovally designed handle apertures 44 ′, 44 ″ in the side wall elements 8 ′, 8 ″. the handle apertures 44 ′, 44 ″ have located therein gripping tabs 45 ′, 45 ″ each , which are hinged at top , i . e . to the border of the handle apertures 44 ′, 44 ″ that is adjacent to the fork prongs 17 v to 17 x . the gripping tabs 45 ′, 45 ″ each have two straight folding lines 46 ′, 47 ′, 46 ″, 47 ″ which run from the upper border to the lower border of the handle apertures 44 ′, 44 ″ and approach each other in this direction . these allow to fold the gripping tabs 45 ′, 45 ″ in between the middle bottles of the outer rows , in which case the outer gripping tab portions , when contacting the bottle necks , swivel inwards and can swivel out again after them . further , the particularity of the cut - to - size piece 1 v is that they have bulges 4 ′, 4 ″ and 6 ′, 6 ″ in the top wall 4 and the further top wall 6 adjacent to the tabs 20 ′, 20 ″ and 22 ′, 22 ″, which bulges cover the upper areas of bottles located underneath . this makes it easier to swivel the tabs 20 ′, 20 ″ and 22 ′, 22 ″ downwards between the covered bottles in order to raise the strip - shaped central portions 15 , 21 ′. finally , the particularity of the cut - to - size piece 1 v is that it has asymmetrically formed pull - up tabs 27 ′″, 28 ′″. the gripping tabs 29 , 30 thereof are arranged so as to allow themselves to be forced into the intermediate areas between two bottles , which makes it easier to tear open the pull - up tabs 27 ′″, 28 ′″. the above examples and disclosure are intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive . these examples and description will suggest many variations and alternatives to one of ordinary skill in this art . all these alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the attached claims . those familiar with the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein which equivalents are also intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto .	1
fig1 illustrates a diaphragm assist device according to an embodiment of the invention . in the illustrated embodiment , the device includes a magnetic mat 10 which is adapted to be mounted inside the human body , within the thoracic cavity and adjacent the diaphragm d . preferably , the mat 10 is a permanent magnet made from a flexible ferro - magnetic material , including but not limited to samarium cobalt , neodymium iron , and neodymium iron boron ( nefebo ). it can be appreciated , however , that the mat may comprise other materials ( such as a superconductive material ) so long as the mat is sufficiently responsive to application of an electromagnetic field to compress the diaphragm in accordance with the principles of the present invention . regardless of the material used , however , the exterior surface of the mat should be chemically inert , and not immunogenic , so that it does not react with blood , tissue , or organs . if necessary , the mat may be coated or surrounded by an inert substance , including but not limited to polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ), and zinc . in an embodiment , each magnetic mat has a curvilinear , relatively flat shape and is made from neodymium iron boron ( nefebo ) and has a zinc coating . the mat 10 is supported within the body , preferably in contact with the superior dome of the diaphragm d . if both diaphragms are paralyzed , a magnetic mat may be placed over each diaphragm , as shown in fig1 . preferably , the mat support comprises a plurality of heavy mono - filament threads 20 each having one end secured to the mat and another end secured to the rib cage r ( or sternum ). the threads are flexible to permit movement of the mat , and should be sufficiently strong to withstand continued flexing without breakage . when the mat is disposed on the diaphragm , the threads 20 may also be sutured through the diaphragm so that the mat will stay in position . it can be appreciated that many alternatives to the mono - filament threads can be used to support the mat , as long as such alternatives maintain the mat in movably supported relation proximate to the diaphragm . in an embodiment , the mat 10 may also include , a silicone or silicone - like sleeve 50 , or , alternatively , each magnetic mat may be covered with silicone or a silicone - like substance to decrease the risk of injury to the diaphragm and also to decrease the risk of contact reactivity . further details of a suitable sleeve may be found in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 648 , 914 , which is incorporated herein by reference . the silicone sleeves that cover each mat may be secured loosely to the patient &# 39 ; s ribs and located closely to diaphragmatic tissue . the mat 10 may be placed via thoracoscopy in sections with tongue and groove interlocking joints or hinges . further details of a magnetic mat that includes sections and hinges may be found in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 648 , 635 , which is incorporated herein by reference . the heavy mono - filament threads 20 each have one end thereof secured to the peripheral edges of two opposite sides of the mat , which preferably has a substantially rectangular or oval shape . an incision may be made immediately below the breastbone using the sub - xiphoid approach , and the threads may then be sutured to the rib cage and / or sternum by use of curved trochar sheath . enough slack should be left in the mono - filament sutures to permit movement of the mat 10 into compressive relation with the diaphragm upon application of an electromagnetic field to the mat 10 , as described in further detail below . an electromagnetic assembly 12 is adapted to be mounted externally to the human body , preferably so that it surrounds the torso t of the body , in functionally cooperative relation with respect to the mat 10 . the electromagnetic assembly 12 includes at least one induction coil 13 that surrounds the torso of the body and to which a current is provided ( preferably by a d . c . battery , not shown ) to generate or produce an electromagnetic field mf , which moves the mat in a first direction into compressive relation with the diaphragm and away from the lungs l , as shown in fig2 by arrow f . the operation of the electromagnetic assembly and the magnetic mat may be similar to the electromagnetic assembly and mat disclosed by u . s . pat . no . 5 , 498 , 228 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . more particularly , the electromagnetic assembly 12 may alternately generate and discontinue the electromagnetic field to alternately move the diaphragm and then permit the diaphragm to relax , thereby assisting the mechanical pumping function of the diaphragm . the magnitude of the force produced will be proportionally dependent on the mat &# 39 ; s magnetic field strength , the amount of current traveling through the electromagnetic assembly 12 , and the number of current - turns in the electromagnetic assembly 12 , but inversely proportional to the distance between the electromagnetic assembly and the mat . optimal coil function may be seen when the coil is adjacent to the torso , with the shortest distance between the ribs and coil . the current in the coil is controlled in time regarding onset and duration , in power regarding quantity of current delivered , and direction as to reverse polarity . for example , the electromagnetic assembly 12 may be configured so that the current that is provided to the coil 13 may be reversed so that a second electromagnetic field mf ′ may be applied to the magnetic mat , which causes the magnetic mat to be moved in a second direction that is away from the diaphragm and toward the lungs l , as shown in fig3 and represented by arrow f ′. because the mat will tend to stick to the diaphragm , the diaphragm will move with the mat 10 via suction . in an embodiment , the mat 10 may be physically attached to the diaphragm d with sutures . when properly timed , such an application and reversal of the electromagnetic field mf may further improve the assistance being provided to the patient , as described in further detail below . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the electromagnetic assembly 12 may include a hinge 60 that is configured to allow the electromagnetic assembly 12 to open up like a clamshell . after opening the electromagnetic assembly 12 , the patient would lie in the assembly 12 and the assembly 12 may close and lock with a locking structure 62 so that the coil 13 is a continuous structure wrapped around the torso t . as shown in fig6 , the diaphragm assist device also includes a transthoracic impedance device (“ tid ”) 28 that measures transthoracic impedance as the patients breathes . a controller 22 may be programmed with what would be normal transthoracic impedance measurements during inspiration and expiration . as the patient produces , what would be for the patient a normal inspiration , the transthoracic impedance changes , thereby yielding a curve . when inspiration is detected by the device per the curve , current is provided to the coil 13 , which moves the magnetic mat 10 through the coil 13 in a direction as determined by the polarity of the mat and the coil , which is set during manufacture . as the transthoracic impedance device 28 detects expiration , the current provided to the coil 13 may be turned off , or if desired , the current flow may be reversed to that the polarity of the electromagnetic field that is generated by the coil 13 may be reversed to produce opposite movement of the mat 10 and diaphragm . in this manner , both expiration and inspiration may be augmented . the interaction of the coil 13 with the magnetic mat 10 on the diaphragm d will produce a physical force vector both on the diaphragm d and on the coil 13 . piezoelectric sensors 14 on the electromagnetic assembly 12 may be used to indicate how much force is being applied to the diaphragm d in each direction . this is a feedback mechanism that may be used to avoid excessive force on the diaphragm and potential injury to the diaphragm . as shown in fig6 , the sensors 14 forms part of an electronic feedback / control loop , and function to evaluate the compressive resistance of the diaphragm during movement of the mat into compressive relation with the diaphragm . the transducer 14 senses the compressive pressure or force applied thereto and outputs a voltage proportional to such force or pressure . the controller 22 receives the signal generated by the transducer and controls the intensity of said electromagnetic field generated by the electromagnetic assembly as a function of that signal . as a result , the controller effectively controls the degree to which the mat moves the diaphragm . more specifically , the controller 22 includes a compensation / comparison circuit 26 ( or “ compensation circuit ”) which compares the voltage generated by the sensors 14 to a command voltage generated by command voltage generator 24 . the command voltage corresponds to a predetermined voltage which represents the ideal amount of force required to move the diaphragm . the compensation / comparison circuit 26 measures the difference between the voltage generated by the sensors 14 and the command voltage , and then digitally compensates for such difference so that an appropriate amount of current is sent through the coil 13 in the electromagnetic assembly 12 . for example , if the voltage generated by sensors 14 is less than the command voltage , the compensation circuit 26 will ramp up the current sent through the coil 13 and thereby increase the intensity of the magnetic field applied by electromagnetic assembly 12 . in contrast , if the voltage generated by sensors 14 is less more than the command voltage , the compensation circuit will decrease the amount of current through the coil 13 and thereby decrease the intensity of the magnetic field applied by the electromagnetic assembly 12 . thus , the intensity or magnitude of the electromagnetic field generated by the electromagnetic assembly is controlled so that the force applied by the mat 10 to the diaphragm remains within a predetermined range with each compressive stroke . the predetermined amount of force to be applied to the diaphragm in order to obtain the desired output is determined experimentally during an initial procedure wherein a catheter , may placed in the body to monitor pressures in the body near the diaphragm . the pressures are correlated with the voltages generated by the sensors 14 , and after several days of experimentation , the catheter may be removed . the sensors 14 thereafter may generate a voltage as a function of the resistance of the diaphragm . while the magnitude of the electromagnetic field generated by the electromagnetic assembly 12 is controlled by the controller 22 , together with the sensors 14 , it can be appreciated that the frequency of the electromagnetic field will coincide with the natural contractions of the diaphragm . the initial treatment course , which may include a series of treatments may be evaluated regarding the current delivered to the coil and pressure production on the diaphragm . the patient &# 39 ; s resting title volumes , heart rate , oxygen saturation , and respiratory rate may be monitored to determine treatment efficacy . after the initial series , a treatment program may be set up with given currents . initial treatments may be performed by a fixed device in which the patient may come to a hospital or doctor &# 39 ; s office for initial treatment , and evaluation of the treatment , until a safety protocol has been outlined for that specific patient . once the patient has safely undergone a series of treatments and current delivery parameters have been established , a portable device may be substituted for home use . it will be appreciated that the aspects of this invention have been fully and effectively accomplished . it will be realized , however , that the foregoing preferred specific embodiments have been shown and described for the purpose of this invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles . therefore , this invention includes all modifications encompassed within a spirit and scope of the following claims .	0
the present invention may be variously changed , and may have various embodiments , and specific embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings . however , it should be understood that those embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to specific disclosure forms and they include all changes , equivalents or modifications included in the spirit and scope of the present invention . the terms used in the present specification are merely used to describe specific embodiments , and are not intended to limit the present invention . a singular expression includes a plural expression unless a description to the contrary is specifically pointed out in context . in the present specification , it should be understood that terms such as “ include ” or “ have ” are merely intended to indicate that features , numbers , steps , operations , components , parts , or combinations thereof are present , and are not intended to exclude the possibility that one or more other features , numbers , steps , operations , components , parts , or combinations thereof will be present or added . unless differently defined , all terms used here including technical or scientific terms have the same meanings as the terms generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains . the terms identical to those defined in generally used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings identical to contextual meanings of the related art , and are not interpreted as having ideal or excessively formal meanings unless they are definitely defined in the present specification . embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following description of the present invention , the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar elements throughout the drawings , and repeated descriptions of the same components will be omitted . fig1 is a perspective view of a controlled reception pattern antenna ( crpa ) according to an embodiment of the present invention , and fig2 is a plan of a controlled reception pattern antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention . a controlled reception pattern antenna 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a ground platform 20 and a radiator 30 . one or more radiator slots 22 are formed in the ground platform 20 . the ground platform 20 may have , for example , a circular form . the radiator 30 is a ceramic patch - type radiator , and may receive a satellite signal ( that is , a gnss signal ). the radiator 30 is arranged in the ground platform 20 . the radiator 30 may be implemented using a commercial low - cost gps antenna . fig1 and 2 show a structure in which three radiators 30 are arranged in the ground platform 20 . more specifically , the three radiating slots 22 are formed to be separated from each other in the ground platform 20 , and three radiators 30 are also formed to be separated from each other in the ground platform 20 . namely , each of the radiators 30 is disposed between two adjacent radiating slots 22 . in other words , each of the radiating slots 22 is formed between two adjacent radiators 30 . n ( n is a positive integer ) number of radiators 30 and n number of radiating slots 22 may be formed in the ground platform 20 . accordingly , the controlled reception pattern antenna 10 exemplified in fig1 and fig2 has a structure in which a 3 - element array antenna is arranged in the ground platform 20 . on the other hand , as shown in fig2 , the position ( r 1 ) and the direction ( α ) of a radiator 30 are optimized to raise the pattern consistency of each of the antenna elements . in particular , in the present invention , a radiating slot 22 is disposed between antenna elements to increase the antenna gain at a low elevation angle . in this case , the length ( l s ) of the radiating slot 22 may be determined to operate as the parasitic element of the adjacent antenna element ( l s = λ / 4 ). here , λ is the center wavelength of an operating band . namely , the radiating slot 22 has a length corresponding to 1 / 4 of the center wavelength of the operating band . a slot having a length of λ / 4 resonates at a corresponding frequency and operates as a radiating slot 22 ( serves as an antenna ). consequently , the radiating slot 22 , operating as the parasitic element of the radiator 30 , increases the antenna gain at a low elevation angle , whereby it may minimize antenna pattern distortion . fig3 is a graph illustrating the return loss and the mutual coupling of a controlled reception pattern antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated in fig3 , in a gps l 1 band ( for example , at 1575 . 42 mhz ), the return loss is equal to or less than − 17 . 8 db , and the mutual coupling ( isolation ) is equal to or less than − 13 . 7 db . therefore , the basic performance of an array antenna is satisfied . fig4 is a distribution chart illustrating the surface current when power is fed to the first antenna element of a controlled reception pattern antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention , and fig5 is an enlarged view of a of fig4 . specifically , fig4 and 5 show the surface current distribution of an array antenna in the gps l 1 band when power is fed to the first antenna element 30 a ( the second antenna element 30 b and the third antenna element 30 c are matched to 50ω ). as shown in fig4 and 5 , the radiating slots 22 a and 22 b adjacent to the first antenna element 30 a resonate , and the surface current increases compared to another radiating slot 22 c . therefore , the radiating slots 22 a and 22 b operate as the parasitic element of the first antenna element 30 a , and serve as an antenna . fig6 is a graph illustrating the upper hemisphere right - handed circular polarization antenna gain of a controlled reception pattern antenna having a radiating slot , and fig7 is a graph illustrating the upper hemisphere right - handed circular polarization antenna gain of a controlled reception pattern antenna without a radiating slot . to analyze the effect of a radiating slot 22 , a comparison is made of the upper hemisphere right - handed circular polarization ( rhcp ) antenna gain of a crpa in the case including a radiating slot ( fig6 ) and the case without a radiating slot ( fig7 ). first , as illustrated in fig6 , a crpa including a radiating slot 22 shows a gain equal to or greater than − 5 . 3 dbic at low elevation angles , including the horizontal plane ( theta = 90 °). meanwhile , as illustrated in fig7 , a crpa without a radiating slot 22 shows about − 7 . 8 dbic of a gain at low elevation angles . therefore , a gain increase greater than 2 . 5 db is achieved at low elevation angles , including a horizontal plane , simply by adding a radiating slot 22 . fig8 is a graph illustrating the z - x plane antenna gain of a controlled reception pattern antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated in fig8 , a co - polarization ( right handed circular polarization ) gain is not biased in the direction ( 0 ° to 90 °, 270 ° to 360 °) in which gps satellite signals are received , and is equal to or greater than − 5 dbic . also , it is confirmed that unwanted cross - polarization ( left handed circular polarization ) gain is maintained less than the co - polarization gain in the direction in which gps satellite signals are received . as described above , optimal embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in the drawings and the specification . although specific terms have been used in the present specification , these are merely intended to describe the present invention , and are not intended to limit the meanings thereof or the scope of the present invention described in the accompanying claims . therefore , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible from the embodiments . therefore , the technical scope of the present invention should be defined by the technical spirit of the claims .	7
the present invention applies methods and apparatuses for reducing torque ripple to electrical motors , motor controller circuits and systems and devices using electrical motors . more particularly , the present invention applies to motor controller circuits that are designed to operate or drive electric spindle motors at a nearly constant speed . one example of such a motor controller circuit is the l6260 controller available from sgs - thomson microelectronics , inc ., of carrollton , tex ., usa . this type of motor controller can be used in conventional disc drives to control the speed of the spindle motor . disc drives typically utilize a three - phase brushless , sensorless spindle motor that is driven by either a 5 or 12 volt drive signal depending upon the type of computer system . for example , a disc drive for use with a portable or laptop computer may operate on a 5 volt drive signal , while a disk drive for use with a desktop computer system may operate on a 12 volt drive signal . in either case , the motor controller circuit is usually designed to output a drive signal that quickly brings the motor from a non - rotating state to a rotating state and then maintains the rotating speed at a substantially constant level . this may be accomplished by initially supplying an increased electrical current to bring the motor up to the desired speed followed by a fairly constant electrical current to maintain the desired speed . within the motor controller circuit , the speed of the rotating motor is typically monitored via feedback control loop circuitry . to maintain the desired rotational speed , the feedback control loop circuitry can be coupled to modify the current of the drive signal based on the differences between the desired and measured or calculated rotational speed . three - phase motors are typically designed with a separate coil for each of three phases . these coils are usually coupled to a common center tap . as a result of this configuration three phase motors may be operated in several different modes of operation , including unipolar , bipolar and tripolar modes . in unipolar mode only one of the coils is driven at a time . in bipolar mode two of the three coils are being driven at a given time . in tripolar mode all three coils are driven at the same time . these and other operating modes , such as pulse width modulation operating modes and related digitally controlled modes , are well known to those skilled in the art . it is believed that the methods and apparatuses of the present invention can be easily adapted by those skilled in the art to effectively reduce torque ripple in electric motors , including single or multi - phase electric motors , that are operated in the aforementioned modes or other equivalent modes . the described embodiment of present invention is particularly applicable for operating a three phase brushless sensorless spindle motor in a bipolar mode wherein , at any one time , one coil is driven high , one coil is driven low and the remaining coil is left floating . this can be accomplished by switching the connections applying the drive signal to each phase &# 39 ; s coil . when switched to high a coil will be at a high voltage level and have a positive current flow . when switched to low a coil will be at a low voltage level and have a negative current flow . when switched to floating a coil will have a falling or rising voltage level depending upon its previous state ( i . e ., high or low , respectively ) and will have no current flow . this bipolar switching operation is further illustrated in the waveforms shown in fig3 a - c . variances in rotational speed , caused in part by torque ripple , are reflected in the resulting back - emf signal as an additional , lower magnitude , sinusoidal ( time - varying ) component signal . this torque ripple signal is inversely proportional to the torque ripple in the motor . thus , the torque ripple signal will be at a maximum magnitude when the torque ripple is most prevalent , i . e ., when the magnetic fields are strongest . fig3 a - c illustrate the typical components of a back - emf signal generated by a three phase spindle motor operating in a bipolar mode . fig3 a illustrates a back - emf signal 70 comprised of three back - emf phase signals 72 , 74 and 76 , switching between a high voltage level 78 and a low voltage level 80 over time . fig3 b illustrates the typical waveform associated with one of the phases of back - emf signal 70 , namely back - emf phase signal 72 , as extrapolated from fig3 a . fig3 b better illustrates the switching characteristics of signal 72 between high 78 and low 80 voltage levels . as shown , back - emf phase signal 72 is momentarily at low voltage level 80 during low voltage period 82 . back - emf phase signal 72 is momentarily at high voltage level 78 during high voltage period 84 . between low 82 and high 84 voltage periods , back - emf phase signal 72 is floating as depicted by floating voltage periods 86a and 86b . as shown , during low voltage period 82 the waveform of back - emf phase signal 72 includes an additional torque ripple signal 88 . torque ripple signal 88 represents the torque ripple effects on one phase of the three - phase spindle motor . referring back to fig3 a , it can be seen that each of the back - emf phase signals 72 , 74 and 76 includes a torque ripple signal 88 . fig3 c illustrates an ac component signal 90 resulting from the combined ripple signals 88 of back - emf phase signals 72 , 74 and 76 as shown in fig3 a . the waveform of ac component signal 90 may be obtained from back - emf signal 70 by typical rectification means , such as an analog filter / rectifier circuit , or by digitally sampling extraction methods . ac component signal 90 essentially represents the torque ripple effects on all three phases of a three - phase spindle motor . the present invention identifies this torque ripple signal in the back - emf signal and utilizes it to counteract and reduce the torque ripple in the motor . as a result , the present invention tends to reduce induced torque ripple jitter in devices such as disc drives . fig4 illustrates a motor controller 62 which is electrically coupled to a motor 34 , for controlling the operation of motor 34 . as shown , motor controller 62 outputs a drive signal to drive signal line 66 which causes motor 34 to operate . motor 34 outputs a back - emf signal which is fed - back to motor controller circuit 62 via back - emf feedback line 68 . the back - emf signal may be used to monitor and control the speed or torque of motor 34 . techniques for feedback control , such as this , are well known to those skilled in the art . within motor controller 62 , there is a torque ripple reduction circuit 100 and a control circuit 102 , each of which are electrically coupled to receive the back - emf signal from motor 34 . torque ripple reduction circuit 100 extracts the torque ripple signal from the back - emf signal and generates a proportional ac component signal which is supplied to control circuit 102 over ac component signal line 104 . control circuit 102 utilizes the back - emf signal and the ac component signal in generating the drive signal to drive motor 34 . for example , the position and rotational speed of the motor may be determined by sampling the back - emf signal during a floating voltage period and monitoring particular voltage level crossings . this positioning information can then be used to control the speed of motor 34 via the drive signal . the ac component signal can be used within control circuit 102 to modify the drive signal , so as to counteract torque ripple , by supplying additional current to the coils of motor 34 at critical times thereby reducing the effects of torque ripple . fig5 a shows one embodiment of control circuit 102 having a feedback control circuit 106 and a drive circuit 108 . feedback control circuit 106 receives the back - emf and ac component signals and outputs a feedback control signal to feedback control signal line 110 . feedback control circuit 106 is a closed loop circuit that compares inputted , or internally generated signals , with the back - emf and ac component signals to generate a signal representative of the perceived errors or differences and output a feedback control signal intended to reduce such differences . those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many possible ways to create such a circuit using standard or custom electronic components . for example , to accomplish this functionality , feedback control circuit 106 may include an operational amplifier and associated conditioning circuitry . the overall gain in feedback control circuit 106 may be optimized for particular circuits and motors . as such , it is recognized that the ac component signal may be amplified or suppressed prior to being introduced into the feedback control loop . not surprisingly , experiments associated with the present invention tend to show that by increasing the gain of the ac component signal the torque ripple is reduced proportionally . fig5 b shows a modified control circuit 102 similar to that shown in fig5 a , but further including a sample and hold circuit 112 that receives the ac component signal from ac component signal line 104 and filters or smoothes - out the ac component waveform such that spikes and other noises are reduced or eliminated from the ac component signal prior to it being supplied to feedback control circuit 106 over sampled ac component signal line 114 . for example , sample and hold circuit 112 may be used to smooth out the ac component signal by reducing noise associated with the commutation points related to the spinning of the motor by sampling the ac component signal and averaging the signal &# 39 ; s magnitude over finite periods of time . it is further recognized that , depending upon the type of feedback control circuit , one or both of the back - emf and ac component signals may be further conditioned , converted , inverted , or otherwise modified to properly influence the feedback control loop and subsequently the drive signal provided to motor 34 . fig6 shows one embodiment of a torque ripple reduction circuit 100 , having a rectifier circuit 116 and a current mirror circuit 118 . rectifier circuit 116 receives the back - emf signal from back - emf signal line 68 and extracts and outputs a torque ripple signal from the back - emf signal over torque ripple signal line 120 . those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many different ways to create a rectifier circuit using standard or custom electronic components . for example , rectifier circuit 116 may include a negative peak detector diode circuit that separates the torque ripple signal from the back - emf signal . current mirror circuit 118 receives the torque ripple signal and converts it to a proportional ac component signal that is output over ac component signal line 104 . again , those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many different ways to create a current mirror circuit using standard or custom electronic components . for example , current mirror circuit 118 may include a pair of coupled transistors and associated conditioning circuitry to convert the torque ripple signal into an ac component signal wherein the current of the ac component signal is proportional to the torque ripple signal &# 39 ; s voltage . additionally , current mirror circuit 118 may also be configured to increase or decrease the gain of the ac component signal or portions thereto . fig7 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention in the form of a motor controller 62 &# 39 ; having a torque ripple reduction circuit 100 and a control circuit 102 , which are electrically coupled to a motor 34 . within control circuit 102 there is a feedback circuit 106 which is electrically coupled to a drive circuit 108 ( as depicted by the dashed - lined areas in fig7 ). drive circuit 108 is electrically coupled to motor 34 and supplies the proper commutation related connections and drive signals to coils 120 , 122 , and 124 which are located within motor 34 . as shown , coil 120 receives phase a signals , coil 122 receives phase b signals , and coil 124 receives phase c signals . for the purposes of this discussion ( as reflected in fig7 ), phase a ( i . e ., coil 120 ) is considered as being driven high by drive circuit 108 , phase b ( i . e ., coil 122 ) is considered as being driven low by drive circuit 108 , and phase c ( i . e ., coil 124 ) is considered as being in a floating state ( i . e ., driven neither high nor low by drive circuit 108 ). although phase c is floating , a bemf signal will nonetheless be produced in coil 124 . the bemf signal is supplied to feedback control circuit 106 and to torque ripple reduction circuit 100 . within torque ripple reduction circuit 100 there is a rectifier circuit 116 and current mirror circuit 118 . rectifier circuit 116 is electrically coupled to receive and rectify a bemf signal from coils 120 , 122 and 124 . rectifier circuit 116 includes diodes 126a , 126b and 126c , which are arranged to receive bemf signals from coils 120 , 122 and 124 , respectively . diodes 126a - c act as a negative peak detector , the output of which is a torque ripple signal applied across resistor 128 and supplied to current mirror 118 . current mirror 118 includes resistors 130a and 130b , a collector - base shorted pnp transistor 132 , a capacitor 134 , a resistor 136 , and a pnp transistor 138 . the torque ripple signal is applied across resistors 130a - b , along with a positive d . c . signal (+ v ), to the emitters of pnp transistors 132 and 138 . pnp transistor 132 , having its base and collector short circuited , essentially acts as a diode that establishes a d . c . bias current . the torque ripple signal is applied to capacitor 134 and is imposed onto the d . c . bias current over resistor 136 . the d . c . bias current and torque ripple signal , as applied to resistor 136 , act to modulate the output current of pnp transistor 138 which is applied to a sense resistor 140 located within feedback loop circuit 106 . as a result , the output current of pnp transistor 138 which is an ac component signal , will mirror the voltage of torque ripple signal . the ac component signal generated by current mirror circuit 118 is applied to a sample and hold circuit 112 , along with the conventional feedback signal generated by current sensing circuit 142 . current sensing circuit 142 is electrically coupled to receive and detect the bemf generated in coils 120 - 124 . sample and hold circuit 112 can be a standard sample and hold circuit , as is known in the art , that is arranged to sample the combined ac component signal and the signal from current sensing circuit 142 . the output of sample and hold circuit 112 is a smoothed - out feedback control signal which is supplied to the negative input of an error amplifier 144 . error amplifier 144 may , for example , be an operational transconductance amplifier ( ota ). error amplifier 144 is also connected to receive a control signal from conventional speed loop control and monitoring circuitry ( not shown ). error amplifier 144 compares the control signal ( e . g ., representing the desired rotational speed of the motor ) with the feedback control signal . the output of error amplifier 144 is a corrected signal which is applied across compensation circuitry 146 ( shown as including a series connected resistor and capacitor ) and to drive circuit 108 . it should be noted that , as with other conventional circuitry in control circuit 102 , not all of the circuits are depicted in fig7 so as to not overly complicate the various embodiments of this invention which are intended to supplement and improve existing technologies . with this in mind , drive circuit 108 , as illustrated , includes power transistors 148 , 150 , 152 , and 154 . power transistor 148 represents the high side power transistor associated with supplying a drive signal across coil 120 , power transistor 150 represents the low side power transistor associated with pulling a drive signal across coil 122 , power transistor 152 represents the high side power transistor associated with supplying a drive signal across coil 124 , and power transistor 154 represents the low side power transistor associated with pulling a drive signal across coil 124 ( assuming the illustrative configuration and status of the circuitry in fig7 ). power transistors 148 - 154 , may be , for example , nmos transistors capable of supplying the start - up and running currents required for motor 34 . as shown , when a v cc signal originating from within drive circuit 108 is applied to the gate of power transistor 148 and the output of error amplifier 144 is applied to the gate of power transistor 150 , a drive signal is allowed to pass through coils 120 and 122 , so as to drive motor 34 . while operating as above , power transistors 152 and 154 are not biased , and coil 124 is , therefore , allowed to exist in a floating state . fig8 illustrates a method 200 for reducing the effects of torque ripple in an electric motor that can be employed in operating and controlling circuitry associated with the electric motor . method 200 includes step 202 for generating a drive signal for driving the electric motor , and step 204 for driving the motor with the drive signal generated in step 202 . as the motor is being driven , step 206 calls for sampling a back - emf signal generated within the motor in step 204 , and step 208 for extracting a torque ripple signal from the back - emf signal as sampled in step 206 . step 210 includes generating an ac component signal that is proportional to the extracted torque ripple signal of step 208 . step 212 includes generating a feedback control signal based on the back - emf and ac component signals , of steps 208 and 210 respectively . in step 214 the drive signal as generated in step 202 is modified based on the feedback control signal , generated in step 212 , such that the torque ripple in the motor is reduced when the modified drive signal is applied to the motor in step 204 . to further demonstrate the methods and apparatuses of the present invention , fig9 a illustrates the shape of a typical pre - invention back - emf voltage signal 300 across a single coil , having a torque ripple signal 88 ( similar to fig3 b ). fig9 b illustrates the shape of a corresponding pre - invention current drive signal 320 as applied to the coil of fig9 a . fig9 c illustrates the shape of a post - invention current drive signal 340 having been modified to counteract torque ripple signal 88 in accordance with the present invention . fig9 d illustrates the shape of a post - invention back emf signal 360 across a single coil being driven by the post - invention current drive signal 340 in fig9 c . notice that the torque ripple signal 88 shown in the pre - invention back - emf voltage signal 300 of fig9 a , has been significantly reduced in the post - invention back emf signal 360 of fig9 d . while the present invention has been described in detail , there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatus of the present invention . it is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations , permutations , and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention .	8
the present invention is believed to be applicable to a variety of flip - chip semiconductor structures . the invention has been found to be particularly advantageous in mos devices , such as pmos , nmos , cmos , or bicmos devices . while the present invention is not so limited , an appreciation of various aspects of the invention is best gained through a is discussion of various example semiconductor structures described below . the invention permits etching a rear surface of a substrate to accommodate placement of probes in close proximity one to another . fig2 - 4 illustrate one example problem addressed by the present invention . fig2 is a cross - sectional view of a semiconductor structure having a probe that extends from the rear surface of the substrate to an active region ; fig3 is a cross - sectional view of an example semiconductor structure having two active regions to which probes are to be coupled ; and fig4 is a cross - sectional view of the semiconductor structure of fig3 in which a first cavity has been etched for forming a probe . referring first to fig2 the structure 100 includes a substrate 102 in which are formed a drain region 104 and a source region 106 . the substrate 102 , along with the drain and source regions 104 and 106 can be constructed using conventional semiconductor processes , and p - type and n - type dopants are used in the various regions in accordance with implementation requirements . the drain and source regions 104 and 106 are example “ active ” regions of the semiconductor structure 100 . the structure 100 also includes an electrically insulative layer 108 through which electrical conductors 110 and 112 are respectively coupled to the drain and source regions 104 and 106 . a gate electrode 114 is arranged to switch the transistor formed by the drain region 104 , source region 106 , and gate electrode 114 . the electrical conductors 110 , 112 , and 114 extend into the interconnect and passivation layer 116 where they are coupled to other signal lines ( not shown ) of the integrated circuit of which the structure 100 is a part . the illustrated shapes of the elements 102 - 116 are intended to serve as examples . those skilled in the art will recognize that semiconductor structures can assume many different shapes and profiles depending on the particular implementation requirements for the integrated circuit . in accordance with the example embodiment of fig2 an electrically conductive probe 122 extends from the rear surface 124 and is coupled to an example one of the active regions , namely , the drain region 104 . coupling the probe 122 to the drain region 104 eliminates the need to locate an interconnect signal line ( not shown ) in the interconnect layer 116 that is coupled to the drain region 104 and that at some location in the integrated circuit is accessible for constructing a probe . the probe 122 includes a pad portion 123 that is large enough to make contact with conventional micro - probe test equipment . in addition , the probe 122 is electrically insulated from the substrate 102 with electrically insulative material 126 . to construct an example probe 122 where various active regions , 104 and 106 for example , have been formed in the substrate 102 , a selected portion of the substrate at the desired location is etched away , leaving approximately 4 - 5 microns of substrate covering the region to be probed . a focused ion beam system can be used to create the final hole through the substrate to the region 104 . the focused ion beam system can also be used to deposit the electrically insulative material 126 . it will be appreciated that a larger dimension probe cavity requires less precision than does a relatively smaller dimension probe cavity having a greater height . the methods used to insulate and fill such a cavity with conductive material generally depends upon the aspect ratio of the hole , that is the ratio of depth : width . in one example method , the entire hole is filled with electrically insulative material , and the insulative material is then etched back to a selected width to expose a portion of the desired region . then , a metal such as copper or aluminum is deposited to make contact with the desired region . a pad 123 is then deposited on the surface of the substrate to provide for electrical contact with , for example , a micro - probe or electron beam system . referring now to fig3 two example , adjacent active regions 202 and 204 in substrate 102 are to have probes coupled thereto from the rear surface 124 of the substrate . to construct such probes , cavities must first be etched in the substrate 102 to accommodate the probes . using the above described methods , the cavities are etched one at a time . for example , first a cavity is etched for active region 202 , and then a cavity is etched for active region 204 . fig4 illustrates one example problem resulting from the above described method . if the cavity 254 for active region 202 is etched first , it can be seen that the rear surface 124 is splayed in an area surrounding the cavity 254 , as illustrated by portion 256 of the rear surface 124 . in an example method , a focused ion beam is used in combination with xenon di - flouride to remove the desired material . the xenon di - flouride is highly reactive with the silicon substrate , thereby splaying the surface of the substrate . line 258 illustrates the rear surface of the substrate prior to application of the focused ion beam and xenon di - flouride gas . in an alternate method , chlorine gas can be substituted for xenon di - flouride . however , chlorine is also highly reactive with a silicon substrate and also creates a splayed surface surrounding the cavity 254 , but to a lesser degree . the splayed portion 256 of the substrate 102 creates a problem in forming a cavity for the adjacent active region 204 . the problem is that the splayed portion 256 of the substrate 102 overlaps the portion 260 of the substrate 102 to be etched . when the portion 260 is etched , the splayed portion causes the cavity 260 to be etched further than desired , i . e ., into the active region 204 . this can damage or destroy the device by etching away the active region and effectively removing part of the electrical circuit . another example problem created by the aforementioned etching techniques is found in locating areas of the substrate at which cavities are to be etched . generally , a conventional infrared ( ir ) camera is used for such course navigation . however , if the surface 124 of the substrate 102 is not smooth , the view of structures below the surface is obscured . a rough surface results in diffraction of the ir light . thus , the excess etching of the substrate resulting from the gas can cause severe problems in locating areas to be etched . fig5 is a cross - sectional view of a semiconductor structure 300 in which a protective layer 302 is formed on the rear surface 124 of substrate 102 . the protective layer 302 is a material that is not reactive with the gas selected for use with the focused ion beam system . example materials include silicon dioxide and silicon nitride . it is also desirable that layer 302 be electrically insulative . the thickness of the protective layer 302 can vary from hundreds of angstroms to a few microns , depending upon the quality of the film and the particular gas chemistry used for etching . the protective layer 302 is applied to the entire rear surface 124 of the substrate 102 . when a cavity 308 is etched , the focused ion beam removes the protective layer from a selected area , 306 for example , and the gas reacts only with silicon in the selected area . thus , the portion of the rear surface 124 surrounding the cavity 308 is not splayed as shown in fig5 . the protective layer 302 permits a cavity 310 to be etched in relative proximity to cavity 308 while maintaining a desired depth from the rear surface 124 of the substrate 102 , and hence a desired separation between the cavity 310 and the active region 312 . the protective layer 302 also permits location of adjacent active regions with a conventional ir camera because a smooth surface 314 is maintained adjacent to the cavity 308 . fig6 is a cross - sectional view of a semiconductor structure 352 in which probes 354 and 356 have been formed and coupled to active regions 358 and 360 through the rear surface 124 of a substrate 102 having a protective layer 302 , according to an example embodiment of the invention . the structure 352 also includes respective , electrically insulative regions 362 and 364 for the probes 354 and 356 . contact pads 366 and 368 are formed on the probes 362 and 364 , respectively , for making contact with conventional micro - probe test equipment to permit gathering of signals . it will be appreciated that additional probes can be constructed to respectively connect with additional active regions ( not shown ) of the semiconductor structure 352 . fig7 illustrates an example embodiment in which probes 402 and 404 are coupled one to the other via an electrically conductive metal trace 406 that is deposited on the rear surface of the substrate over the protective layer 302 . the protective layer 302 having electrically insulative characteristics , insulates the electrically conductive substrate 102 from the metal trace 406 . the protective layer 302 deposited over the entire rear surface of the substrate effectively provides the necessary insulation before recognition of where signals will be routed on the rear surface of the substrate . as noted above , the present invention is applicable to a number of different semiconductor structures and arrangements . accordingly , the present invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above , but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as fairly set out in the attached claims . various modifications , equivalent structures , as well as numerous structures to which the present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of the present specification . the claims are intended to cover such modifications and devices .	7
as shown in fig1 , provided is a tamper proof outer wrapping 10 for a product package 12 . the outer wrapping 10 includes a reinforced tear zone 14 for opening the outer wrapping 10 . preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 has a tab 50 that is grasped to pull the reinforced tear zone 14 . the reinforced tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining portion of the outer wrapping 10 at the perforation portions 34 . in an embodiment , because the tear zone 14 is reinforced , the tear zone 14 does not break off as it is pulled , thereby providing easy access to the contents of the wrapper 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is a plastic . preferably , the plastic is a shrink wrap . in an embodiment , the shrink wrap is selected from the group consisting of pet - g , pvc , polypropylene , polyethylene , polyolefin , polylactide and combinations thereof . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 may also be formed with paper or metal , such as metalized film , metal foil , or other metallic material . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is clear . in another embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is opaque . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 is colored or scented . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 is used as an outer wrapping for pocket - sized containers that enclose tobacco or non - tobacco products such as cigarettes , pouched tobacco products , pouched non - tobacco products , and the like . in other embodiments , the outer wrapping 10 is used to enclose containers for gums , mints , and other edible products that require tamper resistant features . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 covers the opening device of the inner packaging so that the enclosed product cannot be accessed without first removing the outer wrapping 10 . as seen in fig2 , preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 includes at least two layers 16 , 18 of a wrapping material 19 , and a tear tape 20 affixed between the layers 16 , 18 . also preferably , the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 are sealed around the inner tear tape 20 . in an embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are glued together . in another embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are heat sealed together . in an embodiment , as seen in fig3 , additional layers 22 , 24 of wrapping material 19 may surround the tear tape 20 and the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 . in an embodiment , an equal number of layers of the wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 . as seen in fig6 , in another embodiment , an unequal number of layers of wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 in the reinforced tear zone 14 . in a preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , the tear tape 20 is affixed to a first edge 32 of the outer wrapper 10 . a second edge 30 of the outer wrapper 10 is folded over the first edge 32 and the tear tape 20 to create a tube with a reinforced tear zone 14 that can be placed over a product package . in another embodiment , the tear tape 20 is affixed between two separate pieces of wrapping material 19 . positioning the tear tape 20 between multiple layers of the wrapping material strengthens the reinforced tear zone so that the tear zone does not break when pulled to remove the wrapper from around the package or product . as shown in fig5 , in an embodiment , perforated portions 38 , 40 extend longitudinally along the wrapping material 19 , also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 run along each side of and substantially parallel to the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are parallel to one another . also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are each a substantially straight line . in an embodiment , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are created prior to forming the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are formed at a distance from the edge of the wrapping material 19 to leave space for the reinforced tear zone 14 to be formed between the perforated portion 40 and the edge 32 . preferably , when the reinforced tear zone 14 is formed , the edges 30 , 32 can overlap and be sealed together so that the reinforced tear zone 14 lies between the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in a preferred embodiment , at least one angled cut 34 , 36 , as seen in fig4 , is made adjacent to the at least one perforated portion 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 are made at an angle of about 20 ° to about 160 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . more preferably , the cuts are made at an angle of about 40 ° to about 140 °. in a preferred embodiment , the cuts are made at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 angle down from the top 70 of the wrapping material 19 to the perforated portion 38 , 40 . in an embodiment , the cuts are made at the bottom of the wrapping material . the cuts 34 , 36 form a tab 50 , as shown in fig1 and fig5 . preferably , the tab 50 is created adjacent to the reinforced tear tape zone 14 . preferably , the tab 50 is pulled to engage the reinforced tear zone 14 . when the tear zone 14 is pulled by the tab 50 , the tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining wrapper material 19 along the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in addition , the angled cuts 34 , 36 reduce the amount of “ point ” created during the shrinking process when the reinforced tear zone is used on shrink wrap packaging . preferably , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping material 19 has indicia 60 printed thereon . the indicia 60 includes lettering , graphics , and the like . preferably , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the formation of the outer wrapping 10 . in an embodiment , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the addition of the perforated portions 38 , 40 . the indicia 60 can be printed on the front 100 , sides 101 or the back 102 of the wrapping material 19 . also provided is a method of forming a tamper proof outer wrapping having a reinforced tear zone . the method includes obtaining a wrapping material and printing indicia thereon . in an embodiment , at least two perforated portions are formed in the wrapping material near opposing edges . in a preferred embodiment , a tear tape is affixed to a first layer of wrapping material so that the tear tape runs parallel to both the edge of the first layer and a perforated portion . the method also includes sealing a second layer of wrapping material over the first portion having the tear tape affixed thereto to create a reinforced tear zone flanked by each of the perforated portions . in an embodiment , the reinforced tear zone and wrapping material are formed with one piece of wrapping material so that once the reinforced tear zone is formed , the wrapping material is in the form of a tube . in an embodiment , the tube is cut into portions sized to fit the product to be covered , and angled nick cuts are made adjacent to each perforated portion . the product is then inserted into the tube . if the wrapping material is a shrink wrap , then the wrapped product is placed in a heater to shrink the material around the product package . in use , the consumer grabs the tab 50 , shown in fig1 and 5 , and pulls . the tab 50 engages the reinforced tear zone 14 , so that when pulled the reinforced tear zone 14 tears away from the remaining wrapping material 19 at the perforated portions 38 , 40 . while the foregoing has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents thereof employed , without departing from the scope of the claims .	1
global - cash flexible currency is an invention that allows barterers and business - to - business traders to determine how much cash they need to accept in a barter - type transaction in order stay comfortably in business . it is a hybrid currency system for individual trading members of business - to - business trading communities where each individual member selects a percentage of cash and barter that he is willing to accept in trade for his product or service , and which he is willing to offer in trade . the percentage is variable and is determined by each individual member . this solves the problem that barterers often face when negotiating transactions in barter systems where partial cash trading is allowed , but not the norm , or where partial cash transactions are simply not allowed , or where a trader does not care to have to negotiate extra details of each and every trade he makes . in this system , a merchant chooses the mix of cash and product and / or services ( his individualized global - cash flexible currency ) that is he is willing to both accept and offer in trade . dealing in a 50 : 50 cash to trade ratio , when , e . g . a jewelry store operates with a cost of goods of 50 % of the retail sales price , this merchant chooses a program of 50 % global - cash ( or more or less ) and 50 % standard currency . on this basis , when the merchant makes a sale in this system for $ 1000 , his global - cash flexible currency account would reflect a balance of $ 500 cash , which he can withdraw at any time . he then withdraws the $ 500 cash . now this merchant wishes to purchase a product from another member of this community , e . g . a $ 200 television . he uses $ 100 from his global - cash trade account ( leaving $ 400 from the jewelry transaction ) and he has to deposit $ 100 cash into his account with the barter company to finalize the transaction , because he had already withdrawn the $ 500 cash . ( this merchant is dealing in a 50 : 50 ratio , cash to trade .) furthermore , if the television dealer has selected an 80 : 20 cash to trade ratio , he will be paid $ 160 cash by the barter manager even though the jeweler has paid the barter manager only $ 100 cash for this transaction . each merchant has the ability to manage his account , i . e . to deposit and withdraw available cash at will . if a merchant tries to make a purchase , and does not have enough cash in his account , then he will be notified by the barter manager . there is no requirement that a merchant chooses a percentage that is a multiple of ten , and no requirement that he choose a percentage that will allow him to cover the cost of his inventory / overhead expenses . the foregoing is simply an example to illustrate how this hybrid cash / trade currency system works . the barter company keeps an accounting of the entire transaction . in the jewelry example above , the merchant is able to withdraw half of his sales price in cash , but he must use the remaining portion of his sales price in trade . there is no requirement regarding how he trades with his global - cash flexible currency , or with whom he trades . all such transactions are recorded by the barter group manager and the credits and debits of each individual trading member are kept for reference . in this system , there must be least 2 people to trade with one another , and those making trades do not have to trade in person , they can be connected across the internet or other electronic means , including telephone or fax , or simply via the barter network . all of the necessary accounting involved in this currency system can be done by hand or by a computer program . there are many factors that may be considered in granting a line of credit to an applicant . in this invention , two factors are necessary , and the others listed below are ancillary . for this invention to work , the category of the product or service offered for trade must be evaluated and assigned a score , and the percent of trade that the applicant is willing to take in exchange for his product or service that is cash must be given a score . the sales price of the product is important but not essential to this invention , especially if there are other products on the market that are similar or identical to the one offered by the applicant . the overall score a trader is given in evaluating his credit - worthiness is determined by mathematically manipulating the scores given for the type of product offered , ( the product value score ), and the score given for the percent cash that that trader is willing to accept , ( the cash value score ) as well as the scores for other possible factors , ( including but not limited to a score for the total number of a trader &# 39 ; s listings , the total cash values of those listings , the average ticket price of those listings , the percent above the lowest advertised price on the internet of those products which are identical to products offered by other vendors , the length of time the trader has been in business at the time of application , and the estimated monthly sales of the trader . the mathematical manipulations used to determine the barter score value may be simple addition , multiplication or raising values of one factor to the power of another value . for instance , if the product value score is 50 and the cash value score is 35 , the barter credit score would be 85 if these are the only scores taken into consideration and they are simply added . if , however , the barter manager feels that a better indication of credit - worthiness at a given time would be determined more heavily by the product value score , he can double the product value score and add that to the cash value score . ( 50 × 2 + 35 = 135 ). a person using this credit scoring system can take as few as two variables into consideration , ( category of product and percent global - cash flexible currency ), or that person can take many other variables into consideration when extending a line of credit . the example below takes seven variables into consideration . tables 1 through 7 show numerical values assigned to the variables found to be important in extending credit to members of trade exchanges . five points is a relatively low score and one hundred a relatively high score counting toward the total points an applicant can be assigned for a category in calculating that applicant &# 39 ; s credit - worthiness . the exact point values given are not as important as the relative values . the heart of the credit scoring system is the interaction between the cash value score and the product value score ( i . e . the product or service offered ). by offering some cash in every transaction , or a relatively high amount , ( e . g . 50 % cash ) then the barter company can extend a higher line of credit because the cash is immediately liquid , while one night in a hotel room is not . so according to table 2 , 50 % cash translates to 50 points in the total calculation of creditworthiness , again , a relatively high number of points . the category of the product or service offered is equally vital to the operation of this invention . no barter company has ever offered credit based on the type of product a member / credit applicant had to offer , and one &# 39 ; s product or service is arguably the most important thing a member has to offer a barter community . all scores for applicants are to be kept in a registry for comparison and general record keeping . it is neither necessary to make the scores available to the applicants or the general public , nor is it necessary to keep the scores secret . table 1 shows the point values assigned for different types of businesses , higher numbers correlate with more desirable products and services in the barter industry . desirability can be a function of both scarcity and of the product or service or unwillingness of the usual business owner or professional to offer that type of product or service for trade in a barter community , and how much members of a barter community desire to have this product or service offered them . table 2 shows the point assignments for percent cash offered in trade . table 3 shows the point totals assigned for the number of listings a trader offers to the barter community , higher number of listings translate to a greater chance that some member of the community will be interested in something that the applicant has to offer . table 4 shows the scores for the total value of the listings . an application is given more points for bringing more value in trade to the exchange . table 5 shows the score given for the average ticket price of each of an applicant &# 39 ; s listings . table 6 shows the values given to the dollar amounts equal to the estimated total monthly sales of the product or service sold through the trade exchange . table 7 shows the points given for the price of the listing above the lowest advertised price on the internet for which the same item is offered . it is in the best interest of the barter community when members offer products at competitive prices . granted , it is expected that the products offered are to be exchanged for the excess inventory of other members , but the more competitive the offering prices , the greater number of transactions a member is likely to perform . table 8 shows the scores assigned for the number of years an applicant has already been in business . the longer a company or professional has been in business , the more likely it is that this applicant will be a valuable member of the trade community . table 9 shows sample credit lines offered based on the total score for these hypothetical applicants . in table 10 , all of the point values are tabulated for a number of different hypothetical applicants . some of the point values for the columns are multiplied by a factor of two or three before being tabulated . in this example , the product value score is multiplied by a factor of three , the cash value score is multiplied by a factor of two and the average sales price above the lowest advertised price on the internet is multiplied by a factor of two . this manipulation of the scores allows for a customization of the scoring in many different ways based on the current needs of the barter company . if there is little diversity in the types of services offered , the points given for the category of service , i . e . the product value score , can be raised / multiplied by a factor greater than one . if more cash is needed in the system , then points given for cash value score can be raised . if the price structure is not competitive , then the score for the sales price can be multiplied by a greater factor . in other words , all of these values can be manipulated based on the economical needs of the system . the scoring system allows the people running the barter community , those offering credit to members , to be aggressive or conservative in each of the main credit scoring values , ( product values score , cash value score and , and sales price score ), as these factors have the most impact on global shopping . a computer hardware dealer desires to enter into a barter group and apply for credit . the products he offers are new desktop and laptop personal computers . based on the categories shown in table 1 , his category is worth 75 points and therefore his product value score is 75 points . this dealer is willing to enter the barter group at a 25 : 75 cash to barter ratio , and according to table 2 , the cash value score is 25 points on the barter credit scoring scale . he has 100 computers to offer in trade , and on table 3 that translates to 40 points ( for his “ number of products ” score ). the total value of his listings is $ 50 , 000 and that translated to ( a “ number of products or services offered ” score of ) 20 points on the credit scoring scale . the average price of each computer is $ 500 and that translates to ( an “ average sales price score ” of ) 25 points . his estimated monthly sales is $ 7000 a month and that is worth 20 (“ gross monthly sales ” score ) points , the “ percent over the lowest advertised same item on the internet ” is 10 % score is worth 30 points , he has been in business for 2 years and that gives him ( a “ number of years in business ” score of ) 10 points . the total number of points is 245 , ( 75 + 25 + 40 + 20 + 25 + 20 + 30 + 10 = 245 ). however , due to the needs of the system , the scorer , ( the barter manager ), deems that at this point in time , the product value scores should be worth 3 times their normal value , the cash value scores should be worth 2 times their normal point values , and the sales price as a percent over the lowest advertised internet price should be worth double its normal score as well . therefore , his score is 450 , ( 75 × 3 + 25 × 2 + 40 + 20 + 25 + 20 + 30 × 2 + 10 = 450 ) and according to table 9 , that translates to a credit line of $ 5000 . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof . the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein .	6
referring to fig1 , a bottle warming device 10 is shown . the bottle warming device includes a housing 12 having a bottle - receiving opening 14 in the top thereof for receiving a bottle , such as baby bottle 16 . the housing 12 is configured to hold a volume of water in the bottom thereof . a heating element 13 is disposed at the bottom of the housing 12 and is actuatable from an off position to an on position by rotation of a dial 18 on the front of the housing 12 . the heating means serves to heat the water within the housing 12 to produce steam to heat the contents of the bottle 16 . the heating element 13 may be any type of heating element known in the art , such as a resistive heating element . in an embodiment , the dial 18 includes an automatic timer that automatically turns off the heating element after a pre - set duration sufficient to warm the contents of the bottle 16 to an optimum temperature for feeding . as shown in fig2 , the bottle warming device 10 includes an integrated measuring cup 20 received in a recess in the housing 12 . the measuring cup 20 is easily accessible by a user to pour a measured quantity of water into the housing 12 . in addition , the bottle warming device 10 includes a built - in nightlight ( not shown ) that is actuatable via a button 22 located on the top surface of the housing 12 . in an embodiment , the nightlight is located within the housing 12 so as to illuminate the bottle 16 and the contents thereof to make nighttime feedings easier . in another embodiment , the nightlight is located within the housing so as to illuminate the dial and the measuring cup on the front face of the device . as best shown in fig4 , the bottle - receiving opening 14 is defined by substantially cylindrical sidewalls . as shown therein , eight vertically extending slots are formed in the cylindrical sidewalls of opening 14 . in particular three long slots 24 are formed in the sidewalls . a first long slot 24 is oriented at an angular orientation of 0 degrees ( adjacent the back of the housing 12 and opposite the front of the housing ; the top - most slot 24 in fig4 ), and the other two long slots 24 are located at substantially 135 degrees and 225 degrees with respect to the first long slot . the remaining slots are short slots 26 and are located at approximately 45 degrees , 90 degrees , 180 degrees , 270 degrees and 315 degrees with respect to the first long slot 24 . importantly , the short slots 26 do not extend as deeply into the opening 14 as the long slots 24 . turning now to fig5 and 6 , the bottle warming device 10 further includes a bottle basket 28 that is dimensioned to fit within the opening 14 in the housing 12 . as shown therein , the bottle basket 28 is generally cylindrical in shape and has a pair of handles 30 that are dimensioned to be received in handle recesses 32 in the outer walls of the housing 12 . the basket 28 has numerous openings 34 in the bottom and sidewalls thereof to permit steam to pass therethrough , as discussed hereinafter . as best shown in fig5 , the basket 28 has three vertically extending ribs 36 on the sidewalls thereof that correspond in position to the three long slots 24 of the opening 14 ( i . e ., one at ‘ 0 ’ degrees , one at 135 degrees and one at 225 degrees , respectively , when viewed from the top ). the long slots 24 of the opening 14 and the ribs 36 of the basket 28 are dimensioned such that the top of the basket 28 sits substantially flush with the top of the housing 12 when the basket is received in the opening 14 and the ribs 36 are received in the long slots 24 . turning now to fig9 - 16 , various positions of the basket 28 with respect to the housing are shown . as shown in fig9 , when the ribs 36 on the basket are aligned with the long slots 24 in the opening of the housing 12 , the basket 28 is able to sit fully within the opening 14 such that the top of the basket 28 is generally flush with the top of the housing 12 . in this position , the basket 28 is fully received within the opening 14 of the housing 12 such that a tall bottle may be warmed . as shown in fig1 , if the basket 28 is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise (‘ 45 degree position ’) with respect to the housing 12 , each of the ribs 36 will be received in short slots 26 . because the short slots 26 do not extend as deeply into the housing , downwards travel of the basket into the opening 14 is limited . as a result , the bottom of the basket 28 does not sit as far below the top surface of the housing 12 as it does when in the ‘ 0 degree ’ position of fig9 . in this position , a shorter bottle may be placed in the basket 28 to be warmed . fig1 , depicts the basket 28 in a ‘ 90 degree ’ position . in this position , the basket is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the housing , such that one of the ribs 36 is received in a long slot 24 while the other two ribs are received in short slots 26 . as the two short slots 26 prevent the basket 28 from reaching its fully seated position , the bottom of the basket 28 is in the same position as shown in fig1 , such that a short bottle may be accommodated . fig1 - 16 illustrate the basket 28 at other degrees of rotation with respect to the housing 12 . in particular , these figures illustrate the basket 28 in a ‘ 135 degree position ,’ a ‘ 180 degree position ,’ a ‘ 225 degree position ,’ a ‘ 270 degree position ,’ and a ‘ 315 degree position .’ notably , the basket 28 can only be fully received within the housing 12 when the three ribs 36 are received in the three long slots 24 , i . e ., in the 0 degree position . in all of the other positions , the basket 28 is in the elevated position such that a short bottle may be accommodated . as will be readily appreciated , by elevating the basket 28 for short bottles , access to the bottle for removal from the device is facilitated . in the absence of such a feature , short bottles would be difficult to retrieve from the bottom of the housing . while fig1 - 16 show the bottle warming device 10 as having an opening with eight slots ( 3 long slots and 5 short slots ) and a basket with three vertical ribs , an opening having more or fewer long and short slots and a basket with more or fewer vertical ribs is also possible and contemplated by the present invention . with further reference to fig1 , the bottle warming device 10 may also include an adapter ring 38 that is received by the top of the basket 28 . the adapter ring 38 has a smaller inner diameter than the basket 28 to more closely receive a bottle therethrough . in operation , a user of the bottle warming device 10 plugs the device into a standard wall outlet . a measured quantity of water may then be poured into the housing 12 through the opening 14 using the integrated measuring cup 20 . depending on the size bottle to be warmed , a user may then place the basket in the ‘ 0 degree position ,’ for tall bottles , or in any of the other positions for short bottles . the adapter ring 38 may also be placed into position on the basket 28 to more closely receive the bottle 16 . the user may then insert the bottle 16 into the basket 28 and rotate the dial 18 to the on position . when in the on position , the heating element 13 is energized to heat the water in the housing 12 to produce steam . the steam rises and travels through the openings 34 in the basket 28 to heat the contents of the bottle 16 .] with reference to fig7 and 8 , the bottle warming device 10 of the present invention may also be utilized to heat jars of baby food and the like in a similar manner . in particular , the device 10 also includes a food jar basket 40 that may be utilized in place of the bottle basket 28 . as shown in fig7 and 8 , the food jar basket includes a lower basket portion 42 having a plurality of openings or apertures 44 therein through which steam may pass through , and a handle 46 attached to the lower basket portion 42 . the food jar basket 40 is dimensioned so as to receive a jar of baby food therein and , like the bottle basket 28 , is dimensioned so as to be received in the opening 14 in the housing 12 . while the bottle warming device 10 of the present invention is particularly adapted to warm the contents of baby bottles , the device may also be utilized with other bottles utilized for other purposes . although this invention has been shown and described with respect to the detailed embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those of skill in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed in the above detailed description , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of this disclosure .	0
turning now to the figures , fig1 a and 1b are a cross - sectional view and a plan view , respectively , of an fed 90 . referring to fig1 a and 1b , the fed 90 has a triode structure made of a cathode electrode 12 , an anode electrode 22 , and a gate electrode 14 . the cathode electrode 12 and the gate electrode 14 are formed on a rear substrate 11 , and the anode electrode 22 is formed at the bottom of a front substrate 21 . a fluorescent layer 23 is formed of r , g , and b fluorescent materials , and a black matrix 24 is formed on the bottom surface of the anode electrode 22 so as to improve contrast . the rear substrate 11 and the front substrate 21 are a predetermined distance apart from each other . the predetermined distance between the rear substrate 11 and the front substrate 21 is maintained by a spacer 31 disposed between the rear substrate 11 and the front substrate 21 . when manufacturing the fed 90 , the cathode electrode 12 is formed on the rear substrate 11 , an insulation layer 13 and the gate electrode 14 , both perforated by minute apertures 15 , are deposited on the rear substrate 11 , and an emitter 16 is formed in each of the apertures 15 on top of the cathode electrode 12 . the fed 90 of fig1 a and 1b , however , may lack good color purity and general picture quality for the following reasons . most of the electrons emitted from the emitter 16 come from edges of the emitter 16 . the electrons are converted into an electron beam , and the electron beam proceeds to the fluorescent layer 23 . however , when proceeding to the fluorescent layer 23 , the electron beam may disperse due to a voltage of several to dozens of volts applied to the gate electrode 14 , in which case , the electron beam illuminates not only a fluorescent material of a desired pixel but also fluorescent materials of other pixels adjacent to the desired pixel . in order to minimize the tendency of the electron beam emitted from the emitter to disperse toward the fluorescent layer 23 , a plurality of emitters , each having a smaller area than the emitter 16 corresponding to one pixel , can be disposed on the cathode electrode 12 in each of the apertures 15 . in this case , however , there is a clear limit as to the number of emitters that can be satisfactorily formed for each pixel having a predetermined size , the entire area of the emitter 16 for illuminating a fluorescent material of one pixel decreases , and an electron beam is not focused sufficiently . in order to prevent an electron beam from dispersing when proceeding to a fluorescent layer , another feds respectively having structures , which are illustrated in fig2 a and 2b , can be considered . the feds 92 and 93 of fig2 a and 2b respectively each include an additional electrode disposed near a gate electrode to enhance the focusing characteristics of electron beams . more specifically , in the fed 92 of fig2 a , a focusing electrode 54 , which is ring - shaped , is disposed around a gate electrode 53 . in the fed 93 of fig2 b , a double gate structure having a lower gate electrode 63 and an upper gate electrode 64 is provided to focus electron beams . however , the feds of fig2 a and 2b have a relatively complicated structure . in addition , the structure of the feds 92 and 93 of fig2 a or 2 b , in which an emitter 52 or 62 , which is a metallic micro - tip , is formed on a cathode electrode 51 or 61 , has not yet been proven satisfactorily fruitful when it comes to its application to an fed having a flat emitter . in the meantime , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 552 , 659 macaulay et al . discloses an electron emitter that reduces electron emission divergence by imposing restrictions on a ratio between the thickness of a non - insulation layer formed on a substrate where the electron emitter is formed and the thickness of a dielectric layer and a ratio between the diameter of a hole formed through the non - insulation layer , the dielectric layer , and a gate layer formed on the dielectric layer and the thickness of the non - insulation layer . however , it is very difficult to manufacture the electron emitter because the electron emitter has a very complicated structure in which a plurality of holes are formed to correspond to each pixel , and a plurality of electron emitters are formed in each of the holes . in addition , there are spatial restrictions in manufacturing the electron emitter . therefore , there is a limit in maximizing the number and area of emitters corresponding to each pixel , and the lifetime of the emitters may be shortened when driving the emitters for a long time . turning now to fig3 and 4 , fig3 and 4 are a cross - sectional view and a plan view , respectively , of a field emission display ( fed ) 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig3 and 4 , the fed 100 includes two substrates , i . e ., a first substrate 110 , which is also referred to as a rear substrate , and a second substrate 120 , which is also referred to as a front substrate . the rear substrate 110 and the front substrate 120 are formed so that they can be separated from each other by a predetermined distance . a spacer 130 is disposed between the rear substrate 110 and the front substrate 120 so that the predetermined distance therebetween can be maintained . the rear and front substrates 110 and 120 are typically formed of glass substrates . a structure that can emit electrons is formed on the rear substrate 110 , and a structure that can realize images using the emitted electrons is formed on the front substrate 120 . more specifically , a plurality of cathode electrodes 111 are arranged on the rear substrate 110 at regular intervals in a predetermined pattern , for example , as stripes . the cathode electrodes 111 are formed by depositing a conductive metallic material or a transparent conductive material , such as indium tin oxide ( ito ), on the rear substrate 110 to a thickness of , for example , several hundreds to several thousands of å and patterning the deposited conductive metallic material or transparent conductive material as stripes . the material of the cathode electrodes 111 may be determined depending on how emitters 115 are formed , which will be described in greater detail later . cavities 111 a , having a width wc are preferably formed in the cathode electrodes 111 and perforate cathode electrodes 111 so that the rear substrate 110 can be exposed therethrough . each of the cavities 111 a is disposed between emitters 115 . it is within the scope of the invention not to have any cavities formed perforating the cathode electrode 111 . also , it is within the scope of the invention to have more than one cavity per pixel , as will be discussed in fig9 and 10 . for the fed 100 of fig3 , there will be a one - to - one correspondence between the cavities 111 a perforating the cathode electrode 111 and the pixels 125 . in addition , the cavities 111 a may be formed , in consideration of the shape of their respective pixels 125 , as rectangles extending longer in the longitudinal ( or +/− y ) direction of the cathode electrodes 111 , i . e ., rather than in the latitudinal (+/− x ) direction . a conductive layer 112 is formed on each of the cathode electrodes 111 so as to be electrically connected to each of the cathode electrodes 111 . the conductive layer 112 may be formed to a thickness of about 2 - 5 μm by coating a conductive paste on each of the cathode electrodes 111 using a screen printing method and plasticizing the conductive paste at a predetermined temperature . first apertures 112 a having width w 1 , through which the cathode electrodes 111 are partially exposed , are formed in and perforate the conductive layer 112 . the first apertures 112 a may be formed as rectangles that extend longer in the longitudinal direction of the cathode electrodes 111 ( i . e ., the y direction ) than in the latitudinal direction of the cathode electrodes 111 ( i . e ., the x direction ) so that first aperture 112 a can correspond to one of the pixels 125 . in a case where the cavities 111 a are formed in the cathode electrodes 111 , as described above , the first apertures 112 a are formed to have a width w 1 , which is larger than a width w c of the cavities 111 a , so that they can be connected to their respective cavities 111 a . an insulation layer 113 is formed on the conductive layer 112 . the insulation layer 113 is formed on the entire surface of the rear substrate 110 so that not only the top surface of the conductive layer 112 but also the rear substrate 110 exposed between the cathode electrodes 111 can be covered with the insulation layer 113 , as shown in fig3 . the insulation layer 113 may be formed to a thickness of about 10 - 20 μm by coating a paste - type insulating material on the rear substrate 110 using a screen printing method and plasticizing the insulating material at a predetermined temperature . second apertures 113 a having width w 2 are formed in the insulating layer 113 to perforate the insulating layer 113 so that they can be connected to their respective first apertures 112 a . the second apertures 113 a may be formed as rectangles that extend longer in the longitudinal direction of the cathode electrodes 111 ( i . e ., the y direction ) rather than in the latitudinal direction ( i . e ., the x direction ) so that the second apertures 113 a can form a one - to - one correspondence with the pixels 125 . in addition , the second apertures 113 a are formed to have a width w 2 , which is larger than the width w 1 of the first apertures 112 a . accordingly , the conductive layer 112 is partially exposed through the second apertures 113 a . a plurality of gate electrodes 114 are formed on the insulation layer 113 at regular intervals in a predetermined pattern , for example , as stripes . the gate electrodes 114 extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cathode electrodes 111 ( the y direction ), i . e ., in the x direction . the gate electrodes 114 may be formed by depositing a conductive metal , e . g ., chrome ( cr ), on the insulation layer 113 using a sputtering method and patterning the conductive metal into stripes . third apertures 114 a having width w 3 , which are connected to their respective second apertures 113 a , are each formed in and perforate the gate electrodes 114 . the third apertures 114 a have the same shape as the second apertures 113 a . the third apertures 114 a may have a width w 3 , which is the same as the width w 2 of the second apertures 113 a as in fig3 or a width greater than w 2 as in fig6 . the emitters 115 are formed on each of the exposed portions of the cathode electrodes 111 exposed through the first apertures 112 a . the emitters 115 are formed to have a smaller thickness than the conductive layer 112 and are formed to be flat on the cathode electrodes 111 . the emitters 115 emit electrons when affected by an electric field generated by voltage applied between the cathode electrodes 111 and the gate electrodes 114 . in the present invention , the emitters 115 are formed of a carbon - based material , for example , graphite , diamond , diamond - like carbon ( dlc ), fulleren ( c 60 ), or carbon nano - tubes ( cnts ). preferably , the emitters 115 are formed of cnts , in particular , so that they can smoothly emit electrons even at a low driving voltage . in the present embodiment of fig3 and 4 , the emitters 115 are disposed at either side of each of the first apertures 112 a so that they are a predetermined distance apart from each other . for example , two emitters 115 may be disposed in a first aperture 112 a in contact with side surfaces of exposed portions of the conductive layer 112 . the emitters 115 may be formed as parallel bars extending in the longitudinal direction of the first apertures 112 a ( i . e ., the y direction ). accordingly , the emitters 115 have a larger area than the emitters of fig1 a , 1 b , 2 a , 2 b and macaulay &# 39 ; 659 , and thus can guarantee a longer lifetime than those of fig1 a , 1 b , 2 a , 2 b and macaulay &# 39 ; 659 when driven for a long time . in addition , in a case where the cavity 111 a is formed between the emitters 115 , as described above , a distance between the emitters 115 is smaller than the width w 1 of each of the first apertures 112 a but larger than the width w c of each of the cavities 111 a . the emitters 115 may be formed in various manners . for example , in a first method , the emitters 115 may be formed by coating a photosensitive cnt paste on the top surface of the rear substrate 110 , applying ultraviolet ( uv ) rays to the bottom surface of the rear substrate 110 to selectively expose the photosensitive cnt paste , and developing the photosensitive cnt paste . in this case , the cathode electrodes 111 should be formed of a transparent conductive material , i . e ., ito , and the conductive layer 112 and the insulation layer 113 should be formed of an opaque material . alternatively , in a second method , the emitters 115 may be formed in the following manner . a catalyst metal layer of ni or fe is formed on the top surface of each of the cathode electrodes 111 exposed through the first aperture 112 a , and cnts are vertically grown from the surface of the catalyst metal layer by supplying a carbon - based gas , such as ch 4 , c 2 h 2 , or co 2 , to the catalyst metal layer . still alternatively , in a third method , the emitters 115 may be formed by depositing photoresist in the first aperture 112 a , patterning the photoresist so that the photoresist can remain only on predetermined portions of the top surfaces of the cathode electrodes 111 where the emitters 115 are to be formed , coating a cnt paste on the remaining photoresist , and heating the rear substrate 110 to a predetermined temperature to enable the cnt paste to thermally react to the remaining photoresist . the second and third methods of forming the emitters 115 are free from the restriction of the first method of forming the emitters 115 as to the materials of the cathode electrodes 111 , the conductive layer 112 and the insulation layer 113 . turning now to fig5 a , 5 b and 5 c , fig5 a , 5 b , and 5 c illustrate three examples of the conductive layer 112 formed on one of the cathode electrodes 111 . referring to fig5 a , conductive layers 112 are respectively formed at both sides of a cathode electrode 111 to extend in the longitudinal (+/− y ) direction of the cathode electrode 111 , in which case , a first aperture 112 a is formed between the conductive layers 112 . emitters 115 are formed between the conductive layers 112 to have a predetermined length in the longitudinal (+/− y ) direction of the conductive layers 112 and contact side surfaces of the conductive layers 112 . a cavity 111 a is formed in the cathode electrode 111 between the emitters 115 to have the same length as the emitters 115 . referring to fig5 b , conductive layers 112 are formed at either side of a cathode electrode 111 to have a predetermined length , and a first aperture 112 a is formed therebetween . in the case of fig5 b , the conductive layers 112 are illustrated as having the same length as emitters 115 . referring to fig5 c , a conductive layer 112 is formed in the form of a closed polygon on a cathode electrode 111 so as to completely surround a first aperture 112 a . all of the four sidewalls of a first aperture 112 a are defined by the conductive layer 112 . accordingly , emitters 115 are completely surrounded by the conductive layer 112 . referring now to fig3 and 4 , the structure formed on the front or second substrate 120 will now be discussed . an anode electrode 121 is formed on the bottom surface of the front substrate 120 , which faces the top surface of the rear substrate 110 , and fluorescent layers 122 are formed of r , g , and b fluorescent materials on the anode electrode 121 . the anode electrode 121 is formed of a transparent conductive material , such as ito , so that visible rays emitted from the fluorescent layers 122 can pass therethrough . the fluorescent layers 122 are formed to extend in the longitudinal direction parallel to the cathode electrodes 111 , i . e ., in the y direction . black matrices 123 may be formed among the fluorescent layers 122 on the bottom surface of the front substrate 120 so as to improve contrast . a metallic thin layer 124 may be formed on the fluorescent layers 122 and on the black matrices 123 . the metallic thin layer 124 is formed of aluminium to have such a small thickness ( e . g ., several hundreds of å ) so that electrons emitted from the emitters 115 can easily pass therethrough . the r , g , and b fluorescent materials of the fluorescent layers 122 emit visible rays when excited by electron beams emitted from the emitters 115 , and the visible rays emitted from the r , g , and b materials of the fluorescent layers 122 are reflected by the metallic thin layer 124 . thus , the amount of visible light radiated from the entire fed increases , and eventually , the brightness of the entire fed increases as well . in a case where the metallic thin layer 124 is formed on the front substrate 120 , the anode electrode 121 may not necessarily be formed because the metallic thin layer 124 can serve as a conductive layer , i . e ., an anode electrode , when voltage is applied thereto . the rear substrate 110 and the front substrate 120 are located a predetermined distance apart from each other so that the emitters 115 can face the fluorescent layers 122 . the rear substrate 110 and the front substrate 120 are bonded to each other by applying a sealing material ( not shown ) around them . as described above , the spacer 130 is disposed between the rear substrate 110 and the front substrate 120 so as to maintain the predetermined distance between the rear substrate 110 and the front substrate 120 . the operation of the fed according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described . when predetermined voltages are applied to the cathode electrodes 111 , the gate electrodes 114 , and the anode electrode 121 , an electric field is formed among them so that electrons are emitted from the emitters 115 . at this time , a voltage of zero to minus dozens of volts , a voltage of several to dozens of volts , and a voltage of hundreds to thousands of volts are applied to the cathode electrodes 111 , the gate electrodes 114 , and the anode electrodes 121 , respectively . the conductive layer 112 is in contact with the top surface of the cathode electrodes 111 , and thus the same voltage applied to the cathode electrodes 111 is applied to the conductive layer 112 . the emitted electrons are converted into electron beams , and the electron beams are led to the fluorescent layers 122 so that they can eventually collide with the fluorescent layers 122 . as a result , the r , g , and b fluorescent materials of the fluorescent layers 122 are excited and emit visible rays . as described above , since the emitters 115 are disposed at either side of each of the first apertures 112 a , electron beams , which are formed of electrons emitted from the emitters 115 , are focused rather than to be widely dispersed . in addition , since the conductive layer 112 is disposed at either side of the emitters 115 , the electron beams can be efficiently focused due to an electric field formed by the conductive layer 112 . moreover , the cavity 111 a may be formed in each of the cathode electrodes 111 so that the emitters 115 can be surrounded by equipotential lines of an electric field formed around the emitters 115 . due to the electric field , current density increases , and a peak in the current density is precisely located in each of the pixels 125 of the fluorescent layers 122 . it is possible to more efficiently focus electron beams by adjusting the width w c of the cavity 111 a . as described above , color purity of an image can be enhanced by improving the focusing of electron beams emitted from the emitters 115 , and the brightness of the image can be enhanced by precisely placing a peak in current density in each of the pixels 125 . therefore , it is possible to realize an image with high picture quality . advantages of the fed according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in greater detail later with reference to fig1 a through 13c . turning now to fig6 , fig6 is a cross - sectional view of one variation of an fed according to the first embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig6 , fed 106 is similar to fed 100 in fig3 except that the width w 3 of third aperture 114 a is larger and thus not equal to the width w 2 of second aperture 113 a . by forming the third apertures 114 a to have a larger width w 3 than the width w 2 of the second apertures 113 a , a distance between the cathode electrodes 111 and their respective gate electrodes 114 can be lengthened , and thus , the voltage withstanding characteristics of the fed according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be improved . turning now to fig7 , fig7 illustrates yet another fed 107 according to the present invention , fed 107 being another variant of fed 100 of fig3 . referring to fig7 , the fed 107 includes a conductive layer 112 ′ that may include an insulation material layer 1121 formed on each of the cathode electrodes 111 and a metal layer 1122 formed to cover the top surface and side surfaces of the insulation material layer 1121 , so that the metal layer 1122 is electrically connected to the cathode electrodes 111 so as to serve basic functions of the conductive layer 112 ′. more specifically , the conductive layer 112 ′ may be formed by forming the insulation material layer 1121 on each of the cathode electrodes 111 and forming the metal layer 1122 on the insulation material layer 1121 through a deposition , sputtering , or plating method . the metal layer 1122 can serve as a passivation layer that protects the conductive layer 112 ′ from an etchant when forming the second apertures 113 a in the insulation layer 113 using the etchant . therefore , it is possible to prevent damage to the conductive layer 112 ′ caused by the etchant that is used to make the second apertures 113 a . more specifically , the conductive layer 112 of fig6 may be damaged by the etchant because it is formed of a conductive paste . however , the conductive layer 112 ′ of fig7 is not aversely affected by the etchant because its surface is formed of the metal layer 1122 . turning now to fig8 , fig8 illustrates yet another variant to fed 100 of fig3 . referring to fed 108 in fig8 , an insulation material layer 1123 is formed on the cathode electrodes 111 , and a conductive layer 112 ″ is formed on the top surface of the insulation material layer 1123 so that the conductive layer 112 ″ can be disposed as much apart from the cathode electrodes 111 as the thickness of the insulation material layer 1123 and can be electrically isolated from the cathode electrodes 111 by the insulation material layer 1123 . unlike fed 107 , conductive layer 112 ″ in fed 108 does not include the insulation material 1123 . therefore , unlike fed 107 of fig7 , conductive layer 112 ″ is not electrically connected to the cathode electrode 111 . in this case , the conductive layer 112 ″ may be connected to a different power source from a power source connected to the cathode electrodes 111 , and thus a different voltage from a voltage applied to the cathode electrodes 111 can be applied to the conductive layer 112 ″. therefore , it is possible to maximize the electron beam - focusing effect of the conductive layer 112 ″ by controlling the voltage applied to the conductive layer 112 ″ independently of the voltage applied to the cathode electrodes 111 . accordingly , the conductive layer 112 ″ can serve as an independent electrode , i . e ., a focusing electrode . the conductive layer 112 ″ may be formed by forming the insulation material layer 1123 on the cathode electrodes 111 and depositing a conductive metallic material on the top surface of the insulation material layer 1123 through a sputtering or plating method . since the conductive layer 112 ″ is formed of a metallic material rather than to be formed of a conductive paste , the conductive layer 112 ″ can be prevented from being damaged by an etchant used in an etching process for forming the second apertures 113 a in the insulation layer 113 . the rest of the elements of the fed 108 of fig8 are the same as their respective counterparts of the fed 100 of fig3 except that the first apertures 112 a are formed in the insulation material layer 1123 and in the conductive layer 112 ″ at regular intervals and the emitters 115 disposed in each of the first apertures 112 a are formed in contact with side surfaces of the insulation material layer 1123 exposed through each of the first apertures 112 a . in the fed 108 of fig8 , a longitudinal end of the conductive layer 112 ″ may be electrically connected to each of the cathode electrodes 111 , in which case , the same voltage can be applied to the conductive layer 112 ″ and the cathode electrodes 111 . fig9 is a plan view of an fed 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention . the fed according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the same cross - sectional structure as the fed according to the first embodiment of the present invention , and thus a cross - sectional view of the fed according to the second embodiment of the present invention will not be presented . referring to fig9 , in each pixel 225 , a plurality of first apertures 212 a , for example , two first apertures 212 a are formed in a conductive layer 212 , two second aperture 213 a are formed in an insulation layer 213 , and two third apertures 214 a , are formed in a gate electrode 214 . emitters 215 are formed in each of the first apertures 212 a . unlike fed 100 of fig3 , there is now more than one set of apertures for each pixel in fed 200 . the emitters 215 , like the emitters 115 in the first embodiment of the present invention , are formed on a cathode electrode 211 and exposed through the first aperture 212 a . in addition , the emitters 215 are disposed at either side of each of the first apertures 212 a so that they are at a predetermined distance apart from each other . a plurality of cavities 211 a , for example , two cavities 211 a , may be formed in the cathode electrode 211 corresponding to each pixel 225 . other elements of the fed 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention are the same as their respective counterparts of the fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention , and thus their descriptions will be omitted . the variations of the fed according to the first embodiment of the present invention , shown in fig6 , 7 , and 8 , may also be applied to the fed 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention . fig1 a and 10b are a plan views of an fed 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention . fig1 a focusses on a single emitter and fig1 b shows how may circular emitter structures correspond to a single pixel 325 . the fed 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the same cross - sectional structure as the fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention , and thus a cross - sectional view of the fed 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will not be presented . referring to fig1 a , a first aperture 312 a formed in a conductive layer 312 , a second aperture 313 a formed in an insulation layer 313 , and a third aperture 314 a formed in a gate electrode 314 are all circular in shape instead of rectangular as in the first embodiment . an inner diameter d 3 of the third aperture 314 a and an inner diameter d 2 of the second aperture 313 a are larger than an inner diameter d , of the first aperture 312 a . in addition , the inner diameter d 3 of the third aperture 314 may be the same as the inner diameter d 2 of the second aperture 313 a . an emitter 315 , which is ring - shaped , is formed on a cathode electrode 311 exposed through the first aperture 312 a along an inner circumference of the first aperture 312 a . an inner diameter d e of the emitter 315 is smaller than the inner diameter d 1 of the first aperture 312 a . the emitter 315 , like the emitters 115 in the first embodiment of the present invention , may be formed of a carbon - based material , e . g ., cnts . in the third embodiment of the present invention , like in the first embodiment of the present invention , a cavity 311 a , which is circular , may be formed to perforate the cathode electrode 311 . the cavity 311 a is disposed inside the emitter 315 . therefore , an inner diameter dc of the cavity 311 a is smaller than the inner diameter d , of the first aperture 312 a and the inner diameter de of the emitter 315 . in the third embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in fig1 b , a plurality of first apertures 312 a , a plurality of second apertures 313 a , and a plurality of third apertures may be provided for each pixel 325 , in which case , the emitter 315 is formed in each of the plurality of first apertures 312 a . the rest of the elements of the fed 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention are the same as their respective counterparts of the fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention , and thus their descriptions will be omitted . the variations of the fed according to the first embodiment of the present invention , shown in fig6 , 7 , and 8 , may also be applied to the fed according to the third embodiment of the present invention . in other words , the inner diameter d 3 of the third aperture 314 a formed in a gate electrode 314 may be larger than the inner diameter d 2 of the second aperture 313 a formed in the insulation layer 313 , and the conductive layer 312 may include an insulation material layer formed on the cathode electrode 311 and a metal layer formed on the insulation material layer . in addition , the conductive layer 312 may be formed on the top surface of the insulation material layer , which is formed on the cathode electrode 311 . it is to be appreciated that features from various embodiments and from various variations of embodiments may be mixed and matched to form an fed within the scope of the present invention . the aperture sizes may be rectangular , circular , have a one - to - one correspondence with the pixels or have a many - to - one correspondence with the pixels , the relative sizes of the apertures may vary and the presence or absence of a cavity are all within the scope of the present invention . empirical simulation results of an fed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the feds of fig1 a and 1b will now be described in the following paragraphs . in electron beam emission simulations , the fed 90 of fig1 a and 1b and the fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention , shown in fig3 , were respectively selected for an empirical comparison . more specifically , the feds according to the first through third embodiments of the present invention have almost the same cross - sectional structure and thus have almost the same electron beam emission characteristics , and thus , the feds of fig3 , 6 , 7 , and 8 were selected as exemplary embodiments of the present invention for the electron beam emission simulations . therefore , the feds according to the first embodiment and their variations were empirically tested and test results for the feds 200 and 300 according to the second and third embodiments are not shown as they are essentially the same as that of the first embodiment . before the simulations , design dimensions of the fed &# 39 ; s tested were fixed . for example , screens of the fed 90 of fig1 a and 1b and the feds according to the first embodiment of the present invention were each set to have an rgb trio pitch of about 0 . 69 mm in a case where they were designed to have an aspect ratio of 16 : 9 , a diagonal line length of 38 inches , and a horizontal resolution of 1280 lines so as to realize high definition ( hd )- level picture quality . in this case , in the fed according to the first embodiment of the present invention , an insulation layer 113 is preferably set to have a height of 10 - 20 μm , a conductive layer 112 is preferably set to have a height of 2 - 5 μm , first apertures 112 a formed in the conductive layer 112 are preferably set to have a width w 1 of 60 - 80 μm , second apertures 113 a formed in the insulation layer 113 are preferably set to have a width w 2 of 70 - 90 μm , third apertures 114 a formed in gate electrodes 114 are preferably set to have a width w 3 of 70 - 95 μm , and cavities formed in cathode electrodes 111 are preferably set to have a width w c of 10 - 30 μm . however , the above - mentioned elements of the fed according to the first embodiment of the present invention may have different measurements from those set forth herein , depending on the size , aspect ratio , and resolution of the screen of the fed according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 a through 11c illustrate electron beam emission simulation results of the fed 90 of fig1 a and 1b . referring to fig1 a , an electron beam emitted from an emitter 16 of the fed 90 disperses widely toward fluorescent layers 23 of the fed 90 . the vertical axis in fig1 b represents current density . referring to fig1 b , peaks in the current density are located near the edges of a pixel , rather than the center of the pixel , because most electrons are emitted from the edges of the emitters 16 , as described above . if a central portion of the pixel has a low current density , fluorescent materials of the pixel cannot be sufficiently excited , thereby decreasing the brightness of an image displayed on the screen of the fed 90 . particularly , in a case where emitters are not exactly arranged where they are supposed to be arranged , or in a case where front 21 and rear 11 substrates of the fed 90 are not precisely aligned with each other when bonding them together , peaks in current density are likely to be located near the edges of each pixel of the fed 90 , which results in a considerable decrease in color purity . referring to fig1 c , the spot of an electron beam arriving at a fluorescent layer of the fed undesirably encroaches upon another pixel . in short , the fed 90 of fig1 a and 1b may end up in low color purity and low picture quality . fig1 a through 12c illustrate electron beam emission simulation empirical results of the fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig3 , modified for the case where there is no cavity 111 a perforating cathode electrode 111 ( hereinafter referred to as modified fed 100 ). referring to fig1 a , electron beam emitted from emitters 115 that are respectively arranged at both sides of a first aperture 112 a of this modified fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention are more focused and less dispersed than the electron beams of fed 90 of fig1 a and 1b . this improvement in the electron beam of the modified fed 100 is caused by the electric field formed by the conductive layer 112 . referring to fig1 b , peaks in current density are generally located in a central portion of a pixel , unlike the empirical results of fed 90 illustrated in fig1 b . accordingly , as shown in fig1 c , the size of the spot of an electron beam arriving at a fluorescent layer is much smaller in this modified fed 100 than in fed 90 , and thus it is possible to solve the problem of the feds of fig1 a , 1 b , 2 a , 2 b and macauley &# 39 ; 659 that an electron beam aimed at one pixel encroaches upon another pixel as well . even though current density is generally lower in the electron beam of modified fed 100 than in fed 90 , color purity of an image is higher for modified fed 100 than for fed 90 because the focusing characteristics of electron beams emitted from the emitters 115 of the modified fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention are considerably improved , compared to fed 90 of fig1 a and 1b . in addition , since peaks in the current density are located in a central portion of each pixel for modified fed 100 , the brightness of an image displayed on the screen of the modified fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be compensated for . turning to fig1 a , 13 b and 13 c , fig1 a through 13c illustrate electron beam emission simulation empirical results of the fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention , shown in fig3 , in a case where there is a one - to - one correspondence between cavities 111 a perforating cathode electrode 111 and pixels 125 . referring to fig1 a , due to the cavity 11 a formed in each cathode electrode 111 of the fed 100 of fig3 , an electric field is formed around the emitters 115 so that the emitters 115 can be surrounded by equipotential lines of the electric field . due to the electric field , electron beams emitted from the emitters 115 that are respectively disposed at both sides of a first aperture 112 a can be efficiently focused proceeding toward fluorescent layers 122 . referring to fig1 b , a peak in current density is precisely located in a central portion of a pixel . accordingly , as shown in fig1 c , the size of the spot of an electron beam arriving at a fluorescent layer 122 is much smaller in a case where a cavity 111 a is formed in each cathode electrode 111 of the fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention than in a case where no cavity 111 a is formed in each cathode electrode 111 of the corresponding modified fed 100 . in addition , current density is higher in a case where a cavity 111 a is formed in each cathode electrode 111 of the fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention than in a case where no cavity 111 a is formed in each cathode electrode 111 of the corresponding modified fed 100 as well as the feds of fig1 a , 1 b , 2 a and 2 b . therefore , by forming a cavity 111 a in each cathode electrode 111 of an fed , it is possible to enhance the focusing characteristics of electron beams , increase current density , place a peak in the current density in a central portion of each pixel of the fed , and eventually improve the color purity and brightness of the fed . turning now to fig1 a , 14 b and 14 c , fig1 a through 14c illustrate electron beam emission simulation empirical results of the fed 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention , shown in fig3 , in a case where the width wc of the cavity 111 a formed in each cathode electrode 111 of the corresponding fed has been changed so that it is larger than the feds whose results are shown in fig1 a , 13 b and 13 c . referring to fig1 a , an electric field is formed around the emitters 115 so that the emitters 115 can be better surrounded by equipotential lines of the electric field than in fig1 a . referring to fig1 b , a peak in current density is precisely located in a central portion of a pixel . accordingly , as shown in fig1 c , the size of the spot of an electron beam arriving at a fluorescent layer 122 is much smaller than in fig1 c . in addition , the current density is also much higher in fig1 c than in fig1 c . therefore , by adjusting the width wc of a cavity 111 a formed in each cathode electrode 111 of fed 100 , it is possible to considerably increase current density , efficiently focus electron beams , and eventually realize high quality images . fig1 a , 15 b , and 15 c are diagrams illustrating empirical results of electron beam emission simulation results of the fed 107 of fig7 . referring to fig1 a , due to a conductive layer 112 ′, which is formed of an insulation material layer 1121 and a metal layer 1122 , and a cavity 111 a , which is formed in a cathode electrode 111 , an electric field is formed around emitters 115 so that the emitters 115 can be surrounded by equipotential lines of the electric field . accordingly , electron beams emitted from the emitters 115 can be efficiently focused . therefore , as shown in fig1 b , peaks in current density are precisely located in their respective pixels . in addition , as shown in fig1 c , the size of a spot of an electron beam on a fluorescent layer 122 is very small . as described above , the fed 107 of fig7 can have the same effects as the fed 100 of fig . fig1 a and 16b are diagrams illustrating electron beam emission simulation results of the fed 108 of fig8 . referring to fig1 a and 16b , the fed 108 of fig8 , in which a conductive layer 112 ″ is formed on the top surface of an insulation material layer 1123 so that it can be insulated from a cathode electrode 111 , has the same effects as the feds 100 and 107 of fig3 and 7 . the fed 108 of fig8 can focus electron beams more efficiently than the feds 100 and 107 of fig3 and 7 by adjusting a voltage applied to the conductive layer . as described above , the feds according to the present invention can improve the focusing characteristics of electron beams emitted from emitters resulting in increased color purity of images and thus realize high quality images . in addition , the fed according to the present invention can improve the brightness of images by precisely placing a peak in current density in each pixel . while the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims .	7
the following detailed description is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the subject matter or the application and uses of such embodiments . as used herein , the word “ exemplary ” means “ serving as an example , instance , or illustration .” any implementation described herein as exemplary is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field , background , brief summary or the following detailed description . referring to fig1 a , an exemplary display system , such as but not limited to an aircraft display system , is depicted and will be described . the system 100 includes a user interface 102 , a processor 104 , one or more navigation databases 108 , one or more runway databases 110 , various navigation sensors 113 , various external data sources 114 , one or more display devices 116 , and an imaging sensor 125 . in some embodiments , the imaging sensor 125 can be an electro - optical camera , an infrared camera , a millimeter - wave imager , or an active radar , e . g . millimeter - wave radar . the sensor 125 may be fixed in position , or it may be movable ( i . e ., left , right , up , or down ) upon appropriate signals provided thereto . the user interface 102 is in operable communication with the processor 104 and is configured to receive input from a user 109 ( e . g ., a pilot ) and , in response to the user input , supply command signals to the processor 104 . the user interface 102 may be any one , or combination , of various known user interface devices including , but not limited to , a cursor control device ( ccd ) 107 , such as a mouse , a trackball , or joystick , and / or a keyboard , one or more buttons , switches , or knobs . in the depicted embodiment , the user interface 102 includes a ccd 107 and a keyboard 111 . the user 109 uses the ccd 107 to , among other things , move a cursor symbol on the display screen , and may use the keyboard 111 to , among other things , input textual data . furthermore , in one embodiment , the user interface 102 includes a control panel 119 including at least a “ manual ” button 119 a and an “ automatic ” or “ auto ” button 119 b that are operable to switch the mode of operation of the display system 100 among the cvs modes , as will be discussed in greater detail below . the processor 104 may be any one of numerous known general - purpose microprocessors or an application specific processor that operates in response to program instructions . in the depicted embodiment , the processor 104 includes on - board ram ( random access memory ) 103 , and on - board rom ( read only memory ) 105 , and / or other non - transitory data storage media known in the art . the program instructions that control the processor 104 may be stored in either or both the ram 103 and the rom 105 . for example , the operating system software may be stored in the rom 105 , whereas various operating mode software routines and various operational parameters may be stored in the ram 103 . it will be appreciated that this is merely exemplary of one scheme for storing operating system software and software routines , and that various other storage schemes may be implemented . it will also be appreciated that the processor 104 may be implemented using various other circuits , in addition to or in lieu of a programmable processor . for example , digital logic circuits and analog signal processing circuits could also be used . regardless of how the processor 104 is specifically implemented , it is in operable communication with the sensor 125 and the display device 116 , and is coupled to receive data about the installation of the imaging sensor 125 on the aircraft . in one embodiment , this information can be hard - coded in the rom memory 105 . in another embodiment , this information can be entered by a pilot . in yet another embodiment , an external source of aircraft data can be used . the information about the installation of the sensor 125 on board may include , for example , that it is forward looking and aligned with the main axis of the aircraft body in the horizontal direction . more precise information may be provided , such as but not limited to , detailed information about sensor position in the aircraft reference frame , or sensor projection characteristics . in one embodiment , the processor 104 may further receive navigation information from navigation sensors 113 or 114 , identifying the position of the aircraft . in some embodiments , information from navigation database 108 may be utilized during this process . having navigation information , the processor 104 may be further configured to receive information from runway database 110 . in some embodiments , the display system includes a combined vision system ( cvs ). in particular , the imaging sensor 125 may include the cvs sensor , the processor 104 may include a cvs processor , and the display device 116 may include a cvs display . the cvs system may also use other data sources such as terrain database , obstacle database , etc . the navigation databases 108 include various types of navigation - related data . these navigation - related data include various flight plan related data such as , for example , waypoints , distances between waypoints , headings between waypoints , data related to different airports , navigational aids , obstructions , special use airspace , political boundaries , communication frequencies , and aircraft approach information . it will be appreciated that , although the navigation databases 108 and the runway databases 110 are , for clarity and convenience , shown as being stored separate from the processor 104 , all or portions of either or both of these databases 108 , 110 could be loaded into the ram 103 , or integrally formed as part of the processor 104 , and / or ram 103 , and / or rom 105 . the databases 108 , 110 could also be part of a device or system that is physically separate from the system 100 . the sensors 113 may be implemented using various types of inertial sensors , systems , and or subsystems , now known or developed in the future , for supplying various types of inertial data . the inertial data may also vary , but preferably include data representative of the state of the aircraft such as , for example , aircraft speed , heading , altitude , and attitude . the number and type of external data sources 114 may also vary . the external systems ( or subsystems ) may include , for example , a flight director and a navigation computer , and various position detecting systems . however , for ease of description and illustration , only a global position system ( gps ) receiver 122 is depicted in fig1 a . the gps receiver is a common embodiment of global navigation satellite system ( gnss ). in other embodiments , other gnss systems , for example but not limited to russian glonass or european galileo , including multi - constellation systems , may be used . the gps receiver 122 is a multi - channel receiver , with each channel tuned to receive one or more of the gps broadcast signals transmitted by the constellation of gps satellites ( not illustrated ) orbiting the earth . each gps satellite encircles the earth two times each day , and the orbits are arranged so that at least four satellites are always within line of sight from almost anywhere on the earth . the gps receiver 122 , upon receipt of the gps broadcast signals from at least three , and preferably four , or more of the gps satellites , determines the distance between the gps receiver 122 and the gps satellites and the position of the gps satellites . based on these determinations , the gps receiver 122 , using a technique known as trilateration , determines , for example , aircraft position , groundspeed , and ground track angle . the display device 116 , as noted above , in response to display commands supplied from the processor 104 , selectively renders various textual , graphic , and / or iconic information , and thereby supply visual feedback to the user 109 . it will be appreciated that the display device 116 may be implemented using any one of numerous known display devices suitable for rendering textual , graphic , and / or iconic information in a format viewable by the user 109 . non - limiting examples of such display devices include various cathode ray tube ( crt ) displays , and various flat panel displays such as various types of lcd ( liquid crystal display ) and tft ( thin film transistor ) displays . the display device 116 may additionally be implemented as a panel mounted display , a hud ( head - up display ) projection , or any one of numerous known or emerging technologies . it is additionally noted that the display device 116 may be configured as any one of numerous types of aircraft flight deck displays . for example , it may be configured as a multi - function display , a horizontal situation indicator , or a vertical situation indicator . in the depicted embodiment , however , the display device 116 is configured as a primary flight display ( pfd ). fig1 b illustrates an exemplary cvs display as may be provided by the display device 116 . as shown , the cvs display includes a synthetic image 150 and a sensory image 151 overlaid over a portion of the synthetic image . the synthetic image 150 further includes various aircraft instrument data such as an altimeter 152 , and air speed indicator 153 , a compass 154 , a flight path vector symbol 157 , an attitude indicator 158 , and other data as is known in the art to be provided on a pfd . fig1 b is not intended to limit the information that may be provided in connection with the synthetic imagery , and is merely exemplary in nature . as shown , the aircraft is on short approach to a runway . as such , the cvs display includes a synthetic image of the runway 155 and a sensory image of the runway 156 , centered within an upper portion of the synthetic display 150 . as noted above , the sensory image 151 is displayed in the illustrated manner to provide the pilot additional cues regarding important flight information , such as an image of the runway towards which the aircraft is approaching . as such , fig1 b depicts an idealized situation wherein the aircraft is making a “ straight in ” approach to the runway , and there is little or no cross - wind that would cause the aircraft to “ crab ” in a direction other than the runway heading . as noted above , cvs systems know in the art are well - suited for such situations . the sensory image 151 , however , may fail to show the runway , or may only show a portion of the runway , when the aircraft is making a circling approach or when there is a cross wind . desirably , embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an improved display system , and method for providing a display , wherein the sensory image of the cvs is provided in an “ adaptive ” manner such that its position within the synthetic image moves and adapts to the aircraft &# 39 ; s movements . fig2 and 3 are provided to illustrate the differences between cvs systems known in the prior art ( fig2 ) and display systems in accordance with various embodiments described herein ( fig3 ). as shown in fig2 and 3 , the aircraft is making a left turn to line - up with the runway while on approach , as indicated by the position of the flight path vector symbol 157 . fig2 , which illustrates a conventional cvs display known in the art , shows that the sensory image 151 remains centered within the synthetic image 150 , regardless of the fact that the aircraft is turning left . a majority of the terrain captured and enhanced by the cvs will not be encountered by the current flight due to the turn , and as such it is less usable for the flight crew . fig3 , in contrast , which illustrates a display , such as a cvs display , in accordance with one embodiment , shows that the sensory image 151 has shifted its position to the left by an amount d 1 to account for the fact that the aircraft is changing course to the left , and the fact that the center of the synthetic image no longer reflects the area toward which the aircraft is flying . further , fig3 illustrates that the sensory image 151 has shifted its position downward by an amount d 2 to account for the aircraft &# 39 ; s descending attitude . in an exemplary embodiment , the amount that the sensory image 151 is shifted from center ( i . e ., up , down , left , or right ) of the synthetic image 150 depends upon the attitude of the aircraft . for example , a five degree banking turn will shift the image 151 to the left or right by a relatively small amount , whereas a thirty degree banking turn will shift the image 151 by a relatively larger amount . likewise , a five degree descending angle will shift the image 151 downward by a relatively small amount , whereas a ten degree descending angle will shift the image 151 downward by a relatively larger amount . all forms and amounts of lateral and vertical translation of the sensory image 151 within the synthetic image 150 will thus be understood to be within the scope of the present disclosure . in an exemplary embodiment , the amount of shift from center of the sensory image 151 relative to the synthetic image 150 is coordinated based on the movement of the flight path vector symbol 157 , which , as noted above , is already provided on many cvs systems known in the art . as shown in fig3 , the sensory image 151 is centered on the flight path vector symbol 157 , which moves as the aircraft attitude changes , as compared to the conventional example shown in fig2 , which remains centered within the synthetic image 150 regardless of the attitude of the aircraft . thus , the flight path vector symbol 157 provides a convenient reference for adaptively shifting the sensory image 151 based on the movement of the aircraft , which may not require additional flight path calculations or computations beyond those performed in conventional systems . because the flight follows the flight path vector 157 , using symbol 157 as a reference for shifting the sensory image within the synthetic image may provide better awareness of the terrain along the flight path provided by the cvs and , resulting in enhanced usability and safety . further embodiments of the present disclosure are depicted in fig4 , 5 a , and 5 b . in fig4 , the sensory image 151 is shown rotated to the right by an angle a to better align the sensory image with the horizon . in embodiments where the sensory image is provided in rectangular form , the banking of the aircraft will cause some portions of the rectangle to show areas to the left or right of the desired target area . as such , by rotating the image in coincidence with the horizon , the rectangular sensory image 151 provides more information that is relevant to the pilot . horizon information is generally available in pfd / cvs systems known in the art , and as such this rotational movement of the sensory image 151 may not require any additional flight path calculations or computations beyond what is already performed in conventional systems . in fig5 a and 5b , the sensory image is shown in a diminished size ( 151 a ) and an enlarged size ( 151 b ), respectively . as the aircraft approaches a runway , the size of the runway within the field of view increases . thus , in order to achieve the dual goals of maintaining the sensory image at a desirably small size to reduce visual clutter , while still showing the most relevant information to the pilot by means of the sensory image , the sensory image 151 may be increased in size as the aircraft approaches the runway such that the entire runway remains within the sensory image as the portion thereof within the field of view ( i . e ., within the synthetic image 150 ) increases . the sensory image 151 may likewise be reduced in size in instances where the desired target within the field of view becomes smaller . the various exemplary embodiments of a display system having now been described , fig6 provides an exemplary method of providing a display in accordance with various embodiments . fig6 illustrates an exemplary flight path 201 of an aircraft . the flight path 201 depicts a normal approach and descent toward a runway 202 , with the approach terminating as a missed approach . shown along the flight path 201 is an initial approach fix 203 ( iaf ) and a final approach fix ( faf ) 204 as the flight path 201 approaches the runway 202 . in the exemplary method , prior to reaching the iaf 203 , the flight display is provided in a “ normal mode ” 210 . the term normal mode 210 refers to operation of the cvs as is conventionally known in the art , with the sensory image 151 remaining centered within the synthetic image 150 at all times , as shown in fig2 . as the approach continues , once the aircraft reaches a predetermined point along the approach path 201 , such as the iaf 203 , the flight display may be provided in a “ track mode ” 220 . as used herein , the term track mode 220 refers to operation of the cvs wherein the position , angle , and / or size of the sensory image 151 changes based on the attitude and position of the aircraft , for example in accordance with the flight path vector symbol 157 . as described in greater detail above , in track mode , the sensory image 151 may translate left , right , up , or down , it may rotate clockwise or counterclockwise , and may increase or decrease in size . as the approach continues , once the aircraft reaches a second predetermined point along the approach path 201 , such as the faf 204 , the flight display is provided in a “ runway lock mode ” 230 . as used herein , the term runway lock mode 230 refers to operation of the cvs wherein the sensory image remains fixed on the runway , for example it may be centered on a touchdown zone of the runway . as noted above , the system 100 includes navigation data 108 and runway data 110 , and such data may be used to maintain the sensory image 151 focused over the runway image 155 displayed on the synthetic image 150 . as such , the position , angle , and / or size of the sensory image 151 may change in runway lock mode 230 as in track mode 220 , but the focal point of the image is on the runway , rather than the flight path vector symbol 157 . runway lock mode enables 230 the pilot to quickly scan any obstacles / intrusions on the runway irrespective of the current aircraft heading / track when in final approach , thereby enabling the pilot to execute a “ go around ” well in advance . this feature increases the safety envelope and provides few extra seconds for pilot decision making . further , in the event of a missed approach , as shown in fig6 , the flight display may again be provided in the track mode . the presently described method may feature automatic transitioning between the above - noted modes . for example , once the aircraft starts descending , the cvs may be displayed in normal mode . near the iaf 203 , the cvs image may transition into the track mode , where the image is centered on the fpv . near the faf 204 , once the runway is in view , the cvs image may transition into the runway lock mode so that the image is centered on the runway . if the landing is aborted and a missed approach is performed , the runway image will slide out of the view and the cvs image will again automatically transition to track mode in some embodiments , the operation of flight display system 100 may be provided in connection with an air traffic alert system , such as traffic collision avoidance system ( tcas ). as is known in the art , a tcas system includes a display , such as a primary flight display , with symbols superimposed thereover indicating the position and altitude of other aircraft within a pre - defined vicinity of the aircraft . as such , the tcas system includes data representing the position of other nearby aircraft . the presently described flight display system may be provided to operate in association with a tcas system . for example , in one embodiment , the cvs system may be provided in an “ alert mode .” as used herein , the term alert mode refers to the operation of the cvs wherein , based on the location of a traffic alert ( ta ) issued by the tcas system , the sensory image 151 may be centered on the “ intruder ” aircraft location if the aircraft is within the cvs view frustum . alert mode may be provided in place of any other operational mode , as needed based on the receipt of a traffic alert . in further embodiments , the alert mode may be provided to operate in coordination with other alerting systems of the aircraft , such as terrain or obstacle alerting systems . thus , based on a terrain alert or an obstacle alert , the sensory image 151 may be positioned on the obstacle location if it is within the cvs view frustum . this mode of operation gives precise awareness of the obstacle / intruder &# 39 ; s location to avoid a collision . regarding any mode described above , a mode over - ride option may be provided for the pilot to choose an alternate mode other than the one provided automatically by the system . fig7 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary method of operation 700 of the display system described above . as shown therein , the method may initiate with the selection of an “ auto cvs ” mode , for example by the pilot making an appropriate entry into system 100 initiating the operation of the system . at a position along an approach to an airport prior to the iaf , as shown at block 702 , the cvs system may automatically operate in the normally operating mode as indicated at block 703 . the system is in continuous communication with the various alert functionality of the aircraft with which it is designed to operate . for traffic alerts , as shown at block 704 , the system first receives the position of aircraft in the vicinity at block 705 , and then determines if the traffic is within the field of view of the cvs system at block 706 . if the determination is negative , the cvs system continues in normal mode . if the determination is positive , the cvs system operates in alert mode as indicated at block 707 , and , as described above , the sensory image is repositioned to the intruder aircraft at block 708 . the same procedure may be followed for obstacles or terrain , as indicated at block 709 . at a further position along the approach to the airport , such as upon crossing the iaf as indicated at block 710 , flight path vector information is retrieved from the pfd at block 711 and the cvs system changes to track mode at block 712 . as described above , in track mode , the sensory image changes position based on the flight path of the aircraft , for example as indicated by the flight path vector , as shown at block 713 . thereafter , at a further position along the approach to the airport , such as within a given distance and altitude , or at the faf , as shown at block 714 , the cvs system retrieves runway information at block 715 and the cvs system change to runway lock mode at block 716 . as described above , in runway lock mode , the sensory image change position to be fixed on the runway , for example centered at the landing zone of the runway . in the event of a go - around , as shown at block 718 , the cvs system reverts to track mode . as such , the embodiments described herein provide an adaptive combined vision system that allows the position of the sensory image within the synthetic image to change under various circumstances . the embodiments allow the sensory image to remain desirably small while still providing the pilot with all of the most relevant imagery to the flight . further , the exemplary methods of providing a display set forth above allow for the automatic transitioning of the mode of operation of the cvs system based on the stage of flight of the aircraft . further , the cvs may automatically transition to an alert mode in the event of an aircraft intrusion or the presence of terrain or an obstacle , thereby providing enhanced safety in the operation of the aircraft . while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the inventive subject matter , it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist . it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the inventive subject matter in any way . rather , the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the inventive subject matter . it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the inventive subject matter as set forth in the appended claims .	6
the mixture of diglycerides ( a ) that can be used can contain diglycerides of the ss - and su - type . this means , that they can contain simultaneously one or two saturated fatty acid residues s with 12 - 24 c - atoms and one or two unsaturated fatty acid residues with at least 16 c - atoms . the exact position of the residues s and u is not very important . still we have a preference for the use of 1 . 3 - diglycerides as they have slightly better structuring properties . so , e . g . 1s - 2u - diglycerides are as suitable as 1s - 3u diglycerides or as 1u - 2s - diglycerides . however , we prefer to apply a mixture with a very high content of diglycerides of the type su , in particular diglycerides with one oleic and with one palmitic acid residue and diglycerides with one oleic and one stearic acid residue . these diglycerides can be present in weight ratios of 5 : 95 - 95 : 5 , preferably 20 : 80 - 80 : 20 . our compositions can be made by blending of mixtures of diglycerides , rich in the required diglycerides with triglycerides , in particular liquid triglycerides , such as sunflower oil , olive oil , maize oil , soybean oil , rapeseed oil etc . the diglycerides can be obtained according to many methods , such as : 1 . hydrolysis of triglycerides , this hydrolysis can be performed along a chemical route ( using a base ) or along an enzymic route . 2 . interesterification of glycerol with a triglyceride or an acid . again a chemical or an enzymic route can be applied . the starting fatty material for the interesterification with glycerol preferably has a high s 2 u - content (& gt ; 40 %, in particular & gt ; 50 %). a convenient enzymic route using glycerol and an acid is disclosed in e . g . ep 307 , 154 . in general , the crude products obtained by those routes need to be purified , e . g . removal of monoglycerides by distillation , followed by fractionation . the above blends can be free of trans acids and free of chemically interesterified fats . however , blends that contain chemically interesterified fat - component can also be applied ( either per se or in combination with non - chemically interesterified fats ). although the triglyceride - component of our blends can be selected from a broad range of triglycerides , provided that the total composition meet our safa - requirement (& lt ; 40 %), we prefer to use fats with an n 5 & lt ; 40 as our triglyceride - source . components of those fats are suitably selected from the group consisting of sunflower oil ; soybean oil ; safflower oil , olive oil , high oleic sunflower oil , maize oil , high oleic safflower oil and olein fractions of vegetable oils , such as palm oil . it is , however , also possible to use fats obtained by enzymic conversion , or olein - fractions obtainable by fractionation ( wet - or dry ) of enzymically made oils . the enzymic conversions can be performed using the technology disclosed in our gb 1 , 577 , 953 . the starting materials should be selected such , that the desired fats or oils are obtained . it is , of course , also possible to use fats that are made according to chemical interesterification - processes ( with or without a fractionation step ). food products that can be made comprise filling fats , enrobed filling fats , confectionery products , wrapper spreads , wrapper margarines , wrapper shortenings , tub spreads , tub margarines , cream alternatives , bakery products , doughs , cheese , mayonnaise and dressings . each of these food products comprise a fat phase and this fat phase then consists at least partly of the novel fats according to the invention . it should be understood that for each application the fat blends require a specific n - line . briefly , it can be said that the following n - requirements must be fulfilled for the application indicated : 1 . 1 a mixture of palm oil - midfraction , glycerol and lipolase 100 l - enzyme ® ( ex novo - nordisk ) was converted in a weight - ratio of 100 : 20 : 1 . the ph was kept at 7 , 0 , using a phosphate buffer . the conversion was performed at 35 ° c . for 24 hours under stirring . excess glycerol was decanted off . monoglycerides and free fatty acids were removed from the crude reaction product ( containing 38 , 6 wt % of diglycerides and 33 , 7 wt % of monoglyceride ) in a falling film evaporator at 260 ° c . and 0 , 3 mm hg : the product contained 47 , 8 wt % of diglycerides and 2 , 1 wt % of monoglycerides . the product was bleached and deodorised and fractionated from hexane ( 1 , 5 : 1 hexane to oil ratio at 30 ° c .). the olein was collected ( yield 78 %) and contained 45 , 6 wt % of diglycerides . in a second hexane fractionation , above olein - fraction was fractionated , ( 3 , 22 : 1 hexane to oil ratio at - 10 ° c . ); a stearin fraction was obtained . this stearin fraction contained 60 wt % of diglycerides of which 56 , 7 wt % were of the su - type . the overall yield from fractionations was 29 %. a third fractionation was performed on the stearin fraction obtained ( 5 : 1 hexane to oil at 24 , 5 ° c .). the olein - fraction was collected , it contained 62 wt % of diglycerides of which 72 , 5 wt % were su - diglycerides . the overall yield was 23 %. excess monoglycerides was removed from the final olein - fraction via a silica - treatment with hexane / acetone ( 88 : 12 ) as solvent ( 5 : 1 : 0 , 78 = solvent : oil : silica ). the product was washed with solvent . the resulting product was rich in po ( p = c 16 : 0 o = c 18 : 1 ) and contained 61 , 4 % diglycerides and 0 , 0 % monoglycerides . the diglycerides consisted of 25 % ss ; 70 , 7 % su and 4 , 2 % uu . its fatty acid composition was : f . f . a .- residue 14 : 0 16 : 0 16 : 1 18 : 0 18 : 1 18 : 2 18 : 3 20 0 , 4 50 0 , 0 7 , 3 39 , 3 2 , 1 0 , 0 0 , 6 1 . 2 shea - stearin , glycerol , lipolase 100 l ®) ( ex novo - nordisk ) were mixed in a weight - ratio of 100 : 20 : 1 . the ph was adjusted at 7 . 0 using a phosphate buffer . the conversion was performed at 40 ° c . during 8 hours under stirring . excess glycerol was decanted off . monoglycerides and free fatty acids were removed ( falling film evaporator 260 ° c ., 0 , 3 mm hg ). the resulting product was fractionated from hexane ( 3 : 1 hexane : oil ; 21 ° c .). an olein fraction was collected ( yield 96 % : diglyceride content 22 , 5 wt %). in a second hexane - fractionation above olein fraction was fractionated ( 6 , 65 : 1 hexane : oil at - 7 ° c . ), the stearin - fraction was collected ( 18 % diglyceride of which 72 , 6 % su - type ). overall yield 60 %. the product was refined by a two - stage silica - treatment . diglycerides and monoglycerides were adsorbed onto silica ( hexane as solvent ; ratio hexane : oil : silica = 2 : 1 : 1 , 22 ). the silica - complex was washed with hexane and the wash was discarded . the silica - complex was washed with hexane / acetone ( 88 / 12 ) in ratio 3 , 5 wash : 1 oil . the resulting oil contained 46 , 8 wt % diglyceride and 0 , 0 % monoglyceride . it &# 39 ; s composition was 22 % ss , 73 , 6 % su and 4 , 4 % uu . the fatty acid composition of the diglycerides was : f . f . a .- residue 14 : 0 16 : 0 16 : 1 18 : 0 18 : 1 18 : 2 18 : 3 20 0 , 4 2 , 3 0 , 0 57 , 4 35 , 9 2 , 1 0 , 0 1 , 9 1 . 3 a blend was made from sunflower oil , the po - rich products from example 1 . 1 and the sto - rich product from example 1 . 2 ( ratio : 71 : 14 , 5 : 14 , 5 ). the blend contained 19 , 6 % diglycerides . the diglyceride - composition was : 21 , 2 % ss , 70 , 3 % su and 8 , 4 % uu . f . f . a .- residue 14 : 0 16 : 0 16 : 1 18 : 0 18 : 1 18 : 2 18 : 3 20 0 , 2 12 , 6 0 , 1 12 , 5 26 , 6 46 , 5 0 , 0 0 , 6 ______________________________________ ° c . n______________________________________ 10 18 . 3 30 3 . 4 35 3 . 0______________________________________ ______________________________________fat phasefat blend of example 1 . 3 40 % hymono 7804 ( monoglyceride : iv = 80 ) 0 . 3 % colour ( β - carotene ) 0 . 01 % flavour 0 . 1 % total 40 . 41 % aqueous phase ( to ph 5 . 1 ) water 56 . 5 % skimmed milk powder 1 . 5 % gelatin ( 270 bloom ) 1 . 5 % potassium sorbate 0 . 15 % citric acid powder 0 . 07 % ______________________________________ all percentages on product basis . the processing was performed on a microvotator , comprising an acac - set up . 3 kg of material was prepared and processed . ______________________________________premix condition stirrer speed 100 rpm temperature 50 ° c . pump proportioning pump set at 80 % ( 40 . 3 g / min ). a . sub . 1 conditions shaft speed 1000 rpm temperature set at 10 ° c . c . sub . 1 conditions shaft speed 1000 rpm temperature set to 13 ° c . a . sub . 2 conditions shaft speed 1000 rpm temperature set to 12 ° c . c . sub . 2 conditions shaft speed 1000 rpm temperature set to 15 ° c . ______________________________________ the aqueous phase was prepared by heating the required amount of water to approximately 80 ° c . and then , using a silverson mixer , slowly mixing in the ingredients . the ph of the system was adjusted to 5 . 1 by adding 20 % lactic acid solution as required . a premix was prepared by stirring the fat phase in the premix tank and then slowly adding in the aqueous phase . when addition was complete , the mix was stirred for a further 5 minutes before pumping through the line . when the process had stabilised ( around 20 minutes ), product was collected for storage and evaluation . ______________________________________ a1 15 . 0 ° c . c1 17 . 1 ° c . a2 16 . 5 ° c . c2 16 . 6 ° c . ______________________________________ products were collected from both of the c - units . very good oil continuous low fat spreads were produced using this system . hardness c and conductivity of the products were measured . ______________________________________ c - value c - value conductivity conductivityproduct @ 5 ° c . @ 20 ° c . @ 5 ° c . @ 20 ° c . ( 40 % fat ) ( gcm . sup .- 2 ) ( gcm . sup .- 2 ) ( μscm . sup .- 1 ) ( μscm . sup .- 1 ) ______________________________________ex c . sub . 1 1180 190 10 . sup .- 4 10 . sup .- 4ex c . sub . 2 1400 210 10 . sup .- 4 10 . sup .- 4______________________________________ all products had a good oral melt down and were fat - continuous . ______________________________________fat phasefat blend of example 1 . 3 80 % hymono 7804 0 . 3 % flavour 0 . 1 % colour ( β - carotene ) 0 . 01 % aqueous phase ( to ph 5 . 1 ) water 18 . 3 % gelatin ( 270 bloom ) 0 . 5 % skimmed milk powder 0 . 5 % potassium sorbate 0 . 05 % citric acid powder 0 . 025 % ______________________________________ all percentages on product basis . identical conditions were used for the preparation and processing as for the 40 % fat spread . ______________________________________ a1 15 . 3 ° c . c1 15 . 9 ° c . a2 15 . 7 ° c . c2 15 . 6 ° c . ______________________________________ as before , oil continuous product could successfully be obtained at any point after c - unit 1 . ______________________________________ c - value c - value conductivity conductivityproduct @ 5 ° c . @ 20 ° c . @ 5 ° c . @ 20 ° c . ( 80 % fat ) ( gcm . sup .- 2 ) ( gcm . sup .- 2 ) ( μscm . sup .- 1 ) ( μscm . sup .- 1 ) ______________________________________ex c . sub . 1 1820 200 10 . sup .- 5 10 . sup .- 5ex c . sub . 2 2100 180 10 . sup .- 5 10 . sup .- 5______________________________________ ______________________________________ % ______________________________________sugar 45cocoa powder n - 11 - n 7skimmed milk powder 10fat 38lecithin 0 . 5______________________________________ 1 . blend of an interestified fat and palm oil olein in ratio 5 : 95 , known as biscuitine sf ® . the fillings were made using a hobart mixer , buhler refiner and pascal conche . filling 1 was cooled to 22 . 5 ° c . and filling 2 was cooled to 19 . 5 ° c ., before they were piped into aluminum cups . the aluminum cups were stored at 20 ° c . and 25 ° c . the fillings were evaluated on : the sta - hardness of the fillings was determined after one day storage at 20 ° c . and 25 ° c . the results were : the fillings were evaluated by the taste panel after storage at 20 ° c . filling 2 was much harder than filling 1 . filling 2 had a slightly slower and lower flavour release probably because it was harder . although the safa content of the diglyceride based filling was lower , the product was much harder and had better body .	0
in describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings , specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity . however , the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected , and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose . preferred embodiments of the invention are described for illustrative purposes , it being understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms not specifically shown in the drawings . fig1 depicts a preferred embodiment of the three - reactor system disclosed , in which synthesis gas enters the process through conduit 18 at low pressure , and preferably is compressed by compressor 6 to 20 to 100 atmospheres , preferably 50 atmospheres , and is passed to the first reactor 1 via conduits 16 and 17 . the first reactor 1 ( r - 1 ) converts synthesis gas to principally methanol , water , and carbon dioxide ( product of water - gas shift reaction ). the product from the first reactor 1 , a vapor mixture of essentially methanol , water and unreacted synthesis gas , flows through conduit 10 to a second reactor 2 ( r - 2 ). the second reactor 2 converts a portion of the methanol to dimethylether (“ dme ”). the product from second reactor 2 , which essentially contains methanol , dme , water and unreacted synthesis gas , flows via conduit 11 to a third reactor 3 ( r - 3 ). the third reactor 3 converts methanol and dme to fuel product ( gasoline , jet fuel and / or diesel ) and heavy gasoline , while concurrently and synergistically hydrotreating any non - preferred hydrocarbon products . the hydrotreatment reduces the heavy gasoline ( trimethylbenzenes and tetramethylbenzenes ) to produce desirable fuel compounds , such as toluene , xylenes and c 4 to c 8 hydrobarbons , principally c 5 to c 7 hydrocarbons . the third reactor 3 carries out both the hydrocarbon synthesis and hydrotreatment reactions . the catalysts used in the r - 1 and r - 2 are well known in the art from prior mtg processes . appropriate catalysts for r - 1 include , but are not limited to , cuo / zno / al 2 o 3 , zn — cr and other bifunctional catalysts doped with certain elements can also carry methanol synthesis . appropriate catalysts for r - 2 in gasoline application include , but are not limited to , gamma - alumina , zeolites and other mesoporous materials can also carry methanol dehydration into dimethylether . r - 3 contains two different catalysts , one for hydrocarbon synthesis ( converts methanol and dimethylether to fuel product ( gasoline , jet fuel and / or diesel ) and heavy gasoline ) and one for hydrotreating the heavy gasoline to fuel product . hydrocarbon synthesis catalysts are well - known in the art from prior mtg processes . appropriate catalysts for r - 3 include , but are not limited to zsm - 5 . sapo - 34 and other mfi zeolites can also carry hydrocarbon synthesis . for diesel application , common catalysts in oligomerization are zeolite and phosphoric acid mixture of silicate although the spa ( solid phosphoric acid ) type of catalyst shows certain problems in operation . the hydrotreating catalysts that have been found to selectively accomplish this task are certain larger pore zeolites and group ix or x metal oxide ( e . g . nickel oxide ) catalyst on alumina reduced in the presence of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the absence of sulfur . in certain embodiment the catalyst can be group ix or x metal oxide ( e . g . cobalt oxide ) catalyst combined with a group vi metal oxide ( molybdenum oxide ) catalyst on alumina reduced in the presence of hydrogen and carbon monoxide and in the absence of sulfur . a specific example of the catalyst include unsulfided cobalt molybdate on alumina or atomic nickel on alumina , the reduction , if any , being carried out in the presence of synthesis gas . sulfiding the catalyst surface is not necessary but catalytic reduction using either a h 2 flow or a mixture of h 2 and co under operating temperature is desirable . temperature of the fourth stage ranges from 120 to 230 ° c . ( 248 to 446 ° f .) depending on the catalyst used , with the preferred temperature being about 150 - 180 ° c . ( 302 to 356 ° f .). these temperatures are surprisingly lower than 232 to 427 ° c . ( 450 to 800 ° f .) disclosed by garwood ( u . s . pat . no . 4 , 304 , 951 ) for treating a 200 - 400 ° f . bottoms fraction . we ascribe this valuable difference in temperature and the more desirable product mix to treating the whole product from the fuel forming step in the presence of synthesis gas instead of a bottoms fraction with principally hydrogen . we also ascribe this surprising result to using unsulfided catalysts , unlike garwood that teaches by example that mixed oxide catalysts need to be sulfided . han et al . ( u . s . pat . no . 4 . 973 , 784 ) teaches the use of zeolites for treating the durene containing product in the presence of substantial partial pressure of hydrogen producing undesirable benzene . our novel process does not produce benzene . still in another variation , chester et al . ( u . s . pat . no . 4 , 387 , 261 ) propose treating the entire product from the fuel forming stage , but preferably a heavy fraction thereof , using zsm - 12 , preferably impregnated with platinum , an expensive metal , at elevated temperatures and pressures to dealkylate durene to form xylene , toluene , benzene and undesirable light gases such as c 2 and c 3 hydrocarbon . the present process is clearly superior in that it does not produce light gases in the treating stage ( stage 4 ). still in another example , dwyer et al . ( u . s . pat . no . 4 , 347 , 397 ), showed that treating the whole or bottoms product from the fuel producing stage with zeolites principally isomerizes the durene to other tetramethylbenzenes , thereby , producing less desirable heavy product than the present process . preferably , the third reactor 3 contains zsm - 5 as the hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst and a zeolite catalyst , preferably y - zeolite , as the hydrotreating catalyst . the zeolite catalyst is used as a hydrotreating catalyst , in that it acts to reduces durene and other heavy gasoline components in the mixture through disproportionation , isomerization , and transalkylation across benzene molecules . the hydrocarbon synthesis reaction that occurs in r - 3 results in a mixture principally comprised of fuel product ( c4 - c8 hydrocarbons , toluene , and xylene ), heavy gasoline (& gt ; c8 aromatics ), water , and unreacted synthesis gas . the heavy gasoline and highly substituted aromatics in this mixture react in the presence of the zeolite - based catalyst , preferably y - zeolite , in r - 3 to produce the preferred high octane rated end - products , such as c4 - c8 hydrocarbons , toluenes , and xylenes . the catalyst bed is a mixture of zsm - 5 and zeolite at levels that are optimized based on operation parameters such as the recycling rate in the system and the environmental temperature in the reactor 3 . the synergy between the zsm - 5 hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst and the zeolite hydrotreatment catalyst in the reactor 3 results from the formation of certain intermediates generated by the zeolite catalyst that serve as co - feeding components promoting performance cycles of hydrocarbon pools . thus , the hydrotreatment portion feeds hack positively to the hydrocarbon synthesis , improving reaction efficiency . the product from the third reactor 3 contains essentially fuel product with low heavy gasoline content , water , and unreacted synthesis gas , which pass via conduit 12 to separator 4 . preferably , the fuel product coming out of the fourth reactor has a freezing point of less than about − 5 ° c ., preferably about − 15 to about − 20 ° c . conduit 12 is the start of a preferred grand - loop gas recycling that further enhances the carbon utilization in the system . the separator 4 separates the flow 12 into three streams : ( a ) conduit 21 carries out essentially water with some impurities for clean and reuse to make steam for the synthesis gas generating step not shown in the diagram ; ( h ) conduit 19 carries out essentially fuel product that can be commercially marketed after addition of proper additives as required by commerce ; and ( c ) conduit 13 carrying essentially light gases ( including light paraffins below c4 ) and unreacted synthesis gas . the flow in conduit 13 is split into two streams : ( a ) flow through conduit 20 directed to further processing to recover liquid petroleum gas (“ lpg ”) and excess gas for use as fuel for process heating needs ; and ( b ) flow through conduit 14 is directed to a recycle compressor 5 . the recycle compressor steps up the pressure of the recycle gas from losses through flow from conduit 17 to conduit 15 to match the inlet pressure of r - 1 so that it can be mixed with the synthesis gas feed stream from conduit 16 . the flow in conduits 14 and 15 is the greater part of the flow from conduit 13 , being about 3 to 10 times larger than the flow in conduit 16 , preferably 5 times larger . during gas recycling in the system , the high - pressure vent after the back pressure regulator can be directed and fed into the reformer to recover certain vented species and convert them into useful syngas components . a grand - loop configuration in the recycler system , if connecting the high - pressure vent stream back to the reformer under a lower pressure condition from the system will assist in the production of greater yields of fuel from a set amount of synthesis gas . this recycling thus provides a further enhancement to the overall synfuel yield by preserving the carbon source within the system . reactors r - 1 through r - 3 are preferably fixed bed reactors containing catalysts for effecting the desired reaction in each of the reactors . due to the exothermic nature of the reactions occurring in each stage , the reactors stages maybe sectioned with intermediate heat transfer to remove excess heat or the temperatures may be controlled via “ cold - shot ” side streams of cooled recycle gas for each stage or a combination of these two methods of temperature control may be used . fig2 and 3 show examples of these renditions , which are familiar to those skilled in the art . these examples do not limit the variations possible in the detailed design of this process . in general , reactor size and operation conditions for r - 1 are targeted to high co / co 2 conversion for methanol synthesis at approximately 250 - 270 ° c . at about 50 - 100 atm . under the same isobaric pressure , r - 2 is operated with a temperature condition of about 250 ˜ 350 ° c . r - 3 is operated in a temperature range between 300 - 400 ° c . at about 50 - 100 atm . due to the tendency of hydrocarbon cracking and catalyst degradation issues such as coke formation , the high temperature of r 3 ( t & gt ; 400 ° c .) should be avoided . fig2 depicts a schematic of a further embodiment of the present process where the first reactor 1 contains three inter - cooled reactors ( 1 a , 1 b , and 1 c ) with heat exchangers ( 21 a , 21 b , and 21 c ) cooling the outlets of each of the reactors ( 1 a , 1 b , or l c ), respectively . additionally , heat exchanger 22 is used to moderate the temperature of the exit flow of the second reactor 2 . an extra heat exchanger 23 is mounted between the third reactor 3 and the gas - liquid separator 4 , to cool the outlet from the third reactor 3 . the output from gas - liquid separator 4 is further divided into two parts : ( 1 ) the unreacted gas stream which will be fed into a control valve 40 to further separate into the recycled and the bleeding gas ; and ( 2 ) the condensed liquid stream which can be fed into a fuel - water separator . due to the difference in density between water and synfuel , the water accumulates at the bottom of the separator and can be drained out periodically , fig3 is a schematic of a further embodiment of the present process wherein the synthesis gas feed is introduced into the loop ahead of the third reactor 3 ( r - 3 ). synthesis gas enters the process through conduit 18 at low pressure and is compressed by a compressor 6 to match the pressure of the flow passing out of the second reactor 2 ( r - 2 ) in conduit 11 . the compressed synthesis gas in conduit 16 is mixed into the flow in conduit 11 to produce the flow in conduit 9 which is led into r - 3 . the flow in conduit 11 is the product from the second reactor 2 ( r - 2 ), which contains essentially methanol , dimethylether , water , and unreacted synthesis gas . r - 3 converts the synthesis gas and olefins and other hydrocarbon contaminants in the synthesis gas feed passing in conduit 9 to a product which is essentially fuel product with low durene content , water , and unreacted synthesis gas , which then passes via conduit 12 to the separator 4 . the separator 4 separates the flow 12 into three streams : ( a ) conduit 21 carries essentially water with some impurities for reuse , such as to make steam for the synthesis gas generating step not shown in the diagram ; ( b ) conduit 19 carries essentially a fuel product which can be sold on the market after proper additives are added as required by commerce ; and ( c ) conduit 13 carries essentially light gases and unreacted synthesis gas . the flow in conduit 13 is split into two streams with ( a ) flow through conduit 20 directed to further processing to recover lpg and excess gas for use as fuel for process heating needs ; and ( b ) flow through conduit 14 directed to a recycle compressor 5 . the recycle compressor steps up the pressure of the recycle gas from losses through flow from conduit 14 to conduit 15 to match the inlet pressure of r - 3 . the flow in conduits 14 and 15 is the greater part of the flow from conduit 13 , being about 3 to 10 times larger than the flow in conduit 16 , preferably 5 times or larger . in fig3 , the feed synthesis gas is introduced and mixed into the recycle loop in the line between r - 2 and r - 3 instead of in the line to r - 1 , as shown in fig1 . the principal advantage of this alternative over introducing the feed synthesis into r - 1 is obtained in the case in which the synthesis gas contains alkane and / or olefin hydrocarbons molecules with two or more carbon atoms and / or larger cyclic and aromatic molecules . although some olefin species may be in trace amounts , the catalysts residing in r - 3 and r - 4 convert the olefins directly into fuel product thus increasing the yield , prior to the reactions in r - 1 and r - 2 . an additional advantage is that if this type of feed were to be fed into r - 1 , it would have to be first purified by a process , such as for example , extraction or steam reforming , to render the feed devoid of potential catalyst poisons for the r 1 catalyst , such as olefins and aromatic molecules . in effect , in this rendition of the invention , third reactor 3 ( r - 3 ) acts as a purifier of the fresh feed synthesis gas for r - 1 , as it receives synthesis gas via the recycle loop . in another embodiment , as depicted in fig4 a and 4b , a reformer 40 can be added upstream of the first reactor ( r - 1 ) 1 . that reformer 40 is a catalytic reactor that converts methane to synthesis gas , which is well known in the art . the synthesis gas from the reformer can then be fed into r - 1 through conduit 42 . in that configuration , it may be advantageous to recycle the outlet of r - 3 to the reformer 40 . in certain embodiments , the outlet of r - 3 may be recycled to the reformer 40 and r - 1 at the same time ( fig4 b ). without further description , it is believed that one of ordinary skill in the art can , using the preceding description and the following illustrative examples , make and use the present invention and practice the claimed methods . the following examples are given to illustrate the present invention . it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific conditions or details described in these examples . in the foregoing and other contemplated embodiments of the invention disclosed , the merging of the hydrocarbon synthesis and hydrotreatment reactions into a single combined process is the seminal accomplishment . this inventive leap required extensive research to determine how to accommodate presence of undesired carbon monoxide in the hydrotreatment phase of the process . the major function for the hydrotreating catalyst , zeolite , is to reduce durene and other heavy gasoline components through disproportionation , isomerization and transalkylation . all of these processes require hydrogenation of the target molecules and proper positioning of adjacent reactive molecules . under normal hydrogenation , all methyl - substituted aromatics follow a general trend of tetramethylbenzenes & lt ; trimethylbenzenes & lt ; xylenes & lt ; toluene , where the lower methyl - substituted aromatics exhibit easier hydrogenation capability than the higher methyl - substituted aromatics . however , in the presence of carbon monoxide . the surface of the hydrotreatment catalyst , responsible for positioning the target heavy gasoline molecules for hydrogenation , is contaminated , preventing effective catalysis . in reaching this determination , the zeolite catalyst eventually adopted for use in the invention was compared to an amorphous silica - alumina catalyst because it ordered structure . the results of the study are provided below and serve to demonstrate the greater efficacy of the y - zeolite catalyst in transalkylation of non - preferred , highly substituted aromatics , particularly in conjunction with a hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst like zsm - 5 , several zeolite samples have been evaluated for transalkylation function . a comparison between 10 - and 12 - member ring samples was examined . samples of y - zeolite with a range of si / al ratios from 10 to 40 were selected and compared to mfi zsm - 5 in order to demonstrate the pore - size effect on transalkylation . laboratory microreactor experiments with two reactors in series were conducted to evaluate the selection of hydrotreatment catalysts . a reference solution of a mixture ( either 15 : 85 or 20 : 80 for durene and toluene in weight percentage ) was continuously injected into the first reactor heated at the desirable temperature where the reference solution was fully vaporized . the vapor was then carried into the second reactor containing 2 g of zeolite - based catalyst preheated at the desirable temperature . the feed rate of the reference sample was 5 g / hr and the carrier gas of 1 - 12 was adjusted at about 60 - 100 sccm . after reaction , the fluid products were separated with a condenser located at the outlet of the second reactor but before a back - pressure regulator . the system pressure was maintained around 50 bar . the gas stream was analyzed by gc and the fluid product collected from the condenser was analyzed by ir and gc - ms . for hydrocarbon synthesis / hydrotreatment combination reaction to be successful , the operation temperatures for the hydrotreating catalyst need to match the temperature for hydrocarbon synthesis . intensity changes of ir bands in xylene ( 484 and 796 cm − 1 ), tmb ( 538 and 807 cm − 1 ) and durene ( 867 cm − ) can be quantified with the increase of transalkylation temperature . the results are shown in fig5 , the top row for y - zeolite and the bottom row for h : zsm - 5 . the decreases of durene and toluene bands suggest reduction of these two compounds . the buildups of xylene and trimethylbenzenes suggest the transalkylation from toluene / durene to xylene / tmb . for y - zeolite , the transalkylation starts around 300 ° c . which is lower than the starting temperature of 400 ° c . for h : zsm - 5 . under similar reaction temperature , y - zeolite is obviously more reactive in transalkylation , this result implies that y - zeolite is a better catalyst for transalkylation . similar trend was obtained with beta - zeolite . as shown in fig5 , the optimal operation temperature for the hydrotreating catalyst of y - zeolite is around 350 ° c ., which is essentially identical to the optimal temperature for most hydrocarbon synthesis catalysts . this characteristic makes y - zeolite an ideal catalytic agent to be used in conjunction with zsm - 5 . if h : zsm - 5 were to be used as hydrotreating catalyst , the optimal temperature for the reaction would need to exceed 450 ° c ., far too high for effective synfuel generation . the high temperature trend for h : zsm - 5 can be seen in the increase of xylene and tmb bands . these bands continuously grow as the temperature becomes larger than 400 ° c . such a result implies that h : zsm - 5 may not be a good candidate to act as a bifunctional catalyst . moreover , as the reactor temperature is increased , the chance for cracking chemistry is enhanced and the amounts of side products will be increased accordingly . this eventuality is due to the acidic sites of zeolite samples when si / al ratio is low . when light alkanes are present , carbonaceous deposit begin to appear in addition to the accumulation of ch 4 and c 2 h 6 in gas streams . in practice , the temperature needs to be maintained below 400 ° c . to avoid cracking . this result strongly suggests that a mixture of h : zsm - 5 and y - zeolite is a possibility for the combination of gasoline synthesis and hydrotreatment under the same temperature and pressure . as long as the synfuel hydrocarbons continue to be generated , the heavy durenes and highly substituted aromatics will be converted into lower methyl - substituted aromatics . such a conversion not only improves the viscometric properties of the synfuel but also preserves the components of the fuel known to possess high octane ratings . in order to push molecules together , as required in the transalkylation hydrotreatment of non - preferred hydrocarbon products , shape - selective catalysts like zeolite are normally needed . the pores within the zeolite structure allow two aromatic molecules to be squeezed through so that a close intermolecular distance may be reached for the desirable interaction . as shown above , the configuration of crystalline zeolite proves superior to the amorphous silica - alumina catalyst . y - zeolite is the preferred zeolite catalyst for the presently claimed invention because it has slightly larger pores , allowing for more facile intermolecular interactions between transalkylated molecules . further , the larger pores of the y - zeolite allow for easier acceptance of non - preferred products that result from the hydrocarbon synthesis portion of the process , resulting in a synergistic effect on syngas - to - synfuel conversion . this synergy between the hydrocarbon synthesizing catalyst , zsm - 5 , and the hydrotreatment catalyst , y - zeolite , is demonstrated by the following study , demonstrated by a higher proportional yield of preferred end - products . a set of microreactor experiment was conducted to evaluate the right combination for gasoline synthesis and hydrotreatment catalysts . the microreactor setup is similar to the one in example 1 containing two reactors in series . a fixed amount of methanol was directly injected into the first reactor containing γ - alumina so that a conversion of methanol into dimethylether could be achieved . the product from the first reactor was then fed into the second reactor containing two different zeolite catalysts for gasoline generation and transalkylation . these two catalysts could be separated as two layers or mixed as one single phase . the first catalyst ( catalyst a ) was a typical hydrocarbon generation catalyst such as zsm - 5 . the second catalyst ( catalyst b ) was a larger pore size zeolite sample which would carry transalkylation function of the product from catalyst a with diffusivity benefit ( allowing reactants and products to diffuse in and out of the pore easily with short space time ). after the reaction , the fluid product was condensed and separated using a condenser controlled by a back pressure regulator . the liquid samples were analyzed by ir and gc - ms . the gas samples were analyzed by on - line gc equipped with tcd and fid detectors , fig6 shows typical results for gc - ms data of fuel samples under configuration with either catalyst a ( h : zsm - 5 ) alone or a combination of catalysts a ( h : zsm - 5 ) and b ( y - zeolite ) together . the sample was collected as a time sequence of the reaction and the reaction was carried almost 7 hours under a microreactor . the early time means the first period of 0 - 100 minutes while the middle and final periods indicate the 100 - 200 minutes and 300 - 400 minutes . in the case with catalyst a alone , all aromatics follow a general trend of durene & gt ; tmbs ˜ xylenes & gt ; toluene , this distribution is normal using zeolite for hydrocarbon synthesis . variations with time period among individual components such as toluene , xylenes , trimethylbenzenes ( tmb ) and tetramethylbenzenes ( durene and isodurene ) are not significant . durene is the most abundant part among all aromatics . this result suggests zsm - 5 favors the formation of highly methyl - substituted aromatics under this condition . when both catalysts a and b are combined , the distribution pattern is changed . the variation with time is significantly increased from the early time to the middle time periods . all components decrease in intensity with time and the distribution among aromatics seems to center around tmb . both durene and toluene drop their intensities more than 50 % from their original values . it means durene is converted into tmb / xylenes and some toluene is converted into xylenes . the overall percentage production of aromatics trends lower with the addition of catalyst b . the total weight percentage of all aromatics drops from 44 % in the case of catalyst a to 36 % in the case of ( a + b ). the reason for aromatic loss comes from additional hydrotreating pathways following certain ring opening mechanism . the ring opening mechanism can be seen in fig7 . the overall amount of the paraffinic portion of end - product increases from the use of catalyst a alone to the a combination of catalysts ( a + b ), particularly for the bands in c4 , c5 and c6 . a decreasing trend is observed for c7 and cyclics . this result implies that certain cyclic rings must form aromatics and certain c7 must form light paraffins . fig6 and 7 demonstrate that the use of a hydrotreatment process in conjunction with hydrocarbon synthesis is beneficial in converting some heavy methyl - substituted aromatics into lighter ones that will improve the viscometric properties of the synfuel , giving it a higher octane rating and increasing its commercially viability . the synergy between a hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst ( e . g . zsm - 5 ) and a hydrotreatment catayst ( e . g . y - zeolite ) can be demonstrated by showing an increase in the yield of preferred hydrocarbon end - products , as shown above , because the reaction rate equilibirum has preferentially shifted towards the production of these preferred end - products . the following experiment uses the molar fraction of gas stream composition to demonstrate a more complete reaction of methanol and dme when a combination of hydrocarbon synthesis and hydrotreatment catalysts are utilized . in example 2 , we have demonstrated the difference between the following two cases , ( catalyst a ) vs . ( catalyst a + catalyst b ). it demonstrates that the use of two catalysts in series shows a higher yield of the preferred end - products . in this experiment catalyst a is h : zsm - 5 , while catalyst b is y - zeolite . after the verification of the transalkylation function of r 4 , we need to eveluate the synergy for a combination of zsm - 5 catalyst and y - zeolite catalyst in mtg chemisty . when catalyst b is mixed with catalyst a , certain intermediates generated during transalkylation process can react or participate with hydrocarbon synthesis mechanism from methanol or dme and promote the hydrocarbon formation reaction . the gas phase products of a reaction catalyzed by a ( zsm - 5 ) and the combination case of ( catalyst a + catalyst b ) can be easily monitored by gc . in this example , a single reactor , which merges the hydrocarbon synthesis and hydrotreatment steps , is examined . the present inventive process is claimed in part because this experiment demonstrates that a process , using the combined catalysts in a single reactor ( the mixed case ), is able to produce commercially viable fuel products at the same or greater yields than previously designed schemes ( the separated case ). according to the experimental parameters , two reactions were set up . the first reaction combined the zsm - 5 catalyst with an equal amount of y - zeolite , seeking to embody the presently claimed invention . the second reaction mimicked the prior art , utilizing separate , discrete hydrocarbon synthesis and hydrotreatment steps . further , this mixed case experiment evinces the synergistic effect of zsm - 5 and y - zeolite on the production of preferred hydrocarbon end - products . the synergy is evaluated by a reaction comparison between the mixed and the separated cases . the experimental setup was shown in fig8 where two micro - reactors were performed in series . equal amounts of catalyst a and catalyst b were loaded in individual reactors ( r 3 and r 4 ) under the separated case while the same amounts of both catalysts were mixed uniformly and loaded in r 3 under the mixed case . a fixed rate of liquid methanol ( 0 . 0565 ml / min ) was continuously injected into r 3 mixed with a fixed amount of carrier gas ( h 2 and n 2 tracer ). the gc data collected from different outlets reflect the gas composition in different locations . three gc samples were compared : ( 1 ) r3 - out from the separated case , ( 2 ) r 4 - out from the separated case and ( 3 ) r 3 - out from the mixed case . the difference between ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) reflects the chemistry the catalyst b has introduced into the system . the difference between ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) reflects the benefit derived from the combination of catalysts a and b . the retention scan of gc spectrum covers up to c10 ( such as durene ) and the quantitative unit is in micro - gram ( μg ). in order to simplify the analysis , we have grouped several alkanes and alkenes together , such as c 2 / c 3 for ethane / propane , c 2 =/ c 3 = for ethylene / propylene , c 4 / c 5 / c 6 for all normal and isomers of butane , pentane and hexane , and c 4 =/ c 5 =/ c 6 = for all normal and isomers of these alkenes . some grouped data are listed in table 1 . let us put more emphasis on the difference between ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) which reflects the synergy of the combination of catalysts a and b . it is clear that more total hydrocarbon is observed in the mixed case . however , the light hydrocarbons , such as all alkanes from c2 to c6 , are less than the corresponding amounts in the separated case . the increase of hydrocarbons is in the total aromatics . in addition , the durene content in ( 3 ) is significantly less than the content in ( 1 ) and the aromatic distribution follows the tranalkylation fashion grouping towards the center of xylenes and trimethylbenzenes ( similar to example 2 ). certain aromatic formation mechanism caused by some intermediates must compete in a more favored condition than the light paraffinic formation under the mixed case . the microreactor data demonstrates the existence of a synergistic relationship between catalysts a and b ( zsm - 5 and y - zeolite ). the synfuel yield from individual catalysts , either catalyst a or catalyst b , provides mediocre results in hydrocarbon formation . however , when they are combined , the yield is significantly enhanced and the final synfuel product contains relatively low durene . this pattern provides the clear implication that certain intermediate products derived from catalyst b contribute as co - feeding components promoting the cycles in hydrocarbon pools . when the catalyst amount is reduced under the catalyst a alone case , a substantial amount of methanol and dme remains in the gas stream , suggesting that use of a single catalyst is unsatisfactory to produce a sufficient quantity of commercially viable hydrocarbon end - product . when the combination catalyst a and b is used , most of the dme and methanol present is consumed . in this reaction , all light olefinic components such as c 2 =, c 3 =, c 4 = and c 5 = show much higher abundance values than in the case of a reaction with catalyst a only . the presence of these compounds makes it obvious that catalyst b must participate in a more mto ( methanol - to - olefin ) path in hydrocarbon synthesis and these olefinic intermediates assist in formation of final products . in a comparison of the hydrocarbon amounts produced by the respective reactions in table 1 , the reaction utilizing a combination of catalyst a and b produces hydrocarbons in a higher quantity than the reaction using only catalyst a . however , the increase in hydrocarbon production can also be attributed to the formation of certain cracking products from non - preferred hydrocarbons through hydrotreatment . the catalytic chemistry passing hydrocarbon through zeolite has been extensively studied by many groups . the conversion of low - octane hydrocarbons into high - octane components by flowing the low grade gasoline stream through zeolite catalyst has been termed as “ zeoforming ”. based on our current study on zeolite chemistry on hydrocarbons , hydrocracking plays a more important role than thermal - cracking under mild condition . in this study , a fixed rate of liquid methanol was injected into a series of two microreactors with h 2 as the carrier gas . the first microreactor contained just enough amount of zsm - 5 so that all meoh was consumed completely towards the end of the reactor . the second microreactor was used to probe additional chemistry of the hydrocarbons formed through the first microreactor passing through the second microreactor . as we compare the composition difference of samples before and after the second microreactor using gc , all groups of components ( including all paraffinic , naphthenic and aromatics decrease in intensities except the paraffinic portion from c 1 to c 5 . as we shut off the h 2 but use n 2 as the carrier gas , such decreasing trend begins to disappear . it suggests hydrocracking mechanism of all naphthenic and aromatic components into light alkanes . regardless , the current experiment demonstrates the synergistic additive effects of the y - zeolite catalyst are evident on the process . the inventors further experimented to determine why z - zeolite was the superior choice in combination with zsm - 5 as the hydrotreatment catalyst . this example tested the proposition that the slightly larger pores and the crystalline structure of y - zeolite made it preferable to other commercially available aluminasilicate catalysts . the experiment results , discussed below , suggest that the pore size in y - zeolite ( catalyst b ) is critical in determining the conversion efficiency of synfuel . to evince this point , the experiment utilized a non - shape - selective catalyst , amorphous aluminasilicate ( a - al — si ), with a si / al ratio ( 5 : 1 ) similar to the y - zeolite sample studied . by equalizing the si / al ratios of the catalysts , the only remaining variable was pore size . y - zeolite had larger pores than the competing amorphous catalyst . if transalkylation did not require shape selectivity , the data using a - al — si catalyst sample should have been equivalent or similar to the result using amorphous catalyst b . the gc - ms results using these two different catalysts , the shape selective vs . amorphous , evaluated at 380 ° c ., are shown in fig9 . according to fig9 a when a shape - selective catalyst is used , the synfuel composition is rich in c6 and c7 paraffins , which clear between about 10 and 15 minutes on the gc - ms results below . these paraffins translate to a high fuel yield . furthermore , the content of xylenes , clearing at between 15 and 20 minutes , is higher than the abundance of undesired durene , which clears the gc - ms at approximately 35 minutes , suggesting that transalkylation has occurred to redistribute all methyl - substituted benzenes . by contrast , when the amorphous catalyst is used , as shown in fig9 , the yield of paraffins observed in the gc - ms spectrum is negligible . moreover , there is much greater abundance of non - preferred products , tmb and durene , compared to preferred products , toluene and xylene . the experimental results implicate two competitive reactions initiated by the hydrotreatment catalysts in hydrocarbon formation . part of the reaction is responsible for synfuel generation ( k 1 ), and part of the reactivity results in cracking ( k 2 ) of hydrocarbons . the amorphous catalyst appears to competitively favor the k 2 reaction , evident in the non - existence of all useful paraffins when it is utilized . it is likely that this cracking reaction converts such paraffins into small fragments . however , when the shape - selective y - zeolite catalyst is used , the k 1 reaction is favored . consequently , the results demonstrate that , due to its larger pores , y - zeolite is the appropriate catalyst to use in conjunction with zsm - 5 , as described in the present invention . after the verification of the transalkylation function of r 4 , we need to eveluate the synergy for a combination of zsm - 5 catalyst and y - zeolite catalyst in mtg chemisty . a series of two microreactors similar to fig8 was used to evaluate the combination benefit with catalyst configuration under the separated and the mixed cases . in the first experiment with the separated case , r 1 and r 2 reactors were loaded with 7 . 6 g zsm - 5 and y - zeolite , respectively . 1140 sccm h 2 , 374 sccm n 2 , and 0 . 0565 ml / min pure methanol were used as feedstock . the feed composition was chosen based on conditions of our pilot run . the feed rate was determined by a complete methanol conversion in r 1 reactor in the first experiment . in other words , the methanol feed rate just matches the hydrocarbon synthesis rate and any additional amount will cause methanol slip in r 1 outlet . both reactors were maintained at 300 ° c . and 30 bar . in the second experiment under the mixed case , the discharged zsm - 5 and y zeolite from experiment 1 were mixed uniformly into r 1 reactor , and reaction conditions were maintained the same as used in experiment 1 . online gc samples from r 1 outlet and r 2 outlet were taken in experiment 1 , while gc samples from only r 1 outlet were taken in experiment 2 ( as shown in fig1 ). the liquid fuel was collected from a condenser coupled with a chiller after r 2 and the composition was analyzed by pona . though pona analysis shows hydrocarbons presence with a rentention time longer than durene &# 39 ; s , the element balance for c / h / o / n is very close to the hydrocarbon analysis up to durene elution ( table 2 ). based on online gc analysis in gas stream , the aromatics of r 1 - out under the separated case show an increasing trend from c 7 - c 10 ( toluene to durene ) which is consistent with our early results in fig6 a . when r 2 is used under the consecutive fashion , c 10 ( including durene ) drops in amount while toluene and xylenes begin to increase suggesting transalkylation function of y - zeolite in r 2 . when zsm - 5 is mixed with y zoelite in the mixed case , c 9 and c 10 increase while c 7 and c 8 decrease , suggesting the aromatic hydrocarbons with carbon numbers larger than 10 undergo transalkylation with c 7 and c 8 . such transalkylation among different carbon species can be treated as a synergy between the zsm - 5 and the larger pore y - zeolite . the carbon size distribution of light ( iso ) paraffin gases in c 2 - c 4 is also shown in fig1 . under the mixing case , all light paraffins are much less the amounts than the separated case resulting in a higher fuel yield obtained in the mixed approach from the pilot reactor tests . fig1 shows the carbon size distribution of the liquid sample analyzed by pona . it is clearly seen that the amounts of c 7 / c 8 and hydrocarbons larger than c 10 are decreasing ( except c 12 ) while c 9 and c 10 are increasing , suggesting a synergy between zsm - 5 and y zeolite . the synergy favors the truncation of high carbon size molecules ( higher than c 12 ) and enhancement of gasoline size components ( such as c 9 and c 10 ). the combination benefit between zsm - 5 and larger pore size y - zeolite was also verified in our pilot unit . in this case , 0 . 5 kg of zsm - 5 was mixed with 0 . 5 kg of y - zeolite . the reaction was initiated and run at 750 psi with 5 : 1 recycle rate . the first , second , and third reactor temperatures were set at the following : t 1 at 265 ° c ., t 2 at 290 ° c ., and t 3 varying between 300 and 330 ° c . to embody the prior art ( fang et al . ), 0 . 8 kg of zsm - 5 was placed in a separated third reactor , and 0 . 8 kg y - zeolite in the fourth hydrotreatment reactor . as shown in table 3 fuel conversion is a direct function of the feed rate of synthesis gas . at a faster feed rate of 2 kg / hr , the conversion is about 25 %. at a slower feed rate of 1 kg / hr , the conversion is increased to 30 %. a lower feed rate of synthesis gas allows for greater , more complete formation of methanol . the completeness of the methanol reaction can be easily evaluated by the oxygen conversion . the oxygen conversion is calculated by the ratio between the weight fraction of [ o ] from water output and the [ o ]- weight from co input . table 3 lists the comparison of data between the separated ( with 0 . 8 kg catalyst each ) and the combined ( with 0 . 5 kg catalyst each ) configuration of the reaction , an embodiment of the present invention . table 3 demonstrates that the combination of synthesis and hydrotreatment in a single reactor is highly beneficial to synfuel generation because : ( 1 ) the fuel conversion and methanol conversion rates increase at both lower and higher feed rates ; and ( 2 ) less of both catalysts is required to achieve superior results . in the reaction representing an embodiment of the present invention , the catalyst amount is reduced by almost half , yet the conversion coefficient is marked better than that found when gasoline synthesis and hydrotreatment are separated into two consecutive reactors . the benefits in a combination of the hydrocarbon synthesis and hydrotreatment reactions originate from the synergy between zsm - 5 and y - zeolite , demonstrated in experimentation disclosed above . the propagation of hydrocarbon products derived from zeolite in mtg process can be categorized as olefinic and aromatic cycles . if the concentration of certain intermediate is purposely increased as co - feeding components , the pathway of certain cycle will be promoted . the methane concentration [ c1 ] in gas stream also does not change , as expected if the catalysts lacked a synergistic relationship . the cracking chemistry , caused by the circulated light components , based on acidic sites of y - zeolite , must therefore be rate - limited by the amount of lsm - 5 . this result explains why 50 % of the original catalyst amount may be sufficient ( or equilibrium controlled ) to generate sufficient methanol for the reaction process . methanol generation must thus be controlled by methanation or cracking chemistry of certain remaining gas in the gas stream . further . table 3 shows that the durene level does not change significantly when zsm - 5 and y - zeolite are used in combination . this result suggests that even an almost 50 % reduction in zsm - 5 and y - zeolite catalysts allows for equally effective transalkylation . the lack of detrimental effect on transalkylation implies that synergy must exist between the catalysts . if this were not the case , a 50 % reduction in catalyst would reduce active sites proportionally , and cause a corresponding increase in durene levels . since there is no such 1 : 1 relationship , transalkylation by y - zeolite is likely to be rate - limited in a different manner , by other catalyst properties such as the diffusivity inside the pores . although certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically described herein , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the various embodiments shown and described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is intended that the invention be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of law .	2
preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings . the heat exchanger shown in fig1 has a plurality of tubular elements including first tubular elements 1a and second tubular elements 1b . fins 2 are stacked between the tubular elements . inlet / outlet units 3 , 3 protrude from the tubular elements 1b , 1b . rings 4 , 4 are disposed on inlet / outlet units 3 , 3 . inlet / outlet pipes 5 , 5 are inserted into and secured to the inlet / outlet units 3 , 3 . the first tubular elements 1a and second tubular elements 1b have rectangular interior sectional shapes and are formed of first , second , and third molded plates 10a , 10b , 10b &# 39 ; which are described below , so as to create the interior spaces of the tubular elements . first tubular elements 1a are each formed by joining two plates , namely first molded plates 10a and 10b by butt fusion . second tubular elements 1b are each formed of second and third molded plates 10b and 10b &# 39 ;. the first , second , and third molded plates 10a , 10b , 10b &# 39 ; are made of , e . g . aluminum or aluminum alloy , are formed by a press , and are approximately 0 . 6 mm thick . they have protrusions 11 , 12 for forming tanks at first longitudinal ends thereof , they define strips 13 extending from between protrusions 11 , 12 toward the other longitudinal ends of the plates , and they have passage - forming protrusions 14 forming nearly u - shaped passages around strips 13 . the passage - forming protrusions 14 are connected to the tank - forming protrusions 11 and 12 . on the second ends of the first , second , and third molded plates 10a , 10b , 10b &# 39 ; are contact portions 15 bent outwardly from main bodies of the plates to regulate the distance between the main bodies of the tubular elements . in addition , soldering seams 16 are located at the fringes of the first , second , and third molded plates 10a , 10b , 10b &# 39 ;. barrel - shaped elements , each formed of parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; of the molded plates , protrude from and are connected to the sides of tank - forming protrusions 11 , 12 of the second and third molded plates 10b , 10b &# 39 ; constituting a second tubular element 1b . when second and third molded plates 10b , 10b &# 39 ; are joined by butt fusion parts 17 17 &# 39 ; of the barrel - shaped elements are also joined by butt fusion , to form an inlet / outlet unit 3 . the second molded plate 10b and the third molded plate 10b &# 39 ; have shapes symmetrical to each other , so that the part 17 of the barrel - shaped element of the second molded plate 10b and the part 17 &# 39 ; of the same barrel - shaped element of the third molded plate 10b &# 39 ; will face each other when joined together to form an inlet / outlet unit 3 . pairs of tanks 18 , 19 are made up of sets of the tank - forming protrusions 11 , 12 , respectively , and the passage - forming protrusions 14 constitute a nearly u - shaped heat - exchanging medium passage 22 . thus , the tanks 18 are connected to the tank 19 via heat - exchanging medium passages 22 . two of the second tubular elements 1b are disposed at designated positions . the tanks 18 or 19 which are in contact with each other are also open to each other by means of tank through - holes 20 , 21 in the tank - forming protrusions 11 , 12 . the tank 18 of the tubular element , which is located in the middle of the stack of elements 1b , is closed to divide the stack into a right bloc and left bloc . more specifically , in the heat exchanger of the present invention , the heat - exchanging medium flows from the inlet / outlet pipe 5 in the left bloc in the figure into the tanks 18 of the left bloc . from these tanks 18 , the heat - exchanging medium flows into the heat - exchanging medium passage 22 in each of the tubular elements 1a , 1b of the left bloc and to the group of tanks 19 . after the heat - exchanging medium has flowed throughout these tanks , it flows into the heat - exchanging medium passage 22 in each of the tubular elements 1a , 1b of the right bloc , and is accumulated in the tanks 18 of the right bloc from where it drains from the heat exchanger through the other inlet / outlet pipe 5 . thus , what is called a &# 34 ; four pass - flow pattern &# 34 ; is formed . fig2 and fig3 show the detailed structures of inlet / outlet unit 3 and its surroundings . the inlet / outlet unit 3 protrudes from one side of a tank 18 . as mentioned above , the unit 3 is formed by joining the parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; of the barrel - shaped element of the first and second molded plates 10b , 10b &# 39 ;. an inserting unit 5a of an inlet / outlet pipe 5 is inserted into a circular opening of an insertion hole 25 of the inlet / outlet unit 3 . the seam 16 along which soldering is performed to join the parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; of the barrel - shaped element is located outwardly of the unit 3 . the seam 16 is spaced by a specific distance from the end of the unit 3 , and a ring 4 is placed on the inlet / outlet unit 3 at the end thereof that is free of the seam 16 . the ring 4 is made of , e . g . a bare material , such as aluminum , or a blazing sheet , and has a thickness of 1 - 2 mm . the ring is positioned by being brought into contact with the front end of the fringes defining the soldering seam 16 . in the process of constructing this heat exchanger , the first and the second tubular elements 1a , 1b are stacked with the fins interposed between them , and with the second tubular elements 1b , 1b being located at designated positions . after the stack is pressed by a certain amount of pressure exerted in the direction in which the elements 1a , 1b are stacked , the rings 4 are placed on the inlet / outlet units 3 . subsequently , the stack is compressed to a certain degree in the direction in which the elements are stacked , and a crank is placed over the stack surrounding the tubular elements to maintain the stack under this condition . then , the stack is soldered in a furnace . accordingly , the rings 4 are soldered to the front ends of inlet / outlet units 3 . upon completion of the soldering in the furnace , the inlet / outlet pipes 5 are attached . in attaching the inlet / outlet pipes 5 , the inlet / outlet pipes 5 are first inserted in the inlet / outlet units 3 , and the inlet / outlet pipes 5 and inlet / outlet units 3 are soldered by torch blazing . when an inlet / outlet pipe 5 is inserted in an inlet / outlet unit 3 on which a ring 4 is mounted , the inlet / outlet unit 3 receives a force from the inlet / outlet pipe 5 tending to expand the unit outwardly . however , because of the ring 4 , the inlet / outlet unit 3 remains circular without being deformed , and there is no gap created between the inlet / outlet unit 3 and the inlet / outlet pipe 5 . accordingly , when the torch blazing is conducted under this condition , the inlet / outlet unit 3 and inlet / outlet pipe 5 are soldered without a gap being left between them . as a result , no fluid will leak between the inlet / outlet unit 3 and the inlet / outlet pipe 5 , whereby the present invention is highly reliable . when the inlet / outlet pipe 5 is soldered to the inlet / outlet unit 3 by torch blazing , heat as high as about 600 degrees is locally applied to the inlet / outlet unit 3 , but the heat is absorbed by the ring 4 so that the inlet / outlet unit 3 will not melt when the inlet / outlet pipe 5 is soldered . in addition , when the torch blazing is conducted , the ring 4 functions to prevent the flame from flaring up to prevent accidentally melting the tank 18 . when the inlet / outlet pipe 5 is soldered by torch blazing , as shown in fig3 the solder flows in between the inlet / outlet pipe 5 and the inlet / outlet unit 3 , and between the ring 4 and inlet / outlet unit 3 as well , so even if the soldering of the ring 4 is incomplete after the soldering is carried out in the furnace , it can be completed by the process of torch blazing . therefore , the possibility of the ring 4 being defectively soldered is low , whereby it is ensured that the ring will impart rigidity to the inlet / outlet unit 3 . accordingly , it is not necessary to question the quality of the soldering of the ring 4 , and as mentioned earlier , the ring 4 can be made of a bare material or a blazing sheet . further embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig4 through fig1 . the same reference numbers are employed for the same components in fig1 and a detailed description of like components will be omitted . in the preferred embodiment of fig4 through fig6 horizontal protrusions 7 are formed on the sides of the barrel - shaped element by making indentations in the bowl - shaped parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; forming the barrel - shaped element . these protrusions 7 are located at diametrically opposite positions on the sides of the inlet / outlet unit 3 , when the second and third molded plates 10b , 10b &# 39 ; have been joined by butt fusion to join the bowl - shaped parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; and form the second tubular element 1b . in fig5 two protrusions 7 are shown but the present invention is not limited to two protrusions for each barrel - shaped element . when the inlet / outlet pipe 5 is mounted to the inlet / outlet unit 3 , the inlet / outlet pipe 5 is directly inserted into the inlet / outlet unit 3 until it contacts the protrusions 7 , whereupon the inlet / outlet pipe 5 and inlet / outlet unit 3 are secured to each other by torch blazing or argon soldering . accordingly , the spacer 6 soldered to the inlet / outlet unit 3 in the furnace shown in fig1 and fig1 is unnecessary . because the inlet / outlet pipe 5 has only to be inserted in the inlet / outlet unit 3 until it reaches the protrusions 7 , it is easy to judge how far the inlet / outlet pipe 5 should be inserted , and to position the pipe . further , because the wall of the inlet / outlet unit 3 is partially indented , the rigidity of the inlet / outlet unit 3 is enhanced , i . e . the inlet / outlet unit is reinforced . in the preferred embodiment of fig7 fringes extending radially outwardly from the inlet / outlet unit 3 , and defining the soldering seams 16 therebetween , have been cut off from an area at the end of the inlet / outlet unit 3 so that the ring 4 can be put on the inlet / outlet unit 3 . therefore , even though the inlet / outlet unit 3 receives a force from the inlet / outlet pipe 5 inserted in the inlet / outlet unit 3 , that tends to expand the inlet / outlet unit 3 outwardly , the ring 4 in addition to the protrusions 7 prevents the deformation of inlet / outlet unit 3 . therefore , the circular form of the inlet / outlet unit 3 will be preserved ensuring an airtight sealing between the inlet / outlet pipe 5 and the inlet / outlet unit 3 . in the preferred embodiment of fig8 the fringes defining soldering seam 16 are spaced from the end of the inlet / outlet unit 3 by a distance equal to that at which the protrusions 7 are so spaced such that the inlet / outlet pipe 5 &# 39 ; can be mounted over the barrel - shaped element in contact with the protrusions 7 &# 39 ;. more specifically , the protrusions 7 &# 39 ; of the barrel - shaped element are formed by expanding side walls of the parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; of the barrel - shaped element outwardly . this constitution also contributes to reinforcing ( imparting rigidity to ) the inlet / outlet unit 3 and to reducing the manufacturing cost of the heat exchanger . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig9 through fig1 , fringes of the plates 10b , 10b &# 39 ; defining the soldering seam 16 on the inlet / outlet unit 3 are cut and removed from the end of the inlet / outlet unit 3 over a distance corresponding to the axial length ( l ) of the ring 4 . the front ends of the fringes are tapered at 16a with the length of the fringes as taken from the surfaces of the barrel - shaped element becoming shorter toward the end of the barrel - shaped element . the length of each of the fringes ( radial dimension ) at the end thereof is equal to or less than the thickness of the ring 4 in its radial direction . the parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; of the barrel - shaped element have protrusions 23 which have been formed at the same time when the molded plates have been formed by a press . in this preferred embodiment , the protrusions 23 are hemispherical and protrude from the outer surfaces of the parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ;. each of the parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; of the barrel - shaped element has two protrusions 23 spaced desired distances from each other and from the soldering seams 16 , respectively . the distance from each protrusion 23 to the end of the barrel - shaped element is equal to the distance by which the terminal ends of the soldering seam 16 is spaced from the end of the barrel - shaped element so that the ring 4 , when positioned on the inlet / outlet unit 3 , contacts the ends of the fringes defining the soldering seam 16 as well as the protrusions 23 . hemispherical indentations 24 are also press - formed in the parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; of the barrel - shaped element so as to protrude radially inwardly . in this preferred embodiment , the indentation 24 is formed between the protrusions 23 , 23 to help position the inlet / outlet pipe 5 when the inlet / outlet pipe 5 is inserted in the inlet / outlet unit 3 . because the ring 4 contacts and is secured to the fringes defining soldering seam 16 and the protrusions 23 when the soldering in the furnace has been completed , the ring 4 cannot be tilted during the subsequent process of inserting the inlet / outlet pip into the inlet / outlet unit 3 and soldering them by torch blazing . as a result , the inlet / outlet unit 3 and the inlet / outlet pipe 5 do not allow the solder joining the ring 4 and the inlet / outlet unit 3 to flow out , whereby the heat exchanger of the present invention is highly reliable . in addition , because the end portions of the fringes are tapered such that the ends of the fringes do not protrude beyond the outer periphery of the ring 4 , the soldering seam 16 is protected from being directly contacted by the flame and the fringes are thus prevented from being melted at the time of torch blazing . in this preferred embodiment , two protrusions 23 that position the ring 4 are formed on each part 17 , 17 &# 39 ; of the barrel - shaped element but one or any number of protrusions can be employed to prevent the ring 4 from being tilted . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 and fig1 , each fringe includes a jointing portion 16a protruding from the surface of the barrel - shaped element where the parts 17 , 17 &# 39 ; thereof are joined , and a flange 16b bent from the edge of the joining portion 16a . the soldering seam 16 terminates at a location on the inlet / outlet unit 3 spaced from the end of unit 3 by a distance corresponding to the width of ring 4 ( l1 ). the length ( in the radial direction ) of the fringe at the end of the tapered part 16c thereof is equal to or less than the thickness ( l2 ) of the ring 4 in its radial direction . the outer diameter ( l3 ) of the ring 4 is smaller than the width ( l4 ) taken between the upper and bottom fringes at portions 16a ; in other words , the thickness of the ring 4 in its radial direction ( l2 ) is smaller than the length ( l5 ) as shown in fig1 . accordingly , the fringes do not protrude radially outwardly of the ring 4 at their area of contact , which in turn prevents the soldering seams 16 from being directly contacted by the flame during torch blazing and from being melted . in addition , this also prevents the solder , which has been applied to the soldering seams 16 in the soldering process carried out in the furnace , from being melted and flowing out . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 , the flange unit 16b is likewise removed at the end portion 16c of the fringe but the joining portion 16a of the fringe protrudes radially outwardly from the barrel - shaped element a distance equal to or less than the thickness of the ring 4 in its radial direction . the above - described heat exchanger thus not only possesses the same advantages as the other preferred embodiments but also withstands torch blazing better than the aforementioned embodiments due to the fact that the joining portion 16a is cut off at the end portion of the fringe . therefore , the inlet / outlet units will not be damaged when the soldering seams are heated , and the sealing of the joint is sufficient to prevent fluid from leaking therefrom . the present invention has been described in connection with a so - called one side - tank type of heat exchanger , wherein the tanks are all located on one end of the heat exchanger . however , the present invention is applicable to a two side - tank type of heat exchanger having tanks at the opposing ends thereof . it goes without saying that many variations and modifications to the aforementioned embodiment will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . therefore , the invention can be implemented in forms other than those specifically described in the specification . however , all such variations and modifications of the present invention are seen to be within the true spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .	8
referring now to fig1 there is illustrated a conventional laser tube structure upon which the subject of this invention is mounted . such structure includes a laser tube generally noted at 1 , which comprises a laser chamber denoted at 2 , in which may be contained a gaseous mixture or medium such as a well - known helium / neon mixture or other medium . other gaseous mixtures may be used without affecting the operation of the apparatus of the present invention . two mirrors 3 and 4 are oppositely disposed in the end portions 5 and 6 respectively of the laser tube . as is well known in the art , lasers are useful , among other purposes , for use in interferometric measurement wherein the precisely controlled and determinable length of the light wavelength in the laser is used as a standard against which measurements of various varieties are made . a laser is useful for such measurements , but only if the laser light wavelength is itself stabilized at an established and predetermined value , which will be accomplished by the stabilization of the laser at a particular frequency . the following discussion with reference to the drawings discloses the requirements for stabilization as practiced heretofore and as disclosed by the invention herein . in the laser device of fig1 by known methods , the material in the laser chamber 2 is excited to a high energy state by an electrical discharge . the longitudinal dimension or length of the laser chamber 2 , and more specifically the distance between the opposing mirrors 3 and 4 is constructed to be made equal to a whole number multiple of the electromagnetic wavelength generated within the laser chamber 2 . according to well - known principles of laser devices , the laser output is of a wavelength ( or wavelengths ) such that an integral number of one - half wavelengths equal the optical length of the laser tube . for example , in a helium - neon laser , there are always one or two wavelengths which satisfy this condition , and which are called resonant wavelengths , and which also lie within the gain bandwidth of the laser . as the optical length of the laser changes , due , for example , to thermal expansion , these resonant wavelengths move across the laser gain bandwidth , turning off when they approach a point where there is insufficient gain , and being replaced by new wavelengths which have moved into the gain curve . a laser can operate within a range of dimensions because it can always find a resonant wavelength at which to operate , but the exact value of that wavelength depends on the exact value of the optical length of the laser tube , that is , the distance between one mirror surface and the other of mirrors 3 and 4 . in order to control the frequency and thus the optical length of the output of the laser , it may be necessary to provide for the adjustment of the optical distance between the two mirrors 3 and 4 . this has been accomplished in prior art devices , as discussed above , by various means , all of which have certain advantages and disadvantages . the basic deficiency of the prior art devices is that the designer must choose between two criteria for the adjustment if the device is to be kept relatively simple in structure for the purposes of reliability . one may choose an adjustment means which permits large adjustments , in the range of 0 . 0 to 0 . 5 mm ., but is relatively slow to react , in the order of 0 . 1 to 1 . 0 seconds . an example of this type of adjustment means is the provision of a heating wire or other heating means disposed around the laser tube itself , which produces a lengthening or contraction of the laser tube , and thus the distance between the opposing mirrors , by the thermal expansion of the laser tube by the heat applied to it . on the other hand , the designer may choose a relatively fast adjustment means in which reactions to needs to change and adjust for the stability are accomplished by the use of a piezoelectric element upon which is mounted one of the mirrors or by mounting the element on a movable diaphragm so that , in both instances , changes in the distance between the mirrors may be made by supplying a voltage signal to the piezoelectric element . the disadvantage of this type of device is that , while response is rapid , in the order of 10 - 5 to 10 - 3 seconds , the maximum length of possible extension and contraction is only 0 . 002 to 0 . 01 mm . in other prior art devices , such as that disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 793 , 595 , a combination of both the piezoelectric and the heat expansion - type adjustment means is utilized . the disadvantage of this combination is that while the combination of the two adjustment devices separately provides both quick and relatively large adjustments over a reasonable range , the device requires relatively complex circuitry to coordinate the two adjustment means to effectuate the adjustment required or desired . further , the adjustment means disclosed in the patent is positioned within the laser tube itself and therefore is difficult to service or repair , and impossible to implement in off - the - shelf laser tubes . by contrast , the present invention combines in a single element the desirable features of the prior art , with the provision of a relatively fast length adjustment over a relatively wide range of adjustment and accomplishes the foregoing with a simple means which may be additionally adapted for many types of existing laser devices . as will be described in detail below , in the device of the present invention , small ( less than half wavelength ) rapid corrections are accomplished by the solenoid device which forms part of the present invention , by ac correction by change in the refractive index of the gaseous medium in the laser tube , and slow ( less than about 50 hz ) corrections are accomplished by the heater which forms a further part of this invention , using dc correction by change in the physical length of the laser tube . as shown by fig1 the laser device includes at the end portions 5 and 6 thereof the mirrors 3 and 4 , respectively . mirrors 3 and 4 , as is well known in the art , are disposed oppositely to one another and at a distance to facilitate resonance of the electromagnetic waves generated within the laser tube . in usual practice , at least one of the mirrors is partially reflecting and partially transmitting to allow the transmission of the laser beam out of the laser tube and into the outside environment . the mirrors must be precisely positioned with respect to the distance between them , as stated above , and must also be axially aligned with one another so that the electromagnetic beam is reflected between the mirrors &# 39 ; centers of curvature . to this end , the mirrors are usually in production mounted in end portions 5 and 6 which includes reduced sections or portions 7 and 8 disposed between the mirrors 3 or 4 and the main body of the laser tube 1 and which reduced sections or portions are made of a metallic material . one purpose of the inclusion of the reduced section 7 is to allow the operator to align the mirrors 3 and 4 either at the factory or otherwise in use . because the portion 7 is made usually of metal ( for reasons well known in the art ), bending of the portion 7 may be made without causing the reduced section to break or shear from the laser tube . in the preferred embodiment , the invention makes use of the reduced metal section 7 to allow for length adjustments between the mirrors 3 and 4 , by utilizing the thermal expansion capabilities of the reduced metal section 7 when heated to expand along the optical axis defined by the mirrors 3 and 4 . the reduced metal section is itself rather thin in thickness , in the range of 0 . 2 to 0 . 5 mm ., and has disposed thereabout a means to heat the reduced section 7 . the utility of having the heating means located where the metal thickness is thin is to apply the heat where the thermal mass of the heated segment is small , so that a given heat input will cause a relatively large immediate temperature increase and corresponding thermal expansion . this contrasts with the devices of the prior art in which the mass of the portion of the laser device being heated is comparatively large , thus making adjustments in these prior art devices slower relative to the invention of the present device . in the embodiment shown , the reduced section 7 has wound thereabout a coil of heating wire 9 , which may be insulated nichrome or a resistance wire with similar properties . in the embodiment shown in fig2 the wire 9 is wound about the reduced section 7 in a singular direction . because of the singular direction of the winding of the wire , a magnetic field will be induced upon the gaseous medium within the laser tube 2 . while this might be desirable in certain instances , for example in order that the adjustment induced by the solenoidal action not be counteracted by the heater action because of opposite directions of adjustment upon heating of the wire 10 , it may be undesirable in others , and therefore the second embodiment shown in fig3 incorporates a wire 10 of a similar construction to wire 9 wound in two opposite directions of winding to eliminate the magnetic field , so that only the heater adjustment is operable under these circumstances . additionally , the wires 9 or 10 as described and shown in fig2 and 3 may be embedded within a thermally - conducting material 11 , as shown in fig4 to improve heat transfer to the reduced metal sections of the laser tube 1 , and to prevent the wires from reaching excessively high temperatures . the heating wire or similar heating means as shown and described is connected to suitable circuitry to allow adjustment of the distance between the mirrors 3 and 4 . such circuitry is shown diagrammatically in fig1 as 12 and may be any suitable circuitry known in the art which accomplishes the purpose of applying a current signal to the heating wires 9 or 10 , whether encased in material 11 or not . a suitable control for controlling the optical length is the closed loop servo control disclosed and claimed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 672 , 618 , entitled laser stabilization servo system , filed mar . 15 , 1983 and assigned to the same assignee of the present invention . an advantage of the present invention is that the adjustment means as shown and described is simple in construction , and thus less expensive to manufacture , may be retrofitted on existing laser devices with little modifications , and , because of its being mounted outside the laser tube , may be easily repaired and adjusted . the invention disclosed herein has the advantages of the adjusting systems currently in use , while maintaining simplicity of operation and being less expensive in cost . the invention allows relatively fast adjustments in length as is performed currently with solenoid - controlled or piezoelectric devices as well as relatively large range of adjustments as is presently performed by present expansion heating devices . in operation , the dynamic range of the adjustment means shown and described is in the range of 0 . 0 to 0 . 05 mm ., and the response time is between 10 - 4 and 10 - 3 seconds . this compares favorably with current adjustment means utilized . utilizing the present invention alone , the laser device is usually stabilized within a period of five minutes from initial excitation of the laser device . it is intended within the scope of the invention that the device of the present invention may be utilized in single as well as two - frequency laser devices . while the foregoing invention has been described with reference to its preferred embodiments , various modifications and alterations will occur to those skilled in the art , and these are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims .	7
fig1 illustrates an exploded view of light emitting diode ( led ) signal 2 . the led signal 2 includes a housing 4 having an inner volume 6 and at least one surface 8 facing an opening 10 of the housing 4 . a circuit board (“ pcb ”) 12 is attached to the at least one surface 8 . the circuit board 12 can be a metal core pcb or other type of pcb . various techniques can be used to attach the circuit board 12 to the at least one surface 8 . for example , the circuit board 12 can be attached through one or more rivets , screws , adhesives , snaps , tape , wires , other circuit boards , etc . alternatively , the circuit board 12 can be integrated within the surface 8 of the housing 4 . in another alternative , the circuit board 12 sits in a predefined position on the surface 8 and is held in place through various other components within the housing 4 . for instance , the circuit board 12 can be held in place by one or more mounting brackets , heat sinks , a control module , a power supply , etc . a suitable heat sink includes a heat sink with fins . the circuit board 12 includes one or more leds 14 , which are coupled to the circuit board 12 via through - hole ( e . g ., soldered and wire wrapped ) and / or surface mount ( e . g ., short pins , flat contacts , matrix of balls ( bgas ), etc .) technology . the circuit board 12 is positioned on the surface 8 such that the leds 14 emit light energy through the opening 10 . essentially any number of leds 14 can be coupled to the circuit board 12 . in addition , one or more of the leds 14 can be a similar and / or different color . different led manufacturers provide leds 14 with distinctive light patterns . an optional lens 15 can be placed over each led 14 to change the light pattern so that different leds can be used without adversely affecting efficiency and / or the uniformity of the signal and / or light patterns can be changed based on the application . to facilitate controlling the light from the leds , an injection molded optical element typically is used . a first optical element 16 is positioned adjacent to the opening 10 of the housing 4 . the optical element 16 includes a collecting and / or collimating surface that collects and / or collimates light energy emitted by the leds 14 . a second optical element 18 is positioned adjacent to the first optical element 16 , on a side of the first optical element 16 opposite the leds 14 . the second element 18 includes a spreading or diffusing surface , which suitably spreads light energy transmitted through the first optical element 16 . a third optical element 20 is positioned adjacent to the second optical element 18 , on a side of the second optical element 18 opposite the first optical element 16 . it connects to the housing 4 and secures the first and second optical elements 16 and 18 in place . a sealing technique such as an o - ring can be used to facilitate attaching the third optical element 20 to the housing 4 and sealing the attachment region . typically , the third optical element 20 includes a clear , neutral outer cover . however , it can additionally or alternatively include at lease one of a tinted or colored surface , a textured surface , and / or optics such as a filter . it is to be appreciated that one or more of the first , second , and third optical elements can have substantially planar surfaces . the third optical element 20 also shields the first and second optical elements 16 and 18 , the leds 14 , the circuit board 12 or other components residing between the third optical element 20 and the surface 8 of the housing 4 from the environment . thus , when an object ( e . g ., a stone , a tree branch , a bird , etc .) contacts the optical portion of the signal 2 , the object is shielded from the first and second optical elements 16 and 18 by the third optical element 20 . if the object damages the third optical element 20 , it can be replaced at a cost relatively lower than replacing the first and / or second optical elements 16 and 18 , for example . in addition , in many instances a damaged third optical element still provides adequate protection from the environment , does not substantially degrade light output from the signal 2 , and does not have to be replaced . the third optical element 20 can also protect the first and second optical elements 16 and 18 , the leds 14 , the circuit board 12 or other components from any of rain , snow , the wind , or the sun . conventional traffic signals typically do not employ an outer neutral cover . instead , the diffusing and / or collimating optical element is exposed to the environment and susceptible to damage from the environment . as noted above , replacing diffusing and / or collimating optical elements is relatively more costly than replacing a neutral cover protecting such optical elements . in addition , damaging the diffusing and / or collimating optical elements may render the light output inadequate for its application . for instance , the light output may no longer be visible to the intended viewer . thus , the novel invention described herein provides advantages over and / or overcomes deficiencies with conventional traffic signals . it is to be appreciated the signal 2 can be adapted to retrofit into an existing traffic light and / or incorporated into a new traffic light . to allow an easy retrofit without requiring significant changes to the preexisting ac power distribution and logic circuits , the led signal assemblies can incorporate a power supply ( not shown ) to drive the leds at a lower , controlled , direct current power level . fig2 illustrates a non - limiting example of a suitable first optical element 16 . as depicted , a surface of the first optical element 16 can include one or more fresnel rings 22 . the light energy from the leds 14 is collimated by the one or more fresnel rings 22 . in one instance , the one or more fresnel rings 22 include one or more dioptric rings 24 and / or one or more catadioptric rings 26 that collimate the light . fig3 illustrates a cross section view of the first optical element 16 , showing both dioptric rings 24 and catadioptric rings 26 . returning to fig2 , the dioptric rings 24 generally refract light , and catadioptric rings 26 generally refract and substantially internally reflect the rays of light . typically , the dioptric rings 24 are employed relatively nearer to the center of the first optical element 16 , as depicted in fig2 , and the catadioptric rings 26 are employed farther from the center of the first optical element 16 , as depicted in fig2 . after the light passes through the first optical element 16 , the light is substantially collimated . an optical element characteristic that can affect the efficiency of the first optical element 16 includes , but is not limited to , light collection angles of the optical faces of each of the dioptric rings 24 and catadioptric rings 26 . fig4 illustrates the light collection angle “ α ” of the optical face 28 of a catadioptric ring and the light collection angle “ β ” of the optical face 30 of a dioptric ring . as depicted , the angle of the catadioptric rings 26 typically is more acute than the angle of the dioptric rings 24 . in addition , with the dioptric rings 24 , the radii represent a much larger percentage of the collection angle than on the catadioptric rings 26 . typically , the dioptric rings 24 and the catadioptric rings 26 do not have a constant height . in addition , the catadioptric rings 26 typically are taller than the dioptric rings 24 , and the rings 24 and 26 typically are as tall as practically possible to minimize the number of fillet radii . a typical height ratio of the dioptric rings height to catadioptric ring height is about 1 . 5 : 1 to about 2 : 1 . another optical element characteristic that affects the efficiency of the first optical element 16 is a transition region between the dioptric rings 24 and the catadioptric rings 26 . for a given focal length , lens diameter , inner and / or outer fillet radii , and optic height , this transition region typically is determined based on one or more assumptions , including that the light source is a point source . however , the leds 14 are not a point source , but approximate a point source and , thus , the transition region typically is additionally tuned . the light energy that falls within the prescribed optical pattern is measured and compared against optical designs that have slightly larger and slightly smaller transition regions to tune the transition region . typical transition regions reside in a range from about f = 0 . 5 to about f = 1 . 5 ( e . g ., typically about 0 . 84 ), where f is a ratio of focal length to a diameter of the dioptric rings 24 . fig5 illustrates suitable locations for obtaining a focal length 32 and a diameter 34 for computing f . fig6 illustrates a non - limiting example of a suitable second optical element 18 . the second optical element 18 includes spreading optics 38 that generate a light output pattern that is generally gaussian shaped through a horizontal axis and relatively non - symmetrical through a vertical axis with a predominance of light below the horizontal axis . fig7 illustrates exemplary light output patterns through the horizontal axis and the vertical axis , and fig8 graphically depicts typical views of horizontal axis at 40 and vertical axis 42 of second optical element 18 . returning to fig6 , suitable spreading optics 38 of the second optical element 18 include , but is not limited to , pillow optics , prism optics , cylindrical optics , etc . pillow optics are based on a spheroid or a toroid , wherein a square or rectangular portion of the spheroid or toroid is utilized as the optic . fig9 illustrates an exemplary pillow optic 44 . each optic 44 is variously shaped on the horizontal and vertical axes to control the light . the shape of each optic 44 is determined based at least in part on an optical intensity at various positions along the vertical and horizontal axes . one or more , including all of the optics 44 can be similarly and / or differently shaped . alternatively , a cluster approach can be used . with the cluster approach , smaller optics are positioned between each of the optics 44 . typically , all of the clusters are the same in order to provide a uniform lit appearance regardless of viewing angle . if one or more leds 14 in a cluster becomes non - functional ( e . g ., produces less than adequate light ), the light output remains substantially lit , provided there is still at least one functioning led . the cluster also provides a more aesthetically pleasing appearance than a signal with a patterned array of leds spread behind the entire face of the lens . returning to fig1 , typically it is desirable to illuminate substantially the entire optical areas of the first and second optical elements 16 and 18 . in order to facilitate such coverage , the first and second optical elements 16 and 18 are suitably positioned at a distance from the leds 14 that allows maximum illumination of the cover with a minimum , or preferably no , light lost by illuminating areas other than the optical elements 16 ands 18 . in order to mitigate spreading the light beyond the optical areas of the first and second optical elements 16 and 18 , an optional lens can be positioned over the leds 14 to adjust the light pattern accordingly . fig1 illustrates an embodiment in which the first and second optical elements 16 and 18 are incorporated into a single optical element 46 , which is positioned between the cover 20 and the opening 10 . as described above , the one or more leds 14 are grouped about a common focal point or central axis perpendicular to the optical element . both collimation and distribution element are achieved through the single optical element 46 . the invention has been described with reference to the various embodiments . modifications and alterations may occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description . it is intended that the invention be constructed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof .	5
particular embodiments of the present disclosure are described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following description , well - known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail . fig1 is a schematic diagram of a remote controlled surgical system 100 that allows a surgeon m to perform a surgical procedure on patient p using a remote 200 . access to a subcutaneous surgical site within patient p is provided via a number ( typically 3 to 5 ) of small ( typically 5 - 12 mm ) incisions 15 , through which at least one remote controlled ( rc ) electrosurgical instrument 10 is manually passed . additionally , a camera 150 is inserted in at least one incision 15 to give the surgeon m a view of the surgical site . the video signal from the camera may be sent to an augmented reality ( ar ) controller 600 ( see fig5 and 6 ) to add additional data . the video signal and additional data are then displayed on a user interface 140 . the ar displayed image 142 may include labels on instruments , labels and / or margins of organs , tumors , or other anatomical bodies , and / or boundary zones around delicate anatomical bodies . the ar displayed image 142 may be in 2d or 3d . as the camera 150 is moved around the surgical site , the labels and data overlaid onto the video image move to the appropriate location . the surgeon m controls the rc electrosurgical instrument 10 by rotating and / or moving the remote 200 up , down , left , right , diagonally , and / or rotating . the movement of the remote 200 may be configured to move in a manner similar to a hand - held electrosurgical instrument . additionally , the surgeon m can press a button on the remote 200 to activate an electrical signal to coagulate or cut tissue , staple tissue , or perform another function of the instrument . the surgeon m can be located in the same room as a patient or in a remote location such as another state or country . the remote 200 may be configured to send data to a base 300 attached to the rc electrosurgical instrument 10 . the data may be sent to the base 300 through a direct electrical connection or by bluetooth ®, ant3 ®, knx ®, zwave ®, x10 ® wireless usb ®, irda ®, nanonet , tiny os ®, zigbee ®, 802 . 11 ieee , and other radio , infrared , uhf , vhf communications and the like . fig2 a - c show three possible embodiments of remote 200 , however , other embodiments may be possible . fig2 a discloses a first embodiment of a remote 220 that is generally circular in shape with a triangular front that may interconnect with the base 300 of the rc electrosurgical instrument 10 . the circular shape allows the remote 220 to fit into the palm of the surgeon &# 39 ; s m hand , where the surgeon m can rotate his / her wrist to move the tool in a corresponding manner by easily pushing one or more buttons 225 , 227 , 229 , 231 . the remote 220 includes at least one momentum sensor 224 and an infrared sensor 222 . the remote may be configured with one or more buttons 225 , 227 , 229 , 231 that may be located on the top , side , and / or bottom of the remote . button 225 may be used to activate an electrical signal to coagulate or cut tissue , staple tissue , or perform other surgical functions . for example , button 227 may be used to move the end effector assembly 100 in very small increments . additionally , the remote 220 includes a haptic feedback mechanism 232 that provides feedback about position , force used , instruction , and other similar uses . in an alternative embodiment , visual communication may be used to identify which instrument the remote is operating , problems with where the rc instrument 10 is located , battery life of remote , which remote in a master / slave relationship is controlling the instrument , and other problems with the rc instrument 10 or system . alternatively , the remote 220 can be configured with audio feedback ( not shown ) to inform the surgeon m of problems or pre - recorded specific instrument functions . the remote 220 further includes data ports 226 a and 226 b for communicating with the instrument base 300 . the data ports 226 a and 226 b may be connected directly to the instrument base 300 or wirelessly connected . fig2 b discloses a second embodiment of a remote 240 for use with the remote controlled surgical system 100 . similar to the remote 220 in fig2 a , the remote 240 includes data ports 226 a and 226 b , momentum sensor 224 , infrared sensor 222 , and / or haptic feedback mechanism 232 . remote 240 is shaped with a handle 245 and a trigger 244 . the trigger 244 is similar to button 225 on remote 220 , and may be used to activate an electrical signal to coagulate or cut tissue , staple tissue , or perform another surgical function . remote 240 further includes buttons 227 , 229 , and 231 used to perform other functions of the rc instrument 10 . the size and shape of the handle 245 can be ergonomically shaped for a right - handed or left - handed surgeon and / or based on the size of the surgeon &# 39 ; s hand . fig2 c discloses a third embodiment of a remote 260 . similar to the remote 240 in fig2 b , the third remote 260 may include a housing 265 , a momentum sensor 224 , haptic feedback mechanism 232 , handle 245 , and / or trigger 244 . trigger 244 is similar to button 225 on remote 220 , and may be used to activate an electrical signal to coagulate or cut tissue , staple tissue , or other procedure . rotating wheel 262 is similar to button 227 on the first remote , and may be used to move the end effector assembly 100 in very small increments . data port 230 wirelessly connects remote control 260 with the base 300 ( see fig3 ) of the rc electrosurgical instrument 10 . similar to the second remote 240 , the size and shape of the handle 245 can be ergonomically shaped for a right - handed or left - handed surgeon and / or based on the size of the surgeon &# 39 ; s hand . in alternative embodiments , remote 260 may also include opening 270 defined therein , where a surgeon m can insert the same type end effector assembly 100 and shaft 12 as used within the patient p during surgery . this would allow the surgeon or others the ability see how the end effector is moving . referring to fig3 , a rc surgical instrument 10 , such as forceps , includes a shaft 12 that has a distal end 14 configured to mechanically engage an end effector assembly 100 operably associated with the forceps 10 and a proximal end 16 that mechanically engages the base 300 . in the drawings and in the descriptions that follow , the term “ proximal ,” as is traditional , will refer to the end of the forceps 10 which is closer to a base 300 , while the term “ distal ” will refer to the end that is farther from the base . alternatively , the system may be used with a remote controlled pencil or other electrosurgical instrument . drive assembly 130 is in operative communication with the remote 200 through data port 340 for imparting movement of one or both of a pair of jaw members 110 , 120 of end effector assembly 100 . the drive assembly 130 may include a compression spring ( not shown ) or a drive wire 133 to facilitate closing the jaw members 110 and 120 around pivot pin 111 . drive wire 133 is configured such that proximal movement thereof causes one movable jaw member , e . g ., jaw member 120 , and operative components associated therewith , e . g ., a seal plate 128 , to move toward the other jaw member , e . g ., jaw member 110 . with this purpose in mind , drive rod or wire 133 may be made from any suitable material and is proportioned to translate within the shaft 12 . in the illustrated embodiments , drive wire 133 extends through the shaft 12 past the distal end 14 . both jaw members 110 and 120 may also be configured to move in a bilateral fashion . base 300 receives an electrical signal from a generator ( not shown ). generator may be connected to base 300 by a cable ( not shown ). by not including the generator within base 300 , the size of base 300 may be smaller . additionally , base 300 may be used with an existing generator system . alternatively , generator may be part of base 300 . remote control 200 ( see fig3 a ) may be in operative communication with an ultrasonic transducer ( not shown ) via data port 340 when the rc surgical instrument 10 is an ultrasonic instrument ( not shown ). alternatively , base 300 may be arranged with multiple rc surgical instruments 10 attached . each rc surgical instrument 10 may be removable or permanently attached to base 300 . fig4 illustrates a control system 305 for the rc surgical instrument 10 including the microcontroller 350 which is coupled to the position and speed calculators 310 and 360 , the loading unit identification system 370 , the drive assembly 130 , and a data storage module 340 . in addition , the microcontroller 350 may be directly coupled to a sensor 315 , such as a motion sensor , torque meter , ohm meter , load cell , current sensor , etc . the microcontroller 350 includes internal memory which stores one or more software applications ( e . g ., firmware ) for controlling the operation and functionality of the rc surgical instrument 10 . the loading unit identification system 370 identifies to the microcontroller 350 which end effector assembly 100 is attached to the distal end 14 of the rc instrument 10 . in an embodiment , the control system 300 is capable of storing information relating to the force applied by the end effector assembly 100 , such that when a specific end effector assembly 100 is identified the microcontroller 350 automatically selects the operating parameters for the rc surgical instrument 10 . for example , torque parameters could be stored in data storage module 320 for a laparoscopic grasper . the microcontroller 350 also analyzes the calculations from the position and speed calculators 310 and 360 and other sensors 315 to determine the actual position , direction of motion , and / or operating status of components of the rc surgical instrument 10 . the analysis may include interpretation of the sensed feedback signal from the calculators 310 and 360 to control the movement of the drive assembly 130 and other components of the rc surgical instrument 10 in response to the sensed signal . alternatively , the location of the rc surgical instrument 10 may be calculated using the method disclosed in u . s . ser . no . 12 / 720 , 881 , entitled “ system and method for determining proximity relative to a critical structure ” filed on mar . 10 , 2010 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . the microcontroller 350 is configured to limit the travel of the end effector assembly 100 once the end effector assembly 100 has moved beyond a predetermined point as reported by the position calculator 310 . specifically , if the microcontroller determines that the position of the end effector assembly 100 is within a safety zone determined by the ar controller 200 , the microcontroller is configured to stop the drive assembly 130 . in one embodiment , the rc surgical instrument 10 includes various sensors 315 configured to measure current ( e . g ., an ampmeter ), resistance ( e . g ., an ohm meter ), and force ( e . g ., torque meters and load cells ) to determine loading conditions on the end effector assembly 100 . during operation of the rc surgical instrument 10 it is desirable to know the amount of force exerted on the tissue for a given end effector assembly 100 . detection of abnormal loads ( e . g ., outside a predetermined load range ) indicates a problem with the rc surgical instrument 10 and / or clamped tissue which is communicated to the user . the data storage module 320 records the data from the sensors 315 coupled to the microcontroller 350 . in addition , the data storage module 320 may record the identifying code of the end effector assembly 100 , user of surgical tool , and other information relating to the status of components of the rc surgical instrument 10 . the data storage module 320 is also configured to connect to an external device such as a personal computer , a pda , a smartphone , or a storage device ( e . g ., a secure digital ™ card , a compactflash card , or a memory stick ™) through a wireless or wired data port 340 . this allows the data storage module 320 to transmit performance data to the external device for subsequent analysis and / or storage . the data port 340 also allows for “ in the field ” upgrades of the firmware of the microcontroller 350 . embodiments of the present disclosure may include an augmented reality ( ar ) control system 610 as shown in fig5 - 6 . the rc surgical instrument 10 is connected to an ar controller 600 via the data port 660 which may be either wired ( e . g ., firewire , usb , serial rs232 , serial rs485 , usart , ethernet , etc .) or wireless ( e . g ., bluetooth ®, ant3 ®, knx ®, z - wave x10 ®, wireless usb ®, wi - fi , irda ®, nanonet ®, tinyos ®, zigbee ®, 802 . 11 ieee , and other radio , infrared , uhf , vhf communications and the like ). additionally , remote 200 ( 220 , 240 , 260 ) is connected to the ar controller 600 via data port 660 which may be either wired ( e . g ., firewire ®, usb , serial rs232 , serial rs485 , usart , ethernet , etc .) or wireless ( e . g ., bluetooth ®, ant3 ®, knx ®, z - wave , x10 ®, wireless usb ®, wi - fi ®, irda ®, nanonet ®, tinyos ®, zigbee ®, 802 . 11 ieee , and other radio , infrared , uhf , vhf communications and the like ). fig5 illustrates a schematic diagram of an ar control system 610 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure . with reference to fig5 , the augmented reality ( ar ) controller 600 is configured to store data transmitted to the controller 600 by a rc surgical instrument 10 and a remote 200 ( 220 , 240 , 260 ) as well as process and analyze the data . the rc surgical instrument 10 is a robotic instrument . the ar controller 600 is also connected to other devices , such as a video display 140 , a video processor 120 and a computing device 180 ( e . g ., a personal computer , a pda , a smartphone , a storage device , etc .). the video processor 120 may be used for processing output data generated by the ar controller 600 for output on the video display 140 . additionally , the video processor 120 may receive a real time video signal from a camera 150 inserted into the patient during the surgical procedure . the computing device 180 may be used for additional processing of the pre - operative imaged data . in one embodiment , the results of pre - operative imaging such as an ultrasound , mm , x - ray , or other diagnosing image may be stored internally for later retrieval by the computing device 180 . the ar controller 600 includes a data port 660 ( fig6 ) coupled to the microcontroller 650 which allows the ar controller 600 to be connected to the computing device 180 . the data port 660 may provide for wired and / or wireless communication with the computing device 180 providing for an interface between the computing device 180 and the ar controller 600 for retrieval of stored pre - operative imaging data , configuration of operating parameters of the ar controller 600 and upgrade of firmware and / or other software of the ar controller 600 . components of the ar controller 600 are shown in fig6 . the ar controller 600 includes a microcontroller 650 , a data storage module 655 a user feedback module 665 , an osd module 640 , a hud module 630 , and a data port 660 . the data storage module 655 may include one or more internal and / or external storage devices , such as magnetic hard drives , or flash memory ( e . g ., secure digital ® card , compact flash ® card , or memorystick ®). the data storage module 655 is used by the ar controller 600 to store data from the rc surgical instrument 10 and remote 200 ( 220 , 240 , 260 ) for later analysis of the data by the computing device 180 . the data may include information supplied by a sensor 315 ( fig4 ), such as a motion sensor , torque sensor , and other sensors disposed within the rc surgical instrument 10 . the microcontroller 650 may supplant , complement , or supplement the control circuitry 305 of the rc surgical instrument 10 shown in fig4 . the microcontroller 650 includes internal memory which stores one or more software applications ( e . g ., firmware ) for controlling the operation and functionality of the rc surgical instrument 10 . the microcontroller 650 processes input data from the computing device 180 and adjusts the operation of the rc surgical instrument 10 in response to the inputs . the rc surgical instrument 10 is configured to connect to the ar controller 600 wirelessly or through a wired connection via a data port 340 . the microcontroller 650 is coupled to the user feedback module 665 which is configured to inform the user of operational parameters of the rc surgical instrument 10 . the user feedback module 665 may be connected to a user interface . the user feedback module 665 may be coupled to the haptic mechanism 232 within the remote 200 ( 220 , 240 , 260 ) to provide for haptic or vibratory feedback . the haptic feedback may be used in conjunction with the auditory and visual feedback or in lieu of the same to avoid confusion with the operating room equipment which relies on audio and visual feedback . the haptic mechanism 232 may be an asynchronous motor that vibrates in a pulsating manner . in one embodiment , the vibrations are at a frequency of about 30 hz or above . the haptic feedback can be increased or decreased in intensity . for example , the intensity of the feedback may be used to indicate that the forces on the instrument are becoming excessive . in alternative embodiments , the user feedback module 265 may also include visual and / or audible outputs . the microcontroller 650 outputs data on video display 140 and / or the heads - up display ( hud ) 635 . the video display 140 may be any type of display such as an lcd screen , a plasma screen , electroluminescent screen and the like . in one embodiment , the video display 140 may include a touch screen and may incorporate resistive , surface wave , capacitive , infrared , strain gauge , optical , dispersive signal or acoustic pulse recognition touch screen technologies . the touch screen may be used to allow the user to provide input data while viewing ar video . for example , a user may add a label identifying the surgeon for each tool on the screen . the hud display 635 may be projected onto any surface visible to the user during surgical procedures , such as lenses of a pair of glasses and / or goggles , a face shield , and the like . this allows the user to visualize vital ar information from the ar controller 600 without loosing focus on the procedure . the ar controller 600 includes an on - screen display ( osd ) module 640 and a hud module 630 . the modules 640 , 630 process the output of the microcontroller 650 for display on the respective displays 140 and 635 . more specifically , the osd module 640 overlays text and / or graphical information from the ar controller 600 over video images received from the surgical site via camera 150 ( fig1 ) disposed therein . specifically , the overlaid text and / or graphical information from the ar controller 600 includes computed data from pre - operative images , such as x - rays , ultrasounds , mris , and / or other diagnosing images . the computing devices 180 stores the one or more pre - operative images . in an alternative embodiment , the data storage module 655 can store the pre - operative image . the ar controller 600 processes the one or more pre - operative images to determine margins and location of an anatomical body in a patient , such as an organ or a tumor . alternatively , the computing device 180 can process and analyze the pre - operative image . additionally , the ar controller can create safety boundaries around delicate structures , such as an artery or organ . further , the ar controller 600 can decipher the one or more pre - operative images to define structures , organs , anatomical geometries , vessels , tissue planes , orientation , and other similar information . the ar controller 600 overlays the information processed from the one or more pre - operative images onto a real time video signal from the camera 150 within the patient . the augmented video signal including the overlaid information is transmitted to the video display 140 allowing the user to visualize more information about the surgical site including area outside the vision of the camera 150 . additionally , as the camera moves around the surgical site , the labels and / or data overlaid is moved to the appropriate location on the real time video signal . fig7 is a flow diagram of a process 700 for controlling an electrosurgical instrument with a remote 200 ( 220 , 240 , 260 ) according to an embodiment of the invention . after the process 700 starts at step 705 , a pre - operative image is generated from a diagnosing imaging source , such as from an mri , ultrasound , x - ray , cat scan , etc . at step 710 . the pre - operative image is taken of an anatomical section of the patient , which may include organs , tissue , vessels , bones , tumors , muscles , etc . multiple images can be generated from one or more sources based on the information required by the surgeon m . next , the pre - operative image is analyzed to generate data to assist the surgeon m during surgery at step 715 . the analyzing may be done by the computing device 180 or the microprocessor 650 . the data may include margins and location of the anatomical section . prior to starting the surgery , a camera 150 is inserted within the patient . a real time video signal of the patient during the surgical procedure is received at ar controller 600 during the surgical procedure at step 720 . the analyzed data is displayed with the real time video signal at step 725 . for example , if the anatomical section is a tumor then the location and margins of the tumor are calculated and then the name and margins are augmented onto the video signal to assist the surgeon m in locating the tumor . a rc electrosurgical instrument 10 is inserted into a body cavity or incision at step 730 . a user m moves , twists , and / or selects buttons on the remote control 200 at step 735 . the surgeon m may move the remote 200 in a manner similar to actions done with a handheld electrosurgical instrument . before the process 700 ends at step 745 , the rc surgical instrument 10 moves , twist , and / or performs other action based on the movements performed by the remote 200 at step 740 . the movements of the remote 200 are sent wirelessly or the remote is directly connected to the rc surgical instrument 10 . fig8 is a flow diagram of process 800 for determining if the remote controlled electrosurgical instrument is within an augmented safety zone according to an embodiment of the invention . after the process 800 starts at step 805 , a pre - operative image of an anatomical section of a patient is generated at step 810 . the pre - operative image can be generated from any type of diagnosing image , such as an x - ray , mri , cat scan , ultrasound , etc . the pre - operative image analyzed to determine a safety zone around organs , tissue , and / or other delicate anatomical structures at step 815 . prior to starting the surgical procedure , a camera 150 is inserted within the patient . during the surgical procedure , a real time video signal is received by the ar controller 600 via video processor 120 at step 825 . the ar controller 600 augments the safety zone onto the video signal at step 830 . for example , the safety zone may be represented as a cross hatched area or in a different color , such as a yellow area around an organ . a rc electrosurgical instrument 10 is inserted into a cavity or incision 15 within the patient p at step 830 . the location of the surgical instrument 10 within the patient is measured at step 835 using the position calculator 310 , speed calculator 360 , and other sensors 315 . alternatively , the location of the rc instrument 10 and / or end effector assembly 100 may be calculated using the method disclosed in u . s . ser . no . 12 / 720 , 881 , entitled “ system and method for determining proximity relative to a critical structure ” filed on mar . 10 , 2010 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . the ar controller 200 determines if the rc surgical instrument 10 is within the safety zone at step 840 . if the rc surgical instrument 10 is not within the safety zone , then allow the surgeon m to move , twist , and / or select buttons on remote 200 at step 845 . the movement of the remote may be similar to movement of a handheld electrosurgical instrument . the rc electrosurgical instrument 10 then moves , twists , and / or performs action based on the movement or actions from the remote at step 850 . then , the system measures the new location of the rc electrosurgical instrument 10 at step 835 . if the rc electrosurgical instrument 10 is within the safety zone , then the ar controller 600 notifies the surgeon at step 855 . this notification can be visual , audible , or haptic feedback . additionally , before process 800 ends at step 865 , the ar controller 600 , if necessary , can stop the drive assembly 130 at step 860 . fig9 illustrates a schematic diagram of a master / slave remote control system 900 according to an embodiment of the invention . similar to the remote controlled surgical system 100 shown in fig1 , the master / slave remote control system 900 includes a patient p with at least one incision 15 , a rc electrosurgical instrument 10 , a base 300 , a camera 150 , and a display 140 with an augmented displayed image 142 . additionally , the master / slave remote control system 900 includes a first user that is the master m ( surgeon ) that uses a master remote 960 and at least one slave user 950 a , 950 b that uses a slave remote 970 a , b . as the master m moves , tilts , selects buttons on the master remote 960 , the slave remote may receive haptic feedback to teach the slave user how to move the slave remote 970 a . additionally , the master remote 960 may allow the master m to transfer control to slave remote 970 a and then to 970 b or back to the master remote 960 . the master m can be located in the same room with slave 950 a and / or 950 b or the master m can be located in a remote location , such as another state or country . fig1 is a flow diagram of a process 1000 for sharing control of an electrosurgical instrument between a master and a slave according to an embodiment of the invention . the process 1000 starts at step 1010 , displaying a real time video signal with data from a pre - operative image at step 1020 . the master remote 960 selects a slave remote 970 a to control the rc electrosurgical instrument at step 1030 . the slave user 950 a moves , twists , or selects buttons on the slave remote 970 a to control the rc electrosurgical instrument 10 . the master m may override the slave remote 970 a to regain control of the rc electrosurgical instrument at step 1040 . before the process 1000 ends at step 1060 , the master m moves , tilts , and / or selects buttons on the master remote 960 , haptic feedback is sent to the slave remote 970 a , b at step 1050 to train the slave user 950 a , b how to use the remote . while several embodiments of the disclosure have been shown in the drawings and / or discussed herein , it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto , as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise . therefore , the above description should not be construed as limiting , but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments . those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto .	0
the present embodiment will be described in case the concept of chaos of the present invention is applied to a ` pachinko ` machine . fig1 is a schematic diagram showing the pachinko machine of the present embodiment . reference numeral 1 designates a ball shooting grip , and numeral 2 designates a playing board face , which is equipped therein with rewarding catchers 4 , 6 , 7 and 8 , a game indicator 5 , rewarding catchers 3 having functions to start the game unit , and a great - hit catcher 9 . the pachinko balls shot by the shooting machine are bounced in various directions to fly downward over the board face 2 by nails arranged in the board face 2 . when the pachinko ball lands in any of the rewarding catchers 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 and 8 , reward balls are supplied to a ball feed / reserve chute 12 . especially when a ball lands in the rewarding catcher 3 , the game unit is started in addition to the supply of reward balls . this game unit changes indications of three figures in the game indicator 5 and interrupts the changes after lapse of a predetermined time period . the game unit commands the opening of a control valve for the great - hit catcher 9 if a predetermined combination of figures is achieved at the interruption . if this special condition is attained , the great hit causes the pachinko machine to open the great - hit catcher 9 thereby to establish a situation in which the player takes an advantage of catching more pachinko balls . as shown in fig1 the pachinko machine is generally identical without any substantial change in appearance to those used in the prior art . fig4 is a flow chart for applying the concept of chaos of the present invention to the pachinko machine . the pulse wave data fetched from a sensor 40 for collecting the information of the player are converted into a chaos attractor by a numerical operator 41 . the chaos attractor thus converted is then compared with a predetermined defining condition of the chaos , and an index calculated by a calculator 42 from the ljapunov index indicating the degree of satisfying that condition is fed to a computer 43 for controlling the pachinko machine . the indication or information of this computer 43 is fed to changing means 44 for changing the content of the game . thus , this game content is changed according to the situation of the player at that time . the computer 43 may be fed with the data from the pachinko machine itself as other data . these data are enumerated by the reward data of balls to the rewarding catchers , the great - hit data of the game unit or the situation of the control valve of the great - hit catcher 9 . the computer 43 enables the pachinko machine to cope with the various situations by processing those data and sending the commands or data for the various changes to the changing means 44 . in the present embodiment , the chaos attractor obtained from the pulse waves of the player is utilized to change the responses for meeting the pachinko machine . in order to get informed about the psychosomatic state of the player , according to the present embodiment , the ball shooting grip 1 is equipped with a pulse wave sensor for measuring the pulse waves at the fingertip of the player . the ball shooting grip 1 is schematically shown in an enlarged scale in fig2 . this grip 1 can be turned to command the shot itself of the pachinko balls and the shooting intensity . the grip 1 is equipped at its outer circumference with a knob 20 having a function to aid the turning motion . the pachinko balls are usually shot by turning the grip 1 to the right . for this shooting action , the player actuates the grip 1 by applying his fingertip 22 to the lower side 21 of the knob 20 . thus , the pulse wave sensor 25 is fitted in that portion of the knob 20 , at which the fingertip 22 abuts against the lower side 21 . in the present embodiment , the pulse wave sensor is composed of an infrared - emitting diode and a photosensor so that the reflection of the infrared ray emitted from the diode may be sensed by the photosensor to acquire the information of the pulse waves of the player . in an alternative mode of embodiment , the knob of the grip is formed with a finger hole 24 , in which the pulse wave sensor 25 is fitted , as shown in fig3 . in this modification , the sensor can be held in complete contact with the fingertip so that the pulse waves of the player can be acquired more reliably . in another structure , the pulse wave sensor can be disposed in at least such a portion of the ball shooting grip as is grasped by the player . moreover , the sensor to be used should not be limited to that using the photo - coupler but can also utilize a pressure sensor . the pulse wave information thus achieved from the player is converted into the chaos attractor by the arithmetic operation means so that it is recognized as the chaos attractor information indicating the present psychosomatic state of the player . next , the chaos attractor recognized is compared with the chaos attractor which has already been classified and registered . then , the ljapunov number responding to a predetermined level is achieved by the arithmetic operating means so that the responses to be taken by the pachinko machine is changed according to that numerical value . the changes in the responses of the pachinko game and its machine will be specifically described in the following . if the prevailing psychosomatic state of the player is in an &# 34 ; unexcited &# 34 ; situation so that this situation is recognized through the arithmetic operator by arithmetically processing the data obtained from the aforementioned sensor , the rewarding catcher 6 , for example , other than the ordinary game unit starting chucker catcher 3 is set to a concurrent game unit starting chucker catcher . the game unit is also started when a pachinko ball lands in the reset rewarding catcher 6 . the subsequent responses are identical to the ordinary ones so that the great hit is rewarded if the specific combination is obtained among the figures . otherwise , a predetermined number of more balls are returned . thus , the psychosomatic state of the player obtained from the sensor mounted in the shooting grip is arithmetically processed to assign the game to the level under the predetermined condition , e . g ., the &# 34 ; unexcited &# 34 ; level as in this case . then , a command is issued to take a response different from that of the ordinary pachinko machine so that the gate unit can be unintentionally started to attract the interest of the player . in the present embodiment , the unexpected game is started by the pachinko machine so that the game can be changed from that of the ordinary pachinko to make variations . in the embodiment described above , the response of the pachinko game is changed in the game but should not be limited thereto . for example , the circumstances of the player such as the air conditioning , illuminations or musics can also be changed to prevent the player from losing his or her interest . the present embodiment is exemplified by applying the concept of chaos of the present invention to a rotary drum type game machine . if the prevailing psychosomatic state of the player is in the &# 34 ; excited &# 34 ; situation , this situation is recognized through the machine or the numerical operator by arithmetically processing the data obtained from the aforementioned sensor . then , the turning velocity of the rotary drum type game machine can be accelerated to make the player enthusiastic in the game so that he or she may be kept bot . moreover , the content of tho game each be changed by making the time period for the turning of the game machine to halt shorter than the ordinary one so that the player may see the game result earlier . the present embodiment is exemplified by applying the concept of chaos of the present invention to the facilities or a game parlor equipped with a plurality of game machines . specifically , the game parlor is usually arranged with a number of game machines in a block or matrix shape . these game machines are wholly or partially changed into those capable of grasping the prevailing psychosomatic states of the players . the data of these game machines are processed by another computer disposed in the game parlor to grasp the distribution of the games in specific psychosomatic situations . if the distribution of the &# 34 ; unexcited &# 34 ; players is grasped , for example , the kind of music to be served to the parlor is changed to provide the circumstances for the players to get &# 34 ; excited &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; thrilled &# 34 ;. this changing method can fit the prevailing situations of the players by changing the parlor entirely or partially according to the distribution of the players in a specific state . in all the three embodiments described above , the concept of chaos is applied , but this application should not be limitative . even if the application or the concept of chaos is impossible , the conditional level is determined in advance to classify the players so that the game machines can be given the change in the response like the case of applying the concept of chaos . in this modification , various responses can be achieved by changing the predetermined level and the kings of information from the players . according to the construction of the present invention , as has been described hereinbefore , it is possible to provide the contents and circumstances conforming to the prevailing psychosomatic situations of the players . moreover , the contents , responses and circumstances of the games can be changed according to the situations of the players so that the players can continue their interests in the games for a long time without any loss . the game contents are not limited to one pattern but can be changed according to the psychosomatic situations of the players or any of the levels predetermined by the players . thus , it is possible to realize a novel game stressed on the players .	0
this attribute , when true , indicates that the system capability for contact verification signal is enabled . false indicates that the station has no and , in case of encoding the mac and the phy mib , it is able to newly add a definition for a dot11 contactverificationinterval ( or dot11wsmnotificationperiod ) related to a cvs transmission interval as shown in table 9 . as mentioned in the foregoing description , after the dependent sta ( e . g ., the mode i sta ) received an available channel list ( or wsm ) from the enabling sta ( e . g ., the mode ii sta ), the dependent sta ( e . g ., the mode i sta ) can consistently receive a cvs from the enabling sta ( e . g ., the mode ii sta ) with a period less than a preset time interval ( e . g ., cvstimeinterval ). for instance , the cvstimeinterval value can be set to 60 seconds . the mode i sta should receive the cvs on every 60 seconds or with a period less than 60 seconds . the mode i sta can judge that a corresponding channel list is continuously valid in a manner of consistently receiving the cvs , which corresponds to the map id of the currently possessed available channel list , with the set period . if the mode i sta does not receive the cvs corresponding to the map id of the currently possessed available channel list for the cvstimeinterval , the mode i sta judges that the channel list corresponding to the map id is not valid anymore . in particular , the cvstimeinterval can be represented as an expiration date of the available channel list . if the mode i sta does not possess a valid available channel list , the mode i sta should obtain an available channel list in a manner of performing the mode i caq process again . a case of not capable of receiving the cvs , which corresponds to the map id of the currently possessed available channel list , for the cvstimeinterval by the mode i sta may include a case of not capable of receiving the cvs itself ( e . g ., a case of getting out from the coverage of the mode ii sta by the mode i sta ) and a case that the map id of the cvs is not matched with the map id of the currently possessed available channel list although the cvs is received . in this case , the mode i sta judges that the currently possessed available channel list is not valid anymore . the mode i sta should obtain new available channel information corresponding to the map id included in the cvs in a manner of transmitting the mode i caq again and receiving a mode i caq response . in case that the mode ii sta moves , the cvs and the mode i caq can be used to inform the mode i sta of an updated available channel list . for instance , assume that the map id of the available channel list provided to the mode i sta is k . subsequently , if the mode ii sta moves more than a prescribed distance and if the location of the mode ii sta is modified , the mode ii sta can obtain an available channel list in a modified location again by accessing the db . if the channel list newly obtained from the db by the mode ii sta is different from the channel list of which the mode ii sta conventionally possessed , the map id of the newly obtained channel list can be set to k + 1 . by doing so , the mode ii sta can transmit the cvs to the mode i sta in a manner of setting the map id value included in the cvs to k + 1 . having received the cvs , the mode i sta checks that k + 1 , which is the map id different from k of the map id of the available channel list possessed by the mode i sta , is included in the cvs and can recognize that the available channel list is updated . hence , the mode i sta can transmit a mode i caq request to the mode ii sta . the mode ii sta can transmit a mode i caq response to the mode i sta in response to the mode i caq request . values of a map id field , a channel number field , a maximum power level field , and a validity field included in the mode i caq response are newly set to the value corresponding to a new available channel list . meanwhile , the mode ii sta can obtain a channel available for one or more locations from the db via the mode ii caq . by doing so , if the location of the mode ii sta were modified in the future , the mode ii sta does not access the db since the mode ii sta already obtained the channel list capable of being used in the modified location . yet , a case that the mode ii sta does not access the db in the modified location may correspond to a case that channel validity of a corresponding channel list is not expired for travel time or a case that an update does not occur in the db for the travel time . if the channel validity is expired , the mode ii sta can access the db to obtain new available channel information in the modified location . if db update occurred , the db can inform the mode ii sta of the change of the available channel information ( for instance , the db can inform the mode ii sta in a form of an announcement ). as mentioned earlier , in case that the mode ii sta has obtained the channel list available for one or more locations in advance , if the information of the available channel among the available channel list obtained in advance is modified due to a location change or the db update , the modified available channel information should be reported to the mod i sta . it &# 39 ; s because the mod i sta possesses the available channel list at the time of receiving a response for a mode i caq request only . and , in terms of the mode i sta , although whether the available channel list possessed by the mode ii sta is modified or not can be checked via whether the map id of the cvs is modified , since the cvs does not include the channel information , the mode i sta should make a request for the modified channel list information to the mode ii sta again . hence , having received the cvs of the modified map id , the mode i sta can transmit the mode i caq request to the mode ii sta . the mode ii sta can inform the mode i sta of a channel list capable of being used in one or more locations ( in particular , multiple locations ) at a time . a scheme for informing an available channel list to the mode i sta by the mode ii sta includes a scheme of responding a caq in response to a caq request of the mode i sta or a scheme of responding an unsolicited caq . the unsolicited caq response means a message of which the mode ii sta informs available channel information without the caq request of the mode i sta . fig9 is a diagram for an example of a mode i caq frame format used for delivering a channel list available in one or more locations . the mode i caq frame format of fig9 can be defined as a new frame format to which a number of locations field in the mode i caq frame format of fig7 is added and fields ( the map id field , the channel number field , the maximum power level field , and the validity field ) corresponding to the channel list are repeated . for clarity , explanation on the fields ( category , public action , and reason result code ) duplicated with fig7 is omitted in the example of the mode i caq frame format . number of locations field may have a value indicating the number ( i . e ., k ( k ≧ 1 )) of locations to which the mode ii sta queries the db . since one available channel list is given to one location , the value ( i . e ., k ) of the number of locations field has a value identical to the number ( the number of repeating of { one ‘ map id ’ and n number of ‘ channel number , maximum power level , and validity ’ field }) of available channel list in the field following the number of locations field . the length field may have a value indicating the length of the fields following the length field . in the mode i caq frame format in fig9 , the length field has a value of k ( n 3 + 1 ). yet , the example shown in fig9 is just an exemplary to explain the principle of the present invention . a form of a channel list repeating in a frame format , which is repeated to represent the channel list ( or wsm ) for multiple locations , can be variously defined . for instance , in case of k = 1 in the example of fig9 , the length field can be represented as the length field includes information indicating the length ( i . e ., the length of the map id + the length of the channel number field , the maximum power level field , and the validity field ) of the channel list . for instance , if it is assumed that one channel list includes n number of channels , since the channel number field , the maximum power level field , and the validity field are repeated n times ( n ( 1 + 1 + 1 ) and the length of the map id is 1 , the length field may have a value of n 3 + 1 . in this case , a maximum value of the n is limited to the maximum value capable of being represented by the map id . in particular , in the example of fig9 , the mode i caq frame format in case of k = 1 has a configuration practically identical to the aforementioned configuration of the mode i caq frame format in fig7 . more extensively , in case of k & gt ; 1 ( i . e ., k ≧ 2 ), { one ‘ map id ’ and n number of ‘ channel number field , maximum power level , and validity field ’} can be repeated k times after the length field . since the length of the map id field , the channel number field , the maximum power level field , and the validity field is one octet , respectively , the length field may have a value of k ( n 3 + 1 ). the map id field is a unique number of each channel list . and , a value different from each other is given to a channel list different from each other . in particular , since one available channel list is provided in one location , a map id of a channel list in one location and the map id of the channel list in another location are provided with a value different from each other . and , in case that an available channel list is updated , the map id can be provided with a value different from the value of the map id previously used . for instance , the map id can be set to increase by 1 on every update of the available channel list . yet , this is just an exemplary and may be non - limited to this . according to the example that the map id increases by 1 on every update of the available channel list , in case that a channel list is updated after a maximum value ( e . g ., 2 8 − 1 ) of the map id is provided to the channel list , 1 is provided to a value of the map id for an updated channel list and the map id value increasing by 1 is provided to a channel list to be updated . in particular , the value of the map id field explained in fig7 , which is the example of the mode i caq frame format for an available channel list in one location , is a scheme for providing 0 after a maximum value ( e . g ., 2 8 − 1 ). on the other hand , the value of the map id field explained in fig9 , which is the example of the mode i caq frame format for an available channel list in one or more locations , is a scheme for providing 1 after a maximum value ( e . g ., 2 8 − 1 ) of the map id field . in the example of fig9 , the map id field having a value of 0 can be set to be used to indicate whether a channel list is updated and may not be used as an identification number of the channel list . as shown in the example of fig9 , the mode i caq for multiple locations can be used by a request of the mode i sta or can be used by a decision of the mode ii sta , which knows a moving area of the mode ii sta and is capable of directly selecting an operation channel . in case of the former , the mode i sta can transmit a mode i caq request message to the mode ii sta before an operation is started and the mode ii sta can transmit a mode i caq response message such as the example of fig9 to the mode i sta in response to the mode i caq request message . in case of the latter , after obtaining an available channel list for multiple locations from the db on a random timing point , the mode ii sta can transmit ( transmit in a form of an unsolicited caq response or an announcement ) the mode i caq response message to the mode i sta . the latter case can be generally used more than the former case , by which the present invention may be non - limited . after obtaining available channel list for multiple locations from the db and providing a map id different from each other to a channel list corresponding to each location , the mode ii sta can inform the mode i sta of the corresponding channel lists at a time via the mode i caq message such as the example of fig9 . the map id of which the mode ii sta informs the mode i sta can be identical to the identification number numbered by the db according to an available channel list when the db transmits the available channel list to the mode ii sta . or , besides the identification number numbered by the db , the mode ii sta can generate , provide , and manage a map id according to each available channel list . for instance , in case that the mode ii sta provides the map id to a plurality of available channel lists for multiple locations at a time , the map id can be sequentially numbered . this is because the mode ii sta intends to easily manage the map id in case the available channel list is updated by the db . and , if the available channel list is updated in a state that the map id is all assigned up to the maximum value ( e . g ., 2 8 − 1 ), a value of the map id field is sequentially assigned not from 0 but from 1 . in this case , in order to prevent the channel list assigned as map id = 1 from being handled as a channel list identical to the channel list of previously assigned as map id = 1 , the mode ii sta transmits a cvs configured by map id = 0 to the mode i sta . hence , although the map id of the mode i caq transmitted thereafter has a value identical to the previous map id , the mode ii sta can inform that it is a different channel list indicator . and , map id = 0 can be used as a usage for indicating that a correlation between the channel list and the map id is newly defined instead of being assigned to the available channel list . in particular , in case of reusing a conventional map id value in a manner of assigning the map id from 1 again since the map id is over the maximum value , the mode ii sta can transmit the cvs configured by map id = 0 to inform the mode i sta of a channel list modification . and , for instance , multiple locations included in a caq request frame can be sequentially mapped to a plurality of available channel lists ( wsm ) included in a caq response frame . in particular , if the multiple locations included in the caq request are sequentially called a first location , a second location , . . . , a k location , the caq response can sequentially include an available channel list for the first location , an available channel list for the second location , . . . , an available channel list for the k location . similar to this , an order of the map id included in a cvs frame can be mapped to the order ( or the order of a plurality of available channel lists in the caq response frame ) of the location information in the caq request frame as well . fig1 is a diagram of a cvs information element ( ie ) format for one or more available channel lists . a cvs format in fig1 ( a ) is different from the cvs format in fig8 ( a ) in that the map id field can be repeated . since the rest of the fields are identical to the fields of the example of fig8 , duplicated explanation is omitted . in the cvs format in fig1 ( a ), it is not excluded a case that one map id field is included only . and , a cvs ie format in fig1 ( b ) is an example of which a cvs delivery interval field is added to the cvs format in fig1 ( a ). the mode ii sta can provide the map id of one or more channel lists to the mode i sta using the cvs format in fig1 . the mode i sta can judge that a corresponding channel list is continuously valid in a manner of consistently receiving a cvs , which corresponds to the map id of a currently possessed available channel list , with a period less than a preset time interval ( e . g ., cvstimeinterval ). and , in case that although the mode i sta receives the cvs itself for the cvstimeinterval but cannot receive a map id of a specific channel list in the received cvs for the cvstimeinterval ( e . g ., 60 seconds ), the mode i sta can judge that the corresponding channel list is not valid anymore . if the mode i sta cannot receive the cvs itself for the cvstimeinterval , the information on the channel lists obtained via the mode i caq becomes not valid anymore . in this case , the mode i sta can perform the mode i caq process again . in particular , the cvstimeinterval can be represented as an expiration date of the available channel list . hence , in order to maintain one or more channel lists valid for the time more than the cvstimeinterval , one or more map ids for one or more channel lists should be delivered to the mode i sta in a manner of being included in the cvs . to this end , the cvs of the format depicted in fig1 can be used . having received the cvs , the mode i sta checks the map ids included in the corresponding cvs . and then , the mode i sta judges the channel list ( s ) corresponding to the map id , which does not correspond to the map id included in the cvs among the channel lists of which the mode i sta possessed in advance ( i . e ., the mode i sta possesses a plurality of channel lists and a plurality of map ids corresponding to a plurality of the channel lists via a latest mode i caq ), as invalid . the mode i sta can discard the channel list ( s ) or simply may not use the channel list ( s ). the mode ii sta can deliver the information on a plurality of the available channel lists to the mode i sta in advance via the mode i caq response ( a response for the mode i caq request of the mode i sta or an unsolicited response ). the mode ii sta can inform the mode i sta of whether the preliminarily delivered a plurality of the available channel lists are continuously valid using the cvs . in particular , it is able to represent that the mode ii sta renewals the expiration date of the channel list capable of being used by the mode i sta on every cvstimeinterval using the cvs . in this case , each of the map ids preliminarily provided in the process of the mode i caq does not need to be mandatorily included in the cvs . in particular , although the mode ii sta should consistently transmit the cvs on every cvstimeinterval ( e . g ., 60 seconds ), only a map id of an available channel in one location can be included in the cvs . the mode i sta can identify that the available channel list applied in a current location ( and current timing point ) corresponds to which one of a plurality of the available channel lists obtained via the mode i caq . and , the map id included in the cvs not always corresponds to the channel list currently capable of being used by the mode i sta . besides the channel list currently capable of being used by the mode i sta , the map id for a different channel list except the currently available channel list among the channel lists previously transmitted to the mode i sta can be consistently provided to the mode i sta via the cvs as well . for instance , as shown in fig6 ( b ), if an available channel in ( p1 , r2 ) is a subset of an available channel in ( p1 , r1 ), the operation as mentioned in the above can be performed . for instance , assume a case that a map id of an available channel in ( p1 , r1 ) region is 1 , 2 , 3 , the map id of the available channel in ( p1 , r2 ) is 1 , 2 , and the map id of the available channel in ( p1 , r3 ) is 1 . in this case , if the mode i sta is currently positioned at the ( p1 , r1 ) region , the cvs received by the mode i sta includes the map id = 1 , 2 , and 3 . the map id 1 and 2 correspond to the available channel list in the ( p1 , r2 ) region as well . similarly , among the map id = 1 , 2 , and 3 , which are included in the cvs received by the mode i sta positioned at the ( p1 , r1 ) region , the map id = 1 corresponds to the available channel list ( i . e ., a different channel list ) in the ( p1 , r3 ) region as well . as mentioned in the foregoing description , the cvs may include a currently available channel list and a plurality of map id fields corresponding to the different channel lists . in particular , including a map id in the cvs can be called a renewal of a channel list corresponding to the corresponding map id . by performing a renewal of the corresponding channel list using the cvs from a transmission timing of the channel list on every cvstimeinterval , it is able to manage the corresponding channel list to be consistently valid . or , among a plurality of the map ids corresponding to a plurality of the channel lists preliminarily provided to the mode i sta , a map id not included in a previous cvs can be included in a later cvs . for instance , in case that the mode i sta does not discard a channel list corresponding to the map id not included in the cvs and does not simply use the channel list , the mode i sta can perform a renewal for the channel list , which is not used before receiving a latest cvs although the mode i sta possesses the channel list . in this case , the mode i sta may simply operate in a manner that the mode i sta uses a channel list ( s ) corresponding to the map id ( s ) included in the latest cvs and does not use the channel list ( s ) corresponding to the map id ( s ) not included in the latest cvs . meanwhile , if a channel list is modified due to a movement of the mode ii sta , the mode ii sta can inform the mode i sta of a modified available channel list ( e . g ., in a manner of an announcement ) using the mode i caq . yet , if the modified available channel list is a subset of the available channel list prior to the modification and there exists a channel list coincident with the modified available channel list among the channel lists corresponding to the map id included in the cvs , the mode ii sta does not inform the mode i sta of the modified available channel list via the mode i caq but informs the mode i sta of which channel is not valid anymore via the cvs . in this case , the map id of the channel list including the channel , which is not valid anymore , is not included in the cvs . having received the aforementioned cvs , the mode i sta judges that the channel list corresponding to the map id , which is not included in the cvs , is not valid anymore . and then , the mode i sta does not use ( or may discard the channel list ) the channel list . in particular , in terms of the mode i sta , the channel list capable of being used by the mode i sta is a union of the channel list corresponding to the map id included in the lately received cvs . for instance , the mode i sta can obtain available channel information on multiple locations in advance using the mode i caq message such as the example of fig9 . if a location of the mode i sta is modified , the mode i sta can continuously check ( i . e ., tracking ) whether a plurality of available channel lists for the multiple locations are valid in a manner of not using a new mode i caq message in a modified location but receiving the cvs ( e . g ., the cvs of fig1 ) only . if the channel list capable of being used by the mode i sta is changed since the location of the mode i sta and / or the mode ii sta is modified , the mode ii sta can transmit a map id of the modified channel list to the mode i sta via the cvs ( in this case , assume that the channel list corresponding to the corresponding map id is provided to the mode i sta in advance using the mode i caq ). having received the cvs , the mode i sta can check whether there exists a channel list corresponding to the map id received via the cvs among the available channel list in the multiple locations obtained in advance via the mode i caq . if the mode i sta possesses the available channel list corresponding to the map id included in the cvs , the mode i sta can use the channel list currently used in a manner of replacing into a channel list corresponding to the map id included in the cvs . if the mode i sta does not possess the available channel list corresponding to the map id included in the cvs or the map id of the cvs is set to 0 , the mode i sta can receive a new available channel list from the mode ii sta . the mode i sta can obtain a new available channel list by receiving a mode i caq response from the mode ii sta with / without a request . this mode i caq process can be called an updated map id obtaining process or a map id reset process . in case of the mode i caq as a usage of updating a map id , if the mode ii sta receives a mode i caq request message , the mode ii sta transmits an updated map id and available channel list information corresponding to the updated map id to the mode i sta via a mode i caq response message . having received the mode i caq response message , the mode i sta can add the updated map id and the available channel list corresponding to the updated map id to the conventional valid available channel lists . meanwhile , after receiving the cvs of which the map id = 0 , the map id of the channel list newly received via the mode i caq response may have a number identical to the map id of the conventional channel list . in this case , the conventional channel list can be replaced ( or reset ) in a manner of matching the newly obtained channel list with the corresponding map id . in the foregoing description , the mode i sta obtains an available channel list in one or more locations and corresponding map id in advance using the latest mode i caq process and a method of informing the mode i sta of validity of the obtained available channel list via the cvs is described . subsequently , a case of newly configuring the available channel list itself , which is obtained using the mode i caq process , is explained . for instance , it is able to assume a case that the mode ii sta moves the available channel list to not a location of which the mode ii sta obtained the available channel list in advance but a new location or a case that the mode ii receives a notification from the db notifying that the available channel list is updated . in this case , although the mode ii sta transmits cvs to the mode i sta , since the mode ii sta cannot be sure the validity of the available channel list corresponding to the map id included in the cvs , it is necessary for the mode ii sta to have a process of obtaining the available channel list again . hence , the mode ii sta can obtain a new available channel list ( an available channel list in a modified location or an available channel list updated in the db although there is no location change ) by accessing the db again . if the available channel list newly obtained by the mode ii sta from the db is not matched with the conventional available channel list , the mode ii sta can transmit the cvs including the updated map id to the mode i sta . since the mode i sta does not have a channel list of the map id included in the cvs , the mode i sta transmits a mode i caq request message to the mode ii sta and can receive a mode i caq response message including the information on the updated available channel list from the mode ii sta . or , if the available channel list newly obtained by the mode ii sta from the db is matched with the conventional available channel list , the mode ii sta can transmit the cvs using the conventional map id as it is . having received the cvs , the mode i sta does not perform a mode i caq request . in the following description , a mode i caq process for one or more locations according to the aforementioned example of the present invention and various examples to which a cvs transmission and reception process is applied are explained . fig1 is a flowchart indicating a mode i caq process and a cvs transceiving process according to one example of the present invention . in the example of fig1 , assume that the mode i sta is positioned within the coverage of the mode ii sta and the mode ii sta is capable of exchanging information with an authorized db via the internet and the like . in the step s 1001 , the mode i sta can transmit a caq request 1 to the mode ii sta and this corresponds to a mode i caq request . in the step s 1002 , the mode ii sta can transmit an available channel list query for multiple locations to the authorized db ( e . g ., db ). this corresponds to a mode ii caq request . for instance , the mode ii sta is positioned at a p1 in the example of fig6 ( a ) and can query a channel list available in 2 locations ( i . e ., ( p1 , r1 ) and ( p2 , r2 )) to the db . in the step s 1003 , the db can deliver an available channel list for multiple locations to the mode ii sta in response to the query of the mode ii sta . this corresponds to a mode ii caq response . for instance , the available channel list provided by the db to the mode ii sta assumes a case that the channel number of the channels capable of being used in ( p1 , r1 ) is { 1 , 2 , and 3 } and the channel number of the channels capable of being used in ( p2 , r2 ) is { 3 , 4 , and 5 }. in the step s 1004 , the mode ii sta can transmit a channel list capable of being used by the mode i sta among the available channel list for the multiple locations obtained from the db to the mode i sta . this corresponds to a mode i caq response . for instance , the information included in the caq response 1 can be summarized in table 10 as follows . meanwhile , although the step s 1002 may be initiated by the step s 1001 , the mode ii sta can transmit the available channel list query to the db despite that the step s 1001 is not performed . and , if the mode ii sta already obtained the available channel list for the multiple locations from the db , the mode ii sta can perform the mode i caq response of the s 1004 in response to the mode i caq request without performing the mode ii caq process of the s 1002 and the s 1003 . or , the mode ii sta may deliver the available channel list for the multiple locations to the mode i sta without performing the s 1001 ( or , without performing the s 1001 , the s 1002 , and the s 1003 ). this corresponds to an unsolicited mode i caq response . as mentioned in the foregoing description , the available channel list for the multiple locations can be transmitted to the mode i sta in the step s 1004 in various situations . in the step s 1005 , the mode ii sta can transmit a cvs ( cvs 1 ) to the mode i sta . the cvs 1 can include information where map id = 1 only . hence , the mode i sta can determine a channel capable of being used by the mode i sta where the channel number { 1 , 2 , 3 } corresponding to the map id = 1 is available in a current location and current timing point . by doing so , the mode i sta can perform a ws communication . in the step s 1006 , a geo - location change may occur due to a movement of the mode ii sta to a different location . for instance , assume that the mode ii sta stays in the ( p1 , r1 ) position before the step s 1006 and moves to a ( p2 , r2 ) position in the step s 1006 ( more specifically , assume that the mode ii sta moves to the ( p2 , r2 ) position except a part overlapped with the ( p1 , r1 ) region ). according to the location change , the available channel list may be modified . since the mode ii sta has already obtained the available channel list in the ( p2 , r2 ) position in the step s 1003 , the mode ii sta does not need to query a new available channel list to the db due to the location change of the step s 1006 . in the step s 1007 , the mode ii sta can transmit a cvs ( cvs 2 ) including a map id of an available channel list in a current location to the mode i sta . the cvs 2 can include information where map id = 2 only . hence , the mode i sta can determine a channel capable of being used by the mode i sta where the channel number { 3 , 4 , 5 } corresponding to the map id = 2 is available in a current location and current timing point . by doing so , the mode i sta can perform a ws communication . while the mode ii sta is staying in the ( p2 , r2 ) region , update of the channel list , which is available in the ( p2 , r2 ) position , may occur . in the step s 1008 , the db can transmit an updated available channel list to the mode ii sta . this corresponds to an unsolicited mode ii caq response . for instance , the updated available channel list received by the mode ii sta in the step s 1008 ( e . g ., channel number { 3 , 4 , 6 } in the position ( p2 , r2 )) may be not matched with the available channel list ( e . g ., channel number { 3 , 4 , 5 } in the position ( p2 , r2 )) previously obtained in the step s 1003 . in this case , the mode ii sta can assign a map id to the updated available channel list as shown in the following table 11 . in the step s 1009 , the mode ii sta can transmit a cvs ( cvs 3 ) to the mode i sta to inform that the available channel list is updated in the ( p2 , r2 ). the cvs 3 can include information where map id = 3 only . in this case , the mode i sta includes the available channel list where map id = 1 , which is included in the caq response received in the step s 1004 , and the available channel list where the map id = 2 only . hence , when the mode i sta checks the map id included in the received cvs 3 , since the mode i sta does not have map id = 3 , the mode i sta cannot determine an available channel list corresponding to the map id = 3 . hence , the mode i sta should obtain new available channel information . in the step s 1010 , the mode i sta can transmit a caq request 2 to the mode ii sta . this corresponds to the mode i caq request . in the step s 1011 , the mode ii sta can transmit the caq response 2 to the mode i sta . this corresponds to the mode i caq response . in this case , information of a following table 12 should be included in the caq response 2 . meanwhile , explanation on the aforementioned fig1 can be identically applied to the example of fig6 ( b ). for instance , s 1001 to s 1005 and s 1007 to s 1011 can be identically applied to the example . it can be understood that the channel list is modified due to the movement of the mode ii sta from the ( p1 , r1 ) position to the ( p1 , r2 ) in the step s 1006 ( in particular , the channel list is modified when the mode ii sta moves from the ( p1 , r2 ) region to the region except the ( p1 , r1 ) region ). fig1 is a flowchart indicating a mode i caq process and a cvs transceiving process according to a different example of the present invention . in the example of fig1 , for a part of which a separate explanation does not exist , the explanation for the example of fig1 can be applied as it is . in the example of fig1 , assume a case that the mode ii sta starts from p1 of the example of fig6 ( b ) and moves in a manner of passing through ( p1 , r1 ) region , ( p1 , r2 ) region , and ( p1 , r3 ) region . in particular , an anticipated moving path of the mode ii sta is shown in fig6 ( b ) and assume that the mode ii sta has already obtained a channel list available in the anticipated moving path ( for instance , assume that the mode ii sta already obtained available channel lists from the db ). in the step s 1101 , the mode i sta can transmit a mode 1 caq request 1 ( caq request 1 ) to the mode ii sta . in the step s 1102 , the mode ii sta can transmit a mode i caq response ( caq response 1 ) to the mode i sta . for instance , a channel list available in each location including the anticipated moving path of the mode ii sta can be included in the caq response 1 as shown in the following table 13 . as shown in the table 13 , in case of the multiple locations are configured as depicted in fig6 ( b ), an available channel in a wider region can be set to a subset of an available channel of a narrower region . for instance , when a channel available in wherever in the wider region is determined , since the region is wider , possibility of existence of an incumbent user or interference of a neighboring channel may increase . yet , this is just an exemplary for the understanding of the present invention . the present embodiment can be applied to various cases where an available channel list in one location becomes a subset of an available channel list in a different location . the step s 1102 can be performed in response to the step s 1101 or can be performed by an unsolicited form . in the step s 1103 , the mode ii sta can transmit a cvs ( cvs 1 ) to the mode i sta . the cvs 1 can include map id = 1 , 2 , and 3 . hence , the mode i sta can determine a channel capable of being used by the mode i sta where the channel number { 1 , 2 , 3 } corresponding to the map id = 1 , 2 , and 3 is available in a current location and current timing point ( e . g ., for cvstimeinterval ). by doing so , the mode i sta can perform a ws communication . in the step s 1104 , a geo - location change occurs due to the movement of the mode ii sta moving to a ( p1 , r2 ) position ( in particular , in case that the mode ii sta , which exists in the ( p1 , r1 ) region , moves to the ( p1 , r2 ) region in a manner of getting out an r1 radius ) and an available channel list can be modified according to the movement of the mode ii sta . in the step s 1105 , the mode ii sta can transmit a cvs ( cvs 2 ) to inform the mode i sta of the change of the available channel list . the cvs 2 can include the map id = 2 and 3 . hence , the mode i sta can determine a channel capable of being used by the mode i sta where the channel number { 1 , 2 } corresponding to the map id = 2 and 3 is available in a current location and current timing point ( e . g ., for cvstimeinterval ). by doing so , the mode i sta can perform a ws communication . and , the mode i sta simply does not use or can discard the channel number { 3 } not corresponding to the map id of the cvs . in the step s 1106 , a geo - location change occurs due to the movement of the mode ii sta moving to a ( p1 , r3 ) position ( in particular , in case that the mode ii sta , which exists in the ( p1 , r2 ) region , moves to the ( p1 , r3 ) region in a manner of getting out an r2 radius ) and an available channel list can be modified according to the movement of the mode ii sta . in the step s 1107 , the mode ii sta can transmit a cvs ( cvs 3 ) to inform the mode i sta of the change of the available channel list . the cvs 3 can include the map id = 3 . hence , the mode i sta can determine a channel capable of being used by the mode i sta where the channel number { 1 } corresponding to the map id = 3 is available in a current location and current timing point ( e . g ., for cvstimeinterval ). by doing so , the mode i sta can perform a ws communication . and , the mode i sta simply does not use or can discard the channel number { 2 , 3 } not corresponding to the map id of the cvs . meanwhile , while the mode ii sta is staying in the ( p1 , r3 ) region , update of the channel list , which is available in the ( p1 , r3 ) position , may occur . in the step s 1108 , the db can transmit an updated available channel list to the mode ii sta . this corresponds to an unsolicited mode ii caq response . for instance , the updated available channel list received by the mode ii sta in the step s 1108 ( e . g ., channel number { 4 , 5 } in the position ( p1 , r3 )) may be not matched with the available channel list ( e . g ., channel number { 1 } in the position ( p1 , r3 )) previously obtained . in this case , the mode ii sta can assign a map id to the updated available channel list as shown in the following table 14 . in the step s 1109 , the mode ii sta can transmit an unsolicited mode i caq response ( caq response 2 ) to the mode i sta to inform that the available channel list is updated . in this case , information of a following table 15 should be included in the caq response 2 . meanwhile , explanation on the aforementioned fig1 can be identically applied to the example of fig6 ( a ). for instance , it can be understood that the channel list is modified due to the movement of the mode ii sta from the ( p1 , r1 ) position to the ( p2 , r2 ) in the step s 1104 ( in particular , the channel list is modified when the mode ii sta moves from the ( p2 , r2 ) region to the region except the ( p1 , r1 ) region ). in this case , the available channel information in ( p2 , r2 ) may correspond to a subset of the available channel information in ( p1 , r1 ). as mentioned earlier , a cvs scheme for informing the validity of the available channel in the r2 radius except the r1 radius can be used . for the method of transceiving a caq request / response and a cvs according to one embodiment of the present invention explained in relation to fig1 and fig1 , each of the items explained by the various embodiments of the present invention can be independently applied or two or more embodiments can be implemented in a manner of being simultaneously applied . for clarity , duplicated content is omitted . fig1 is a block diagram of a wireless device configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention . an ap 700 can include a processor 710 , a memory 720 , and a transceiver 730 . an sta 750 can include a processor 760 , a memory 770 , and a transceiver 780 . the transceiver 730 / 780 can transmit / receive a radio signal . for instance , the transceiver can implement a physical layer according to an ieee 802 system . the processor 710 / 760 can implement a physical layer and / or a mac layer according to an ieee 802 system in a manner of being connected to the transceiver 730 / 760 . the processor 710 of the ap 700 can be configured to determine wsm for the sta 750 . the transceiver 730 of the ap 700 can be configured to transmit information on the wsm to the sta 750 and configured to transmit a cvs frame including a map id of a currently valid wsm to the sta 750 after the wsm is transmitted . meanwhile , the transceiver 780 of the sta 750 can be configured to receive the information on the wsm from the ap 700 and configured to receive a cvs frame including a map id of a currently valid wsm from the ap 700 after the wsm information is received . the processor 760 of the sta 750 can compare a value of the map id field included in the cvs frame with a map id possessed by the sta 750 . in this case , a field for indicating a time interval of which the cvs frame is transmitted is included in the cvs frame . the cvs frame can be transmitted on every corresponding transmission time interval . besides , the processor 710 of the ap 700 can be configured to control the ap 700 to perform an operation according to various embodiments of the present invention related to the caq request / response and the cvs transmission and reception . and , a module for implementing the operation of the ap and the sta according to the aforementioned various embodiments of the present invention is stored in the memory 720 / 770 and can be executed by the processor 710 / 760 . the memory 720 / 770 is included in the inside of the processor 710 / 760 or is installed in the external of the processor 710 / 760 . the memory can be connected to the processor 710 / 760 by a well - known means . for the aforementioned detail configuration of the ap device and the sta device , each of the items explained by the various embodiments of the present invention can be independently applied or two or more embodiments can be implemented in a manner of being simultaneously applied . for clarity , duplicated content is omitted . embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using various means . for instance , embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using hardware , firmware , software and / or any combinations thereof . in the implementation by hardware , a method according to each embodiment of the present invention can be implemented by at least one selected from the group consisting of asics ( application specific integrated circuits ), dsps ( digital signal processors ), dspds ( digital signal processing devices ), plds ( programmable logic devices ), fpgas ( field programmable gate arrays ), processor , controller , microcontroller , microprocessor and the like . in case of the implementation by firmware or software , a method according to each embodiment of the present invention can be implemented by modules , procedures , and / or functions for performing the above - explained functions or operations . software code is stored in a memory unit and is then drivable by a processor . the memory unit is provided within or outside the processor to exchange data with the processor through the various means known in public . detailed explanation on the preferred embodiment of the present invention disclosed as mentioned in the foregoing description is provided for those in the art to implement and execute the present invention . while the present invention has been described and illustrated herein with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for instance , those skilled in the art can use each component described in the aforementioned embodiments in a manner of combining it with each other . hence , the present invention may be non - limited to the aforementioned embodiments of the present invention and intends to provide a scope matched with principles and new characteristics disclosed in the present invention . although various embodiments of the present invention are described in a manner of mainly concerning ieee 802 . 11 system , the embodiments can be applied to various mobile communication systems where a caq request / response and a cvs transmission / reception are performed in a whitespace band in the same manner .	7
fig1 illustrates an example view of global positioning system ( gps ), usable by navigation devices . such systems are known and are used for a variety of purposes . in general , gps is a satellite - radio based navigation system capable of determining continuous position , velocity , time , and in some instances direction information for an unlimited number of users . formerly known as navstar , the gps incorporates a plurality of satellites which work with the earth in extremely precise orbits . based on these precise orbits , gps satellites can relay their location to any number of receiving units . the gps system is implemented when a device , specially equipped to receive gps data , begins scanning radio frequencies for gps satellite signals . upon receiving a radio signal from a gps satellite , the device determines the precise location of that satellite via one of a plurality of different conventional methods . the device will continue scanning , in most instances , for signals until it has acquired at least three different satellite signals ( noting that position is not normally , but can be determined , with only two signals using other triangulation techniques ). implementing geometric triangulation , the receiver utilizes the three known positions to determine its own two - dimensional position relative to the satellites . this can be done in a known manner . additionally , acquiring a fourth satellite signal will allow the receiving device to calculate its three dimensional position by the same geometrical calculation in a known manner . the position and velocity data can be updated in real time on a continuous basis by an unlimited number of users . as shown in fig1 , the gps system is denoted generally by reference numeral 100 . a plurality of satellites 120 are in orbit about the earth 124 . the orbit of each satellite 120 is not necessarily synchronous with the orbits of other satellites 120 and , in fact , is likely asynchronous . a gps receiver 140 is shown receiving spread spectrum gps satellite signals 160 from the various satellites 120 . the spread spectrum signals 160 , continuously transmitted from each satellite 120 , utilize a highly accurate frequency standard accomplished with an extremely accurate atomic clock . each satellite 120 , as part of its data signal transmission 160 , transmits a data stream indicative of that particular satellite 120 . it is appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art that the gps receiver device 140 generally acquires spread spectrum gps satellite signals 160 from at least three satellites 120 for the gps receiver device 140 to calculate its two - dimensional position by triangulation . acquisition of an additional signal , resulting in signals 160 from a total of four satellites 120 , permits the gps receiver device 140 to calculate its three - dimensional position in a known manner . fig2 illustrates an example block diagram of electronic components of a navigation device 200 , in block component format . it should be noted that the block diagram of the navigation device 200 is not inclusive of all components of the navigation device , but is only representative of many example components . the navigation device 200 is located within a housing ( not shown ). the housing includes a processor 210 connected to an input device 220 and a display screen 240 . the input device 220 can include a keyboard device , voice input device , touch panel and / or any other known input device utilized to input information ; and the display screen 240 can include any type of display screen such as an lcd display , for example . the input device 220 and display screen 240 are integrated into an integrated input and display device , including a touchpad or touchscreen input wherein a user need only touch a portion of the display screen 240 to select one of a plurality of display choices or to activate one of a plurality of virtual buttons . in addition , other types of output devices 250 can also include , including but not limited to , an audible output device . as output device 241 can produce audible information to a user of the navigation device 200 , it is equally understood that input device 240 can also include a microphone and software for receiving input voice commands as well . in the navigation device 200 , processor 210 is operatively connected to and set to receive input information from input device 240 via a connection 225 , and operatively connected to at least one of display screen 240 and output device 241 , via output connections 245 , to output information thereto . further , the processor 210 is operatively connected to memory 230 via connection 235 and is further adapted to receive / send information from / to input / output ( i / o ) ports 270 via connection 275 , wherein the i / o port 270 is connectible to an i / o device 280 external to the navigation device 200 . the external i / 0 device 270 may include , but is not limited to an external listening device such as an earpiece for example . the connection to i / 0 device 280 can further be a wired or wireless connection to any other external device such as a car stereo unit for hands - free operation and / or for voice activated operation for example , for connection to an ear piece or head phones , and / or for connection to a mobile phone for example , wherein the mobile phone connection may be used to establish a data connection between the navigation device 200 and the internet or any other network for example , and / or to establish a connection to a server via the internet or some other network for example . the navigation device 200 may establish a “ mobile ” or telecommunications network connection with the server 302 via a mobile device 400 ( such as a mobile phone , pda , and / or any device with mobile phone technology ) establishing a digital connection ( such as a digital connection via known bluetooth technology for example ). thereafter , through its network service provider , the mobile device 400 can establish a network connection ( through the internet for example ) with a server 302 . as such , a “ mobile ” network connection is established between the navigation device 200 ( which can be , and often times is mobile as it travels alone and / or in a vehicle ) and the server 302 to provide a “ real - time ” or at least very “ up to date ” gateway for information . the establishing of the network connection between the mobile device 400 ( via a service provider ) and another device such as the server 302 , using the internet 410 for example , can be done in a known manner . this can include use of tcp / ip layered protocol for example . the mobile device 400 can utilize any number of communication standards such as cdma , gsm , wan , etc . as such , an internet connection may be utilized which is achieved via data connection , via a mobile phone or mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 for example . for this connection , an internet connection between the server 302 and the navigation device 200 is established . this can be done , for example , through a mobile phone or other mobile device and a gprs ( general packet radio service )- connection ( gprs connection is a high - speed data connection for mobile devices provided by telecom operators ; gprs is a method to connect to the internet . the navigation device 200 can further complete a data connection with the mobile device 400 , and eventually with the internet 410 and server 302 , via existing bluetooth technology for example , in a known manner , wherein the data protocol can utilize any number of standards , such as the gsrm , the data protocol standard for the gsm standard , for example . the navigation device 200 may include its own mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 itself ( including an antenna for example , wherein the internal antenna of the navigation device 200 can further alternatively be used ). the mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 can include internal components as specified above , and / or can include an insertable card ( e . g . subscriber identity module or sim card ), complete with necessary mobile phone technology and / or an antenna for example . as such , mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 can similarly establish a network connection between the navigation device 200 and the server 302 , via the internet 410 for example , in a manner similar to that of any mobile device 400 . for grps phone settings , the bluetooth enabled device may be used to correctly work with the ever changing spectrum of mobile phone models , manufacturers , etc ., model / manufacturer specific settings may be stored on the navigation device 200 for example . the data stored for this information can be updated . fig2 further illustrates an operative connection between the processor 210 and an antenna / receiver 250 via connection 255 , wherein the antenna / receiver 250 can be a gps antenna / receiver for example . it will be understood that the antenna and receiver designated by reference numeral 250 are combined schematically for illustration , but that the antenna and receiver may be separately located components , and that the antenna may be a gps patch antenna or helical antenna for example . further , it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the electronic components shown in fig2 are powered by power sources ( not shown ) in a conventional manner . as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art , different configurations of the components shown in fig2 are considered within the scope of the present application . for example , the components shown in fig2 may be in communication with one another via wired and / or wireless connections and the like . thus , the scope of the navigation device 200 of the present application includes a portable or handheld navigation device 200 . in addition , the portable or handheld navigation device 200 of fig2 can be connected or “ docked ” in a known manner to a motorized vehicle such as a car or boat for example . such a navigation device 200 is then removable from the docked location for portable or handheld navigation use . fig3 illustrates an example block diagram of a server 302 and a navigation device 200 capable of communicating via a generic communications channel 318 . the server 302 and a navigation device 200 can communicate when a connection via communications channel 318 is established between the server 302 and the navigation device 200 ( noting that such a connection can be a data connection via mobile device , a direct connection via personal computer via the internet , etc .). the server 302 includes , in addition to other components which may not be illustrated , a processor 304 operatively connected to a memory 306 and further operatively connected , via a wired or wireless connection 314 , to a mass data storage device 312 . the processor 304 is further operatively connected to transmitter 308 and receiver 310 , to transmit and send information to and from navigation device 200 via communications channel 318 . the signals sent and received may include data , communication , and / or other propagated signals . the transmitter 308 and receiver 310 may be selected or designed according to the communications requirement and communication technology used in the communication design for the navigation system 200 . further , it should be noted that the functions of transmitter 308 and receiver 310 may be combined into a signal transceiver . server 302 is further connected to ( or includes ) a mass storage device 312 , noting that the mass storage device 312 may be coupled to the server 302 via communication link 314 . the mass storage device 312 contains a store of navigation data and map information , and can again be a separate device from the server 302 or can be incorporated into the server 302 . the navigation device 200 is adapted to communicate with the server 302 through communications channel 318 , and includes processor , memory , etc . as previously described with regard to fig2 , as well as transmitter 320 and receiver 322 to send and receive signals and / or data through the communications channel 318 , noting that these devices can further be used to communicate with devices other than server 302 . further , the transmitter 320 and receiver 322 are selected or designed according to communication requirements and communication technology used in the communication design for the navigation device 200 and the functions of the transmitter 320 and receiver 322 may be combined into a single transceiver . software stored in server memory 306 provides instructions for the processor 304 and allows the server 302 to provide services to the navigation device 200 . one service provided by the server 302 involves processing requests from the navigation device 200 and transmitting navigation data from the mass data storage 312 to the navigation device 200 . another service provided by the server 302 includes processing the navigation data using various algorithms for a desired application and sending the results of these calculations to the navigation device 200 . the communication channel 318 generically represents the propagating medium or path that connects the navigation device 200 and the server 302 . both the server 302 and navigation device 200 include a transmitter for transmitting data through the communication channel and a receiver for receiving data that has been transmitted through the communication channel . the communication channel 318 is not limited to a particular communication technology . additionally , the communication channel 318 is not limited to a single communication technology ; that is , the channel 318 may include several communication links that use a variety of technology . for example , the communication channel 318 can be adapted to provide a path for electrical , optical , and / or electromagnetic communications , etc . as such , the communication channel 318 includes , but is not limited to , one or a combination of the following : electric circuits , electrical conductors such as wires and coaxial cables , fiber optic cables , converters , radio - frequency ( rf ) waves , the atmosphere , empty space , etc . furthermore , the communication channel 318 can include intermediate devices such as routers , repeaters , buffers , transmitters , and receivers , for example . for example , the communication channel 318 includes telephone and computer networks . furthermore , the communication channel 318 may be capable of accommodating wireless communication such as radio frequency , microwave frequency , infrared communication , etc . additionally , the communication channel 318 can accommodate satellite communication . the communication signals transmitted through the communication channel 318 include , but are not limited to , signals as may be required or desired for given communication technology . for example , the signals may be adapted to be used in cellular communication technology such as time division multiple access ( tdma ), frequency division multiple access ( fdma ), code division multiple access ( cdma ), global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), etc . both digital and analogue signals can be transmitted through the communication channel 318 . these signals may be modulated , encrypted and / or compressed signals as may be desirable for the communication technology . the server 302 includes a remote server accessible by the navigation device 200 via a wireless channel . the server 302 may include a network server located on a local area network ( lan ), wide area network ( wan ), virtual private network ( vpn ), etc . the server 302 may include a personal computer such as a desktop or laptop computer , and the communication channel 318 may be a cable connected between the personal computer and the navigation device 200 . alternatively , a personal computer may be connected between the navigation device 200 and the server 302 to establish an internet connection between the server 302 and the navigation device 200 . alternatively , a mobile telephone or other handheld device may establish a wireless connection to the internet , for connecting the navigation device 200 to the server 302 via the internet . the navigation device 200 may be provided with information from the server 302 via information downloads which may be periodically updated upon a user connecting navigation device 200 to the server 302 and / or may be more dynamic upon a more constant or frequent connection being made between the server 302 and navigation device 200 via a wireless mobile connection device and tcp / ip connection for example . for many dynamic calculations , the processor 304 in the server 302 may be used to handle the bulk of the processing needs , however , processor 210 of navigation device 200 can also handle much processing and calculation , oftentimes independent of a connection to a server 302 . as indicated above in fig2 , a navigation device 200 includes a processor 210 , an input device 220 , and a display screen 240 . the input device 220 and display screen 240 are integrated into an integrated input and display device to enable both input of information ( via direct input , menu selection , etc .) and display of information through a touch panel screen , for example . such a screen may be a touch input lcd screen , for example , as is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . further , the navigation device 200 can also include any additional input device 220 and / or any additional output device 241 , such as audio input / output devices for example . fig4 a and 4b are perspective views of a navigation device 200 . as shown in fig4 a , the navigation device 200 may be a unit that includes an integrated input and display device 290 ( a touch panel screen for example ) and the other components of fig2 ( including but not limited to internal gps receiver 250 , microprocessor 210 , a power supply , memory systems 220 , etc .). the navigation device 200 may sit on an arm 292 , which itself may be secured to a vehicle dashboard / window / etc . using a large suction cup 294 . this arm 292 is one example of a docking station to which the navigation device 200 can be docked . as shown in fig4 b , the navigation device 200 can be docked or otherwise connected to an arm 292 of the docking station by snap connecting the navigation device 292 to the arm 292 for example ( this is only one example , as other known alternatives for connection to a docking station are within the scope of the present application ). the navigation device 200 may then be rotatable on the arm 292 , as shown by the arrow of fig4 b . to release the connection between the navigation device 200 and the docking station , a button on the navigation device 200 may be pressed , for example ( this is only one example , as other known alternatives for disconnection to a docking station are within the scope of the present application ). in accordance with the invention , it is desired to make the display of enhanced map information on the display screen of the pnd dynamic such that there is more or less enhancement of the information displayed depending on the velocity of the device , and thus the vehicle in which the user may be travelling . ideally , there is less enhancement as the velocity increases , and above a certain threshold velocity , there is minimal or no enhancement of the map information whatsoever . however , at lower speeds the display of very detailed and highly enhanced map information can be of great benefit to a user because it can improve his situational awareness and level of perceived familiarity with an otherwise unfamiliar locality . also , the clarity of a particular navigation instruction can be radically improved by displaying highly detailed map information , as the likelihood of confusion in interpreting navigation instructions , or more precisely the turns a user must make , particularly in densely populated areas , cities , and other areas where there are many possible turns in a very short distance , only one of which is correct . advantageously , the invention mimics normal human behaviour on discovering one is lost or in an unfamiliar locality . in such instances , normal human behaviour is to stop and look around , and attempt to re - orientate oneself . accordingly , when stationary , a maximum amount of detail and enhancement is required in the displayed map information . the textures on buildings are displayed with higher detail ( higher quality ) when the speed is low . we standing still the textures are optimal . when driving with higher speed , e . g . & gt ; 100 km / h , no bitmaps are displayed at all , only building geometry is displayed . velocity = 0 - 10 km / h : display maximum details in building texture , ( e . g . doors , roofs , textures , shadows ) velocity = 10 - 50 km / h : display only moderate details ( subtle patterns of brick , possibly with subtle edges ) velocity =+ 50 km / h : no details oust one color for a building block , no shadow ) it is worth mentioning that the omission of map information as the speed of the device increases is a known feature already present in the applicant &# 39 ; s current products . accordingly , for the avoidance of doubt , this invention is concerned with the extent to which map information , or one or more specific features available within the enhanced map information , is enhanced , as opposed to the extent to which the quality of the standard , non - enhanced map information is reduced , depending on the speed of travel of the device .	6
the skin care formulations , and an emulsifier composition therefor , provides the user with a skin feel of lubricity and emollience , and provide moisturization without added moisturizer . the emulsifier composition of the invention is a mixture of a high hlb emulsifier , particularly , lecithin , in a weight amount of about 3 . 7 to 21 %, preferably 4 . 5 to 17 %, and optimally about 6 . 8 to 12 %, and a blend of low hlb emulsifiers , to 100 %. the blend of low hlb emulsifiers has a resultant hlb of about 1 . 5 to 5 , preferably 1 . 5 to 4 , and , optimally about 2 . 5 to 3 . 5 . in skin care formulations , which contain water and oil components , the emulsifier composition of the invention provides and retains the desired bilayer gel network of the oil - in - water system , and its desired hlb ratios , even over a wide ph range , e . g . from 2 to 12 . the hlb stabilization in the emulsifier composition provides skin care formulations which can accept acid or base components therein as an alpha hydroxy acid , or a depilatory , in the formulation . in the preferred form of the invention , the low hlb blend of emulsifiers includes emulsifiers having a non - ionizable group , e . g . an alcohol , such as behenyl alcohol ( hlb 1 . 9 ); as well as emulsifiers having an ionizable group therein , e . g . carboxyl , such as stearic acid , palmitic acid ( hlb 3 . 2 ); or maleated soybean oil ( hlb 1 . 9 ); or esters such as glyceryl monostearate ( hlb 3 . 4 ) or sorbitan monostearate ( hlb = 4 . 7 ). the skin care formulation is made by suitable mixing of about 1 - 10 % by weight of the emulsifier composition , preferably 2 - 7 %. in one embodiment , the gellant comprises about 8 - 30 % behenyl alcohol , about 15 - 30 % glyceryl monostearate , about 15 - 40 % of a mixture of palmitic and stearic acids and 0 - 30 % of maleated soybean oil . in another embodiment , the gellant comprises 8 - 27 % behenyl alcohol , about 18 - 25 % glyceryl monostearate , about 3 - 10 % of a mixture of lauryl , myristyl and cetyl alcohols , about 18 - 35 % of a mixture of palmitic and stearic acids and about 12 - 20 % of maleated soybean oil . the gel network formed by the emulsifier composition herein begins a phase transition above 45 ° c . therefore , to ensure high temperature stability for the skin care formulation , it is preferred to add a small amount of a hydrocolloid stabilizer such as stabileze ® 06 -- international specialty products which is a crosslinked polyvinyl maleic anhydride / methyl vinyl ether polymer . the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the following examples . the following emulsifier compositions of examples 1 - 6 were prepared by mixing the several components therein thoroughly at room temperature . ______________________________________swellant wt . % gellants wt . % hlb______________________________________example 1lecithin 9 . 89 behenyl alcohol 24 . 18 1 . 9 glyceryl stearate 28 . 46 3 . 4 palmitic acid 15 . 11 3 . 3 stearic acid 12 . 36 3 . 2 total 90 . 11 2 . 9example 2lecithin 11 behenyl alcohol 23 1 . 9 glyceryl stearate 21 3 . 4 palmitic acid 14 . 85 3 . 3 stearic acid 12 . 15 3 . 2 maleated soybean oil 18 1 . 9 total 89 2 . 68example 3lecithin 2 sorbitan stearate 98 4 . 7example 4lecithin 9 . 79 behenyl alcohol 24 . 18 1 . 9 glyceryl stearate 21 . 98 3 . 4 palmitic acid 15 . 11 3 . 3 stearic acid 12 . 36 3 . 2 maleated soybean oil 16 . 48 1 . 9 total 90 . 21 2 . 66example 5hydrogenated 9 behenyl alcohol 24 1 . 9lecithing glyceryl stearate 24 3 . 4 palmitic acid 17 . 2 3 . 3 stearic acid 10 . 8 3 . 2 lauryl alcohol 1 . 5 3 . 3 myristyl alcohol 2 2 . 9 cetyl alcohol 1 . 5 2 . 5 total 91 2 . 3example 6lecithin 7 behenyl alcohol 23 1 . 9 glyceryl stearate 21 3 . 4 palmitic acid 17 . 8 3 . 3 stearic acid 11 . 7 3 . 2 lauryl alcohol 1 3 . 3 myristyl alcohol 1 . 5 2 . 9 cetyl alcohol 1 2 . 5 maleated soybean oil 16 1 . 9 total 93 2 . 52______________________________________ typical skin care formulation using the emulsifier compositions of examples 1 - 6 were prepared as described below in examples 7 - 10 . ______________________________________skin care formulation______________________________________phase awater 67 . 3glycerin 1 . 0stabileze ® qm ( isp ) 0 . 2phase bceraphyl ® 230 ( isp ) 4 . 0ceraphyl ® 494 ( isp ) 6 . 0ceraphyl ® 368 ( isp ) 10 . 0composition of example 6 ( isp ) 5 . 0phase cwater 5 . 0naoh ( 10 %) 0 . 5phase dgermaben ® iie ( isp ) 1 . 0total 100 % ______________________________________ heat phase a at 70 ° c . until clear . add phase b and homogenize at 70 ° c . with homogenization add phase c at 70 ° c . allow to cool with mixing . add phase d with mixing when temperature is 40 ° c . or lower . ______________________________________all natural skin cream______________________________________phase acomposition of example 4 5 . 0sunflower oil 3 . 0almond oil 5 . 0grape seed oil 4 . 0jojoba oil 6 . 0vitamin e acetate 2 . 0phase bglycerin 3 . 0carbopol ® 5984 ( 3 % soln ) 3 . 34water 68 . 11phase cphenonip 0 . 5perfume ( dragoco ) 0 . 05total 100______________________________________ heat phases a and b to 80 ° c . add a to b with continuous stirring . homogenize 1 minute . cool to room temperature with continuous stirring . add phase c at room temperature . the user experienced a skin feel of lubricity and emollience upon application of the formulation to the skin . ______________________________________moisturizer cream______________________________________phase acomposition of example 5 4ceraphyl ® ga - d 2ceraphyl ® 791 4ceraphyl ® 494 6ceraphyl ® 368 8phase bglycerin 3stabileze ® qm ( 1 . 25 wt %) 10pvp k 30 1water 61 . 5phase cphenonip 0 . 5total 100______________________________________ heat phases a and b to 80 ° c . add a to b with continuous stirring . homogenize 1 minute . cool to room temperature with continuous stirring . add phase c at room temperature . a feeling of lubricity and emollience was felt by the user . ______________________________________skin care cream with glycolic acidingredient wt . % ______________________________________di water 52 . 80glycerin 1 . 00veegum ultra 1 . 00cmc 99 - 7hof 0 . 50ceraphyl 230 4 . 00ceraphyl 494 6 . 00ceraphyl 368 10 . 00prolipid 131 5 . 00di water 2 . 00glycolic acid ( 70 %) 5 . 70naoh ( 10 % sol &# 39 ; n ) 11 . 00germaben ii - e 1 . 00total 100 . 00______________________________________ 1 . combine cmc and glycerin of phase a . sprinkle veegum into di with stirring at rt . begin heating to 70 °- 75 ° c . with stirring . add glycerin / cmc to phase a with stirring during heating . 2 . combine phase b , heat to 75 °- 80 ° c ., stir until uniform . 3 . when phase a uniform and stirring at 70 °- 75 ° c . and phase b is uniform at 75 °- 80 ° c ., add phase b to phase a with homogenizer and turn off heat . when batch thickens , switch to sweep agitation for cool - down . while the invention has been described with particular reference to certain embodiments thereof , it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made which are within the skill of the art . accordingly , it is intended to be bound only by the following claims , in which :	8
referring to the drawings , fig1 illustrates a stand - off 10 including a base 12 and a tube or extension 14 . the base 12 , fig2 includes an integral post 16 about which the tube 14 is molded . the base 12 further includes a polygonal head 18 , the head 18 illustrated being hexagonal , to resist rotation of the stand - off after it is embedded in a sheeted material 20 , fig2 . the post 16 includes an undercut circular groove 22 directly below the head 18 , as viewed in fig2 so that the head 18 overhangs the groove 22 , the post 16 and the tube 14 , as shown . when the head 18 is forced into the sheeted material 20 , the head 18 displaces a portion of the sheeted material 20 into the undercut groove 22 , whereby the base 12 becomes secured to the sheeted material 20 , as is known and illustrated in fig2 . the end portion 24 of the post 16 opposite the head 18 is made of reduced diameter and includes two circular grooves 26 and 28 spaced apart by a rib 30 . the end portion 24 also includes an end rib 32 defining , in part , the lower groove 28 . the base 12 also includes a flat end face 34 . the base 12 has an internally threaded bore 36 throughout its length , as shown in fig2 . also , the outer surface 38 of the base 12 between the grooves 22 and 26 is cylindrical . the annular end wall 40 which defines , in part , the groove 26 forms a shoulder upon which is seated the molded tube 14 . as illustrated , the molded tube 14 has mating ribs 50 and 52 which extend into and interlock with the grooves 26 and 28 and the ribs 30 and 32 of the post 16 . further , the tube 14 is formed with an outer tapered conical surface 54 which has the same diameter as cylindrical surface 38 of the post 16 at its upper end but which tapers inwardly , as shown . preferably the tube 14 has an opening 55 throughout its length . the tube 14 is coaxial with the base 12 and the opening 55 is in communication with the threaded bore 36 . the opening 55 is defined by an inner cylindrical surface 56 of the tube 14 which has a diameter larger than the root diameter of the threads in the base 12 , so that clearance is provided for a screw ( not shown ) which extends into and through the opening 55 of the tube 14 and into mating engagement with the threaded bore 36 . the inner surface 56 tapers outwardly , as shown . the molding apparatus , shown diagrammatically in fig4 includes a block 70 with a cylindrical opening 72 into which extends the post 16 of the base 12 . the head 18 is seated against the mold block 70 , as shown in fig4 and is supported in this position by a block 82 having a suitable recess 84 to receive the head 18 . from the opposite end of the mold block 70 ( the end opposite the base 12 ), a core pin 64 extends into the opening 72 , the core pin 64 having a portion 66 of reduced diameter and a flat annular end face 65 seated upon the end face 34 of the base 12 . the outer surface of the portion 66 together with its end face 65 form a sharp corner to define the inside corner at the juncture of the molded tube 14 and the end face 34 . the outer surface of the portion 66 is tapered so as to produce the tapered or conical surface 56 . the taper , as indicated in fig2 increases along the length of the stand off . the core pin 64 is slidably received within the opening 72 . the shoulder 62 together with the reduced diameter portion 66 and the wall defining the opening 72 together with the end portion 24 of the base 12 defines the tube 14 . the tube 14 is formed by injecting into the space , through an opening 80 , suitable molten material , preferably a zinc alloy . the molten material is permitted to cool and harden to form the tube 14 and thereafter the base 12 and tube 14 are ejected from the mold . thus it is seen that the tube 14 is formed in the space defined by the end face 65 of the core pin 64 , the reduced diameter portion 66 , the annular wall 67 of the mold block 70 , the surface 34 , the end wall 40 and the surfaces defining the two grooves 26 and the two ribs 30 and 32 . as mentioned previously , the base 12 is a screw machine item and made of a material such as steel which is relatively hard . on the other hand , the tube 14 is molded from a zinc alloy or the like and is much softer relative to the base 12 . the material of the tube 14 is also much less expensive than the steel of the base 12 . the tube 14 could , of course , be molded of other materials , such as plastic ( non - metallic ) materials . as indicated previously , the inside wall 56 and the outside wall 54 are uniformly tapered , as shown in fig2 so that the wall at the end opposite the base 12 is thinner than the wall adjacent the end face 34 . this uniform taper facilitates removal of the stand - off from the mold . assuming that the length of the base 12 is about 0 . 250 inches , that the largest diameter of the post 16 is about 0 . 280 inches and that the overall length of the stand off is about 1 . 125 inches , a taper angle of about 20 minutes ( 1 / 3 of a degree ) has been found to be satisfying for both the surfaces 54 and 56 .	8
fig1 through 3 , discussed below , and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present invention in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present invention may be implemented in any suitably arranged amplifier . fig1 illustrates selected portions of the receive signal path of exemplary radio frequency ( rf ) transceiver 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention . rf transceiver 100 may represent any conventional rf communication device , including a cell phone , a wireless network card , a two - way pager , and the like . the rf receive path through rf transceiver 100 comprises low - noise amplifier ( lna ) 105 , which receives an incoming rf signal from antenna 106 . the rf receive path further comprises band pass filter ( bpf ) 110 , rf amplifier 115 , rf mixer 120 , local oscillator ( lo ) 125 , band pass filter ( bpf ) 110 , intermediate frequency ( if ) mixer 135 , local oscillator ( lo ) 140 , automatic gain control ( agc ) circuit 145 , and digital signal processor 150 . lna 105 amplifies the incoming rf signal from antenna 106 to an intermediate level . bpf 110 filters the output of lna 105 to remove noise outside of the desired receiver frequency range . rf amplifier 115 further amplifies the output of bpf 110 by a variable amount of gain determined by the gain control signal agc 1 . rf mixer 115 down - converts the output of rf amplifier 115 by mixing it with the local oscillator reference signal from lo 125 to produce an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal . rf mixer 115 effectively shifts the rf signal centered around the receiver rf operating frequency down to an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal . at this point , the signal output by rf mixer 115 may have spurious signals outside of the desired frequency range which have been amplified and / or introduced by the amplification steps . bpf 130 is an extremely narrow filter that blocks all but the desired frequencies of interest from reaching if mixer 135 . if mixer 135 down - converts the if output of bpf 130 by mixing it with the local - oscillator reference signal from lo 140 to produce a baseband signal . agc circuit 145 further amplifies the output of if mixer 145 by a variable amount of gain determined by the gain control signal agc 2 . digital signal processor ( dsp ) 150 receives the baseband signal stream from agc 145 and further processes the baseband signal stream according to the type of rf communication device in which rf transceiver 100 is implemented . in a typical implementation , dsp 150 receives multiple baseband signal streams . for example , if rf transceiver 100 performs quadrature phase shift keying ( qpsk ) demodulation , dsp 150 receives an in - phase ( i ) baseband signal and a quadrature ( q ) baseband signal . furthermore , rf transceiver 100 may be one of several rf transceivers implemented within the same rf communication device , such as the base station of a cellular telephone system or a wireless local area network ( lan ) card . to reduce overall system expense , the multiple rf transceivers may share a common dsp to perform baseband processing . if the baseband data streams are packet based serial data streams , there is no guarantee that the input serial data streams to dsp 150 are synchronized or are derived from the same clock domain fig2 illustrates selected portions of the transmit signal is path of exemplary rf transceiver 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention . the transmit path comprises digital signal processor ( dsp ) 250 , radio frequency ( rf ) modulator 205 , local oscillator ( lo ) 210 , rf amplifier 215 , voltage - controlled attenuator ( vca ) 220 , and rf amplifier 225 . dsp 250 receives multiple input signal streams from one or more baseband signal sources , such as a baseband in - phase ( i ) signal and a baseband quadrature ( q ) signal from a baseband source and a quadrature source , respectively . as in the case of dsp 150 , if the baseband data streams are packet based serial streams , there is no guarantee that the input serial streams to dsp 250 are synchronized or are derived from the same clock domain . dsp 250 multiplexes together the input streams and outputs a combined baseband signal to rf modulator 205 . rf modulator 205 mixes the combined baseband signal with a reference carrier signal received from lo 210 to produce an rf output signal . the rf output signal is then amplified by rf amplifier 215 to an intermediate level in the range of vca 220 . vca attenuates the amplified rp output from rf amplifier 215 and the attenuated rf output of vca 220 is amplified by rf amplifier 225 to a level suitable for transmission by antenna 106 . the attenuation factor applied by vca 220 is controlled by the value of the gain control signal . fig3 illustrates exemplary interface circuit for multiplexing multiple unsynchronized data streams from different clock domains according to one embodiment of the present invention . the interface circuitry multiplexes input serial data streams from the clock domain associated with slave chip 305 with input serial data streams from the clock domain associated with master chip 310 . the input serial streams associated with master chip 310 are arbitrarily designated as the “ master ” serial data streams and the input serial data streams associated with slave chip 305 are designated as the “ slave ” serial data streams and are reclocked with the master data streams . according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention , master chip 310 may be a part of dsp 150 or dsp 250 . alternatively , master chip 310 may be part of an interface circuit that is external to dsp 150 or dsp 250 . slave chip 305 produces two serial data streams , cout and dout , that form two input serial data streams to master chip 310 . the cout and dout serial data streams are synchronous with each other and with a serial clock ( sclk ) signal and a serial frame strobe ( sfs ) signal that also are output by slave chip 305 . in the exemplary embodiment described below , the sout and dout serial data streams comprise 48 - bit words that are clocked out of slave chip 305 at a rate of one bit per cycle of the sclk signal . each 48 - bit word is delineated by a strobe of the sfs signal . those skilled in the art will readily understand , however , that the selection of 48 - bit words is by way of illustration only and that word sizes greater than or less than 48 bits may also be used in alternate embodiments of the present invention . the 48 - bit serial data streams , cout and dout , are serially loaded into an input buffer stage in master chip 310 that makes each bit available as it is received . in the exemplary embodiment , the cout signal is stored in first - in , first - out ( fifo ) buffer 320 and the dout signal is stored in first - in , first - out ( fifo ) buffer 325 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , buffers 320 and 325 may comprise 1 × 48 bit random access memory ( ram ) devices . a first strobe of the sfs signal and a first clock cycle of the sclk signal from slave chip 305 reset index counter 315 to an address of 0 ( i . e ., binary value = 000000 ) and write the first bits of cout and dout into buffers 320 and 325 . thereafter , the next 47 clock cycles of the sclk signal increment the output address of index counter 315 from 0 to 47 ( i . e ., binary value = 101111 ) and write the next 47 bits of cout and dout into buffers 320 and 325 . buffer 320 has a parallel output that forms the 48 - bit word , wordc [ 47 : 0 ]. as each bit of the cout input serial data stream is written into buffer 320 , that bit becomes available at the output , wordc [ 47 : 0 ]. similarly , buffer 325 has a parallel output that forms the 48 - bit word , wordd [ 47 : 0 ]. as each bit of the dout - input serial data stream is written into buffer - 325 , that bit becomes available at the output , wordd [ 47 : 0 ]. wordc [ 47 : 0 ] and wordd [ 47 : 0 ] are applied to the input channels of multiplexer ( mux ) 330 . similarly , two other 48 - bit words , worda [ 47 : 0 ] and wordb [ 47 : 0 ] are applied to the input channels of mux 330 . worda [ 47 : 0 ] and wordb [ 47 . 0 ] are generated from input serial data streams that come from serial data sources ( not shown ) located elsewhere in master chip 310 or from serial data sources ( not shown ) external to master chip 310 . mux 330 is a 192 : 8 multiplexer that has twenty - four ( 24 ) input channels , each of which is eight bits wide , and an output channel that is eight bits wide . the 8 - bit output of mux 330 is applied to one of the input channels , arbitrarily designated b [ 7 : 0 ], of multiplexer ( mux ) 335 . master chip 310 also comprises master clock source 345 , output index counter 350 , frame sync logic 355 , and flip - flop ( ff ) 340 . master clock source 345 produces a master serial clock ( sclk ) signal for master chip 310 . the master sclk signal clocks output index counter 350 and ff 340 . for each 48 - clock cycles of master clock source 345 , output index counter 350 increments from 0 ( 000000 ) to 47 ( 101111 ) before resetting back to zero . the counter output of output index counter 350 is applied to frame sync logic 355 , which generates a master serial frame strobe ( sfs ) signal ” once every 0 . 48 clock cycles . the master sfs signal delineates each 48 - bit word in the serial data stream , data out , at the output of ff 340 . frame sync logic 355 also generates channel select signals that are applied to mux 330 and mux 335 . according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , frame sync logic 355 applies five channel select signals to mux 330 that are operable to select one of the 24 input channels of mux 330 . frame sync logic 355 also applies a channel select signal to mux 335 that is operable to select either input channel a ( i . e ., a [ 7 : 1 ]) or input channel b ( i . e ., [ 7 : 0 ]). according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention , frame sync logic 355 sequentially selects the 24 input channels of mux 330 such that each of the 48 - bit words applied to the input channels of mux 330 are output to mux 335 in 8 - bit bytes from the most significant byte to the least significant byte . thus , the first six channel select signals from frame sync logic 355 transfer the six bytes of worda [ 47 : 0 ] to mux 335 in the following order : worda [ 47 : 40 ], worda [ 39 : 32 ], worda [ 31 : 24 ], worda [ 23 : 16 ], worda [ 15 : 8 ], and worda [ 7 : 0 ]. the second group of six channel select signals from frame sync logic 355 transfers the six bytes of wordb [ 47 : 0 ] to mux 335 in the following order : wordb [ 47 : 40 ], wordb [ 39 : 32 ], wordb [ 31 : 24 ], wordb [ 23 : 16 ], wordb [ 15 : 8 ], and wordb [ 7 : 0 ]. the third group of six channel select signals from frame sync logic 355 transfers the six bytes of wordc [ 47 : 0 ] to mux 335 in the following order : wordc [ 47 : 40 ], wordc [ 39 : 32 ], wordc [ 31 : 24 ], wordc [ 23 : 16 ], wordc [ 15 : 8 ], and wordc [ 7 : 0 ]. finally , the fourth group of six channel select signals from frame sync logic 355 transfers the six bytes of wordd [ 47 : 0 ] to mux 335 in the following order : wordd [ 47 : 40 ], wordd [ 39 : 32 ], wordd [ 31 : 24 ], wordd [ 23 : 16 ], wordd [ 15 : 8 ], and wordd [ 7 : 0 ]. each byte of worda [ 47 : 0 ], wordb [ 47 : 0 ], wordc [ 47 : 0 ], and wordd [ 47 : 0 ] is output to mux 335 for eight clock cycles of master clock source 345 . during the first clock cycle , frame sync logic 355 also selects channel b of mux 335 , such that the byte applied at b [ 7 : 0 ] is transferred by mux 335 to the 8 - bit input of ff 340 . at the end of the first clock cycle , ff 340 is strobed such that the selected 8 - bit input is transferred to out [ 7 : 0 ] at the output of ff 340 . the most significant bit , out [ 7 ], is coupled to the serial output , data out . out [ 6 : 0 ], the six least significant bits of the output of ff 340 , are coupled to a [ 7 : 1 ], the seven most significant input bits of channel a , respectively , such that a hard wired left - shift operation is performed . a [ 0 ] is hard - wired to a logic 1 . alternatively , a [ 0 ] may be hard - wired to a logic 0 . at the end of the first clock cycle , frame sync logic 355 selects channel a of mux 335 and continues to select channel a ( i . e ., a [ 7 : 0 ]) for the next seven clock cycles of the master sclk signal . during each of the next seven clock cycles of the master sclk signal , out [ 6 : 0 ] is left - shifted , applied to the data input of ff 340 , and output to out [ 7 : 0 ]. because of the left shift operation , each of the original out [ 6 : 0 ] is shifted out on out [ 7 ]. the net effect is that each of the six 8 - bit bytes in worda [ 47 : 0 ] is selected by mux 330 and mux 335 and then is serialized by ff 340 and mux 335 . thus , all forty - eight bits of worda [ 47 : 0 ] are serially shifted out at the master serial data output , data out . this process is then repeated for wordb [ 47 : 0 ] wordc [ 47 : 0 ], and wordd [ 47 : 0 ]. advantageously , since the master input serial data streams , worda [ 47 : 0 ] and wordb [ 47 : 0 ], are output first , the slave input serial data streams , wordc [ 47 : 0 ] and wordd [ 47 : 0 ], may be stored in buffers 320 and 325 until needed . in multi - chip applications , the is slave input serial data streams may be split into multiple streams and transferred at a slower rate to increase timing margins . also , since buffers 320 and 325 are fifo devices , master chip 310 may begin clocking out the beginning of the slave streams before slave chip 305 has completed transmission of cout and dout to buffers 320 and 325 . this provides a substantial amount of synchronization tolerance between master chip 310 and slave ship 0 . 305 . although the present invention has been described in detail , those skilled in the art should understand that they can make various changes , substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form .	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 . referring to fig1 a , a short - shank ham is shown according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a person of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that the short - shank ham 100 is not drawn to scale and may have any configuration of the bones contained therein , as known to one of ordinary skill in the art . short - shank ham 100 typically comprises three bones : a shank bone 170 , a femur bone 130 , and an aitch bone 140 . the aitch bone 140 is positioned substantially at the butt end 150 of the short - shank ham 100 . the shank bone 170 extends substantially from a shank tip 160 of the short - shank ham 100 to the femur bone 130 , which is positioned at a different angle from the shank bone 170 . at the butt end 150 of the short - shank ham 100 , the femur bone 130 is proximate to the aitch bone 140 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the short - shank ham may be spirally - sliced 120 substantially the length of the short - shank ham 100 and substantially centered about the femur bone 130 . a short - shank ham 100 may be separated along a transverse plane 110 , resulting in a butt - end piece 101 and a shank - end piece 102 . referring also to fig1 b and 1 c , shown are views of the cut faces of the butt - end piece 101 and shank - end piece 102 , respectively , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the aitch bone 140 and shank bone 170 are shown crosshatched to indicate that they are inside the meat and thus would not be visible on the cut faces . a separation along the transverse plane 110 separates the femur bone 130 into the butt - end piece of the femur 131 and the shank - end piece of the femur 132 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the ham may be spirally sliced and the separation along transverse plane 110 may separate a short - shank ham 100 between spiral slices 120 . in another exemplary embodiment of the invention , a ham that is not spirally sliced may be separated along the transverse plane 110 . in an embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 101 comprises between approximately 35 % and approximately 55 % by weight of the short - shank ham 100 . in another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 101 comprises between approximately 40 % and approximately 50 % by weight of the short - shank ham 100 . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 101 comprises between approximately 43 % and approximately 47 % by weight of the short - shank ham 100 . in still another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 101 comprises approximately 45 % by weight of the short - shank ham 100 . referring now to fig1 b , 1 d and 1 e , pieces of a short - shank ham may be made according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention by separating the butt - end piece 101 . the butt - end piece 101 may be separated along the longitudinal plane 111 , resulting in a first piece 103 and a second piece 104 . the separation along longitudinal plane 111 is made such that the aitch bone is divided into pieces of substantially equal weight . the longitudinal plane 111 is substantially perpendicular to the cut face of the butt - end piece 101 . according to an embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 111 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 112 is between approximately 40 degrees and approximately 50 degrees . according to another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 111 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 112 is between approximately 43 degrees and approximately 47 degrees . according to yet another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 111 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 112 is approximately 45 degrees . separation of the butt - end piece 101 along the longitudinal plane 111 divides the aitch bone 140 into a first aitch bone piece 141 and a second aitch bone piece 142 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first aitch bone piece 141 and the second aitch bone piece 142 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. separation of the butt - end piece 101 along the longitudinal plane 111 also divides the butt - end piece of the femur 131 into a first butt - end piece of the femur 133 and a second butt - end piece of the femur 134 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first butt - end piece of the femur 133 and the second butt - end piece of the femur 134 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. referring now to fig1 c , 1 f and 1 g , pieces of a short - shank ham may be made according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention by separating the shank - end piece 102 . the shank bone 170 is shown crosshatched to indicate that it is inside the meat and thus would not be visible on the cut face . the shank - end piece 102 may be separated along a first longitudinal plane 113 or a second longitudinal plane 114 , resulting in a first piece 103 and a second piece 104 . the plane along which the separation is made is substantially perpendicular to the cut face of the shank - end piece 102 . according to an embodiment of the invention , the angle between the plane along which the separation is made and the long axis of the shank - end piece 115 is between approximately 40 degrees and approximately 50 degrees . according to another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the plane along which the separation is made and the long axis of the shank - end piece 115 is between approximately 43 degrees and approximately 47 degrees . according to yet another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the plane along which the separation is made and the long axis of the shank - end piece 115 is approximately 45 degrees . according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the shank - end piece 102 may instead be separated along the long axis of the shank piece 115 , in which case the shank bone would also be divided between the resultant pieces . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of two pieces of the shank bone would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. whether the shank - end piece 102 is separated along the first longitudinal plane 113 , the second longitudinal plane 114 , or the long axis 115 of the shank piece , separation of the shank - end piece 102 divides the shank - end piece of the femur 132 into a first shank - end piece of the femur 135 and a second shank - end piece of the femur 136 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first shank - end piece of the femur 135 and the second shank - end piece of the femur 136 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. referring to fig1 d , 1 e , 1 f , and 1 g , a short - shank ham is shown divided into four pieces according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention . in an embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the weights of the heaviest and the lightest pieces differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. in another embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the total weight of bone in the piece having the most bone and the piece having the least bone differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. in yet another embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the ratio of meat to bone in the piece having the highest ratio of meat - to - bone and the piece having the lowest ratio of meat - to - bone would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. referring to fig2 a , a shank bone out ( sbo ) ham is shown according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a person of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that the sbo ham 200 is not drawn to scale and may have any configuration of the bones contained therein , as known to one of ordinary skill in the art . sbo ham 200 typically comprises two bones : a femur bone 230 , and an aitch bone 240 . the aitch bone 240 is positioned substantially at the butt end 250 of the sbo ham 200 . at the butt end 250 of the sbo ham 200 , the femur bone 230 is proximate to the aitch bone 240 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the sbo ham may be spirally - sliced 220 substantially the length of the sbo ham 200 and substantially centered about the femur bone 230 . a sbo ham 200 may be separated along a transverse plane 210 , resulting in a butt - end piece 201 and a shank - end piece 202 . referring also to fig2 b and 2 c , shown are views of the cut faces of the butt - end piece 201 and shank - end piece 202 , respectively , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the aitch bone 240 is shown crosshatched to indicate that it is inside the meat and thus would not be visible on the cut face . a separation along the transverse plane 210 separates the femur bone 230 into the butt - end piece of the femur 231 and the shank - end piece of the femur 232 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the ham may be spirally sliced and the separation along transverse plane 210 may separate a sbo ham 200 between spiral slices 220 . in another exemplary embodiment of the invention , a ham that is not spirally sliced may be separated along the transverse plane 210 . in an embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 201 comprises between approximately 35 % and approximately 55 % by weight of the sbo ham 200 . in another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 201 comprises between approximately 40 % and approximately 50 % by weight of the sbo ham 200 . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 201 comprises between approximately 43 % and approximately 47 % by weight of the sbo ham 200 . in still another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 201 comprises approximately 45 % by weight of the sbo ham 200 . referring now to fig2 b , 2 d and 2 e , pieces of a sbo ham may be made according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention by separating the butt - end piece 201 . the butt - end piece 201 may be separated along the longitudinal plane 211 , resulting in a first piece 203 and a second piece 204 . the separation along longitudinal plane 211 is made such that the aitch bone is divided into pieces of substantially equal weight . the longitudinal plane 211 is substantially perpendicular to the cut face of the butt - end piece 201 . according to an embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 211 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 212 is between approximately 40 degrees and approximately 50 degrees . according to another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 211 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 212 is between approximately 43 degrees and approximately 47 degrees . according to yet another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 211 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 212 is approximately 45 degrees . separation of the butt - end piece 201 along the longitudinal plane 211 divides the aitch bone 240 into a first aitch bone piece 241 and a second aitch bone piece 242 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first aitch bone piece 241 and the second aitch bone piece 242 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. separation of the butt - end piece 201 along the longitudinal plane 211 also divides the butt - end piece of the femur 231 into a first butt - end piece of the femur 233 and a second butt - end piece of the femur 234 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first butt - end piece of the femur 233 and the second butt - end piece of the femur 234 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. referring now to fig2 c , 2 f and 2 g , pieces of a sbo ham may be made according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention by separating the shank - end piece 202 . the shank - end piece 202 may be separated along a first longitudinal plane 213 or a second longitudinal plane 214 , resulting in a first piece 203 and a second piece 204 . the plane along which the separation is made is substantially perpendicular to the cut face of the shank - end piece 202 . according to an embodiment of the invention , the angle between the plane along which the separation is made and the long axis of the shank - end piece 215 is between approximately 40 degrees and approximately 50 degrees . according to another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the plane along which the separation is made and the long axis of the shank - end piece 215 is between approximately 43 degrees and approximately 47 degrees . according to yet another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the plane along which the separation is made and the long axis of the shank - end piece 215 is approximately 45 degrees . according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the shank - end piece 202 may instead be separated substantially along the long axis of the shank piece 215 . whether the shank - end piece 202 is separated along the first longitudinal plane 213 , the second longitudinal plane 214 , or the long axis 215 of the shank piece , separation of the shank - end piece 202 divides the shank - end piece of the femur 232 into a first shank - end piece of the femur 235 and a second shank - end piece of the femur 236 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first shank - end piece of the femur 235 and the second shank - end piece of the femur 236 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. referring to fig2 d , 2 e , 2 f , and 2 g , a sbo ham is shown divided into four pieces according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention . in an embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the weights of the heaviest and the lightest pieces differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. in another embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the total weight of bone in the piece having the most bone and the piece having the least bone differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. in yet another embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the ratio of meat to bone in the piece having the highest ratio of meat - to - bone and the piece having the lowest ratio of meat - to - bone would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. referring to fig3 a , a short - shank ham is shown according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a person of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that the short - shank ham 300 is not drawn to scale and may have any configuration of the bones contained therein , as known to one of ordinary skill in the art . short - shank ham 300 typically comprises three bones : a shank bone 370 , a femur bone 330 , and an aitch bone 340 . the aitch bone 340 is positioned substantially at the butt end 350 of the short - shank ham 300 . the shank bone 370 extends substantially from a shank tip 360 of the short - shank ham 300 to the femur bone 330 , which is positioned at a different angle from the shank bone 370 . at the butt end 350 of the short - shank ham 300 , the femur bone 330 is proximate to the aitch bone 340 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the short - shank ham may be spirally - sliced 320 substantially the length of the short - shank ham 300 and substantially centered about the femur bone 330 . a short - shank ham 300 may be separated along a transverse plane 310 , resulting in a butt - end piece 301 and a shank - end piece 302 . referring also to fig3 b and 3 c , shown are views of the cut faces of the butt - end piece 301 and shank - end piece 302 , respectively , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring also to fig3 f , shown is a side view of shank - end piece 302 . the aitch bone 340 and shank bone 370 are shown crosshatched to indicate that they are inside the meat and thus would not be visible on the cut faces . a separation along the transverse plane 310 separates the femur bone 330 into the butt - end piece of the femur 331 and the shank - end piece of the femur 332 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the ham may be spirally sliced and the separation along transverse plane 310 may separate a short - shank ham 300 between spiral slices 320 . in another exemplary embodiment of the invention , a ham that is not spirally sliced may be separated along the transverse plane 310 . in an embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 301 comprises approximately 55 % to 75 % by weight of the short - shank ham 300 . in another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 301 comprises approximately 60 % to 70 % by weight of the short - shank ham 300 . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 301 comprises approximately 63 % to 67 % by weight of the short - shank ham 300 . in still another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 301 comprises approximately 65 % by weight of the short - shank ham 300 . referring now to fig3 b , 3 d and 3 e , pieces of a short - shank ham may be made according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention by separating the butt - end piece 301 . the butt - end piece 301 may be separated along the longitudinal plane 311 , resulting in a first piece 303 and a second piece 304 . the separation along longitudinal plane 311 is made such that the aitch bone is divided into pieces of substantially equal weight . the longitudinal plane 311 is substantially perpendicular to the cut face of the butt - end piece 301 . according to an embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 311 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 312 is between approximately 40 degrees and approximately 50 degrees . according to another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 311 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 312 is between approximately 43 degrees and approximately 47 degrees . according to yet another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 311 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 312 is approximately 45 degrees . separation of the butt - end piece 301 along the longitudinal plane 311 divides the aitch bone 340 into a first aitch bone piece 341 and a second aitch bone piece 342 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first aitch bone piece 341 and the second aitch bone piece 342 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. separation of the butt - end piece 301 along the longitudinal plane 311 also divides the butt - end piece of the femur 331 into a first butt - end piece of the femur 333 and a second butt - end piece of the femur 334 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first butt - end piece of the femur 333 and the second butt - end piece of the femur 334 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. referring to fig3 d , 3 e , and 3 f , a short - shank ham is shown divided into three pieces according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention . in an embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the weights of the heaviest and the lightest pieces differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. in another embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the total weight of bone in the piece having the most bone and the piece having the least bone differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. in yet another embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the ratio of meat to bone in the piece having the highest ratio of meat - to - bone and the piece having the lowest ratio of meat - to - bone would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. referring to fig4 a , a shank bone out ( sbo ) ham is shown according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a person of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that the sbo ham 400 is not drawn to scale and may have any configuration of the bones contained therein , as known to one of ordinary skill in the art . sbo ham 400 typically comprises two bones : a femur bone 430 , and an aitch bone 440 . the aitch bone 440 is positioned substantially at the butt end 450 of the sbo ham 400 . at the butt end 450 of the sbo ham 400 , the femur bone 430 is proximate to the aitch bone 440 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the sbo ham may be spirally - sliced 420 substantially the length of the sbo ham 400 and substantially centered about the femur bone 430 . a sbo ham 400 may be separated along a transverse plane 410 , resulting in a butt - end piece 401 and a shank - end piece 402 . referring also to fig4 b and 4 c , shown are views of the cut faces of the butt - end piece 401 and shank - end piece 402 , respectively , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring also to fig4 f , shown is a side view of shank - end piece 402 . the aitch bone 440 is shown crosshatched to indicate that it is inside the meat and thus would not be visible on the cut face . a separation along the transverse plane 410 separates the femur bone 430 into the butt - end piece of the femur 431 and the shank - end piece of the femur 432 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the ham may be spirally sliced and the separation along transverse plane 410 may separate a sbo ham 400 between spiral slices 420 . in another exemplary embodiment of the invention , a ham that is not spirally sliced may be separated along the transverse plane 410 . in an embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 401 comprises approximately 35 % to 55 % by weight of the sbo ham 400 . in another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 401 comprises approximately 40 % to 50 % by weight of the sbo ham 400 . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 401 comprises approximately 43 % to 47 % by weight of the sbo ham 400 . in still another embodiment of the invention , the butt - end piece 401 comprises approximately 45 % by weight of the sbo ham 400 . referring now to fig4 b , 4 d and 4 e , pieces of a sbo ham may be made according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention by separating the butt - end piece 401 . the butt - end piece 401 may be separated along the longitudinal plane 411 , resulting in a first piece 403 and a second piece 404 . the separation along longitudinal plane 411 is made such that the aitch bone is divided into pieces of substantially equal weight . the longitudinal plane 411 is substantially perpendicular to the cut face of the butt - end piece 401 . according to an embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 411 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 412 is between approximately 40 degrees and approximately 50 degrees . according to another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 411 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 412 is between approximately 43 degrees and approximately 47 degrees . according to yet another embodiment of the invention , the angle between the longitudinal plane 411 and the long axis of the butt - end piece 412 is approximately 45 degrees . separation of the butt - end piece 401 along the longitudinal plane 411 divides the aitch bone 440 into a first aitch bone piece 441 and a second aitch bone piece 442 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first aitch bone piece 441 and the second aitch bone piece 442 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. separation of the butt - end piece 401 along the longitudinal plane 411 also divides the butt - end piece of the femur 431 into a first butt - end piece of the femur 433 and a second butt - end piece of the femur 434 . in an embodiment of the invention , the weights of the first butt - end piece of the femur 433 and the second butt - end piece of the femur 434 would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. referring to fig4 d , 4 e , and 4 f , a sbo ham is shown divided into three pieces according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention . in an embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the weights of the heaviest and the lightest pieces differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. in yet another embodiment of the invention , in the pieces made from a single ham the ratio of meat to bone in the piece having the highest ratio of meat - to - bone and the piece having the lowest ratio of meat - to - bone would differ , for example , by less than approximately 25 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 20 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 15 %, or in another embodiment by less than approximately 10 %, or in yet another embodiment by less than approximately 5 %, and in still another embodiment by less than approximately 1 %. the invention is not limited to making separations in any particular order . for example , without intention to be limited thereto , the present invention contemplates spiral slicing before or after separating a ham into pieces , or making the separations that divide the femur longitudinally before or after making the separations that divide the femur transversely . in an exemplary embodiment , the bone - in ham 100 , 200 , 300 , 400 is spirally - sliced substantially about the femur bone 130 , 230 , 330 , 430 . methods for spiral - slicing bone - in hams are known to one of ordinary skill in the art . for example , the bone - in ham 100 , 200 , 300 , 400 can be spirally - sliced according to the methods disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 470 , 078 and 2 , 599 , 328 to hoenselaar , which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety . the spiral - sliced meat of the bone - in ham 100 , 200 , 300 , 400 can extend up to the femur bone 130 , 230 , 330 , 430 , substantially near the femur bone 130 , 230 , 330 , 430 , or any distance from the femur bone 130 , 230 , 330 , 430 . the spiral slicing can extend from one end of the bone - in ham 100 , 200 , 300 , 400 to the other end , or any variation of length and configuration therebetween . separating portions of the bone - in ham along the longitudinal or transverse planes can be accomplished by any means known to one of ordinary skill in the art . in an embodiment of the invention , separating is performed by cutting with a serrated instrument . in another embodiment of the invention , a bone - in ham can be cut with any suitable instrument such as a knife , saw , bandsaw , table saw , blade , or other cutting instruments , or combinations thereof . in another embodiment of the invention , each of the cuts may be made with a different instrument or a different type of instrument , or one or more of the cuts may be made using the same instrument or same type of instrument . although this description uses the term “ quarter ,” it is not intended to be limited to an exact quarter portion of a bone - in ham . in fact , the term is used to reflect that an approximate half of a bone - in ham has been further separated in approximately half . if each approximate half were separated substantially in half , then four substantial quarters are produced . similarly , although this description uses the term “ third ,” it is not intended to be limited to an exact third portion of a bone - in ham . in fact , the term is used to reflect that a bone - in ham has been separated into an approximate two - thirds and an approximate one - third . if the approximate two - thirds was separated substantially in half , then three substantial thirds are produced . the embodiments described above are intended to be exemplary . one skilled in the art recognizes that numerous alternative components and embodiments that may be substituted for the particular examples described herein and still fall within the scope of the invention .	0
a typical xerographic replaceable consumable unit such as a toner cartridge comprises several subassemblies and subcomponents . an example of a prior art toner cartridge is illustrated in fig2 . a more detailed illustration of the toner hopper portion of this cartridge is shown in fig1 . the remanufacturer will take the spent or used cartridge , disassemble it down to a serviceable level and then replace the worn out or broken items . after servicing the cartridge the remanufacturer reassembles the pieces back into a fully functional unit and introduces this refurbished product into the marketplace . the newer replaceable consumable units have an electronic circuit , which is utilized for various functions . some of the prior art describes the use of this circuitry to store information that is unique to the specific toner cartridge . information that may be stored in this electronic circuit includes data such as the serial number of the cartridge , the model type , the yield , the amount of toner remaining and so forth . the printer periodically accesses the information stored in the electronic circuit during the life cycle of the replaceable consumable unit . whenever the cover of a printer is opened or if the power is turned back on , the printer will query the printer cartridge to obtain its current status . this query is due to the fact that the printer does not know if it is the same cartridge that was installed prior to the reinitializing event . the printer needs to know the cartridge characteristics of the replaceable consumable since it must set certain parameters based on this information . this electronic circuit has also been used to thwart any recycling of these replaceable consumable units by third parties not affiliated with the oem . the oem &# 39 ; s have employed various types of methods to make any refurbishment of the cartridges extremely difficult if not impossible . to begin with , the circuit is designed to become disabled by the printer once the toner level has reached an empty state . another level of difficulty is that the two components may employ a unique communication scheme . additionally , the printer might require a validation of the communication . another level of difficulty that the printer could employ could involve an encryption of the communications in addition to the validation . the list of different ways to encode this information and lock out a third party is endless . a second electronic circuit can be introduced to repair the nonfunctional circuit during the refurbishment process . this second electronic circuit would allow the first circuit to still operate , but all communications with the printer would be intercepted . the second electronic circuit has the capability to monitor the communications going back and forth between the printer and the first electronic circuit . by monitoring the communications coming from the printer , the second electronic circuit will intercept , process and resend the data to the first circuit . the first circuit responds accordingly and this is retransmitted to the printer . the microprocessor will also be able to determine when the specific locations corresponding to the toner level are being accessed and will subsequently use its own memory locations to store this information . the processor in the preferred embodiment would provide a new memory location that would store the toner bucket level . once the cartridge using the second electronic circuit has depleted all of the usable toner it will once more write the appropriate value in the correct location in the processor and the processor will disable the ability to change this location . the cartridge will then be sent back to be recycled . in order for the electronic circuit mounted on a replaceable consumable unit to function properly it must effectively communicate with the printer . as is common in any bi - directional communication architecture , both communicating devices must be able to send and receive information according to agreed upon protocol and timing criteria . each printer or family of printers may employ unique protocol schemes . in one embodiment of the present invention the electronic circuit of the replaceable consumable unit will communicate with the printer via a one - wire bus architecture protocol . this is the protocol used by the lexmark t520 / t620 printer family . this protocol is based on a one wire standard developed by dallas semiconductor . the lexmark t520 / t620 printers use a dallas ds2432 chip to facilitate the communications function on the replaceable consumable unit . an embodiment of the present invention must be able to emulate this protocol . the dallas ds2432 chip also employs a verification technique called sha - 1 or secure hash algorithm - 1 . this hash algorithm was first created for the federal government to be used in conjunction with an encryption scheme . the difference between an encryption algorithm and a hash algorithm is that the hash is unidirectional or one way only . once information is encoded into an encryption scheme , the data may be extracted once the key is used to unlock the information . this is in contrast to the hash computation because the data is not recoverable once it is used in computing the hash . the hash algorithm is used as a complex way of verifying data integrity similar to the basic cyclic redundancy check that exists in many of the early data communication designs . the sha - 1 algorithm has become an accepted standard for data transmission verification . it uses a complex scheme of mathematical equations and data manipulations to “ process ” a 64 - byte input and determine a 20 - byte response sequence . what makes this process unique , when applied in conjunction to this dallas part , is that of the 64 - byte input , 8 - bytes are pseudo random data that is stored in a “ secret ” location which is unreadable . these 8 - bytes are downloaded into the part when it is initially stored with data from the factory . anyone who is skilled in the art might be able to decipher the formula for determining this random data being loaded into this secret location by crunching all of the different possible combinations of the 8 - bytes . the total number of combinations would be roughly 1 . 845 × 10 19 . as one could imagine the number crunching might possibly take years if all the possible combinations were tested . when refurbishing replaceable consumable units , remanufacturers have been limited in what they are able to do to repair these circuits once they have become disabled . if a completely new replacement circuit were to be developed , it would have to be able to implement this random number . without the actual knowledge of how it is generated , a remanufacturer would have to generate random numbers until one could be found that would be compatible with a certain set of circuit data . it is analogous to searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack . absent the ability to decipher the hash , a replacement electronic circuitry is essentially worthless . as pointed out previously , these techniques may be proprietary or extremely difficult to understand . thus the printer and electronic circuit must be able to communicate and “ shake hands ” in order for a toner cartridge with such circuitry to be functional within the printer . one aspect of the present invention takes advantage of the nonfunctional electronic circuits capability to speak the unique language as well as employ the encryption protocol . additionally , once the authentication sequence has been deciphered , a fully functional replacement device employing this technique may be offered utilizing this scheme . in order to interface with the electronic circuit some printers use electrical contacts . when the toner cartridge is inserted these printer contacts make an electrical connection with the contacts of the electronic circuit . fig1 is a drawing of an example of a first electronic circuit 2 employing an electrical contact type interface . all of the discrete logic 30 for the electronic circuit is located on the top surface of the first electronic circuit 2 . the first electronic circuit 2 contains two printer interfacing electrical contacts , a first electronic circuit data contact 32 and a first electronic circuit ground contact 31 . because the printer &# 39 ; s electrical contacts ( not shown ) are fixed , the contacts of the first circuit board as well as contacts for any replacement circuit must be within their reach and maintain the proper orientation . these printer contacts may be metal springs , clips , or other types of conductive material so that when the cartridge is inserted into the printer the weight of the cartridge , as well as the closing of the printer cover , will exert enough pressure to ensure sufficient and reliable electrical connection . examining the lexmark t520 / t620 toner cartridge can show an excellent application of the previously discussed principles . fig2 shows the printer cartridge 1 . when fully assembled , the cartridge 1 has a toner hopper assembly 3 and a waste bin assembly 4 . on the side of the waste bin assembly 4 , the electronic circuit 2 is located . fig3 shows in greater detail the location of the first electronic circuit 2 in a side area of the replaceable consumable unit . here the two printer interfacing contacts are clearly shown . other printers such as the hewlett packard 4100 incorporate a wireless communication method to interface to the circuit on the replaceable consumable unit . the same concepts applied in the lexmark t520 / 620 printer have been adapted for use in the wireless applications . in making the recycling process for the replaceable consumable unit more difficult , the hp4100 disables the circuit on the replaceable consumable unit once it has determined that no usable toner remains in the cartridge . to disable the cartridge the printer will write a “ disable ” value to a specific location in the memory of the circuit . once written , this memory address may not be overwritten . simple replacement of this circuit may not be feasible if the communication between the printer and the cartridge employs a unique language or encryption . therefore , the present invention is applicable to this type of printer since the secondary circuit will take advantage of the disabled circuit &# 39 ; s ability to speak the printer language as well as provide a new memory location for this disabling value . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention as applied to the lexmark t520 / 620 contact replaceable consumable unit , a 16 - bit microcontroller such as the texas instruments msp430f1121a is used . this processor provides a way to communicate between the nonfunctional circuit on the replaceable consumable unit and the printer . this part is especially desirable due to its ability to function at low voltages , its low power dissipation and its low cost . in this application the microcontroller has an operating voltage that may vary between 3 . 0 v dc and 4 . 2 v dc . an additional design restriction for this second electronic circuit is that it will only be supplied a limited amount of current . the second electronic circuit together with the first circuit may not exceed the power limitations of the printer supply . the power for these circuits will be derived from the one - wire contacts . under normal operating conditions this particular microcontroller will require approximately 160 μa to function . when evaluating a replacement circuit alternative , caution must be taken not to overdrive the printer data circuit . not only must the communications be conducted over these contacts but the power to run these devices must also be supplied from them as well . fig4 is a schematic drawing of the preferred embodiment of a second electronic circuit . the microprocessor 101 illustrated in this schematic is a 20 pin surface mount device . the interconnect ground contact 34 and the interconnect data contact 35 are referred to in fig5 a and 5b and are electronically connected to the inoperable circuit &# 39 ; s printer interfacing contacts , the first electronic circuit data contact 32 and the first electronic circuit ground contact 31 . the second electronic circuit printer interfacing ground contact 38 and second electronic circuit printer interfacing data contact 39 are the contacts that will engage the printer &# 39 ; s interfacing contacts . contacts 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 46 , and 47 are used to initially program and test the processor . resistor 49 is required for the present design in order to keep the processor out of “ test ” mode and resistor 50 is added for additional maintenance functionality . specifically , this maintenance functionality allows the processor to drive the data line to a logic high and monitor the line to make sure that electrically the port is acting appropriately . due to size constraints in the preferred embodiment of the secondary circuit , a battery is not feasible to power the processor . instead a capacitor 51 is used to store enough voltage potential . in the preferred embodiment , a 22 μf capacitor 51 will provide enough current to keep the processor operational while the communications line is driven low due to communications taking place . in addition , a special reset circuit 102 will be used to reset the processor . the purpose of this circuit is to allow enough time for the power rail to become stable before allowing the processor to start operating . this part will hold the reset line of the processor low for an additional 200 ms after a 2 . 25 vdc threshold has been reached . delaying the processor from starting until the power rail has become stabilized , ensures that the processor has enough power to run . during insertion of the replaceable consumable unit into the printer , the power applied to the data pin may fluctuate for a brief period of time . this circuit simply makes sure that the power rail has had enough time to stabilize before starting the microprocessor . in addition , a shottky diode 53 is placed in the design to prevent any reverse current from flowing from the capacitor to the printer during times when the printer is driving the data line low . another advantage of the preferred embodiment is that no external clock or oscillator is required . all of the communications between the printer and replaceable consumable unit are of an asynchronous nature . the replacement circuit must be able to see when the printer is trying to communicate with it and respond within a certain time window . the msp430f1121a has an internal clock that will allow it to function independently without an external source . this part also provides a “ sleep ” mode that further conserves power . during sleep mode the microcontroller uses only 0 . 7 μa . additionally , it will only take 6 μs for the microcontroller to return to a ready state . fig5 a and 5b illustrate one embodiment of the present invention . fig5 a shows a top perspective view of a second electronic circuit 33 . the second electronic circuit 33 has two interconnect contacts , a interconnect ground contact 34 and an interconnect data contact 35 . a first electronic circuit 2 is then connected to the second electronic circuit 33 by soldering the interconnect ground contact 34 and the interconnect data contact 35 to the two printer interfacing electrical contacts , the first electronic circuit ground contact 31 and the first electronic circuit data contact 32 of the first electronic circuit 2 . fig5 b shows a bottom perspective view of the same embodiment containing a first electronic circuit 2 attached to a second electronic circuit 33 . from this view two printer interfacing electrical contacts , first electronic circuit ground contact 31 and the first electronic circuit data contact 32 are shown . once the first electronic circuit is attached , the second electronic circuit 33 will need to communicate to the printer via the second printer interfacing electrical contacts , a second electronic circuit printer interfacing ground contact 38 and a second electronic circuit printer interfacing data contact 39 . when this embodiment is mounted on the toner cartridge the two printer interfacing electrical contacts of the second electronic circuit will be facing away from the body of the waste bin 4 . the fully assembled product , consisting of the first electronic circuit 2 mounted on the present invention , must be able to fit within the space of the original first electronic circuit 2 . instead of soldering the two parts together , the interconnect ground contact 34 and the interconnect data contact 35 may be slightly raised or convex so that the first electronic circuit might be held in place by glue or another adhesive . fig6 shows an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention as previously illustrated in fig5 a and 5b . the second electronic circuit 33 is installed on top of the first electronic circuit 2 . in this manner the first electronic circuit 2 does not need to be removed from the replaceable consumable unit in order to install the second electronic circuit 33 on the replaceable consumable unit . the second electronic circuit 33 can then be soldered on to the first electronic circuit 2 while the first electronic circuit 2 is still attached to the replaceable consumable unit . fig7 is a second embodiment of the present invention . here the two printer interfacing electrical contacts of the first electronic circuit 2 are connected to the interconnect ground contact 34 and the interconnect data contact 35 via wires 37 . an advantage of this embodiment is that it allows for the invention to be used on cartridges that may not allow much room to position the second electronic circuit . there may be a suitable mounting location for the second electronic circuit away from where the original first electronic circuit was located , as long as connectivity to the printer contact pins can be taken into account . this microcontroller is initially programmed using a unique programmer . in the preferred embodiment the circuit board that the processor will be mounted on will have separate contacts that will allow programming . this is essential because this part will require approximately 6 . 5 v dc in order to bum the appropriate memory locations . the microprocessor may be programmed either serially via the data line of the circuit or via a parallel bus . programming the device via the parallel bus may be accomplished more efficiently by reading and writing in bytes as opposed to bits . conversely , the handshaking that occurs in the serial procedure will slow down the programming process . however , by having a serial process available , the design becomes more adaptable due to the fact that during the refurbishment process the microprocessor may be reprogrammed by the use of a special dongle . the microcontroller may also be reprogrammed while still mounted on the replaceable consumable unit . this saves time and effort by not having to remove the chip , reprogram it and then reattach it . another major advantage of using a microcontroller or a microprocessor in this particular application is that the design may be modified at a later date simply by reprogramming the device . however , there is no restriction or requirement that this particular part or programmable device be used for this application . if flexibility or adaptability is an essential element in the design of the second circuit , then discrete logic may not be the best alternative . by using a microcontroller that contains intelligence , the second circuit may also be utilized to perform additional functions that the original circuit is incapable of doing . in this embodiment the microcontroller will monitor the communication that occurs between the printer and the replaceable consumable unit . it will be able to see what information is flowing to the replaceable consumable unit and take the appropriate action . fig8 illustrates the program flow that the preferred embodiment of the replacement circuit will execute . upon initial start up , the processor will perform its own internal and external diagnostics 200 . once the printer has completed the diagnostic procedure , it will determine if the printer has initiated a communication 201 . in this particular design architecture the circuit on the replaceable consumable device will never initiate communications with the printer . the printer will always be the master . therefore , the processor must monitor the data line to see if the printer is trying to gain the circuit &# 39 ; s attention . once the printer has tried to talk to the replaceable consumable unit , the processor will intercept and analyze the communication 202 . if the cover has been opened and shut or if the printer has gone through a power cycle the printer will initiate an authentication sequence 203 . this will require that the proper hash will be returned to the printer before any further exchange of information will be allowed . in order to get the correct response , the information sent by the printer is passed to the nonfunctional circuit 204 . the processor will become the master and the nonfunctional circuit will become the new slave . the nonfunctional circuit will then calculate the appropriate hash value and send it to the processor 205 . the processor then will receive this information and immediately send it back out to the printer 206 . the processor may additionally store this value should the printer reinitiate the startup sequence again at a later time . the printer will receive the appropriate hash and determine that it will allow information to pass down to the replaceable consumable unit . the next phase will be to read additional information stored on the device such as the current bucket level . for this to occur , the printer starts the communication tango 201 . this time however , no authentication sequence is necessary because the printer is happy with the identity of the cartridge . therefore , the function will be either a read or a write to locations in memory . the processor will determine if it is a read request 207 , access the information 208 and pass it along to the printer . if it is not a read request , it will be a write request and as a result the information will be stored by the processor in the correct location 209 . once either a read or write has occurred , the processor will go back to its wait loop , waiting for the processor to once again initiate communications . an embodiment of the present invention that incorporates the ability to be reprogrammed serially is illustrated in fig9 . this schematic is similar to the one depicted in fig4 . the circuit in fig9 has some major differences . due to size constraints , the shottky diode 53 has been eliminated and the internal diodes of the processor are utilized instead . second , power is sent through several input pins of the processor 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , and 79 . this process will charge the capacitor 51 and activate the reset circuit 102 through the passive vcc pin 80 . the programming voltage necessary to reprogram the part will be provided on the voltage contact 71 . the new program data will be sent down the serial programming contact 74 . the data contact 73 and the ground contact 72 are in the same orientation as the second electronic circuit printer interfacing ground contact 38 and second electronic circuit printer interfacing data contact 39 of the secondary circuit design . this new design as shown in fig9 is used as a complete replacement to the nonfunctional circuit . the design assumes that the processor is able to return the appropriate hash value to the printer and that the use of the nonfunctional circuit is unnecessary . as described above , the resistor 50 may be utilized for additional maintenance functionality . specifically , this maintenance functionality allows the processor to drive the data line to a logic high and monitor the line to make sure that electrically the port is acting appropriately . if the port is not operating correctly , the microprocessor can then utilize another port to send and receive data . for example , the microprocessor 101 may include a first input and output ( i / o ) port 12 connected to the external data contact 73 . a second i / o port 11 is connected to the external data contact 73 . as can be seen in fig9 , multiple i / o ports are connected to the external data contact 73 . the microprocessor controls the electronic circuit and responds to read memory commands and write memory commands received through the external contact on the i / o ports . a third port 17 of the microprocessor 101 is also connected to the external data contact 73 and is adapted to source current . the microprocessor 101 is initially configured to send and receive data through the first i / o port 12 . the microprocessor 101 tests the functionality of the first i / o port 12 by directing the third port 17 to source current and drive the external data contact 73 to a predetermined voltage , and then reads a voltage received by the first i / o port 12 in response to sourced current . if the microprocessor 101 determines the first i / o port 12 is not functioning correctly based on the read voltage , the microprocessor 101 will send and receive data through the second i / o port 11 . additionally , if the microprocessor 101 determines the first i / o port 12 is not functioning correctly , the microprocessor 101 will write a value to a memory of the electronic circuit indicating the first i / o port 12 is not functioning correctly . this value may be printed by the printer when a test page is printed . as described above , the memory stores a value indicating an amount of consumable matter remaining in the printer consumable unit . in one aspect , the third port 17 is connected to the external data contact 73 through the resistor 50 . in another aspect , the microprocessor 101 tests the functionality of all of the i / o ports and selects a functioning i / o port to send and receive data . fig1 is an illustration of the physical board layout of the preferred embodiment . during the reprogramming mode , the replaceable consumable unit is removed from the printer and a programming dongle is applied to the device and the microprocessor may be reprogrammed . printers in general have the ability to determine how much toner remains in the current replaceable consumable unit installed in the printer . one method described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 995 , 772 , issued to barry , et al ., describes how a paddle would measure a delay as it rotated through toner contained in a toner hopper . the amount of delay experienced by the paddle is proportional to the amount of toner remaining in the cartridge . this delay is then used in a mathematical equation to determine how much toner is remaining in the toner hopper . another way of determining toner level is a variation of the paddle . this variation would determine how long and how far the paddle is able to freely rotate from the top of its arch to the point it contacted toner within the toner hopper . instead of a delay , as the paddle made its way through the toner , there would be a brief period of time that the drive shaft would not be moving the paddle since it is rotating freely as it falls . another alternative means to determine how much toner remains is to measure the electrical or magnetic characteristics of the toner remaining in the hopper . the printer would measure the impedance or capacitance across the toner and then determine the appropriate amount of toner remaining accordingly . once a printer has determined how much toner is remaining it has to convey this information to the end user as well as keep a running log for its own purposes . one particular way a printer stores how much toner is remaining is the use of a “ bucket level .” the printer stores a value associated with the amount of toner remaining in the bucket level memory location of the electronic circuit on the replaceable consumable unit . this area of memory is capable of being written to on a very limited basis . initially , this bucket level will be “ full ” on a new or newly refurbished replaceable consumable unit . as toner is consumed the bucket level will be adjusted accordingly . the bucket level can only be decremented and never incremented during the operation of the replaceable consumable unit . if the bucket levels were ever to increase by a certain percentage , then the printer would detect this as an unauthorized attempt to refill the replaceable consumable unit and it will disable the particular replaceable consumable unit . printer manufacturers have determined that most replaceable consumable units , once installed into a printer , may not be refilled during its current life cycle . once the amount of usable toner has been determined to be “ empty ” by the printer , the printer will then store an “ empty ” bucket level value in the electronic circuit . thereafter the printer will disable the replaceable consumable unit from operating by writing to another location in the circuit memory that is analogous to an “ on / off ” switch . in order for the printer to operate the location must correspond to an “ on ” value . once this location has been rewritten with an “ off ” value the replaceable consumable unit will no longer function . the cartridge will then either be recycled or thrown away . the process of making these locations in memory unalterable is analogous to recording information on a 3½ ″ floppy diskette , that has a write protection tab . once the memory protection tab has been changed , the floppy becomes write protected . in order to better understand the additional functionality that a replacement circuit may be able to offer , it is important to understand the significant parts of the replaceable consumable unit . some of these parts in particular may be controlled by the actions of the replacement circuit . the operation of a typical xerographic replaceable consumable unit is described in the prior art u . s . pat . no . 5 , 012 , 289 issued to aldrich , et al . in this patent , the process by which toner is transferred from the toner hopper to the developer roller and then to the opc is outlined in great detail . fig1 is an illustration of a prior art toner hopper assembly of a cartridge that utilizes this type of process . this is the same toner hopper assembly shown in fig1 and fig2 . once the toner hopper assembly 3 is separated from the waste bin assembly 4 the individual components may be identified , cleaned , replaced or refilled . in fig1 , toner is added into the toner fill hole 17 either when the cartridge is new or being refurbished . the toner hopper cap 8 fits over this hole . this toner hopper cap 8 may contain material such as tyvek ® that will allow air to flow in and out of the toner hopper reservoir 20 . the tyvek ® will have large enough pores to allow the air to flow but will restrict any toner particles from escaping . this is essential because any pressure differential between the air inside the toner hopper reservoir 20 and the surrounding air may result in toner leakage from any number of critical places . the material may be affixed to the toner hopper cap with glue or pressure . another alternative is to use a heat seal to hold the tyvek ® in place . the developer roller 24 sits on an axle and is rotated by a developer roller drive gear 12 . at the opposite end of the axle , the developer roller contact bushing 11 engages the developer electrical contact 10 , which allows for a dc potential to be applied across the developer roller 24 providing a charge necessary to negatively charge the toner . sufficient voltage is required to differentially bias the toner and allow it to become electrically charged . as a result the toner will be attracted to the appropriate locations on the opc drum ( not shown ), which will contain the image to be transferred to the print media . the opc drum will be in close proximity to the developer roller 24 when the cartridge 1 is fully assembled . this proximity allows the toner to migrate from the developer roller to the opc drum . once toner has been transferred to the opc drum , print media will be fed into the printer and the toner will become affixed to the media during the fusing process . behind the developer roller is an adder roller 15 . the adder roller 15 is in physical contact with the developer roller 24 and is instrumental in ensuring a good supply of toner is presented to the developer roller . the adder roller 15 also has an adder roller electrical contact 16 that allows a potential supplied by the printer to pass through the adder roller 15 . the adder roller 15 provides an initial negative charge to the toner supply . additionally , the adder roller 15 is pressed against the developer roller 24 and the friction that results contributes additional negative charge to the toner passing between the developer roller 24 and the adder roller 15 . the toner will be electrically charged in a two - stage process . the adder roller 15 provides the initial charge , and the developer roller 24 provides the subsequent charge . in this particular replaceable consumable unit there is no primary charge roller ( pcr ). instead the pcr is resident inside the printer . the main purpose of the pcr is to reapply an even electrical charge to the opc drum so it will wipe clean any latent images left on the drum . as the opc rotates , a laser will etch an image on the drum creating areas of less negatively charged surfaces that correspond to the lines or shapes of the image . as the opc rotates and comes in contact with the developer roller 24 , toner will be attracted to the less negatively charged areas on the surface of the opc . once the toner has become affixed to the opc , paper or other media is introduced into the printing process . the area behind the printer will also be electrically charged to the toner then migrated to the media and is melted into place . during the printing process the voltages applied by the printer to the electrical elements of the cartridge may vary . when a higher voltage is applied to certain components , the resulting electric charge will be greater and more toner will be attracted to the components . as a result the print image will be darker . over the lifetime of the cartridge , the voltages have a tendency to fluctuate and in some cases increase substantially . this may be due to the printer manufacturers intent to ensure that there is enough toner for the components to make good quality prints . it also may be a way to use toner faster thus hastening the replaceable consumable unit &# 39 ; s toner consumption and effectively shortening the life of the cartridge . some printers have the ability to change the voltages being applied to these electrical components . prior art describes changing the voltages on these components in relation to analyzing the images as they are processed off the opc drum , which is usually done as part of a calibration procedure . instead of basing the voltage potential on the image , a new replacement circuit would base the voltage on a specific toner level condition . this would occur when the toner in the toner hopper has reached a “ toner low ” state and conservation of toner is important . by returning the voltages back to their original operating states or to any level that would make the printer use less toner , the print quality would remain the same while reducing background printing . this in turn would conserve the amount of toner being used and prolong the life of the replaceable consumable unit . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the voltage of the pcr would be maximized ( highest negative voltage ) at the same time the voltage of the developer roller would be minimized ( least negative voltage ). the appropriate values corresponding to this change would be loaded into the replacement electronic circuit once a specific toner value had been achieved . then the next time the printer is opened or the power is cycled , this new value will be read and the changes will then be implemented . an alternative embodiment of the present invention would change the voltage of the pcr to become minimized and the voltage to the developer roller to become maximized . the voltages may be changed in numerous combinations , depending on the specific printer and the desired results . although this invention has been described with respect to the specific embodiments herein , it should be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments , they may take other shapes and forms to accommodate the particular requirements at issue . other variations and departures from the specific embodiment disclosed herein may also be used without departing from the spirit of this invention .	6
in accordance with the invention a plasma generating apparatus has been developed that is compact and operates in low vacuum at low voltage and low power that generates active species from air or other gases for use in cleaning vacuum chambers or other reactive processes . the device has utility for cleaning electron microscopes and other high vacuum analytical instruments and high vacuum chambers . it also has utility as an active species source for a variety of other processes and process development where a small rf plasma source is desired the first preferred embodiment of the invention consists of following parts as shown in fig1 . the cylindrical body 12 of the device has iso kf40 vacuum flanges 11 at both ends . a vacuum seal is made between the isi kf flanges 11 by means of an elastomer o - ring 16 that is held in place by a centering ring 18 . the iso kf 40 flanges 11 are held together by standard iso kf clamps which are not shown for clarity . the inside diameter of the body 12 is about 40 mm . the length of the body 12 is about 40 mm . two ⅛ npt threaded holes 13 enter the body from the sides . these holes are used for a gas inlet 3 and a pirani gauge 24 for measuring vacuum . on one end of the cylinder body 12 is mounded a coaxial feedthrough 22 on a mating iso kf 40 flange with a conductor 9 extending coaxially into the middle of the chamber . on the outside end of the feedthrough a coaxial rf connector 20 allows rf power to be fed to the conductor 9 . the base of the conductor 9 inside the chamber near the flange is covered with a high voltage ceramic insulator 10 . an aluminum support cross bar 8 that is ⅛ ″ in diameter with a mounting hole in the center is press - fitted onto the conductor 9 end . this crossbar 8 in turn supports the cylindrical apertured electrode 6 by being fitted into a pair . of holes in the electrode . the electrode 6 is made of aluminum screen that has ⅛ ″ diameter holes punched into it in a regular pattern . the electrode 6 cylinder has a diameter of about 20 mm . the conductor 9 is concentric to the electrode cylinder 6 . on the sides of the device body 12 are mounted the gas inlet 3 manifold and a pirani gauge 24 . the pirani gauge 24 is used to measure the vacuum inside the chamber 4 while the device is operating . the pressure range for making oxygen radicals without sputtering from air efficiently is from 0 . 2 torr to about 1 torr . at these pressures sputtering is surpressed by the very short mean free paths in the vacuum . the gas inlet 3 manifold has solenoid valve 2 for opening and closing the gas flow and a needle valve 1 for controlling the flow of gas into the chamber . the gas feed port 15 may be left either open to the air or connected to another gas source . the device is mounted to the vacuum chamber or electron microscope by means of an adapter flange 14 that has iso kf40 flanges 11 on the end . a vacuum seal is made between the isi kf flanges 11 by means of an elastomer o - ring 16 that is held in place by a centering ring 18 . the iso kf 40 flanges 11 are held together by standard iso kf clamps which are not shown for clarity . the second preferred embodiment is shown in fig2 . in this version of the device the length of he plasma chamber 4 is extended by clamping two iso kf 40 cylinders 12 together and making a longer cylindrical electrode 6 . each segment . of the body has a single threaded hole 13 for the gas inlet and pirani gauge . the gas inlet 3 is placed closest to the rf feedthrough 22 and the pirani gauge 24 is mounted on the other segment . this extended version is for systems where larger vacuum pumps allow for high pumping speeds and high gas flow through the plasma . by making the plasma region longer the gas molecules have a longer residence time in the plasma and more active species are produced . the third embodiment of the device uses cf type flanges with copper gaskets instead iso kf40 flanges with o - rings . cf 2¾ : flanges are also suitable for cylinders with about 40 mm diameter bodies . cf flanges with copper gaskets allow the device to be mounted on ultra high vacuum systems . in the fourth embodiment of the device iso kf 50 flanges are used . the use of iso kf 50 flanges allows the inside diameter of the chamber cylinder 4 to be increased to about 50 mm . inches . this in turn allows the diameter of the electrode 6 to be increased . the cylindrical rf electrode 6 has been described in a previous patent application . in the preferred embodiments of the present invention it is made of punched aluminum screen that has been bent into a cylindrical shape . the punched holes in the screen are about ⅛ ″ diameter . because it is cut from sheet screening there are many sharp edges that form high electric gradient fields to facilitate plasma ignition . the cylinder forms a hollow cathode surrounded by many small hollow cathodes . in addition , when rf is supplied to the electrode , rf eddy currents rotate around the apertures to provide inductive as well as capacitive coupling of the rf to the plasma .	7
a suitable continuously operating reactor for the process according to the invention is , in particular , a twin - screw extruder . advantageously , the ratio of the screw length to the outside screw diameter of the extruder is from 20 to 50 and particularly from 25 to 40 . moreover , the extruder is preferably designed so that the residence time of the material at a screw speed of & gt ; 10 rpm is less than 5 min , preferably less than 3 min . and so that axial backflow is minimized . the insoluble , isocyanate groups - free , powdery reaction resin can be fed to the twin - screw extruder by means of a twin - screw metering device , for example at a rate of 150 g / min . the extruder contains conveying screw elements ( screw diameter , for example : 31 . 8 mm , screw length : 880 mm ) and is provided with five thermostattable barrel zones heated , for example , at 160 ° c . at a screw speed of 90 rpm , the residence time of the material is , for example , & lt ; 1 minute . the extrudate emerging through a slot die passes over a cooled slide - off ramp and is rapidly cooled to a temperature below 50 ° c ., which causes the epoxy resin mixture to solidify into continuous ribbon - shaped strips . on a take - off belt , these strips are pulled under a counter - roll and thus coarsely comminuted . the pre - comminuted product is ground to the desired particle size in an impact mill . the free - flowing , storage - stable , soluble or fusible , latently reactive , oxazolidinone structures - containing prepolymeric epoxy resin mixture is stored with exclusion of moisture . the process according to the invention involves the use of an insoluble , isocyanate groups - free , powdery reaction resin . said powdery reaction resin is prepared from a filler - containing , heat - polymerizable reaction resin mixture of polyepoxy resin and polyisocyanate resin with a molar ratio of epoxide groups to isocyanate groups of & gt ; 1 , preferably 1 . 5 to 4 . 0 . the polyepoxy resin is a mixture of di - and polyfunctional epoxy resins , the ratio of polyfunctional to difunctional epoxy resin being from 0 . 1 to 1 . 7 and preferably from 0 . 2 to 0 . 75 , based on epoxide groups . the reaction resin mixture of polyepoxide and polyisocyanate resin is made to react at a temperature of up to 180 ° c . in the presence of a substituted imidazole as catalyst , said imidazole being used in an amount of 0 . 5 to 2 . 5 %, based on the polyepoxy resin . whereas according to the prior art , as indicated in particular by the practical examples of said prior art , low catalyst concentrations are used , namely from 0 . 01 to 0 . 35 % ( wo 90 / 15089 ) or 0 . 1 % ( ep 0 296 450 a1 ), in both cases based on the polyepoxide , substantially higher amounts of catalyst are needed to prepare reactive , curable prepolymeric epoxy resin mixtures . hence , in the process according to the invention , the catalyst concentration is from 0 . 5 to 2 . 5 % ( by weight ), preferably from 1 . 0 to 1 . 8 %, based on the mixture of di - and polyfunctional epoxy resins . such high catalyst concentrations are required to ensure the curing of the latently reactive prepolymeric epoxy resin mixture within an industrially relevant time without post - catalysis -- which for filler - containing systems is expensive . on a pilot - plant scale , the isocyanate groups - free , insoluble powdery reaction resin is advantageously prepared in a mixing vessel , preferably in a vertical kneader , a continuous reactor being used for larger amounts of material . the preparation and processing of the reaction resin mixture in a vertical kneader is carried out as follows . the di - and polyfunctional epoxy resins and the polyisocyanate resin are charged to the vertical kneader which is equipped with a thermostattable and evacuable kneading trough and with kneading blades and permits continuous measurement of the temperature of the reaction resin mixture . the mixture is heated to a temperature of up to 100 ° c ., blended by mixing ( i . e . agitation ) and degassed . the filler and optionally other additives are then added in portions to the heated reaction resin mixture , and the mixture is degassed for at least 1 hr at reduced pressure and at a temperature of up to 100 ° c . with continuing mixing . the catalyst is then blended in , and the temperature of the mixing vessel is adjusted to 160 °- 180 ° c . the conversion of the reaction resin mixture into the powdery reaction resin occurs at reaction temperatures above 130 ° c . usually within a few minutes , while the steady mixing in the mixing vessel produces a free - flowing product . to discontinue the reaction , the temperature of the mixing vessel is rapidly reduced by means of a cooling thermostat , and the powdery reaction resin is brought to a temperature below 50 ° c . with mixing . the epoxide group conversion required at the time the reaction is discontinued is determined in preliminary tests . the absence of isocyanate groups in the powdery reaction resin is established by ir spectrophotometry . before use , the free - flowing , storage - stable , insoluble powdery reaction resin obtained in this manner can be stored with exclusion of moisture for long periods , as needed . when a continuous reactor is used to prepare the isocyanate groups - free , insoluble powdery reaction resin , the resin mixture can be prepared and fed to the reactor in different ways . in one case -- to prepare a resin component -- the di - and polyfunctional epoxy resins , the polyisocyanate resin and the filler are degassed in a thermostattable and evacuable mixing vessel at a temperature of up to 100 ° c . with mixing . in a second mixing vessel the catalyst component is prepared by dissolving or dispersing the catalyst in one of the resin components of the formulation or in part thereof , with degassing . the two components are then fed to a static mixing tube , and the reaction resin mixture being discharged from the mixing tube is metered into a reactor . in another case , the resin component is prepared as in the first case . the catalyst component is prepared by vigorously blending the catalyst with part of the filler used in the formulation . the two components are then fed into a twin - screw extruder , for example by means of a peristaltic pump or a twin - screw powder metering device . in contrast to the twin - screw extruder described hereinabove , the extruder used for the preparation of the insoluble powdery reaction resin contains both conveying screw elements and kneading elements and has a greater number of thermostattable barrel zones . the reaction of the resin component with the catalyst component to give the isocyanate groups - free , insoluble reaction resin powder is preferably carried out at a lower temperature than the reaction of the reaction resin powder to form the prepolymeric epoxy resin mixture . the storage - stable , free - flowing reaction resin powder can be metered into the continuous reactor in simple fashion without expensive metering systems . thus , for example for product optimization , free - flowing mixtures of reaction resin powders of different composition or mixtures with fillers and / or other additives can be introduced into and processed in the continuous reactor inexpensively . to prepare the insoluble powdery reaction resin , a polyepoxy resin mixture , namely a mixture of di - and polyfunctional epoxy resins is used , as previously indicated . suitable epoxy resins are , in particular , bisphenol a and bisphenol f epoxy resins and phenol novolak and cresol novolak epoxy resins or silicone epoxy resins , triglycidyl isocyanurate , tetra - glycidyldiaminodiphenylmethane and polyglycidylphosphorus resins . particularly suitable silicone epoxy resins are those having the following structure : ## str1 ## wherein n is an integer from 0 to 25 , q =--( ch 2 ) 3 sir 2 o ( sir 2 o ) n sir 2 r 1 , n and r having the afore - indicated meaning and r 1 denoting a group bearing epoxy functionality and having 6 carbon atoms . the silicone epoxy resin is used in an amount of up to 20 %, preferably 1 to 7 %, based on the filler - free reaction resin mixture of polyepoxy resin and polyisocyanate resin . preferred polyisocyanate resins are isomer mixtures of diphenylmethane diisocyanate . also suitable are , for example , toluylene diisocyanate isomer mixtures and prepolymers of diphenylmethane diisocyanate isomer mixtures . mixtures of said polyisocyanate resins can also be used . substituted imidazoles are used as catalysts ( i . e . reaction accelerators ) for the process of the invention . preferred are 2 - ethyl - 4 - methylimidazole , 2 - phenylimidazole and 1 - cyanoethyl - 2 - phenylimidazole . other suitable catalysts are , for example , 1 , 2 - dimethylimidazole , 1 - cyanoethyl - 2 - methyl - imidazole , 2 - isopropylimidazole and 1 - benzyl - 2 - phenyl - imidazole . the catalyst is used in amount of 0 . 5 to 2 . 5 %, preferably 1 . 0 to 1 . 8 %, based on the polyepoxy resin , namely on the mixture of the di - and polyfunctional epoxy resins . suitable fillers are , in particular , mineral fillers , such as fused quartz with angular ( i . e . splintery ) and / or spherical particles ( of varying particle size distribution ). moreover , ceramic fillers such as aluminum oxide and mixtures of ceramic and mineral fillers can be used . fibrous fillers , such as short glass fibers , are also suitable . the composition of the reaction resin mixture of polyepoxy resin and polyisocyanate resin used in the process according to the invention differs markedly from that of the reaction mixtures used according to the prior art . in fact , to prepare the reaction resin mixture , mixtures of di - and polyfunctional epoxy resins are used , namely mixtures of epoxy resins of different chemical structure and different functionality . such mixtures , however , are not known from the prior art . moreover , neither the particularly well suited catalyst 1 - cyanoethyl - 2 - phenylimidazole nor the silicone epoxy resins of the indicated type which are important for the processing properties nor the tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenylmethane , which is particularly advantageous for raising the glass transition temperature , are mentioned in the prior art . the preparation of free - flowing , storage stable , isocyanate groups - free , isocyanurate structures - containing powdery reaction resins obtained from a mixture of a di - and a polyfunctional epoxy resin and a polyisocyanate resin in a molar ratio of epoxide groups to isocyanate groups of & gt ; 1 by use of a substituted imidazole as catalyst has thus far not been described . what is known is the preparation of filler and catalyst - containing resin mixtures from epoxy and isocyanate resins that are solid at room temperature by use of an imidazole . in this case , the components are mixed by kneading at 80 ° c . ( see : jp - os [ japanese unexamined patent application ] 50 - 059499 and jp - os 51 - 128400 ). these catalyst - containing resin mixtures are molded and cured at a temperature of up 180 ° c . such processes , in contrast to the process according to the invention , do not give isocyanate groups - free , insoluble powdery reaction resins , but , rather , fusible resin mixtures that are processed by molding . those skilled in the art could not have predicted the possibility of preparing a soluble or fusible prepolymeric epoxy resin mixture from the insoluble , isocyanate groups - free ( chemically crosslinked ) powdery reaction resins by reaction extrusion according to the process of the invention . surprisingly , the polyfunctional epoxy resins such as said silicone epoxy resins and tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenylmethane contained in the powdery reaction resin and the use of a high catalyst concentration at a temperature of up to 200 ° c . do not cause further curing of the powdery reaction resin , but result in a storage - stable , soluble or fusible , curable epoxy resin mixture which can be cured without post - catalysis , which for filler - containing reaction resins would be expensive . the invention will be illustrated in greater detail by the following examples . to a vertical kneader were charged 1530 g of bisphenol a epoxy resin ( epoxide content : 5 . 78 mol / kg ), 99 g of a silicone epoxide ( epoxy content : 1 . 9 mol / kg ) prepared as described in example 9 of european unexamined patent application ep - os 0 399 199 , 495 g of tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenylmethane ( epoxide content : 8 . 2 mol / kg ) and 360 g of a diphenylmethane diisocyanate isomer mixture ( isocyanate content : 7 . 9 mol / kg ), and the mixture was heated to 80 ° c . with mixing . to this mixture were then added in portions and with mixing 4347 g of spherical fused quartz , 1863 g of angular fused quartz and 90 g of carbon black . the mixture was degassed at 80 ° c . for 1 hr with mixing . then 3 . 3 g of 1 - cyanoethyl - 2 - phenylimidazole was added to the reaction resin mixture , and the mixture was degassed for 10 min with mixing . the temperature of the mixing vessel was then adjusted to 160 ° c ., and the reaction resin mixture was heated with mixing . the reaction resulting in the powdery reaction resin started at about 130 ° c . the course of the reaction was followed continuously by temperature measurement . the reaction was discontinued 1 min after the reaction resin mixture had solidified . this was done by cooling the mixing vessel with the aid of a cooling thermostat . the temperature of the reaction resin was then reduced to below 50 ° c . with continuing mixing . continuing mixing produced the insoluble reaction resin as a free - flowing , storage - stable powder ( epoxide content : 1 . 28 mol / kg ). as indicated by ir spectrophotometry , this product was devoid of isocyanate groups . by means of a powder - metering device , the isocyanate groups - free , insoluble powdery reaction resin prepared as described in example 1 was fed to a co - currently rotating twin - screw extruder ( screw length : 880 mm , outside screw diameter : 31 . 8 mm ) at a constant rate of 30 g / minute . the extruder screws were provided exclusively with conveying elements . the five barrel zones of the extruder were set at 160 ° c . the temperatures in the individual barrel zones were as follows : zone 1 : 152 ° c ., zone 2 : 158 ° c ., zone 3 : 160 ° c ., zone 4 : 160 ° c ., zone 5 : 155 ° c . the screw speed was 90 rpm and the residence time of the material in the extruder was 1 . 0 minute . the extrudate was removed through a double slot die ( cross - section : 2 mm × 2 mm each ), cooled to a temperature below 50 ° c . by means of a cooled take - off ramp and then coarsely comminuted on an attached elastic haul - off belt by means of a counter - roll . the pre - comminuted extrudate was ground to the desired particle size in an impact mill . the resulting free - flowing , latently reactive , curable prepolymeric epoxy resin mixture ( epoxide content : 0 . 86 mol / kg ); melting range : 75 °- 95 ° c .) was stored at room temperature with exclusion of moisture . to a vertical kneader were charged 825 . 2 g of bisphenol a epoxy resin ( epoxide content : 5 . 78 mol / kg ), 50 . 1 g of a silicone epoxide ( epoxide content : 1 . 9 mol / kg ) prepared as described in example 9 of ep - os 0 399 199 , 262 . 1 g of tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenylmethane ( epoxide content : 8 . 2 mol / kg ) and 286 . 4 g of a diphenylmethane diisocyanate isomer mixture ( isocyanate content : 7 . 9 mol / kg ), and the mixture was heated to 85 ° c . with mixing . to this mixture was added in portions 7560 g of aluminum oxide ( particle size & lt ; 150 μm ) and the mixture was degassed 1 hr at 85 ° c . to the reaction resin mixture was added 16 . 2 g of 2 - phenylimidazole , and the mixture was degassed 10 min with mixing . the reaction resin mixture was then worked up as in example 1 . this gave an isocyanate groups - free , insoluble reaction resin in the form of a free - flowing powder ( epoxide content : 0 . 7 mol / kg ). by means of a powder - metering device , the isocyanate groups - free , insoluble powdery reaction resin prepared as described in example 3 was added to a twin - screw extruder described in example 2 at a constant rate of 60 g / minute . the five barrel zones of the extruder were set at 165 ° c . the temperatures in the individual barrel zones were as follows : zone 1 : 155 ° c ., zone 2 : 162 ° c ., zone 3 : 165 ° c ., zone 4 : 165 ° c ., zone 5 : 159 ° c . the screw speed was 95 rpm and the residence time of the material in the extruder was 0 . 9 minute . work - up as in example 2 gave a free - flowing , latently reactive , curable prepolymeric epoxy resin mixture ( epoxide content : 0 . 49 mol / kg ; melting range : 75 °- 95 ° c .) which was stored at room temperature with exclusion of moisture . to prepare a resin component , 2550 g of bisphenol a epoxy resin ( epoxide content : 5 . 78 mol / kg ), 155 g of a silicone epoxide ( epoxide content : 1 . 9 mol / kg ) prepared as described in example 9 of ep - os 0 399 199 , 810 g of tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenylmethane ( epoxide content : 8 . 2 mol / kg ) and 885 g of an isomer mixture of diphenylmethane diisocyanate ( isocyanate content : 7 . 9 mol / kg ) were charged to a thermostattable and evacuable mixing vessel ( effective capacity : 20 l ) and the mixture was heated to 60 ° c . with mixing . to this mixture were added in portions 6195 g of spherical fused silica , 2655 g of angular fused silica and 135 g of carbon black , and the mixture was degassed 1 hr at 60 ° c . with mixing . to prepare a catalyst component , 1050 g of spherical fused silica , 450 g of angular fused silica , 15 g of carbon black and 55 . 5 g of 1 - cyanoethyl - 2 - phenylimidazole were uniformly mixed . the resin component was added to a twin - screw extruder by means of a peristaltic pump at a steady rate of 42 g / min , and the catalyst component was added to a twin - screw extruder by means of a twin - screw metering device at a constant rate of 5 g / minute the twin - screw extruder was extended by a mixing section located ahead of the processing section and by a discharge section downstream of the processing section . the extrudate was removed from the extruder without using an extrusion die . the screw length was 1232 mm and the outside screw diameter was 31 . 8 mm . the screws of the extruder were built as follows . the feeding zone contained conveying screw elements , the adjacent mixing zone contained kneading elements , the processing zone contained conveying screw elements and the end of the screw was once again provided with kneading elements for the purpose of comminuting the extrudate to a uniform particle size and to remove it from the open extruder . the seven barrel zones of the extruder were set at the following temperatures : zone 1 ( blending zone ): 62 ° c ., zone 2 : 110 ° c ., zones 3 to 7 : 150 ° c . the screw speed was 80 rpm and the residence time of the material in the twin - screw extruder was 1 . 3 minutes . the extrudate was cooled to 40 ° c . by means of a cooled take - off ramp . the resulting isocyanate groups - free , insoluble , powdery reaction resin ( epoxide content : 1 . 38 mol / kg ) was stored at room temperature . by means of a powder - metering device , the isocyanate groups - free , insoluble , powdery reaction resin prepared in example 5 was fed to a twin - screw extruder described in example 2 at a constant rate of 150 g / minute . the five barrel zones of the extruder were set at 170 ° c . the temperatures in the individual barrel zones were as follows : zone 1 : 162 ° c ., zone 2 : 166 ° c ., zone 3 : 170 ° c ., zone 4 : 170 ° c ., zone 5 : 163 ° c . the screw speed was 100 rpm and the residence time of the material in the extruder was 0 . 8 minute . work - up as in example 2 gave a free - flowing , latently reactive , curable prepolymeric epoxy resin mixture ( epoxide content : 0 . 84 mol / kg ; melting range : 75 °- 95 ° c .) which was stored at room temperature with exclusion of moisture .	1
turning now to fig1 there is shown a basic structure for a collapsible support structure frame 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the structure 10 may be a truncated icosahedron geodesic structure . geodesic domes are sliced from a complex polyhedra which has a large number of triangular faces , all approximately , but not quite , equilateral . see . kenner , geodesic math and how to use it , university of california press berkeley , 1976 , chapter 7 , the disclosure of the entire volume of which is hereby incorporated by reference . in the structure of the present inventions , however , the triangular faces on the side walls of the structure may be equilateral . the struts bounding the triangular faces in a geodesic dome may follow the paths of great circles 110 ( fig2 ) that are concentric with the center of the domed structure , some whole , but more often interrupted . the cohesion of the whole , like that of a tensegrity , is both compressive and tensile , with the tension system running along the outer surfaces of the struts , which are at the same time in compression . the structure 10 as shown may include a plurality of generally vertical sections 12 a , b , c , d and e . each of the sections 12 a , b , c , d and e may include a first elongated rigid member 14 a , a second elongated rigid member 14 b and a third elongated rigid member 14 c where the third elongated rigid member 14 c may also comprise the first elongated rigid member in an adjoining section 12 b , which may also contain a second elongated rigid member 14 b ′ and a third elongated rigid member 14 c ′. each of the sections 12 a , b , c , d and e may have an upper collapsible member 30 a , b , c , d and e and a lower collapsible member 32 a , b , c , d and e , more fully described below . each of the sections 12 a , b , c , d and e may have a roof section 20 a , b , c , d and e , which may be comprised of a first roof rigid member 22 a and a second roof rigid member 22 b , where the second roof rigid member 22 b may be the first roof rigid member in the adjoining roof section 20 b which can also include a second roof rigid member 22 c . it can bee seen that each of the sections 12 a , b , c , d and e form the essentially vertical side walls of the structure with the collapsible members 30 a , b , c , d and e and the collapsible members 32 a , b , c , d and e forming the sides of a pentagon polygon . the collapsible sections 32 a , b , c , d and e can form the base of the collapsible support structure 10 and the collapsible members 30 a , b , c , d and e may form the top of the essentially vertical side walls of the support structure 10 formed by the adjoining sections 12 a , b , c , d and e . as shown in fig2 a characteristic of a geodesic structural form such as the icosahedron of fig1 - 3 is that the respective upper and lower ends of the opposing vertical sides rigid members , e . g ., 14 c and 14 b ′″ form equivalent opposing arcs of a greater circle concentric with the geometric center of the structure 10 if it were not truncated to form the base with the collapsible members 32 a , b , c , d and e , i . e ., if it had a structure equivalent to the roof structure attached to the base members 32 a , b , c , d and e in the nature of a complete icosahedron . turning now to fig3 there is shown another characteristic of a truncated icosahedron 10 according to such structures as employed in accordance with the present invention . each of the upper and lower collapsible members , respectively 30 a , b , c , d and e and 32 a , b , c , d and e for the sides of a pentagon which is circumscribed by a lesser circles 140 and 150 in the plane of the pentagon and intersected by the corners of the pentagon . it will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the respective pentagons formed by the collapsible members 30 a , b , c , d and e and 32 a , b , c , d and e may be of the same size or of a different size , and in the latter event , the vertical walls of the structure as shown in fig1 - 3 could slant slightly inwardly or slightly outwardly toward the top portion of the wall formed by the collapsible members 30 a , b , c , d and e , accordingly . in the truncated icosahedron 10 at six points along the top of the vertical walls formed by the sections 12 a , b , c , d and e five triangles meet at each vertex , e . g ., 80 a or 80 b shown in fig1 - 3 . at the vertexes along the base formed by the collapsible members 32 a , b , c , d and e , only three triangles meet at each vertex . each of the five vertices of five intersecting triangles in a geodesic structure is called a pent after the pentagons that surround them . from each of the pents radiate portions of five great circles each of which has its center at the geometric center of the structure , were it a full icosahedron as opposed to a truncated one as shown . each of the great circles trancend an arch of about 63 . 5 ° before intersecting the opposite end of the rigid structural member , e . g ., 14 c or 14 b ′″ as shown in fig2 radiating from the pent , generally in the plane of the great circle . following the lead of either of the pentagon edges forming the base or the top of the vertical walls formed by sections 12 a , b , c , d and e one may trace a circuit around the geodesic sphere forming a lesser circle 140 and 150 with its center at the center of the pentagram , girdling the sphere in generally parallel planes , e . g ., like the trop latitudes on the globe of the earth . in the pure geodesic dome , the struts forming the arcs of the lesser circles 140 and 150 are almost , but not quite coplanar . of course , the vertically extending struts can be adjusted as necessary and desired to correct this lack of co - planarity . the truncated dome design of the present invention is completed by placing the base formed by the collapsible members 32 a , b , c , d and e on the ground with the collapsible members 32 a , b , c , d and e and 30 a , b , c , d and e in the rigidized configuration . turning now to fig4 ( a ) the apex 82 b of the section 12 a of the vertical walls of the structure 10 is shown in more detail to explain the interrelationship between the rigid members 14 a , b and c , and the collapsible members 30 a and by example 30 b forming the section 12 a . each of the elongated rigid members 14 a , b , and c may consist of an elongated wooden dowel 16 . each of the elongated rigid dowels 16 may have attached to either end thereof an eyelet , e . g ., a screw - in eyelet 18 . an upper flexible circumferential tensional support member , e . g ., a length of rope ( not shown ) may extend through the eyelets 18 on the upper ends of the dowels 16 ( not shown )— forming the elongated rigid structural members 14 a and 14 b , which may be positioned adjacent to each other forming an upright triangular portion 50 a ( fig2 ) of the section 12 a along with the lower collapsible member 32 a . a lower flexible tensional circumferential support member , e . g ., a length of rope 42 or cable , may extend through the lower collapsible support member 32 a ( shown in phantom by dotted / dashed lines ) and through the pair of eyelets 18 on the lower ends of the dowels 16 forming the elongated rigid members 14 b and 14 c . similarly the upper length of rope ( not shown ) extends through the upper collapsible member 30 a between the joined ends of the elongated rigid structural members 14 a and 14 b and the upper end of the elongated rigid structural member 14 c , and the lower length of rope 42 extends between the eyelets 18 on the lower ends of the elongated rigid structural members 14 b and 14 c that are joined together thereby , such that the elongated rigid structural members 14 b and 14 c along with the upper collapsible member 30 a form an inverted triangular portion 52 a ( fig2 ) of the section 12 a . thus it can be seen that the section 12 a can be in the form of a parallelogram , with the corners of the parallelogram formed by upper junctions 80 a and b and the lower junctions 82 a and b , with the upper collapsible member between 80 a and b forming the base of the inverted triangular portion 52 a and the lower collapsible member 32 a forming the base of the upright triangular portion 50 a of the section 12 a . in the embodiment shown in fig4 ( a ) it can be seen that the collapsible member 30 a ( not shown in fig4 ) and 32 a may be formed by a pair of hollow cylindrical tubes 62 and 64 and an outer tubular sleeve 70 . in the embodiment shown in fig4 a the pair of tubes 62 , 64 extend substantially the length of the base of the respective upright and inverted triangular portions 50 a and 52 a and the outer sleeve 70 slideably engages both the tube 60 and the tube 62 when the respective upper or lower collapsible member , e . g ., lower collapsible member 32 a is in the rigidized configuration . the abutment of the tubes 60 and 62 at junction 72 is illustrated in fig4 ( a ). this abutment serves to hold the rigidized collapsible member 32 a in compression when the tensile forces exerted , e . g ., by tightening the rope 42 around the lesser circle traveled by the rope 42 ( along with the similar action of the upper rope ( not shown ) gives the structure 10 its structural rigidity . turning now to fig4 ( b ) it can be seen that the outer sleeve 70 is of a length that it can be slideably moved to enclose only the one or the other of the two tubes 62 and 64 such that the rigidity provided by the sleeve 70 engaging both the tubes 62 and 64 is eliminated . this enables the respective ends of the elongated rigid structural members , e . g ., 14 a , b and c , the former two of which were maintained in separation by the collapsible member 32 a being rigidized , to move toward each other , enabling collapsing and folding of the structure 10 , when done in conjunction with similarly removing the rigidity of each of the collapsible members 30 a , b , c , d and e and 32 a , b , c , d and e . turning now to fig5 there is shown a more detailed view of an embodiment of an upper terminal junction or apex 80 ( a ) according to the present invention . the eyelets 18 for each of the dowels 16 forming verticle poles 14 a and 14 b and roof pole 22 a are joind by having the rope of cable 40 forming the upper flexible circumferential support member threaded through them and passing through the adjacent hollow tubes 64 of the upper collapsible member 30 e and 62 of the upper collapsible member 30 a , with the verticle poles 14 a and 14 b forming a triangular portion of section 12 a and roof pole 22 a extending to the top of the structure 10 . this is shown in further detail in fig6 . turning to fig6 there is shown a perspective view of a portion of the collapsible structure 10 according to the present invention showing an entire vertical section from the ground to the apex of the embodiment 10 . fig6 shows that the roof poles 22 a , b , c , d and e are joined at the top apex of the structure , e . g ., by an apex ring 120 . the apex ring may be , e . g ., s ring that has a hinged opening allowing the ring to be inserted through the eyelets 18 and the upper ends of each of the roof poles 22 a , b , c , d and e . alternatively the apex ring 120 may simply be a piece of rope or cable threaded through the eyelet 18 openings . turning now to fig7 there is shown a plan view of an embodiment of a collapsible support structure 10 according to the present invention in its erected state . turning now to fig8 there is shown a partially cut away side view of an embodiment of a collapsible support structure according to the present invention in an intermediate stage of being collapsed and stored . in this view one section containing portions bottom collapsible support members 32 b and 32 c and upper horizontal collapsible support members 30 b and 30 c are omitted . also , apex ring 88 has been removed . in the view of fig8 there are shown a pair of anchor rings 130 . the anchor rings 130 may be in the form of a circular ring containing crossed members . the anchor rings 130 are constructed so as to easily connect one end of an upper horizontal flexible circumferential support 40 or lower horizontal flexible circumferential support 42 , e . g ., a cable or rope , to the anchor ring , as by tying , welding , crimp locking or the like , and such that the anchor ring will not pass into the adjacent hollow tube 62 or 64 , as the case may be . it will also be understood that the anchor ring 130 , on the lower circumferential support 42 , except for necessary tightening due to loosening or shifting over time in use , may be essentially permanently affixed to the other end of the lower circumferential support 42 , whereas , unless the roof struts 22 a - e are constructed to enable , e . g ., telescoping , the anchor ring 130 on the upper circumferential support may need to be undone each time to enable the roof struts 22 a - e to extend toward an apex position from the storage collapsed position due to their rigid length and the circumference of the upper circumferential support 40 in its tightened position . as described above and as depicted in the drawings in particular fig4 a , 4 b , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 and 9 all of the joints or connections 80 a , b , c , d and e and 82 a , b , c , d , and e between the elongated rigid members 16 , 16 a and the collapsible elongated members 30 and 32 are highly flexible connections or joints . this is due to the fact that the elongated flexible tensioning members 40 and 42 provide the means to form the flexible joint or hinge like connection . as shown in fig8 the sections 12 a , b , c , d and e are laid out with the anchor rings tight against the apexes 82 a and 80 a respectively and with the upper and lower horixontal flexible circumferential support cable or ropes 40 and 42 extending out of one half of the apex 82 e and out of the apex 80 e , and through upper collapsible structural support member 30 e . turning now to fig9 there is shown the initial stage of folding the collapsible horizontal support members between the respective adjacent vertical poles . the roof posts 22 a , b , c , de and e are then folded downwardly to the inside of the collapsed structure as shown in fig1 ( a ), with the lower horizontal flexible support member 42 pulled to tighten the bundle , and with the portion of the upper horizontal flexible support structure wrapped around the upper portion of the collapsed bundle to further tighten the collapsed bundle prior to insertion of the bundle into the storage bag as shown in fig1 ( b ). it will be understood that the folding operation discussed in this paragraph can occur both with the apex ring in place fig9 a or not in fig9 . fig1 , 12 and 13 show alternative possible improved embodiments for the eyelet joiners shown in earlier illustrated embodiments according to the present invention . in fig1 and fig1 there is shown one version of a pop - in connector 160 , which consists of a loop 162 and a pair of straight leg portions 164 , along with a protrusion 166 at the terminal end of the straight leg portion 164 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 the loop 162 can used in conjunction with a locking insert 165 . the locking insert 165 is constructed to have a diameter along at least one axis that allows the structure , which may be constructed of a rigid though partially flexible material such as nylon , so as to fit snuggly within the end of a hollow tube . in the case of fig1 the hollow tube is shown to have replaced the wooden dowels 16 as , e . g ., the vertical structural members . in operation the pop - in connector of fig1 is constructed to have a spring - like mode of operation with the protrusions biased to press against the inner surface of the hollow tube 16 a . insertion into the grooves 167 of the locking insert 165 , the protrusions are forced even more toward engagement with the inner surface of the hollow tube 16 a . in addition , depending upon the direction of the spring action of the leg portions , they may be biased against the surface of the respective groove 167 to further frictionally hold the pop - in connector 160 . in the embodiment of fig1 , the hollow tube has a pair of opposing holes 168 and in this case the legs 164 of the loop 162 of the pop - in connector 160 are springedly biased outwardly so as to engage the protrusions 166 in the holes 168 to hold the pop - in connector in place . as shown it can be seen that the pop - in connectors 160 can be of great use , e . g ., if a pole / strut , e . g ., 14 or 16 a were to break while the structure is erect . without having to essentially disassemble the structure frame 10 by unthreading the entire , e . g ., upper flexible circumferential support 40 or lower flexible circumferential support 42 to rethread it through an eyelet such as the eyelets 18 discussed above , the pop - in connector can be used to selectively engage one of the supports 40 , 42 at the respective end of a pole / strut at only the specific location of the pole / strut being replaced . one possible disadvantage of the pop - in connector 160 described above is that over time the flexible support 40 , 42 , if it is made of fiber as opposed to being a metal cable , could fray on the ends of the tubular pole / strut . alternatively , the metal capable used as a flexible support 40 or 42 may wear down the tubular ends of the pole / strut . to prevent either of these , at the loss of flexibility in replacing poles / struts while the structure is erected , a pop - in connector such as the pop - in connector 170 shown in fig1 may be employed . the pop - in connector of fig1 has two loops 172 and 174 , keeping the flexible circumferential support 40 , 42 away from the tubular end of the respective pole / strut . as can be seen from fig1 popin connector 170 , aside from its two loops , is essentially similar to single loop popin connector 160 . popin connector 170 has straight leg portions 176 and protrusions 178 at the end of terminus of leg portions 176 . additionally , a portion of tube 64 is depicted showing hole 180 into which protrusion 178 would fit to detachabley secure popin connectors 160 or 170 . additionally , popin connector 170 could be used with tube 16 a . it will be understood that the tensioning means at , e . g ., the base and the top of the vertical side walls of the structure 10 may be formed by rope or cable or the like and may be brought into tension simply by pulling on the rope or cable at a vertex , e . g . 80 b and similarly , e . g ., 82 b , with the rope or cable attached , e . g ., to an eyelet 18 on one of the dowels 16 forming part of the vertex , and looped through the other eyelet at the vertex , such that the tensionizing rope or cable exerts tension between each of the vertices , while the collapsible members 30 a , b , c , d and e , or 32 a , b , c , d and e , as applicable , are placed in compression . it will also be understood that the compactibility of the structure 10 of the present invention may be increased , and the height of the vertical walls formed by the sections 12 a , b , c , d and e maintained by making the rigid members , e . g ., 14 a , b and c , themselves collapsible , e . g ., by forming them of a two piece hinged construction as is known in the art for such supporting struts for collapsible structures and frames . in addition , the height of the vertical walls may be increased by adding a third or a fourth or more set of sections defined by another pair of adjacent lesser circle pentagons connected by rigid struts , e . g ., in the triangular pattern as shown in fig1 - 3 . it will also be understood that the roof struts 22 a , b , c , d and e must be joined at the apex 88 of the structure 10 shown in fig1 - 3 , which may be accomplished by simply as looping a rope through eyelets 18 at the terminal ends of the roof struts 22 a , b , c , d and e meeting at the apex 88 , or by any of the well known mechanical structures for forming such a roof apex in collapsible structure frames known in the art . it will be understood , however , that the making of this vertex at the apex 88 of the structure will ordinarily need to be formed before vertical side walls of the structure 10 are rigidized and will ordinarily need to be broken down before the structure 10 is collapsed , since the length of the roof struts 22 a , b , c , d and e will prevent the apex 88 from collapsing through the plane of the lesser circle formed by the top of the vertical wall , i . e ., by collapsible sections 30 a , b , c , d and e , as shown in fig1 - 3 while remaining joined in abutted ends at the apex 88 . the collapsible support structure of the present invention provides a number of advantages beyond simply being collapsible and storable in a relatively compact form in a storage bag and being relatively easy to assemble and rigidize and collapse and store . no ropes or tie downs are needed to hold the erected structure having placed over it one of a number of forms of plastic , fabric or hybrid covers to form , e . g ., a tent or other generally water tight enclosure . the ropes inside the collapsible frame structure of the present invention provide the hold down function simply by the weight of the cover over the structure , or alternatively , if , e . g ., because of high winds , etc . weighted bags filled with , e . g ., sand or water can be place over the bottom horizontal collapsible members . this can be especially beneficial on surfaces that are exceptionally hard , e . g ., pure rock , or exceptionally soft , e . g ., sand , where tie downs are difficult if not impossible to anchor . the structure is also adaptable to a large variety of terrains , including relatively steep slopes , and the ability to suspend hammocks from the upper vertices of the structure are not impacted by the structure being on such a slope . furthermore if the structure , once assembled needs to be moved , e . g ., having been initially erected over an ant hill , it can be lifted and moved fully assembled relatively easily due to its rigidity and light weight . in use the collapsible support structure of the present invention can be a form of rapidly deployable emergency shelter . the ability to hang hammocks from the vertices of the frame enable use in wet conditions even if the frame does not support a covering forming a tent with an integral floor . in operation the collapsible support structure of the present invention can be erected by the following process . the structure is first removed from the storage bag . the user can simply open the carrying bag and stand the collapsed structure in the veticle collapsed position . the five lower horizontal collapsible members will naturally fall away from the vertical poles , with the upper horizontal collapsible members remaining suspended from the upper ends of the vertical poles the user can then spread tot lower horizontal collapsible support members to form the lower pent by moving the vertical poles outwardly from the stored compacted assembly . leaving the upper collapsible horizontal support members in the broken down condition , the user can rigidize the lower horizontal collapsible members to form a rigidized pent at the bottom of the structure . with the apex of the roof poles connected by an apex ring as described above and the upper horizontal collapsible members remaining un - rigidized , and or un - tightened , the roof poles can be moved to above the horizontal plane of the upper horizontal collapsible members . the upper horizontal collapsible members can then be rigidized . both the lower horizontal collapsible members and upper horizontal collapsible members can be rigidized by , e . g ., threading the respective upper or lower flexible circumferential support member , e . g ., rope or cable through an anchor ring at the opposite end of the cable or rope and held in place at one of the apexes / vertexes 80 a , b , c , d and e or 82 a , b , c , d and e and tightening the rope or cable by hand or with a mechanical tightener so that the respective horizontal lesser circle is in compression . this can be done , e . g ., with the user standing inside of the frame under assembly and holding the roof poles upward to form a roof apex , while tightening the upper collapsible horizontal support members . the upper apexes will be generally centered over the centers of the lower collapsible support members and the upper collapsible structural members will be centered generally over the junctions between the bottom collapsible support structural members . a further application of the present invention to form a collapsible structure support can include other geodesic structures that are able to be formed and broken down according to the present invention , e . g ., icosa , octa , tricon , etc ., especially in multi - frequency large structures , e . g ., using cables with somewhat heavier hardware . the present invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many variations and modification of the disclosed preferred embodiments may be made without changing or departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention , e . g ., other forms of sleeves and tubes apart from those illustrated which maintain compression by the abutment of the inner tubes within the outer sleeve may be employed as known in the art , e . g ., a sleeve with flouted ends and a more narrow central section such that the tubes coact with the narrowed center portion of the sleeve to create the compressive force . in addition , the sleeve itself could be the internal tubular structure , e . g ., having a protrusion that slides along a slot in one or the other of the two tubes running the length of a collapsible member , e . g ., 32 a , so as to be able to be moved from a position in which the sleeve ( now an internally disposed sleeve ) slideably internally engages both of the other tubes to one in which it so engages only one of the other tubes , similarly to the configuration as shown in fig5 . other such modifications may be made to the mechanical structural elements of the present invention , e . g ., the dowels could be replaced with solid or hollow metal rods , or even generally flat struts , particularly if a hinged construction of the struts is desired , all of which may be made , e . g ., of metal , e . g ., made of aluminum , and / or the eyelets could be replaced with holes bored through the rigid structural members , whether such are wooden of metal , hollow or tubular or flat in construction . the present invention , therefore , should not be limited to any preferred embodiments disclosed in this application and should be considered described and claimed only through the following claims .	4
fig1 presents one elevator system 10 according to the invention , which comprises the elevators 10 a and 10 b of the elevator system 10 , a control system 10 c of the elevator system , a back - end system 15 connected to the control system 10 c , and also call - giving devices 12 in the elevator lobbies and / or in the elevator cars for registering manual elevator calls . an identifier 11 is given for the personal use of a passenger , which identifier is e . g . a remotely - readable rfid identifier and the identification data contained by which identifier can be read by reader units 14 in the elevator lobbies ( in fig1 only the reader unit of the entrance lobby floor f 1 is presented ). the identification data contain e . g . the individual id number of the identifier , which id number the reader unit 14 reads and transmits to the back - end system 15 . alternatively , the reader units can be disposed in the elevator cars , instead of in the elevator lobbies , in which case either a passenger must give a manual elevator call in the elevator lobby , or the elevator lobbies must be provided with optical or other corresponding movement detectors for calling an elevator car to the floor level when a passenger arrives in an elevator lobby to wait for an elevator . in fig1 a movement detector on the topmost floor f 10 is presented with the reference number 18 by way of example , which movement detector detects passengers arriving in the elevator lobby of floor f 10 and sends the detection data to the control system 10 c for ordering an elevator car to the floor f 10 . after an elevator car has arrived at the floor f 10 and the passenger moves into the elevator car , the reader unit in the elevator car reads the id number of the identifier of the passenger , on the basis of which id number the elevator system generates an automatic destination call if the passenger does not give a manual destination call with the call pushbuttons in the elevator car . destination call panels and / or conventional up / down pushbuttons in the elevator lobbies can be used as call - giving devices 12 . fig1 presents only the destination call panel 12 disposed on the floor f 1 ( the entrance lobby floor ), which destination call panel comprises call pushbuttons 12 a for registering a manual destination floor call , as well as a display unit 12 b for indicating the elevator serving the call to the passenger who gave the call . in addition to call pushbuttons 12 a , a destination call panel comprises a classification pushbutton 12 aa , with which a physically handicapped passenger can order handicapped - accessible transport for himself / herself . elevators serving automatic elevator calls can also be indicated with a display unit 12 b and / or the elevator lobbies can be provided with signs ( not presented in fig1 ) for indicating the serving elevators . it is also possible to provide identifiers 11 with a display unit , to which the elevator system transmits information about the elevator serving a passenger . the back - end system 15 comprises a processing unit , software and also a memory means 15 a for saving information connected to automatic elevator calls . the back - end system is connected via a data transfer connection 10 d to the control system 10 c for sending automatic elevator calls from the back - end system to the control system and also , if necessary , for transmitting the status information of the elevators from the control system to the back - end system . when the holder of an identifier 11 ( a passenger ) arrives in the entrance lobby f 1 of a building for the first time , he / she goes to a call - giving device 12 and gives a manual destination call e . g . to floor f 5 . in the same connection , the reader unit 14 in the entrance lobby reads the id number of the identifier and transmits it to the back - end system 15 . the back - end system 15 receives the id number , opens in the memory means 15 a the data record corresponding to the id number and saves in the data record information about the departure floor of the passenger , which in this example case is the entrance lobby f 1 . the control system 10 c allocates to the passenger an elevator car , which takes him / her from the entrance lobby floor f 1 to the floor f 5 . after arriving at floor f 5 the passenger moves e . g . into his / her office . when the passenger returns back to the elevator lobby of floor f 5 , the reader unit 14 in the elevator lobby of floor f 5 detects the identifier 11 of the passenger , reads the id number contained in said identifier and transmits the id number to the back - end system 15 . the back - end system , on the basis of id number , identifies the data record , which comprises information about the departure floor of the previous elevator journey of the passenger and generates an automatic destination call from floor f 5 to the departure floor in question , which in this example case is the entrance lobby floor f 1 . in the same connection , the back - end system updates the new departure floor ( floor f 5 ) in the data record for the following elevator journey . when the passenger e . g . on the following morning arrives in the entrance lobby f 1 of the building , the back - end system generates in the manner described above an automatic destination call from the entrance lobby floor f 1 to the floor f 5 . if a passenger has , in connection with a manual call , pressed the classification pushbutton 12 aa , this is taken into account also when generating automatic calls by ordering for the passenger elevator transport according to the classification , e . g . by lengthening the door times of the doors of the elevator for a physically handicapped passenger . in the preceding example , the elevator lobbies contain reader units 14 , which read the identification data contained in the identifiers 11 of passengers in the elevator lobbies . since the back - end system 15 has the position data of the reader units available for its use , the back - end system can detect the elevator lobby of which floor at which a passenger arrives at any given time ( by elevator or by walking ) or from the elevator lobby of which floor a passenger leaves ( by elevator or by walking ). by means of the reader units the departure floor , on which floor the passenger moves into the elevator car , as well as the destination floor , where he / she leaves the elevator car , of an elevator journey performed by a passenger can thus be determined . a corresponding determination can be performed with the reader units in the elevator cars by detecting with a reader unit the presence of the identifiers of passengers in the elevator car and by identifying the floor at which the elevator car is located at the time of the detection . according to one embodiment of the invention the back - end system 15 registers the elevator journeys made by a passenger during one visit . the term visit refers to the period of time from the moment a passenger arrives in a building to the moment he / she leaves the building . the embodiment comprises a type of “ recording function ”, wherein the elevator journeys made by a passenger during one visit are saved in the memory means 15 a , in the sequence in which they are performed , including information about the departure floor and destination floor of each elevator journey . in the example according to fig1 , the “ recording function ” starts when a passenger arrives at the entrance lobby floor f 1 and the reader unit 14 on the entrance lobby floor f 1 detects the identifier 11 of the passenger . the “ recording function ” ends in the example case according to fig1 when the reader unit 14 on the entrance lobby floor f 1 detects a passenger ( identifier 11 ) leaving the detection area of the reader unit 14 in the entrance lobby f 1 and the identifier 11 of the passenger is not detected after this with any reader unit 14 during a preset period of time . when the passenger visits the building on a following occasion and his / her identifier 11 is detected in the elevator lobbies of different floors , the back - end system generates automatic elevator calls on the basis of the elevator journeys saved in the memory means 15 a taking into account the sequence of saving the elevator journeys for specific floors . if the passenger does not make an elevator journey according to said automatic elevator call ( e . g . he / she does not step into the elevator car allocated to him / her ), the back - end system deletes the elevator journey in question from the plurality of saved elevator journeys . correspondingly , if a passenger gives a manual elevator call and makes an elevator journey , of which a “ recording ” has not been made , the back - end system adds the elevator journey in question to the plurality of saved elevator journeys . the invention is not only limited to be applied to the embodiments described above , but instead many variations are possible within the scope of the inventive concept defined by the claims . thus , for example , the back - end system presented in fig1 as a separate computer system can be either fully or partly integrated into the control system 10 c . also the memory means 15 a , as an exception to fig1 , can be integrated either fully or partly into the control system 10 c and / or into the identifiers 11 , and the reader units 14 can be used e . g . for sending data to be saved in the integrated memory means 15 a to the identifiers 11 .	1
r 1 is h , halogen , methoxy , ethoxy , trifluoromethyl , nitro , amino ; the term “ halogen ” indicates an halogen selected from fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine . a first preferred group of compounds of formula ( i ) is that wherein : among them , particularly preferred are compounds ( ia ), wherein r is iodine and r 1 is hydrogen and ( ib ) wherein r is chlorine and r 1 is hydrogen . among them particularly preferred is the compound of formula ( ic ), wherein r is iodine and r 1 is hydrogen . the compounds of formula ( i ) can be prepared by means of conventional methods , such as the reaction of a compound of formula ( iii ) wherein r is as defined above and the hydroxy group is protected with an acetyl , benzyl or benzoyl group , the compounds of formula ( i ) are able to inhibit the vanilloid trpv1 receptor and can be used for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of inflammatory states , such as chronic pain and inflammatory hyperalgesia . these formulations can be prepared by conventional methods and excipients , such as those disclosed in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences handbook , xvii ed . mack pub ., n . y ., u . s . a . the invention will be hereinafter illustrated by means of the following examples and schemes 1 and 2 . the reactions were routinely monitored by thin - layer chromatography ( tlc ) on silica gel ( precoated f 245 merck plates ) and the products visualized with an iodine or potassium permanganate solution . 1 h nmr spectra were recorded in cdcl 3 , cf 3 cood or dmso - d 6 with a bruker ac 200 spectrometer . peak positions are given in parts per million ( δ ) downfield from tetramethylsilane as internal standard , and j values are given in hz . ir spectra were recorded on a pye unicam sp 300 spectrometer using the kbr wafer technique . mass spectra were obtained with a shimadzu qp5050 di 50 spectrometer . the expression “ light petroleum ether ” refers to petroleum fraction boiling at 40 - 60 ° c . melting points ( m . p .) were determined on a buchi - tottoli instrument and are uncorrected . chromatographies were performed using merck 60 - 200 mesh silica gel . the synthesized compounds showed 1 h nmr spectra in agreement with the assigned structures . elemental analyses were within ± 0 . 4 % of the theoretical values for c , h , and n . acetic anhydride ( 1 ml , 10 . 5 mmol ) was added to a solution of 4 - hydroxy - 3 - methoxy - benzylamine hydrochloride ( 0 . 5 g , 2 . 63 mmol ) in pyridine ( 5 ml ) and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 6 hours . the solvent was removed under reduced pressure and the residue was suspended in water ( 100 ml ). the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 20 ml ) and the combined organic phases were anhydrified ( na 2 so 4 ) and evaporated under reduced pressure to afford the title compound as white solid ( 0 . 45 g , yield 75 %). 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 2 . 01 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ), 2 . 31 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ), 3 . 81 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 4 . 38 ( d , 2h , j = 6 , ch 2 ), 5 . 90 ( bs , 1h , nh ), 6 . 90 ( m , 3h , aromatic ). ms : m / z 238 . 1 ( m + c 12 h 15 no 4 ). the diacetyl derivative of example 1 . 1 and a catalytic amount of trifluoromethane sulfonic acid ( 5 - 6 drops ) were added to a solution of ipy 2 bf 4 1 , 2 ( 0 . 69 g , 6 . 9 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 40 ml ). the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 5 hours , then added with 10 % aq . sodium thiosulfate until it became completely clear . the aqueous layer was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 3 × 25 ml ) and the organic phases were anhydrified ( na 2 so 4 ) and evaporated under vacuum . the residue was recrystallized from a mixture of ch 2 cl 2 / et 2 o to afford the title compound as pale yellow solid ( 0 . 38 g , yield 65 %). 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 2 . 06 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ), 2 . 33 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ), 3 . 82 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 4 . 41 ( d , 2h , j = 5 . 6 , ch 2 ), 6 . 0 ( t , 1h , nh ), 7 . 04 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 7 . 44 ( s , 1h , aromatic ). bidimensional noesy ( cdcl 3 ): coupling between the singlet at 7 . 44 ppm and the singlet at 2 . 33 ppm confirms that iodine is at the 2 - position of the aromatic ring . ms : m / z 364 ( m + c 12 h 14 ino 4 ). 37 % hydrochloric acid ( 0 . 2 ml ) was added to a solution of 2 - iodo - 4 - acetyloxy - 5 - methoxy - n - acetyl - benzylamine ( 0 . 1 g , 0 . 27 mmol ) in abs . ethanol ( 5 ml ) and the mixture was refluxed for 12 hours . after cooling , the solvent was evaporated off under reduced pressure and the residue was recrystallized from dry acetone to afford the title compound as pale yellow solid in quantitative yield . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 3 . 80 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 3 . 97 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 7 . 21 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 7 . 29 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 8 . 46 ( bs , 3h , nh 3 + ), 9 . 38 ( bs , 1h , oh ). ms : m / z 315 . 9 ( m + c 8 h 11 clino 2 ). tea ( 0 . 95 mmol , 0 . 13 ml ) and 4 - tert - butyl isothiocyanate 3 ( 0 . 47 mmol , 0 . 1 g ) were added to a suspension of 2 - iodo - 4 - hydroxy - 5 - methoxybenzylamine hydrochloride ( 0 . 15 g , 0 . 47 mmol ) in dry dmf ( 10 ml ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 20 hours and the residue was added with water ( 30 ml ). the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 20 ml ) and the combined organic phases were anhydrified ( na 2 so 4 ), then evaporated under reduced pressure . the residue was purified by flash chromatography ( 1 : 1 ethyl acetate / light petroleum ) to afford ia as white solid ( 60 mg , 32 % yield ). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 1 . 26 ( s , 9h , tert - butyl ), 3 . 67 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 4 . 50 ( d , 2h , j = 4 , ch 2 ), 4 . 62 ( d , 2h , j = 4 . 2 , ch 2 ), 6 . 90 ( bs , 1h , aromatic ), 7 . 18 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 7 . 22 ( d , 2h , j = 4 . 1 , aromatic ), 7 . 33 ( d , 2h , j = 4 . 2 , aromatic ), 7 . 70 ( bs , 1h , nh ), 7 . 91 ( bs , 1h , nh ), 9 . 3 ( s , 1h , oh ). ms : m / z 485 . 4 ( m + c 20 h 25 in 2 o 2 s ). anal . c , h , n , o ( c 20 h 25 in 2 o 2 s ): calculated : c , 49 . 59 ; h , 5 . 20 ; n , 5 . 78 ; o , 6 . 61 . found : c , 49 . 45 ; h , 5 . 11 ; n , 5 . 62 ; o , 6 . 57 . n - chlorosuccinimide ( 3 . 15 mmol , 0 . 42 g ) was added to a solution of 4 - acetyloxy - 3 - methoxy - n - acetyl - benzylamine of example 1 . 1 ( 0 . 5 g , 2 . 1 mmol ) in dry dmf ( 6 ml ) and the mixture was stirred for 30 ′ at 0 ° c . and then for 16 hours at room temperature . when water was added to the reaction ( 40 ml ) the formation of a white precipitate was observed . the solid was filtered off and washed twice with cold water ( 2 × 20 ml ), then dried over p 2 o 5 to afford the title compound as white solid ( 0 . 45 g , 83 % yield ). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 1 . 89 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 24 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 76 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 4 . 27 ( d , 2h , ch 2 , j = 8 ), 7 . 09 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 7 . 25 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 8 . 35 ( t , 1h , nh ). bidimensional noesy ( dmso - d 6 ): coupling between the singlet at 2 . 24 ppm and the singlet at 7 . 25 ppm confirms that chlorine is at the 2 - position of the aromatic ring . ms : m / z 272 . 1 ( m + c 12 h 14 clno 4 ). 37 % hydrochloric acid ( 2 . 5 ml ) was added to a solution of 2 - chloro - 4 - acetyloxy - 5 - methoxy - n - acetyl - benzylamine 2b ( 0 . 45 g , 1 . 66 mmol ) in abs . ethanol ( 15 ml ) and the mixture was refluxed for 12 hours . the reaction was cooled and the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure . the residue was recrystallized from dry acetone to afford the title compound as white crystals in quantitative yield . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 3 . 87 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 4 . 00 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 6 . 91 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 7 . 32 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 8 . 46 ( bs , 3h , nh 3 + ), 9 . 80 ( bs , 1h , oh ). tea ( 0 . 98 mmol , 0 . 14 ml ) and 4 - tert - butyl isothiocyanate 3 ( 0 . 54 mmol , 0 . 11 g ) were added to a suspension of 2 - chloro - 4 - hydroxy - 5 - methoxybenzylamine hydrochloride 3b ( 0 . 11 g , 0 . 49 mmol ) in dry dmf ( 10 ml ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 18 hours , then the solvent was removed under reduced pressure and the residue was purified by flash chromatography ( 4 : 6 ethyl acetate / light petroleum ) to afford ib as pale yellow solid ( 65 mg , 42 % yield ). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 1 . 25 ( s , 9h , tert - butyl ), 3 . 68 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 4 . 59 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ), 6 . 80 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 6 . 91 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 7 . 23 ( d , 2h , j = 9 . 8 , aromatic ), 7 . 35 ( d , 2h , j = 9 . 7 , aromatic ), 7 . 65 ( bs , 1h , nh ), 7 . 92 ( bs , 1h , nh ), 9 . 47 ( s , 1h , oh ). ms : m / z 393 . 3 ( m + c 20 h 25 cln 2 o 2 s ). anal . c , h , n , o ( c 20 h 25 cln 2 o 2 s ): calculated : c , 61 . 13 ; h , 6 . 41 ; n , 7 . 13 ; o , 8 . 14 . found : c , 61 . 04 ; h , 6 . 38 ; n , 7 . 04 ; o , 61 . 00 . tea ( 0 . 95 mmol , 0 . 13 ml ) and 4 - trifluoromethyl isothiocyanate 3 ( 0 . 47 mmol , 0 . 103 g ) were added to a suspension of 2 - iodo - 4 - hydroxy - 5 - methoxybenzylamine hydrochloride ( 0 . 15 g , 0 . 47 mmol ) in dry dmf ( 10 ml ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 18 hours , then the solvent was removed under reduced pressure and the residue was purified by flash chromatography ( 1 : 1 ethyl acetate / light petroleum ) to afford ic as pale yellow solid ( 90 mg , 40 % yield ). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 3 . 74 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 4 . 63 ( bs , 2h , ch 2 ), 4 . 76 ( d , 2h , j = 4 . 2 , ch 2 ), 6 . 96 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 7 . 10 ( bs , 1h , nh ), 7 . 22 ( s , 1h , aromatic ), 7 . 36 ( d , 2h , j = 4 . 1 , aromatic ), 7 . 48 ( d , 2h , j = 4 . 2 , aromatic ), 7 . 70 ( bs , 1h , nh ), 8 . 01 ( bs , 1h , oh ). ms : m / z 497 . 2 ( m + c 17 h 16 f 3 in 2 o 2 s ). anal . c , h , n , 0 ( c 17 h 16 f 3 in 2 o 2 s ): calculated : c , 41 . 14 ; h , 3 . 25 ; n , 5 . 64 ; o , 6 . 45 . found : c , 40 . 98 ; h , 3 . 19 ; n , 5 . 57 ; o , 6 . 42 . newborn and adult sprague - dawley rats (˜ 250 g ) were used ( harlam , italy ). all experiments complied with the national guidelines and were approved by the regional ethics committee . newborn rats ( 2 days old ) were terminally anaesthetized and decapitated . trigeminal ganglia were removed and rapidly placed in a cold phosphate buffered solution ( pbs ) before being transferred to collagenase / dispase ( 1 mg / ml dissolved in ca 2 + - mg 2 + - free pbs ) for 35 min . at 37 ° c . 4 . after the enzymatic treatment the ganglia were rinsed three times with ca 2 + - mg 2 + - free pbs and then placed in 2 ml of cold dmem supplemented with 10 % foetal bovine serum ( fbs , heat inactivated ), 2 mm l - glutamine , 100 μ / ml penicillin and 100 mg / ml streptomycin . the ganglia were then dissociated into single cells by several passages through a series of syringe needles ( 23 g down to 25 g ). finally , the medium and ganglia cells sieved through a 40 mm filter to remove debris and taken up with 8 ml of dmem medium and centrifuged ( 200 × g for 5 min .). the final cell pellet was re - suspended in dmem medium ( supplemented with 100 ng / ml mouse nerve growth factor ( mouse - ngf - 7s ) and cytosine - β - d - arabino - furanoside free base ( ara - c ) 2 . 5 mm ). the cells were plated on poly - l - lysine ( 8 . 3 mm ) and laminin ( 5 mm ) coated 25 mm glass cover slips and kept for 2 to 5 days at 37 ° c . in a humidified incubator gassed with 5 % co 2 and air . plated neurons were loaded with fura - 2 - am - ester ( 3 μm ) in ca 2 + buffer solution of the following composition ( mm ): cacl 2 1 . 4 , kcl 5 . 4 , mgso 4 0 . 4 , nacl 135 , d - glucose 5 , hepes 10 with bsa 0 . 1 %, at ph 7 . 4 , for 40 min at 37 ° c ., washed twice with the ca 2 + buffer solution and transferred to a chamber on the stage of a nikon eclipse te300 microscope . the dye was excited at 340 and 380 nm to indicate relative [ ca 2 + ] i changes by the f 340 / f 380 ratio recorded with a dynamic image analysis system ( laboratory automation 2 . 0 , rcs , florence , italy ). capsaicin ( 0 . 1 μm ) and ionomycin ( 5 μm ) were added to the chamber . a calibration curve using a buffer containing fura - 2 - am - ester and determinant concentrations of free ca2 + was used to convert the obtained data from f 340 / f 380 ratio to [ ca 2 + ] i ( nm ) 5 . the effects of ia , ib and ic were tested against capsaicin - induced calcium mobilisation ; ia , ib and ic were incubated for 10 minutes prior to the capsaicin challenge . the inhibitory effect of the reference trpv1 antagonist , capsazepine , was also tested . the irritant effect ( induction of wiping movements ) of capsaicin was assessed by applying capsaicin 0 . 1 % ( 50 μl ) on the rat conjunctiva and the number of wiping movements was recorded during the 60 s period that followed the application . in another set of experiments , the rats were treated intraperitoneally with different doses of ia and ic and capsaicin - induced wiping was studied . drugs and reagents were obtained from the indicated companies : capsaicin , ionomycin , laminin , poly - l - lysine and capsazepine from sigma , italy ; mouse ngf - 7s and collagenase / dispase from roche diagnostics , italy ; dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle &# 39 ; s medium ( dmem ), foetal bovine serum ( fbs ) heat inactivated , l - glutamine ( 200 mm ), penicillin / streptomycin ( 10 , 000 iu / ml ± 10 , 000 ug / ml ), ca 2 + - mg 2 + - free phosphate buffered solution ( pbs ) from gibco , italy ; fura - 2 - am - ester from società italiana chimici , italy . stock solutions of capsaicin ( 10 mm ) were prepared in 100 % ethanol . mother solutions of ia ( 100 mm ), ib ( 100 mm ), ic ( 100 mm ), fura - 2 - am - ester ( 100 mm ) and ionomycin ( 100 mm ) were prepared in dmso . appropriate dilutions were then made in krebs buffer solution . capsaicin ( 0 . 1 μm ) caused an increase in [ ca 2 + ] i in the vast majority ( 95 %) of rat trigeminal neuronal cells , that therefore were identified as trpv1 expressing neurons . the threshold concentrations of ia , ib and ic that produced an inhibitory effect were 0 . 1 nm , 0 . 1 nm and 1 nm respectively . complete inhibition of the response to capsaicin was obtained with 0 . 1 μm ia and 3 μm ic . ic 50 values of ia , ib and ic inhibiting capsaicin - evoked [ ca 2 + ] i mobilization were 3 . 48 ( 1 . 46 - 8 . 30 ) nm , 3 . 86 ( 2 . 13 - 7 . 0 ) nm and 70 ( 50 - 98 ) nm , respectively . the reference trpv1 antagonist , capsazepine , inhibited the capsaicin response with an ic 50 of 2344 ( 2090 - 2659 ) nm . mobilization of [ ca 2 + ] i evoked by 5 mm kcl was not affected by ia , ib and ic . the results are expressed as mean and 95 % fiducial limits . intraperitoneal ia and ic , 15 minutes prior to the capsaicin challenge , significantly reduced capsaicin - induced wiping in rats . the ed 50 values were 2 . 76 ( 2 . 05 - 3 . 35 ) mg / kg for ia and 7 . 20 ( 6 . 34 - 7 . 89 ) mg / kg for ic . in in vitro and in vivo studies , ia , ib and ic were able to inhibit trpv1 activated responses with an affinity that was significantly greater than that of capsazepine , therefore they can be conveniently used for the preparation of medicaments for the treatment of pain . 1 . barluenga , j . ; gonzales , j . m . ; garcia - martin , m . a . ; campos , p . j . ; asensio , g . j . org . chem . 1993 , 58 , 2058 - 2060 . 2 . barluenga , j . ; garcia - martin , m . a . ; gonzales , j . m . ; clapes , p . ; valencia , g . chem . commun . 1996 , 1505 - 1506 . 3 . wrigglesworth , r . ; walpole , c . s . j . ; bevan , s . ; campbell , e . a . ; dray , a . ; hughes , g . a . ; james , i . ; masdin , k . j . ; winter , j . j . med . chem . 1996 , 39 , 4942 - 4951 . 4 . rigoni m . et al ., british journal of pharmacology , 2003 , 138 , 977 - 985 . 5 . kudo y . et al ., japanese journal of pharmacology , 1986 , 41 , 345 - 151 .	2
the compounds of the present invention can be prepared as shown in the following reaction scheme : ## str4 ## compounds of formula i are prepared by the coupling reaction of a compound of formula ii where n , r 1 , and r 6 are as defined above with a compound of the formula iii where m , r 2 , y , and w are as defined above with y and w having a c terminal on the right side and an n terminal on the left side of each residue , the c terminal of w being in the carboxylic acid form . the reaction is carried out in the presence of a carboxylic acid activating agent in an inert solvent . suitable carboxylic acid activating agents include oxalyl chloride , thionyl chloride , carbonyldiimidazole , dicyclohexylcarbodiimide , and 1 - ethyl - 3 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- carbodiimide . the preferred carboxylic acid activating agent is carbonyldiimidazole . suitable solvents include diethyl ethyl , tetrahydrofuran , 1 , 4 - dioxane , chloroform , methylene chloride , or n , n - dimethylformamide . the preferred solvent is methylene chloride . the reaction is run at a temperature of from about 0 ° c . to about 65 ° c ., preferably at about 25 ° c . ( room temperature ). compounds of the formula iii are either commercially available or can be prepared using methods known in the art , for example , as described in m . bodanszky , peptide synthesis , john wiley and sons , new york ( 1976 ). compounds of formula ii can be prepared as shown in the following reaction scheme : ## str5 ## compounds of formula iic where n and r 6 are as defined above and r 1 is as defined above but for hydrogen are prepared by the alkylation of a compound of formula iib where n and r 6 are as defined above with an alkylating agent and a base in an inert solvent . suitable alkylating agents include alkyl halides ( chlorides , bromides , or iodides ), alkyl tosylates , alkyl mesylates , alkyl triflates , α , β - unsaturated ketones , α , β - unsaturated esters , α , β - unsaturated aldehydes , α , β - unsaturated amides , and α , β - unsaturated nitriles . alkyl halides ( iodides ) are preferred . suitable solvents include methylene chloride , chloroform , carbon tetrachloride , acetonitrile , tetrahydrofuran , diethyl ether , dioxane , n , n - dimethylformamide , ethanol , propanol , methanol . the preferred solvent is acetonitrile . the reaction is conducted between a temperature of about 0 ° c . to about 150 ° c . preferably about 0 ° c . to about 25 ° c . compounds of formula iia where n and r 6 are as defined above are prepared by catalytic reduction of a compound of formula iv where n and r 6 are as defined above under an atmosphere of hydrogen , preferably at a pressure of about 1 to about 3 atmospheres , or using a hydrogen source such as ammonium formate or formic acid in an inert solvent . suitable catalysts include palladium on carbon , palladium hydroxide on carbon , raney nickel , and platinum oxide . the preferred catalyst is palladium hydroxide on carbon . suitable solvents include c 1 to c 6 alcohols , n , n - dimethylformamide , ethyl acetate , and acetonitrile . the preferred solvent is ethanol . the reaction is conducted at a temperature of about 0 ° c . to about 100 ° c ., most preferably at about 50 ° c . compounds of formula iib where n and r 6 are as defined above are prepared by catalytic reduction of a compound of the formula v where n and r 6 are as defined above under an atmosphere of hydrogen , preferably at a pressure of about 1 to about 3 atmospheres , or using a hydrogen source such as ammonium formate or formic acid in an inert solvent . suitable catalysts include palladium on carbon , palladium hydroxide on carbon , raney nickel , and platinum oxide . the preferred catalyst is palladium hydroxide on carbon . suitable solvents include c 1 to c 6 alcohols , n , n - dimethylformamide , ethyl acetate , and acetonitrile . the preferred solvent is ethanol . the reaction is conducted at a temperature of about 0 ° c . to about 100 ° c ., most preferably at about 50 ° c . compounds of formula iv are prepared via the hydride reduction of a compound of the formula vi using methods known in the art , for example , as described in w . a . reimers , &# 34 ; indole aldehydes and ketones &# 34 ; in the series the chemistry of heterocyclic compounds , volume 25 , part iii , weissberger , a . and taylor , e . c . ( eds ), john wiley and sons , new york , pp . 403 - 405 ( 1979 ). compounds of formula v are prepared via the hydride reduction of a compound of the formula vi using methods known in the art , for example , as described in w . a . reimers , &# 34 ; indole aldehydes and ketones &# 34 ; in the series the chemistry of heterocyclic compounds , volume 25 , part iii , weissberger , a . and taylor , e . c . ( eds ), john wiley and sons , new york , pp . 403 - 405 ( 1979 ). compounds of formula vi are prepared using methods known in the art , for example , as described in w . a . reimers , &# 34 ; indole aldehydes and ketones &# 34 ; in the series the chemistry of heterocyclic compounds , volume 25 , part iii , weissberger , a . and taylor , e . c . ( eds ), john wiley and sons , new york , pp . 388 - 389 ( 1979 ). compounds of the formula vii are using prepared methods known in the art , for example , as described in aoyama , t . and shioiri , t ., chem . pharm . bull , 3249 ( 1981 ). other halogens can be used in place of chloride in formula vii and are prepared using methods known in the art , however , chloride is preferred . compounds of formula viii are prepared using methods known in the art , such as , for example , as disclosed in example 8 . the -- co 2 ch 2 ph group in compound of formula vii and the phch 2 -- groups in compound of formula viii are protecting groups for the nitrogen atoms in each of the respective compounds and are preferred . other protecting groups include -- cocf 3 , -- coch 2 ccl 3 , -- co 2 c ( ch 3 ) 3 and -- ch 2 och 2 ph . compounds of formulae vii and viii having these other protecting groups can be prepared using methods known in the art . removal of these other protecting groups to form compounds of formulae iia , iib and iv can also be accomplished using methods known in the art , for example , as described in t . w . greene , protecting groups in organic synthesis , john wiley and sons , new york ( 1981 ), pp . 218 - 287 . the compounds of the formula i which are basic in nature are capable of forming a wide variety of different salts with various inorganic and organic acids . although such salts must be pharmaceutically acceptable for administration to animals , it is often desirable in practice to initially isolate a compound of the formula i from the reaction mixture as a pharmaceutically unacceptable salt and then simply convert the latter back to the free base compound by treatment with an alkaline reagent , and subsequently convert the free base to a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt . the acid addition salts of the base compounds of this invention are readily prepared by treating the base compound with a substantially equivalent amount of the chosen mineral or organic acid in an aqueous solvent medium or in a suitable organic solvent such as methanol or ethanol . upon careful evaporation of the solvent , the desired solid salt is obtained . the acids which are used to prepare the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of the base compounds of this invention are those which form non - toxic acid addition salts , i . e ., salts containing pharmacologically acceptable anions , such as hydrochloride , hydrobromide , hydroiodide , nitrate , sulfate or bisulfate , phosphate or acid phosphate , acetate , lactate , citrate or acid citrate , tartrate or bitartrate , succinate , maleate , fumarate , gluconate , saccharate , benzoate , methanesulfonate and pamoate [ i . e ., 1 , 1 &# 39 ;- methylene - bis -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphthoate )] salts . those compounds of the formula i which are also acidic in nature , i . e ., where w contains a carboxylate , are capable of forming base salts with various pharmacologically acceptable cations . examples of such salts include the alkali metal or alkaline - earth metal salts and particular , the sodium and potassium salts . these salts are all prepared by conventional techniques . the chemical bases which are used as reagents to prepare the pharmaceutically acceptable base salts of this invention are those which form non - toxic base salts with the herein described acidic compounds of formula i . these non - toxic base salts include those derived from such pharmacologically acceptable cations as sodium , potassium , calcium , magnesium , etc . these salts can easily be prepared by treating the corresponding acidic compounds with an aqueous solution containing the desired pharmacologically acceptable cations , and then evaporating the resulting solution to dryness , preferably under reduced pressure . alternatively , they may also be prepared by mixing lower alkanolic solutions of the acidic compounds and the desired alkali metal alkoxide together , and then evaporating the resulting solution to dryness in the same manner as before . in either case , stoichiometric quantities of reagents are preferably employed in order to ensure completeness of reaction of maximum product of yields of the desired final product . the compounds of the formula i and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof ( hereinafter , also referred to as the active compounds of the invention ) are useful psychotherapeutics and are potent serotonin ( 5 - ht 1 ) agonists and may be used in the treatment of depression , anxiety , eating disorders , obesity , drug abuse , cluster headache , migraine , chronic paroxysmal hemicrania and headache associated with vascular disorders , pain , and other disorders arising from deficient serotonergic neurotransmission . the compounds can also be used as centrally acting antihypertensives and vasodilators . the active compounds of the invention can be evaluated as antimigraine agents by testing the extent to which they mimic sumatriptan in contracting the dog isolated saphenous vein strip [ p . p . a . humphrey et al ., br . j . pharmacol ., 94 , 1128 ( 1988 )]. this effect can be blocked by methiothepin , a known serotonin antagonist . sumatriptan is known to be useful in the treatment of migraine and produces a selective increase in carotid vascular resistance in the anesthetized dog . it has been suggested [ w . fenwick et al ., br . j . pharmacol ., 96 , 83 ( 1989 )] that this is the basis of its efficacy . the serotonin 5 - ht 1 agonist activity is measured in in vitro receptor binding assays as described for the 5 - ht 1a receptor using rat cortex as the receptor source and [ 3 h ]- 8 - oh - dpat as the radioligand [ d . hoyer et al . eur . j . pharm ., vol . 118 , 13 ( 1985 )] and as described for the 5 - ht 1d receptor using bovine caudate as the receptor source and [ 3 h ] serotonin as the radioligand [ r . e . heuring and s . j . peroutka , j . neuroscience , vol . 7 , 894 ( 1987 )]. 5 - ht 1 agonist activity is defined by agents with affinities ( ic 50 ) of 250 nm or less with either binding assay . the compositions of the present invention may be formulated in a conventional manner using one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers . thus , the active compounds of the invention may be formulated for oral , buccal , sublingual , intranasal , parenteral ( e . g ., intravenous , intramuscular or subcutaneous ) or rectal administration or in a form suitable for administration by inhalation or insufflation . for oral administration , the pharmaceutical compositions may take the form of , for example , tablets or capsules prepared by conventional means with pharmaceutically acceptable excipients such as binding agents ( e . g . pregelatinized maize starch , polyvinylpyrrolidone or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ); fillers ( e . g . lactose , microcrystalline cellulose or calcium phosphate ); lubricants ( e . g . magnesium stearate , talc or silica ); disintegrants ( e . g . potato starch or sodium starch glycolate ); or wetting agents ( e . g . sodium lauryl sulphate ). the tablets may be coated by methods well known in the art . liquid preparations for oral administration may take the form of , for example , solutions , syrups or suspensions , or they may be presented as a dry product for constitution with water or other suitable vehicle before use . such liquid preparations may be prepared by conventional means with pharmaceutically acceptable additives such as suspending agents ( e . g . sorbitol syrup , methyl cellulose or hydrogenated edible fats ); emulsifying agents ( e . g . lecithin or acacia ); non - aqueous vehicles ( e . g . almond oil , oily esters or ethyl alcohol ); and preservatives ( e . g . methyl or propyl p - hydroxybenzoates or sorbic acid ). for buccal and sublingual administration the composition may take the form of tablets or lozenges formulated in conventional manner . the active compounds of the invention may be formulated for parenteral administration by injection , including using conventional catheterization techniques or infusion . formulations for injection may be presented in unit dosage form e . g . in ampules or in multi - dose containers , with an added preservative . the compositions may take such forms as suspensions , solutions or emulsions in oily or aqueous vehicles , and may contain formulating agents such as suspending , stabilizing and / or dispersing agents . alternatively , the active ingredient may be in powder form for reconstitution with a suitable vehicle , e . g . sterile pyrogen - free water , before use . the active compounds of the invention may also be formulated in rectal compositions such as suppositories or retention enemas , e . g ., containing conventional suppository bases such as cocoa butter or other glycerides . for intranasal administration or administration by inhalation , the active compounds of the invention are conveniently delivered in the form of a solution or suspension from a pump spray container that is squeezed or pumped by the patient or as an aerosol spray presentation from a pressurized container or a nebulizer , with the use of a suitable propellant , e . g . dichlorodifluoromethane , trichlorofluoromethane , dichlorotetrafluoroethane , carbon dioxide or other suitable gas . in the case of a pressurized aerosol , the dosage unit may be determined by providing a valve to deliver a metered amount . the pressurized container or nebulizer may contain a solution or suspension of the active compound . capsules and cartridges ( made , for example , from gelatin ) for use in an inhaler or insufflator may be formulated containing a powder mix of a compound of the invention and a suitable powder base such as lactose or starch . a proposed dose of the active compounds of the invention for oral , parenteral or buccal administration to the average adult human for the treatment of the conditions referred to above ( e . g ., migraine ) is 0 . 1 to 200 mg of the active ingredient per unit dose which could be administered , for example , 1 to 4 times per day . aerosol formulations for treatment of the conditions referred to above ( e . g ., migraine ) in the average adult are preferably arranged so that each metered dose or &# 34 ; puff &# 34 ; of aerosol contains 20 μg to 1000 μg of the compound of the invention . the overall daily does with an aerosol will be within the range 100 μg to 10 mg . administration may be several times daily , for example 2 , 3 , 4 or 8 times , giving for example , 1 , 2 or 3 doses each time . the following examples illustrate the preparation of the compounds of the present invention . commercial reagents were utilized without further purification . chromatography refers to column chromatography preformed using 32 - 63 μm silica gel and executed under nitrogen pressure ( flash chromatography ) conditions . room temperature refers to 20 - 25 ° c . general procedure for the coupling of amino acid derivatives with 5 - aminoindole derivatives to a stirred mixture of the n - protected amino acid ( 1 . 1 mmol , 1 . 4 eq ) in anhydrous methylene chloride ( 5 ml ) was added carbonyl diimidazole ( 180 mg , 1 . 4 mmol , 1 . 1 eq ). the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature under nitrogen until the reaction solution became clear ( 15 minutes to 24 hours , depending on the substrate ), at which time the appropriate 5 - aminoindole derivative ( 0 . 80 mmol ) was directly added to the reaction solution . the resulting reaction solution was stirred at room temperature under nitrogen for 2 hours , and then it was directly chromatographed using silica gel ( approximately 20 g ) and elution with ch 2 cl 2 / ch 3 oh / triethylamine [ 8 : 1 : 1 ] to afford the coupled amino acid / 5 - amino indole derivative . n - benzyloxycarbonylglycine and 5 - amino - 3 -( n - methylpyrrolidin - 2r - ylmethyl )- 1h - indole were used . chromatography as described above afforded the title compound as a clear , pale red foam ( 74 %): r f = 0 . 3 in ch 2 cl 2 / ch 3 oh / triethylamine [ 8 : 1 : 1 ]; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ9 . 25 ( br s , nh ), 9 . 08 ( br s , nh ), 7 . 69 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 28 ( br s , 5h ), 7 . 12 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 1h ), 7 . 08 ( d , j = 9 . 3hz , 1h ), 6 . 88 ( br s , 1h ), 6 . 32 ( br t , nh ), 5 . 09 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 99 ( br d , j = 4 . 8hz , 2h ), 3 . 07 - 3 . 00 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 56 - 2 . 36 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 36 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 16 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 and 17 . 3 hz , 1h ), 1 . 76 - 1 . 44 ( m , 4h ); lrms ( m / z , relative intensity ) 420 ( 2 ), 418 ( 22 ), 310 ( 4 ), 228 ( 4 ), 171 ( 13 ), 108 ( 25 ), 84 ( 100 ); hrms calculated for c 24 h 28 n 4 o 3 420 . 216 , found 420 , 208 . n - benzyloxycarbonyl - s - histidine and 5 - amino - 3 -( n - methylpyrrolidin - 2r - ylmethyl )- 1h - indole were used . chromatography as described above afforded the title compound ( 46 % ) as an pale yellow foam : r f = 0 . 4 in ch 2 cl 2 / ch 3 oh / ammonium hydroxide [ 8 : 2 : 0 . 1 ]; 13 c nmr ( cd 3 od ) δ172 . 3 , 158 . 3 , 138 . 1 , 136 . 2 , 135 . 7 , 130 . 7 , 129 . 5 , 129 . 0 , 128 . 8 , 128 . 6 , 124 . 8 , 117 . 3 , 113 . 4 , 112 . 3 , 68 . 4 , 67 . 7 , 58 . 3 , 57 . 3 , 40 . 9 , 32 . 2 , 31 . 2 , 30 . 2 , 22 . 4 ; fab lrms ( m / z , relative intensity ) 501 ([ mh + ], 100 ), 417 ( 4 ), 367 ( 6 ), 309 ( 4 ), 273 ( 6 ). anal . calcd for c 28 h 32 n 6 o 3 . 0 . 25h 2 o ; c , 66 . 58 ; h , 6 . 49 ; n , 16 . 63 . found : 66 . 47 ; h , 6 . 56 ; n , 16 . 48 . n - benzyloxycarbonyl - s - alanine and 5 - amino - 3 -( n - methylpyrrolidin - 2r - ylmethyl )- 1h - indole were used . chromatography as described above afforded the title compound ( 33 %) as a white foam : r f = 0 in ch 2 cl 2 / ch 3 oh / ammonium hydroxide [ 9 : 1 : 0 . 1 ]; 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ177 . 9 , 155 . 9 , 138 . 6 , 136 . 8 , 131 . 4 , 128 . 4 , 127 . 9 , 127 . 6 , 124 . 0 , 113 . 3 , 112 . 3 , 109 . 1 , 103 . 5 , 68 . 6 , 66 . 4 , 56 . 1 , 51 . 3 , 39 . 7 , 30 . 4 , 26 . 4 , 21 . 4 , 19 . 4 . anal . calcd for c 25 h 30 n 4 o 3 . 0 . 5 ethyl acetate [ c 4 h 8 o 2 ]. 0 . 5 methylene chloride [ ch 2 cl 2 ]: c , 63 . 42 ; h , 6 . 77 ; n , 10 . 75 . found : c , 63 . 45 ; h , 6 . 72 ; n , 10 . 79 . n - benzyloxycarbonyl - s - phenylalanine and 5 - amino - 3 -( n - methylpyrrolidin - 2r - ylmethyl )- 1h - indole were used . chromatography as described above afforded the title compound ( 90 %) as a white foam : r f = 0 . 7 in ch 2 cl 2 / ch 3 oh / ammonium hydroxide [ 9 : 1 : 0 . 1 ); 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ169 . 4 , 156 . 2 , 136 . 6 , 136 . 1 , 134 . 0 , 129 . 4 , 129 . 0 , 128 . 7 , 128 . 5 , 128 . 2 , 128 . 0 , 127 . 6 , 127 . 0 , 123 . 4 , 116 . 5 , 113 . 6 , 111 . 4 , 111 . 3 , 67 . 1 , 66 . 6 , 57 . 4 , 57 . 1 , 40 . 7 , 39 . 1 , 31 . 4 , 29 . 6 , 21 . 8 ; fab lrms ( m / z , relative intensity ) 511 ([ mh + ], 77 ), 281 ( 11 ), 147 ( 100 ); hrms calculated for [ c 31 h 34 n 4 o 3 . h ] + 511 . 2712 , found 511 . 2687 . anal . calcd for c 31 h 34 n 4 o 3 . 0 . 75h 2 o : c , 71 . 04 ; h , 6 . 83 ; n , 10 . 69 . found : c , 71 . 20 ; h , 6 . 88 ; n , 10 . 72 . to a stirred solution of 5 - amino -( r )- 3 -( pyrrolidin - 2 - ylmethyl )- 1h - indole ( 1 . 00 mmol ) and triethylamine ( 0 . 126 g , 1 . 25 mmol , 1 . 25 eq ) in either anhydrous methylene chloride , anhydrous acetonitrile , absolute ethanol , or i - propanol ( 10 ml ) at room temperature under nitrogen is added dropwise the alkylating agent ( 1 . 25 mmol ). the resulting reaction solution is then stirred under nitrogen at room temperature for 1 to 20 hours , depending on substrate . the resulting reaction mixture is directly column chromatographed using silica gel ( approximately 25 g ) and elution with methylene chloride ; methanol : ammonium hydroxide [ 9 : 1 : 0 . 1 ] to afford the 5 - amino -( r )- 3 -( n - alkylpyrrolidin - 2 - ylmethyl )- 1h - indole . a mixture of ( r )- 3 -( n - benzyloxycarbonylpyrrolidin - 2 - ylmethyl )- 5 - dibenzylamino - 1h - indole ( 7 . 90 g , 14 . 91 mmol ) and moist palladium ( ii ) hydroxide on carbon ( pearlman &# 39 ; s catalyst , 3 . 16 g ) in absolute ethanol ( 100 ml ) was shaken under a hydrogen atmosphere ( 3 atm ) for 12 hours at room temperature . the resulting mixture was filtered through diatomaceous earth , and the filtrate was evaporated and dried under reduced pressure to afford the title compound as a white foam ( 3 . 20 g , 100 %): 1 h nmr ( cd 3 od ) δ7 . 18 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 1h ), 7 . 08 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 92 ( d , j = 2 . 0 hz , 1h ), 6 . 69 ( dd , j = 1 . 9 and 8 . 5 hz , 1h ), 3 . 81 - 3 . 69 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 30 - 2 . 95 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 09 - 1 . 55 ( m , 4h ); 13 c nmr ( cd 3 od ) δ140 . 1 , 133 . 4 , 129 . 1 , 125 . 0 , 114 . 6 , 113 . 1 , 109 . 8 , 105 . 1 , 62 . 1 , 46 . 0 , 31 . 1 , 29 . 1 , 24 . 3 ; lrms ( m / z , relative intensity ) 215 ( m + , 2 ), 198 ( 1 ) , 146 ( 100 ), 128 ( 7 ), 117 ( 9 ), 70 ( 60 ). to a stirred solution of ( r )- 3 -( n - benzyloxycarbonylpyrrolidin - 2 - ylcarbonyl )- 5 - dibenzylamino - 1h - indole ( 1 . 50 g , 2 . 75 mmol ) in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran ( 30 ml ) was added lithium borohydride ( 0 . 24 g , 11 . 0 mmol , 4 . 0 eq ) as a solid . the resulting reaction mixture was heated at reflux for 4 hours . a saturated solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate ( 10 ml ) was then added , and this mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes . this aqueous mixture was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 25 ml ), and the organic extracts were combined , dried ( mgso 4 ), and evaporated under reduced pressure . column chromatography of the residue using silica gel ( approximately 50 g ) and elution with ethyl acetate / hexanes [ 1 : 3 ] afforded the title compound ( 1 . 02 g , 70 %) as a white foam : fab lrms ( m / z , relative intensity ) 530 ( mh + , 87 ), 529 ( m + , 100 ), 439 ( 10 ), 409 ( 10 ), 325 ( 32 ), 235 ( 20 ). to a stirred mixture of ( r )- n - carbobenzyloxyproline ( 3 . 59 g , 14 . 41 mmol ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 0 . 1 ml ) in methylene chloride ( 45 ml ) was added dropwise oxalyl chloride ( 1 . 87 ml , 21 . 62 mmol , 1 . 5 eq ). the resulting effervescing mixture was stirred at room temperature under nitrogen for 1 . 5 hours . the reaction solution was then evaporated under reduced pressure , yielding the residue [( r )- n - carbobenzyloxyproline acid chloride ] which was dissolved in anhydrous ether ( 50 ml ). this solution was added dropwise to a stirred , preformed solution of 5 - dibenzylaminoindole ( 9 . 00 g , 28 . 81 mmol , 2 . 0 eq ) and ethyl magnesium bromide ( 3 . 0m in ether , 10 . 08 ml , 30 . 25 mmol , 2 . 1 eq ) in anhydrous ether ( 75 ml ), which had been stirring at room temperature under nitrogen for 30 minutes prior to the addition of the ethereal solution of the ( r )- n - carbobenzyloxyproline acid chloride . the resulting reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature under nitrogen for 30 minutes , and then ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ) and a saturated solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate ( 75 ml ) were added . the organic layer was removed , and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ). the organic extracts were combined , dried ( mgso 4 ), and evaporated under reduced pressure to afford a green oil . trituration of this oil in anhydrous ether ( 50 ml ) afforded the title compound as a white solid ( 3 . 20 g , 21 %): m . p ., 176 . 0 °- 177 . 0 ° c ; lrms ( m / z , relative intensity ) 543 ( 100 , m + ), 453 ( 10 ), 407 ( 7 ), 339 ( 40 ) , 307 ( 10 ) , 247 ( 10 ) , 154 ( 38 ); [ α ] 25 =+ 112 ° ( tetrahydrofuran ( thf ), c = 1 . 0 ); anal . calcd . for c 35 h 33 n 3 o 3 : c , 77 . 32 ; h , 6 . 12 ; n , 7 . 73 . found : c , 77 . 35 ; h , 6 . 30 ; n , 7 . 66 . a mixture of ( r )- 5 - dibenzylamino - 3 -( n - methylpyrrolidin - 2 - ylmethyl )- 1h - indole ( 1 . 08 g , 2 . 64 mmol ) and palladium [ ii ] hydroxide on carbon ( 0 . 6 g ) in absolute ethanol ( 25 ml ) was shaken under a hydrogen atmosphere ( 3 atm ) at 40 ° c . for 4 hours . the resulting mixture was filtered through diatomaceous earth , and the filtrate was evaporated under reduced pressure to afford the title compound ( 0 . 60 g , 2 . 62 mmol , 99 %) as a white foam : 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ10 . 65 ( br s , nh ), 7 . 14 ( d , j = 2 . 2 hz , 1h ), 7 . 12 ( d , j = 8 . 6 hz , 1h ), 6 . 85 ( d , j = 1 . 6 hz , 1h ), 6 . 60 ( dd , j = 2 . 0 and 8 . 6 hz , 1h ), 3 . 63 - 2 . 83 ( m , 7h ), 2 . 78 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 05 - 1 . 67 ( m , 4h ); [ α ] 25 =+ 9 °( meoh , c = 1 . 0 ); hems calculated for c 14 h 19 n 3 : 229 . 1575 ; found : 229 . 1593 . to a stirred mixture of lithium aluminum hydride ( 0 . 96 g , 25 . 2 mmol , 2 . 0 eq ) in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran ( 125 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added dropwise a solution of ( r )- 3 -( n - benzyloxycarbonylpyrrolidin - 2 - ylcarbonyl )- 5 - dibenzylamino - 1h - indole ( 6 . 90 g , 12 . 69 mmol ) in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran ( 25ml ). the resulting reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature under nitrogen for 30 minutes . lithium borohydride ( 0 . 55 g , 25 . 2 mmol , 2 . 0 eq ) was then added , and the reaction mixture was heated at reflux ( 66 ° c .) under nitrogen for 6 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled , and water ( 1 . 5 ml ), a solution of sodium hydroxide ( 20 %, 1 . 5 ml ), and more water ( 4 . 5 ml ) were added , sequentially . the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature under nitrogen for 1 hour , filtered through diatomaceous earth , and the filtrate was evaporated under reduced pressure to yield a green oil ( 8 . 8 g ). this oil was dissolved in absolute ethanol ( 90 ml ), and cesium carbonate ( 8 . 0 g ) and sodium carbonate ( 8 . 0 g ) were added . the resulting mixture was heated at reflux for 12 hours . the reaction mixture was then evaporated under reduced pressure , and the residue was partitioned between a saturated solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate ( 50 ml ) and ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ). the organic layer was removed , and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ). the organic extracts were combined , dried ( mgso 4 ), and evaporated under reduced pressure to afford a brown oil . column chromatography of this oil using silica gel ( approximately 200 g ) and elution with methylene chloride / methanol / ammonium hydroxide [ 9 : 1 : 0 . 1 ] afforded the title compound ( 4 . 63 g , 89 %) as a pale green foam : 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ7 . 82 ( br s , nh ), 7 . 35 - 7 . 19 ( m , 10h ), 7 . 20 ( d , j = 8 . 6 hz , 1h ), 6 . 95 ( d , j = 2 . 1 hz , 1h ), 6 . 85 ( dd , j = 2 . 3 and 8 . 7 hz , 1h ), 6 . 80 ( d , j = 2 . 2 hz , 1h ), 4 . 65 ( s , 4h ), 3 . 25 - 3 . 02 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 52 ( dd , j = 9 . 5 and 13 . 9 hz , 1h ), 2 . 39 - 2 . 15 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 30 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 85 - 1 . 40 ( m , 4h ); 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ143 . 2 , 139 . 7 , 130 . 5 , 128 . 5 , 128 . 2 , 127 . 3 , 126 . 8 , 122 . 9 , 112 . 5 , 112 . 2 , 111 . 8 , 103 . 4 , 67 . 0 , 57 . 4 , 56 . 4 , 40 . 6 , 31 . 4 , 29 . 7 , 21 . 9 ; hrms calculated for c 28 h 31 n 3 409 . 2520 , found 409 . 2475 . to a stirred mixture of 5 - aminoindole ( 3 . 00 g , 22 . 7 mmol ) and triethylamine ( 10 . 5 ml , 74 . 9 mmol , 3 . 3 eq .) in acetonitrile ( 30 ml ) at room temperature under nitrogen was added benzyl bromide ( 8 . 2 ml , 68 . 9 , mmol , 3 . 0 eq .) dropwise . the resulting reaction mixture was heated at reflux under nitrogen for 3 hours . the resulting reaction mixture was filtered , and the filtrate was evaporated under reduced pressure . column chromatography of the residue using silica gel ( approximately 200 g ) and elution with ethyl acetate / hexanes [ gradient 1 : 9 to 1 : 1 ] afforded the title compound as an off white solid ( 6 . 19 g , 87 %): m . p ., 124 . 0 °- 126 . 0 ° c . ; 13 c nmr ( acetone - d 6 ) δ144 . 3 , 140 . 8 , 131 . 8 , 129 . 9 , 129 . 2 , 128 . 3 , 127 . 5 , 125 . 7 , 113 . 5 , 112 . 4 , 106 . 4 , 101 . 9 , 57 . 0 ; tlc [ 15 % ethyl acetate in hexanes ]: r 0 . 3 .	2
this reliable and low - cost solution will allow designing and building environmentally friendly , cost - and energy - efficient systems for producing and maintaining hypoxic environments in occupied enclosed compartments . the invented equipment producing such environments can be used for fire prevention inside of an aircraft and ground vehicles , submarines , space vehicles and stations , data centers , archives , warehouses and other occupied structures . additionally , it can be used for simulating altitude for athletic or equine training or therapy , weight loss and other wellness application benefiting from exposure to hypoxic atmospheres . the invented method can be also applied for controlling carbon dioxide and moisture in normoxic and hyperoxic enclosed environments . the invention utilizes a special air separation device 11 that recycles internal atmosphere from the enclosed environment 10 . the device 11 draws internal air via inlet a and extracts from it a gas mixture rich enriched with carbon dioxide , water vapor and some oxygen , and disposing this gas mixture via outlet b . the remaining fraction , which is reduced in carbon dioxide , water and oxygen , returns back into environment 10 . the loss of the internal atmosphere will be compensated for hermetic environments by fresh ambient air sent by air - supply device ( e . g . blower or fan ) 16 via inlet d . in this case device 16 can be operated by a pressure transducer 17 and / or by a control panel 12 . in semi - airtight compartments fresh air supply can occur automatically leaking through holes and gaps in the compartment structure . the driving force of this automatic fresh air supply will be the pressure difference due to extraction of carbon dioxide and moisture enriched gas mixture from the compartment . device 16 and transducer 17 should be eliminated in this case . the environment 10 should be slightly pressurized in applications such as aircraft , military vehicles or data centers in order to prevent the loss of the atmosphere in aircraft or to prevent dust and contaminants from entering the environment 10 . control panel 12 is equipped with oxygen sensor 13 , carbon dioxide sensor 14 and humidity sensor 15 . additionally it can be equipped with temperature control as described in earlier patents and other gas sensors , such as ammonia sensor for equine stables , etc . using feedback data from sensors 13 , 14 and 15 and preset values , control panel can achieve and maintain a desired hypoxic environment condition by controlling the flow of the fresh air supply via device 16 and operation of the device 11 . fig2 shows another embodiment that can be used in application where a quick achievement of hypoxic condition and / or higher degrees of hypoxia desired ( e . g . for research or acclimatization purposes ). this embodiment utilizes practically the same equipment and has an additional hypoxic generator 28 injecting hypoxic air , when needed , via inlet e , while disposing oxygen enriched fraction via outlet f . in some cases , fresh air supply device 26 can be eliminated and hypoxic generator 28 can supply hypoxic air with different oxygen content or even ambient air . in some applications , hypoxic generator 28 can be replaced with an oxygen concentrator for producing hyperoxic environment that can also be maintained by removing carbon dioxide and moisture using device 21 . in the embodiment shown on fig2 , the air separation device 11 becomes 21 and device 16 becomes 26 . an advanced control panel 22 , having oxygen sensor 23 , carbon dioxide sensor 24 and an optional humidity sensor 25 , can control all three devices 21 , 26 and 28 . an optional pressure transducer 27 may be installed in hermetic compartments . hypoxic generator 28 has been described in detail by previous patents provided above and the size and capacity of it can be about 30 % to 50 % of the required in current application . this system has a valuable benefit of controlling carbon dioxide content in applications where it is essential ( e . g . research , simulated altitude training and medical field ). both , hypoxic generator 28 or device 21 can produce and maintain hypoxic environment even if the compartment 20 is not in use . once necessary parameters achieved , control panel can turn the system off and on in a cycling manner in order to maintain set parameters . once the compartment 20 is in use and co2 and / or humidity level increases , device 21 starts working , reducing co2 and / or humidity content to the desired values . both embodiments allow to creating a comfortable for respiration environment with oxygen content between 10 % and 20 . 9 % and carbon dioxide content in the range from 0 . 035 % to 3 %, for applications that may include fire prevention or hypoxic training and therapy , etc . for both embodiments , a dedicated or split air - conditioning system is recommended in most of the applications in order to control temperature of the internal atmosphere . the air separation device 11 or 21 can be made using a special hollow fiber membrane or special adsorbents , such as carbon molecular sieve , zeolitic crystals , etc . other air separation techniques can be used , since all of them would work using a much higher permeability rate of water vapor and carbon dioxide versus oxygen or nitrogen . for instance , carbon dioxide is about ten times faster in permeating a membrane or other obstacle than oxygen and water vapor is even faster than co2 . nitrogen is about 2 . 5 times slower than oxygen , which allows retaining most of it for producing hypoxic environments . therefore , most suitable for this purpose are oxygen - enrichment or nitrogen membranes with modified flow / pressure parameters . even dryer membranes are suitable for producing hypoxic environments since they will also remove carbon dioxide and some oxygen . the embodiment shown on fig1 can also control oxygen content or even produce normoxic environment . in this case , environment 10 might be not completely airtight and device 16 needs to be adjusted to provide higher ventilation rate . the most suitable technology for the device 21 is either a membrane , highly permeable for co2 , or zeolitic crystals that can adsorb co2 in pressure swing adsorption ( psa ) process . such crystals have tiny holes inside , big enough to allow co2 molecules to enter under a certain pressure , but are small enough to retain them . when pressure drops , co2 will be released and vented outside . such crystals can be made by blending either cobalt or zinc with imidazolates . device 21 equipped with such zeolitic crystals can also be used for maintaining healthy atmosphere in normoxic and hyperoxic environments as well . for instance , this method can be very beneficial for submarines and underwater structures , aircraft and military vehicles , space vehicles and interplanetary stations . one of the biggest benefits of the invented system is its energy efficiency . for instance , a hypoxic room system for 5 people exercising at a time would require at least 2000 liters / min of hypoxic air flow and there still might be a problem with rising carbon dioxide level . such a system , based on a hollow - fiber membrane technology , would require about 35 kw of power . by using the invented method and system the power consumption can be reduced approximately by 50 %. energy can be also saved by using this method of carbon dioxide and moisture extraction from hermetic normoxic environments , such as submarines , aircraft , spacecraft , vehicles and other occupied compartments . the invented system provides a cost - and energy efficient method of maintaining healthy atmospheres in enclosed occupied spaces .	1
before describing in detail embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention , it should be observed that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to a filter for cleaning a fluid , in particular a gaseous fluid possibly having particulate contaminants as disclosed herein . accordingly , the apparatus components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings , showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein . in this document , relational terms such as first and second , top and bottom , and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions . the terms “ comprises ,” “ comprising ,” or any other variation thereof , are intended to cover a non - exclusive inclusion , such that a process , method , article , or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process , method , article , or apparatus . an element preceded by “ comprises . . . a ” does not , without more constraints , preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process , method , article , or apparatus that comprises the element . the filter 1 illustrated in fig1 is in particular a gas filter , preferably an air filter that is arranged in the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine . the filter 1 comprises a two - part filter housing 2 whose housing parts 2 a and 2 b are connected to one another by a releasable closure device 3 . in the area of the intake side 4 a cyclone preseparator 5 is integrated into the filter housing 4 and is comprised of several cyclone cells 6 and 7 through which the fluid to be supplied is passed upon intake into the filter housing 2 . the individual cyclones or cyclones cells 6 , 7 each are provided with vanes through which the axially incoming fluid is imparted with an angular momentum so that dirt particles contained in the fluid as a result of centrifugal force are transported outwardly in the interior of the filter housing 2 . by means of a discharge opening 8 located in the front end section of the filter housing 2 that is correlated with the cyclone preseparator 5 , the separated dirt particles can be removed from the housing . in the interior of the filter housing 2 , downstream of the cyclone preseparator 5 , the filter element is arranged through which the fluid , pre - cleaned in the preseparator , passes axially . by means of outlet opening 9 ( fig2 ) at the end face of the filter housing 2 that is opposite the cyclone preseparator the purified fluid is discharged from the filter 1 . as can be seen in fig4 and 5 in connection with fig3 , each cyclone cell 6 , 7 is comprised of an inlet section 6 a and 7 a , respectively , a flow passage 6 b and 7 b , respectively , and an outlet section 6 c and 7 c . in the flow passage 6 b or 7 b the heavy dirt particles can be separated and subsequently discharged by means of discharge opening 8 in the filter housing . the pre - filtered fluid is then axially supplied by outlet sections 6 c and 7 c that widen in the form of a diffuser to the filter element 10 that is located in the central part of the filter 1 . a secondary element 11 is downstream of the filter element 10 and is passed by the fluid coming from the filter element 10 . the secondary element 11 has the task to protect the internal combustion engine upon exchange or damage of the filter element 10 . subsequently , the fluid is guided through the outlet opening 9 out of the filter 1 . in the foregoing specification , specific embodiments of the present invention have been described . however , one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below . accordingly , the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense , and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention . the benefits , advantages , solutions to problems , and any element ( s ) that may cause any benefit , advantage , or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical , required , or essential features or elements of any or all the claims . the invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued .	1
in the present invention hyperbolic metamaterials are implemented in a layered structure in vcsel design and construction . these materials are extremely anisotropic , being metallic ( ε & lt ; 0 ) in one direction , while dielectric ( ε & gt ; 0 ) in the orthogonal direction — such anisotropy leading to the opening of the photonic density of sates ( dos ), and the surface of constant frequency becomes open in a select space k . the wave equation describing a hyperbolic metamaterial is as follows : where ε 1 and ε 2 have opposite signs , reducing to the layered hyperbolic metamaterial essentially replaces the commonly used dbr structure . the hyperbolic metamaterial functions similar to the way a dbr structure does , and acts as a highly efficient heat spreader . this is partly because of the geometric similarity in a dbr structure and a layered metamaterial . fig1 depicts the geometry of a distributed bragg mirror and quantum well structures found in a typical oxide - confined vcsel 10 . layers 12 are comprised of either alas or algaas . these layers 12 are typically 100 nm to less than 10 μm thick . the vcsel 10 is supported by a substrate 14 such as an n - gaas substrate . the dbr is formed of alternating layers with respectively high and low indexes of refraction , while the metamaterial structure in fig2 is formed of alternating layers with respectively positive 22 and negative 24 dielectric constants ε in the long wave infrared range ( lwir ). for both structures , the layers are of comparable thickness . the thickness 26 of the layers is less than 10 μm . these layered hyperbolic metamaterials may act as a dbr in the visible range , while having broadband hyperbolic behavior in the lwir range . the comparable thickness of the two structures creates the possibility of a design with a combination of materials for each layer so that the structure works as a dbr for a specific wavelength and as a metamaterial structure with efficient heat transfer properties . fig3 a shows the heat transfer of an ordinary metal / dielectric (“ elliptic ” material ) 30 heat source 32 to a heat sink 34 . as seen in the figure , heat transfer is dominated by the electrons 38 and the phonons 40 . very little , if any , heat transfer is made by the photons 42 . fig3 b , on the other hand , shows a hyperbolic metamaterial medium in which the heat transfer is dominated by the photons . however , fig3 b shows the heat transfer 50 from a heat source 52 , through hyperbolic metamaterial 54 , to a heat sink 56 . here , in addition to the heat transfer made by the electrons 58 and phonons 60 , the heat transfer is dominated by the photons 62 . a reason for the novel phenomena of hyperbolic metamaterials is the broadband singular behavior of their density of photonic states . for instance , the broadband divergence of the photonic density of states leads to a substantial increase in radiative heat transfer compared to the stefan - boltzmann law observed in a vacuum and in dielectric materials . this radiative thermal “ hyper - conductivity ” may approach or even exceed heat conductivity via electrons and phonons , with the additional advantage of radiative heat transfer being much faster . this key characteristic is essential to the present invention . the enhanced photonic density of states in the hyperbolic metamaterials originates from the waves with high wave numbers that are supported by the system . these propagating modes do not have an equivalent in conventional dielectrics . as each of these waves can be thermally excited , a hyperbolic metamaterial will therefore show a dramatic enhancement in the radiative transfer rates ( i . e . transfer of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation ). this mechanism results in an infinite value of the density of states for every frequency where different components of the dielectric permittivity have opposite signs . the unit cell size in the metamaterials runs from approximately 10 nm ( for semiconductor and metal - dielectric layered structures ) to approximately 100 nm ( for nanowire composites ), and also depends on the fabrication method used . the materials selected for the dual dbr / heat spreader structure should meet the requirement of the metamaterial structure ( materials with positive and negative dielectric constant in the lwir ), but also the requirements of the dbr for the vcsel device ( materials transparent at the emission wavelength of the vcsel ). as seen in fig4 , znse is a favorable optical material in the lwir range , which means that it has a positive dielectric constant ε . fig4 illustrates the dielectric function as a function of wavelength for znse . as seen in fig5 , caf 2 is a favorable broadband having a negative ε material in the lwir due to the reststrahlen effect . that is , the dielectric constant is less than zero and is seen as a function of wavelength in fig5 . using different materials , the same approach can be applied to form a dbr and heat spreader structures that are tuned for vcsel emitting at other wavelengths such as 808 nm or 880 nm . preliminary electromagnetic simulations verify the propagation of lwir photons through this structure in the form of coupled surface waves , which live on the positive and negative interfaces . a preliminary calculation of the thermal conductivity of the structure is given by the following formula : k max is defined by the metamaterial structure scale : k max ˜ 2π /& lt ; d & gt ;, where & lt ; d & gt ; is the average layer thickness ( 42 nm in the above equation ); for this architecture , the projected average conductivity is more than 100 times larger than a conventional dbr structure and nearly the same as that of diamond . however , unlike diamond , the projected thermal conductivity of metamaterial increases with temperature . additionally , the thermal conductivity is temperature dependent . that is , it will increase with the temperature of the device , thereby allowing the vcsel to operate at higher temperature and / or in high ambient temperature environment . this enhancement of thermal conductivity greatly improves the performance of the vcsel . first , the output power of the vcsel is proportional to the square root of the thermal impedance distanced away from the threshold . thus , if the thermal conductivity of the dbr improves 100 - fold , the output power should improve ˜ 10 - fold . with this improvement , vcsel arrays would prove far superior to laser diodes regarding the efficiency , brightness , reliability , and operating temperature in a laser pumping application . in addition , for a solid state laser pumped by this type of vcsel array , numerous benefits are expected depending on the laser operation . moreover , new concepts that reduce cost , weight , and complexity while improving efficiency and reliability can be readily envisioned . also , as wall - plug efficiency rises , significant savings in size and weight can be achieved due to reduction in the required logistic equipment needed to operate the laser , particularly power supply and the cooling system . while the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures , it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating there from . therefore , the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment , but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims .	1
in an embodiment of the present invention , the surface of the sealing disc can , for example , be formed with a positive spherical shape and the rear wall of the lever can , for example , be formed at least partly with a negative spherical or conical shape , the radius of curvature of the surface being smaller than the radius of curvature of the lever rear wall . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the lever rear wall can , for example , be formed at least partly with a positive spherical shape and the surface of the sealing disc can , for example , be formed with a negative spherical shape , the radius of curvature of the surface being greater than the radius of curvature of the lever rear wall . both embodiments provide a linear contact between the lever and the sealing disc which is obtained even when errors in parallelism exist . an ingress of gases or liquids into the bearing region through the gap between the lever and the sealing disc is thereby reliably prevented . it should be pointed out that throughout the present application , a positive spherical shape of a body refers to a body with a partly spherical surface whose radius of curvature extends through the body , and that a negative spherical shape of a body refers to a body with a partly hollow - spherical shape whose radius of curvature is directed to the side opposite the body . the sealing disc may advantageously be arranged to be movable with respect to the actuating shaft and to surround the actuating shaft radially so that a tilting of the sealing disc relative to the shaft is possible . this leads to a secure sealing and a simultaneous insensitivity in the event of occurring thermal expansions . in an embodiment of the present invention , a spring can , for example , load the lever with the actuating shaft towards the channel . the required tension for generating the pressing force between the lever and the sealing disc is thus generated in a simple manner . in an embodiment of the present invention , the plane surface of the sealing disc axially opposite the spherically curved surface can , for example , rest on the bearing bush in a planar and tensioned manner . a sealing between the bearing bush and the sealing disc is thus also formed without having to use additional components . in an embodiment of the present invention , the bearing bush can , for example , be a carbon bearing bush that is insensitive to thermal and corrosive loads caused by the exhaust gas . in order to provide the tensioning of the entire bearing and sealing unit , the axial end of the bearing bush opposite the sealing disc rests on a stop of the housing bore . the entire unit is thus pressed against this stop by the spring and is tensioned thereby . in an embodiment of the present invention , the actuating shaft can , for example , be formed in a convex shape in the region situated radially inward with respect to the bearing bush . a secure bearing without the occurrence of inner tensions is thus also provided if misalignments exist between the bearing bush and the actuating shaft . in an embodiment of the present invention , the actuating shaft and the housing bore can , for example , each comprise at least one shoulder between the channel and the bearing bush . these shoulders act as a labyrinth seal and increase the flow resistance along the shaft so that an ingress of exhaust gas into the bearing becomes significantly more difficult . in order to prevent an ingress of liquid or salt along the shaft from outside , the lever is connected with the actuating shaft in a material circumferential or a form - fitting tight manner . this connection is tight and has a long useful life . it can further be advantageous if the lever has a sleeve arranged thereon which extends in the direction of the flow channel . the region of the housing that accommodates the bearing is thus additionally shielded from the outside so that a direct contact , for example , with spray water , is avoided . a flap device for an internal combustion engine is thus provided which is sufficiently tight both to the outside and to the inside even under varying thermal conditions because component and assembly tolerances , as well as thermal expansions , and errors in alignment and parallelism , are compensated for in the present structure by the flexibility of the sealing disc position without limiting the sealing effect . the assembly of this sealing and bearing as well as the manufacture of the components is simple so that costs are significantly reduced . this bearing and sealing still have a long useful life . an embodiment of a flap device of the present invention is illustrated in the drawing and will be described hereunder . the flap device of the present invention comprises a flow housing 10 in which a flow channel 12 is formed through which , for example , exhaust gas flows . the flow channel 12 is divided in cross section into two halves by an actuating shaft 14 on which a flap body 16 is fastened by means of a screw 18 , with a material connection also being possible . the actuating shaft 14 is supported in the flow housing 10 by two bearing bushes 20 , 22 , wherein the first bearing bush 20 is arranged in a continuous housing bore 24 through which the actuating shaft 14 extends outward from the flow housing 10 , and the second bearing bush 22 is arranged on the side opposite the continuous housing bore 24 in a blind hole 26 formed in the flow housing 10 . the actuating shaft 14 is correspondingly supported on two sides of the flow housing 14 opposite to each other with respect to the center axis . on the end of the actuating shaft 14 protruding outward , a disc serving as a lever 28 is fastened by a material connection in the form of a circumferential weld joint 30 at the radial end portion of which a pin 32 is fastened via which the actuating shaft 14 can be connected with an actuator through a linkage ( not illustrated herein ), which actuator may be designed in particular as an electric motor . by virtue of the circumferential weld joint 30 , no gas or liquid can flow between the actuating shaft 14 and the lever 28 . the continuous housing bore 24 is of a step - shaped design and accordingly has three sections 34 , 36 , 38 with diameters becoming larger towards the outer side . the first section 34 with the smallest diameter defines the flow channel 12 and is slightly larger than the diameter of the actuating shaft 14 . behind the first section 34 , as seen from the flow channel 12 , not only the continuous housing bore 24 has a shoulder 35 , but also the actuating shaft 14 has shoulder 40 , so that the actuating shaft 14 extends further outward with a larger diameter . this portion of the actuating shaft 14 is arranged radially in the second section 36 of the continuous housing bore 24 . the first shoulder 35 and the second shoulder 40 together form a labyrinth seal that hinders the ingress of exhaust gas in the direction of the first bearing bush 20 . a shoulder of the continuous housing bore 24 is formed between the second section 36 and the third section 38 that serves as a stop 42 . the first bearing bush 20 designed as a carbon bearing rests on this stop 42 in the axial direction . the first bearing bush 20 is fastened by press - fitting in the third section 38 of the continuous housing bore 24 and surrounds and supports the actuating shaft 14 which is of a convex shape in the portion 44 situated radially inward with respect to the first bearing bush 20 . the opposite axial end of the first bearing bush 20 extends slightly beyond this bearing portion of the flow housing 10 in the axial direction and rests on a sealing disc 46 radially surrounding the actuating shaft 14 with a slight distance therebetween , wherein the face 48 of the sealing disc 46 that faces the first bearing bush 20 is of a planar design . according to the present invention , an axially opposite surface of the sealing disc 46 has a spherically curved surface 50 in its radially outer region . this spherically shaped surface 50 rests directly on a rear wall 52 of the lever 28 . to provide a reliable sealing between the rear wall 52 of the lever 28 and the sealing disc 46 , the rear wall 52 also has a curvature , although a negative spherical curvature , which in the present application always means that the center of the radius of the sphere is arranged on a side of the curved surface opposite to the lever 28 . the radius of curvature of this spherically shaped region of the rear wall 52 should be chosen to be larger than the radius of curvature of the sealing disc 42 in the corresponding region . an annular linear contact thereby always exists between the rear wall 52 of the lever 28 and the sealing disc 46 . at its outer circumference , the lever 28 has a sleeve 54 extending toward the flow housing 10 that at least partly surrounds the first bearing portion 20 of the flow housing 10 in the radial direction . fig1 further shows a schematically illustrated spring 56 which exerts a spring force on the lever 28 in the direction towards the flow channel 12 . the illustration of the spring 56 is schematical since the force application point of the spring 56 and the design and arrangement of the spring 56 are variable to a large extent . it is , for example , conceivable that spring 56 can be designed as a compression spring or as a tension spring . it may at the same time also serve as a return spring and act on the lever 28 , for example , via sleeve 54 . it is essential to the present invention that a force be generated on the actuating shaft 14 or the lever 28 firmly connected therewith , the force acting in the direction of the second bearing bush 22 or in the direction of the flow channel 12 . by this force , which in the shown embodiment is exerted by the spring 56 , the rear wall 52 of the lever 28 with its negative spherical surface is pressed against the spherically shaped surface 50 of the sealing disc . the sealing disc 46 is at the same time pressed with its face 48 against the first axial end of the first bearing bush 20 and at the same is in turn pressed against stop 42 . since the actuating shaft 14 can be tilted slightly in the first bearing bus 20 , and thereby the lever 28 can also be tilted slightly with respect to the axis , and since the sealing disc 46 is arranged to be movable relative to the actuating shaft 14 and to surround the actuating shaft 14 , the face 48 of the sealing disc 46 always rests on the first bearing bush 20 in a planar manner and is in linear circumferential contact with the rear wall 52 of the lever 28 even if slight errors of alignment and parallelism exist . it is thereby achieved that no dirty water , salt , or other contaminants can reach the bearing surface of the first bearing bush 20 from the outside since no gaps are present , be it along the actuating shaft 14 or on the radial outer side . no exhaust gas can further escape to the outside from the flow channel 12 since the circumferential weld joint 30 provides for a sealing along the actuating shaft 14 to the lever 28 and a radial escape of exhaust gas is avoided by the two sealing surfaces , face 48 and spherically shaped surface 50 , of the sealing disc 46 . when the actuating shaft 14 is rotated with the lever 28 via the actuator , a relative movement between the first bearing bush 20 and the sealing disc 26 is obtained , which , due to the large planar contact surface , can , however , slide thereon without much wear and with the sealing effect remaining unchanged . if component and assembly tolerances not taken into account occur during operation or if , for example , due to varying thermal loads , thermal expansion or wear caused by use occur , an ever sufficient sealing is thereby provided in both directions since the position of the sealing disc 46 and the position of the actuating shaft 14 will adapt in a corresponding manner . the ingress of dirt from the outside is hindered by the sleeve which prevents a direct contact with dirty water . the flap device and its sealing have a long service life due to low wear and are simple to mount because of the low number of components . it should be clear that the scope of protection is not restricted to the flap device described , but that various modifications and structural changes are conceivable . the press force can in particular be applied in different ways . the connection between the shaft and the lever can also be realized in different ways . the two spherical surfaces of the lever and the sealing disc may also each be curved in the opposite direction . reference should be had to the appended claims .	5
the anode of the present invention can find particular utility in electrodeposition operation in an electrolytic cell wherein a deposit , e . g ., a deposit of metal such as a zinc - containing deposit , is provided on a cathode . exemplary of such operations is the electrogalvanizing of a substrate metal strip such as a steel strip . the anode can be particularly utilized in an electrodeposition operation wherein the cathode is a moving cathode , such as a moving sheet of steel as in an electrogalvanizing operation of coiled steel in strip form . for convenience , the anode may often be described herein in reference to use in an electrodeposition operation , and for illustrative purposes such operation may often be referred to as an electrogalvanizing operation . however , it is to be understood that the anode is contemplated for use in electrolytic cells utilizing other electrodeposition processes , e . g ., the deposition of metals such as cadmium , nickel or tin , plus metal alloys as exemplified by nickel - zinc alloys , as well as in operations other than electrodeposition such as anodizing , electrophoresis and electropickling . for convenience , the anode will usually be referred to herein as a &# 34 ; massive anode &# 34 ;. by this , it is meant that the fully assembled anode is a collective of a number of individual , smaller anode units which can , in and of themselves , function as anodes . thus it is to be understood that the massive anode need not , in scale , be of any particular size , but need only be assembled from the individual subassembly units . these units for convenience will often be referred to herein as &# 34 ; anode modules &# 34 ;. by this , it is meant a subassembly , which itself may serve as an anode , but which is to be utilized with similar subassemblies , e . g ., collocated in rows of similar or like anode modules , with stacks of rows being employed if desired , to form the massive anode . the anode modules may comprise a plate bearing protruding anode strips which can be referred to as &# 34 ; blades &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; fins &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; lamella &# 34 ;, with the plate being thus a &# 34 ; finned plate &# 34 ; or the like . in reference to the drawings , the same identifying number has generally been used for the same element in each of the figures . for convenience , reference may be made herein to elements of the drawings in vertical or horizontal position , but such is to be understood as not limiting the invention as to its positioning in use . referring then to fig1 a massive anode is shown generally at 1 . this illustrative massive anode 1 is shown in partial assembly . when completed , it would be assembled from twenty - five ( 25 ) anode modules 2 . the anode modules 2 are set side - by - side in horizontal rows , five to a row and the rows are stacked atop one another providing a five row vertical stack for this particular massive anode 1 . for this partial assembly of the figure , only twenty ( 20 ) anode modules 2 are shown . the anode modules 2 each have a generally planar shaped face plate member 3 . on each face plate member 3 , there are a series of parallel , vertical metal elements 4 in the nature of &# 34 ; fins &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; blades &# 34 ; projecting out from the face plate member 3 ( and shown only partially and on only one face plate member 3 in the figure ). cutting into the blade elements 4 , transverse thereto , is a horizontal groove 5 . each horizontal groove 5 contains an insulating strip 10 joined to the face plate member 3 by fasteners 6 . adjacent edges of face plate member 3 in each row of anode modules 2 are set vertically slightly apart one from the other . the horizontal edges of the face plate members 3 are separated into rows of such members 3 by horizontal dielectric strips 7 . the dielectric strips 7 are bolted to a support plate 15 by corrosion resistant bolts 8 . as shown by the partial cutaway of the figure , at the vertical edges of adjacent modules 2 that are side - by - side in rows , there are placed vertical dielectric strips 9 which serve as compression supports , beneath edges of the metal face members 3 . these vertical dielectric strips 9 are affixed to the support plate 15 by support bolts 11 . owing to their compression support function , these strips 9 may also be referred to herein as &# 34 ; compression supports 9 .&# 34 ; along the side of the massive anode 1 are edge mask guides 12 and the anode 1 at its top , has a pair of buss connectors 13 . the buss connectors 13 are provided with apertures 14 through which fasteners , not shown , bind the connectors 13 with the buss work of another cell , or are used for electrical connection external to the cell . referring then to fig2 the massive anode 1 has modules 2 each fastened to a support plate 15 . the anode modules 2 are equipped with blade elements 4 on a face plate member 3 . the individual anode modules 2 at their horizontal edges are separated in rows by dielectric strips 7 . the individual anode modules 2 are connected to the support plate 15 by fasteners 16 , as shown and more particularly described by reference to fig2 a . the fasteners 16 for each module 2 are of the same depth , whereby the face plate members 3 are in an array arranged side - by - side and row - upon - row , making up a total , planar active anode face in a common plane . positioned centrally of each module , are horizontal insulating strips 10 . rearwardly of the support plate 15 , the metal plate fasteners terminate in a bolt 17 . the dielectric strips 7 include edge strips 7a located atop and at the bottom of the stacks of anode modules 2 . at its top , the support plate 15 is connected through fasteners 18 with a buss connector 13 . the buss connector 13 has apertures 14 for external connection or the like . for purposes of convenience , the vertical compression supports 9 are not shown in this figure , where they would occupy the space between the support plate 15 and the face plate member 3 . in fig2 a , the anode module face plate member 3 has projecting blade elements 4 . the face plate member 3 is connected through a metal connector , or boss , 16 to a support plate 15 . interposed between the metal connector 16 and support plate 15 , is a voltage - minimizing metal coating 21 . the metal connector 16 and coating 21 space the face plate member 3 apart from the support plate 15 , permitting the plate member 3 to project &# 34 ; forwardly &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; outwardly &# 34 ; from the support plate 15 , as such terms are used herein . the face plate member 3 is fastened to the metal connector 16 at least in part by current - carrying welds 22 . additionally , the metal connector 16 and support plate 15 , are brought together by a fastener 23 . the fastener 23 terminates rearwardly of the support plate 15 in a washer 24 plus threaded bolt 17 . in a groove 5 on the face plate member 3 is a horizontal insulator strip 10 . then as shown in fig2 b , anode module face plate members 3 have blade elements 4 . adjacent parallel horizontal edges of these face plate members 3 are spaced apart by dielectric strips 7 . the dielectric strips 7 are composed of an insulator element 25 fastened by a countersunk bolt 26 which is threaded into the support plate 15 . in fig3 taken along the lines 3 -- 3 in fig1 the anode module face plate members 3 have blade elements 4 . these blade elements 4 have cathode - facing front face areas 31 as the forward most area of the elements 4 and have three - sided slots 32 between the front face areas 31 . at their adjacent edges , the face plate members 3 of the blade elements 4 are slightly spaced apart . positioned at this slight spacing between edges , but situated beneath the face plate members 3 , is an impact - absorbing , dielectric strip 9 or compression support 9 . this compression support 9 is fastened to the support plate 15 by means of a countersunk bolt 33 . as can be best viewed by referring to the fig2 b and 3 , some of the dielectric strip members , i . e ., the dielectric strips 7 of fig2 b can project outwardly beyond the face plate members 3 as well as separate such members 3 at their edges . also , some dielectric strip members , i . e ., the dielectric strips 9 of fig3 can be positioned at edges of face plate members 3 , but the face plate members 3 are themselves separated one from the other . in assembly , the front of the support plate 15 can initially have the dielectric strips 7 bolted to the plate 15 and extending across the face of the plate 15 . then the compression supports 9 can be bolted on the plate 15 and interposed between the dielectric strips 7 . at this point in the assembly , the support plate 15 thus has a network , in the form of a grid of parallelogram - shaped zones of typically horizontal strips 7 and vertical strips 9 mounted on the plate 15 . the busswork , e . g ., buss connector 13 can be secured to the back of the support plate by means of the buss fasteners 18 . for a module 2 , the blade elements 4 may be welded to the metal face member 3 . at the back of the module 2 , a metal connector 16 , which has been plated at one end , has the opposite end welded to the face member 3 . then the blade elements 4 on the face member 3 , including face areas 31 and intervening slots 32 , can receive a coating for providing an active anode surface . next the insulating strips 10 can be secured in the groove 5 on the face member 3 of the module 2 . the module assembly thus prepared may then be secured to the support plate 15 to complete the assembly of the module 2 with the plate 15 . when all modules 2 have been so secured , the plate 15 may then be equipped with edge mask guides 12 and support arms and be ready for installation in an electrolytic cell . owing to the construction of the face members 3 being in individual modules 2 and being spaced apart by the connectors 16 from the support plate 15 , the massive anode 1 has at least substantial inflexibility . by that it is meant that the anode 1 is not free to move in the cell , except as by adjustment through the support arms , but has the projecting modules 2 which if hit for example by a moving cathode will be able to at least slightly deflect to absorb such a blow , as through the face members 3 and the compression supports 9 . the ability to absorb such a blow as may occur at only part of the face of the anode is thus facilitated by the non - interconnection of the modules 2 and their placement in rows and tiers as spaced - apart , separate units . also , the dielectric strips 7 as well as the insulating strips 10 can be compressible , further adding to the slight flexibility of the overall massive anode 1 . the support plate 15 for initiating anode 1 assembly will preferably have an at least substantially flat surface . this can contribute to an at least essentially constant anode to cathode gap across the face of the anode 1 , e . g ., a gap of usually about one inch , but may be more such as 1 . 5 to 3 inches . it is however to be understood that other configuration , e . g ., a curvilinear support plate 15 may be serviceable , generally depending upon the dimensions of the cell for which the anode is to be used . it is contemplated that although other designs may be used , the metal connectors 16 will essentially always be of uniform dimension , and the face plate members 3 for any massive anode 1 will all have at least substantially the same thickness , whereby upon assembly of the massive anode 1 the active anode front faces will be at least essentially in a common plane presenting an at least generally planar front face for the anode 1 . although the modular anodes 2 have been shown with face plate members 3 having blade elements 4 , it is to be understood that such face plate members 3 may be flat or contain raised elements protruding or projecting therefrom in differing configurations other than blades . for , however , maintaining an at least generally constant anode to cathode gap and therefor for providing the at least generally planar anode surface as offered by blades , it is advantageous that other configurations be selected with these criteria in mind . where protruding elements are employed , these are preferably spaced apart from , and parallel to , one another and vertically oriented , so as to accommodate flow , e . g ., gas release , during electrolysis operation . also , where a cathode is moving upwardly from bottom to top across the face of the anode of fig1 vertically oriented parallel elements can facilitate minimizing frictional losses in electrolyte flowing across the face of the anode . although the face plate member 3 has been shown to be a solid , non - perforate plate , it is also contemplated that such member may be perforate , e . g ., a traditional perforate plate , woven wire , expanded metal or metal mesh or the like , so long as when utilized such as in an electrodeposition process wherein a usually constant anode to cathode gap will be preferred , that such a plate maintains at least substantial rigidity sufficient to accommodate such constant gap characteristic . furthermore , although it has been shown to have a square face , it is contemplated that any general parallelogram shape of typically at least substantially vertical and horizontal edges for the face plate member 3 , e . g ., a rhombus , will be suitable . in such a case , the gridwork of the dielectric members 7 , 9 will be of similar shape to the outline of the face plate member 3 . for the face plate member 3 , as well as for the blade elements 4 , it is contemplated that the materials of construction that will be used are non - consumable in the environment and include the refractory metals titanium , columbium , tantalum and the like , which are coated with a catalytically active coating . the face plate member 3 has been shown to contain a central groove 5 for containing the insulator strip 10 . it is , however , to be understood that such strips 10 may be present as two or more , typically in parallel to one another , and neither of which needs to be centrally located on the face plate member 3 . moreover , although the long axis of such strips 10 have been shown to be positioned transverse to the long axis of the blade elements 4 , it is contemplated that other arrangements , e . g ., parallel positioning of elements 4 to strips 10 , may be utilized . in any event , the strips 10 will be on the face plate member 3 apart from said elements 4 and should always be dimensioned sufficiently large enough to project outwardly closest to the cathode for all of the elements of the modular anode . this projection will assist in protecting the anode from cathode contact . the strips 10 , along with the dielectric strips 7 , thus serve as the projecting elements to initially receive and absorb contact from a moving cathode . these strips 7 , 10 are preferably linear or longitudinal - shaped , as shown in the figures , and for the insulator strips 10 , extend from edge - to - edge on the plate member 3 , although other configuration and length is contemplated . likewise , the dielectric strips 7 preferably extend from edge - to - edge of the support plate 15 , although differing strips 7 , e . g ., segmented along the plate 15 , can also be serviceable . moreover , although the dielectric strips 7 are generally t - shaped in cross - section , or l - shaped as for the strips 7a , and the insulator strips 10 as shown as generally rectangular , other shapes are contemplated , e . g ., u - shape or truncated star shape . it is contemplated that these strips 10 and 7 may be of the same or similar insulating materials . usually such will be deformable plastic materials , including the thermoplastics such as polyolefin materials . a representative suitable substance for these strips is ultra high molecular weight polyethyelene , as well as polypropylene or the halogenated resins , e . g ., polytetrafluoroethyelene and fluorinated ethylene - propylene resin . it is also contemplated to use ceramic materials for these strips 10 and 7 , e . g ., strips of alumina or zirconia , which have desirable abrasion resistant property . likewise , the dielectric strips that are the compression supports 9 can be made from the same or similar materials as for these strips 7 , 10 . the supports 9 may also be of differing cross - section than the u - shape as shown , e . g ., b - shaped . the material selected for the compression supports 9 should be resistant to the environment , e . g ., resistant to the electrolyte environment in which the anode will be used . it will also advantageously be deformable , so as to absorb impact such as from the cathode , as well as be resistant to abrasion . for absorbing impact without deleterious abrasion or degradation the strips 7 and 10 can have beveled or chamfered edges . for the metal connectors or bosses 16 , these can be made of a suitably electrically conductive metal that is also resistant to the electrolyte environment . such metals as are contemplated for use for these bosses 16 include the refractory metals , e . g ., titanium and columbium . advantageously , for good electrical conductivity coupled with desirable resistance to the environment , the metal for the conductor will be titanium . such connector 16 can be firmly affixed to the face plate members 3 , as by welding , e . g , laser welding , tungsten inert gas welding or metal inert gas welding . the connector 16 will have a different constituency , i . e ., a different metallurgical make - up , for interface contact with the support plate 15 . such constituency difference is a metallurgical difference at the connector surface that is different from the general composition of the connector . for example if the connector is of titanium or titanium alloy , which is then the general composition of the connector , then the metallurgical difference for a connector surface may be a plated metal surface of a metal other than the titanium or alloy . this metallurgical difference can serve to enhance contact between the connector 16 and adjoining electrically conductive elements . advantageously for best electrically conductive connection , as well as resistance to electrolyte , it is desired that this difference in constituency be provided by coating of the connector surface . however , other change , as by alloying of the surface , may be useful . where a coating is utilized , electrocoating operation is preferred for economy , although other coating operations , e . g ., brush plating , plasma arc spraying or vapor deposition , may be employed . for the preferred metal titanium for the connector 16 , it is advantageous to use a plated noble metal coating . such a noble metal coating is a coating of one or more of the group viii or group ib metals having an atomic weight of greater than 100 , i . e ., the metals ruthenium , rhodium , palladium , silver , osmium , iridium , platinum and gold . preferably for efficiency in enhanced electrical contact , platinum plating is used . for the support plate 15 , it is contemplated to use any metal suitably resistant to the electrolyte and desirably electrically conductive . such metals include the valve metals , e . g ., tantalum , titanium and columbium . advantageously for combining electrical conductivity with resistance to electrolyte , the support plate 15 , in electrogalvanizing operation , is titanium or a titanium clad or plated metal , e . g ., titanium clad steel . the support plate 15 , although preferably a solid titanium sheet for ruggedness combined with electrical conductivity and resistance to electrolyte , may be of other configuration , such as a perforate plate or open framework . the fasteners , e . g ., for coupling the metal connector 16 to the support plate 15 or for binding the compression support 9 to the support plate 15 , can be of the same or similar metals as for the support plate 15 . although such have been shown to be threaded , they may be otherwise , e . g ., riveted to the support plate 15 or be threaded studs that are welded , as to the support plate 15 . for the buss connectors 13 , it is most desirable to use a highly conductive metal , e . g ., copper . these connectors 13 can be bolted to the support plate 15 , as by fasteners 18 of copper , copper alloy or steel , including stainless and high strength steel . since copper metal might be subject to attack , as from the electrolyte in an electrogalvanizing environment , the copper busswork will usually be covered , including cladding , plating , explosion bonding or welding , with a more inert metal , i . e ., a valve metal . hence , explosion bonded titanium sheets , for example , can protect the face of the buss connectors 13 , while edges can have strips of titanium welded thereto for affording complete protection for underlying copper metal . the face plate members 3 , as well as any contiguous , projecting members , e . g ., blade elements 4 , will advantageously for best anodic activity , contain an electrocatalytic coating . such will be provided from platinum or other platinum group metal , or it may be any of a number of active oxide coatings such as the platinum group metal oxides , magnetite , ferrite , cobalt spinel , or mixed metal oxide coatings , which have been developed for use as anode coatings in the industrial electrochemical industry . the platinum group metal or mixed metal oxides for the coating are such as have generally been described in one or more of u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 265 , 526 , 3 , 632 , 498 , 3 , 711 , 385 and 4 , 528 , 084 . more particularly , such platinum group metals include platinum , palladium , rhodium , iridium and ruthenium or alloys of themselves and with other metals . mixed metal oxides include at least one of the oxides of these platinum group metals in combination with at least one oxide of a valve metal or another non - precious metal . where the face plate members 3 are configured with blade elements 4 or the like , it is advantageous that the cathode - facing face areas 31 have an area at least equal to the projected area of the slots 32 . that is , the ratio of the face areas 31 to the projected area of the slots 32 is at least about 1 : 1 . such area ratio for the face areas to the projected slotted areas will lead to reduced anode overvoltage owing to a lowered average operating current density . moreover , occasional short circuits which can damage the coating on the face areas 31 of the blades , will not affect the slotted areas 32 . preferably for best operating life of the coating , such ratio will be at least about 3 : 1 and may even be greater , e . g ., 4 : 1 to 5 : 1 or more . the edge mask guides 12 can serve to guide and align the adjustable edge masks at the edges of the cathode , e . g ., a steel strip cathode . the edge masks may be utilized to reduce or control unwanted electrolytic deposition onto a cathode that is intended to be coated on one side only . thus the edge mask guides 12 can be longitudinal , fin - like side members that fit snugly into the edge of the anode 1 . suitable materials of construction for such guides 12 are the same as for the strips 10 and 7 . hence , a polyolefin material such as ultra high molecular weight polyethylene may be used for these guides 12 where the anode 1 is used in electrogalvanizing operation and the guides are to combine desirable ruggedness of construction with resistance to the electrogalvanizing medium . the anode 1 can also contain support arms , jutting out in a position sideways to the anode 1 as it is depicted in fig1 . such support arms can be positioned both above and below the edge mask guides 12 . these support arms may incorporate adjustable support bearings or cams which allow for adjustment of the anode to cathode gap , even after the anode 1 has been positioned , as in an electrogalvanizing cell tank . these arms can be of similar materials of construction as for the support plate , e . g ., titanium clad steel .	2
referring to fig1 , there is shown a perspective view of multi - section roll - up curtain assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention . roll - up curtain assembly 10 includes first , second and third curtain sections 12 , 14 and 16 disposed in a laterally spaced array over an opening in a building structure . each of the first , second and third curtain sections 12 , 14 and 16 includes an upper curtain and a lower curtain capable of being moved between a rolled - up position , wherein the curtain is opened , and an unrolled position , wherein the curtain sections fully cover the opening in the building structure . thus , the first curtain section 12 includes an upper curtain 18 and a lower curtain 20 . the second curtain section 14 includes upper curtain 22 and lower curtain 24 . finally , the third curtain section 16 includes upper curtain 26 and lower curtain 28 . the lower curtain 20 of the first curtain section 12 includes an upper portion 20 a and lower portion 20 b . similarly , the lower curtain 24 of the second curtain section 14 includes upper portion 24 a and lower portion 24 b . finally , lower curtain 28 includes an upper portion 28 a and a lower portion 28 b . the opening in the building structure over which the roll - up curtain assembly 10 is positioned is defined by an upper support member 40 , a lower support member 42 , and a pair of lateral limits to the opening which are not shown in fig1 for simplicity . the upper and lower support members 40 , 42 are connected to and integral with the building structure , which also is not shown in the figure for simplicity . disposed within each of the aforementioned curtain sections are plural hems which extend the length of the curtain section and which are each adapted to receive a respective elongated , linear , tubular rod extending the length of the curtain section . thus , upper curtain section 22 includes upper and lower hems respectively adapted to receive an upper support rod 55 and a lower drive rod 60 . similarly , upper curtain section 26 includes upper and lower hems which are adapted to receive an upper support rod 57 and a lower drive rod 62 , respectively . finally , upper curtain section 18 includes upper and lower hems which are adapted to receive an upper support rod 56 and a lower drive rod 61 , respectively . each of the aforementioned upper support rods is securely attached to the upper support member 40 , or another structural member within the building structure , by means of a conventional connecting bracket which is not shown in the figure for simplicity . similarly , lower curtain 24 is provided with plural spaced hems which are adapted to receive an upper support rod 58 a , an intermediate drive rod 64 and a lower rod 63 a . lower curtain 28 is adapted to receive an upper support rod 58 b , an intermediate or drive rod 66 and a lower rod 63 b . finally , lower curtain 20 is adapted to receive an upper support rod 58 c , an intermediate drive rod 65 and a lower rod 63 c . each of the aforementioned upper support rods 58 a , 58 b and 58 c of the lower curtains is securely attached to the building structure by conventional means such as mounting brackets which are not shown in the figure for simplicity . it is in this manner that each of the lower curtains is supported by and suspending from the building structure . the weight of each of the lower rods 63 a , 63 b and 63 c maintains each of the lower curtains in a stretched condition when suspended from a respective upper support rod . each of the rods disposed in each of the lower curtains extends the full length of the lower curtain . each of the aforementioned rods is preferably comprised of a high strength , lightweight , rigid material such as structural steel or aluminum . disposed between and connected to each adjacent pair of upper and lower curtains is a respective curtain support / drive mechanism . thus , a first curtain support / drive mechanism 30 is disposed between and connected to upper curtains 18 and 22 and lower curtains 20 and 24 of the first and second curtain sections 12 , 14 . similarly , a second curtain support / drive mechanism 32 is disposed between and coupled to upper curtains 22 and 26 and lower curtains 24 and 28 of the second and third curtain sections 14 , 16 . a similar curtain support / drive mechanism is connected to the outer end of each of the end curtain sections in a manner similar to that shown in fig1 and described below , although this is not shown in fig1 for simplicity . although fig1 shows three curtain sections driven by two or more curtain support / drive mechanisms , a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes first and second curtain sections driven by an inner curtain support / drive mechanism located between the two curtain sections and by two outer curtain support / drive mechanisms each located on an outer end of one of the curtain sections . individual curtain sections several hundred feet in length may be raised and lowered in this preferred embodiment to cover openings of 600 ′ and longer in length . the second curtain support / drive mechanism 32 is shown in greater detail in the front perspective view of fig2 . curtain support / drive mechanism 32 includes a generally vertically oriented guide member 44 connected near its upper end to the upper support member 40 by conventional connecting brackets which are not shown in the figure for simplicity . similarly , the lower end of vertical guide member 44 is securely attached to the lower support member 42 by means of connecting brackets 68 and 70 . fig3 is a perspective view illustrating additional details of an upper drive assembly 100 attached to the vertical guide member 44 . fig6 and 7 are lower perspective views showing additional details of the manner in which the upper drive assembly 100 is attached to and is displaced along the vertical guide member 44 . each of the curtain support / drive mechanisms includes an upper drive assembly and a lower drive assembly . the upper drive assembly includes an upper electrical drive motor 46 , while the lower drive assembly includes a lower electrical drive motor 48 . the upper drive assembly 100 further includes a first gearbox 52 connected to the upper electric drive motor 46 , while the lower drive assembly includes a second gearbox 54 connected to the lower electric drive motor 48 . the combination of the lower electrical drive motor 48 and the second gearbox 54 is coupled to the intermediate drive rods 64 and 66 of the lower curtains 24 and 28 by suitably connecting hardware which will now be described in detail in terms of the upper drive assembly 100 shown in fig4 because the construction and operation of the upper and lower drive assemblies is identical . connected to the first gearbox 52 and rotationally driven by the upper electric drive motor 46 is a drive shaft 102 . attached to respective ends of the drive shaft 102 are a first drive sprocket 104 and a second drive sprocket , which is not shown in fig4 for simplicity . disposed about the first drive sprocket 104 is a first endless chain 106 , while disposed about the second drive sprocket is a second endless chain 110 . respectively disposed above and adjacent to the first drive sprocket 104 and the second drive sprocket are first and second driven sprockets 108 and 112 . endless chains 106 and 110 also respectively engage the first and second driven sprockets 108 and 112 . thus , rotation of the drive shaft 102 produces a corresponding rotation of the first drive sprocket 104 and the second drive sprocket giving rise to a corresponding rotation of the first and second driven sprockets 108 and 112 . the first and second driven sprockets 108 , 112 are securely coupled together by means of the combination of a spacer tube 114 and first and second brass bushings 116 and 118 . thus , the first and second driven sprockets 108 and 112 undergo the same rotational displacement . the first brass bushing 116 is securely connected to lower drive rod 60 of the upper curtain 22 of the second curtain section 14 as shown in fig2 . similarly , the second brass bushing 118 is securely connected to the lower drive rod 62 of the upper curtain 26 of the third curtain section 16 as also shown in fig2 . thus , the upper drive assembly 100 simultaneously rotationally displaces lower drive rods 60 and 62 in a first direction for rolling up the upper curtains and raising the two curtain sections , or in a second , opposed direction for unrolling the two upper curtains in unrolling the two adjacent curtain sections . a similar arrangement allows the lower drive assembly which includes a combination of lower electric drive motor 48 and second gearbox 54 to either roll - up the adjacent lower curtains 24 and 28 respectively onto intermediate drive rods 64 and 66 , or to unroll these curtains from the two intermediate drive rods in lowering the curtain sections . it should be noted that each of the upper and lower portions 24 a and 24 b of lower curtain 24 and each of the upper and lower portions 28 a and 28 b of lower curtain 28 are simultaneously rolled onto or unrolled from the lower drive rods 64 and 66 , respectively , during operation of the lower electric drive motor 48 . while each of the lower curtains has been described and is illustrated as including an upper support rod , an intermediate drive rod and a lower rod , the present invention will work equally as well if the intermediate rod is omitted and the curtain is raised and lowered by means of its lower rod . thus , for example , the present invention contemplates eliminating the intermediate drive rods 64 , 65 and 66 of lower curtains 24 , 20 and 28 and driving , i . e ., raising and lowering , these curtains by means of a drive assembly connected to the lower rods 63 a , 63 b and 63 c of these lower curtains . the advantage of the arrangement shown in fig2 where the drive arrangement is connected to an intermediate drive rod is that the upper and lower portions of each of these curtains are simultaneously rolled up on or unrolled from the rotating drive rod which reduces the time and the number of revolutions to roll - up or unroll the curtain . as shown in the various figures , each drive assembly includes a carriage 146 connected to a drive motor as shown for the case of the upper electric drive motor 46 of the upper drive assembly 100 . a similar carriage arrangement is connected to the lower electric drive motor 48 and operates in a similar manner to allow the drive assembly to move upward and downward within the vertical guide member 44 as described in the following paragraphs . carriage 146 is in the form of a linear , elongated shaft of a high strength material such as structural steel and includes an inner shaft , or axle , 148 which extends the length of the carriage . attached to a first end of shaft 148 is a first roller 150 , while attached to a second , opposed end of the shaft is a second roller 152 . vertical guide member 44 includes a generally flat inner portion 44 c and first and second edge flanges 44 a and 44 b disposed on opposed lateral edges thereof . each of the edge flanges 44 a , 44 b extends outwardly from the flat inner portion 44 c of the vertical guide member 44 and forms a channel which is adapted to receive and engage a respective roller of the carriage 146 . thus , the first edge flange 44 a is adapted to receive and engage the first roller 150 , while the second edge flange 44 b is adapted to receive and engage the second roller 152 . each of the rollers 150 , 152 freely rotates on the carriage &# 39 ; s shaft 148 and allows the carriage 146 to move vertically along the length of the vertical guide member 44 . thus , as the lower drive rods 60 and 62 are rotationally displaced by the upper electric motor 46 of the upper drive assembly 100 , the combination of the upper electric motor and first gearbox 152 and associated hardware attached to the carriage 146 is free to move vertically up in the direction of arrow 154 and down in the direction of arrow 156 in fig6 along and within the vertical guide member 44 . this permits adjacent curtains to be rolled - up onto or unrolled from the two drive rods . the larger weights of longer curtains apply increasingly larger torques to the curtain support and drive mechanism , particularly during raising of the curtain . thus , if as shown in fig6 , lower drive rod 62 rotates in the direction of arrow 92 , the weight of the raised , or partially upraised , curtain will exert a torque counter to the direction of arrow 92 . the torque exerted by the curtain will urge the first roller 150 in a downward direction as shown by direction arrow 94 in fig7 and will urge the second roller 152 in an upward direction as shown by direction arrow 96 in the figure . the vertical guide member 44 opposes any displacement of the rollers out of the plane of the vertical guide member and ensures that the carriage 146 and the upper electric drive motor 46 attached thereto move only vertically during rolling up and unrolling of the attached curtains . in addition , the torque exerted along the lower drive rod 62 in the direction of arrow 98 shown in fig6 urges the carriage 46 and the upper electric drive motor 46 in a direction toward the vertical guide member 44 . in order to accommodate this latter torque , a third roller 160 shown in fig7 is attached to the carriage 146 by means of mounting bracket 158 . this third roller 160 facilitates displacement of the carriage 146 and upper electric drive motor 46 combination along the length of vertical guide member 44 . third roller 160 thus counters the tendency of the aligned lower drive rods 60 and 62 to be rotationally displaced by the weight of the attached curtains and opposes any bending of carriage 146 and movement of the upper electric drive motor 46 toward the flat inner portion 44 c of the vertical guide member 44 . referring to fig4 , there is shown a perspective view of the combination of first and second limit switches 72 and 74 . the first limit switch 72 is attached to a vertical pipe , or tube , 78 by means of a first coupling bracket 80 . similarly , the second limit switch 74 is attached to the vertical pipe 78 by means of a second coupling bracket 82 . the vertical pipe 78 is disposed within and attached to the vertical guide member 44 by conventional means such as connecting brackets which are not shown for simplicity . the first limit switch 72 includes a first pivot arm 88 coupled to a first sensor housing 84 . similarly , the second limit switch 74 includes a second pivot arm coupled to a second sensor housing 86 . each of the first and second pivot arms 88 , 90 is free to pivot upward or downward about its associated sensor housing . thus , the first limit switch 72 provides an indication that the upper curtains 22 and 26 are in the full “ down ” position . another limit switch ( not shown in the figures for simplicity ) located in an upper portion of the roll - up curtain assembly provides an indication of the full “ up ” position of the two upper curtains 22 , 26 . the second limit switch 74 provides an indication of the full “ up ” position of the two lower curtains 24 , 28 . a third limit switch 76 mounted to a lower portion of the vertical pipe 78 as shown in fig2 provides an indication that the lower curtains 24 and 28 are in the full “ down ” position . in the embodiment shown in the figures , the third limit switch 76 is engaged by the lower rod 63 a of the second curtain section &# 39 ; s lower curtain 24 . in the embodiment of the present invention where the lower curtain does not include upper and lower portions with the curtain &# 39 ; s drive rod disposed on its lower edge , the third limit switch 76 would be engaged by the lower curtain &# 39 ; s drive rod located on its lower edge . referring to fig5 , there is shown a combined schematic and block diagram of a control panel 50 coupled to a computer controller 138 for controlling the operation of the roll - up curtain assembly of the present invention . the left portion of the control panel 28 provides control of the first curtain section 12 shown in fig1 , while the right portion of the control panel controls the operation of the second curtain section 14 . a third portion of the control panel 50 provides control for the third curtain section 16 shown in fig1 , but this is not shown in fig5 for simplicity . control panel 50 includes first and second toggle switches 130 and 132 . the first toggle switch 130 allows the user to select either an automatic or manual mode of operation , or to turn the controller for the first curtain section 12 “ off ”. when in the “ automatic ” mode of operation , the operation of the first curtain section is under the control of the computer controller 138 which stores a pre - programmed operating program . the second toggle switch 132 is operable when the first toggle switch 130 is in the “ manual ” mode of operation and allows for closing and opening of the first curtain section under the control of an operator . the right portion of the control panel 50 which controls operation of the second curtain section 14 similarly includes a first toggle switch 134 and a second toggle switch 136 . the first toggle switch 134 allows for the user to select between “ automatic ” or “ manual ” operation of the second curtain section , or to turn the curtain controller “ off ”. the second toggle switch 136 allows for manually controlling the position of the first curtain section 12 when the first toggle switch is in the “ manual ” mode of operation . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it will be obvious to those skilled in the relevant arts that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects . therefore , the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . the matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation . the actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art .	4
a graphic illustration of a general fff device is depicted in fig1 showing flow channel vectors ( v 1 , v 2 , v 3 , v 4 , etc .) representing comparative velocities of stream flow over the cross section of the channel width w . also shown is the force field of strength g , representing gravitational force or some other appropriate force applied to particulate matter flowing down the channel . the subject flow channel is formed between two opposing walls 10 and 12 and has stream flow along the length l of the flow channel as indicated by the flow vectors . as with normal fff , a field gradient of strength g is applied substantially perpendicular to the direction of flow within the channel . in the case of the present invention , the strength of the field is increased to a degree necessary to maintain all the particulate matter against the restraining wall 12 in the fff device . from this point of view , it can be stated that steric fff is the high field limit of normal fff . as the field strength is increased to steric fff conditions , particles are pushed with increasing firmness into contact or near contact against the restraining wall 12 . an optimum steric fff condition is realized when the mean brownian displacement of a given class of particles from the wall 12 becomes less than the mean particle radius of a given class of particles . it is therefore apparent that in steric fff , the radius of the particle becomes determinative as to the rate of differential migration down the flow channel . this term &# 34 ; steric fff38 reflects the condition that particle layer thickness along the opposing wall 12 is controlled by the steric exclusion of particles from the space occupied by the wall . for example , particles of increasing size are illustrated within the flow channel as items 13 , 14 and 15 . in steric fff , each of these particles is retained as the wall structure 12 of the flow channel by the field gradient g , representing gravitational or some other force . because of a difference in radii , each of these respective particle , 13 , 14 and 15 , projects into a different section of the flow stream 16 . particle 13 , for example , projects into and is carried at a stream velocity of approximately v 2 . particles 14 and 15 , however , will be subject to the increased velocity of v 3 and v 4 in view of their larger radii . therefore , large particles ( such as particle 15 ) will migrate along the flow channel in advance of small particles and will emerge from the channel first . it should be noted that this differential migration is an inversion of the normal order of elution of a general fff system . a quantitative description reflecting particle movement within the flow channel is given by the retention ratio r which has been defined as particle velocity / mean solvent velocity . j . c . giddings , sep . sci . and tech ., 13 241 ( 1978 ). this parameter has been approximated by the limiting expression in which &# 34 ; r &# 34 ; represents the particle radius and &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; represents the average distance from the wall 12 to which the particle is displaced by brownian motion . while the second of these two terms controls selectivity and separation in normal fff ( where &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is greater than 0 ) this term can essentially be eliminated under steric fff . the appropriate expression for retention ratio in steric fff would therefore be from this proportionality relationship , it can be noted that an increase in particle radius &# 34 ; r &# 34 ; causes a comparable increase in the solute velocity as evidenced by the increase in retention ratio r . it is this differentiation which permits the selectivity in steric fff . the practical particle size range of steric fff is largely determined by the w / r ratio of equation ( 2 ). theoretical estimation suggests that the steric ffff method functions best within the range of 120 & gt ;( w / p )& gt ; 12 , or within the approximate range of 100 to 10 . since it is difficult to construct a uniform channel less than 50 micrometers thick ( w ), the preferred minimum radius ( w / r = 100 ) for a particle will be approximately 0 . 5 micrometers ( diameter equal to one micrometer ). by contrast , a 500 micrometer channel is suitable for larger particles ( w / r = 10 ) having a 50 micrometer radius ( 100 micrometer in diameter ). obviously , thicker channels would extend this large particle capability . in view of these ratios , the preferred steric fff system particle range would appear to include 1 to 100 micrometers , at the minimum . this range of particle diameters is particularly significant in biology , industry and environmental control studies . within this range , steric fff represents a significant advancement in fractionation and characterization methods by improving speed and resolution capability . as mentioned previously , steric fff utilizes a similar apparatus to that of conventional fff . the primary difference involves the relative strength of force applied perpendicular to the flow channel with respect to entrained particles . in the range of particles having diameters from 1 to 100 micrometers , gravity provides sufficient force to establish steric fff conditions , unless the particles are in a neutrally buoyant medium . this does not mean , however , that other external fields would not be equally effective . electrical , sedimentation , and other forms of fields or gradients generally applied in fff may be used to meet the steric fff field requirement . with gravitational force , the required presence of a uniform field is automatically satisfied and therefore reduces complexity of equipment . in view of the substantial contact between particles and the surfaces of opposing channel wall 12 , new factors with respect to channel construction and flow dynamics are introduced over conventional fff . the restraining surface of the opposing wall 12 should be inert and flat to reduce tendency of adhesion of particles thereto . furthermore , surface cracks and indentions must be avoided to prevent traping of small particles . in addition , flow velocity should be sufficiently high that the viscous forces which drag and roll the particles along the restraining surface of the wall should ordinarily exceed the gravitational forces which pull the particle against the surface . using such flow velocity will insure that particles are pulled immediately free from any ensnaring influence . these desired high velocities are again in contrast to the lower velocities preferrable in normal fff . particle shape is also a factor to be considered in steric fff . spherical particles as illustrated in fig1 can be expected to migrate along the flow channel at remarkable uniform rates . where particles are of irregular shape , however , more tumbling motion can be expected . in effect , the particles tumble randomly over different extrema at the opposing wall surface to develop a less predictable movement pattern . if , however , flow velocities are maintained high enough to exceed gravitational forces g the particle will probably not have time to &# 34 ; settle &# 34 ; between tumbles . it will therefore be carried along at a fairly constant velocity and at a height just skimming the surface . in this case , the radius of the particle defining migration velocity in equation ( 2 ) would tend to be that along the longest axis of the particle . an example of the steric fff device is shown in fig2 and 3 . the flow channel 25 is formed by the opening of a spacer 26 which is sandwiched between thick pieces of plate glass 27 . this combination is clamped between lucite bars 28 by means of a series of bolts 29 . the dimensions of these components as applied in an experimental model of the subject device were as follows : solvent material and particles are injected through an inlet 30 , and flow along the length of the channel to an outlet 31 . techniques for injection , detection and collection of samples are the same as disclosed in previous publication , as well as the referenced patent and patent application . tests were conducted utilizing glass beads which had been roughly sized by air elutriation in previous experiments . a solvent of 0 . 05 % sds in distilled water was fed into the channel at the rate of 60 ml / hr by a chromatronix cheminert metering pump . samples were collected upon elution and were checked microscopically at 90x and were subsequently photographed . size distributions were measured by comparing the photographs with a photograph of a microscopic scale standard . fig4 shows a parent glass bead sample having a broad range of particle sizes which was introduced into the steric fff system . photomicrographs of beads collected from two different volume elements of the effluent stream of the apparatus are shown in fig4 ( b ) and 4 ( c ). fractionation according to size has been clearly achieved . the respective bead diameters of the two figures are 29 ± 4 micrometers and 19 ± 2 micrometers . a second portion of the referenced parent sample of beads was mixed with a second set of smaller beads to provide a trimodal composition . the results of fractionation through the steric fff device is illustrated in fig5 showing three separate peaks corresponding to the respective sizes of the segregated sample beads . it is important to note that during normal steric fff operation , the illustrated apparatus is maintained at a 90 ° orientation with respect to the applied field . this eliminates a common force component between the flow vectors and the field vector . a second embodiment of the steric fff method can be achieved by modifying this orientation to a sloping channel , having flow movement opposing a component of the field force vectors . this embodiment is illustrated in fig6 which shows a steric fff device 35 similar to that of fig2 positioned in a sloping configuration and having an inlet 36 for channel flow located at the base section of the apparatus . channel flow , represented by vector v f , is no longer perpendicular in orientation to the applied field g . because of this tilt at some angle θ , particles 27 carried along the flow channel will sediment quickly to the wall and then tend to sediment down along the length of the wall toward inlet 36 . in this manner , such particles will avoid the open space of the channel and will therefore not be subjected to the diverse flows in this channel region . instead , particles of a given size and shape will form layers of a given thickness against the wall , resulting in a more constant effective displacement velocity of the flow stream . with the introduction of uniformity in flow displacement with respect to a specific class of particle sizes , very slight shifts in over all flow rates will serve to shift the net velocity of a given particle type from positive to negative . in this way , a programmed flow would elute particles of gradually increasing size which could be collected as uniform fractions . the same results could be achieved by a programmed tilting of the channel axis through a series of changing angles θ toward the horizontal axis . in such steric elutriation systems , the mean upward flow velocity acting to lift each particle is proportional to the effective diameter of that particle . the upward force is proportional to the product of the mean upward flow velocity and the particle diameter , and is thus proportional to the particle diameter squared . as in normal elutriation , the sedimentation force is proportional to the cube of the particle diameter . therefore , in steric elutriation a doubling in the particle size means that the sedimentation force will increase by a factor of eight and the &# 34 ; lift &# 34 ; force will increase by a factor of four . in normal elutriation the lift force will increase only by a factor of two , thus giving a bigger differential between the forces of normal elutriation systems . this benefit of normal elutriation , however , is overcome by the preferred uniformity of flow displacement which is obtained in steric elutriation . as an example of the programmed elution of particles of different size by means of the steric elutriation method , consider a particle mixture of two distinct sizes . during operation of the system , the largest particles will be inclined to sediment downward against channel flow . if the similar particles are exactly at equilibrium between the sedimentation force and the lift force , then the larger particles will settle rapidly , leaving the smaller particles in place along the length of the channel . by slightly increasing the flow to raise the lift force above the sedimentation force for the smaller particles , these particles will be eluted , while the larger particles are retained in the channel . when no other small particles are detected in the effluent , the flow rate can be increased to discharge the larger particles . by programming flow velocity increase or the axis of tilt in small incremental changes , particles of different sizes could be selectively eluted while the larger particles are retained and gradually carried by classes of size upward along the flow channel . as a slight modification of the steric elutriation system , tapered channels in width or thickness could be utilized in order to cause a continuous variation in the magnitude of the lifting flow force . by this method , particles of different sizes could be brought into different equilibrium positions , permitting stationary bands of separated particles to collect along the length of the channel . after the equilibrium conditions are established , the channel could be tilted slightly toward one edge 37 , collecting the particles in pockets or collection ports 38 for subsequent analysis . this same concept of steric elutriation can be adapted for application in a centrifuge , where field of greater strength may be applied . the value of such methods would be directed to very small particles which require extremely large fields in order to obtain the imposition of the particles at the opposing wall surface . utilizing this method , fluid types could be extended to gases as well as liquids and could be operated under laminar or turbulent flow conditions , depending upon the size of the particles . it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that numerous variations from the method and apparatus disclosed herein are possible . these include not only variations in force fields such as the suggested centrifugal application , but likewise include variations in geometric configurations of channel structure . fig7 for example , depicts annular flow channel 40 having a field gradient applied radially outward from the annular axis . the particles 41 and 42 are advanced along the channel in accordance with their interaction with different flow rates 43 of the stream . the displacement of the larger particle 42 is in advance of the smaller particle 41 in view of the steric fff effect . it is to be understood , therefore , that the present disclosure is only by way of example and that substantial variations are possible from the structure and method disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the hereinafter claimed subject matter .	6
in describing preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings , specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity . however , the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner . referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views , particularly to fig3 , a description is made of a laser diode driving circuit 1 according to a preferred embodiment . the driving circuit 1 , capable of driving a laser diode ld , includes a first pseudo laser diode ld 1 , a second pseudo laser diode ld 2 , a current supply 2 , a first current mirror circuit 3 , a second current mirror circuit 4 , a third current mirror circuit 5 , a fourth current mirror circuit 6 , an nmos transistor n 5 , an nmos transistor n 6 , an amplifier amp , a first switch swa , and a second switch swb . as shown in fig3 , the current supply 2 and an nmos transistor n 1 of the fourth current mirror circuit 6 are serially connected between a positive supply voltage vdd and a negative supply voltage vss . the current supply 2 outputs an input current i 1 according to a control signal sc received from the outside . the fourth current mirror circuit 6 includes parallel - connected nmos transistors n 2 to n 4 in addition to the nmos transistor n 1 . the nmos transistor n 2 provides a current i 2 to the first current mirror circuit 3 . the nmos transistor n 3 provides a current i 4 to the second current mirror circuit 4 . the nmos transistor n 4 provides a current i 6 to the third current mirror circuits 5 . the gate and the drain of the nmos transistor n 1 are connected to each other . the gate of the nmos transistor n 1 is further connected to each of the gates of the nmos transistors n 2 , n 3 , and n 4 . each of the sources of the nmos transistors n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , and n 4 is connected to the negative supply voltage vss . the first current mirror circuit 3 includes pmos transistors p 1 to p 4 , and provides a current i 3 to the first pseudo laser diode ld 1 . the pmos transistors pi and p 3 are serially connected between the positive supply voltage vdd and the gate of the nmos transistor n 2 . the pmos transistors p 2 and p 4 are serially connected between the positive supply voltage vdd and the anode of the first pseudo laser diode ld 1 . the pmos transistor p 2 has the gate connected to the gate of the pmos transistor p 1 , and the drain connected to the connecting point of the pmos transistors p 1 and p 2 . the pmos transistor p 3 has the gate connected to the gate of the pmos transistor p 4 , and the drain connected to the connecting point of the pmos transistors p 3 and p 4 . the second current mirror circuit 4 includes pmos transistors p 5 and p 6 , and provides a current i 5 to the second pseudo laser diode ld 2 . the sources of the pmos transistors p 5 and p 6 are each connected to the positive supply voltage vdd . the gates of the pmos transistors p 5 and p 6 are connected to each other . the drain of the pmos transistor p 5 is connected to the connecting point of the pmos transistors p 5 and p 6 . the second switch swb and the nmos transistor n 3 are serially connected between the drain of the pmos transistor p 5 and the negative supply voltage vss . the second pseudo laser diode ld 2 is connected between the drain of the pmos transistor p 6 and the negative supply voltage vss . the third current mirror circuit 5 includes pmos transistors p 7 and p 8 , and provides an output current ild to the laser diode ld . the sources of the pmos transistors p 7 and p 8 are each connected to the positive supply voltage vdd . the gates of the pmos transistors p 7 and p 8 are connected to each other . the drain of the pmos transistor p 7 is connected to the connecting point of the pmos transistors p 7 and p 8 . the first switch swa and the nmos transistor n 4 are serially connected between the drain of the pmos transistor p 7 and the negative supply voltage vss . the laser diode ld is connected between the drain of the pmos transistor p 8 and the negative supply voltage vss . the amplifier amp controls an operation of the noms transistors n 5 and n 6 . the positive input terminal of the amplifier amp is connected to the connecting point at which the drain of the pmos transistor p 4 and the anode of the first pseudo laser diode ld 1 are connected . the negative input terminal of the amplifier amp is connected to the connecting point at which the drain of the pmos transistor p 6 and the anode of the second pseudo laser diode ld 2 are connected . the output terminal of the amplifier amp is connected to the gates of the nmos transistors n 5 and n 6 , respectively . the nmos transistor n 5 is connected in parallel to the nmos transistor n 3 . the nmos transistor n 6 is connected in parallel to the nmos transistor n 4 . the first switch swa controls on or off of the laser diode ld . the second switch swb , which is regularly turned on , adjusts the impedance z 1 of the first switch swa , when the first switch swa is turned on . preferably , the impedance z 1 is adjusted to be smaller than the impedance z 2 of the second switch swb . the second current mirror circuit 4 preferably has a transistor element size smaller than that of the third current mirror circuit 5 . accordingly , the current consumption m 2 i of the circuit 4 is less than the current consumption m 3 i of the circuit 5 . further , the transistor sizes of the circuits 4 and 5 are preferably set such that the ratio between the current i 5 and the current ild is substantially equal to the ratio between the current consumption m 2 i and the current consumption m 3 i . in such a case , the ratio between the anode - current / anode - voltage characteristic ( hereinafter , simply referred to as the “ characteristic ”) of the second pseudo laser diode ld 2 and the characteristic of the laser diode ld is substantially equal to the ratio between the current consumption m 2 i and the current consumption m 3 i , as indicated by the equation : ( i 5 / vld 2 )/( ild / vld )= m 2 i / m 3 i . furthermore , the ratio between the impedance z 1 of the first switch swa and the impedance z 2 of the second switch swb is , preferably , substantially equal to the inverse of the ratio between the current consumption m 2 i and the current consumption m 3 i , as indicated by the equation : z 2 / z 1 = m 3 i / m 2 i . as shown in fig3 , the first current mirror circuit 3 includes two current mirror circuits stacked vertically , to compensate the channel length modulation effect . however , any kind of circuits , capable of compensating the channel length modulation effect , may be used , including a cascode current mirror circuit or a wilson current mirror circuit , for example . as described above , the current i 1 , supplied by the current supply 2 , is input to the drain of the nmos transistor n 1 as a drain current . the drain current is input to the first current mirror circuit 3 through the nmos transistor n 2 as the current i 2 . the current i 2 is further supplied to the first pseudo laser diode ld 1 as the current i 3 . similarly , the drain current is further input to the second current mirror circuit 4 through the nmos transistor n 3 , as the current i 4 . the current i 4 is further supplied to the second pseudo laser diode ld 2 as the current i 5 . the nmos transistor n 2 has an element size larger than that of the nmos transistor n 3 . accordingly , the current i 2 ( i . e . the drain current of the nmos transistor n 2 ) is larger than the current i 4 ( i . e . the drain current of the nmos transistor n 3 ). as a result , the current i 3 ( i . e . the anode current of the first pseudo laser diode ld 1 ) becomes larger than the current i 5 . assuming that the characteristics of the first and second pseudo laser diodes ld 1 and ld 2 are substantially equal to each other , the anode voltage vld 1 of the first pseudo laser diode ld 1 becomes larger than the anode voltage vld 2 of the second pseudo laser diode ld 2 . as shown in fig3 , the anode voltage vld 1 is input to the positive input terminal of the amplifier amp . the anode voltage vld 2 is input to the negative input terminal of the amplifier amp . the amplifier amp , which controls the gate voltage of the nmos transistor n 5 , can control the amount of the current i 4 , and thus , the amount of the current i 5 . in this way , the anode voltage vld 1 and the anode voltage vld 2 are made substantially equal to each other . the amplifier amp , which controls the gate voltage of the nmos transistor n 6 , may also control the amount of the current i 6 , and thus , the amount of the current ild . preferably , the current i 6 is set such that the ratio in drain current between the nmos transistor n 5 and the nmos transistor n 6 is substantially equal to the ratio between the current consumption m 2 i and the current consumption m 3 i . in this way , the current ild becomes substantially proportional to the current i 5 . since the current i 5 is substantially equal to the current i 3 , and the current i 3 is substantially proportional to the current i 1 , the output current ild is substantially proportional to the input current i 1 . in this exemplary case , each of the characteristics of the first and second pseudo laser diodes ld 1 and ld 2 is substantially equal to the characteristic of the laser diode ld . referring to fig4 , the characteristic of the laser diode ld may be determined based on a forward voltage vf and a resistance rld ( indicated as the slope v / i ). the forward voltage vf or the resistance rld varies for each laser diode , depending on manufacturing conditions of the laser diode or environmental factors affecting the laser diode , for example . in order to respond to variations in the characteristics of the laser diode ld , each of the first and second pseudo laser diodes ld 1 and ld 2 ( collectively , referred to as the “ pseudo laser diode ”) may have a configuration illustrated in fig5 , according to a preferred embodiment . the pseudo laser diode of fig5 includes a resistor circuit ra and a voltage supply vs . one terminal of the resistor circuit ra is connected to the positive electrode of the voltage supply vs , while the other terminal of the resistor circuit ra functions as the anode of the pseudo laser diode . the negative electrode of the voltage supply vs functions as the cathode of the pseudo laser diode . the voltage supply vs may change an amount of supply voltage , corresponding to the characteristic of the laser diode ld . referring to fig6 , the voltage supply vs includes an nmos transistor 15 , an amplifier 16 , and a d / a ( digital / analog ) converter dac . the positive input terminal of the amplifier 16 is connected to the d / a converter dac . the output terminal of the amplifier 16 is connected to the gate of the nmos transistor 15 . the drain of the nmos transistor 15 functions as the positive electrode of the voltage supply vs , while the source of the nmos transistor 15 functions as the negative electrode of the voltage supply vs . the voltage of the voltage supply vs may be changed by changing the output voltage of the d / a converter dac . if the voltage of the voltage supply vs can be freely changed in the above - described manner , the forward voltage of the pseudo laser diode can be changed accordingly , for example , from vf 0 to vf 1 as illustrated in fig7 , depending on the forward voltage vf of the laser diode ld shown in fig4 . in another example , the resistor circuit ra may be changed to have a different amount of resistance , corresponding to the resistance rld of the laser diode ld . in order to change resistance , the pseudo laser diode may have a configuration illustrated in fig8 , for example . the pseudo laser diode of fig8 includes a plurality of resistors r 0 to rn with n being an integer greater than 1 , a plurality of switches sw 0 to swn , and the voltage supply vs . the terminals of the resistors rø to rn are connected to the voltage supply vs , while the other terminals of the resistors r to rn are connected to the terminals of the corresponding switches sw 0 to swn . the other terminals of the switches sw 0 to swn function as the anode of the pseudo laser diode . the amount of resistance may be controlled by turning on or off at least one of the switches sw 1 to swn . the resistance values of the resistors rø to rn may be equal to one another , or they may be different from one another . for example , when the resistance values of the resistors rø to rn are previously determined such that the resistance value ratios for the resistors r 0 to rn are 1 : 1 : ½ . . . ½ n − 1 , a wide range of resistance values may be obtained for the pseudo laser diode by controlling the switches sw 0 to swn . referring to fig9 , when the switch sw 0 is turned on , the resistance defined by the line l 0 is obtained . when the switches sw 0 and sw 1 are turned on , the resistance defined by the line l 1 is obtained . when the switches sw 0 to sw 2 are turned on , the resistance defined by the line l 2 is obtained . when the switches sw 0 to swn are turned on , the resistance defined by the line ln is obtained . referring to fig8 , the other terminals of the switches sw 0 to swn are connected at the anode side . however , they may be arranged at the cathode side as illustrated in fig1 . further , any one of the switches sw 0 to swn may be implemented as a mos transistor , as illustrated in fig1 . in addition , the switches sw 0 to swn may be controlled by a programmable register 25 , as illustrated in fig1 . referring to fig1 , the gates of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn are connected to the register 25 . in order to turn on one or more of the transistors n 0 to nn , the register 25 is previously programmed to send corresponding one or more of high level signals g 0 to gn to the corresponding one or more of the gates . alternatively , any one of the switches sw 0 to swn may be implemented in other ways , including as a fuse , as long as the resistance of the pseudo laser diode can be controlled . in order to respond to variations in the characteristics of the laser diode ld , the pseudo laser diode may have a configuration illustrated in fig1 , according to another preferred embodiment . the pseudo laser diode of fig1 includes a plurality of switches sw 0 to swn connected in parallel to one another , and a plurality of nmos transistors n 0 to nn connected in parallel to one another . the terminals of the switches sw 0 to swn are connected , respectively , to the nmos transistors n 0 to nn . the other terminals of the switches sw 0 to swn are connected to one another at the anode of the pseudo laser diode . the characteristic of the pseudo laser diode may be controlled by turning on at least one of the switches sw 0 to swn . in this exemplary case , any one of the switches sw 0 to swn may be implemented as an nmos transistor , as illustrated in fig1 . further , the switches sw 0 to swn may be controlled by the programmable register 25 , as illustrated in fig1 . referring to fig1 , the gates of the nmos transistors sn 0 to snn are connected to the register 25 . in order to turn on one or more of the transistors sn 0 to snn , the register 25 is programmed to send corresponding one or more of high level signals g 0 to gn to the corresponding one or more of the gates of the transistors sn 0 to snn . further , any one of the switches sw 0 to swn of fig1 may be implemented as a transmission gate , as illustrated in fig1 . referring to fig1 , the pseudo laser diode includes a plurality of nmos transistors n 0 to nn and ng 0 to ngn , a plurality of transmission gates tg 0 to tgn , and a plurality of inverters inv 0 to invn . the drains of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn are connected to one another at the anode side of the pseudo laser diode . the sources of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn are connected to one another at the cathode side . the corresponding one of the transmission gates tg 0 to tgn is connected between the gate and the drain of each of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn . when any one of the transmission gates tg 0 to tgn is turned on , the gate and the drain of the corresponding one of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn is connected to each other to function as a diode . when any one of the transmission gates tg 0 to tgn is turned off , and the corresponding one of the nmos transistors ng 0 to ngn is turned on , the corresponding one of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn is connected to the negative voltage supply vss , such as the ground . accordingly , the corresponding one of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn becomes isolated . in this way , the characteristic of the pseudo laser diode may be controlled , depending on the characteristic of the laser diode ld . when the forward voltage vf of the laser diode ld is larger than a predetermined value , another set of nmos transistors n 10 to n 1 n may be introduced , as illustrated in fig1 . in this exemplary case , instead of controlling the nmos transistors n 0 to nn , the nmos transistors n 10 to n 1 n may be controlled to obtain a desired characteristic . referring now to fig1 , a laser diode driving circuit 21 is explained according to another preferred embodiment . the driving circuit 21 , capable of driving the laser diode ld , includes the current supply 2 , the first pseudo laser diode ld 1 , the second pseudo laser diode ld 2 , the second current mirror circuit 4 , the third current mirror circuit 5 , the amplifier amp , the nmos transistor n 5 , the nmos transistor n 6 , the first switch swa , and the second switch swb . as shown in fig1 , the circuit 21 has a configuration less complex than the configuration of the circuit 1 of fig3 . the amplifier amp , which controls the gate voltage of the nmos transistor n 5 , can adjust the current i 5 , to make the anode voltage vld 1 and the anode voltage vld 2 substantially equal to each other . further , the amplifier , which controls the gate voltage of the nmos transistor n 6 , can adjust the current i 6 , i . e . the current ild , to be substantially proportional to the current i 5 . in this way , the current ild is made substantially proportional to the current i 1 . referring now to fig1 , a laser diode driving circuit 31 is explained according to another preferred embodiment . the driving circuit 31 , capable of driving the laser diode ld , includes the current supply 2 , the second current mirror circuit 4 , the third current mirror circuit 5 , the nmos transistor n 5 , the nmos transistor n 6 , the first switch swa , the second switch swb , a fifth current mirror circuit 32 . as shown in fig1 , the circuit 31 has a configuration less complex than the configuration of the circuit 21 of fig1 . the current supply 2 is connected between the positive supply voltage vdd and the output terminal of the fifth current mirror circuit 32 . the connecting point between the current supply 2 and the fifth current mirror circuit 32 is further connected to the gates of the nmos transistors n 5 and n 6 , respectively . the sources of the pmos transistors p 5 and p 6 are each connected to the positive supply voltage vdd . the pmos transistor p 5 has the gate connected to the gate of the pmos transistor p 6 , and the drain connected to the connecting point between the pmos transistors p 5 and p 6 . the second switch swb and the nmos transistor n 5 are serially connected between the drain of the pmos transistor p 5 and the negative supply voltage vss . the sources of the pmos transistors p 7 and p 8 are each connected to the positive supply voltage vdd . the pmos transistor p 7 has the gate connected to the gate of the pmos transistor p 8 , and the drain connected to the connecting point between the pmos transistors p 7 and p 8 . the first switch swa and the nmos transistor n 6 are serially connected between the drain of the pmos transistor p 7 and the negative supply voltage vss . referring to fig1 , the fifth current mirror circuit 32 includes nmos transistors n 0 to nn , nb 0 to nbn , sn 0 to snn , and snb 0 to snbn , and a register 25 . each one of the nmos transistors snb 0 to snbn and the corresponding one of the nmos transistors nb 0 to nb 1 are serially connected to each other between the current supply 2 and the negative supply voltage vss . each one of the nmos transistors sn 0 to snn and the corresponding one of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn are serially connected to each other between the drain of the pmos transistor p 6 and the negative supply voltage vss . each of the gates of the nmos transistors sn 0 to snn is connected to the corresponding one of the gates of the nmos transistors snb 0 to snbn . each of the connecting points of the nmos transistors sn 0 to snn and the nmos transistors snb 0 to snbn is further connected to the register 25 . each of the gates of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn is connected to the corresponding one of the gates of the nmos transistors nb 0 to nbn . each of the connecting points of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn and the nmos transistors nb 0 to nbn is further connected to the corresponding one of the connecting points of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn and the nmos transistors sn 0 to snn . each of the nmos transistors nb 0 to nbn functions as the first pseudo laser diode ld 1 shown in any one of fig3 and 16 . each of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn functions as the second pseudo laser diode ld 2 shown in any one of fig3 and 16 . the register 25 is previously programmed to send a high level signal to at least one of the nmos transistors sn 0 to snn to turn on the corresponding one of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn . similarly , the register 25 sends a high level signal to at least one of the nmos transistors snb 0 to snbn to turn on the corresponding one of the nmos transistors nb 0 to nbn . for example , when the register 25 sends a high level signal to the nmos transistor snk and the nmos transistor snbk , with k being an integer between 0 and n , the current i 1 , supplied by the current supply 2 , is input to the drain of the nmos transistor nbk as a drain current . the drain voltage of the nmos transistor nbk is output as the anode voltage vld 1 as illustrated in fig1 . the voltage vld 1 is further input to the gate of the nmos transistor n 5 , which is connected to the second current mirror circuit 4 . as a result , the current i 4 , i . e . the current i 5 , is made substantially equal to the current i 1 . still referring to fig1 , the voltage vld 1 is further input to the gate of the nmos transistor n 6 , which is connected to the third current mirror circuit 5 . thus , the current i 6 becomes substantially proportional to the current i 4 . since the circuit 4 and the circuit 5 are substantially similar in circuit configuration , the current ild becomes substantially proportional to the current i 1 . the fifth current mirror circuit 32 may have a configuration other than the configuration of fig1 . for example , the fifth current mirror circuit 32 may include any kind of circuits , capable of compensating the channel length modulation effect . for example , a cascade current mirror circuit shown in fig1 may preferably be used . alternatively , the channel length modulation effect may be suppressed by controlling the gate channel length of any one of the nmos transistors of the circuit 32 . in another example , referring to fig2 , the fifth current mirror circuit 32 may include a plurality of nmos transistors n 0 to nn , nb 0 to nbn , and ng 0 to ngn , a plurality of transmission gates tg 0 to tgn , and a plurality of inverters inv 0 to invn . the drains of the nmos transistors nb 0 to nbn are connected to one another . the sources of the nmos transistors nb 0 to nbn are connected to one another , and further to the negative supply voltage vss . the drains of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn are connected to one another . the sources of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn are connected to one another , and further to the negative supply voltage vss . the corresponding one of the transmission gates tg 0 to tgn is connected between the gate and the drain of each of the nmos transistors n 0 to nn . further , when the forward voltage vf of the laser diode ld is larger than a predetermined value , another set of nmos transistors n 10 to n 1 n may be introduced , as illustrated in fig2 , for example . any one of the above - described laser diode driving circuits and other light source driving circuits according to the present disclosure may be incorporated in any kind of light emitting system . for example , a light emitting system may include a controller , which outputs a control signal . based on the control signal , the light source driving circuit of the present disclosure generates an input current , and further generates an output current equal to or proportional to the input current . numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the disclosure of this patent specification may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . for example , elements and / or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and / or substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and / or appended claims . further , the invention of this disclosure and / or appended claims may be implemented using one or more conventional general purpose microprocessors and / or signal processors programmed according to the teachings of the present disclosure , as will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art ( s ). appropriate software coding can readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure , as will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art ( s ). alternatively , as described above , the invention of this disclosure and / or appended claims may be implemented by asic , prepared by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits or by a combination thereof with one or more conventional general purpose microprocessors and / or signal processors programmed accordingly . this patent specification claims priority to japanese patent application no . jpap2004 - 058970 filed on mar . 3 , 2004 , in the japanese patent office , the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference .	7
the principles of the present invention are applicable to a variety of computer hardware and software configurations . the term “ computer hardware ” or “ hardware ,” as used herein , refers to any machine or apparatus that is capable of accepting , performing logic operations on , storing , or displaying data , and includes without limitation processors and memory ; the term “ computer software ” or “ software ,” refers to any set of instructions operable to cause computer hardware to perform an operation . a “ computer ,” as that term is used herein , includes without limitation any useful combination of hardware and software , and a “ computer program ” or “ program ” includes without limitation any software operable to cause computer hardware to accept , perform logic operations on , store , or display data . a computer program may , and often is , comprised of a plurality of smaller programming units , including without limitation subroutines , modules , functions , methods , procedures . thus , the functions of the present invention may be distributed among a plurality of computers and computer programs . the invention is described best , though , as a single computer program that configures and enables one or more general - purpose computers to implement the novel aspects of the invention . for illustrative purposes , the inventive computer program will be referred to as the “ decision support engine ( dse ),” which comprises smaller programming units that will be referred to as the “ connection manager ,” “ query manager ,” and “ application program interface ( api ).” additionally , the dse and its components will be described with reference to an exemplary network of hardware devices , as depicted in fig1 . a “ network ” comprises any number of hardware devices coupled to and in communication with each other through a communications medium , such as the internet . a “ communications medium ” includes without limitation any physical , optical , electromagnetic , or other medium through which hardware or software can transmit data . for descriptive purposes , exemplary network 100 has only a limited number of nodes , including workstation computer 105 , workstation computer 110 , server computer 115 , and persistent storage 120 . network connection 125 comprises all hardware , software , and communications media necessary to enable communication between network nodes 105 - 120 . unless otherwise indicated in context below , all network nodes use publicly available protocols or messaging services to communicate with each other through network connection 125 . dse 200 , including connection manager 205 , query manager 210 , and api 215 , typically are stored in a memory , represented schematically as memory 220 in fig2 . the term “ memory ,” as used herein , includes without limitation any volatile or persistent medium , such as an electrical circuit , magnetic disk , or optical disk , in which a computer can store data or software for any duration . a single memory may encompass and be distributed across a plurality of media . thus , fig2 is included merely as a descriptive expedient and does not necessarily reflect any particular physical embodiment of memory 220 . as depicted in fig2 , though , memory 220 may include additional data and programs . of particular import to dse 200 , memory 220 may include workflow application 230 , with which dse 200 interacts . an “ application ,” as used herein , includes without limitation any computer program , or any combination or aggregation of computer programs , designed to interact with an end - user , especially to implement business operations or rules . api 215 comprises a set of utility programs , methods , or objects that a developer can use to integrate dse 200 functionality into workflow application 230 . dse 200 and workflow application 230 also may share common resource data 240 . fig3 depicts the interaction of workflow application 230 with dse 200 to provide decision support to a user of workflow application 230 . referring to fig3 for illustration , dse 200 services queries from workflow application 230 . more specifically , dse 200 services queries from workflow processes 305 - 315 within workflow application 230 . each workflow process 305 - 315 interfaces with dse 200 through api 215 . an application developer can use api 215 to specify one or more external data sources and submit a query to dse 200 . the term “ data source ” includes without limitation any medium used to store structured data or any computer program operable to retrieve data from such a structured data storage medium , such as a file , database , memory , data mining application , database server , or application server . in fig3 , database 320 , data mining application 325 , internet web services 330 , and application service provider 335 all are exemplary data sources . fig4 provides a detailed illustration of the interaction between a workflow process and dse 200 . workflow process 410 , which may be any of the workflow processes 305 - 315 depicted in fig3 and described above , submits a query , which also identifies one or more external data sources , to dse 200 through api 215 ( 415 ). query manager 210 receives the query and extracts the identity of each data source 420 , which may include any of the data sources 320 - 335 depicted in fig3 and described above ( 425 ). connection manager 205 then opens a connection to each data source 420 ( 430 ). query manager 210 next relays the query to each data source 420 ( 435 ), which processes the query and returns the results to query manager 210 . finally , query manager 210 relays the results to workflow process 410 through api 215 ( 440 ). a preferred form of the invention has been shown in the drawings and described above , but variations in the preferred form will be apparent to those skilled in the art . the preceding description is for illustration purposes only , and the invention should not be construed as limited to the specific form show and described . the scope of the invention should be limited only by the language of the following claims .	6
hereinbelow several embodiments of the inverter circuit according to the present invention , will be explained , referring to the drawings . fig1 is a block diagram indicating the circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention ; fig2 is a cross - sectional view indicating a part of the ic ; and fig4 is a diagram indicating overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 in detail . in fig1 and 4 , reference numeral 1 denotes an ac power supply ; 2 and 3 dc voltage sources ; 4 - 1 to 4 - 6 switching elements ; 5 - 1 to 5 - 6 diodes ; 6 - 1 to 6 - 3 lower arm drive circuits ; 7 - 1 to 7 - 3 upper arm drive circuits ; 8 a level shift circuit ; 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 overcurrent protection circuits ; 10 a motor ; 11 a control circuit ; 12 an inverter ic ; 13 a rectifying circuit ; 14 an sio 2 oxide layer ; 15 a base ( polycrystalline silicon ), 16 a collector terminal ; 17 an emitter terminal ; and 18 a gate terminal . further , 19 denotes a temperature detecting circuit ; 20 a signal processing circuit ; 21 a reference current setting circuit ; 22 , 23 - 1 to 23 - 3 fets ; 24 - 1 to 24 - 3 , 25 - 1 to 25 - 3 bipolar transistors ; 26 a nand circuit ; and 33 a hall element disposed within the case of the motor . in fig1 the region enclosed by a broken line represents a three - phase monolithic inverter ic ( hereinbelow called ic ) 12 integrated according to the present invention . in the first embodiment of the present invention , igbts ( insulated gate bipolar transistors ) 4 - 1 to 4 - 6 are used for the output semiconductor switching elements in the inverter . igbts having a multiemitter structure are used for the purpose of detecting current flowing therethrough for igbts 4 - 1 to 4 - 3 among them . by the method using switching elements having a multiemitter structure as described above , since the ratio of the current flowing through the sense terminal to the main circuit current flowing through the emitter electrode is almost equal to the emitter area ratio of the element , if the emitter area ratio is chosen to be e . g . 1000 : 1 , it is possible to set the current flowing on the detection side at 1 / 1000 of the main circuit current and an effect can be obtained that electric power capacity of a resistor for detection and loss are reduced with respect to those required in the case where the main circuit current is detected by the prior art technique . now the reason why the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 are disposed only on the lower arm side , as described above , will be described . in the usual inverter operation , since the main circuit current ( load current ) supplied from the power supply flows always through either one of the lower arm switching elements , it is possible to detect abnormal current by upper and lower arm short - circuit , interphase short - circuit , etc . to protect the switching elements thereagainst . although abnormal current by a ground short - circuit accident of a load and at the upper arm back current mode cannot be detected by these overcurrent protection circuits , since a gate short - circuiting circuit for the upper arm drive circuit serves to turn off the upper arm switching elements at this time , no overcurrent protection circuits are required for the upper arm switching elements . further diodes 5 - 1 to 5 - 6 are connected between the collector and the emitter of these igbts , respectively , in anti - parallel . igbt 4 - 4 and igbt 4 - 1 are connected in series through the rectifying circuit 13 between the two terminals of the ac power supply to form a closed circuit . igbt 4 - 5 and igbt 4 - 2 as well as igbt 4 - 6 and igbt 4 - 3 are connected in parallel thereto to form the main circuit of the three - phase inverter . the respective connecting points of igbt 4 - 1 and igbt 4 - 4 , igbt 4 - 2 and igbt 4 - 5 as well as igbt 4 - 3 and igbt 4 - 6 are output points of the inverter circuit , with which the motor 10 is connected . the motor 10 is a brushless motor , which rotates , receiving the output of the ic 12 and in which the hall element 33 mounted in the motor case detects the rotational position of the rotor , the motor position detection signal being inputted in the control circuit 11 . in order to turn on and off igbt 4 - 1 to 4 - 3 , which are the lower arm output semiconductor switching elements , the igbt drive circuits 6 - 1 to 6 - 3 for the lower arm switching elements are connected between the gate and the emitter of igbts 4 - 1 to 4 - 3 , respectively . further , the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 detecting currents flowing through igbts 4 - 1 to 4 - 3 to protect them against latch - up due to overcurrent are connected with current detecting emitter electrodes of igbts 4 - 1 to 4 - 3 , respectively . the dc power supply 2 is a power supply , whose low potential side is connected with that of the rectifying circuit 13 in common , and it is connected with the lower arm igbt drive circuits 6 - 1 to 6 - 3 and the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 to supply driving currents therefor . outside of the ic 12 , there is disposed the control circuit 11 controlling the turning on and off of igbts 4 - 1 to 4 - 6 . the control circuit 11 is connected with the hall element 33 disposed within the case of the motor 10 as well as the lower arm igbt drive circuits 6 - 1 to 6 - 3 and the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 within the ic 12 and also with the upper arm igbt drive circuits 7 - 1 to 7 - 3 through the level shift circuit 8 . in a usual inverter device , since it is necessary to give the upper arm switching elements a driving signal with a potential difference , which is equal to the voltage applied between the output terminals of the lower arm switching elements , the level shift circuit 8 described above is necessary . further , the low potential side of the dc power supply 3 acting as the power supply for driving the upper arm igbts is connected with the high potential side of the rectifying circuit 13 and the high potential side of the dc power supply 3 is connected with the upper arm igbt drive circuits 7 - 1 to 7 - 3 . fig2 shows a part of the cross - section of the monolithic inverter ic 12 indicated in fig1 showing the connection relation for igbts 4 - 4 , and 4 - 5 . this ic 12 is constructed by the dielectric isolating method . igbts 4 - 4 and 4 - 5 are formed in interiors enclosed by trapezoidal sio 2 oxide layers 14 , respectively , and on the polycrystalline silicon base 15 . in this way igbts 4 - 4 and 4 - 5 are formed so as to be electrically completely isolated from other constituent elements . igbts 4 - 4 and 4 - 5 indicated in the figure are formed in the lateral structure , in which current flows laterally . although the collector electrode 16 is used in common , the other two electrodes are isolated electrically from each other so as to be separated emitter electrodes 17 - 1 , 17 - 2 and gate electrodes 18 - 1 , 18 - 2 . that is , according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above it is possible to integrate a three - phase bridge inverter circuit having a small size and a high withstand or breakdown voltage , which is not influenced by noise , on one chip . further , in this figure , the temperature detecting circuit 19 is connected with the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 . by detecting precisely temperature variations of the main body of the circuit integrated on one chip by means of the temperature detecting circuit 19 in this way , the overcurrent set value can be varied , depending on the current level varying with the temperature variations , and at the same time , it is possible to stop the operation of the ic to intend the protection of the elements , when the ic is heated over a predetermined temperature . it is not always necessary to dispose the temperature detecting circuit 19 and the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 within the ic chip . fig3 shows another embodiment of the present invention . in the embodiment indicated in this figure a self - sustaining power supplying circuit 60 is disposed in the inverter circuit integrated on one chip indicated in fig1 . by integrating this self - sustaining power supplying circuit in the ic the power supply for driving the upper arm switching elements , which was necessary heretofore , becomes unnecessary and an effect is obtained that it is sufficient to dispose only a capacitor 3c instead of the power supply 3 , which was necessary heretofore for utilizing this ic . next the operation of this power supplying circuit will be explained . a control signal from the control circuit 11 is given to a self - sustaining power supply drive circuit 61 through the level shift circuit 8 . at first , the self - sustaining power supply drive circuit 61 gives a switch 66 an on signal . when the switch 66 is turned on , current flows from the dc power supply 2 through a loop consisting of a diode 64 , a capacitor 62 and the switch 66 . next , when the switch 66 is turned off and a switch 65 is turned on by a signal from the self - sustaining power supply drive circuit 61 , current flows through another loop consisting of the capacitor 62 , a diode 63 , the capacitor 3c and the switch 65 and electric charge stored in the capacitor 62 is transferred to the capacitor 3c . the capacitor 3c is charged by repeating this operation and the upper arm switching elements are driven by using this electric charge . fig4 illustrates a specific construction of the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 indicated in fig1 . in fig4 the reference current setting circuit 21 is connected with the temperature detecting circuit so as to receive detected temperature signals from the temperature detecting circuit 19 and the output thereof is connected with the drain and the gate of fet 22 . fet 22 is connected with fet 23 - 1 , fet 23 - 2 and fet 23 - 3 so as to form a current mirror circuit . transistors 24 - 1 to 24 - 3 are connected with fets 23 - 1 to 23 - 3 , respectively , and further these transistors are connected with transistors 25 - 1 to 25 - 3 , respectively , so as to form current mirror circuits . the connecting points of fet 23 - 1 to 23 - 3 with the transistors 24 - 1 to 24 - 3 are connected with input terminals of the nand circuit 26 and the output terminal of the nand circuit is connected with the signal processing circuit 20 . reference numeral 27 represents a signal input terminal from the control circuit 11 . in fig1 the temperature detecting circuit 19 detects the temperature of the ic 12 and detected temperature information thus obtained is transmitted to the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 . in this way the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 vary the overcurrent detection level , depending on the transmitted temperature information . that is , the overcurrent protection starting temperature is set so that the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 lower the overcurrent detection level at a high temperature with respect to the overcurrent detection level , when the temperature of the ic 12 is low , and that the protection is started at a smaller current with increasing temperature . in this way , in the present embodiment , the inverter can be controlled with a high efficiency . each of the overcurrent protection circuits 9 - 1 to 9 - 3 includes the reference current setting circuit 21 , the current mirror circuit described above and a comparator having one of fets 23 - 1 to 23 - 3 and one of the transistors 24 - 1 to 24 - 3 . the temperature information detected by the temperature detecting circuit 19 is transmitted to the reference current setting circuit 21 to vary the value of the reference current , depending on the temperature . the operation point of the comparator includes fets 23 - 1 to 23 - 3 and the transistors 24 - 1 to 24 - 3 is varied by this reference current value . in this way , in the second embodiment of the present invention , it is possible to start the protection at a small current , when the ic 12 is heated at a high temperature . fig5 is a cross - sectional view of a brushless motor showing a third embodiment of the present invention . in fig5 reference numeral 28 - 1 denotes a motor case ; 28 - 2 a stator ; 29 a coil ; 30 a permanent magnet ; 31 a shaft ; 32 a rotor ; 33 a hall element ; 34 a package of the inverter ic ; 35 a shield cable ; 36 a printed board ; and 37 - 1 and 37 - 2 bearings . the brushless motor indicated in fig5 includes the motor case 28 - 1 , th stator 28 - 2 and the rotor 32 . the coil 29 is wound on the rotor 28 - 2 and the shaft 31 and the permanent magnet 30 are mounted on the rotor . the rotor 28 - 2 and the shaft 31 are coupled rotatably through the bearings 37 - 1 and 37 - 2 . the printed board 36 is mounted inside of the motor case 28 - 1 and the ic 12 according to the present invention and the hall element 33 are mounted on the printed board 36 . the ic 12 is accommodated in the package 34 having a cooling fin and secured to the motor case 28 - 1 by screws . also , the coil 29 and the shield line 35 are connected with the printed board 36 . next , an operation of the third embodiment of the present invention constructed as described above will be explained . electric power and control signals are inputted to the brushless motor indicated in the figure through the shield line 35 from the exterior and the signal representing the position of the rotor 32 detected by the hall element 33 is outputted to the exterior of the motor . the ic 12 generates ac electric power controlling the motor to rotate it by receiving this control signal and performing the inverter operation so as to control the brushless motor with a variable speed . since the inverter circuit using the ic 12 can be incorporated within the motor case , as described above , the brushless motor is very suitable for reducing the size of the system and increasing the performance . fig6 is a block diagram indicating the circuit of the fourth embodiment of the present invention . in fig6 denotes an upper arm main circuit and 39 denotes a resistor . the other reference numerals represent the parts identical to those indicated in fig1 to 4 . the circuit of the fourth embodiment of the present invention indicated in fig6 has a construction almost identical to that indicated in fig4 and therefore explanation thereof in detail will be omitted . what is different from the circuit indicated in fig4 consists in that the drain of fet 22 is taken out in the form of a terminal 40 to the exterior of the ic 12 and that the resistor 39 is connected between this terminal 40 and the low potential side terminal of the dc power supply 2 . the upper arm main circuit includes igbts 4 - 4 to 4 - 6 , the diodes 5 - 4 to 5 - 6 and the upper arm igbt drive circuits 7 - 1 to 7 - 3 . in the fourth embodiment indicated in fig6 the overcurrent detecting circuits are constructed basically identically to those used in the second embodiment of the present invention explained , referring to fig4 but the method for setting the reference current is different . by using this setting method , apart from the fact that the overcurrent level can be varied arbitrarily from the exterior , the temperature rise of the resistor 39 is smaller than that observed within the ic 12 and it is possible to suppress variations in the reference current due to variations in the temperature to small values . further , in the present embodiment , it is possible to set the value of the overcurrent for the three phases by using one resistor and thus conserve parts . fig7 is a block diagram indicating the fifth embodiment of the present invention and fig8 a to 8j show waveforms for explaining the operation thereof . in fig7 reference numeral 41 denotes an overcurrent detecting circuit ; 42 - 1 to 42 - 8 not circuits ; 43 a resistor ; 44 a capacitor ; 45 - 1 to 45 - 10 nand circuits ; 46 - 1 to 46 - 3 nor circuits ; 47 a lower arm main circuit of the inverter ; and the other reference numerals parts identical to those indicated in fig1 to 4 . the circuit according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig7 indicates the signal processing circuit 20 in fig4 or 6 in detail . this signal processing circuit 20 has four input terminals 48 - 1 to 48 - 4 and generates six signals , starting from the four signals at the input terminals by means of the nor circuits 46 - 1 to 46 - 3 and the nand circuits 45 - 6 to 45 - 10 to form six signals at the output of the not circuits 42 - 3 to 42 - 8 . among these signals the output signals of the not circuits 42 - 3 , 42 - 5 and 42 - 7 are inputted in the level shift circuit 8 . on the other hand , the output signals of the not circuits 42 - 4 , 42 - 6 and 42 - 8 are inputted to the lower arm igbt drive circuit . numeral 47 represents a lower arm main circuit , while numeral 38 represents an upper arm main circuit including igbts , diodes and igbt drive circuits . ( see , for example , the chain block 38 shown in fig4 ) among the four input signals the three input signals through the input terminals 48 - 1 to 48 - 3 are inputted to one nand circuit 45 - 3 of the nand circuits 45 - 2 and 45 - 3 constituting an rs flip - flop through the nand circuit 45 - 4 . on the other hand output signals of the overcurrent detecting circuit 41 are brought together in one signal by the nand circuit 26 . the output signal thereof is divided into two signals , one of which is inputted directly to a first input terminal of the nand circuit 45 - 1 and the other of which is inputted to a second input terminal of the nand circuit 45 - 1 through a not circuit 42 - 1 , a resistor 43 , a capacitor 44 and a not circuit 42 - 2 , the capacitor 44 being connected between the connection point between the resistor 43 and the not circuit 42 - 2 and the ground . the output of the nand circuit 45 - 1 is inputted to the nand circuit 45 - 2 constituting the rs flip - flop described above . the output of the flip - flop is inputted to the nor circuits 46 - 1 to 46 - 3 and at the same time outputted to the exterior of the ic 12 through an output terminal 48 - 5 . in the signal waveforms for explaining the operation of the fifth embodiment of the present invention indicated in fig8 a to 8j , the signals inputted to the input terminals 48 - 1 to 48 - 4 indicated in fig7 have waveforms indicated by u , v , w and pwm in fig8 a to 8d , respectively . the waveforms of the output signals of the not circuits 42 - 3 , 42 - 5 and 42 - 7 are indicated by u +, v + and w + and the waveforms of the output signals of the not circuits 42 - 4 , 42 - 6 and 42 - 8 are indicated by u -, v - and w -, respectively , in fig8 e to 8j . now the operation of the fifth embodiment of the present invention described above will be explained . the four kinds of input signals u , v , w and pwm inputted through the input terminals 48 - 1 to 48 - 4 are transformed into the six waveforms u +, v +, w +, u -, v - and w - by the nor circuits 46 - 1 to 46 - 3 , the nand circuits 45 - 5 to 45 - 10 and the not circuits 42 - 3 to 42 - 8 . the output of the overcurrent detecting circuit 41 is at the h ( high ) level at the normal state and the output of the nand circuit 45 - 2 constituting the rs flip - flop is at the l ( low ) level . at this time the nor circuits 46 - 1 to 46 - 3 act as not circuits . in this way the six signals described above are outputted and the ic 12 performs the inverter operation . however , when the overcurrent detecting circuit 41 detects overcurrent and is driven , the output of the nand circuit 26 is turned to be at the h level and the flip - flop is inverted so that the output signal of the nand circuit 45 - 2 is turned to be at the h level . at this time all the outputs of the nor circuits 46 - 1 to 46 - 3 are turned to be at the l level , regardless of the state of the input signals u , v and w . as a result , all the six output signals described above of the not circuits 42 - 3 to 42 - 8 are turned to be at the l level so that the inverter operation of the ic 12 is interrupted . in the fifth embodiment of the present invention described above there is disposed the output terminal for indicating it outside of the ic 12 that the interruption state is realized , by outputting the output of the flip - flop to the exterior . in order to remove the interruption state described above , it is sufficient to input h level signals to all the input terminals 48 - 1 to 48 - 3 stated above . in this way the output of the nand circuit 45 - 4 is turned to the l level , the output of the flip - flop is reset ; the output signal of the nand circuit 45 - 2 returns to the l level ; and the ic 12 is turned to the state where it can be driven . further , in the fifth embodiment of the present invention , a mask circuit is added to the signal processing stage in the overcurrent detecting circuit 41 . this circuit is operated as follows . that is , the overcurrent state takes place in the inverter circuit and as soon as the output of the nand circuit 26 is changed from the l level to the h level , as described above , the signal , which is turned to the h level , is inputted to one of the inputs of the nand circuit 45 - 1 . however , since there is disposed a time constant circuit having the resistor 43 and the capacitor 44 , a signal at the h level delayed by a predetermined time is inputted to the other input of the nand circuit 45 - 1 , after the output of the nand circuit 26 has been changed to the h level . for this reason , the output of the nand circuit 45 - 1 is delayed by a predetermined time with respect to the output of the nand circuit 26 . in the case where the time where the output of the nand circuit 26 is turned to the h level is shorter than this delay time , the output of the nand circuit 45 - 1 is not changed . in the fifth embodiment of the present invention described above , since it is possible to form the signals for driving the six igbts for the three phases by inputting the four kinds of signals , it is possible to decrease the number of input signal lines and the number of externally mounted parts such as a photocoupler for inputting signals , etc . further , according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention it is possible to interrupt all the arms by detecting overcurrent by means of a circuit including a small number of elements and further to omit the reset terminal , which resets the whole circuit after an interruption of the inverter operation by setting all the three input signals at the h level to reset the flip - flop . still further , according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention no erroneous operations take place , because overcurrent in a predetermined time is masked so that noise in the overcurrent detecting circuit and current at the diode recovery are not considered as overcurrent . furthermore , although , in general , excessive current flows through the switching elements at the beginning of the conduction , according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention , owing to the masking function described above , the overcurrent protection means doesn &# 39 ; t operate in a predetermined time after the beginning of the conduction of the switching elements and therefore it is possible to prevent interruption of the operation of the inverter circuit due to excessive current at the conduction of the switching elements . the fifth embodiment of the present invention has the effects as described above and all of these effects are particularly useful , in the case where the embodiment is realized in the form of a monolithic ic . fig9 is a block diagram indicating the circuit in the sixth embodiment of the present invention . in fig9 reference numeral 49 denotes an overcurrent protection circuit ; 50 a reset circuit ; 51 a signal distributing circuit ; and the other reference numerals parts identical to those used in fig7 . the circuit construction in the sixth embodiment of the present invention indicated in fig9 is almost identical to that indicated in fig7 and explanation thereof in detail will be omitted . in fig9 the signal distributing circuit 51 is constructed similarly to that indicated in fig7 . in this sixth embodiment the reset circuit 50 is a circuit for resetting the flip - flop having the nand circuits 45 - 2 and 45 - 3 and what is different from that used in the fifth embodiment explained referring to fig7 consists in that the reset signal is not inputted from the exterior , but the state of the overcurrent protection circuit 49 is observed and the reset signal is outputted automatically , when predetermined conditions are fulfilled . that is , when predetermined conditions are fulfilled such that current , voltage , temperature , etc . are in a normal state , that the overcurrent protection circuit 49 returns from an abnormal state to a normal state , that a predetermined time has been lapsed , after the flip - flop has been inverted , and so forth , the reset circuit 50 gives the nand circuit 45 - 3 a signal , which resets the flip - flop and turns the inverter ic 12 to the state where it can be operated . for this reason , according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention , even in the case where it is in an abnormal state and the operation of the inverter circuit is stopped , when the abnormal state disappears , the inverter circuit can be operated automatically . according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention described above , in the case where it is desired not to stop the motor even if the overcurrent protection circuit is driven due to overcurrent , etc ., the inverter circuit can be restarted automatically after the lapse of a predetermined time or the recovery of the overcurrent protection circuit . as explained above , according to the embodiments of the present invention , a three - phase bridge inverter circuit having a high withstand or breakdown voltage for controlling motor can be integrated in one chip and therefore it is possible to fabricate inverter circuits cheaply in mass production . in addition , since it can be driven by inputting directly a dc voltage obtained by rectifying the commercial ac 100 v , no voltage lowering transformer is necessary and therefore it is possible to reduce significantly the volume of a system using an inverter circuit . further , since it is formed in an ic using a dielectric isolating substrate , it is possible to reduce the isolating distance between constituent elements in the ic with respect to that obtained by using a conventional pn isolation substrate and thus to decrease the chip area . still further , since , in the dielectric isolating substrate , interference between constituent elements is extremely small , the property for preventing erroneous operations due to noise in the inverter circuit can be improved . furthermore it is possible to form arbitrarily constituent elements of various structures in a same chip and as the result to effect easily circuit design in a short period of time . further , since not only the inverter but also protecting circuits such as the overcurrent detecting circuit , the temperature detecting circuit , etc . are incorporated in the monolithic ic , when excessive current flows through output switching elements , when the temperature of the chip is raised abnormally , etc ., it is possible to shorten significantly the delay time from the point of time , where an abnormality in the ic is detected , to the point of time , where a self protecting operation is effected , and to detect the temperature of the chip without interruption to control the peak value of the current flowing through the output switching elements , depending on the temperature . in this way , it is possible to improve the usability of the inverter and to increase the reliability thereof .	7
by this invention , there is provided a process for the preparation of a compound of structural formula ic , or a salt thereof , t , u , v and w are each independently selected from the group consisting of : ( 1 ) nitrogen , and ( 2 ) methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of : ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy , and wherein at least two of t , u , v , and w are methine ; wherein x is chlorine or bromine , and t , u , v , and w are as defined above , by treating the compound of formula ic with a halogenating agent in a solvent ; ( b ) forming a spirolactone ester of formula p wherein r 3 is selected from the group consisting of tert - butyl , methyl cyclohexyl , methyl cyclopentyl , and neopentyl , and t , u , v and w are as defined above , by treating the spirolactone acid halide of formula e with a base and an alcohol in a solvent ; ( c ) forming a spirolactone acid of formula ic wherein t , u , v and w are defined as above , by hydrolyzing the spirolactone ester of formula f with an aqueous acid ; and ( d ) isolating the resulting product . in one embodiment of the present invention , the process comprises increasing the amount of trans isomer ia wherein t , u , v and w are each independently selected from the group consisting of : ( 1 ) nitrogen , and ( 2 ) methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of : ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy , and wherein at least two of t , u , v , and w are methine . in another embodiment of the present invention , t , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy ; and in a class of this embodiment , t , v and w are unsubstituted methine ; and u is nitrogen . in another embodiment of the present invention , t , u , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy . in one class of this embodiment , the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with halogen . in another embodiment of the present invention , the solvent in step ( a ) is selected from the group consisting of chloroform , ethyl acetate , tetrahydrofuran , dimethoxyethane , diglyme , 2 - methyl tetrahydrofuran , 1 , 4 - dioxane and diethoxymethane . in a class of this embodiment , the solvent in step ( a ) is tetrahydrofuran . in another embodiment of the present invention , the halogenating agent in step ( a ) is selected from the group consisting of phosphorus oxychloride , oxalyl chloride , phosphorus trichloride , phosphorus tribromide , thionyl chloride , thionyl bromide and oxalyl bromide . in a class of this embodiment , the halogenating agent in step ( a ) is phosphorus oxychloride . in a subclass of this class , the amount of phosphorus oxychloride is between about 0 . 7 equivalents to about 2 . 0 equivalents relative to spirolactone acid ic . in another subclass of this class , the amount of phosphorus oxychloride is about 1 . 15 equivalents relative to spirolactone acid ic . in another subclass of this class , the amount of phosphorus oxychloride is about 1 . 05 equivalents relative to spirolactone acid ic . in another embodiment of the present invention , the spirolactone acid halide of formula e in step ( a ) is a spirolactone acid chloride . in another embodiment of the present invention , the reaction of step ( a ) further comprises a catalyst . in a class of this embodiment , the catalyst is dimethyl formamide . in a subclass of this class , the amount of dimethyl formamide is between about 0 . 2 equivalents to about 5 equivalents relative to spirolactone acid of formula ic . in another subclass of this class , the amount of dimethyl formamide is about 1 equivalent relative to spirolactone acid of formula ic . in another embodiment of the present invention , the reaction of step ( a ) is run at a temperature between about 20 ° c . to about 80 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , the reaction of step ( a ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . in a subclass of this class , the reaction of step ( a ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . for about 2 hours . in another embodiment of the present invention , the base of step ( b ) is selected from the group consisting of n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylenediamine , triethyl amine , n , n - diisopropylethyl amine , n , n - dimethylethyl amine , pyridine , collidine , 1 , 8 - diazabicyclo [ 5 . 4 . 0 ] undec - 7 - ene , n - methylmorpholine , and n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyl - 1 , 6 - hexanediamine . in a class of this embodiment , the base of step ( b ) is n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylene - diamine . in a subclass of this class , the amount of n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylene - diamine is between about 1 equivalent to about 10 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another subclass of this class , the amount of n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyl - ethylenediamine is about 3 . 5 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another embodiment of the present invention , the alcohol of step ( b ) is selected from the group consisting of tert - butyl alcohol , methyl cyclohexanol , methyl cyclopentanol , and neopentyl alcohol . in a class of this embodiment , the alcohol of step ( b ) is tert - butyl alcohol . in a subclass of this class , the amount of tert - butyl alcohol is between about 1 equivalent to about 10 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another subclass of this class , the amount of tert - butyl alcohol is about 1 . 5 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in one embodiment of the present invention , the solvent in step ( b ) is selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofuran , dimethoxyethane , diglyme , 2 - methyl tetrahydrofuran , 1 , 4 - dioxane and diethoxymethane . in a class of this embodiment , the solvent in step ( b ) is tetrahydrofuran . in another embodiment , the reaction of step ( b ) further comprises a salt . in a class of this embodiment , the salt is selected from the group consisting of lithium bromide , lithium chloride , lithium iodide , lithium perchlorate and lithium tetrafluoroborate . in a subclass of this class , the salt is lithium chloride . in a subclass of this subclass , the amount of lithium chloride is between about 0 . 5 equivalents to about 5 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another subclass of this subclass , the amount of lithium chloride is about 1 equivalent relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another embodiment of the present invention , the reaction of step ( b ) is run at a temperature between about 20 ° c . to about 80 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , the reaction of step ( b ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . in a subclass of this class , the reaction of step ( b ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . for about 2 hours to about 24 hours . in another subclass of this class , the reaction of step ( b ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . for about 19 hours . in another embodiment of the present invention , the aqueous acid of step ( c ) is selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid , hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , phosphoric acid and formic acid . in a class of this embodiment , the aqueous acid of step ( c ) is sulfuric acid . in another embodiment of the present invention , the hydrolysis of step ( c ) is run at a temperature between about 20 ° c . and about 100 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , the hydrolysis of step ( c ) is run at a temperature of about 50 ° c . in a subclass of this class , the hydrolysis of step ( c ) is run at a temperature of about 50 ° c . for about 2 hours . in another embodiment of the present invention , the product of step ( d ) is isolated by adjusting the ph of the solution of step ( c ) to between about 0 and 4 with a base and extracting the reaction mixture to afford the compound ic . in a subclass of this class , the base is sodium hydroxide . in another subclass , the ph of the solution of step ( c ) is adjusted to between about 2 to about 3 . in a subclass of this subclass , the ph of the solution of step ( c ) is adjusted to about 2 . 4 . by this invention , there is further provided a process for the preparation and separation of a spirolactone of formula ia , or a salt thereof , and a spirolactone of formula ib , or a salt thereof , t , u , v and w are each independently selected from the group consisting of ( 1 ) nitrogen , and ( 2 ) methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy , and wherein at least two of t , u , v , and w are methine ; wherein t , u , v and w are as defined above , to form a mixture ; ( f ) adding an acid to the mixture of step ( e ) to form a mixture ; and ( g ) aging the mixture of step ( f ) for a time and under conditions effective to afford the compound ia wherein t , u , v and w are as defined above , or a salt thereof . in one embodiment of the present invention , t , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy ; and in a class of this embodiment , t , v and w are unsubstituted methine ; and u is nitrogen . in another embodiment of the present invention , t , u , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy . in one class of this embodiment , the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with halogen . in another embodiment of this invention , the solvent of step ( e ) is selected from the group consisting of dimethoxyethane , acetonitrile , tetrahydrofuran , or a mixture thereof . in a class of this embodiment , the solvent of step ( e ) is tetrahydrofuran . in another class of this embodiment , the solvent of step ( e ) is acetonitrile . in another embodiment of this invention , the acid of step ( f ) is selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , tartaric acid , methane sulfonic acid , toluene sulfonic acid , succinic acid , and sulfuric acid . in a class of this embodiment , the acid of step ( f ) is hydrochloric acid . in another embodiment of this invention , the step ( g ) is aged at a temperature of about 10 ° c . to 60 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , step ( g ) is aged for a period between about 1 hour to about 48 hours . in a subclass of this class , step ( g ) is aged at a temperature of about 25 ° c . for about 3 hours . in another embodiment of this invention , the process further comprises step ( h ) of isolating the compound of formula ia , or a salt thereof . in a class of this embodiment , the compound of formula ia is isolated by filtering and concentrating the filtrate to give a slurry . in a subclass of this class , the slurry is diluted with a solvent and aged for a time and under conditions to give the compound of formula ia . in another subclass of this class , the slurry is diluted with hexane and aged for about 20 hours at about 0 ° c . in a subclass of this subclass , the compound of formula ia is isolated by filtering the slurry to give the product . in another subclass of this class , the slurry is concentrated , diluted with acetonitrile and aged for a time and under conditions to give the compound of formula ia . by this invention , there is also provided a process for the preparation of a compound of structural formula ic , or a salt thereof , t , u , v and w are each independently selected from the group consisting of ( 1 ) nitrogen , and ( 2 ) methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy , and wherein at least two of t , u , v , and w are methine ; comprising the steps of ( a ) combining a strong base with a compound of formula a wherein t , u , v and w are as defined above , in an aprotic solvent to form a solution ; ( b ) reacting a compound of formula b ( a ) lower alkyl , and ( b ) — ch 2 - phenyl , wherein the phenyl group is unsubstituted or substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( 1 ) lower alkyl , ( 2 ) lower alkoxy , and ( 3 ) — no 2 , with the solution of step ( a ) to form an ester of formula c in solution wherein t , u , v and w are as defined above ; ( c ) adding water to the solution of the ester of formula c in step ( b ) to form an acid of formula d wherein t , u , v and w are as defined above ; ( d ) forming a spirolactone acid of formula ic wherein t , u , v , and w are as defined above , by treating the acid of formula d with an aqueous acid ; ( e ) forming an spirolactone acid halide of formula e wherein x is chlorine or bromine , and t , u , v , and w are as defined above , by treating the compound of formula ic with a halogenating agent in a solvent ; ( f ) forming a spirolactone ester of formula f wherein r 3 is selected from the group consisting of tert - butyl , methyl cyclohexyl , methyl cyclopentyl , and neopentyl , and t , u , v and w are as defined above , by treating the spirolactone acid halide of formula e with a base and an alcohol in a solvent ; ( g ) forming a spirolactone acid of formula ic wherein t , u , v and w are defined as above , by hydrolyzing the spirolactone ester of formula f with an aqueous acid ; and ( h ) isolating the resulting product . in one embodiment of the present invention , the process comprises increasing the amount of trans isomer ia wherein t , u , v and w are each independently selected from the group consisting of : ( 1 ) nitrogen , and ( 2 ) methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of : ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy , and wherein at least two of t , u , v , and w are methine . in another embodiment of the present invention , t , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy ; and in a class of this embodiment , t , v and w are unsubstituted methine ; and u is nitrogen . in another embodiment of the present invention , t , u , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy . in one class of this embodiment , the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with halogen . in another embodiment of the present invention , steps ( a ) and ( b ) are run at a temperature of between about − 50 ° c . and − 80 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , step ( a ) is aged at a temperature less than about − 55 ° c . in a subclass of this class , step ( a ) is aged for a period between about 5 minutes to 18 hours . in another embodiment of this invention , the aprotic solvent of step ( a ) is selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofuran , toluene , heptane , dimethoxyethane , benzene , and hexane , diethyl ether , xylene , or a mixture thereof . in a class of this embodiment , the aprotic solvent of step ( a ) is tetrahydrofuran . in another embodiment of this invention , the strong base of step ( a ) is selected from the group consisting of n - buli , sec - buli , t - buli , lihmds , nahmds , khmds and litmp . in a class of this embodiment , the strong base of step ( a ) is n - buli . in another embodiment of this invention , step ( a ) further comprises adding a salt selected from the group consisting of libr , licl , lii , libf 4 , liclo 4 , and cecl 3 . in a class of this embodiment , the salt of step ( a ) is libr . in another embodiment of this invention , r 2 is selected from the group consisting of : — ch 3 , — ch 2 ch 3 , —( ch 2 ) 2 ch 3 , — ch ( ch 3 ) 2 , —( ch 2 ) 3 ch 3 , and — ch ( ch 3 ) 3 . in a class of this embodiment , r 2 is — ch 2 ch 3 . in another embodiment of the present invention , water is added to the solution of the ester of formula c in step ( c ) at a temperature of about 60 ° c . to about − 50 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , water is added at a temperature of about − 550 ° c . in another embodiment of the present invention , step ( c ) is run at a temperature between about 0 ° c . to 50 ° c . after the addition of water . in a class of this embodiment , step ( c ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . after the addition of water . in a subclass of this class , step ( c ) is run for a period between about 1 hour to 4 hours . in another embodiment of the present invention , the aqueous acid of step ( d ) is selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid , sulfuric acid , methane sulfonic acid , trifluoromethane sulfonic acid , or a mixture thereof . in a class of this embodiment , the aqueous acid of step ( d ) is sulfuric acid . in a subclass of this class , the acid is added at a temperature of about less than 30 ° c . in another subclass of this class , the acid is added at a temperature of about less than 30 ° c ., and aged at a temperature between about 50 ° c . to about 70 ° c . for a period of about 1 hour to about 4 hours . in another embodiment of the present invention , the spirolactone acid halide of formula e in step ( e ) is a spirolactone acid chloride . in another embodiment of the present invention , the solvent in step ( e ) is selected from the group consisting of chloroform , ethyl acetate , tetrahydrofuran , dimethoxyethane , diglyme , 2 - methyl tetrahydrofuran , 1 , 4 - dioxane and diethoxymethane . in a class of this embodiment , the solvent in step ( e ) is tetrahydrofuran . in another embodiment of the present invention , the halogenating agent in step ( e ) is selected from the group consisting of phosphorus oxychloride , oxalyl chloride , phosphorus trichloride , phosphorus tribromide , thionyl chloride , thionyl bromide and oxalyl bromide . in a class of this embodiment , the halogenating agent in step ( e ) is phosphorus oxychloride . in a subclass of this class , the amount of phosphorus oxychloride is between about 0 . 7 equivalents to about 2 . 0 equivalents relative to spirolactone acid ic . in another subclass of this class , the amount of phosphorus oxychloride is about 1 . 15 equivalents relative to spirolactone acid ic . in another subclass of this class , the amount of phosphorus oxychloride is about 1 . 05 equivalents relative to spirolactone acid ic . in another embodiment of the present invention , the reaction of step ( e ) further comprises a catalyst in a class of this embodiment , the catalyst is dimethyl formamide . in a subclass of this class , the amount of dimethyl formamide is between about 0 . 2 equivalents to about 5 equivalents relative to spirolactone acid of formula ic . in another subclass of this class , the amount of dimethyl formamide is about 1 equivalent relative to spirolactone acid of formula ic . in another embodiment of the present invention , the reaction of step ( e ) is run at a temperature between about 20 ° c . to about 80 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , the reaction of step ( e ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . in a subclass of this class , the reaction of step ( e ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . for about 2 hours . in another embodiment of the present invention , the base of step ( f ) is selected from the group consisting of n , n , n ′ n ′- tetramethylethylenediamine , triethyl amine , n , n - diisopropylethyl amine , n , n - dimethylethyl amine , pyridine , collidine , 1 , 8 - diazabicyclo [ 5 . 4 . 0 ] undec - 7 - ene , n - methylmorpholine , and n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyl - 1 , 6 - hexanediamine . in a class of this embodiment , the base of step ( f ) is n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylene - diamine . in a subclass of this class , the amount of n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylene - diamine is between about 1 equivalent to about 10 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another subclass of this class , the amount of n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylene diamine is about 3 . 5 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another embodiment of the present invention , the alcohol of step ( f ) is selected from the group consisting of tert - butyl alcohol , methyl cyclohexanol , methyl cyclopentanol , and neopentyl alcohol . in a class of this embodiment , the alcohol of step ( f ) is tert - butyl alcohol . in a subclass of this class , the amount of tert - butyl alcohol is between about 1 equivalent to about 10 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another subclass of this class , the amount of tert - butyl alcohol is about 1 . 5 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in one embodiment of the present invention , the solvent in step ( f ) is selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofuran , dimethoxyethane , diglyme , 2 - methyl tetrahydrofuran , 1 , 4 - dioxane and diethoxymethane . in a class of this embodiment , the solvent in step ( f ) is tetrahydrofuran . in another embodiment , the reaction of step ( f ) further comprises a salt . in a class of this embodiment , the salt is selected from the group consisting of lithium bromide , lithium chloride , lithium iodide , lithium perchlorate and lithium tetrafluoroborate . in a subclass of this class , the salt is lithium chloride . in a subclass of this subclass , the amount of lithium chloride is between about 0 . 5 equivalents to about 5 equivalents relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another subclass of this subclass , the amount of lithium chloride is about 1 equivalent relative to spirolactone ester of formula f . in another embodiment of the present invention , the reaction of step ( f ) is run at a temperature between about 20 ° c . to about 80 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , the reaction of step ( f ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . in a subclass of this class , the reaction of step ( f ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . for about 2 hours to about 24 hours . in another subclass of this class , the reaction of step ( f ) is run at a temperature of about 40 ° c . for about 19 hours . in another embodiment of the present invention , the aqueous acid of step ( g ) is selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid , hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , phosphoric acid and formic acid . in a class of this embodiment , the aqueous acid of step ( g ) is sulfuric acid . in another embodiment of the present invention , the hydrolysis of step ( g ) is run at a temperature between about 20 ° c . and about 100 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , the hydrolysis of step ( g ) is run at a temperature of about 50 ° c . in a subclass of this class , the hydrolysis of step ( g ) is run at a temperature of about 50 ° c . for about 2 hours . in another embodiment of the present invention , the product of step ( h ) is isolated by adjusting the ph of the solution of step ( g ) to between about 0 and 4 with a base and extracting the reaction mixture to afford the compound ic . in a subclass of this class , the base is sodium hydroxide . in another subclass , the ph of step ( g ) is adjusted to between about about 2 to about 3 . in a subclass of this subclass , the ph is adjusted to about 2 . 4 . by this invention , there is further provided a process for the preparation and separation of a spirolactone of formula ia , or a salt thereof , and a spirolactone of formula ib , or a salt thereof , t , u , v and w are each independently selected from the group consisting of ( 1 ) nitrogen , and ( 2 ) methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy , and wherein at least two of t , u , v , and w are methine ; wherein t , u , v and w are as defined above , to form a mixture ; ( j ) adding an acid to the mixture of step ( i ) to form a mixture ; and ( k ) aging the mixture of step ( j ) for a time and under conditions effective to afford the compound ia wherein t , u , v and w are as defined above , or a salt thereof . in one embodiment of the present invention , t , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy ; and in a class of this embodiment , t , v and w are unsubstituted methine ; and u is nitrogen . in another embodiment of the present invention , t , u , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy . in one class of this embodiment , the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with halogen . in another embodiment of this invention , the solvent of step ( i ) is selected from the group consisting of dimethoxyethane , acetonitrile , tetrahydrofuran , or a mixture thereof . in a class of this embodiment , the solvent of step ( i ) is tetrahydrofuran . in another class of this embodiment , the solvent of step ( i ) is acetonitrile . in another embodiment of this invention , the acid of step ( j ) is selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , tartaric acid , methane sulfonic acid , toluene sulfonic acid , succinic acid , and sulfuric acid . in a class of this embodiment , the acid of step ( o ) is hydrochloric acid . in another embodiment of this invention , the step ( k ) is aged at a temperature of about 10 ° c . to 60 ° c . in a class of this embodiment , step ( k ) is aged for a period between about 1 hour to about 48 hours . in a subclass of this class , step ( k ) is aged at a temperature of about 25 ° c . for about 3 hours . in another embodiment of this invention , the process further comprises step ( 1 ) of isolating the compound of formula ia , or a salt thereof . in a class of this embodiment , the compound of formula ia is isolated by filtering and concentrating the filtrate to give a slurry . in a subclass of this class , the slurry is diluted with a solvent and aged for a time and under conditions to give the compound of formula ia . in another subclass of this class , the slurry is diluted with hexane and aged for about 20 hours at about 0 ° c . in a subclass of this subclass , the compound of formula ia is isolated by filtering the slurry to give the product . in another subclass of this class , the slurry is concentrated , diluted with acetonitrile and aged for a time and under conditions to give the compound of formula ia . in another embodiment of this invention , there is provided a compound of structural formula , or a salt thereof , wherein x is selected from the group consisting of chlorine and bromine , and t , u , v and w are each independently selected from the group consisting of : ( 1 ) nitrogen , and ( 2 ) methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of : ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy , and wherein at least two of t , u , v , and w are methine . in one class of this embodiment , t , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy ; and in a subclass of this class , t , v and w are unsubstituted methine ; and u is nitrogen . in another class of this embodiment , t , u , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy . in a subclass of this class , the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with halogen . in another embodiment of this invention , there is provided a compound of structural formula in another embodiment of this invention , there is provided a composition comprising about 83 % to 52 % of compound ia t , u , v and w are each independently selected from the group consisting of : ( 1 ) nitrogen , and ( 2 ) methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of : ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy , and wherein at least two of t , u , v , and w are methine . in one class of this embodiment , t , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy ; and in a subclass of this class , t , v and w are unsubstituted methine ; and u is nitrogen . in another class of this embodiment , t , u , v and w are methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of ( a ) halogen , ( b ) lower alkyl , ( c ) hydroxy , and ( d ) lower alkoxy . in a subclass of this class , the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with halogen . in another embodiment of this invention , there is provided a composition comprising about 79 % of compound 1 - 8 in yet another embodiment of this invention , there is provided a composition comprising about 83 % of compound 1 - 8 as used herein “ t , u , v and w ” refer to a nitrogen or a methine , wherein the methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of halogen , lower alkyl , hydroxy , and lower alkoxy , and wherein at least two of t , u , v , and w are methine . “ methine group is unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of halogen , lower alkyl , hydroxy and lower alkoxy ” refers to unsubstituted methine or methine having a substituent which can be selected from the group consisting of halogen , lower alkyl , hydroxy and lower alkoxy . the aforesaid substituent includes preferably halogen , and the like . “ halogen ” or “ halide ” refers to fluorine atom , chlorine atom , bromine atom and iodine atom . halogen atom as the aforesaid substituent includes preferably fluorine atom , chlorine atom , and the like . “ lower alkyl ” refers to a straight - or branched - chain alkyl group of c 1 to c 6 , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , isopentyl , hexyl , isohexyl , and the like . lower alkyl as the aforesaid substituent includes preferably methyl , ethyl , and the like . “ lower alkoxy ” refers to a straight - or branched - chain alkoxy group of c 1 to c 6 , for example , methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , isopropoxy , butoxy , sec - butoxy , isobutoxy , tert - butoxy , pentyloxy , isopentyloxy , hexyloxy , isohexyloxy , and the like . lower alkoxy as the aforesaid substituent includes preferably methoxy , ethoxy , and the like . “ cycloalkyl ” refers to a monocyclic saturated carbocyclic ring of c 3 to c 6 , wherein one carbocyclic ring carbon is the point of attachment . examples of cycloalkyl include , but are not limited to , cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , and the like . “ cycloheteroalkyl ” refers to a monocyclic saturated ring containing at least one heteroatom selected from n , s and o of c 3 to c 6 , in which the point of attachment may be carbon or nitrogen . examples of “ cycloheteroalkyl ” include , but are not limited to , pyrrolidinyl , piperidinyl , piperazinyl , imidazolidinyl , tetrahydrofuranyl , morpholinyl , and the like . “ aryl ” refers to a mono - or bicyclic aromatic rings containing only carbon atoms . the term also includes aryl group fused to a monocyclic cycloalkyl or monocyclic cycloheteroalkyl group in which the point of attachment is on the aromatic portion . examples of aryl include phenyl , naphthyl , indanyl , indenyl , tetrahydronaphthyl , 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuranyl , dihydrobenzopyranyl , 1 , 4 - benzodioxanyl , and the like . the aryl ring may be unsubstituted or substituted on one or more carbon atoms . “ heteroaryl ” refers to a mono - or bicyclic aromatic ring , wherein each ring has 5 or 6 carbons , containing at least one heteroatom selected from n , o and s . examples of heteroaryl include pyrrolyl , isoxazolyl , isothiazolyl , pyrazolyl , pyridyl , oxazolyl , oxadiazolyl , thiadiazolyl , thiazolyl , imidazolyl , triazolyl , tetrazolyl , furanyl , triazinyl , thienyl , pyrimidyl , pyridazinyl , pyrazinyl , benzoxazolyl , benzothiazolyl , benzimidazolyl , benzofuranyl , benzothiophenyl , furo ( 2 , 3 - b ) pyridyl , quinolyl , indolyl , isoquinolyl , and the like . the heteroaryl ring may be unsubstituted or substituted on one or more carbon atoms . as used herein , the term “ anion ” refers to a mono - anion or a di - anion . the compounds in the processes of the present invention include stereoisomers , diastereomers and geometerical isomers , or tautomers depending on the mode of substitution . the compounds may contain one or more chiral centers and occur as racemates , racemic mixtures and as individual diastereomers , diastereomeric mixtures , enantiomeric mixtures or single enantiomers , or tautomers . the present invention is meant to comprehend all such isomeric forms of the compounds in the compositions of the present invention , and their mixtures . therefore , where a compound is chiral , the separate enantiomers , and diastereomers , substantially free of the other , are included within the scope of the invention ; further included are all mixtures of enantiomers , and all of the mixtures of diastereomers . also included within the scope of the invention are salts , polymorphs , hydrates and solvates of the compounds and intermediates of the instant invention . compounds of the structural formula i and structural formula ii include stereoisomers , such as the trans - form of compounds of the general formulas ia and iia : the salts of compounds of formula i , ia , ib , and ic refer to the pharmaceutically acceptable and common salts , for example , base addition salt to carboxyl group when the compound has a carboxyl group , or acid addition salt to amino or basic cycloheteroalkyl when the compound has an amino or basic cycloheteroalkyl group , and the like . the base addition salts include salts with alkali metals ( including , but not limited to , sodium , potassium ); alkaline earth metals ( including , but not limited to , calcium , magnesium ); ammonium or organic amines ( including , but not limited to , trimethylamine , triethylamine , dicyclohexylamine , ethanolamine , diethanolamine , triethanolamine , procaine , n , n ′- dibenzylethylenediamine ), and the like . the acid addition salts include salts with inorganic acids ( including , but not limited to , hydrochloric acid , sulfuric acid , nitric acid , phosphoric acid , perchloric acid ), organic acids ( including , but not limited to , maleic acid , fumaric acid , tartaric acid , citric acid , ascorbic acid , trriluoroacetic acid , acetic acid ), sulfonic acids ( including , but not limited to , methanesulfonic acid , isethionic acid , benzenesulfonic acid , p - toluenesulfonic acid , p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate , p - toluene sulfonic acid hydrate , camphor sulfonic acid ), and the like . in the schemes and examples below , various reagent symbols and abbreviations have the following meanings : n - buli or buli : n - butyl lithium sec - buli : sec - butyl lithium t - buli : tert - butyl lithium t - buoh : tert - butyl alcohol dbu : 1 , 8 - diazabicyclo [ 5 . 4 . 0 ] undec - 7 - ene dmf : dimethyl formamide dmso : dimethyl sulfoxide - et : — ch 2 ch 3 g : grams h : hours hcl : hydrochloric acid h 2 so 4 : sulfuric acid khmds : potassium hexamethyl disilazide libr : lithium bromide licl : lithium chloride lihmds : lithium hexamethyl disilazide litmp : lithium tetramethyl piperadide nahmds : sodium hexamethyl disilazide - me : methyl ml : milliliter mmol : millimole mol : moles / liter pocl 3 : phosphorus oxychloride thf : tetrahydrofuran tmeda tetramethylethylenediamine or n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylenediamine the compounds of the present invention can be prepared by employing the general process in scheme 1 . the novel process of the present invention can be exemplified in scheme 2 , which illustrates the preparation of the spirolactones of structural formula i , ia , ib and ic , and salts thereof . the salts of ia and ib may be separated and individually reacted with an amine , h 2 nar 1 . for example , the neutralization , activation and subsequent reaction of the salt of ia with h 2 nar 1 yields compounds of formula ii . in scheme 2 , the 4 - ethyl ester substituted cyclohexanone is converted to the carboxylic acid before ring lactonization to form the spirolactone ic , via intermediate c . isonicotinamide 1 - 1 is deprotonated with a base , such as n - butyllithium , in the presence of a salt , such as libr , in a solvent such as thf , and at a temperature between about − 55 ° c . to − 65 ° c ., to form a metallated anilide . the metallated anilide is added to a solution of ethyl 4 - oxocyclohexanecarboxylate 1 - 2 in a solvent such as thf , at a temperature below about − 55 ° c ., followed by the addition of water to form the diacid 1 - 3 . the diacid 1 - 3 is then treated with an aqueous acid , such as sulfuric acid , at a temperature below about 30 ° c ., to form the lactone ring of spirolactone acid 14 , as a mixture of about 1 : 1 cis to trans spirolactone acids . spirolactone acid 14 is then activated by forming an acid halide 1 - 5 , by treatment with a halogenating agent in a solvent such as thf in the presence of dmf . the acid halide is preferentially an acid chloride formed by treatment of the acid with phosphorus oxychloride . the acid chloride 1 - 5 is treated with a base such as n , n , n ′, n - tetramethylethylenediamine , in the presence of an alcohol , such as tert - butanol , and a salt , such as licl , in a solvent such as thf , to form an ester 1 - 6 via a ketene intermediate . the ester 1 - 6 is subsequently hydrolyzed with an aqueous acid , such as aqueous sulfuric acid , at a temperature of about 50 ° c ., to form acid 1 - 7 ( ic ) as a 80 : 20 trans / cis mixture . the acid 1 - 7 may be further purified and separated into acids 1 - 8 ( ia , trans ) and 1 - 9 ( ib , cis ) by forming a salt of 1 - 9 with an acid , such as hydrochloric acid , and separating the compounds by recrystallizing from a solvent such as acetonitrile , tetrahydrofuran , heptane or a mixture thereof . this process provides ia substantially free from iib and provides ib substantially free from ia . the following examples are provided to illustrate the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner . the isonicotinamide 1 - 1 ( 100 g , 0 . 50 mol , kingchem ), thf ( 0 . 5 l ) and a 1 m libr solution ( prepared by dissolving 1 . 50 mol of libr in 1 . 5 l of thf ) were mixed in a flask . the resulting solution was degassed with nitrogen and cooled to − 65 ° c . n - buli ( 1 . 56 m in hexane ; 666 ml , 1 . 04 mol ) was then added while maintaining the batch temperature below − 55 ° c . the resulting solution was then aged at a temperature less than − 55 ° c . for a period between 1 to 7 hours to give a metalated anilide mixture . a solution of ethyl 4 - oxocyclohexanecarboxylate 1 - 2 ( 100 ml , 0 . 63 mol , ems dottikon ag ) in thf ( 1 l ) was cooled in a separate flask to a temperature below − 60 ° c . to the solution was added the above metalated anilide mixture , while maintaining the batch temperature below − 55 ° c . the resulting solution was aged at a temperature below − 55 ° c . for 1 hour and then carefully quenched into h 2 o ( 1 l ). the resulting mixture was warmed to 40 ° c . and aged at 40 ° c . for a period between 1 to 4 hours . after cooling to room temperature , the organic layer was removed and the aqueous layer ( 1 . 3 l ; ph ˜ 11 ) was washed with thf ( 1 l ) to give an aqueous solution of the diacid 1 - 3 . to the aqueous solution of the diacid 1 - 3 from step a was added h 2 o ( 500 ml , 5 ml / g of anilide ) and 47 % aqueous h 2 so 4 to adjust to ph 2 - 3 , maintaining the temperature below 30 ° c . the resulting white suspension was aged at a temperature of 30 ° c .- 70 ° c . for a period of 1 to 4 hours . after cooling the batch , thf ( 2500 ml ) and 20 % aqueous nacl ( 600 ml ) were added to extract the product acid 1 - 4 . after the separation of the two layers , the water layer was re - extracted with thf ( 1000 ml ). the combined thf extracts ( 3500 ml ) were concentrated to 1250 ml . the mixture turned to a suspension of spirolactone acid 1 - 4 during the distillation . selected signals : 1 h nmr ( 300 . 13 mhz , dmso - d 6 ): λ 12 . 31 ( br , 1h ), 9 . 10 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 85 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 82 ( m , 1h ). 2 . 70 ( m , 0 . 45h ), 2 . 43 ( m , 0 . 55h ), 1 . 65 - 2 . 25 ( m , 8h ). spirolactone acid 1 - 4 ( 800 g of a 55 a % cis : 45 a % trans mixture ) was added to a 50 l vessel containing thf ( 17 . 6 l ). the slurry was treated with dmf ( 260 ml , 3 . 2 mol ) and then at 22 ° c ., with pocl 3 ( 350 ml ) over 10 min to form the acid chloride 1 - 5 . the solution was warmed to 40 ° c . over 45 min , aged for 2 h and then cooled to 24 ° c . in a separate 12 l flask was sequentially added : thf ( 3 . 3 l ), tmeda ( 1 . 7 l ), t - butanol ( 465 ml ) and licl ( 143 g ). after aging at 25 ° c . for 1 h , this resulting solution was added to the solution of acid chloride 1 - 5 at 24 - 30 ° c . over 25 min and aged for 19 h at 35 - 39 ° c . the reaction mixture was cooled to 0 ° c . and quenched by adding 4 . 2 l 33 % h 2 so 4 slowly over 20 min during which time the internal temperature rose to 22 ° c . the resulting solution was heated to 50 ° c . for 3 h . the solution was then cooled to 22 ° c . and ph adjusted to 2 . 4 with 6 n naoh ( 7 . 0 kg ). the organic layer was separated and washed with 2 × 8 l of aqueous hcl / nacl ( ph 2 . 5 ). thf ( 3 . 3 l ) was added to the organic layer to raise the solution volume to about 26 l and it was charged to a 50 l flask . the organic layer was azeotropically dried via a constant volume distillation at atmospheric pressure until the kf was 0 . 3 %. ( utilized about 51 kg thf ) to provide a solution of spirolactone acid 1 - 7 . step d : separation of compound 1 - 7 into compounds 1 - 8 and 1 - 9 the solution of spirolactone 1 - 7 was cooled to 22 ° c . and concentrated hcl ( 60 ml ) was slowly added to the solution . the resulting slurry was aged at 25 ° c . for 3 h , and the precipitate was removed via filtration and washed with thf ( 1 × 1 l ). the filtrate containing spirolactone acid 1 - 8 was concentrated to 6 . 5 l in vacuo ( internal temp = 38 - 42 ° c . ), and the resulting slurry was cooled to 22 ° c . over 1 h and aged for 1 h . heptane ( 6 l ) was added over 2 h and the slurry was cooled 0 ° c . and aged for 20 h , followed by vacuum filtration , rinsing the product cake with thf - heptane ( 2 / 3 ; 2 × 600 ml ) and drying in vacuo at 45 ° c . to provide the spirolactone acid 1 - 8 . 1 h nmr ( 400 . 13 mhz ; dmso - d 6 ): a 12 . 34 ( br , 1h ), 9 . 04 ( d , j = 1 . 0 hz , 1h ), 8 . 85 ( d , j = 5 . 0 hz , 1h ), 7 . 82 ( dd , j = 5 . 0 hz , 1 . 0 hz , 1h ), 2 . 70 ( br m , 1h ), 2 . 08 - 1 . 89 ( overlapping m , 6h ), 1 . 82 - 1 . 76 ( overlapping m , 2h ). 13 c nmr ( 100 . 62 mhz ; dmso - d 6 ): 175 . 9 , 167 . 9 , 150 . 6 , 147 . 5 , 144 . 9 , 133 . 1 , 119 . 1 , 87 . 2 , 38 . 1 , 33 . 1 , 23 . 9 . alternatively , spirolactone 1 - 8 may be crystallized from acetonitrile according to the following procedure . the filtrate containing spirolactone acid 1 - 8 in step d ( 250 ml ; 15 g / l trans acid ) was concentrated to 44 ml via distillation and cooled to 40 ° c . acetonitrile ( 7 . 5 ml ) was added with 50 mg seed . the slurry was aged at 40 ° c . for 2 . 5 h , cooled to 22 ° c . and aged for 2 h . the remaining thf was removed by a constant volume distillation feeding in acetonitrile until the thf level was & lt ; 2 a %. the batch was cooled to 0 ° c . and aged for 2 hours prior to filtration , then washed with chilled acetonitrile ( 1 × 10 ml ), and dried in vacuo to give spirolactone acid 1 - 8 . while the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to certain particular embodiments thereof , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes , modifications and substitutions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is intended , therefore , that the invention be defined by the scope of the claims which follow and that such claims be interpreted as broadly as is reasonable .	2
with reference to fig1 a traditional guitar amplifier tone control circuit of the type introduced in the mid 1950 &# 39 ; s by the fender electric instrument company includes an input terminal 1 where electronic signal voltages are applied from either the plate or the cathode of the preceding stage . signal is coupled through a small value capacitor 2 ( 250 pf ) ( traditional values are shown in parentheses ) to the top end 3 of treble control variable attenuator ( 250 k ohm ) whose adjustable wiper element 4 provides the output of the entire tone control network . signal is also coupled from the input terminal 1 through fixed resistor 5 ( 100 k ohm ) to a pair of capacitors 6 ( 0 . 1 uf ) and 7 ( 0 . 047 uf ) which operate as low pass filter elements in conjunction with variable resistors 8 ( 250 k ohm ) and 9 ( 10 k ohm ) which function respectively as bass and middle tone controls by adjustably shunting their respective frequency bands to ground 10 or enabling these frequencies to appear in varying strengths and proportions at the lower end 11 of the treble tone control . the position of the treble control wiper 4 further determines the balance of treble vs . combined bass and mid frequencies that are outputted from the tone control circuit and coupled to the input end 12 of the volume control variable attenuator ( 1 megohm ) whose shunt end 13 is connected to ground 10 and whose variable wiper element 14 provides the output of the combined tone / volume circuit as shown at output terminal 15 . a bright switch 16 activates a high pass capacitor 17 ( 120 pf ) providing an alternate path for boosting high frequencies around the resistance 12 , 14 . with reference to fig2 a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown . a 5 volt supply shown at 1a feeds one end of the reference resistor ladder 2 while the same 5 volt supply shown at 1b supplies an adjustable trim pot 3 . the trim pot 3 is nominally adjusted to provide a reference 2 . 5 volts ( one half of a supply ) at its adjustable element 4 which is coupled to the inverting terminal 5 of an operational amplifier 6 configured as a differential amplifier . further minor adjustments of the trim pot 3 can be made to compensate for manufacturing inaccuracies in locating the center tap connection 21 so that the two cell segments 19 and 20 may become more precisely equal in resistance . a four - bit latch 7 ( which receives data from a system data bus , not shown ) selects any one of the fixed reference resistors of the ladder 3 , say for example r13 , 8 , which is coupled via a one - of - eight analog switch 9 ( to of which are provided 9 and 10 giving a total resolution of sixteen increments ) such that supply voltage from 1a flows through the selected resistor 8 and is conducted to the non - inverting terminal 11 of the differential operational amplifier 6 . voltage from the output 12 of the differential amplifier 6 is coupled through a current limiting resistor 13 to the anode 14 of the led 15 whose cathode 16 is connected to ground 17 . this led 15 is the light emitting element of a light dependent resistor ( ldr ) 18 which contains a center - tapped photo sensitive cell shown as two variable resistors 19 and 20 connected together by a conductor 21 which is connected to ground 17 . in a center tapped ldr cell , it may be assumed that the two halves of the resistance 19 and 20 will always be substantially the same resistance value as they are both exposed to the same single light source 15 and both are one and the same piece of photo sensitive material which merely has a conductor lead 21 connected at its mid point . other factors such as age , temperature and degree of &# 34 ; light adaptation &# 34 ; will also remain substantially identical for the two halves of a center tapped ldr cell . therefore , the overall action of the differential amplifier 6 will be to drive the ldr &# 39 ; s led 15 until the reference half 19 of the cell achieves a resistance exactly equal to that of the selected fixed reference resistor 13 , such that one - half of supply ( 2 . 5 volts ) is then applied to the non - inverting terminal 11 . then -- and only then -- will the voltages applied to both inverting input 5 and non - inverting input 11 of the differential amplifier 6 be equal : the inverting terminal 5 receiving one half of the supply ( 2 . 5 volts ) as set by the trim pot 3 , while the non - inverting input 11 receives one half of the supply from the mid - point of the two now equal value resistors in series , one being the selected fixed reference resistor 8 and the other being the variable reference resistor cell segment 19 as controlled by the differential operation of the amplifier 6 . further , the continuing differential action will simultaneously correct any drift in the resistance of the reference half 19 of the cell and thereby compensate for the effects of temperature variation , &# 34 ; light adaptation &# 34 ; changes as well as deviation from one device to another in production . because the &# 34 ; active &# 34 ; ( or audio ) half 20 of the center tapped variable light dependent resistance cell will be equal in value to the reference half 19 of the cell , the resistance values at 20 and 19 will both be the same and each be equal to the selected fixed reference resistance 8 selected from the fixed reference resistor ladder 3 by the digitally controlled network . those skilled in the at will understand that this differential / servo control circuit works to provide equal ratios in the two control and reference resistance dividers 3 , 4 and 8 , 19 respectively and that the condition of &# 34 ; one half &# 34 ; of the supply was chosen merely as a convenience ; any other setting of the control divider 3 , 4 would produce a corresponding ratio of resistance values in the reference divider 8 , 19 . in order to achieve high resistance values in the system , a negative feedback loop 22 around the differential amplifier 6 incorporates a capacitor 23 which , together with the associated resistance , provides a time constant which has the effect of &# 34 ; lowering the gain in the time domain &# 34 ;-- lengthening the response time through the loop -- such that the action of the differential amplifier 6 driving the ldr &# 39 ; s led 15 compensates for -- and synchronizes with , the time lag inherent in the photo sensitive cell &# 39 ; s delayed response to changing light conditions . this has the desired effect of creating a substantially steady resistance over a wide range of high resistance values where otherwise the result would be a continually varying cell resistance as the led 15 illuminates too brightly at first ( overcompensating for the very high &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; resistance of the cell 19 ) then -- due to the time lag of the cell &# 39 ; s 19 delayed response to light -- stays illuminated for too long , then turns off ( and is actually &# 34 ; driven in the reverse direction &# 34 ; by the action of the differential amplifier 6 ) as the &# 34 ; light adapting &# 34 ; cell material now swings to too low a resistance condition , then begins again to swing excessively high in resistance toward its &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; condition which causes the differential amplifier to again over drive the led 15 . . . and so on , resulting in an oscillation of the circuit which produces virtual noise at the active cell 20 instead of the desired stable high value resistance . diode 24 is placed across led 15 to protect it ( 15 ) from reverse overvoltage as the action of the differential amplifier 6 tries to compensate for a resistance in the variable reference cell 19 that has risen above that of the fixed reference resistor 13 . with reference now to fig3 a pair of dual cell ldr &# 39 ; s 20 , 21 are arranged in a like manner to that described under fig2 including -- for each -- the use of servo loop and differential amplifier with negative feedback . however , in the circuit application of fig3 the two &# 34 ; active &# 34 ; or audio cells 30 , 31 are shown tied together in series to form the equivalent of an adjustable attentuator whose adjustable wiper element ( being the common connection between the two cells ) is positioned at any of sixteen discrete increments along the total combined cell resistance as determined by the chosen insertion position of the 5 volt supply 4 along the reference string 1 of seventeen fixed resistors connected in series . a more specific description follows . to aid in understanding this arrangement , reference is made to that section of fig3 entitled &# 34 ; series reference resistor string , simplified .&# 34 ; what is shown here as a single resistor 1 , in actuality a string of seventeen fixed reference resistors connected in series as shown in the detailed portion of fig3 as r1 , r2 , etc . through r 17 . in both the simplified and the detailed drawings of fig3 each of the opposite ends 2 , 3 of the reference resistor string 1 , is connected to the non - inverting input 5 , 6 of a separate differential amplifier 7 , 8 . the simplified drawing shows the five volt supply 4 being connected to some selectable point along the resistor 1 by contact point 9 . in the detailed drawing this is accomplished when any one position of either one of the two one - of - eight analog switches 10 , 11 is selected by the 4 - bit latch 12 as instructed by the system data bus ( not shown ). thus , five volts from supply 4 flows to any one of sixteen points between the seventeen resistors r1 - r17 and is distributed to the non - inverting terminals 5 , 6 of the differential amplifiers 7 , 8 in exact proportion as determined by the combination of total series resistance between supply 4 and the ends 2 , 3 of the series reference resistor string . each end 2 , 3 of the series reference resistor string employs a 5 . 6 k ohm resistor r1 , r17 as a minimum to prevent the supply 4 from overdriving one or the other non - inverting inputs 5 , 6 of the two differential amplifier 7 , 8 when the most extreme positions are selected at either end of the resistance string , for example a point 13 between r1 , r17 representing the uppermost end 3 of the series resistor reference string 1 , r1 - r17 . an off - setting pair of equal value resistors 15 , 16 are placed between the variable reference photo cells 18 , 19 of each dual - cell ldr 20 , 21 and the respective non - inverting terminal 5 , 6 of the associated differential amplifier 7 , 8 . circuit function is virtually identical to that described under fig2 ( except in fig3 there are a pair of servo / differential / ldr circuits ) including the use of a pair of current limiting resistors 22 , 23 , and a pair of reverse overvoltage protection diodes 24 and 25 . negative feedback is again utilized around each differential amplifier to accommodate the photocell &# 39 ; s time lag in responding to changing light conditions form a flashing led . in the circuit of fig3 a very high resistance value , digitally controllable potentiometer is shown -- one with a 250 kohm overall resistance -- and suitable for use as the treble control 3 of the traditional analog circuit as illustrated schematically in fig1 . in order to allow a more rapid swing of the dual ldr based digitally controlled adjustable attenuator across wide ranges of resistance value , the time constant of the capacitors 26 and 27 in the feedback loops of their respective differential amplifiers 7 , 8 has ben altered by the inclusion of resistors 28 and 29 respectively . thus the overall resistance of the digitally controllable variable attenuator comprising the two series - connected active photo cells 30 , 31 is established by the total combined resistance in the reference string 1 . the position of the selectable active wiper element along the fixed total resistance is determined by the specific insertion point of the 5 volt reference supply voltage along the series reference resistance string 1 . having fully described one embodiment of the present invention , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous alternatives and equivalents exist which do not depart from the invention set forth above . it is therefore to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing description , but only by the appended claims .	7
an electrolyte having a ph within the range of 11 - 13 was prepared by dissolving 4 grams of sodium hydroxide in a liter of water . a tubular electrode , containing about 25 % pb - powder and 75 % pbo - powder pf fine grain as the active material , was subjected to forming according to conventional procedures . an unformed tube electrode , similar to the one used in example 1 , was dipped into water and kept immersed at least for 30 minutes or until all of the surfaces were wet . the electrode was then formed in a single solution of an alkaline electrolyte adjusted to a ph of between 11 and 13 by dissolving 4 grams of sodium hydroxide and 77 grams of sodium sulfate in a liter of water . an unformed tube electrode , as in the previous examples , was dipped in a solution made by dissolving 4 grams of sodium hydroxide and 15 grams of sodium sulfate in a liter of water . at these concentrations , the solubility of the lead monoxide ( pbo ) had a maximum solubility of 10 - 2 moles . after being thoroughly wet with this solution , the electrode was dried and formed in an electrolyte made by dissolving 4 grams of sodium hydroxide and 77 grams of sodium sulfate in a liter of water . in all of the above examples , the formed electrodes contained an increased percentage of the α - pbo 2 and exhibited exceptional mechanical strength and porosity . in the electrode produced in example 3 , substantially all of the original lead materials charged into the tube electrode was converted to a mechanically strong alpha - lead dioxide ( α - pbo 2 ). without being bound by the correctness of the reasons given for the production of the improved positive electrodes in accordance with the present invention , it is believed that what takes place during forming may be explained in the following manner . because forming occurs in an alkaline medium , the production of the lead dioxide form known as α - pbo 2 is promoted . although a high proportion of α - pbo 2 results in a lower initial capacity in the electrodes . the electrodes subsequently are worked up and the mechanical , and electrical properties are more favorable with α - pb 2 . in alkaline forming , the conversion of the active material generally occurs inward from the outer zone of the electrode . at the same time , electrodes made according to the present invention possess a coarser crystalline structure inside the active material than at the surface which is pronounced around the lead conductors in the rods of the tubular electrodes . this presumably is caused by fact that a salt is dissolved in the electrolyte whose anion yields a very slightly soluble lead compound . starting from an electrolyte that contains naoh and na 2 so 4 . which has proved to be very suitable , this phenomenon can be explained as follows . by addition of sodium sulfate or other similar salt , there is a rise of the ph inside the electrode when the electrode is dipped in the electrolyte . the equilibrium potential for formation of lead dioxide drops prouncedly with rising ph , and forming therefore occurs outward , from the interior of the electrode . since the lead oxides also are more readily soluble at higher ph , this brings about such conditions for crystal formation that a coarser structure is formed in the interior of the electrode . it has beem shown that especially favorable conditions for forming are obtained if the ph of the electrolyte that is utilized is 11 - 13 . the invention has been described in the foregoing specification and in the specific examples . it will be obvious that the specific conditions , electrolytes , and dissolved salts can be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention , and that any electrolyte having a ph about within the range of 11 - 13 , or which has dissolved in it a salt whose anion yields a very slightly soluble lead compound will fall within the scope of the invention . as will be apparent to those skilled in the art , the examples are illustrative only and should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention , and that the invention is not limited except as set forth in the claims which follow .	7
fig2 is a block diagram of a motor control system in accordance with the present invention . multiphase motor 10 is comprises rotor 20 and stator 30 . the stator has a plurality of phase windings that are switchably energized by driving current supplied from d - c power source 40 via electronic switch sets 42 . the switch sets are coupled to controller 44 via gate drivers 46 . controller 44 has one or more user inputs and a plurality of inputs for motor conditions sensed during operation . current in each phase winding is sensed by a respective one of a plurality of current sensors 48 whose outputs are provided to controller 44 . the controller may have a plurality of inputs for this purpose or , in the alternative , signals from the current sensors may be multiplexed and connected to a single controller input . rotor position sensor 46 is connected to another input of controller 44 to provide position signals thereto . the output of the position sensor is also applied to speed approximator 50 , which converts the position signals to speed signals to be applied to another input of controller 44 . the sequence controller may comprise a microprocessor or equivalent microcontroller , such as texas instrument digital signal processor tms320lf2407apg . the switch sets may comprise a plurality of mosfet h - bridges , such as international rectifier irfiz48n - nd . the gate driver may comprise intersil mosfet gate driver hip40821b . the position sensor may comprise any known sensing means , such as a hall effect devices ( allegro microsystems 92b5308 ), giant magneto resistive ( gmr ) sensors , capacitive rotary sensors , reed switches , pulse wire sensors including amorphous sensors , resolvers , optical sensors and the like . hall effect current sensors , such as f . w . bell sm - 15 , may be utilized for currents sensors 48 . the speed detector 50 provides an approximation of the time derivative of the sensed position signals . fig3 is a partial circuit diagram of a switch set and driver for an individual stator core segment winding . stator phase winding 34 is connected in a bridge circuit of four fets . it is to be understood that any of various known electronic switching elements may be used for directing driving current in the appropriate direction to stator winding 34 such as , for example , bipolar transistors . fet 53 and fet 55 are connected in series across the power source , as are fet 54 and fet 56 . stator winding 34 is connected between the connection nodes of the two series fet circuits . gate driver 46 is responsive to control signals received from the sequence controller 44 to apply activation signals to the gate terminals of the fets . fets 53 and 56 are concurrently activated for motor current flow in one direction . for current flow in the reverse direction , fets 54 and 55 are concurrently activated . gate driver 46 alternatively may be integrated in sequence controller 44 . the motor of the present invention is suitable for use in driving a vehicle wheel of an automobile , motorcycle , bicycle , or the like . fig4 is a cutaway drawing of the motor structure that can be housed within a vehicle wheel , the stator rigidly mounted to a stationary shaft and surrounded by a rotor for driving the wheel . the motor 10 comprises annular permanent magnet rotor 20 separated from the stator by a radial air gap . the rotor and stator are configured coaxially about an axis of rotation , which is centered in the stationary shaft . the stator comprises a plurality of ferromagnetically isolated elements , or stator groups . core segments 32 , made of magnetically permeable material separated from direct contact with each other , have respective winding portions 34 formed on each pole . in this example , seven stator groups arc shown , each group comprised of two salient electromagnet poles allocated circumferentially along the air gap . the rotor comprises a plurality of permanent magnets 22 , circumferentially distributed about the air gap and affixed to an annular back plate 24 . reference is made to the maslov et al . application ser . no . 09 / 966 , 102 , discussed above , for a more detailed discussion of a motor embodying this construction . it should be appreciated , however , that the vehicle context is merely exemplary of a multitude of particular applications in which the motor of the present invention may be employed . the concepts of the invention , more fully described below , are also applicable to other permanent magnet motor structures , including a unitary stator core that supports all of the phase windings . in the vehicle drive application example , one of the user inputs to the controller represents required torque indicated by the user &# 39 ; s throttle command . an increase in throttle is indicative of a command to increase speed , which is realized by an increase in torque . another external input to the controller processor may include a brake signal that is generated when the driver operates a brake pedal or handle . the processor may respond by immediately deactivating the motor drive or , instead , vary the drive control to reduce torque and speed . a separate external deactivation signal can be applied to immediately respond to the driver &# 39 ; s command . the control system torque tracking functionality should maintain steady state operation for a constant input command through varying external conditions , such as changes in driving conditions , load gradient , terrain , etc . the control system should be responsive to the driver &# 39 ; s throttle input to accurately and smoothly accommodate changes in torque commands . fig5 is a block diagram that illustrates torque controller methodology using feedforward compensation expressions that take into account sensed motor operation conditions as well as individual circuit parameter values to obtain these objectives . for precision torque tracking , the per - phase desired current trajectories are selected according to the following expression : i di = ( 2   τ d n s  k τ1 )  sin  ( n τ  θ 1 ) where i d1 denotes per - phase desired current trajectory , τ d denotes the user &# 39 ; s requested torque command , n t represents the total number of phase windings , k t denotes a per - phase torque transmission coefficient and θ t represents relative positional displacement between the i th phase winding and a rotor reference point . the per - phase current magnitude is dependent on the per - phase value of the torque transmission coefficient k τt . in order to develop the desired phase currents the following per - phase voltage control expression is applied to the driver for the phase windings : v t ( t )= l i di d1 / dt + r t i t + e t + k s e t fig5 represents the methodology , generally indicated by reference numeral 60 , by which the controller derives the components of this voltage control expression in real time , utilizing the torque command input and the signals received from phase current sensors , position sensor and speed detector . the external user requested ( desired ) torque command τ d ( t ), responsive to the throttle , is input to controller function block 62 and rotor position θ is input to controller function block 64 . block 64 produces an output representing excitation angle θ t ( t ) based on the rotor position , the number of permanent magnet pole pairs ( n t ) the number stator phases ( n s ), and the phase delay of the particular phase . the output of controller function block 64 is fed to controller function block 62 . using the excitation angle input thus received , controller function block 62 determines , in accordance with the expression set forth above , how phase currents are distributed among the n s phases such that the user requested torque τ d ( t ) is developed by the motor . controller function block 66 calculates the difference between the desired phase current i dt ( t ) received from block 62 and the sensed phase current i t ( t ) to output a phase current track error signal e i ( t ). this error signal is multiplied by gain factor k s in controller function block 68 . the effect of the current feedback gain is to increase overall system robustness via the rejection of system disturbances due to measurement noise and any model parameter inaccuracies . the output of block 68 is fed to controller function block 70 . block 70 outputs time varying voltage signals v t ( t ) to the gate drivers 52 for the selective controlled energization of the phase windings 34 . v t ( t ) has components that compensate for the effects of inductance , induced back - emf and resistance . to compensate for the presence of inductance within phase windings , the term ldi dt / dt , wherein di dt / dt denotes the standard time derivative of the desired phase current i dt ( t ), is input to the controller function block 70 to be added in the phase voltage calculation . determination of ldi dt / dt , is made at controller function block 72 , acting upon the received inputs of τ d ( t ), θ i ( t ) and ω ( t ). to compensate for the induced back - emf voltage the term e t is added in the phase voltage calculation as an input to function block 70 from controller function block 74 . the back - emf compensation value is derived from the excitation angle and speed , received as inputs to block 74 using back - emf coefficient k ei . to compensate for voltage drop attributed to phase winding resistance and parasitic resistance , the term r t i i ( t ) is added in the phase voltage calculation as an input to function block 70 from controller function block 76 . in operation , controller 44 successively outputs control signals v t ( t ) to the gate drivers for individual energization of respective phase windings . the gate drivers activate the respective switch sets so that the sequence in which windings are selected comports with a sequence established in the controller . the sequence is transmitted to the gate drivers through the link only generally illustrated in the diagram of fig5 . each successive control signal v i ( t ) is related to the particular current sensed in the corresponding phase winding , the immediately sensed rotor position and speed , and also to model parameters , k ei and k τt , that have been predetermined specifically for the respective phases . thus , for each derived control signal v i ( t ), in addition to receiving timely sensed motor feedback signals , the controller must access the parameters specific to the particular phase to which the control signal corresponds . the controller thus has the ability to compensate for individual phase characteristic differences among the various stator phases . to prevent over / under compensation of the voltage control routine , the per - phase circuit parameters utilized are exactly matched to their actual phases values . the per - phase torque transmission coefficient k τt captures the per - phase torque contribution of each phase . this parameter is proportional to the ratio of the effective torque generated per current applied for that phase . the torque developed by the phase is a function of the magnetic flux density developed in the core material of the phase , which produces the effective air gap flux density . the design of the electromagnetic core geometry takes into account current density , which is a function of the ampere - turns on each portion of the core in order to optimize induction in the material without driving the core into saturation . however , the magnetic properties of the core material are often non - homogeneous throughout the stator core . if the motor is configured with separated , ferromagnetically autonomous electromagnet cores , inconsistencies can be even more pronounced . variations in winding and inductance also contribute in determining the torque constant and the back - emf coefficient parameters . there will be degradation in the effective flux buildup in the core if air pockets are formed in the windings . although high packing factors can be achieved through uniform winding , there can be variations in wire manufacturing . thus , if a nominal motor torque transmission coefficient and a nominal back - emf coefficient are utilized by the controller , the variation in properties of the phases produces overall motor output torque ripple . the torque controller methodology represented in fig5 avoids this problem by applying the per - phase torque transmission coefficient and back - emf coefficients predetermined for each phase . the computations illustrated in fig5 are performed successively in real time . the expression shown in block 62 has been selected to provide the desired currents for tracking torque in the preferred embodiment . this expression can be modified if factors other than precisely tracking changes in torque input commands are also of significance . for example , in some vehicle environments , degree of acceleration and deceleration may be of consideration to avoid unnecessarily rough driving conditions . the expression in block 62 thus can be changed to accommodate additional considerations . the controller methodology illustrated in fig5 may be performed in an integrated execution scheme in which particular phase parameters are substituted for each generated control voltage output . alternatively , the controller 44 may provide a separate control loop for each stator phase n , as represented in the partial block diagram of fig6 . for each of the n s motor phases , a corresponding control loop 60 i is provided . each loop contains the relevant parameters for the respective motor phase . the control loops arc activated in accordance with the appropriate motor phase energization sequence and need only the sensed motor feedback signals for generation of the control voltages . in this disclosure there is shown and described only preferred embodiments of the invention and but a few examples of its versatility . it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein . for example , in the control methodology illustrated in fig5 the desired per - phase current i dt ( t ) can be determined in real time from the received inputs of τ d ( t ), θ t ( t ) by reference to values stored in look - up tables . look - up tables would be provided for each stator phase . as can be appreciated , the motor of the invention can be utilized in a wide range of applications in addition to vehicle drives . while it is preferred , in the implementation of a vehicle drive , that the rotor surround the stator , other applications may find advantageous utility with the stator surrounding the rotor . thus , it is within the contemplation of the invention that each inner and outer annular member may comprise either the stator or rotor and may comprise either the group of electromagnets or group of permanent magnets .	7
with reference to the drawings and in particular fig1 wherein a dual - function electrical hand drill constructed in accordance with the present invention , generally designated by the reference numeral 10 , is shown , the dual - function electrical hand drill 10 may assume a pistol - like shape having a handle 12 to be held by hands of an operator , a casing 14 extending from a top end of the handle 12 to define therein an interior space for accommodating essential parts ( to be described hereinafter ) for generating and transmitting torque or rotation to a chuck 16 rotatably mounted to a front end of the casing 14 . a setting ring 18 is provided on the front end of the casing 14 to set the desired output torque level and to switch the electrical hand drill 10 between a rotation mode and a vibration mode , which will be further discussed hereinafter . to provide a visual reference , a number of marks 20 , which are numbered 1 - 5 in the embodiment illustrated , are formed on the setting ring 18 &# 39 ; to represent different torque output levels of the rotation mode . a further mark 22 , indicating the maximum torque output level of the rotation mode , is also provided on the setting ring 18 . there is still one more mark 24 provided on the setting ring 18 to indicate the vibration mode of the dual , function electrical hand drill 10 . a reference indicator 26 is provided on the casing 14 to indicate the selection of the torque output levels and the operation modes 20 , 22 and 24 . with particular reference to fig2 wherein an exploded perspective view of the dual - function electrical hand drill 10 is shown , the hand drill 10 comprises a torque or rotation source , such as an electrical motor 30 which is fixed inside the interior space defined by the casing 14 . a power switch 31 ( fig1 ) disposed on the handle 12 and accessible by the operator is provided to turn on / off the motor 30 . the motor 30 may be powered by battery set . 33 , as illustrated in fig1 or external power source ( not shown ). with further reference to fig3 the motor 30 has a spindle 32 to which speed reduction means 34 is coupled to rotate about a rotational axis . the speed reduction means 34 comprises a number of gears forming a speed reduction gear train which may have any structure that is well known to those having ordinary skill in mechanical engineering . an example of the speed reduction gear train is illustrated in fig3 . with particular reference to fig3 the speed reduction means 34 adapted in the dual - function electrical hand drill 10 comprises three planetary gear sets , of which the first planetary gear set comprises a first sun gear 36 secured to the spindle 32 of the motor 30 . the first planetary gear set has a first ring gear 38 fixed to the motor 30 to be stationary inside the casing 14 . the first planetary gear set also comprises first planetary gears 40 which are engageable between the first sun gear 36 and the first ring gear 38 and are respectively rotatably mounted to sun gear 42 of the second planetary gear set . the second planetary gear set has a ring gear 44 which is movable under the control of a switching lever 46 which is in turn controlled by a switch 48 slidably mounted on the casing 14 ( see fig1 ) and accessible by the operator to set between a high speed condition or a low speed condition . the switching lever 46 has two legs 50 on which two inward projections 52 are formed to be receivable within a circumferential slot 54 formed on the movable second ring gear 44 so as to move the second ring gear 44 between a rotatable position , corresponding to the high speed condition of the speed reduction means 34 , and a fixed position , corresponding to the low speed condition . the second planetary gear set has planetary gears 55 rotatably mounted to sun gear 56 of the third planetary gear set which is rotated about the rotational axis of the spindle 32 . the third sun gear 86 is coupled to an adjusting ring gear 58 , which functions as the ring gear of the third planetary gear set , via planetary gears 60 of the third planetary gear set . the third planetary gears 60 are rotatably mounted to an adaptor 62 which has an engaging hole 64 formed thereon to receive and thus drivingly engage an elongated driving shaft 66 ( see fig2 ) which will be further discussed hereinafter . as illustrated , the adjusting ring gear 58 comprises an elongated cylinder inside which inner teeth 67 are formed . the adjusting ring gear 58 has an inward flange 68 formed on an end to define a ring - like end surface on which a plurality of round raised sections 70 are formed , preferably in an equally - spaced manner , and defining therebetween recessed sections 72 . the speed reduction means 34 also comprises a housing member 74 defining therein a first interior space 76 ( fig6 ) into which the speed reduction gear train is received through an end opening 77 thereof . the first interior space 76 has formed therein a ring gear 78 engageable with the an outer toothed section 80 of the movable ring gear 44 to allow the movable ring gear 44 to be fixed - relative to the housing member 74 which is the fixed position of the ring gear 44 . the housing member 74 is fixed to the motor 30 by means of for example screws to be stationary relative to the casing 14 of the electrical hand drill 10 . the securing of the housing member 74 to the motor 30 provides a complete enclosure of the speed reduction gear train inside the housing member 74 . with reference to fig2 and 6 , a vibration generating base 82 is provided as a cylindrical member which is smaller in diameter than a top opening 84 ( fig6 ) of the housing member 74 and is partially received and secured within the top opening 84 of the housing member 74 . the vibration generating base 82 has a circumferential flange 86 . preferably , the housing member 74 is made of plastics or the like by injection molding to form an inner circumferential groove which tightly encloses the outer edge of the flange 86 so as to fix the vibration generating base 82 relative to the housing member 74 . the adjusting ring gear 58 is rotatably secured to an end of the vibration generating base 82 which is located inside the housing member 74 by means of a bearing ring 88 and a c - clip 90 . the c - clip 90 is received within a circumferential groove 91 formed on the end of the vibration generating base 82 disposed inside the housing member 74 to secure the adjusting ring gear 58 to the vibration generating base 82 and thus the housing member 74 . a plurality of holes 92 ( fig6 ) are formed on the flange 86 of the vibration generating base 82 to each receive therein a spherical member 94 as shown in fig4 and 5 . the spherical members 94 are received within the holes 92 in such a manner that they are partially projecting out of the holes 92 and entering into and resting in the recessed sections 72 of the inward flange 68 of the adjusting ring gear 58 . a helical spring 96 ( also see fig4 and 5 ) is loosely fit over the cylindrical vibration generating base 82 to have one end thereof acting against the spherical members 94 to serve as biasing means for forcing the spherical members 94 against the inward flange 68 of the adjusting ring gear 58 . preferably , a washer 98 is disposed between the helical spring 96 and the spherical members 94 . preferably , the top opening 84 of the housing member 74 defines a ring - like groove 100 ( fig6 ) within which the end of the spring 96 acting upon the spherical members 94 is received so as to prevent the helical spring 96 from disengaging from the spherical members 94 . with reference to fig2 the driving shaft 66 has a circumferential ring 102 formed thereon which divides the length of the driving shaft 66 into an outer section 104 to which the chuck 16 is releasably secured with any means known to those having ordinary skill is in the art and an inner section 106 which is partially received within the vibration generating base 82 and the housing member 74 to engage the speed reduction gear train . further referring to fig4 - 6 , a mode switching ring 108 is rotatably and movably fit over the inner section 106 of the driving shaft 66 . the mode switching ring 108 defines therein a circumferential shoulder 110 which cooperates with the circumferential ring 102 of the driving shaft 66 to retain therebetween biasing means , preferably a conical spring 112 , having one end abutting against the circumferential ring 102 of the driving shaft 66 , preferably with a washer 114 therebetween . the opposite end of the conical spring 112 is supported on the circumferential shoulder 110 of the mode switching ring 108 by means of bearing means 116 which comprises , in general , a number of bearing balls 118 sandwiched between two washers 120 and 122 ( see fig2 ). a ring member 124 is press fit over the inner section 106 of the driving shaft 66 at a pre - determined position , preferably defined by a circumferential shoulder 126 formed on the inner section 106 of the driving shaft 66 . the ring member 124 has a first end surface 128 abutting against the circumferential shoulder 126 to position the ring 124 on the pre - determined position . the first end surface 128 of the ring 124 has a diameter substantially greater than the circumferential shoulder 126 so as to serve as a stop for limiting the movability of the mode switching ring 108 relative to the driving shaft 66 . the ring member 124 has a second , opposite end surface 130 on which a serration is formed . the inner section 106 of the driving shaft 66 is rotatably receivable within the vibration generating base 82 to have a free end 132 of the inner section 106 of the driving shaft 66 , which is shaped to be in driving engagement with the engaging hole 64 of the adapter 62 , extend into and thus engage the engaging hole 64 so as to be coupled to the speed reduction means 34 . the cylindrical vibration generating base 82 has formed therein a recess 134 having a bottom 136 which is serrated in correspondence with the serrated end surface 130 of the ring member 124 . a through hole 138 is formed on the serrated bottom 136 to allow the free end 132 of the driving shaft 66 to extend therethrough to be engaged by the engaging hole 64 of the adapter 62 . a circumferential step 140 is formed in the recess 134 with a plurality of notches 142 , preferably three , formed thereon . it should be noted that in the drawings , only two of the notches 142 are visible . each of the notches 142 is provided with an inclined side edge 143 . corresponding to the step 140 of the recess 134 , the mode switching ring 108 has a circumferential shoulder 144 formed thereon to be supported by and movable on the step 142 . the circumferential shoulder 144 has a plurality of projections 146 , corresponding to the notches 142 of the step 140 , formed thereon to be receivable within the notches 142 . the rotation of the mode switching ring 108 moves the shoulder 144 thereof relative to the step 140 so as to have the projections 146 trapped into the notches 142 and the shoulder 144 in direct contact with the step 142 . each of the projections 146 is provided with an inclined side 147 to cooperate with the inclined side edge 143 of the notches 142 for helping the projections 146 moving out of the notches 142 when the mode switching ring 108 is rotated reversely . once the projections 146 are moved out of the notches 142 , the shoulder 144 is out of contact engagement with the step 140 and is supported on the step 140 by the projections 146 which are provided with a flat lower end 149 . fig5 shows the condition when the projections 146 of the mode switching ring 108 are rotated to move into the notches 142 of the vibration generating base 82 and this corresponds to the vibration mode of the operation of the dual - function electrical hand drill 10 . fig4 shows a different condition wherein the projections 146 of the mode switching ring 108 are moved out of the notches 142 which corresponds to the rotation mode of the operation of the dual - function electrical hand drill 10 . the driving shaft 66 is rotatably secured within the vibration generating base 82 which is in turn fixed to the housing member 74 and thus the motor 30 and the casing 14 by means of a bushing 148 which is disposed between the hole 138 and the shaft 66 and is fixed to the driving shaft 66 by a c - clip 150 , preferably with a washer 152 therebetween ( also see fig3 ). the bushing 148 has a circumferential flange 154 which abuts against a circumferential shoulder 156 ( fig6 ) formed inside the hole 138 to prevent the driving shaft 66 from disengaging from the vibration generating base 82 . with reference to fig2 and 4 - 6 , the setting ring 18 has a cylindrical side wall 158 with a cap portion 160 secured to one end thereof and having an opening 162 ( fig6 ) to receive therethrough the outer section 104 of the driving shaft 66 . the opening 162 of the setting ring 18 is bearingly supported on the circumferential ring 102 of the driving shaft 66 and the side wall 158 of the setting ring 18 extends substantially to such a position slightly overlapping the top opening 84 of the housing member 74 . the setting ring 18 has therein a first ring - like inner wall 164 on which at least an elongated rib 166 , preferably three , extending from the opening 162 toward the mode switching ring 108 to be drivingly engageable with slots 168 formed on the mode switching ring 108 so that by the rotation of the setting ring 18 , the mode - switching ring 108 is rotated to have the projections 146 thereof moved into and / or out of the notches 142 of the vibration generating base 82 . the setting ring 18 has also formed therein a second ring - like inner wall 170 surrounding the first inner wall 164 . the second inner wall 170 is divided into a number of sections 172 , preferably three , each defining on the free edge thereof a number of segments 174 , preferably five , having step - by - step reduced heights so that the heights thereof are changed from the shortest one 174 &# 34 ; to the highest one 174 &# 34 ;. preferably , each of the segments 174 has a round or arcuate end contour . a ring member 176 ( fig2 ) having a number of raised pimples 178 , corresponding to the sections 172 of the second inner wall 170 of the setting ring 18 is disposed between the helical spring 96 and the second inner wall 170 with the pimples 178 in contact engagement with the sections 172 of the second inner wall 170 . a collar 180 which is fit over the cylindrical vibration generating base 82 and which has a side flange 182 to support the spring 96 is interposed between the ring member 176 and the helical spring 96 to support and guide the helical spring 96 . with such an arrangement , the rotation of the setting ring 18 along a first direction moves the sections 172 of the second inner wall 170 relative to the ring member 176 from one segment 174 thereof to a next one and thus change the length of the helical spring 96 . the change in length of the helical spring 96 results in a change of force applied to the spherical members 94 by the spring 96 . this in turn changes the resistance against the spherical members 94 moving from one of the recessed sections 72 of the inward flange 68 of the adjusting ring gear 58 to the next one and thus the force resisting the rotation of the adjusting ring gear 58 . apparently , when the pimples 178 are located on the highest segments 174 &# 34 ; of the sections 172 of the second inner wall 170 , the spring 96 is compressed most and the force acting upon the spherical members 94 is the largest which in turn makes the adjusting ring gear 58 most difficult to rotate and thus may be considered stationary , if the spring 96 is properly selected . the more difficult to rotate the adjusting ring gear 58 , the slower it rotates and the faster the third planetary gears 60 orbits about the third sun gear 56 and as a consequence , the driving shaft 66 is rotated faster . on the other hand , if the pimples 178 are located on the shortest segments 174 &# 39 ; of the sections 172 of the second inner wall 170 , the spring 96 is compressed least and the force acting upon the spherical members 94 is the smallest which in turn makes the adjusting ring gear 58 easiest to rotate . the easier to rotate the adjusting ring gear 58 , the faster it rotates and the slower the third planetary gears 60 orbit about the third sun gear 56 and as a consequence , the driving shaft 66 is rotated slower . by this way , the output speed of the driving shaft 66 is adjustable . in accordance with the present invention , each of the segments 174 of the sections 172 of the second inner wall 170 corresponds to one of the torque output levels which are designated by the reference 20 in fig1 and respectively numbered 1 - 5 so that the rotation of the setting ring 18 between different output levels changes the force of the spring 96 acting upon the spherical members 94 so as to set the rotational speed of the driving shaft 66 to the desired value . preferably , a stop 184 is formed next to the highest segment 174 &# 34 ; and the shortest segment 174 &# 39 ; of each of the sections 172 of the second inner wall 170 to prevent the helical spring 96 from further elongation or compression . the locations of the notches 142 on the step 140 of the vibration generating base 140 are so selected that only when the setting ring 18 is further rotated from the position where the helical spring 96 is compressed most , the projections 146 are allowed to enter the notches 142 and thus allowing the shoulder 144 of the mode switch ring 108 to be in direct contact with the step 140 , as shown in fig5 and this corresponds to the vibration mode of the dual - function electrical hand drill 10 of the present invention . by using the setting ring 18 to set the dual - function electrical hand drill 10 to the vibration mode , as shown in fig5 a reaction force f ( fig5 ) reacts against the driving shaft 66 through the drilling bit ( not shown ) and the chuck 16 by the work piece ( not shown ), and moves the shaft 66 , against the conical spring 112 , toward the serrated bottom 136 of the recess 134 formed inside the vibration generating base 82 to have the serrated end surface 130 of the ring member 124 to engage the serrated bottom 136 so as to generate a vibration or to - and - fro movement of the driving shaft 66 relative to the vibration generating base 82 . the notches 142 have such a depth and the conical spring 112 has such an overall compression that when the projections 146 are out of engagement therewith , as shown in fig4 wherein the shoulder 144 of the mode switching ring 108 is supported above the step 140 by the projections 146 , the compression of the conical spring 112 does not allow the serrated end surface 130 of the ring member 124 to engage the serrated bottom 136 of the recess 134 formed inside the vibration generating base 82 and thus no vibration or to - and - fro movement of the driving shaft 66 relative to the vibration generating base 82 is generated . it is apparent that although the invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment , it is contemplated that those skilled in the art may make changes to the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims .	1
a right shoe 10 is shown in fig1 typically having a vamp area 12 , a quarter area 14 and a counter area 16 . the vamp area 12 is that area directly in front of the lacing area of the shoe and normally overlies the toes of a foot . the quarter area 14 normally overlaps the mid - portion of the foot in front of the ankle . the counter 16 normally surrounds the heel of the foot . the outer side of the shoe 10 is designated , generally , by the numeral 7 and the inner side by the numeral 8 . ( see fig3 ). the counter 16 of the shoe is typically formed with an outer material , e . g . made of leather 19 and an inner soft , cushioned lining 20 of e . g . wool , dacron ® synthetic polyester fiber , or cotton . in the presently preferred embodiment of this invention , extending forwardly of the counter area 16 is a tongue 18 . the tongue 18 is typically formed of an outer fabric cover material 18a , and a cushioned lining therefor 18b . the tongue 18 is an integral and / or unitary extension of the lining 20 of the heel counter , as best seen in fig3 and 3a . thus , the tongue 18 extends forwardly of the heel counter area 16 , and underlies the quarter section 14 . the tongue 18 need not be stitched or otherwise attached at its leading edge 21 , but can be stitched as its leading edge 21 , if desired . the trailing edge of the tongue 22 lies just to the rear of the quarter section 14 . the inner side or medial edge 23 of the tongue 18 ( fig2 ) is preferably flexibly anchored to the shoe 10 by means of an elasticized strip of fabric 25 , attached to the sole 26 of the shoe in a conventional manner . such construction permits the tongue 18 to be mounted stably along the longitudinal axis of the shoe , but still permits up - down movement along such axis . an adjustable sleeve or channel is thus provided by the elasticized strip 25 and tongue 18 which extends integrally from the heel counter lining 20 , as best seen in fig3 and 3a , through which the wearer &# 39 ; s foot may easily pass . when the tongue 18 is an integral extension of the heel counter lining 20 , stitching normally required to affix the tongue to the vamp can be eliminated , if desired . at the same time , the comfort provided is superior to the normal tongue construction because of the integration of the tongue with the heel counter lining 20 . such construction enables the foot to be enveloped by the tongue construction resulting in more of a &# 34 ; glove fit ,&# 34 ; and without the layering of material necessarily required in stitching the tongue to the vamp in the normal tongue construction of the prior art . while the construction shown in fig1 - 3a is presently preferred , the inner edge 23 of tongue 18 need not be anchored by strip 25 . an embodiment wherein the inner edge 23 of the tongue 18 is not anchored by an elasticized strip 25 is illustrated in fig1 - 12a and is described further below . a second embodiment of this invention is shown in fig4 - 6 . the shoe 30 has vamp , counter , and quarter sections 32 , 34 , 36 , respectively . these sections of the shoe are as above described with reference to fig1 - 3 . in this embodiment , the tongue section 38 is a unitary extension of section 40 , the lower edge 51 of which is anchored to sole 50 , by conventional means , section 40 being placed in an area occupied by both counter and quarter areas of the shoe . the tongue 38 has a free unattached leading edge 42 , a trailing edge 44 and an inner side or medial edge 46 . the tongue 38 is provided with a fabric or leather covering 47 , and is normally lined with a cushioned material 48 made of cotton or synthetic material . the inner side edge 46 of tongue 38 is preferably flexibly anchored to the sole 50 by an elasticized fabric or mesh strip 52 , strip 52 being affixed to inner edge 46 and affixed to the sole 50 in a conventional manner . such construction provides a flexible channel through which the wearer &# 39 ; s foot can pass -- as best seen in fig6 . counter sections 54 and 56 carry lacing eyelets or d - rings 57 in a conventional manner . a third embodiment of this invention is shown in fig7 - 9a . the shoe 60 has vamp , quarter , and counter sections 62 , 64 and 66 respectively , all affixed to sole 67 by conventional means . in this embodiment , the tongue section 68 is a unitary extension of sole - anchored quarter section 64 . the tongue section 68 has a free unattached forward edge 72 , a rear trailing edge 74 , and an inner side edge 76 ( see fig9 and 9a ). the inner side 76 may be flexibly anchored to the sole by elasticized strip 78 ( see fig9 ). the lacing d - rings 81 are carried by upper quarter sections 80 , 82 , these upper sections ( usually made of leather ) overlying tongue 68 . upper sections 80 , 82 are attached to lower support sections 84 , 86 respectively , made usually of stiffer material than leather , sections 84 , 86 being anchored to the sole 67 in a conventional manner . fig1 - 12a show a fourth embodiment wherein no elasticized strip is used to anchor the inner edge 23 of the tongue to the junction of the uppers and the sole . for convenience and clarity of presentation , the same reference numerals used to describe fig1 - 3a are applied to describe the features of fig1 - 12a , except that no elasticized strip of fabric is used to anchor the inner side or medial edge 23 of the tongue to the junction of the uppers and the sole . although the shoe 10 is shown with its tongue 18 extending from the lateral side of the shoe , with its initially free edge 23 lying on the medial side of the shoe , the shoe can be constructed so that its tongue extends from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe . fig1 - 16 show a fifth embodiment of the shoe wherein the tongue 18 extends from the medial side of the heel counter , and its lateral edge is attached with an elasticized strip of fabric to the lateral edge of the shoe . this embodiment is identical in all other respects to the first embodiment of the shoe , which is depicted in fig1 - 3a , and whose reference numeral are applicable to fig1 - 16 . it should be borne in mind that the drawings are not rendered in actual scale so that certain features of the invention can be brought out and depicted . the drawings and the foregoing description are not intended to represent the only form of the invention in regard to the details of this construction and manner of operation . in fact , it will be evident to one skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . although specific terms have been employed , they are intended in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation , the scope of the invention being delineated in the following claims .	0
abbreviations : hmads cells (“ human multipotent adipose - derived stem cells ”); wat (“ white adipose tissue ”); bat (“ brown adipose tissue ”); ppar (“ peroxisome proliferator - activated receptor ”); ppre (“ peroxisome proliferator - responsive element ”); ucp1 (“ uncoupling protein 1 ”); ucp2 (“ uncoupling protein 2 ”); pgc - 1α ( β ) (“ pparγ coactivator α ( β )”); ctbp - 1 (“ c - terminal - binding protein - 1 ”); ar (“ adrenergic receptor ”); cidea (“ cell death - inducing dff45 - like effector a ”); naip (“ neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein ”); ctp - 1b (“ carnitine palmitoyltransferase - 1b ”); pka (“ protein kinase a ”); t3 (“ 3 , 5 , 3 ′- tri - iodothyronine ”); tbp (“ tata - box binding protein ”); prdm16 (“ pr - domain zinc finger protein 16 ”); bax (“ bcl - 2 - associated x protein ”); bcl - 2 (“ b - cell cll / lymphoma - 2 ”). cell culture : preparation and characterization of hmads cell multipotence and self - renewal have been described ( rodriguez , a . m ., et al ., biochem biophys res commun , 2004 . 315 ( 2 ): p . 255 - 63 ; rodriguez , a . m ., et al ., j exp med , 2005 . 201 ( 9 ): p . 1397 - 405 ; zaragosi , l . e . et al ., stem cells , 2006 . 24 ( 11 ): p . 2412 - 9 ; elabd , c , et al ., biochem biophys res commun , 2007 . 361 ( 2 ): p . 342 - 8 ). cells of the hmads - 2 line were established from adipose tissue from the pubic area of a donor aged 5 ; they were used between passages 16 and 35 ( 35 to 100 doublings of the cell population ). the cells were cultured at a density of 4 , 500 cells / cm 2 in dmem ( dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle medium ) enriched with 10 % fetal calf serum , 2 . 5 ng / ml hfgf 2 , 60 μg / ml penicillin and 50 μg / ml streptomycin . after a change of medium every 2 days , when the cells become confluent , hfgf 2 is eliminated and the cells induced to differentiate 2 days later , defining day 0 of differentiation . the adipocyte differentiation medium consists of dmem / h12 ( 1 : 1 , v / v ) enriched with 10 μg / ml transferrin , 0 . 85 μm insulin , 0 . 2 nm t 3 , 1 μm dexamethasone ( dex ) and 500 μm isobutylmethylxanthine ( ibmx ). three days later , the medium is changed ( dex and ibmx omitted ) and rosiglitazone added at the indicated concentrations and days . the medium is then changed every 2 days before using the cells . the determination of glycerol - 3 phosphate dehydrogenase ( gpdh ) activity and lipid staining with oil red 0 have been previously described ( negrel , r . et al ., proc natl acad sci usa , 1978 . 75 ( 12 ): p . 6054 - 8 ; bezy , o ., et al ., j biol chem , 2005 . 280 ( 12 ): p . 11432 - 8 ). rna purification and analysis : rna extraction , the use of reverse transcriptase and determination of mrna levels by real - time quantitative rt - pcr have been described ( zaragosi , l . e et al ., stem cells , 2006 . 24 ( 11 ): p . 2412 - 9 ; elabd , c , et al ., biochem biophys res commun , 2007 . 361 ( 2 ): p . 342 - 8 ; bezy , o ., et al ., j biol chem , 2005 . 280 ( 12 ): p . 11432 - 8 ). expression of the genes of interest was normalized compared with the one of the tbp gene and was quantified using the δct comparative method . the sequences of oligonucleotide primers , obtained using the primer express software ( perkin elmer life sciences ), are described in table 1 below . immunoblot analysis : total cellular lysates are analyzed by immunoblot as previously described ( bezy , o ., et al ., j biol chem , 2005 . 280 ( 12 ): p . 11432 - 8 ). the primary antibodies obtained from the rabbit , anti - human ucp1 and anti - tbp , are products from santa cruz biotechnology ( santa cruz , calif ., usa ) and the secondary antibodies ( conjugated with horseradish peroxidase ) are products from promega ( charbonnières , france ). the “ enhanced chemiluminescence ” system ( millipore , saint - quentin - yvelines , france ) was used for detection . determination of oxygen consumption : oxygen consumption was measured using two - chamber injection respirometer equipped with a peltier thermostat , clark electrodes and integrated magnetic stirrers ( oroboros , innsbruck , austria ). measurements were made at 37 ° c . with constant stirring in a volume of 2 ml of dmem / f12 medium ( 1 : 1 , v / v ) containing 10 % fetal calf serum . before each measurement , the medium present in the chambers was equilibrated with air for 30 min , and then the freshly - trypsinized cells were transferred to this medium . after having reached a stationary respiratory state , atp synthase was inhibited using oligomycin ( 0 . 25 - 0 . 5 mg / l ) and the respiratory activity of the cells titrated in the presence of the uncoupling agent carbonyl cyanide 3 - chlorophenylhydrazone ( cccp ) at optimal concentrations of 1 - 2 μm . the respiratory chain was blocked with 1 μg / ml antimycin a . oxygen consumption was calculated using the datagraph software ( oroboros software ). basal respiratory activity corresponds to oxygen consumption sensitive to antimycin a . respiratory activity was stimulated in the presence of 1 μm isoprenaline added extemporaneously in the injection chamber , with measurements made as described above . statistical analysis : the data are expressed as mean ± sd and are analyzed by the student &# 39 ; s t - test . differences are considered significant for p & lt ; 0 . 05 . ucp1 and brown adipocyte markers are expressed during the hmads cells differentiation as previously described ( rodriguez , a . m ., et al ., biochem biophys res commun , 2004 . 315 ( 2 ): p . 255 - 63 ), the pparγ activation is necessary for adipocytic differentiation of hmads - 2 cells ( fig1 a ). the cells treatment for 6 days with increasing concentrations of rosiglitazone , between days 3 and 9 , leads to lipid accumulation and to the expression of gpdh and pparγ genes . an additional treatment of one week does not change the expression of gpdh and pparγ genes . on day 16 , 20 nm rosiglitazone is sufficient to induce a maximum response , which is consistent with the pparγ affinity for this ligand ( fig1 a - c ). the totality of the results underscores that a 6 - day exposure of hmads - 2 cells to rosiglitazone enables the maximum expression of key white adipocytes markers . on the other hand , such an exposure between days 3 and 9 leads only to a very weak expression of mrna and the ucp1 protein . however , a 20 nm exposure between days 3 and 16 leads to their strong expression ( fig2 a , b ). contrary to ucp1 , a strong expression of ucp2 mrna is still observed on day 9 ; it is increased by a longer exposure ( fig2 c ) and the ucp2 protein is then detected ( b . miroux and c . ricquier , personal communication ). these results suggest that the duration of treatment with rosiglitazone modulates the expression of the ucp1 gene . similarly , expression of the cidea gene , reported as closely associated with that of ucp1 , is increased ( fig2 d ) ( zhou , z ., et al ., nat genet , 2003 . 35 ( 1 ): p . 49 - 56 ). compared with white adipocytes , brown adipocytes have very high mitochondriogenesis ( wilson - fritch , l ., et al ., j clin invest , 2004 . 114 ( 9 ): p . 1281 - 9 ). indeed , the levels of mrna coding for mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase ( cpt1b ) are strongly increased when hmads - 2 cells switch from the white phenotype to the brown phenotype ( fig2 e ). unexpectedly , levels of pparα , pgc - 1α , pgc - 1β and prdm16 are similar in adipocytes expressing the white or brown phenotypes ( fig6 ). it is known that rodent brown adipocytes are more susceptible to apoptosis than white adipocytes in vitro and in vivo . these adipocytes express both the anti - apoptotic bcl - 2 protein and the pro - apoptotic bax protein ( briscini et al ., febs lett 1998 . 431 , 80 - 84 ; lindquist and rehnmark , j biol chem 1998 . 273 , 30147 - 30156 ; nisoli et al ., cell death differ 2006 . 13 , 2154 - 2156 ). contrary to rodents , human white adipocytes have a high susceptibility to apoptosis which appears to be related to the weak expression of the anti - apoptotic genes bcl - 2 and naip ( papineau et al ., metabolism 2003 . 52 , 987 - 992 ). unexpectedly , the switch of hmads cells from the white phenotype to the brown phenotype is accompanied by an increase in the expression of the anti - apoptotic gene bcl - 2 and a decrease in the expression of the pro - apoptotic bax gene , with the ratio of bcl - 2 to bax passing from 1 to 3 . 7 ( fig7 ), which implies , depending on the species , a different expression pattern of genes associated with apoptosis . insofar as ucp1 ( fig2 ), β3 - adrenergic receptor ( fig3 a ) and β2 - ar receptor ( result not shown ) are expressed when hmads - 2 cells are exposed to rosiglitazone between days 3 and 16 , the functional response to β - agonists was analyzed . as fig3 b and 3c indicate , the expression of ucp1 mrna and ucp1 protein are significantly increased after a stimulation for 6 h with isoproterenol , a pan - agonist for β receptors , and by the compound cl316243 , a selective β3 agonist , at concentrations of 10 - 100 nm . in short , a prolonged chronic activation of pparγ leads to the expression of ucp1 and to the acquisition of a functional response to β agonists . regulation of ucp1 expression occurs in hmads cells previously differentiated into white adipocytes with the previous experiments , it is not possible to know if a long - term treatment of hmads cells is necessary for the acquisition of a brown phenotype , or if a brief exposure to rosiglitazone of hmads cells already differentiated into white adipocytes enables their transdifferentiation . for this purpose , hmads - 2 cells were exposed beforehand to rosiglitazone between days 3 and 9 , the ligand eliminated and then added between days 14 and 16 . the results show that this 2 - day treatment of white adipocytes is sufficient to stimulate the expression of ucp1 , cidea and cpt1b genes ( fig4 a ). this effect is specific to pparγ , the activation of pparβ / δ and pparα by the specific ligands wy14643 and l165041 , respectively , not inducing the expression of the ucp1 protein . the replacement of rosiglitazone by polyunsaturated fatty acids as activators / ligands of ppars ( arachidonic , eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids present at 10 μm ) appears to have no effect on the ucp1 gene expression ( results not shown ). all these observations show that a specific activation of pparγ for a brief period is sufficient for the white adipocytes to acquire a brown adipocyte phenotype . the rosiglitazone effects on ucp1 expression are not restricted to hmads - 2 cells ; they are also observed with hmads - 1 and hmads - cells ( rodriguez , a . m ., et al ., j exp med , 2005 . 201 ( 9 ): p . 1397 - 405 ), which were established from adipose tissue from the umbilical region of a donor aged 31 months and from pre - pubic adipose tissue from a donor aged 4 months , respectively ( fig8 and results not shown ). oxygen consumption and respiratory decoupling of hmads cells differentiated into white and brown adipocytes one major characteristic of brown adipocytes is an intense respiratory activity and an important decoupling of oxidative phosphorylation . oxygen consumption , determined using an oxygen - sensitive electrode ( cannon , b . and j . nedergaard , physiol rev , 2004 . 84 ( 1 ): p . 277 - 359 ) made it possible to measure relative respiration rates . the results show the significant effect of a long - term treatment with rosiglitazone on total and uncoupled respiratory activities . after 20 days of chronic exposure enabling the acquisition of the brown phenotype , compared with the values obtained with hmads - 2 cells exposed between days 3 and 9 and expressing the white phenotype , these two activities are increased by a factor of 3 and 2 . 5 , respectively ( fig5 a and b ). when hmads - 2 cells are differentiated beforehand into white adipocytes , and then treated later between days 16 and 20 with rosiglitazone , the increase in total and uncoupled respiratory activities is reduced but remains quite notable ( fig5 a and b ). an important stimulation of oxygen consumption by a specific β - adrenergic receptor agonist such as isoproterenol is also observed during the acquisition of a brown phenotype ( fig5 c ). these results show that acquisition of the brown phenotype by hmads - 2 cells is accompanied as expected via ucp1 by an increase in oxygen consumption , uncoupling activity and stimulation of respiration by a specific β - adrenergic receptor agonist , demonstrating that the brown adipocytes obtained from hmads cells are functional . the fluorodeoxyglucose - positron - emission technique recently made it possible to show , in healthy adult humans , the presence of active brown adipose tissue in sites distinct from white adipose tissue ( nedergaard , j . et al ., am j physiol endocrinol metab , 2007 . 293 ( 2 ): p . e444 - 52 ). thus , contrary to the consensus that prevailed during recent decades , these important observations suggest the possibility of stimulating the metabolic activity of bat in order to modulate energy expenditure in man . indeed , brown adipose tissue in rodents plays an important role in adaptive thermogenesis , its ablation by transgenesis leading to obesity and a dysfunction being observed in obese rodents ( cannon , b . and j . nedergaard , physiol rev , 2004 . 84 ( 1 ): p . 277 - 359 ; lowell , b . b ., et al ., nature , 1993 . 366 ( 6457 ): p . 740 - 2 ), whereas in man the role of bat remains a subject of debate ( cinti , s ., nutr metab cardiovasc dis , 2006 . 16 ( 8 ): p . 569 - 74 ). pharmacologically speaking , taking into account all these observations , the development of a model of human brown adipocytes should thus prove to be of utmost importance . our results show for the first time that multipotent human stem cells , established from the adipose tissue of young donors and already known to differentiate into white adipocytes ( rodriguez , a . m ., et al ., biochem biophys res commun , 2004 . 315 ( 2 ): p . 255 - 63 ; rodriguez , a . m ., et al ., j exp med , 2005 . 201 ( 9 ): p . 1397 - 405 ), are also capable of giving rise to brown adipocytes . biologically speaking , our results support the hypothesis according to which hmads cells are immature stem cells whose lineage would be upstream of white and brown lineages . once engaged in the brown lineage , hmads cells exhibit all the characteristics of rodent brown adipocytes ; they express the ucp1 , cidea , pgc - 1α , pgc - 1β and prdm16 genes as well as three members of the ppar family . crucially , acquisition of the brown phenotype is accompanied by an important increase in respiratory and uncoupling activities . the positive modulation of ucp1 expression by isoproterenol and the compound cl316243 demonstrates that the signaling pathway generated by j - adrenergic receptors , in particular β3 receptors , is also functional in these cells . up to this date , the presence and role of β3 - adrenergic receptors in man has been much debated ( lafontan , m . and m . berlan , trends pharmacol sci , 2003 . 24 ( 6 ): p . 276 - 83 ). thus , brown adipocytes of young baboons weakly express these receptors but no lipolysis is observed in response to four β3 - adrenergic agonists ( viguerie - bascands , n ., et al ., j clin endocrinol metab , 1996 . 81 ( 1 ): p . 368 - 75 ). in addition , human brown adipocytes immortalized by transgenesis and expressing β3 - adrenergic receptors show only weak lipolytic activity in response to cgp12177a , a partial β3 agonist , and these receptors appear only weakly coupled with adenylate cyclase ( zilberfarb , v ., et al ., j cell sci , 1997 . 110 ( pt 7 ): p . 801 - 7 ; jockers , r ., et al ., endocrinology , 1998 . 139 ( 6 ): p . 2676 - 84 ). in both cases , no stimulation of ucp1 expression and no uncoupling respiratory activity have been reported in response to a specific β3 agonist , contrary to the results of our work . moreover , no stimulation of respiratory activity by a specific β - adrenergic receptor agonist has been reported . rosiglitazone belongs to the family of thiazolidinediones , a class of insulin - sensitizing molecules used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes ( olefsky , j . m . and a . r . saltiel , trends endocrinol metab , 2000 . 11 ( 9 ): p . 362 - 8 ). it promotes terminal adipocyte differentiation by specifically activating pparγ ( rodriguez , a . m ., et al ., biochem biophys res commun , 2004 . 315 ( 2 ): p . 255 - 63 ; tai , t . a ., et al ., j biol chem , 1996 . 271 ( 47 ): p . 29909 - 14 ; forman , b . m ., et al ., cell , 1995 . 83 ( 5 ): p . 803 - 12 ). pparγ activation occurs in white preadipocytes as well as in brown preadipocytes and leads to their differentiation into white and brown adipocytes , respectively ( nedergaard , j ., et al ., biochim biophys acta , 2005 . 1740 ( 2 ): p . 293 - 304 ; petrovic , n . et al ., am j physiol endocrinol metab , ( may 20 , 2008 ). doi : 10 . 1152 / ajpendo . 00035 . 2008 ). notably , in spite of the presence of rosiglitazone and in spite of the fact that activation of the pka pathway by the dex / ibmx “ cocktail ” proves to be indispensable during the first three days of differentiation , this stimulatory effect appears insufficient and only differentiation into white adipocytes occurs . after elimination of dex / ibmx from the culture medium , it is striking to note that the acquisition of a brown adipocyte phenotype by hmads cells no longer depends on the duration of activation on pparγ by rosiglitazone even though pgc - 1α , pgc - 1β and prdm16 are already fully expressed in cells expressing the white phenotype . it is known that in the mouse , prdm16 induces in white adipocytes the expression of ucp1 although activation of pparγ is necessary for the expression of cidea and mitochondrial components ( seale , p ., et al ., cell metab , 2007 . 6 ( 1 ): p . 38 - 54 ). our results are in agreement with these observations and with the presence of a ppar response element in the promoter of the cidea gene ( viswakarma , n ., et al ., j biol chem , 2007 . 282 ( 25 ): p . 18613 - 24 ). however , it can not be excluded that , beyond the expression of prdm16 , pgc - 1α and pgc - 1β , a prolonged exposure to rosiglitazone does not induce other molecular events which are also necessary for the full acquisition of a brown phenotype . a differential transcriptomic analysis between hmads cells treated briefly or for a long time with rosiglitazone should provide answers to this hypothesis . rosiglitazone , while normalizing glycemia and insulinemia , leads to an increase in body weight in animals as well as in many patients ( carmona , m . c ., et al ., int j obes ( land ), 2005 . 29 ( 7 ): p . 864 - 71 ; goldberg , r . b ., curr opin lipidol , 2007 . 18 ( 4 ): p . 435 - 42 ; home , p . d ., et al ., diabet med , 2007 . 24 ( 6 ): p . 626 - 34 ; joosen , a . m ., et al ., diabetes metab res rev , 2006 . 22 ( 3 ): p . 204 - 10 ). our results do not exclude the possibility that , in man , it also can , although insufficiently , increase bat activity observed in a large proportion of healthy individuals ( nedergaard , j . et al ., am j physiol endocrinol metab , 2007 . 293 ( 2 ): p . e444 - 52 ; cypess , a m et al ., n . engl . j . med . 2009 . 360 : p . 1509 - 17 ; saito , m . et al ., diabetes 2009 . publish ahead of print , online april 28 ; van marken lichtenbelt , w . et al ., n . engl . j . med . 2009 . 390 : p . 1500 - 08 ; virtanen , k a et al ., n . engl . j . med . 2009 . 360 : p . 1518 - 1525 ). the contribution of bat to energy expenditure , in the case of non - shivering thermogenesis or induced by a hypercaloric diet , is well established in rodents . in human , the differences in weight gain observed between individuals appear related to differences in their capacity to increase energy expenditure in response to ingesta ( lowell , b . b and e . s . bachman , j biol chem , 2003 . 278 ( 32 ): p . 29385 - 8 ), and the mass of brown adipose tissue is inversely proportional to the mass of white adipose tissue ( saito , m . et al ., diabetes 2009 . publish ahead of print , online april 28 ; virtanen , k a et al ., n . engl . j . med . 2009 . 360 : p . 1518 - 1525 ). if these observations are related to different capacities between individuals to increase the mass and / or the activity of bat , our model of human brown adipocytes should enable screening for molecules capable of increasing the formation and the functions of bat , in particular by stimulating prdm16 expression and respiratory and uncoupling capacities of cells . among the possibilities , an increase in ucp1 expression could be considered by means of the dual activation of the pka pathway via β - adrenergic receptors and via the tgr5 receptor activated by biliary salts ( watanabe , m ., et al ., nature , 2006 . 439 ( 7075 ): p . 484 - 9 ). the materials and methods are those indicated in part i of the examples section above . 1 — recent work showed in mouse i ) the existence of a myogenic signature of brown adipocytes distinct from the one of white adipocytes ( timmons et al ., 2007 ; seale et al ., 2008 , nature 454 : 961 - 967 ) and ii ) the possibility to generate brown adipocytes from white precursors by treatment with bone morphogentic protein 7 ( bmp7 ) ( tseng et al ., 2008 . nature 454 : 1000 - 1004 ) or by transgenesis ( tiraby , c . et al ., j . biol . chem . 2003 . 278 : p . 33370 - 76 ). we have shown that our human hmads cells do not have a muscle signature since they do not express the myf5 gene neither during the proliferation phase , nor during or after their differentiation into adipose cells as in osseous cells . moreover , treatment of hmads cells with bmp7 alone does not enable their differentiation into adipocytes in the absence of rosiglitazone , but rather leads to a weak increase in ucp - 1 protein expression in cells differentiated beforehand into white adipocytes . 2 — the effects of rosiglitazone on the hmads cells differentiation into white and brown adipocytes are mediated by the nuclear receptor pparγ . indeed , adding a pparγ antagonist , the compound gw 9662 , to the differentiation medium prevents on the one hand the differentiation of hmads cells into adipocytes , and on the other hand does not allow expression of the ucp - 1 gene in cells differentiated beforehand into white adipocytes . 3 — compared with white adipocytes , brown adipocytes exhibit a very strong mitochondriogenesis . we showed that the level of mrna coding for mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase ( ctp1b ) is strongly increased when hmads - 2 cells switch from the white phenotype to the brown phenotype . recent results show that the cytochrome c oxidase activity ( marker of the inner mitochondrial membrane ) is also increased in brown hmads adipocytes compared with white adipocytes , thus strengthening our observations regarding the increase in mitochondriogenesis during the transition from the white phenotype to the brown phenotype . 4 — in rodents , biliary acids from intestinal reabsorption bind to a receptor coupled with g proteins ( tgr5 ) located on the plasma membrane of brown adipocytes . the production of camp stimulates the expression of type ii iodothyronine deiodinase which increases the intracellular concentrations of t3 . the latter then stimulate mitochondrial decoupling via ucp and the dissipation of energy in the form of heat ( watanabe et al ., 2006 ). in human , such a system has never been described . hmads cells express the tgr5 gene during adipocyte differentiation thus making it possible to consider pharmacological studies on respiration decoupling using tgr5 receptor agonist ligands . ailhaud , g ., grimaldi , p ., and negrel , r . ( 1992 ). cellular and molecular aspects of adipose tissue development . annu rev nutr 12 , 207 - 233 . bezy , o ., elabd , c ., cochet , o ., petersen , r . k ., kristiansen , k ., dani , c ., ailhaud , g ., and amri , e . z . ( 2005 ). delta - interacting protein a , a new inhibitory partner of ccaat / enhancer - binding protein beta , implicated in adipocyte differentiation . j biol chem 280 , 11432 - 11438 . bogacka , i ., xie , h ., bray , g . a ., and smith , s . r . ( 2005 ). pioglitazone induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human subcutaneous adipose tissue in vivo . diabetes 54 , 1392 - 1399 . briscini , l ., tonello , c ., dioni , l ., carruba , m . o ., and nisoli , e . ( 1998 ). bcl - 2 and bax are involved in the sympathetic protection of brown adipocytes from obesity - linked apoptosis . febs lett 431 , 80 - 84 . cannon , b ., and nedergaard , j . ( 2004 ). brown adipose tissue : function and physiological significance . physiol rev 84 , 277 - 359 . carmona , m . c ., louche , k ., nibbelink , m ., prunet , b ., bross , a ., desbazeille , m ., dacquet , c ., renard , p ., casteilla , l ., and penicaud , l . ( 2005 ). fenofibrate prevents rosiglitazone - induced body weight gain in ob / ob mice . int j obes ( lond ) 29 , 864 - 871 . casteilla , l ., champigny , o ., bouillaud , f ., robelin , j ., and ricquier , d . ( 1989 ). sequential changes in the expression of mitochondrial protein mrna during the development of brown adipose tissue in bovine and ovine species . sudden occurrence of uncoupling protein mrna during embryogenesis and its disappearance after birth . biochem j 257 , 665 - 671 . casteilla , l ., forest , c ., robelin , j ., ricquier , d ., lombet , a ., and ailhaud , g . 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the essential feature of intermittent explosive disorder is the occurrence of discrete episodes of failure to resist aggressive impulses that result in serious assaultive acts or destruction of property . the degree of aggressiveness expressed during an episode is grossly out of proportion to any provocation or precipitating psychosocial stressor . a diagnosis of intermittent explosive disorder is made only after other mental disorders that might account for episodes of aggressive behavior have been ruled out ( e . g ., antisocial personality disorder , borderline personality disorder , a psychotic disorder , a manic episode , conduct disorder , or attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder ). the aggressive episodes are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance ( e . g ., an abused drug , a medication ) or a general medical condition ( e . g ., head trauma , alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease ). the individual may describe the aggressive episodes as &# 34 ; spells &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; attacks &# 34 ; in which the explosive behavior is preceded by a sense of tension or arousal and is followed immediately by a sense of relief later the individual may feel upset , remorseful , regretful , or embarrassed about the aggressive behavior . the essential feature of kleptomania is the recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal items even though the items are not needed for personal use or for their monetary value . the individual experiences a rising subjective sense of tension before the theft and feels pleasure , gratification , or relief when committing the theft . the stealing is not committed to express anger or vengeance , is not done in response to a delusion or hallucination , and is not better accounted for by conduct disorder , a manic episode , or antisocial personality disorder . the objects are stolen despite the fact that they are typically of little value to the individual , who could have afforded to pay for them and often gives them away or discards them . occasionally the individual may hoard the stolen objects or surreptitiously return them . although individuals with this disorder will generally avoid stealing when immediate arrest is probable ( e . g ., in fill view of a police officer ), they usually do not preplan the thefts or fully take into account the chances of apprehension . the stealing is done without assistance from , or collaboration with , others . the essential feature of pyromania is the presence of multiple episodes of deliberate and purposeful fire setting . individuals with this disorder experience tension or affective arousal before setting a fire . there is a fascination with , interest in , curiosity about , or attraction to fire and its situational contexts ( e . g ., paraphernalia , uses , consequences ). individuals with this disorder are often regular &# 34 ; watchers &# 34 ; at fires in their neighborhoods , may set off false alarms , and derive pleasure from institutions , equipment , and personnel associated with fire . they may spend time at the local fire department , set fires to be affiliated with the fire department , or even become firefighters . individuals with this disorder experience pleasure , gratification , or a release of tension when setting the fire , witnessing its effects , or participating in its aftermath . the fire setting is not done for monetary gain , as an expression of sociopolitical ideology , to conceal criminal activity , to express anger or vengeance , to improve one &# 39 ; s living circumstances , or in response to a delusion or a hallucination . the fire setting does not result from impaired judgment ( e . g ., in dementia , mental retardation , or substance intoxication ). the essential feature of pathological gambling is persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior that disrupts personal , family , or vocational pursuits . the diagnosis is not made if the gambling behavior is better accounted for by a manic episode . the individual may be preoccupied with gambling ( e . g ., reliving past gambling experiences , planning the next gambling venture , or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble ). most individuals with pathological gambling say that they are seeking &# 34 ; action &# 34 ; ( an aroused , euphoric state ) even more than money . increasingly larger bets , or greater risks , may be needed to continue to produce the desired level of excitement . individuals with pathological gambling often continue to gamble despite repeated efforts to control , cut back , or stop the behavior . there may be restlessness or irritability when attempting to cut down or stop gambling . the individual may gamble as a way of escaping from problems or to relieve a dysphoric mood ( e . g ., feelings of helplessness , guilt , anxiety , depression ). a pattern of &# 34 ; chasing &# 34 ; one &# 39 ; s losses may develop , with an urgent need to keep gambling ( often with larger bets or the taking of greater risks ) to undo a loss or series of losses . the individual may abandon his or her gambling strategy and try to win back losses all at once . although all gamblers may chase for short periods , it is the long - term chase that is more characteristic of individuals with pathological gambling . the individual may lie to family members , therapists , or others to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling . when the individual &# 39 ; s borrowing resources are strained , the person may resort to antisocial behavior ( e . g ., forgery , fraud , theft , or embezzlement ) to obtain money . the individual may have jeopardized or lost a significant relationship , job , or educational or career opportunity because of gambling . the individual may also engage in &# 34 ; bailout &# 34 ; behavior , turning to family or others for help with a desperate financial situation that was caused by gambling . the diagnoses discussed hereinabove are excerpted from the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders , american pyschiatric association , washington d . c . ( 4th ed . 1994 ) at 609 - 621 . compulsive shopping shares many of the features of pathological gambling , as discussed in ex . 2 below . preferred opioid antagonists for use in the present method include those of formula ( i ): ## str1 ## wherein r 1 is ( c 3 - c 4 ) cycloalkylmethyl , or allyl , r 2 is h or oh , r 3 is h or ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkyl , r is o , ch 2 or ( h ) 2 , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof . this group of morphinan derivatives includes those depicted in table i below : table i______________________________________ ## str2 ## r . sup . 1 r . sup . 2 r . sup . 3 r common name merck no .. sup . 1______________________________________ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 oh h o naltrexone 6278ch . sub . 2 chch . sub . 2 oh h o naloxone 6277ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 oh h ch . sub . 2 nalmefene 6274ch . sub . 2 chch . sub . 2 h h ( h ). sub . 2 levallorphan 5342______________________________________ . sup . 1 the merck index , merck & amp ; co ., rahway , nj ( 11th ed ., 1989 ). another useful group of delta - specific antagonists includes the compounds of formula ( ii ): ## str3 ## wherein r 1 is ( c 1 - c 5 ) alkyl , c 3 - c 6 ( cycloalkyl ) alkyl , c 5 - c 7 -( cycloalkenyl ) alkyl , aryl , aralkyl , trans ( c 4 - c 5 ) alkenyl , allyl or furan - 2 - ylalkyl , r 2 is h , oh or o 2 c ( c 1 - c 5 ) alkyl ; r 3 is h , ( c 1 - c 5 ) alkyl or ( c 1 - c 5 ) alkylco ; x is o , s or ny , wherein y is h , phenyl , benzyl or ( c 1 - c 5 ) alkyl ; and r 4 and r 5 are individually h , f , cl , br , no 2 , nh 2 , ( c 1 - c 5 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 5 ) alkoxy or together are benzo ; and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof . the synthesis of these compounds is set forth in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 816 , 586 . nti is the compound of formula ( ii ) wherein r 1 is cyclopropylmethyl , r 2 is oh , r 3 - r 5 are h and x is nh . delta -, mu - or mixed delta -, mu - antagonists that may be useful in the present invention are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 298 , 622 . kappa opioid receptor - specific nti derivatives are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 457 , 208 . other opioid receptor antagonists , including mixed agonist - antagonists , useful in the practice of the present invention include ( followed by their merck index no . ), cyclazocine ( 2710 ), nadide ( 6259 ), amphenazole , butorphenol , diprenorphine , etazocine , levallorphan ( 5342 ), nalbuphine , nalorphine ( 6275 ), pentazocine , cyprenorphine ( 2777 ), 7 - benzylidenenaltrexone and buprenorphine . pentapeptides structurally related to the enkephalins have been reported to be highly delta - selective opioid antagonists . such compounds ( e . g ., ici 174864 ) currently are employed as pharmacologic tools , but they can possess the disadvantage of transient activity and poor penetration into the central nervous system ( cns ). see j . w . shaw et al ., life sci ., 31 , 1259 ( 1982 ) and r . cotton et al ., eur . j . pharmacol ., 97 , 331 ( 1984 ). however , suppression of ethanol ingestion may be mediated by the delta opioid receptor subtype . for example , the established δ antagonist , n , n - diallyl - tyr - aib - aib - phe - leu - oh ( ici 174864 ), strongly inhibits ethanol drinking , but has a very short duration of action , which may limit its clinical utility in the present method . see j . c . froehlich et al ., psychopharmacol ., 103 , 467 ( 1991 ). although the free - base form of the antagonists can be used in the methods of the present invention , it is preferred to prepare and use a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof . thus , the compounds used in the methods of this invention form pharmaceutically acceptable acid and base addition salts with a wide variety of inorganic and , preferably , organic acids and include the physiologically acceptable salts which are often used in pharmaceutical chemistry . such salts are also part of this invention . typical inorganic acids used to form such salts include hydrochloric , hydrobromic , hydroiodic , nitric , sulfuric , phosphoric , hypophosphoric , and the like . salts derived from organic acids , such as aliphatic mono and dicarboxylic acids , phenyl substituted alkanoic acids , hydroxyalkanoic and hydroxyalkandioic acids , aromatic acids , aliphatic and aromatic sulfonic acids , may also be used . such pharmaceutically acceptable salts thus include acetate , phenylacetate , trifluoroacetate , acrylate , ascorbate , benzoate , chlorobenzoate , dinitrobenzoate , hydroxybenzoate , methoxybenzoate , methylbenzoate , o - acetoxybenzoate , naphthalene - 2 - benzoate , bromide , isobutyrate , phenylbutyrate , β - hydroxybutyrate , butyne - 1 , 4 - dioate , hexyne - 1 , 4 - dioate , caprate , caprylate , chloride , cinnamate , citrate , formate , fumarate , glycollate , heptanoate , hippurate , lactate , malate , maleate , hydroxymaleate , malonate , mandelate , mesylate , nicotinate , isonicotinate , nitrate , oxalate , phthalate , terephthalate , phosphate , monohydrogenphosphate , propriolate , propionate , phenyl - propionate , salicylate , sebacate , succinate , suberate , sulfate , bisulfate , pyrosulate , sulfite , bisulfite , sulfonate , benzenesulfonate , p - bromophenylsulfonate , chlorobenzenesulfonate , ethanesulfonate , 2 - hydroxyethanesulfonate , methanesulfonate , ethanesulfonate , 2 - hydroxyethanesulfonate , methanesulfonate , naphthalene - 1 - sulfonate , naphthalene - 2 - sulfonate , p - toluenesulfonate , xylenesulfonate , tartarate , and the like . the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts are typically formed by reacting the free base with an equimolar or excess amount of acid . the reactants are generally combined in a mutual solvent such as diethyl ether or benzene . the salt normally precipitates out of solution within about one hour to 10 days and can be isolated by filtration or the solvent can be removed by conventional means . the organic acids can also be used to form nontoxic esters of the free hydroxyl groups present on the antagonist . for example , the mono - or dinicotinates or the 3 - beta - d - glucuronide esters of nalmefene , nalorphine , naltrexone and naloxone can be prepared by methods known to the art . ester can be formed by reacting the oh group or groups with an activated form of the acid , such as the acid chloride or anhydride . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts generally have enhanced solubility characteristics compared to the compound from which they are derived , and thus are often more amenable to formulation as liquids or emulsions . the compounds useful in the present method can be administered by a variety of routes including oral , rectal , transdermal , subcutaneous , intravenous , intramuscular , and intranasal . these compounds preferably are formulated prior to administration , the selection of which will be decided by the attending physician . typically , one or more antagonists , or pharmaceutically acceptable salts or esters thereof , is combined with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , diluent or excipient to form a pharmaceutical formulation , or unit dosage form . the total active ingredients in such formulations comprise from 0 . 1 % to 99 . 9 % by weight of the formulation . by &# 34 ; pharmaceutically acceptable &# 34 ; it is meant that the carrier , diluent , excipients , and / or salt must be compatible with the other ingredients of the formulation , and not deleterious to the recipient thereof . pharmaceutical formulations containing the antagonist or antagonists can be prepared by procedures known in the art using well - known and readily available ingredients . for example , the antagonist can be formulated with common excipients , diluents , or carriers , and formed into tablets , capsules , suspensions , powders , and the like . examples of excipients , diluents , and carriers that are suitable for such formulations include the following fillers and extenders such as starch , sugars , mannitol , and silicic derivatives binding agents such as carboxymethyl cellulose and other cellulose derivatives , alginate , gelatin , and polyvinyl - pyrrolidone ; moisturizing agents such as glycerol ; disintegrating agents such as calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate ; agents for retarding dissolution such as paraffin ; resorption accelerators such as quaternary ammonium compounds ; surface active agents such as cetyl alcohol , glycerol monostearate ; adsorptive carriers such as kaolin and bentonite ; and lubricants such as talc , calcium and magnesium stearate and solid polyethylene glycols . the compounds also can be formulated as tablets or in capsules or as elixirs or solutions for convenient oral administration or as solutions appropriate for parenteral administration , for example , by intramuscular , subcutaneous or intravenous routes . additionally , the compounds are well suited to formulation as sustained or controlled release dosage forms . the formulations can be so constituted that they release the active ingredient only or preferably in a particular physiological location , optionally over a period of time . the coatings , envelopes , and protective matrices may be made , for example , from polymeric substances such as collagen or silicone , or from waxes . the compounds can also be delivered via patches for transdermal delivery , s . c . implants , infusion pumps or release from implanted depot sustained release dosage forms . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; effective amount &# 34 ; means an amount of compound which is capable of inhibiting at least one of the symptoms of the icds herein described . the specific dose of a compound administered according to this invention will , of course , be determined by the particular circumstances surrounding the case including , for example , the compound administered , the route of administration , the condition of the patient , and the severity of the symptoms being treated . a typical daily dose will contain a nontoxic dosage level of from about 0 . 25 mg to about 500 mg / day of an opioid receptor antagonist of the present invention . preferred daily doses generally will be from about 1 mg to about 300 mg / day . since naltrexone and nalmefene have been evaluated clinically to assess its ability to inhibit ethanol consumption by alcoholic patients , effective dosages of the compounds of the present invention can be extrapolated from doses found to be effective in those studies , as well as from the dosages of nti found to be effective to decrease cocaine use in the rat model . see , for example , volpicelli et al ., cited above , and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 086 , 058 . of course , the clinically effective dosages in the human subjects as disclosed in the examples hereinbelow may readily be extrapolated to human patients of other ages and in other conditions . for example , results may be achieved with naltrexone hcl at 1 . 5 - 5 mg / kg / day . it is preferable that the dose of antagonist be up - titrated until the effect emerges or when the symptoms recur . in most cases the effect emerges in adults at 100 - 200 mg / day of naltrexone . because of a wide margin of dose - response pattern , a flexible - instead of fixed - dose program should be employed until a minimum effective dose is established for each disorder . the invention will be further described by reference to the following detailed examples . a fifty - five year old man presented severe pathological gambling and hoarding symptoms . patient had lost $ 50 , 000 during the past 3 years . at 50 mg / day naltrexone patient reported no change in his symptoms . as soon as the natrexone dose was raised to 100 mg / day on his second visit the patient reported &# 34 ; my most serious problem was gambling . i was addicted to the lights and chatter and other noises of the casino . it helped me get out of myself . if i had money to gamble i would start mental play while i was driving to the casino . once i parked the car this mental play took on a high fever . by the time i walked into the casino my breathing was real shallow and quick and i almost am trembling and shaking over the excitement created in my mind .&# 34 ; &# 34 ; now the gambling and hoarding urges are lifted and i feel like i am a new man . all that mind play about gambling and hoarding and guilt and other emotional stresses are gone . i went up to collect payment on my land and it was given to me in cash . if it would have been two months ago , i would have burnt the tires of the car getting to hinckley ( minnesota ) casino . instead , because of naltrexone , i drove sensibly to the casino . i was about to test myself . i parked the car , took four or five steps to the casino , and noticed my mind was clear . i was not calculating and strategizing and breathing shallow . as i walked to the casino my excitement wasn &# 39 ; t there . i entered the casino and i felt like i was in a grocery store . i walked passed many machines and didn &# 39 ; t put in one coin . i didn &# 39 ; t have the urge to put in the coins . i did not feel like i was tempted and warding off temptation . it &# 39 ; s a miracle .&# 34 ; the patient reported that he has not spent one dime for the past 5 months and auctioned off his hoarded junk . he now has two jobs and a savings account in a bank . a forty - six year old woman reported seven - year history of bulimia nervosa symptoms and five - year history of compulsive shopping . at the time of seeking treatment , compulsive shopping symptoms were her chief complaint . shopping symptoms have ruined her financial condition . she had eleven binge / purge cycles / week suggesting that her bulimic symptoms were also severe . she had a long history of cocaine and narcotics abuse but managed to overcome her problem through a series of cd treatments . her beginning naltrexone dose was 50 mg / day . she developed diarrhea and nausea . these side effects subsided in one week . she did not report symptom improvement . at week two her naltrexone was raised to 100 mg / day . she tolerated this dose well . her shopping symptoms decreased significantly at this time . she said she no longer was developing elaborate plans or routes to sales . incidentally , her binge / purge cycles decreased from eleven per week to one per week initially and presently she no longer has binge / purge symptoms . she reported a substantial decrease in her urges to shop and binge . liver function tests are normal . a thirty - eight year old woman presented severe washing and hoarding symptoms . her symptoms started during her high school period and have been refractory to treatments given by ocd drug and behavior specialists in and out of the state . she also had uncontrolled stealing behavior . whenever her mother accompanied her to a shopping center the mother would witness the stealing behavior . the mother was afraid that her daughter might end up in jail eventually . urges to steal toys and dolls did not change at 50 mg / day naltrexone . when the naltrexone dose was raised to 100 mg / day she began to report decreased stealing urges . since her naltrexone dose was raised to 150 mg / day she has not had stealing urges . her washing and hoarding symptoms have not changed . liver function tests are normal . the effect size is impressive and the effect emerges faster and more predictably than what might be expected from usual psychiatric treatments ( except with antianxiety agents ). these findings further suggest that the treatment effect in impulse - control disorders is sustained . many of the patients discussed above have now maintained improvement for several months . because of the putative overlap between compulsive and impulsive disorders ( ocd ), as discussed , for example , by s . l . mcelroy et al ., depression , 1 , 121 ( 1993 ) and by e . hollander et al ., j . clin . psychiatry , 57 ( suppl . 8 ), 3 ( 1996 ), we wondered if naltrexone might not also have an effect in the treatment of obsessions ; so far our effort has not been successful . patients afflicted with obsessive - compulsive disorders often have strong urges but their urges may be secondary to the underlying obsessions . furthermore , ocd urges are usually associated with aversive stimulus . although the studies were limited in scope , others also have tested naltrexone in ocd and found no significant effects . for example , see t . r . insel et al ., am . j . psychiatry , 140 , 1219 ( 1983 ) and i . j . kessler et al ., biol . psychiatry , 40 , 154 ( 1996 ). further evaluation is needed especially for the ocd patients who have strong urges . the presence of urge symptoms , especially urges associated with a positively reinforcing stimulus , seems to be critical for naltrexone to be effective . if and when an individual engages in an impulsive act , naltrexone seems to reduce subjective experience of pleasure . this finding is consistent with findings by alcoholism researchers but differs from drug addiction researchers who argue that pleasure and craving reflect an opposite end of chemical or cellular mechanisms ( for example , a high or low dopamine level within the neural system ). see , for example , g . f . koob et al ., science 242 , 715 ( 1988 ) and j . r . volpicelli et al ., amer . j . psychiatry , 152 , 613 ( 1995 ). all of the publications cited hereinabove are incorporated by reference herein . the invention has been described with reference to various specific and preferred embodiments and techniques . however , it should be understood that many variations and modifications may be made while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
fig1 is a front view of an embodiment of the vehicle seat harness 100 . the vehicle seat harness 100 includes a left adjustable harness strap 102 , a right adjustable harness strap 104 , a left shoulder pad 106 , a right shoulder pad 108 , an upper left adjustable harness strap cleat 110 , an upper right adjustable harness strap cleat 112 , a left side of a chest buckle 114 , a right side of a chest buckle 115 , a lower left adjustable harness strap buckle insert 120 and a lower right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 . the left adjustable harness strap 102 is connected to the left side chest buckle 114 and the right adjustable harness strap 104 is connected to the right side chest buckle 115 . the left adjustable harness strap 102 is connected to the upper left adjustable harness strap cleat 110 , which is connected to the upper left anchoring system strap 201 ( fig2 ). the right adjustable harness strap 104 is connected to the upper right adjustable harness strap cleat 112 , which is connected to the upper right anchoring system strap 202 ( fig2 ). in an embodiment , the upper left adjustable harness strap cleat 110 and upper right adjustable harness strap cleat 112 are configured as “ double d - rings ”. however the invention is not limited to this particular type of cleat . fig2 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the vehicle seat harness 100 attached to one embodiment of a harness anchoring system 130 . the upper portion of the vehicle seat harness 100 is attached to the harness anchoring system 130 by attaching an upper portion of the upper left anchoring strap 132 to the upper left anchoring system strap 201 which connects to the upper left adjustable harness strap cleat 110 , and the lower left anchoring strap 138 to the upper left adjustable harness strap cleat 110 . similarly , the upper portion of the vehicle seat harness 100 is also attached to the harness anchoring system by attaching the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 to the upper right anchoring system strap 202 which attaches to the upper right adjustable harness strap cleat 112 , and the lower right anchoring strap 142 to the upper right adjustable harness strap cleat 112 . preferably the upper right anchoring system strap 202 and the upper left anchoring system strap 201 attach to each other , preferably by sewing , and the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 and the upper left anchoring strap 132 attach to the connected anchoring system straps 201 and 202 . the anchoring system straps may , however , attach to the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 and the upper left anchoring strap 132 in any suitable manner . as illustrated on fig4 a , the lower left anchoring strap 138 and the lower right anchoring strap 142 are connected by sewing stitches 109 . as illustrated on fig2 , the lower portion of the vehicle seat harness 100 is attached to the harness anchoring system 130 by sewing stitches 109 to stitch a lower portion of the left adjustable harness strap 102 to the lower left anchoring strap 138 as illustrated on fig2 . similarly , the lower portion of the vehicle seat harness 100 is also attached to the harness anchoring system 130 by sewing stitches 109 to stitch a lower portion of the right adjustable harness strap 104 to the lower right anchoring strap 142 as also illustrated on fig2 . the harness anchoring system 130 in one embodiment has an upper left anchoring strap 132 and an upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 . an anchor plate 136 is attached to the upper left anchoring strap 132 . the harness anchoring system 130 further includes a lower left anchoring strap 138 , a lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 and a lower right anchoring strap 142 . each of the five anchoring straps ( 132 , 134 , 138 , 140 and 142 ) has a free end and a fixed end . attached to free end of the upper right anchoring strap 134 is anchor hook 148 . attached to the free end of the lower left anchoring strap 138 is an anchor hook 152 . attached to the free end of the lower middle adjustment anchoring strap 140 is an anchoring hook 154 . attached to the free end of the lower right anchoring strap 142 is an anchoring hook 156 . in one embodiment , the anchoring devices 148 , 152 , 154 and 156 are configured as hooks ( see fig6 and 6a ). however , the anchoring devices 148 , 152 , 154 and 156 are not limited to hooks and may be any suitable buckle . the free end of anchoring devices 148 , 152 and 156 may be attached to anchors 188 on a vehicle seat ( see fig4 a ) or on a vehicle floor ( not shown ) or are attachable to the anchor plate 136 attached to the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 when vehicle anchors are not available , or the use of the anchor plate is preferable . the free end of anchoring device 154 for the lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 is always attached to the anchor plate 136 ( fig4 a and 8 ). the fixed end of the five anchoring straps ( 132 , 134 , 138 , 140 and 142 ) may attach to the vehicle seat harness by various methods . in an embodiment , the fixed end of the lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 has a two strap buckle 158 ( fig5 and 7 ). the two strap buckle 158 is attached to the lower left adjustable harness strap buckle insert 120 of the left adjustable harness strap 102 and the lower right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 of the right adjustable harness strap 104 of the vehicle seat harness 100 . in one embodiment , the two strap buckle 158 is configured as a chest buckle . in this embodiment , the left adjustable harness strap buckle insert 120 and the right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 ( fig5 ) are configured as latches received in the two strap buckle 158 configured as a chest buckle receiving two latches . however , the two strap buckle 158 is not limited to a pair of chest buckles and the left adjustable harness strap buckle insert 120 and the right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 are not limited to latches and either the two strap buckle 158 or the left adjustable harness strap buckle insert 120 and the right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 may be any suitable type of buckle . in an embodiment , the left adjustable strap buckle insert 120 and the right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 are movable relative to the left adjustable harness strap 102 and the right adjustable harness strap 104 , respectively . the five anchoring straps ( 132 , 134 , 138 , 140 and 142 ) ( fig8 ) each have a free end and a fixed end . in an embodiment , the fixed end of anchoring straps 132 , 134 , 138 and 142 are attached to the vehicle seat harness 100 by sewing a stitch 109 ( fig4 a ), to another anchoring strap 132 , 134 , 138 and 142 , or by attachment to the upper left adjustable harness strap cleat 110 or to the upper right adjustable harness strap cleat 112 as discussed below in the description of fig4 a . the middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 is not sewn to the other four 132 , 134 , 138 and 142 anchoring straps in order to facilitate adjusting the length of the middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 . in one preferred embodiment , only the upper right adjustable anchor strap 134 and not the upper left anchor strap 132 are required to properly mount the harness in a vehicle . the harness is designed to attach to a standard vehicle seat and provide a safe harness for a child . the harness is able to attach to a standard vehicle seat using the three lower anchor straps 138 , 140 , 142 and at least the upper right adjustable anchor strap 134 , preferably by feeding the three lower anchor straps under the seat back 184 ( fig8 ) of the vehicle seat and hooking them into anchoring plate 136 , and by hanging the upper right adjustable anchor strap 134 over the top of the seat back 204 of the vehicle seat and hooking it into anchoring plate 136 . in another preferred embodiment , at least one of the three lower anchor straps 138 , 140 , 142 can hook into at least one vehicle anchor point 206 ( fig7 ). fig3 is a detail view of the anchor plate 136 which is always attached to the upper left anchoring strap 132 ( fig2 ) of the harness anchoring system 130 . as illustrated in fig3 , anchor plate 136 has an upper receiving orifice 162 for receiving the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 ( fig2 ) adjustable anchor hook 148 ( fig2 ). fig8 illustrates anchor plate 136 also having a lower left receiving orifice 164 for receiving the lower left anchoring strap 138 anchor hook 152 ( fig2 ). the anchor plate 136 additionally has a lower middle receiving orifice 166 for receiving the lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 anchoring hook 154 . the anchor plate 136 further has a lower right receiving orifice 168 for receiving the lower right anchoring strap 142 anchoring hook 156 ( fig4 a ). also , the anchor plate has a retaining bar and orifice 172 ( fig3 ) to allow anchor plate 136 to be permanently mounted on the free end of upper left anchoring strap 132 by passing a lower end of upper left anchor strap 132 through the retaining bar and orifice 172 and then stitching the upper left anchor strap so that it is secured to the retaining bar and orifice 172 . fig4 is a detail view of the connection of the left adjustable harness strap 102 and the right adjustable harness strap 104 of the vehicle seat harness 100 to the upper left anchoring strap 132 , the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 , the lower left anchoring strap 138 and lower right anchoring strap 142 of the harness anchoring system 130 from a front side of a vehicle seat 182 ( fig7 ) before final anchoring of the anchoring system at a rear side of the vehicle seat 182 or to vehicle anchoring points 188 ( fig4 a ). the upper left 110 and upper right 112 buckles allow the left adjustable harness strap 102 and the right adjustable harness strap 104 to be adjustable in length . the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 is made adjustable in length at another location , as detailed in fig6 a and 8 . fig4 a is a detail view of the connection of the left adjustable harness strap 102 and the right adjustable harness strap 104 of the vehicle seat harness 100 to the upper right adjustable anchor strap 134 , the lower left anchoring strap 138 , the lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 and lower right anchoring strap 142 of the harness anchoring system 130 from a rear side of a vehicle seat 182 . in an embodiment , one or both of an upper end of the upper left anchoring strap 132 and an upper end of the lower left anchoring strap 138 is fastened to an upper end of the upper left adjustable harness strap 102 by attachment to the upper left adjustable harness strap cleat 110 . in this embodiment , one or both of an upper end of the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 and an upper end of the lower right anchoring strap 142 is fastened to of the upper left adjustable harness strap 102 by attachment to the upper right adjustable harness strap cleat 112 . as noted above , and as illustrated in fig4 a , an upper portion of the lower left anchoring strap 138 and an upper portion of the lower right anchoring strap 142 are connected by sewing stitches 109 . in an embodiment upper portions of one or more of anchoring straps 132 , 134 , 138 and 142 may also be attached to each other by sewing stitches 109 . as noted above , the middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 is not stitched to any other anchoring straps 132 , 134 , 138 and 142 and is always attached to anchor plate 136 . fig5 is a detail view of the connection of the left adjustable harness strap 102 and the right adjustable harness strap 104 of the vehicle seat harness 100 to the lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 ( fig2 ) of the harness anchoring system 130 . as illustrated in fig5 , the lower left adjustable harness strap buckle insert 120 is configured as a latch and the lower right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 is also configured as a latch . the lower latches 120 and 122 are received into the two strap buckle 158 configured as a chest buckle with a release button 159 . although the lower left 120 and lower right 122 strap buckles are illustrated as latches in this embodiment , the lower left 120 and lower right 122 strap buckles are not limited to latches and the two strap buckle 158 is not limited to a chest buckle . fig5 also illustrates right adjustable harness strap 104 sewn by stitching 109 to lower right anchoring strap 142 . fig6 is a detail view of the buckles 152 and 156 of the non - adjustable lower left 138 and lower right 142 anchoring straps of the harness anchoring system 130 . as illustrated in fig6 , the buckles 152 and 156 are configured as hooks 155 with a leaf spring 157 in order to retain hooks 155 to be retained in receiving orifices 164 and 168 of anchor plate 136 . fig6 a depicts a detail view of adjustable anchor hook 148 and 154 of the adjustable upper right 134 and lower middle 140 adjustable anchoring straps . as illustrated in fig6 a , the adjustable buckles 148 and 154 are also configured as hooks 155 which are received in the receiving orifices 162 and 166 of the anchor plate 136 ( fig8 ). the only difference between the buckles 152 and 156 for the non - adjustable straps 138 and 142 in fig6 and the buckles 148 and 154 for the adjustable straps 134 and 140 in fig6 a , is that the buckles 148 and 154 in fig6 a also include an adjuster 178 , similar to those used on backpack straps in order to allow the length of the adjustable straps 134 and 140 in fig6 a to be adjusted . although the buckles 152 and 156 in fig6 and the buckles 148 and 154 in fig6 a are illustrated as hooks 155 in this embodiment , the buckles 152 and 156 in fig6 and the buckles 148 and 154 in fig6 a are not limited to hooks 155 . fig7 is a front view of the vehicle seat harness 100 and harness anchoring system 130 installed as viewed from the front side of a vehicle front seat 182 . as illustrated in fig7 , lower left anchoring strap 138 and lower right anchoring strap 142 have been fed through a gap between the lower portion of the seat back 184 and an upper portion of the seat base 186 to a rear side of the vehicle front seat 182 ( fig7 and 8 ). fig7 also illustrates the left side of chest buckle 114 and the right side of chest buckle 115 unbuckled , allowing for a person to fit into the vehicle seat harness 100 . fig7 further illustrates left adjustable harness strap 102 and right adjustable harness strap 104 of vehicle seat harness 100 disconnected from lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 to further facilitate allowing a person to fit into vehicle seat harness 100 . as also illustrated in fig7 , lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 is additionally fed through the gap between seat back 184 and the seat base 186 . feeding the anchoring straps 138 , 140 and 142 through the gap at the bottom of the seat back 184 facilitates keeping anchoring straps 138 , 140 and 142 and vehicle seat harness 100 flush and snug to vehicle seat 182 . the vehicle seat harness 100 and anchoring system 130 is illustrated in fig7 as being installed in a “ bucket ” type front seat 182 . however , the vehicle seat harness 100 and anchoring system 130 may be installed on any vehicle seat . in the case of a back seat of an automobile sedan , access to the trunk area of the automobile and slots available or cutout in the rear deck may be required for installation of the vehicle seat harness 100 and anchoring system 130 in the back seat of an automobile sedan . fig8 is a rear view of vehicle seat harness 100 and harness anchoring system 130 installed as viewed from the rear side of vehicle front seat 182 . as illustrated in fig8 , upper left anchoring strap 132 with attached anchoring plate 136 and upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 descend downward from the top of the seat back 204 . the adjustable anchor hook 148 for the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 has been inserted into the anchor plate 136 upper receiving orifice 162 . as also illustrated in fig8 , the lower left anchoring strap 138 , the lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 and the lower right anchoring strap 142 have been fed under seat back 184 to the rear of the vehicle front seat 182 . the anchor hook 152 for the lower left anchoring strap 138 has been inserted into the anchor plate 136 lower left receiving orifice 164 . the anchoring hook 154 for lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 has been inserted into anchor plate 136 lower middle receiving orifice 166 . the anchoring hook 156 for lower right anchoring strap 142 has been inserted into anchor plate 136 lower right receiving orifice 168 . fig8 further illustrates a user ( not shown ) adjusting the length of upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 to facilitate secure anchoring of harness anchoring system 130 to vehicle front seat 182 . the length of lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 may also be adjusted to facilitate secure anchoring of harness anchoring system 130 to vehicle front seat 182 . if anchoring locations are available proximal the front seat 182 in fig8 , some , or all of anchoring straps 134 , 138 and 142 may be anchored to the vehicle anchoring locations instead of anchor plate 136 attached to upper left anchoring strap 132 . in use of the embodiments of fig1 - 8 , a user ( not shown ) locates vehicle seat harness 100 and harness anchoring system 130 at a desired seat in a vehicle . the user then feeds upper left anchoring strap 132 and upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 over the top of seat back 204 to the rear of the seat . the user next feeds lower left anchoring strap 138 , lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 and lower right anchoring strap 142 in a gap between the seat back 184 and the vehicle seat base 186 to the rear of the seat . the user then connects buckles 148 , 152 , 154 and 156 for anchoring straps 134 , 138 , 140 and 142 , respectively , to receiving orifices 162 , 164 , 166 and 168 , respectively , on the anchor plate 136 . as noted above , the user may anchor some ( fig4 a ), or all of the buckles 148 , 152 and 156 for anchoring straps 134 , 138 and 142 , respectively , to appropriate anchor points proximal the vehicle seat . as noted above , anchoring hook 154 for lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 is always connected to anchoring plate 136 . after the anchoring straps 134 , 138 , 140 and 142 have been anchored to the vehicle , or the anchor plate 136 , the length of the upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 and / or the lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 is adjusted so that harness anchoring system 130 is securely anchored to any vehicle seat . once harness anchoring system 130 is securely anchored to the vehicle seat , left side chest buckle 114 is unbuckled from right side chest buckle 115 and lower left adjustable harness strap buckle insert 120 and lower right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 are disconnected from two strap buckle 158 located on the lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 . the user , who is generally a child , then sits on vehicle seat harness 100 . once the user ( not shown ) is seated in place , lower left adjustable harness strap buckle insert 120 and lower right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 are then reconnected to two strap buckle 158 on lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 and left side chest buckle 114 is then chest buckled to right side chest buckle 115 . the left adjustable harness strap 102 and right adjustable harness strap 104 are then tightened as necessary so that the person is secured within vehicle seat harness 100 . after the person is secured in vehicle seat harness 100 , some adjusting of upper right adjustable anchoring strap 134 or lower middle adjustable anchoring strap 140 may be necessary for the person &# 39 ; s comfort and safety . for the user to be released from vehicle seat harness 100 , left side chest buckle 114 is unbuckled from right side chest buckle 115 and lower left adjustable harness strap buckle insert 120 and lower right adjustable harness strap buckle insert 122 are disconnected from two strap buckle 158 , allowing the user to be free of restraint from vehicle seat harness 100 . once installed , vehicle seat harness 100 and harness anchoring system 130 may remain installed as long as desired , or may be removed at any time and relocated to another seat , or another vehicle . after the first use and adjustment , subsequent uses of vehicle seat harness 100 and harness anchoring system 130 should require only minimal time and effort . as a person skilled in the prior art will recognize after examination of the previous detailed description and the figures and claims , modifications and changes may be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .	1
while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only . numerous variations , changes , and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . it should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention . it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby . visual media is a source of entertainment throughout the world . visual media are observed or watched ( used interchangeably herein ) in a variety of manners , including on television , on a computer monitor , on a pocket - computer device ( e . g ., an i - pod ), on a movie screen , and the like . visual media watched on television has a variety of sources including , by way of non - limiting example , live television ( received , e . g ., by fiber optics , traditional cable , satellite or antennae signal ), time shifted television ( e . g ., using video cassettes , recordable dvds or digital video recorders ( dvr ), such as tivo ®), movies ( e . g ., from pay - per - view , video cassettes , dvds , blu - ray discs , hd dvd , or laserdisc ). visual media observed on a computer can include any of the sources observed on a television . furthermore , visual media observed on a computer includes , by way of non - limiting example , compressed data files that have been stored on a computer or streaming video from an online source . in certain instances the visual media observed in any manner , including those described herein , possess rapid differentials of , e . g ., color and / or brightness . in some instances , the rapid differentials are utilized in order to gain the attention of a viewer of the visual media ; in other instances , the rapid differentials are unintended and are an artifact of production of the visual media . in certain instances , these rapid differentials cause neurological events , eye strain , and / or nausea in viewers . in some instances , neurological events include , by way of non - limiting example , migraines , epileptic episodes , irritability and / or motion sickness . accordingly , provided herein are processes for reducing these rapid differentials in visual media . it is noted , however , that the processes described herein are not limited to such uses . thus , in certain embodiments , provided herein are processes for reducing these rapid differentials in visual media . in some embodiments , rapid differentials include , by way of non - limiting example , a rapid increase in brightness of an object , a rapid decrease in brightness of an object , a rapid increase of brightness of an entire frame , a rapid decrease in brightness of an entire frame , rapid increase in brightness of a fraction of a frame , a rapid decrease in brightness of a fraction of a frame , or a combination thereof . similarly , in certain embodiments , a rapid change in color of an object , a rapid change in color of an entire frame , a rapid change in color of a fraction of a frame , or a combination thereof . in certain embodiments , these changes occur over the course of , by way of non - limiting example , about 1 to about 100 frames , about 1 to about 40 frames , about 1 to about 20 frames , or about 2 to about 7 frames . in some embodiments , changes in brightness are combined with changes in color . in some specific embodiments , rapid differentials in visual media include , e . g ., flashing lights , white - out frames , flare - like objects , white flash , lens flare , burn dissolve , bright spots , rapidly moving bright spots , glowing or brightly burning objects of short duration , or combinations thereof . in various embodiments , rapid differentials are found within a frame ( i . e ., intra - frame differentials ) and / or between frames ( i . e ., inter - frame differentials ). thus , in certain embodiments , provided herein is a process of reducing rapid differentials in visual media by comparing frame subunits within a video frame or between frames . in certain embodiments , provided herein is a process for reducing differentials in visual media , the process comprising the steps of : a . setting a maximum differential between frame subunits within a video frame ; b . comparing a plurality of frame subunits within a video frame ( n ) with one another ; c . determining whether one or more frame subunits of video frame ( n ) differ from one or more other subunit of video frame ( n ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential ; d . limiting the one or more frame subunits of frame ( n ) that differ from one or more other subunits of video frame ( n ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential set to form a limited frame subunit of frame ( n ). in certain embodiments , a differential between frame subunits is based on an event that causes neurological events , neurological paroxysms , eye strain , nausea , migraines , epileptic episodes , irritability and / or motion sickness in a viewer including , by way of non - limiting example , color and / or brightness . in some embodiments , the maximum differential includes , by way of non - limiting example , an amount that causes a neurological events , eye strain , nausea , migraines , epileptic episodes , irritability and / or motion sickness in a viewer . in specific embodiments , a maximum differential is , by way of non - limiting example , a change of greater than a 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 40 %, 50 %, 60 %, 70 %, 80 %, or 90 % lumens or candela . in more specific embodiments , a maximum differential is , by way of non - limiting example , an increase of greater than 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 40 %, 50 %, 60 %, 70 %, 80 %, 90 %, 100 %, 150 %, or 200 % lumens or candela . in some specific embodiments , a maximum differential is , by way of non - limiting example , a change in the wavelength ( λ ) of the light ( color ) of greater than about 30 nm , 40 nm , 50 nm , 70 nm , 90 nm , 100 nm , 150 nm , or 200 nm . in certain embodiments , the wavelength compared is the maximum wavelength . in some embodiments , frame subunits of a frame are selected such that the frame subunits form a grid of the frame , are selected based on shape , color , and / or brightness of one or more component of the frame , or are selected based on some combination thereof . in certain embodiments , a frame subunit comprises , by way of non - limiting example , less than or about 0 . 01 %, 0 . 05 %, 0 . 1 %, 0 . 5 %, 1 %, 1 . 5 %, 2 %, 3 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, or 20 %. in some embodiments , the frame subunit comprises less than or about 2 , 4 , 8 , 16 , 32 , 64 , 128 , 256 , 512 , or 1024 pixels . in certain embodiments one or more frame subunit of the video frame is different in shape and / or size from at least one or more other frame subunit of the frame . in certain embodiments , wherein the plurality of frame subunits are decoded from a video frame of a video stream . in some embodiments , the video stream is received from any source including , by way of non - limiting example , a fiber optic source , a cable source , the internet , or a satellite source ( e . g ., directv or dish ). in certain embodiments , the video stream is received from a compressed data file on a hard drive or disc ( e . g ., dvd ) including , by way of non - limiting example , mpeg ( e . g ., mpeg - 1 , mpeg - 2 , mpeg - 3 , mpeg - 4 , mpeg - 7 , mpeg - 21 ), avi , wmv , mov and the like . in some embodiments , a frame subunit utilized in a process described herein is a or a portion of a macroblock of a compressed digital file ( e . g ., an mpeg macroblock ). in some embodiments , prior to comparing the plurality of frame subunits , a process described herein further comprises buffering video frame ( n ) of a video stream and decoding video frame ( n ) into the plurality of frame subunits . in further or alternative embodiments , a process described herein further comprises assembling frame subunits of video frame ( n ) with at least one limited frame subunit of video frame ( n ) into an assembled matrix of assembled frame subunits as a corrected video frame ( n ). in some embodiments , a signal comprises corrected video frame ( n ) is then sent to a receiver , which then displays the corrected video frame . in certain embodiments , the receiver is , by way of non - limiting example , a television , a computer monitor , a digital visual interface ( dvi ), or a movie projector . in certain embodiments , the maximum differential is automatically set , user set , predetermined , factory set or a combination thereof . in certain embodiments , the limited frame subunit of frame ( n ) does not differ from one or more non - limited frame subunits of frame ( n ) in an amount greater than the maximum differential . in certain embodiments , the limited frame subunit of frame ( n ) does not differ from one or more non - limited frame subunits of frame ( n ) in an amount of greater than the maximum differential , unless the limited frame subunit of frame ( n ) differs from the frame subunit prior to being limited by more than 90 %, 80 %, 70 %, 60 %, 50 %, 40 %, 30 %, or 20 %, then the maximum differential is 90 %, 80 %, 70 %, 60 %, 50 %, 40 %, 30 %, or 20 %, respectively . in some embodiments , comparing a plurality of frame subunits within a video frame ( n ) with one another comprises comparing each frame subunit with one or more adjacent frame subunits . in specific embodiments , comparing a plurality of frame subunits within a video frame ( n ) with one another comprises comparing each frame subunit with each adjacent frame subunit . in certain embodiments , provided herein is a process for reducing differentials in visual media , the process comprising the steps of : a . setting a maximum differential between a frame subunit of a video frame ( n ) and a frame subunit of preceding video frame ( n - x ); b . comparing a frame subunit of video frame ( n ) with a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ); c . determining whether the frame subunit of video frame ( n ) differs from the frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential ; d . limiting a frame subunit of frame ( n ) that differs from a subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential to form a limited frame subunit of frame ( n ). in certain embodiments , video frame ( n - x ) is a video frame that preceded video frame ( n ) by x frames . in some embodiments , x is any integer . in some embodiments , the differential is a rapid flashing of a bright frame of frame subunit . in some embodiments , a screen increases or decreases brightness over the course of about 2 to about 40 frames . in some embodiments , a white flash occurs over the course of about 2 to 7 frames . in certain embodiments , a single white spot grows to fill a screen ( lens flare ) over about 12 to about 20 frames . in certain embodiments , multiple areas of a screen become white and grow to fill the screen ( burn dissolve ) over about 12 to about 20 frames . in some embodiments , bright spots resembling flares last for about 1 to about 40 frames . in some embodiments , objects glow or burn with intense brightness and move quickly across the screen over the course of about 1 to about 40 frames . thus , in various embodiments , provided herein , x is about 1 to about 100 , about 1 to about 40 , about 1 to about 20 , about 10 to about 20 , about 12 to about 20 , about 1 to about 6 , or about 1 . in certain embodiments , the differentials are rapid differentials . as with intra - frame processes described herein , the differentials utilized in the processes described herein include , by way of non - limiting example , brightness , color or combinations thereof . in some embodiments , the maximum differential includes , by way of non - limiting example , an amount that causes a neurological event , eye strain , nausea , migraines , epileptic episodes , irritability and / or motion sickness in a viewer . in other embodiments , a maximum differential includes an amount that causes the screen to become difficult to see ( e . g ., due to a sudden decrease in brightness ). in specific embodiments , a maximum differential is , by way of non - limiting example , a change of greater than a 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 40 %, 50 %, 60 %, 70 %, 80 %, or 90 % lumens or candela . in more specific embodiments , a maximum differential is , by way of non - limiting example , an increase of greater than 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 40 %, 50 %, 60 %, 70 %, 80 %, 90 %, 100 %, 150 %, or 200 % lumens or candela . in some specific embodiments , a maximum differential is , by way of non - limiting example , a change in the wavelength ( λ ) of the light ( color ) of greater than about 30 nm , 40 nm , 50 nm , 70 nm , 90 nm , 100 nm , 150 nm , or 200 nm . in certain embodiments , the wavelength compared is the maximum wavelength . in some embodiments , the frame subunit of video frame ( n ) and the frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) that are compared are found in corresponding locations within their respective frames . in some embodiments , the maximum differential is a maximum differential between a frame subunit of video frame ( n ) and a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) found in corresponding locations within their respective frames . in some embodiments , the maximum differential is a maximum differential between any frame subunit of video frame ( n ) and any frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ). in some embodiments , determining whether the frame subunit of video frame ( n ) differs in brightness from a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum brightness differential consists of determining whether the brightness of frame subunit of video frame ( n ) is greater than the brightness in the frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum brightness differential . in some embodiments , more than one frame subunit of video frame ( n ) is compared to more than one frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ). in specific embodiments , the more than one frame subunit of video frame ( n ) is compared to more than one frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ), wherein each frame subunit of video frame ( n ) is found in a discrete location within video frame ( n ) and is compared to a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) that is found in a corresponding discrete location within video frame ( n - x ). in some embodiments , frame subunits of a frame are selected such that the frame subunits form a grid of the frame , are selected based on shape , color , and / or brightness of one or more component of the frame , or are selected based on some combination thereof . in certain embodiments , a frame subunit comprises , by way of non - limiting example , less than or about 0 . 01 %, 0 . 05 %, 0 . 1 %, 0 . 5 %, 1 %, 1 . 5 %, 2 %, 3 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, or 20 %. in some embodiments , the frame subunit comprises less than or about 2 , 4 , 8 , 16 , 32 , 64 , 128 , 256 , 512 , or 1024 pixels . in certain embodiments one or more frame subunit of the video frame is different in shape and / or size from at least one or more other frame subunit of the frame . in certain embodiments , wherein the plurality of frame subunits are decoded from a video frame of a video stream . in some embodiments , the video stream is received from any source including , by way of non - limiting example , a fiber optic source , a cable source , the internet , or a satellite source ( e . g ., directv or dish ). in certain embodiments , the video stream is received from a compressed data file on a hard drive or disc ( e . g ., dvd ) including , by way of non - limiting example , mpeg ( e . g ., mpeg - 1 , mpeg - 2 , mpeg - 3 , mpeg - 4 , mpeg - 7 , mpeg - 21 ), avi , wmv , mov and the like . in some embodiments , a frame subunit utilized in a process described herein is a or a portion of a macroblock of a compressed digital file ( e . g ., an mpeg macroblock ). in certain embodiments , in a process described herein , prior to comparing the frame subunits , the process further comprises buffering video frames ( n ) and ( n - x ) of a video stream and decoding video frames ( n ) and ( n - x ) into a plurality of frame subunits . in further or alternative embodiments , the process further comprises assembling frame subunits of video frame ( n ) with at least one limited frame subunit of video frame ( n ) into an assembled matrix of assembled frame subunits as a corrected video frame ( n ). in certain embodiments , the maximum differential is automatically set , user set , predetermined , factory set or a combination thereof . in certain embodiments , the limited frame subunit of frame ( n ) does not differ from the frame subunit of frame ( n - x ) to which it is compared in an amount greater than the maximum differential . in certain embodiments , the limited frame subunit of frame ( n ) does not differ from the frame subunits of frame ( n - x ) to which it is compared in an amount greater than the maximum differential , unless the limited frame subunit of frame ( n ) differs from the frame subunit prior to being limited by more than 90 %, 80 %, 70 %, 60 %, 50 %, 40 %, 30 %, or 20 %, then the maximum differential is 90 %, 80 %, 70 %, 60 %, 50 %, 40 %, 30 %, or 20 %, respectively . in further or alternative embodiments , a process described herein further comprises assembling frame subunits of video frame ( n ) with at least one limited frame subunit of video frame ( n ) into an assembled matrix of assembled frame subunits as a corrected video frame ( n ). in some embodiments , a signal comprises corrected video frame ( n ) is then sent to a receiver , which then displays the corrected video frame . in certain embodiments , the receiver is , by way of non - limiting example , a television , a computer monitor , a digital visual interface ( dvi ), or a movie projector . in some embodiments , provided herein is a process of reducing intra - frame and inter - frame differentials . in some embodiments , the processes of reducing intra - frame and inter - frame differentials are as described above . in certain embodiments , a process of reducing intra - frame differentials comprises : a . setting a maximum differential between frame subunits within a video frame ; b . comparing a plurality of frame subunits within a video frame ( n ) with one another ; c . determining whether one or more frame subunits of video frame ( n ) differ from one or more other subunit of video frame ( n ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential ; d . limiting the one or more frame subunits of frame ( n ) that differ from one or more other subunits of video frame ( n ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential set to form a limited frame subunit of frame ( n ); e . setting a maximum differential between a frame subunit of a video frame ( n ) and a frame subunit of preceding video frame ( n - x ); f . comparing a frame subunit of video frame ( n ) with a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ); g . determining whether the frame subunit of video frame ( n ) differs from the frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential ; h . limiting a frame subunit of frame ( n ) that differs from a subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential to form a limited frame subunit of frame ( n ). in certain embodiments , the comparison of a frame subunit of video frame ( n ) with a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) comprises comparing a frame subunit of a video frame ( n ) that has been limited according to an intra - frame process ( e . g ., steps b - d ) to a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ). in some embodiments , the comparison of a frame subunit of video frame ( n ) with a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) comprises comparing a frame subunit of a video frame ( n ) that has not been limited according to an intra - frame process to a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ), that has been limited according to an intra - frame process ( e . g ., an equivalent of steps b - d for frame n - x ) and / or to an inter - frame process comparing it to a preceding frame ( n - x - y ), wherein frame ( n - x - y ) is a video frame that preceded video frame ( n - x ) by y frames ( e . g ., an equivalent of steps f - h for frame n - x ). in certain embodiments , the comparison of a frame subunit of video frame ( n ) with a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) comprises comparing a frame subunit of a video frame ( n ) that has been limited according to an intra - frame process ( e . g ., steps b - d ) to a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ), that has been limited according to an intra - frame process ( e . g ., an equivalent of steps b - d for frame n - x ) and / or to an inter - frame process comparing it to a preceding frame ( n - x - y ), wherein frame ( n - x - y ) is a video frame that preceded video frame ( n - x ) by y frames ( e . g ., an equivalent of steps f - h for frame n - x ). in various embodiments , y has a value that is selected from a value set forth for x hereinabove . a . a module configured to set or configured to receive input setting a maximum differential between frame subunits within a video frame ; b . a module configured to compare a plurality of frame subunits within a video frame ( n ) with one another ; c . a module configured to determine whether one or more frame subunits of video frame ( n ) differ from one or more other subunit of video frame ( n ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential ; d . a module configured to limit the one or more frame subunits of frame ( n ) that differ from one or more other subunits of video frame ( n ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential set to form a limited frame subunit of frame ( n ). a . a module configured to set or an input configured to receive input setting a maximum differential between a frame subunit of a video frame ( n ) and a frame subunit of preceding video frame ( n - x ); b . a module configured to compare a frame subunit of video frame ( n ) with a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ); c . a module configured to determine whether the frame subunit of video frame ( n ) differs from the frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential ; d . a module configured to limit a frame subunit of frame ( n ) that differs from a subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential to form a limited frame subunit of frame ( n ). a . a module configured to set or an input configured to receive input setting a maximum differential between frame subunits within a video frame ; b . a module configured to compare a plurality of frame subunits within a video frame ( n ) with one another ; c . a module configured to determine whether one or more frame subunits of video frame ( n ) differ from one or more other subunit of video frame ( n ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential ; d . a module configured to limit the one or more frame subunits of frame ( n ) that differ from one or more other subunits of video frame ( n ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential set to form a limited frame subunit of frame ( n ); e . a module configured to set or an input configured to receive input setting a maximum differential between a frame subunit of a video frame ( n ) and a frame subunit of preceding video frame ( n - x ); f . a module configured to compare a frame subunit of video frame ( n ) with a frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ); g . a module configured to determine whether the frame subunit of video frame ( n ) differs from the frame subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential ; h . a module configured to limit a frame subunit of frame ( n ) that differs from a subunit of video frame ( n - x ) in an amount that is greater than the maximum differential to form a limited frame subunit of frame ( n ). in certain embodiments , a system described herein is for reducing intra - frame differentials in visual media . in some embodiments , a system described herein comprises modules configured to form one or all of the functions set forth in the processes described above . in some embodiments , provided herein is a signal transmitting a video frame comprising a video frame that comprises frame subunit that has been limited according to any process described herein or by any system described herein . fig1 illustrates a process or system for reducing differentials in visual media . in some embodiments , a video stream is input and video frames ( n ) and ( n - 1 ) are buffered and processed according to an intra - frame process or by an intra - frame system described herein . in certain embodiments , during decompression , mpeg macroblocks are used in the intra - frame processes or systems described herein . in some embodiments , once frames ( n ) and ( n - 1 ) have been processed according to an intra - frame process or system described herein , frame ( n ) undergoes inter - frame processing by comparing it or parts of it to frame ( n - 1 ). in some embodiments , once inter - frame processing of frame ( n ) is complete , it is constructed into a limited frame ( e . g ., if limitation of one or more frame subunit is performed ) or reconstructed frame ( e . g ., if limitation of one or more frame subunit is not necessary ). in some embodiments , a corrected video stream is then output . fig2 illustrates a process or system for reducing differentials in visual media . in some embodiments , a video stream is input and video frame ( n ) is buffered and decoded into frame subunits . in certain embodiments , frame subunits of video frame ( n ) are compared to one or more other frame subunits of video frame ( n ) or to an average of one or more frame subunits of video frame ( n ). in certain embodiments , a subunit of video frame ( n ) is limited based on a maximum differential value ( l 2 ), e . g ., based on brightness and / or color . in some embodiments , the frame subunits of video frame ( n ) are constructed into a corrected or limited frame ( n ) ( if it has been limited according to l 2 ) and buffered . in certain embodiments , the corrected or limited frame ( n ) is then compared at each location with a corrected or uncorrected frame ( n - 1 ). in other words , in some embodiments , each frame subunit of frame ( n ) is compared to its respective or corresponding frame subunit of frame ( n - 1 ). in certain embodiments , a subunit of video frame ( n ) is limited based on a maximum differential value between frames ( l 1 ), e . g ., based on brightness and / or color . in some embodiments , a corrected frame of frame ( n ) and / or frame ( n - 1 ) is then output . in certain embodiments , provided herein is a device for reducing variations of brightness in visual media , wherein the device : a . receives a video stream ; b . decodes one or more frame subunit from a video frame of the video ; c . and processes at least one frame subunit according any process set forth herein . in certain embodiments , the video stream is decoded from a compressed format . in some embodiments , the video stream is decoded from , by way of non - limiting example , mpeg ( e . g ., mpeg - 1 , mpeg - 2 , mpeg - 3 , mpeg - 4 ), avi , wmv , or mov format . in specific embodiments , the video stream is decoded from an mpeg format , and wherein the decoded frame subunit from the video frame of the video is an mpeg macroblock . in certain embodiments , the device is selected from , by way of non - limiting example , a computer , an in - line conversion box , a video card , a computer monitor , a digital visual interface ( dvi ), a television , a digital receiver or tuner ( e . g ., a cable box , fiber optics cable box , or a satellite receiver box ), or digital video recorder ( e . g ., tivo ®). in specific embodiments , the in - line conversion box is selected from an in - line high - definition multimedia interface ( hdmi ) conversion box , an in - line component conversion box and combinations thereof . in some embodiments , provided herein is a device on which is stored a video comprising a video frame that has been limited according to any of the processes described herein or by any of the systems provided herein . in certain embodiments , the video is stored in a compressed format . in some embodiments , the video is stored in a compressed format including , by way of non - limiting example , a mpeg ( e . g ., mpeg - 1 , mpeg - 2 , mpeg - 3 , mpeg - 4 ), avi , wmv , or mov format . in a specific embodiment , the compressed format is an mpeg format . in some embodiments , the device is , by way of non - limiting example , a computer , a hard drive , a portable storage disk , a pocket - computer device ( e . g ., an ipod ® or iphone ), a video cassette , a dvd , a digital video recorders ( dvr ) ( e . g ., tivo ®), a blu - ray disc , an hd dvd , or a laserdisc . in certain embodiments , provided herein is a limited video frame having at least one limited frame subunit , wherein the limited frame subunit does not differ from one or more non - limited frame subunits in an amount greater than a maximum differential . in some embodiments , the video frame has been processed according to a process described herein or by a system described herein . in some embodiments , the maximum differential is selected from a differential in brightness , color or combinations thereof . in certain embodiments , the differentials in brightness and / or color , and the frame subunit size and shapes are as described hereinabove . in certain embodiments , each frame subunit is as described hereinabove . in some embodiments , the maximum differential is automatically set , user set , predetermined , factory set or a combination thereof . in certain embodiments , the limited video frame is stored on a readable medium . in some embodiments , the readable medium is a hard drive ( e . g ., in a computer , or a digital video recorder ), a computer , a portable storage disk , a pocket - computer device ( e . g ., an ipod ® or iphone ), a video cassette , a dvd , a digital video recorders ( dvr ) ( e . g ., tivo ®), a blu - ray disc , or an hd dvd . in certain embodiments , provided herein is a plurality of video frames comprising at least one limited video frame . in certain embodiments , a plurality of video frames are stored on a readable medium . in some embodiments , the processes and / or systems described herein are utilized as an add - on for a web - browser , or as an add - on for a computer based video display standard ( e . g ., wmv or quicktime ). in certain embodiments , a process or system described herein is a codec for use in editing or production software . a method of reducing or preventing incidences of and / or the triggering of epileptic episodes , headaches , irritability , eye strain , nausea or combinations thereof in an viewer of visual media possessing a plurality of video frames by replacing at least one video frame viewed by the viewer with a corresponding limited video frame . in some embodiments , each limited video frame has at least one limited frame subunit , wherein the limited frame subunit does not differ from one or more non - limited frame subunits in an amount greater than a maximum differential . in certain embodiments , the limited video frame and / or limited frame subunit are processed according to any process described herein or by a system or device as described herein ( including interframe and / or intraframe processing ). in certain embodiments , the maximum differential and / or x values of any of the processes , methods , systems and / or devices described herein are automatically set , user set , predetermined , factory set or a combination thereof . in certain embodiments , when the values are automatically set , the basis for the automatic setting can be any source including , by way of non - limiting example , past user preferences and / or factory settings . in certain embodiments , maximum intra - frame differentials that are automatically set are set , e . g ., based on the average brightness of the frame subunits in a frame . in some embodiments , automatic values are set or the values are automatically adjusted based on environmental parameters including , e . g ., temperature , humidity , barometric pressure and the like . in some embodiments , factory settings are determined by focus groups , e . g ., based on neurological events , eye strain , nausea , migraines , epileptic episodes , irritability and / or motion sickness in the focus group viewers . in certain embodiments , the processes and / or systems provided herein are provided as an addition to video standards ( e . g ., mpe , divx ) and / or computer video standards ( e . g ., directx ).	7
as shown in fig1 a hook - shaped probe ( 1 ) the diameter of which is designed for an isokinetic sampling projects into the into the gas main stream flowing through a flue duct . a flange ( 13 ) is used to secure the hook - shaped probe ( 1 ) onto the flue duct . the probe for sampling measuring gas ( 2 ) is arranged downstream the hook - shaped probe ( 1 ). gas sampling is made in a way in which a partial gas stream , still having the same temperature as the gas main stream , is branched off from the gas main stream and guided into the triboelectrical measuring chamber ( 5 ) immediately after it enters the sampling probe ( 2 ). inside the triboelectrical measuring chamber ( 5 ), the measuring gas laden with dust particles and aerosols is cycloned , and the rubbing effect of these motion causes triboelectric signals to be generated . the measuring gas stream is propelled by an injector ( 7 ) that is driven by a power air blower ( 9 ). a volume flow metering and / or monitoring device is integrated in the gas metering section so that constant conditions can be maintained for the partial gas stream , or computerized compensation is enabled as regards the impact the volume flow fluctuations may have on the triboelectric signal , respectively . integrating a multi - way spherical valve ( 4 ) into the device enables cyclic backflushing of the triboelectrical measuring chamber ( 5 ) and the sampling probe ( 2 using power air supplied from the injector ( 7 ). the line through which the gas exits from the device is marked with position reference 8 . fig2 in contrast to fig1 shows a useful variation in which the triboelectrical measuring chamber ( 5 ) is arranged in the gas main stream . the hookshaped probe ( 1 ) is used for sampling , after which the sample , now being the partial gas stream , is fed into the triboelectrical measuring chamber ( 5 ). fig3 and 4 show how the triboelectric signals are generated when dust is contained in moist and tacky flue gases , that is to say we are talking about determination of aerosols in addition to dust measurements . according to the invention , aerosol measuring is a differential measurement , in which all measurable particles and aerosols are measured and compared with the solid particles alone . if there is in place a flue gas matrix that contains volatile condensible components ( organic compounds , water or acids ), the components will exist in either gaseous or liquid / solid state , depending on the temperature . gaseous components cannot be measured after the triboelectrical principle . it exists a temperature t 2 at which the aerosols contained in the partial gas stream are completely evaporated . in this case , nothing else than dust is detected . at a second temperature t 1 , this temperature being lower than the first one , the volatile condensible components exist in form of aerosols in addition to the dust already in place . the difference found by comparing “ dust plus aerosol ” and “ dust alone ” is the desired “ aerosol ” value . hence , the hardware configuration of the device as shown in fig1 and 2 needs to be supplemented . after taking the flue gas sample by using the hook - shaped probe ( 1 ) and the probe for sampling measuring gas ( 2 ) as already described in greater detail , the branched - off partial gas stream is subjected to an intermittent temperature regime . this process is taking place in a specific chamber with intermittent temperature regime ( 15 ). in order to implement such intermittent temperature regime , use is made of a regulated probe heating device ( 3 ). diluent air is supplied by a flushing air blower ( 10 ) with preceding suction filter ( 12 ). the temperature regime applied during measuring the aerosol components as shown in fig4 is maintained by employing a temperature measuring device ( 6 ). according to fig5 aerosol measuring is made in two triboelectrical measuring chambers ( 5 ) working at two different temperature levels . in line with such layout , the partial stream taken by the hook - shaped probe ( 1 ) is divided into two branch streams each of them being heated up by a regulated probe heating device ( 3 ) specifically assigned to that branch in order to maintain a defined differential temperature . after exiting from the two triboelectrical measuring chambers ( 5 ), the differential temperatures ta and tb are determined by measuring devices ( 6 ). the subsequent fig6 through to 12 relate to suggestions in accordance with the invention , concerning the triboelectrical measuring chambers ( 5 ) as such or the design and layout of the sensors ( 16 ) inside the triboelectrical measuring chambers ( 5 ). the triboelectrical measuring chamber ( 5 ) is now described in greater detail on the basis of a practical example with shell - like sensors ( 16 ). according to fig8 a dust / aerosol laden partial stream enters the intake cylinder ( 19 ) through the intake piece ( 20 ). the partial stream is discharged through an outlet cylinder ( 21 ) with tangentially arranged outlet pieces ( 22 ; please cf . fig9 ). electrically conductive , shell - like sensors ( 16 ) are arranged inside the tubeshaped triboelectrical measuring chamber ( 5 ). fig7 shows the sensors &# 39 ; ( 16 ) shell - like structure . electrical contact is prevented by the distance separation ( 26 ) in which the sensors ( 16 ) are located to each other . other constructional measures prevent the sensors &# 39 ; ( 16 ) far ends from making electrical contact with the intake and outlet cylinders ( 19 , 21 ). the sensors &# 39 ; ( 16 ) outward surfaces are wrapped in an insulating layer ( 18 ). this insulation layer prevents loss of heat and is nonconducting to electric current . both conditions are prerequisite for the proper functioning and working order of the measuring device . the measuring chamber &# 39 ; s outer wall has a tubular design . in contrast to fig7 fig1 , 11 and 12 demonstrate that sensors are not necessarily to be of a shell - like design . according to fig1 , several sensors ( 16 ) are arranged on the perimeter . from a bird &# 39 ; s view , the latter are designed as ring segments . the ring segments &# 39 ; faces , being the sensors as such , are marked with position reference 24 . to implement the measuring procedure , e . g . for nullification , these additional sensors may be very useful . in addition , further reference should be made to the following variations of the sensors ( 16 ): as dust measuring relies on the charge exchanged between sensor and dust particles , sensors ( 16 ) may be of alternative design , such as hollow cylinder , round rod , trapezoidal section or square bar , with such sensors being arranged on the inward perimeter of the tubular triboelectrical measuring chamber ( 5 ) or in a central position . for details , reference is made to fig1 . the sensors ( 16 ) may be either metallic conductive or provided with a specific coating , and they can be connected with equal or different potential . the triboelectric signals must be read out and transmitted to further processing . appropriate electric cabling is provided in the ducts ( 25 ). the triboelectric effect occurs when the dust - laden gas stream ( 23 ) cyclones through the measuring chamber ( 15 ), with the dust particles rubbing across the sensors ( 16 ). the tangential admission direction of the gas stream ( 23 ) and its cyclone - like movement is basically the same as found in rotary separators . according to the invention , however , cycloning is used to implement a completely novel proposal , namely the amplification of the triboelectric effect for dust measurements . this will make possible measurements even at lower dust concentration levels . adjusting the signal level is also possible through the size and the design of the sensors selected . further advantageous impacts on the signal level may be achieved , for example , by coating the sensors with low - impedance ptfe . the ring segments &# 39 ; faces , being the sensors as such , are marked with position reference 24 . to implement the measuring procedure , e . g . for nullification , these additional sensors may be very useful . in addition , further reference should be made to the following variations of the sensors ( 16 ): as dust measuring relies on the charge exchanged between sensor and dust particles , sensors ( 16 ) may be of alternative design , such as hollow cylinder , round rod , trapezoidal section or square bar , with such sensors being arranged on the inward perimeter of the tubular triboelectrical measuring chamber ( 5 ) or in a central position . for details , reference is made to fig1 . the sensors ( 16 ) may be either metallic conductive or provided with a specific coating , and they can be connected with equal or different potential . the triboelectric signals must be read out and transmitted to further processing . appropriate electric cabling is provided in the ducts ( 25 ). the triboelectric effect occurs when the dust - laden gas stream ( 23 ) cyclones through the measuring chamber ( 15 ), with the dust particles rubbing across the sensors ( 16 ). the tangential admission direction of the gas stream ( 23 ) and its cyclone - like movement is basically the same as found in rotary separators . according to the invention , however , cycloning is used to implement a completely novel proposal , namely the amplification of the triboelectric effect for dust measurements . this will make possible measurements even at lower dust concentration levels . adjusting the signal level is also possible through the size and the design of the sensors selected . further advantageous impacts on the signal level may be achieved , for example , by coating the sensors with low - impedance ptfe . finally , reference should be made to further variations of the sensors and how they are arranged inside the measuring chamber . as can be seen from fig1 , sensors may be located also in a central position so that , besides tangential flow conditions , even centrical flow conditions can be realized after the speed has been increased in advance , fig1 depicts examples of vertical and horizontal layouts of the triboelectrical measuring chamber . a redundant sensor layout enables hardware self - checks as to the uniform generation of the triboelectric signals . this may have a positive influence , for example on the quality of measurements .	6
the n - alkyl substituted azacycloalkanes useful as penetration - enhancing additives in the compositions of the instant invention may be made by the methods described below . typical examples of compounds represented by the above structural formula include : certain of the compounds represented by the above general formula , wherein x represents two hydrogen atoms , may be prepared by reacting the corresponding azacycloalkan - 2 - one with lithium aluminum hydride . the reaction may be carried out under anhydrous conditions in an ether solvent , for example , diethyl ether at room temperature for about 5 hours in an inert atmosphere , for example , argon . any of the above compounds wherein x is sulfur may be made by reacting the corresponding oxygen compound with phosphorus pentasulfide . the amount of 1 - substituted azacycloalkane which may be used in the present invention is an effective , non - toxic amount for enhancing percutaneous absorption . generally , this amount ranges between about 0 . 01 to about 5 and preferably about 0 . 1 to 2 percent by weight of the composition . the subject compositions may find use with many physiologically active agents which are soluble in the vehicles disclosed . fungistatic and fungicidal agents such as , for example , thiabendazole , chloroxine , amphotericin b , candicidin , fungimycin , nystatin , chlordantoin , clotrimazole , miconazole nitrate , pyrrolnitrin , salicylic acid , fezatione , tolnaftate , triacetin and zinc and sodium pyrithione may be dissolved in the penetration - enhancing agents described herein and topically applied to affected areas of the skin . for example , fungistatic or fungicidal agents so applied are carried through the stratum corneum , and thereby successfully treat fungus - caused skin problems . these agents , thus applied , not only penetrate more quickly than when applied in the vehicles of the prior art , but additionally enter the animal tissue in high concentrations and are retained for substantially longer time periods whereby a far more successful treatment is effected . for example , the subject compositions may also be employed in the treatment of fungus infections on the skin caused by candida and dermatophytes which cause athletes foot or ringworm , by dissolving thiabendazole or similar antifungal agents in one of the above - described penetration - enhancing agents and applying it to the affected area . the subject compositions are also useful in treating skin problems , for example , herpes simplex , which may be treated by a solution of iododeoxyuridine dissolved in one of the penetration - enhancing agents or such problems as warts which may be treated with agents such as podophylline dissolved in one of the penetration - enhancing agents . skin problems such as psoriasis may be treated by topical application of a solution of a conventional topical steroid in one of the penetration - enhancing agents or by treatment with theophylline or antagonists of β - adrenergic blockers such as isoproterenol in one of the penetration - enhancing agents . scalp conditions such as alopecia areata may be treated more effectively by applying steroids such as triamcinolone acetonide dissolved in one of the penetration - enhancing agents of this invention directly to the scalp . the subject compositions are also useful for treating mild eczema , for example , by applying a solution of fluocinolone acetonide or its derivatives ; hydrocortisone , triamcinolone acetonide , indomethacin , or phenylbutazone dissolved in one of the penetration - enhancing agents to the affected area . examples of other physiologically active steroids which may be used with the vehicles include corticosteroids such as , for example , cortisone , cortodoxone , flucetonide , fluorocortisone , difluorsone diacetate , flurandrenolone acetonide , medrysone , amcinafel , amcinafide , betamethasone and its esters , chloroprednisone , clocortelone , descinolone , desonide , dexamethasone , dichlorisone , defluprednate , flucloronide , flumethasone , flunisolide , fluocinonide , flucortolone , fluoromethalone , fluperolone , fluprednisolone , meprednisone , methylmeprednisolone , paramethasone , preunisolone and preunisone . the subject compositions are also useful in antibacterial chemotherapy , e . g . in the treatment of skin conditions involving pathogenic bacteria . typical antibacterial agents which may be used in this invention include sulfonamides , penicillins , cephalosporins , penicillinase , erythromycins , lincomycins , vancomycins , tetracyclines , chloramphenicols , streptomycins , etc . typical examples of the foregoing include erythromycin , erytbromycin ethyl carbonate , erythromycin estolate , erythromycin glucepate , erythromycin ethylsuccinate , erythromycin lactobionate , lincomycin , clindamycin , tetracycline , chlortetracycline , demeclocycline , doxycycline , methacycline , oxytetracycline , minocycline , etc . the subject compositions are also useful in protecting ultra - sensitive skin or even normally sensitive skin from damage or discomfort due to sunburn . thus , dermatitis actinica may be avoided by application of a sunscreen , such as para - aminobenzoic acid or its well - known derivatives dissolved in one of the above - described penetration - enhancing agents , to skin surfaces that are to be exposed to the sun ; and the protective paraaminobenzoic acid or its derivatives will be carried into the stratum corneum more successfully and will therefore be retained even when exposed to water or washing for a substantially longer period of time than when applied to the skin in conventional vehicles . this invention is particularly useful for ordinary suntan lotions used in activities involving swimming because the ultraviolet screening ingredients in the carriers of the prior art are washed off the skin when it is immersed in water . the subject compositions may also find use in treating scar tissue by applying agents which soften collagen , such as aminopropionitrile or penicillamine dissolved in one of the penetration - enhancing agents of this invention topically to the scar tissue . agents normally applied as eye drops , ear drops , or nose drops are more effective when dissolved in the penetration - enhancing agents of this invention . agents used in diagnosis may be used more effectively when applied dissolved in one of the penetration - enhancing agents of this invention . patch tests to diagnose allergies may be effected promptly without scratching the skin or covering the area subjected to an allergen when the allergens are applied in one of the penetration - enhancing agents of this invention . the subject compositions are also useful for topical application of cosmetic or esthetic agents . for example , compounds such as melanin - stimulating hormone ( msh ) or dihydroxyacetone and the like are more effectively applied to skin to stimulate a suntan when they are dissolved in one of the penetration - enhancing agents of this invention . the agent is carried into the skin more quickly and in greater quantity when applied in accordance with this invention . hair dyes also penetrate more completely and effectively when dissolved in one of the penetration - enhancing agents of this invention . the effectiveness of such topically applied materials as insect repellants or fragrances , such as perfumes and colognes , can be prolonged when such agents are applied dissolved in one of the penetration - enhancing agents of this invention . it is to be emphasized that the foregoing are simply examples of physiologically active agents including therapeutic and cosmetic agents having known effects for known conditions , which may be used more effectively for their known properties in accordance with this invention . in addition , the penetration - enhancing agents of the present invention may also be used to produce therapeutic effects which were not previously known . that is , by use of the penetration - enhancing agents described herein , therapeutic effects heretofore not known can be achieved . as an example of the foregoing , griseofulvin is known as the treatment of choice for fungus infections of the skin and nails . heretofore , the manner of delivery of griseofulvin has been oral . however , it has long been known that oral treatment is not preferred because of side effects resulting from exposure of the entire body to griseofulvin and the fact that only the outer layers of affected skin need to be treated . therefore , because fungal infections are generally infections of the skin and nails , it would be advantageous to utilize griseofulvin topically . however , despite a long - felt need for a topical griseofulvin , griseofulvin has been used orally to treat topical fungus conditions because there was not heretofore known any formulation which could be delivered topically which would cause sufficient retention of griseofulvin in the skin to be useful therapeutically . however , it has now been discovered that griseofulvin , in a range of therapeutic concentrations between about 0 . 1 % and about 10 % may be used effectively topically if combined with one of the penetration - enhancing agents described herein . as a further example , acne is the name commonly applied to any inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands ; also acne vulgaris . the microorganism typically responsible for the acne infection is corynebacterium acnes . various therapeutic methods for treating acne have been attempted including topical antibacterials , e . g . hexachlorophene , and systemic antibiotics such as tetracycline . while the systemic antibiotic treatments are known to be partially effective , the topical treatments are generally not effective . it has long been known that systemic treatment of acne is not preferred because of side effects resulting from exposure of the entire body to antibiotics and the fact that only the affected skin need be treated . however , despite a long - felt need for a topical treatment for acne , antibiotics generally have been used only systemically to treat acne because there was not heretofore known an antibacterial formulation which could be used topically which would be effective therapeutically in the treatment of acne . however , it has now been discovered that antibiotics , especially those of the lincomycin and erythromycin families of antibiotics , may be used in the treatment of acne topically if combined with one of the penetration - enhancing agents described herein . the antibiotics composition so applied is carried into and through the epidermis and deeper layers of the skin as well as into follicles and comedones ( sebum - plugged follicles which contain c . acnes ) in therapeutically effective amounts and thereby successfully may be used to temporarily eliminate the signs and symptoms of acne . the term &# 34 ; physiologically active agent &# 34 ; is used herein to refer to a broad class of useful chemical and therapeutic agents including physiologically active steroids , antibiotics , antifungal agents , antibacterial agents , antineoplastic agents , allergens , antihistaminic agents , anti - inflammatory agents , ultraviolet screening agents , diagnostic agents , perfumes , insect repellants , hair dyes , etc . dosage forms for topical application may include solution nasal sprays , lotions , ointments , creams , gels , suppositories , sprays , aerosols and the like . typical inert carriers which make up the foregoing dosage forms include water , acetone , isopropyl alcohol , freons , ethyl alcohol , polyvinylpyrrolidone , propylene glycol , fragrances , gel - producing materials , mineral oil , stearyl alcohol , stearic acid , spermaceti , sorbitan monooleate , &# 34 ; polysorbates &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; tweens &# 34 ;, sorbital , methyl cellulose , etc . the amount of the composition , and thus of the physiologically active agent therein , to be administered will obviously be an effective amount for the desired result expected therefrom . this , of course , will be ascertained by the ordinary skill of the practitioner . due to enhanced activity which is achieved , the dosage of physiologically active agent may often be decreased from that generally applicable . in accordance with the usual prudent formulating practices , a dosage near the lower end of the useful range of the particular physiologically active agent may be employed initially and the dosage increased as indicated from the observed response , as in the routine procedure of the physician . the invention is further illustrated by the following examples which are illustrative of various aspects of the invention , and are not intended as limiting the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . 56 . 2 g ( 0 . 2 mol ) of 1 - dodecylazacycloheptan - 2 - one in 100 ml diethyl ether was added dropwise to a suspension of 7 . 6 g ( 0 . 2 mol ) lithium aluminum hydride in 100 ml diethyl ether under argon at room temperature . after 5 hours of stirring , 20 ml saturated sodium sulfate was added dropwise . the mixture was filtered and the filtrate was dried with magnesium sulfate , filtered and concentrated . the resulting oil was distilled ( 130 °/. 03 mm ) to yield 50 . 03 g ( 93 . 5 %) of 1 - n - dodecylazacycloheptane . to a solution of 5 g ( 17 . 7 mmol ) of 1 - n - dodecylazacycloheptan - 2 - one in 150 ml of benzene was added 4 . 18 g ( 9 . 4 mmol ) of phosphorus pentasulfide and the mixture was refluxed for 1 hr . after cooling to room temperature , the mixture was filtered and the solid was washed with chloroform and ethanol . the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo and the residue was subjected to flash chromatography , ( silica ; ( 95 : 5 ) v / v hexane / ethyl acetate ) to give 2 . 11 g ( 40 %) of 1 - n - dodecylazacycloheptane - 2thione . the compounds of examples 1 and 2 were tested as penetration enhancing agents according to the below procedure : skin from female hairless mice , 4 - 6 weeks old , was removed from the animal and placed over penetration wells with normal saline bathing the corium . a plastic cylinder 1 . 4 cm in diameter was glued onto each piece on the epidermal side . 0 . 1 % triamcinolone acetonide 3 h was applied ( 0 . 01 cc ) to the epidermal surface within the 1 . 4 cm diameter cylinder . the skin was incubated at room temperature and ambient humidity . at 6 hours and 24 hours , 2 cc were removed from the 10 cc reservoir of normal saline bathing the corium . the 2 cc of normal saline removed were replaced after the 6 hour sample with 2 cc of normal saline . the 2 cc aliquots were put into scintillation fluid and the radioactivity determined in a scintillation counter . the amount penetrating was calculated as per cent of dose applied . in every experiment the 3 h triamcinolone acetonide was dissolved in ethanol and the penetration - enhancing agent to be tested was added to the desired concentration . the controls were ethanol , alone , and 1 - n - dodecylazacycloheptan - 2 - one , a compound described in the u . s . patents , noted above , as having superior penetration - enhancing properties . five separate tests for each compound and the controls were made and the results averaged . the results , as reported in the table below , show that the compounds of examples 1 and 2 have penetration - enhancing properties . table______________________________________penetration - enhancing percent penetrationagent 6 hr . 24 hr . ______________________________________example 1 3 . 54 11 . 44example 2 9 . 42 48 . 581 - n - dodecylcycloheptan - 2 - one 16 . 64 60 . 94ethanol ( only ) 0 . 56 6 . 78ethanol ( only , repeat ) 0 . 5 5 . 64______________________________________ as can be shown from the above results the compounds of examples 1 and 2 have penetration - enhancing properties as compared to the ethanol control . an aerosol form of the formulation of example 4 is prepared by preparing the following mixture : ______________________________________ formulation 25 % freon . sup . 1 75 % ______________________________________ . sup . 1 freon is 75 / 25 freon 114 / 12 . ______________________________________ % ______________________________________clindamycin base 1 . 0stearyl alcohol , u . s . p . 12 . 0ethoxylated cholesterol 0 . 4synthetic spermaceti 7 . 5sorbitan monooleate 1 . 0polysorbate 80 , u . s . p . 3 . 01 - n - dodecylazacycloheptan - 2 - thione 0 . 5sorbitol solution , u . s . p . 5 . 5sodium citrate 0 . 5chemoderm # 844 fragrance 0 . 2purified water 68 . 4______________________________________ ______________________________________ a (%) b (%) ______________________________________clindamycin base -- 1 . 0clindamycin phosphate acid 1 . 3 -- sodium hydroxide 0 . 077 -- 1 . 0 m hydrochloric acid -- 2 . 27disodium edetate : 2h . sub . 2 o 0 . 003 0 . 003fragrances 0 . 5 0 . 51 - n - dodecylazacycloheptan - 2 - thione 1 . 0 1 . 0purified water 20 . 0 17 . 73isopropanol 77 . 12 77 . 497______________________________________ these solutions are effective for the treatment of acne in humans . this solution is effective for the treatment of otitis in domestic animals . ______________________________________ % ______________________________________p - aminobenzoic acid 2 . 0benzyl alcohol 0 . 51 - n - dodecylazacycloheptan - 2 - thione 1 . 0polyethylene glycol 500 - ms 10 . 0isopropyl lanolate 3 . 0lantrol 1 . 0acetylated lanolin 0 . 5isopropyl myristate 5 . 0light mineral oil 8 . 0cetyl alcohol 1 . 0veegum 1 . 0propylene glycol 3 . 0purified water 64 . 0______________________________________ the following lotion formulation may be prepared containing about 0 . 001 to 1 percent , with preferably 0 . 1 percent fluocinolone acetonide : ______________________________________ % ______________________________________fluocinolone acetonide 0 . 001 - 1cetyl alcohol 15 . 0propylene glycol 10 . 0sodium lauryl sulfate 15 . 01 - n - dodecylazacycloheptan - 2 - thione 1 . 0water ( to make 100 %) ______________________________________ the steroid is dissolved in the vehicle and added to a stirred , cooling melt of the other ingredients . the preparation is particularly useful for the treatment of inflamed dermatoses by topical application to the affected skin area . the amount and frequency of application is in accordance with standard practice for topical application of this steroid . penetration of the steroid into the inflamed tissue is enhanced and a therapeutic level is achieved more rapidly and sustained for longer duration than when the steroid is applied in conventional formulations . examples 4 - 12 are repeated except that 1 - n - dodecylazacycloheptan - 2 - thione is replaced with the following penetration - enhancing agent : while particular embodiments of the invention have been described it will be understood of course that the invention is not limited thereto since many obvious modifications can be made and it is intended to include within this invention any such modifications as will fall within the scope of the appended claims .	8
referring now to the drawings , and particularly to fig1 a horizontal directional drill machine is shown generally at 10 . the drill machine 10 includes a frame 12 supported by driven tracks 14 for moving the drill machine 10 from place to place . the drill machine 10 includes a longitudinally elongated boom 16 pivotally mounted on the front end of the frame 12 , as at 17 . a conventional pipe drill assembly 18 is mounted on the boom 16 , extending coextensively therewith . the drill assembly 18 is designed to drill a series of pipe sections p 1 , p 2 , p 3 , et seq ., into the ground , in sequence . in the operating mode of the drill machine 10 , the boom 16 is pivoted upward away from the frame 12 so that pipe section p 1 . extends from the drill assembly 18 and intersects the ground at an angle . a special drill head ( not shown ) is attached to the front end of the first drill pipe section p 1 . in order to drill the pipe section p 1 into the ground and make any desired directional changes in its path , a variety of push , pull , and rotational forces are applied to the pipe section p 1 by the drill assembly 18 . the manner in which the drill assembly 18 applies these forces to the drill pipe section p 1 are not described , but are well known to those skilled in the art . as the first pipe section p 1 is drilled into the ground , new pipe sections p 2 , p 3 , et seq ., are successively attached to the rear end of the preceding pipe sections . a cartridge 22 of pipe sections p 2 , p 3 , et seq . is provided on the boom 16 for storing these additional pipe sections , and a semi - automatic or fully automatic loader ( not shown ) may be provided for attaching them to the preceding pipe sections . a stakedown assembly 24 is connected to the front end of the drill machine 10 . the stakedown assembly 24 is attached to forward end of the boom 16 at a pivot connection 26 , which allows the stakedown assembly 24 to be oriented level with the ground surface when the boom is tilted . a coupling such as described in concurrently filed draney et al . u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 495 , 136 filed jan . 31 , 2000 may be provided for quickly and easily connecting the stakedown assembly to the drill machine 10 , or disconnecting it . turning now to fig2 and 3 , a stakedown assembly 24 is shown in greater detail . the stakedown assembly 24 includes a tower 27 mounted on a base plate 32 at a connection 31 which permits the tower 27 to rotate about its vertical axis . a drive head 28 is attached to the tower 27 through a sleeve 30 which permits longitudinal sliding along the tower 27 , and a cantilevered arm 29 on which the drive head 28 is mounted . the lower end of a hydraulic cylinder 36 is pivotally attached to the tower 27 , while the upper end is pivotally attached to the arm 29 . thus , the arm 29 and drive head 28 can be driven in a vertical direction by the hydraulic cylinder 36 . a rack and pinion drive connection , as described in concurrently filed draney et al . u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 501 , 875 filed feb . 10 , 2000 may be used for this . the base plate 32 has a series of stake locator ports 34 extending vertically through it , for receiving stakes s when they are installed . these ports 34 are arranged in a segmentally - circular pattern at equal distances from the tower &# 39 ; s 27 axis of rotation . in the preferred embodiment , five locator ports 34 are provided on a circle segment whose center is the tower 27 . the cantilevered arm 29 extends outwardly over the path of the ports 34 so that the drive head 28 can be positioned over any one of the holes 34 as the tower 27 is rotated . opposite the series of ports 34 on the base plate 32 , a series of locking pin holes 33 are arranged in a semi - circular pattern adjacent the tower 27 . a lock plate 42 is rigidly attached to the tower 27 at its lower end . a locking pin hole 43 in the lock plate 42 can be aligned with any hole 34 and the plate 42 then locked to the base plate 32 with a locking pin 44 . a rotational drive motor 38 is mounted in the drive head 28 on the free end of the cantilevered arm 29 . by rotating the tower 27 , the output shaft 39 of the motor 38 can be positioned over any one of the guide holes 34 . the tower is rotated manually by the operator . to operate the multiple position stakedown assembly 24 , the desired number of stakes s to be installed , and their placement , is first determined by testing soil conditions and locating any underground obstacles . the drive head 28 is rotated on its cantilevered arm 29 until it is over a desired guide hole 35 , and locked into position . the bottom end of a stake s is positioned in the desired guide hole 35 , and the top end of the stake s is attached to the drive shaft 39 of the motor 38 . a coupling as described in concurrently filed draney et al . u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 500 , 820 filed feb . 10 , 2000 may be used to quickly and easily attach the stake s to the drive shaft 39 . the drive motor 38 and hydraulic cylinder 36 are then simultaneously operated to apply the rotational and vertical forces necessary to install stake s into the ground . the installed stake s is then clamped to the base plate 32 . to this end , a cap 40 is installed on each of the stakes s . the cap 40 has an inner diameter clearance hole through its center which is large enough to provide a sliding fit between the cap 40 and the stake s , but is smaller than a lower coupler member 60 which is fixedly attached to the top end of the stake s . because its outer diameter is larger than that of the guide holes 34 , the cap 40 is sandwiched between the base plate 32 and the lower coupler member 60 when the stake s is fully driven into the ground . after disconnecting the first installed stake s from the drive shaft 39 , additional stakes s can be installed . to do so , the drive head 28 is rotated to a new position and the stake installation process is repeated . while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described , it should be understood that the invention is not so limited , and modifications may be made without departing from the invention . the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims , and all devices that come within the meaning of the claims , either literally or by equivalence , are intended to be embraced therein .	4
there will be described an outline of an image managing method in the present embodiment . fig1 is a diagram showing a list display screen 1 . in the list display screen 1 , a tool menu area 2 and a data display area 3 are disposed . in the tool menu area 2 , a sort button 2 a and an end button 2 b are arranged . in the data display area 3 , a plurality of images for indexes indicating original images can be displayed . each index image is displayed in a size which reflects a size of the original image . in the data display area 3 shown in fig1 , a plurality of index images “ image 1 ” to “ image 6 ” and a mouse pointer 4 are displayed . in fig1 , since the “ image 5 ” is hidden by the “ image 6 ”, a user cannot visually recognize the “ image 5 ”. in this case , when the user clicks the sort button 2 a , a sort menu 6 shown in fig2 is displayed . when the user selects “ ascending - order sort by photographing date ” or “ descending - order sort by photographing date ” from the sort menu 6 , dates when image data have been photographed are compared with each other , and display orders of the images are changed . in consequence , as shown in fig3 , the list display screen 1 is updated and displayed . as a result of the sorting , since the display order of the “ image 5 ” is at the rear of the “ image 6 ”, the user can visually recognize the “ image 5 ”. when the user selects “ sort by image size ( the smaller the image size is , the higher the order becomes )” from the sort menu 6 , the sizes of the index images are compared with each other , and the display orders of the images are changed . in consequence , as shown in fig4 , the list display screen 1 is updated and displayed . as a result of the sorting , since the display order of the “ image 5 ” is at the rear of the “ image 6 ”, the user can visually recognize the “ image 5 ”. when the user selects “ sort by display area ( the smaller the display area is , the higher the order becomes )” from the sort menu 6 , the display areas of the image data at a time when the sort menu is selected are compared with each other , and the display orders of the images are changed . moreover , as shown in fig5 , the list display screen 1 is updated and displayed . as a result of the sorting , since the display order of the “ image 5 ” is at the rear of the “ image 6 ”, the user can visually recognize the “ image 5 ”. since the display area of the “ image 4 ” is smaller than that of the “ image 2 ”, the whole “ image 4 ” is displayed . similarly , the user can select “ sort by exposure time ”, “ sort by aperture value ”, “ sort by subject distance ” or the like from the sort menu 6 to change the display order of the image data . moreover , the above change of the display orders can be performed for not only all the index images displayed in the data display area 3 but also the images which belong to a specific group . fig6 is a diagram showing classifications of the groups . a plurality of index images which overlap one another or come into contact with one another form one group . when one index image is selected with a mouse , a group including the selected index image is specified . when the user designates the above sort operation , the display orders of index images which belong to the specified group are changed . fig7 is a block diagram showing a constitution of an image managing apparatus 20 for realizing the above image managing method . the image managing apparatus 20 is provided with an operation unit 21 , a display unit 22 , a communication unit 24 , a processing unit 25 , an image memory 26 , a database 27 , a program memory 28 and a temporary memory 29 . the operation unit 21 includes input members such as a mouse and a keyboard for operating various functions and inputting instructions . the display unit 22 displays the list display screen 1 or the like . the communication unit 24 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving information such as the image data with respect to an external apparatus ( not shown ). the processing unit 25 executes image processing of reducing the original image to prepare the index image or the like , and generally controls the respective components of the image managing apparatus 20 . the image memory 26 is a storage medium for storing the image data of the original image . the database 27 is a storage medium for storing , as management information , attribute information such as exif data which accompanies the original image . the program memory 28 is a storage medium for storing a program which operates in the image managing apparatus 20 . the temporary memory 29 is a buffer memory which temporarily stores data for the display order change processing . next , an image display procedure using the image managing apparatus 20 will be described with reference to fig8 to 10 . it is to be noted that image display functions which will below be described are concerned with main functions of the present image display method . therefore , functions which are not mentioned in the following description but which are described with reference to fig1 to 7 are included in the functions regarding the present image display method . fig1 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure for the image managing apparatus 20 of the present embodiment to acquire the original image as a management object from the external apparatus . in a step u 01 , the processing unit 25 detects that an external apparatus ( not shown ) such as a digital camera is connected to the communication unit 24 . when the connection of the external apparatus is detected , an image transmission request command is transmitted to the external apparatus . in a step u 02 , the processing unit receives an image transmitted from the external apparatus in response to the image transmission command . in a step u 03 , the processing unit 25 reduces each received image as the original image at a predetermined ratio to prepare a reduced image for the index . then , in a step u 04 , the processing unit stores the original image and the index image in the image memory 26 , and registers , in the database 27 , management information including the exif data accompanying the original image , a size of the index image and information for referring to the original image and the index image . the processing to acquire the image as the management object is ended by the above processing . it is to be noted that in the step u 03 , the original image is reduced at a ratio which is proportional to the size of the original image , a ratio of a square or a ½ square , or the like to prepare the reduced image so that the size of the original image is reflected . in the step s 01 of fig8 , the user starts the image managing apparatus 20 , so that the processing unit 25 initializes an internal table and the like , and in the step s 02 , it displays the list display screen 1 in the display unit 22 . then , in response to user &# 39 ; s operation for displaying the image data , in the step s 03 , the processing unit reads the corresponding index image from the image memory 26 to display the image in the data display area 3 of the list display screen 1 . in a step s 10 , when the user performs a drag and drop operation to change a display position of the index image displayed in the data display area 3 , the processing unit changes the display order so that the index image is displayed in the top in a step s 11 . subsequently , in a step s 12 , the processing unit updates the display of the index image in accordance with the changed display order . then , the processing unit waits for the next user &# 39 ; s operation input . in a step s 15 , when the user clicks one of the index images displayed in the data display area 3 to select the image , the processing unit changes the display order so that the index image is displayed in the top in the step s 11 . subsequently , in the step s 12 , the processing unit updates the display of the index image in accordance with the changed display order . then , the processing unit waits for the next user &# 39 ; s operation input . in a step s 20 , when the user operates the sort button 2 a of the tool menu area 2 , the processing unit executes index image sort processing ( fig9 ) in a step s 21 . in a step t 01 of fig9 , the processing unit specifies the group in which the selected index image is included , and acquires a list of the index images which belong to the group . in a step t 02 , the processing unit registers the index images which belong to the group as sort objects in a sort object table ( not shown ) of the temporary memory 29 . in a step t 03 , the processing unit displays the sort menu 6 , and waits for user &# 39 ; s selecting operation . in a step t 10 , when the user selects the update of the display orders based on the photographing dates from the sort menu 6 , the processing unit sorts the index images as the sort objects based on the photographing dates in a step t 11 . next , in a step t 19 , the processing unit registers the display orders of the sorted index images in a display information table ( not shown ) of the temporary memory 29 , and ends the index image sort processing . in a step t 13 , when the user selects the update of the display orders based on the display image sizes from the sort menu 6 , the processing unit sorts the index images as the sort objects based on the display image sizes in a step t 14 . next , in the step t 19 , the processing unit registers the display orders of the sorted index images in the display information table ( not shown ) of the temporary memory 29 , and then ends the index image sort processing . in a step t 16 , when the user selects the update of the display orders based on the display areas from the sort menu 6 , the processing unit sorts the index images as the sort objects based on the display image areas in a step t 17 . next , in the step t 19 , the processing unit registers the display orders of the sorted index images in the display information table ( not shown ) of the temporary memory 29 , and then ends the index image sort processing . turning back to fig8 , in the step s 12 , the processing unit updates the display of the index images in accordance with the changed display orders , and waits for the next user &# 39 ; s operation input . in a step s 25 , when the user operates the end button 2 b of the tool menu area 2 , the processing unit executes end processing in a step s 26 to end the image display processing . it is to be noted that the functions described above in the embodiment may be constituted using hardware , or realized using software by allowing a computer to read a program in which the functions are described . the respective functions may be constituted by appropriately selecting either the software or the hardware . furthermore , the respective functions can be realized by allowing the computer to read a program stored in a storage medium ( not shown ). here , the storage medium of the present embodiment may have any recording form , as long as the storage medium can record the program and is a computer - readable storage medium . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general invention concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents .	6
referring to fig1 it will be noted that one u - shaped segment 10 of a continuously moving assembly line 12 is illustrated in phantom lines . the assembly line 12 is , of course , much more extensive than the illustrated segment to facilitate assembly of a complete vehicle . the assembly line 12 begins at point 14 and ends at arrowhead 16 . in modern assembly plants , the assembly line 12 takes the form of a moving track in the floor . incomplete vehicles ride on the track ( fig4 ) past various assembly stations 18 . as will be noted , the assembly stations 18 , which may be located on both sides of the assembly line 12 , are illustrated by circles . the assembly stations 18 are provided along the length of the continuously moving assembly line 12 and are attended by operators each of whom performs various assigned tasks on incomplete vehicles positioned on the continuously moving assembly line 12 as the incomplete vehicles passes by . this leads to building of complete vehicles . an assembly data input or production data terminal ( pdt ) 20 is provided at each assembly station 18 . as shown in fig2 the pdt 20 includes a vertical switch bank 22 which includes manually actuatable buttons or switches 24a - j , each of which carries an identifying numeral , illustratively 0 - 9 , and each of which may correspond to a discrete assigned task of an operator . a panel 26 is positioned adjacent to the switch bank 22 . the panel 26 has a series of vertical numerals which are in alignment with the similar numerals on the switch bank 22 . these numerals also run from 0 - 9 in the illustrated example . only the first four numerals are used in the illustrative case . the operator at this station has responsibility for four assigned tasks . if any one of these assigned tasks are not correctly completed , he then actuates the appropriate switch to indicate that such task has not been correctly completed . if the operator does not actuate a switch , the indication is that the task has been successfully completed . while the switch actuation has been expressed in the negative , it will be appreciated that it could also be expressed in the positive , that is , the operator pushing only those switches which indicate successful completion of a task . the panel 26 also illustratively includes additional information at the top and bottom thereof . an additional manually actuatable task completion or end of operation switch 28 is provided immediately above the switches 24a - j . the end of operation switch 28 , when actuated , indicates to a central computer that all discrete assigned tasks at the associated work station with respect to a specific incomplete vehicle have been completed regardless of whether or not the tasks have been successfully or unsuccessfully completed . this information assures later users of the input data that there is not an assigned task which has not been either successfully or unsuccessfully completed . if the end of operation switch 28 is not actuated at the appropriate time at an assembly station 18 , operators receiving this information at later points , called &# 34 ; upgrade stations &# 34 ; will check each assigned task to be sure that such task has been completed . if such tasks have not been completed , later operators will complete the tasks . moreover , each vehicle is assigned a production or vehicle line tracking number so that activities with respect thereto may be recorded thereagainst . each time a vehicle passes an assembly station 18 , the assembly operator actuates another switch 29 located immediately above the end of operation switch 28 . the switch 29 has printed thereon &# 34 ; change sequence &# 34 ;. when the change sequence switch 29 is actuated , a new number will appear on the switch bank 22 immediately above the change sequence switch 29 which identifies the next incomplete vehicle ; illustratively &# 34 ; 070750 &# 34 ;. all new task completion information will be recorded against this number . referring to fig3 an information system 30 according to the present invention is shown . the pdt 20 is linked by computer bus line to a junction box 32 . the junction boxes 32 are linked by computer bus line to a secondary junction box 33 which is linked by computer bus line to a plant data concentrator ( dcl ) 34 . the plant dcl 34 is linked by computer bus line to a host dcl 36 which is connected to a mainframe computer 38 . it should be appreciated that up to this point , the information system is well known in the art . according to the present invention , the information system 30 includes s limit switch 40 such as square d class 9007 model y190 which is connected by a coaxial digital input / output communications cable 42 to a pdt sequencing computer 44 such as the beta tech pdt sequencing computer model no . zc - 001 - 001 . the pdt sequencing computer 44 is connected to the secondary junction box 33 and utilizes software or algorithms to do a limited amount of data manipulation . the sequencing software could be reproduced using fortran , assembly , c or any other computer programming language common to the art . the pdt sequencing computer 44 is of a microcomputer type utilized to interpret and communicate sequencing information from the limit switch 40 to the information system 30 . the sequencing software is used to coordinate limit switch feedback , assembly station and vehicle data with the appropriate line tracking record for the vehicle at the assembly station 18 . the limit switch 40 is conventional and well known in the art . as shown in fig4 the limit switch 40 is triggered when a vehicle carrier 46 passes over it . the coaxial computer i / 0 cable 46 is of a type common to the art and serves as a communications link between the pdt sequencing computer 44 and the limit switch 40 . the limit switch 40 is placed in such a position that it triggers every time a vehicle carrier 46 passes over it . in operation , sequencing is accomplished starting with the vehicle carrier 46 tripping the limit switch 40 . as the limit switch 40 trips , it triggers a signal which is sent over the cable 42 to the pdt sequencing computer 44 . the sequencing method to be described operates using the limit switch 40 signal as a trigger for the pdt sequencing computer 44 to &# 34 ; move &# 34 ; the computer vehicle line tracking record with the proper vehicle if the assembly station operator fails to press the pdt &# 39 ; s end of operation switch 28 . the limit switch 40 is designed to actuate every time a vehicle carrier 46 on the assembly line conveyor enters an assembly zone ( there are preferably five assembly zones : body , paint , chassis , final and trim ). the pdt sequencing computer 44 reacts to the tripping of the limit switch 40 by sending a signal through the secondary junction box 33 to the rest of the pdt &# 39 ; s 20 in that assembly zone . the signal causes the pdt &# 39 ; s 20 to automatically increment the vehicle line tracking ( id ) number ( see fig5 block 60 ) if the operator has failed to press the end of operation switch 28 , thereby assuring proper vehicle sequencing . referring to fig .&# 39 ; s 5 , 6 , and 7 , flowcharts of a method according to the present invention are used to ensure assembly line sequencing . it must be noted that the methods illustrated by the three flowcharts occur simultaneously to sequence production . fig5 represents a flowchart of the pdt sequencing method . fig6 represents a flowchart of the pdt scanning method or routine that is resident in the plant dcl 34 . fig7 represents a flowchart of the pdt input checking method or routine that is resident in every pdt 20 within the assembly station 18 . in fig5 the sequencing method starts in bubble 50 with the next vehicle carrier 46 entering the assembly station 18 . the sequencing method advances to block 52 and monitors the i / o port of the limit switch 40 . the sequencing method advances to diamond 54 and determines whether the limit switch 40 has been triggered by the vehicle carrier 46 based upon the monitored i / 0 port in block 54 . if the limit switch 40 has been tripped by the next vehicle carrier 46 , the sequencing method advances to diamond 56 to see if the limit switch 40 was falsely triggered by determining whether or not the limit switch 40 was triggered twice within a predetermined time period such as 30 seconds . if the limit switch 40 has been triggered twice within the predetermined time period , the sequencing method advances to block 58 and ignores the second triggering of the limit switch 40 . the sequencing method then branches back to block 52 and begins once again to monitor the i / 0 port of the limit switch 40 . in diamond 56 , if the limit switch 40 has not been triggered twice during the preceding 30 seconds , the sequencing method advances to block 60 and increments and displays the incoming vehicle &# 39 ; s line tracking or identification ( id ) number on the crt of the pdt sequencing computer 44 . in diamond 54 , if the limit switch 40 has not been triggered , the sequencing method advances to block 62 and performs a manual override to trigger the next vehicle entry . the sequencing method would then proceed to block 60 , previously described , where it would increment and display the incoming vehicle &# 39 ; s identification number . from block 60 , the sequencing method advances to diamond 64 and determines whether the vehicle line tracking or identification ( id ) number is correct . this is done by comparing the vehicle id number to a master sequencing record containing the vehicle numbers and their order . if the vehicle id number is correct , the sequencing method advances to block 66 and loads and updates the vehicle station table . the vehicle station table is a software table which contains a &# 34 ; slot &# 34 ; for every assembly work station 18 under control of the pdt sequencing computer 44 . the sequencing method then branches to block 52 and proceeds once again to monitor the i / o port of the limit switch 40 . in diamond 64 , if the vehicle id number is not correct , the sequencing method advances to diamond 68 and a check is made to see if the vehicle carrier 46 is empty . this may be performed visually or by a photocell of any suitable hardware . if the vehicle carrier 46 is empty , the sequencing method advances to block 70 and performs a manual override to enter a &# 34 ; skip unit &# 34 ; instruction or command . the &# 34 ; skip unit &# 34 ; command ensures that vehicle build data will not be entered for an empty vehicle carrier 46 at any assembly work station 18 under control of the pdt sequencing computer 44 . the sequencing method then continues on to block 66 , previously described , updating the vehicle station table . finally , a branch back to block 52 is made , to once again monitor the i / 0 port of the limit switch 40 . in diamond 68 , if the vehicle carrier 46 is empty , the sequencing method advances to block 72 and performs a manual override to enter and / or display the correct vehicle id number . the sequencing method then advances to diamond 64 , previously described , to check once again if the vehicle id number is correct . if the vehicle id number is correct , the sequencing method advances to block 66 and updates the vehicle station table and branches back to block 52 to resume monitoring of the i / 0 port of the limit switch 40 . referring to fig6 a flowchart illustrates a portion of the sequencing method that resides within the plant dcl 34 . this portion is designed to scan all pdt &# 39 ; s 20 within the assembly zone to verify reporting of assembly work stations 18 . reporting will be positive if the operator has pressed the end of operation switch 28 before the vehicle left the work station 18 . the method scans the pdt &# 39 ; s 20 for a predetermined time called a polling cycle . the length of time scanned is determined by the polling cycle time constant . the value of the time constant reflects the typical amount of time that it takes for a vehicle carrier 46 to pass through an assembly work station 18 . for exemplary purposes , it will be arbitrarily assumed that the value of the polling cycle time will be ten seconds , although the preferred embodiment could utilize a different value . the scanning method of fig6 scans every pdt 20 within the assembly station 18 during each ten second polling cycle to verify operator end of operation reporting . as illustrated in fig6 the scanning method starts in bubble 74 and advances to block 76 to increment the pdt scan variable . the pdt scan variable keeps track of which pdt 20 is to be scanned . the scanning method then proceeds to diamond 78 where the scanned pdt 20 is checked to determine if it has reported during the polling cycle . if the scanned pdt 20 has reported as a result of the operator pressing the end of operation switch 28 during the polling cycle , the scanning method advances to diamond 80 and determines whether or not all of the pdt &# 39 ; s 20 have been scanned . if all of the pdt &# 39 ; s 20 have been scanned , the scanning method advances to block 82 and resets itself and waits for the beginning of another polling cycle . at the beginning of the next polling cycle , the scanning method will restart by advancing to block 76 and incrementing the pdt scan variable . in diamond 78 , if the scanned pdt 20 has not reported within the polling cycle , the scanning method advances to block 84 and generates a default input for the vehicle at the pdt assembly station 18 . the default input is entered into the vehicle line tracking record for the non - reporting station . this default input acts as a flag so that the vehicle is inspected and repaired at the upgrade assembly station for possible defects . the scanning method then advances to block 86 and downloads the incoming or next correct vehicle id number into the pdt 20 . the scanning method then advances to diamond 80 , previously described , to check to see if all of the pdt &# 39 ; s 20 have been scanned . referring to fig7 a flowchart of input checking method is illustrated . this part of the sequencing software is engaged when the operator inputs information into the pdt 20 and then presses the end of operation switch 28 . upon pressing the end of operation switch 28 , the input checking method begins in bubble 88 and advances to block 90 to verify pdt input information with that contained in the vehicle station table . the method then advances to diamond 92 where a query is made to see if the pdt input information is correct or has been attributed to the vehicle actually at the assembly work station 18 . if the information has been correctly inputted for the vehicle at the assembly work station 18 , the method advances to block 94 where it processes the input , adding it to the vehicle &# 39 ; s line tracking record . the method advances to block 94 where it awaits to verify the next pdt input . if the input has been incorrectly attributed to the wrong vehicle in diamond 92 , the method advances to block 96 and generates default input information for the vehicle presently at the assembly work station 18 . this default information is included in the vehicle &# 39 ; s line tracking record , flagging the vehicle so that it is thoroughly inspected at the upgrade work station . next , the method advances to block 98 and downloads the subsequent or next correct incoming vehicle &# 39 ; s id number , then proceeds to block 94 , previously described , to process the input , and branches to block 90 , restarting the pdt input checking sequence over again . accordingly , the sequencing computer of the present invention automatically increments and downloads the vehicle identification number in the pdt display for each assembly operator on the line who fails to press the end of operation switch . this is also accomplished by the limit switch trigger or avi reader . whenever the pdt sequencing computer is required to download the next vehicle identification number because either an incorrect number had been entered or the operator failed to press the end of operation switch , the sequencer will automatically generate up to ten defects from the pdt for the vehicle which was in that work station . this feature is based on input / output masks which are defined within the pdt sequencing computer . this feature also ensures that unreported vehicles will be thoroughly inspected and repaired at the upgrade station . eliminating this major sequencing problem ensures that defects , repairs and any other operator recorded information will be recorded for each vehicle in its appropriate vehicle line tracking record reduces production costs and ensures quality control . the present invention helps prevent costly mixups such as these by virtually assuring defect reporting against the proper vehicle . the modularity of the present invention allows the addition of one or more pdt sequencing computers to the assembly line sequencing system as are necessary . the design is also flexible in that it will not affect production if one or all pdt sequencers fail . the present invention also offers sequencing flexibility allowing assembly line cut - ins ( vehicle added ) or cut - outs ( vehicle removed ) without mixing up line sequencing . the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner . it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation . modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . therefore , within the scope of the appended claims , the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described .	8
the weighing scales comprise a hollow stand 1 to the base 2 of which is fixed a tubular passage 3 having a recess 4 . it also comprises a cover 5 covering stand 1 and whose top 6 is equipped with a sleeve 7 fitted onto the above - mentioned passage 3 . sleeve 7 is guided in vertical translation relative to the said passage by means of a device to be described hereinafter . sleeve 7 and passage 3 define between them a cavity 8 wherein is located an elastic balancing device . this device comprises a helical spring 9 whose upper end is centred about the tubular skirt 10 of an end fitting 11 , whereby said skirt is extended by a thread 12 onto which are screwed and locked the terminal turns 13 of the spring . in the lower end of the latter is provided a container 14 which serves to support the object to be weighed and to transmit the weight of this object to the said spring . the tubular skirt 15 of container 14 which serves to centre the lower end of the spring carries a projecting thread 16 which can be screwed to a greater or lesser extent into the terminal turn 17 of the said spring in order to calibrate the same . the screwing of thread 16 can be easily performed by means of a wrench cooperating with a slot having six splines 18 made in the free end of container 14 . the end fitting ii is fitted into a tubular member 19 and abuts on its upper end . the lower end of member 19 which surrounds spring 9 has a threaded portion 20 cooperating with the threaded sleeve 21 of a wheel 22 which permits the zero setting of the weighing scales . wheel 22 is guided in rotation in passage 3 and is immobilised in translation between the base 2 of the stand and a plate 23 joined to the latter . in order to screw container 14 into spring 9 without it being necesary to disassemble the weighing scales , it is obviously advantageous to stop the rotation of tubular member 19 relative to passage 3 . to this end said member has two projecting fins 19a which enter recesses provided in an annular transverse partition 3a of the said passage . a transmission rod 24 which traverses the inner pipe of end fitting 11 and spring 9 is placed between the lower container 14 and an upper container 25 which is integral with the top 6 of the cover . in addition fig1 shows that the object to be weighed is not directly supported by the top . to this end a receptacle is provided : either to contain the object or objects , in which case the removable receptacle is placed on top of the cover , its base 27 being centred in a recess 6a of the top 6 and is supported by the latter , or to form a plate on which the object is placed , in which case the receptacle is fitted onto the cover , the reverse side of the base being visible . it is important to point out that the various components of the elastic balancing device , i . e . spring 9 , containers 14 and 25 , transmission rod 24 , tubular member 19 , end fitting 11 and wheel 22 extend coaxially to one another . as a result of this special arrangement the weighing operation can be performed in a precise and accurate manner . however , it is essential that sleeve 7 is correctly guided in vertical translation relative to passage 3 , i . e . reducing friction to a minimum because this would have a prejudicial influence on the weighing precision . to this end a special guidance device is used . this device comprises four roller trains 28 . 1 to 28 . 4 carried by sleeve 7 and cooperating with the outer cylindrical surface 29 of passage 3 , the said surface being concentric to the axis of transmission rod 24 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 and 3 , each train 28 comprises two rollers 29 , 30 mounted loosely about shafts 31 , 32 and extending orthogonally to the axis of rod 24 in the same tangential plane in such a way that the said rollers are superimposed in the same radial plane . shafts 31 and 32 are carried by the terminal fork arms 33 , 34 ( fig4 ) of a support 35 fixed in a slot 36 in sleeve 7 . in the selected embodiment each support 35 ( fig2 to 4 ) comprises two identical omega - shaped plates 37 , 38 having straight branches . these plates are joined by their median web in order to form a rigid body 39 which is positioned and fixed in slot 36 by means of lugs 40 . the end branches of these plates arranged pairwise and staggered relative to one another form the above fork arms 33 , 34 . they are also integral with pivots engaged in the holes of rollers and materialise the rotation shafts 31 , 32 . each slot 36 is defined by a u - shaped member 41 projecting radially to the outside of sleeve 7 ( fig2 ). when each train 28 is fixed in the slot 36 of the corresponding member 41 , the upper roller 29 passes through a port 42 in said sleeve whilst the lower roller 30 is located beneath the lower end thereof . it is essential to point out ( fig3 ) that the roller trains 28 . 1 to 28 . 4 are installed in such a way that there is an adequate clearance between the tread of rollers 29 , 30 and the cylindrical surface 3b of the fixed passage 3 so that at any given time there can only be contact between certain of these rollers and not between all of them . under these conditions friction is reduced to a minimum due to the use of a tread , the choice of a material with a low friction coefficient and the reduction in the number of contact points . thus a guidance system is provided which does not produce any interfering phenomena which could prejudice the accuracy and precision of measurement of the elastic balancing device 9 to 25 . however , despite the clearance provided the guidance isrectilinear and removes the elastic balancing device from lateral reactions which could result from unsatisfactory centering of the object being weighed on receptacle 26 relative to rod 24 . it would obviously be possible for sleeve 7 to rotate about the cylindrical surface 3b of the passage to prevent this the weighing scales have an anti - gyratory roller 43 extending in a tangential plane and carried by the fixed passage 3 and cooperating with the vertically movable sleeve 7 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 , roller 43 idles in an intermediate cage 44 about a shaft which is radial relative to the transmission rod 24 . cage 44 comprises two omega - shaped metal plates 45 , 46 with straight branches . these plates are joined by their extreme branches ( fig1 ) in such a way that their webs are spaced apart and arranged on either side of roller 43 . moreover , the said webs are provided with pivots 47 which engage in holes in the said roller and for the latter materialise the above - mentioned free rotation shaft . the extreme branches of plates 45 , 46 are fitted in positioning slots defined by members 48 , 49 and project over the fixed passage 3 . they are fixed pairwise to the base of the corresponding slot by means of lugs 50 , 51 . roller 43 mounted relative to the fixed passage 3 so as to idle about a radial spindle is engaged in a groove defined by a bridge 52 integral with sleeve 7 , said groove issuing freely onto the lower edge of the latter as well as laterally facing the said passage . it is important to note ( fig2 ) that the installation of the antigyratory roller 43 is carried out in such a way that between the tread thereof and the side walls 53 , 54 of bridge 52 there is an adequate clearance to ensure that contact is only possible with one side wall at any time so as to prevent any interfering friction . finally the weighing scales have an indicating device 55 ( fig1 and 5 ) placed between the fixed part and the moving part . this indicating device is of the floating type so that it is insensitive to the functional clearances made as indicated hereinbefore between the said parts and so that it transmits no opposing force to the elastic balancing device 9 to 25 . the indicating device comprises a rotary stepped disc 56 coupled to a shaft 57 whose ends are mounted loosely in a bearing 58 equipping the movable sleeve 7 and respectively in a chamfered hole 59 in a plate 60 joined to a fork arm 61 diametrically opposite to the anti - gyratory bridge 52 and belonging to the said sleeve 7 . the stepped disc 56 is positioned between cover 5 and a recessed portion 62 of stand 1 . it is located facing a transparent window 63 of the said cover carrying a pointer of the indicated weight . shaft 57 is integral with a pinion 64 with which meshes a floating rack 65 projecting over a guide bar 66 . at its lower end ( fig1 and 5 ) guide bar 66 is pivotally mounted about a shaft 67 fixed to passage 3 . thus the guide bar extends vertically and its upper end is placed between pinion 64 and a rib 68 ( fig2 ) of the corresponding branch of the fork arm 61 . due to the clearance provided for the tangential deflection of the said upper end of the guide bar , a low amplitude angular movement is possible between sleeve 7 and passage 3 without this movement influencing the indication transmitted by pinion 64 and rack 65 and without the operation thereof being able to disturb the balance provided by the elastic device 9 to 25 . however , it is necessary for rack 65 to be in continuous engagement with pinion 64 . to this end the lower end of guide bar 66 ( fig5 ) is integral with a sleeve 69 into which is fitted a rod 70 which forms a counterweight and extends horizontally on the side of the pinion opposite to that where the rack is located . thus rod 70 applies the latter to the pinion . obviously the components of the guidance device and of the indicating device which are vertically carried by the moving part can be carried by the fixed part and vice versa . the improvements forming the object of the present invention are applicable to weighing scales and more particularly to those for domestic use . the the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and represented hereinbefore , and various modifications can be made thereto without passing beyond the scope of the invention .	6
in the following description , for purposes of explanation , numerous examples and specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure . it will be evident , however , to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure as expressed in the claims may include some or all of the features in these examples , alone or in combination with other features described below , and may further include modifications and equivalents of the features and concepts described herein . fig1 shows a switched power supply 10 configured in accordance with the present disclosure to supply an output voltage v out from an input supply voltage v in . the configuration shown in fig1 represents a buck converter . however , persons of ordinary skill will appreciate that any switched power supply architecture may be configured in accordance with the present disclosure ; e . g ., boost converter , class d amplifier , and the like . a control section 12 may receive the output voltage v out of the switched power supply 10 as feedback signal to control a gate driver section 14 . the gate driver section 14 may generate drive signals 14 a to drive a hi - side stack 102 and drive signals 14 b to drive a lo - side stack 104 . inductor l and output capacitor c out may complete the buck converter . as shown in fig2 , in some embodiments , the hi - side stack 102 and lo - side stack 104 , each , may comprise a cascode stack configuration . the hi - side stack 102 and lo - side stack 104 may connect at an output node 203 . for the purposes of explanation , the supply voltage v in will be 3 × v max and v out can swing between 0v and 3 × v max , where v max represents the maximum transistor v gd . for example , if v max is 1 . 8v , then v out can swing from 0v to 5 . 4v . for a configuration where v in = 3 × v max and v max is 1 . 8v , hi - side stack 102 may comprise three transistor devices p 1 , p 2 , p 3 . in some embodiments , the transistor devices may be pmos devices . likewise , the lo - side stack 104 may comprise three transistor devices n 1 , n 2 , n 3 , which in some embodiments may be nmos devices . it will be appreciated that the hi - side stack 102 and lo - side stack 104 may be configured with different numbers of transistors depending on parameters such as v in and v max . in some embodiments , the hi - side drive signal 14 a may be coupled to the gate of p 1 . the hi - side drive signal 14 a may be a pulse that swings between 3 × v max and 2 × v max . the lo - side drive signal 14 b may be coupled to the gate of n 1 . the lo - side drive signal 14 b may be a pulse that swings between 0v and v max . in accordance with the present disclosure , the gates of p 2 and n 2 are not driven by the gate drive circuitry and may be biased at fixed voltages . in some embodiments , for example , the gate of p 2 may be biased at a fixed dc level of 2 × v max , and similarly , the gate of n 2 may be biased at a fixed dc level of v max . in accordance with the present disclosure , a biasing circuit 212 may be connected to the gate of p 3 . a biasing capacitor c p may be connected between a supply rail for v in and the gate of p 3 . a biasing circuit 214 may be connected to the gate of n 3 , and a biasing capacitor c n may be connected between ground potential and the gate of n 3 . the biasing circuits 212 , 214 may be configured as means for generating a dc bias v bias ± δ . v bias may be a value between 2 × v max and v max . in some embodiments , for example , v bias may be 1 . 5 × v max . the drain of p 3 may be capacitively coupled to the gate of p 3 , thus coupling an output signal at node 203 , as a coupled signal , to the gate of p 3 . the output of the biasing circuit 212 may be combined with the coupled signal as means for providing a drive signal on the gate of p 3 . likewise , the drain of n 3 may be capacitively coupled to the gate of n 3 , thus coupling the output signal at node 203 , as a coupled signal , to the gate of n 3 . the output of the biasing circuit 214 may be combined with the coupled signal as means for providing a drive signal on the gate of n 3 . in some embodiments , the parasitic capacitances c x1 , c x2 , respectively , of transistors p 3 and n 3 may provide the respective capacitive coupling . as persons of ordinary skill understand , parasitic capacitances arise within the structures of transistor device , such as the gate and drain regions . in other embodiments , explicit capacitors may used . fig2 a for example , illustrates an embodiment using explicit capacitive elements c 1 , c 2 , in addition to respective parasitic capacitances c x1 , c x2 . the capacitive elements c 1 , c 2 are explicit or discrete devices in the same way that the transistors p 3 and n 3 are explicit or discrete devices . fig3 shows an illustrative example of a biasing circuit 212 shown in fig2 , in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure . the biasing circuit 214 may be similarly constructed . the v bias voltage sets the dc bias level of the biasing circuit 212 . node 302 connects to the gate of p 3 , as shown in fig2 . when the voltage at the gate of p 3 deviates ( up or down ) from v bias by an amount δ , transistor mn src or mp snk will turn on to compensate . in some embodiments , the δ may be the transistors &# 39 ; v th ( threshold voltage ). in some embodiments , additional compensation ( r src , mp src and r snk , mn snk ) can be provided . in operation , suppose the voltage at node 302 rises above v bias + δ , this event will turn on mp snk as compensation to drive down the voltage at node 302 . when the voltage at node 302 reaches or falls below v bias + δ , mp snk will turn off . depending on how much current is being sinked across r snk , mn snk may turn on as well to provide further compensation . conversely , if the voltage at node 302 falls below v bias − δ , this event will turn on mn src as compensation to drive up the voltage at node 302 . when the voltage at node 302 reaches or exceeds below v bias − δ , mn src will turn off . depending on how much current is being sourced across r src , mp src may turn on as well to provide further compensation . the biasing circuit 212 shown in fig3 can therefore maintain the dc bias level between v bias + δ and v bias − δ in real time ; the only delay is due to signal propagation delays between the transistor devices that comprise the biasing circuit 212 . the biasing circuit 212 illustrates an example of a means for responding , substantially without delay , to variations in a voltage level at node 302 to maintain the dc bias voltage between v bias + δ and v bias − δ . it will be appreciated of course that the circuit shown in fig3 is merely illustrative of a biasing circuit in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure . persons of ordinary skill can readily implement other equivalent circuits . a brief discussion of the operation of the cascode stack shown in fig2 will now be given . the gate driver section 14 ( fig1 ) can cycle the hi - side stack 102 and the lo - side stack 104 between a conductive state and a non - conductive state . for example , when the gate driver section 14 drives hi - side stack 102 to be conductive , the lo - side stack 104 is driven non - conductive , and vice - versa when the gate driver section 14 drives hi - side stack 102 to be non - conductive , the lo - side stack 104 is driven conductive . in a first cycle , for example , suppose the hi - side stack 102 is driven conductive and the lo - side stack 104 is driven non - conductive . on the hi - side stack 102 , the gate driver section 14 can drive the gate of p 1 to 2 × v max to turn on p 1 . consequently , the voltage at node 201 will rise to 3 × v max . since the gate of p 2 is dc - biased at 2 × v max , p 2 will turn on . consequently , the voltage at node 202 will rise to 3 × v max . recall from the discussion above , that the biasing circuit 212 provides a bias voltage v bias at the gate of p 3 between 2 × v max and v max . accordingly , p 3 will turn on , since node 202 is at 3 × v max . as the voltage at node 203 rises to 3 × v max , so too will the gate voltage of p 3 rise by virtue of the capacitive coupling ( e . g ., c x1 ), which couples at least a portion of the output voltage at node 203 to the gate of p 3 . for example , the bias capacitor c p and c x1 ( or c 1 in fig2 a ) may define a capacitive voltage divider configured as means for providing a divided potion of the output voltage a node 203 to the gate of p 3 . as a result of the capacitive coupling , the gate voltage at p 3 can track in real time , substantially without delay , the output voltage at node 203 so that v gd of p 3 does not exceed v max . since the biasing circuit 212 is configured to maintain the gate voltage of p 3 between 2 × v max and v max , the gate voltage of p 3 will be limited ( clamped ) to a maximum voltage of 2 × v max as node 203 continues to rise to 3 × v max . turning to operation of the lo - side stack 104 , in the first cycle the gate driver section 14 may drive the lo - side stack 104 to a non - conductive state . the gate driver section 14 may drive the gate of n 1 to ground potential , thus turning off n 1 . since the gate of n 2 is dc - biased at v max , node 205 will rise to v max , thus ensuring that n 2 is off . at n 3 , as the voltage at node 203 rises to 3 × v max , so too will the gate voltage of n 3 rise by virtue of the capacitive coupling ( e . g ., c x2 ), which couples at least a portion of the output voltage at node 203 to the gate of n 3 . for example , the bias capacitor c n and the c x2 ( or c 2 in fig2 a ) may define a capacitive voltage divider that provides a divided potion of the output voltage a node 203 to the gate of n 3 . as a result , the gate voltage at n 3 can track in real time substantially without delay the output voltage at node 203 so that v gd of n 3 does not exceed v max . since the biasing circuit 214 is configured to maintain the gate of n 3 between 2 × v max and v max , the gate voltage of n 3 will be limited ( clamped ) to 2 × v max as node 203 continues to rise to 3 × v max . the voltage at node 204 will rise to the gate voltage of n 3 , namely 2 × v max , thus ensuring that n 3 is off . by limiting the maximum gate voltage of n 3 to 2 × v max , the v gd of n 3 will not exceed the v max rating of n 3 when the voltage at node 203 reaches 3 × v max . consider next a second cycle , that follows the first cycle , in which the hi - side stack 102 can be driven non - conductive and the lo - side stack 104 can be driven conductive . on the lo - side stack 104 , the gate driver section 14 may drive the gate of n 1 to v max , thus turning on n 1 and bringing node 205 to ground potential . since the gate of n 2 is dc - biased at v max , n 2 will also turn on and bring node 204 to ground potential . recall from the first cycle , the gate voltage of n 3 is at 2 × v max . accordingly , n 3 turns on and node 203 will go from 3 × v max to ground potential . as the node 203 goes to ground potential , so too will the gate voltage of n 3 as the gate voltage of n 3 tracks in real time substantially without delay the output signal at node 203 by virtue of the capacitive coupling ( e . g ., c x2 ). the biasing circuit 214 , however , will limit the minimum voltage level at the gate of n 3 to v max . turning to the hi - side stack 102 , in the second cycle the gate driver section 14 can drive the hi - side stack 102 to a non - conductive state . the gate driver section 14 can drive the gate of p 1 to 3 × v max , which will turn off p 1 . with p 1 in the off state , the voltage at node 201 will equalize with the gate voltage of p 2 , namely 2 × v max , thus turning off p 2 . likewise , with p 2 in the off state , the voltage at node 202 will equalize with the gate voltage at p 3 . recall from the first cycle , the gate voltage of p 3 is at 2 × v max , and so the node 202 will become 2 × v max , and p 3 will turn off . as the node 203 goes from 3 × v max to ground potential , so too will the gate voltage of p 3 as the gate voltage of p 3 tracks in real time substantially without delay the output signal at node 203 by virtue of the capacitive coupling ( e . g ., c x1 ). the biasing circuit 212 , however , will limit the minimum voltage level at the gate of p 3 to v max . by limiting the minimum gate voltage of p 3 to v max , the v gd of p 3 will not exceed the v max rating of p 3 when the voltage at node 203 drops to ground potential . the above description illustrates various embodiments of the present disclosure along with examples of how aspects of the particular embodiments may be implemented . the above examples should not be deemed to be the only embodiments , and are presented to illustrate the flexibility and advantages of the particular embodiments as defined by the following claims . based on the above disclosure and the following claims , other arrangements , embodiments , implementations and equivalents may be employed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims .	7
the present invention is directed toward encoding a signature within an mpeg - 2 stream . before describing the preferred embodiment we first describe the fundamental structure of an mpeg - 2 stream . referring now to fig1 , a block diagram illustrating an mpeg - 2 stream is shown generally as 10 . in an mpeg - 2 stream 10 , a video elementary stream 12 and an audio elementary stream 14 are segmented into video or audio packetized elementary streams ( pes ) 16 and 17 respectively . pes 16 and 17 are then multiplexed into either a program stream 18 or a transport stream 20 . program stream 20 is designed for use in relatively error - free environments and is suitable for applications that may involve software processing of system information such as interactive multi - media applications . data packets in program stream 18 may be of variable and relatively great length . transport stream 20 combines one or more programs ( i . e . streams of information ) with one or more independent time bases into a single stream . transport stream 20 is designed for use in environments where errors are likely , such as transmission in lossy or noisy media . data packets in transport stream 20 are 188 bytes in length . before describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention , we will first discuss the options considered by the inventor for embedding a signature in an mpeg - 2 stream . as embedding a signature into the image portion of an mpeg - 2 stream requires complex encoding and decoding algorithms , as well as the possibility of image degradation , the inventor instead chose to investigate other options . the areas considered for embedding a signature were : 1 ) transport stream 20 ; 2 ) pes 16 , 17 3 ) video elementary stream 12 ; and 4 ) audio elementary stream 14 . transport stream 20 is designed for use in transmission environments where errors are likely , such as storage or transmission in lossy or noisy media . an example would be a video on demand satellite transmission . an environment where transport stream 20 would not be needed would be the recalling of data from a dvd on a home pc . referring now to fig2 , a block diagram of a transport stream packet is shown generally as 30 . numerous options were considered in determining where a signature may be inserted in transport stream packet 30 , namely : during encoding , provision may be made to make use of stuffing bytes 34 within adaptation field 32 to store a portion or the entire signature . transport stream packets 30 begin with a four byte header 36 which contains a thirteen bit packet id ( pid ) 38 . pid 38 identifies , via program specific information ( psi ) tables , the contents of the data contained in a transport stream packet 30 . there are four psi tables : i ) program association table ; ii ) program map table ; iii ) conditional access table ; and iv ) network information table . these tables contain the necessary and sufficient information to demultiplex and present programs . a program is a stream of data . referring now to fig3 , a block diagram of a program map table ( pmt ) is shown generally as 50 . the use of n - loop field 52 permits the insertion of user defined data into pmt 50 but at the cost and complexity of requiring the recomputation of cyclic redundancy check field ( crc ) 54 . private content may be carried by creating a stream with a separate pid 38 . processing of this stream would require pre - processing and multiplexing of an additional stream , adding to increased bandwidth and the need for the decoder to demultiplex an additional stream . most mpeg streams have null packets periodically . null packets are intended for padding of a transport stream . they may be inserted or deleted by re - multiplexing processes and , therefore , the delivery of the payload of null packets to the decoder cannot be assumed . since a decoder will ignore this packet , the signature could be placed in this packet without any increase in bandwidth or alteration of the packet sequence . unfortunately , no guarantee of the frequency of null packets can be assumed . as discussed in b ) above , a transport stream contains program association tables ( pat ) and program map tables ( pmt ). each of these tables contains a 32 bit cyclic redundancy check field ( crc ). an example of this is illustrated in field 54 of fig3 . in a transport stream , these tables are repeated approximately ten times per second at the recommendation of the digital video broadcasting group . a 32 bit signature can be embedded in to the crc field of a pat or pmt by xoring the signature with the crc value in the stream . a normal decoder would interpret this as an incorrect crc and ignore the table , since the information is redundant , this does not cause a problem . a post mortem process would examine and search for crc errors in the stream and upon findings such a table , compute the real crc and then xor it with the value in the stream to reconstruct the signature . this scheme requires no remuxing and sophisticated processing for the stream , but is limited to 32 bit values . even if the decoder ignores the crc calculation , the table data area has not been modified thus it would interpret the table correctly . this scheme could be extended to support a signature larger than 32 bits by inserting 32 bits at a time into separate tables . this would result in a longer repetition interval and additional constraints would be required to handle error detection and synchronization . an extension of the crc method discussed in e ) above would replace an entire table section with a larger information block . a different crc would then be inserted , such as the negation of the calculated crc . a normal decoder would likely ignore this table unless it ignored the crc error . this method allows for the insertion of a larger signature in a single table than the method described in e ) above , but is more error prone . synchronization when decoding packets is achieved through pcr 40 . pcr 40 is a 42 bit time stamp encoding the timing of the stream itself . decoders are typically designed to have a minimum of one microsecond of pcr jitter , which represents approximately four to five bits of error . by anding off the bottom four bits of pcr 40 , this now blank area can be used to carry a portion of the signature . the rate of pcr fields 40 is regular in the stream , present in every transport stream and fixed within a transport stream packet 30 . should the signature have a robust error detection mechanism , not all pcr fields 40 need to be replaced . in an mpeg stream , each elementary bit stream is segmented into a packetized elementary stream ( pes ), and then respective packets are multiplexed into either of the two streams : program stream 18 or transport stream 20 . referring now to fig4 , a block diagram of a packetized elementary stream is shown generally as 60 . private data field 62 allows for the insertion of up to 128 bits of user data . this field could hold the signature or a portion thereof . the original elementary stream must have been constructed with the appropriate place holder for the signature . like the pcr 40 field in transport stream 20 , a signature could be inserted in to the pts / dts field 64 . the sensitivity to jitter is more decoder specific than that of pcr field 40 and would not be as robust as the pcr based solution . a user data field is insertable on every frame as well as in the sequence header . provisions during the original encoding need to have been provided to this space , or inserted via a transrating . transrating alters the transmission rate of a coded bitstream . the alteration involves either a full syntactic deconstruction of the stream and then re - coding at a lower rate , or an optimized approach that short circuits the full coding process . in either case , the goal is to alter the bitrate of a bitstream , mpeg video in this particular case . a signature could be hidden in the frequency components of the video syntax itself . the complexity of processing would be significant . video pes stream 16 has two padding bits of “ 00 ” at the end of a video sequence . it is possible to use this feature to insert additional data at the end of the video sequence . the data stream cannot contain the “ 00 00 01 ” sequence but is likely not limited in length . the decoder is also likely to ignore all of this data as it would be looking for a picture start code . since the video pes stream 16 is unlikely to terminate exactly at the end of a transport stream packet , additional information can be added to the video pes stream 16 by adjusting the last packet . this may easily be achieved by software . the header of the packets in an audio elementary stream 14 has several bits of information that are not used . information could be transported in this stream . the header crc may need to be recomputed with the modification of the header . table 1 provides a detailed analysis of each of the above mentioned methods of imbedding a signature in a mpeg - 2 stream . it is not apparent that the stream has a signature embedded in it , especially if the signature is scrambled to appear random . the number of bits used for a signature could easily be programmable to limit the amount of perceived jitter introduced during the process . the insertion of a few bits of data into the lower bits of pcr 40 does not generate an error event in the resulting stream , such as continuity counter errors or table crc errors . the resulting stream has close to a 100 % likelihood of being decoded by any mpeg decoder . the preferred embodiment may be implemented in hardware or software or a combination of both . the mpeg stream need not be pre - processed to create place holders for the signature data . thus , it can be seen that the preferred embodiment provides a simple and efficient solution to the issue of embedding a digital signature into an mpeg stream . in the preferred embodiment an information block containing a signature would have a form as follows : as shown above , an information_block ( ) may be encrypted with an xyz algorithm , perhaps utilizing des or pgp . this aids in hiding the structure of the information_block ( ). further , in the preferred embodiment , the encrypted_block ( ) would be scrambled to further hide the information content as well as to provide an error correction mechanism . a mechanism such as the reed - solomon technique could be used . in transmission , the entire transmitted_block ( ) would be sent out in the lower n bits of pcr field 40 . the information would be sent in order with least significant data bits first . the bit ordering doesn &# 39 ; t explicitly matter , but in order to generate an operational system , both the producer and consumer of the mpeg stream must agree on a convention . although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments , various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto . as those skilled in the art will appreciate , although this disclosure has been directed to data structures in an mpeg - 2 stream , the concepts may be equally applied to any mpeg stream supporting the data structures discussed .	7
referring to fig1 , a battery - powered hammer drill comprises a body 2 having an external tool housing formed from a number of clam shells 4 , 6 , 8 connected to each other , and a tool holder 10 for holding a cutting tool such as a drill bit ( not shown ). mounted on the body 2 via a vibration dampening mechanism 12 ( which is not described in any detail as it does not form part of the present invention ), is a handle 14 having a trigger 16 for activating the hammer drill . a battery pack ( not shown ) can be releasably attached within a receptacle 18 attached to the bottom of the handle 14 . a mode selector knob ( not shown ) is provided on the side of the body 2 for selecting the mode of operation of the hammer drill , the modes of operation being a hammer only mode , a rotary only mode and a combined hammer and rotary mode . referring to fig2 , mounted inside of the body 2 is a transmission housing 20 , in which is mounted a transmission mechanism 22 ( described in more detail below ), and an electric motor 24 ( described in more detail below ) attached to the transmission housing 22 . referring to fig3 , the electric motor 24 has an output shaft 26 which extends into the transmission housing 20 . the end of the output shaft 26 has a pinion 28 formed on it . the transmission mechanism comprises a first gear 30 rigidly attached to a first rotatable shaft ( not shown ), which meshes with the pinion 28 such that rotation of the pinion 28 results in rotation of the first gear 30 , which in turn results in rotation of the first rotatable shaft . the first rotatable shaft is rotatably mounted within a first set of bearings 36 . mounted on the end of the first rotatable shaft in a freely rotatable but non - axially slideable manner is a fourth gear 40 . a crank plate 42 is rigidly attached to the fourth gear 40 . a crank shaft 44 is pivotally attached at one of its ends to an eccentric pin ( not shown ) mounted on the crank plate 42 . a piston ( not shown ) is pivotally attached to the other end of the crank shaft 44 . the piston is slidingly mounted within a rotatable output spindle 46 . rotation of the fourth gear 40 results in rotation of the crank plate 42 , together with the eccentric pin , which in turn results in the reciprocation of the piston within the output spindle 46 . the piston forms part of a hammer drive mechanism . the reciprocating movement of the piston drives the hammer drive mechanism . hammer drive mechanisms are well known in art and any suitable design of hammer mechanism can be used . as the design of such a hammer mechanism does not form part of the invention , no further description of the hammer drive mechanism mounted on the first rotatable shaft in a freely rotatable but non - axially slideable manner is a second gear 32 . the second gear 32 meshes with a third gear 34 which is rigidly mounted on a second rotatable shaft ( not shown ). the second rotatable shaft is rotatably mounted with a second set of bearings 38 . rigidly mounted on the end of the second rotatable shaft is a first bevel gear 50 . the first bevel gear 50 meshes with a second bevel gear 52 mounted on the output spindle 46 . the second bevel gear 52 is drivingly connected to the output spindle 46 via a torque clutch 54 . when the torque across the torque clutch 54 is below a pre - set value , the rotary movement of the second bevel gear is transferred to the output spindle 46 . when the torque across the torque clutch 54 is above the pre - set value , the torque clutch 54 slips and no rotary movement of the second bevel gear 52 is transferred to the output spindle 46 . rotation of the second gear 32 results in rotation of third gear 34 , the second rotatable shaft and first bevel gear 50 . rotation of the first bevel gear 50 results in rotation of the second bevel gear 52 which results in rotation of the out spindle 46 , so long as the torque clutch does not slip . the tool holder 10 is mounted on the output spindle 46 and therefore rotation of the output spindle 46 results in rotation of the tool holder 10 . the design of torque clutches are well know if the art and any suitable design can be used . as the torque clutch does not form part of the invention , no further description will be provided . mounted on the first rotatable shaft in a non - rotatable but axially slideable manner is a mode change sleeve 60 . as such , the rotation of the first rotatable shaft results in rotation of the mode change sleeve 60 . in certain axial positions , the mode change sleeve 60 can mesh with the second gear 32 to drivingly engage the second gear 32 . when the mode change sleeve 60 drivingly engages the second gear 32 , the rotation of the first rotatable shaft results in rotation of the mode change sleeve 60 which in turn rotatingly drives the second gear 32 . in certain other axial positions , the mode change sleeve 60 can mesh with the fourth gear 40 to drivingly engage the fourth gear 40 . when the mode change sleeve 60 drivingly engages the fourth gear 40 , the rotation of the first rotatable shaft results in rotation of the mode change sleeve 60 which in turn rotatingly drives the fourth gear 40 . a mode change mechanism 62 can move the mode change sleeve 60 between three axial positions on the first rotatable shaft . in a first lowest position , the mode change sleeve 60 is in driving engagement with the second gear 32 only . as such , rotation of the first rotatable shaft results in rotation of the mode change sleeve 60 which in turn rotatingly drives the second gear 32 only , the fourth gear 40 remaining disengaged from the mode change sleeve 60 . as such , the hammer drill works in rotary only mode . in a second middle position , the mode change sleeve 60 is in driving engagement with both the second gear 32 and the fourth gear 40 . as such , rotation of the first rotatable shaft results in rotation of the mode change sleeve 60 which in turn rotatingly drives both the second gear 32 and the fourth gear 40 . as such , the hammer drill works in a combined hammer and rotary mode . in a third highest position , the mode change sleeve 60 is in driving engagement with the fourth gear 40 only . as such , rotation of the first rotatable shaft results in rotation of the mode change sleeve 60 which in turn rotatingly drives the fourth gear 40 only , the second gear 32 remaining disengaged from the mode change sleeve 60 . as such , the hammer drill works in hammer only mode . the design of mode change mechanisms are well know if the art and any suitable design can be used . as the mode change mechanism does not form part of the invention , no further description will be provided . the transmission mechanism 22 is mounted in the transmission housing which comprises two clam shells 64 fastened together with screws 68 . a seal 66 is sandwiched between the edges of the clam shells 64 to seal lubrication grease inside of the transmission housing 20 . the electric motor 24 will now be described with reference to fig4 to 7 . the electric motor 24 is a brushless motor which comprises a tubular can 70 of generally circular cross section which is open at the top end and which has a longitudinal axis 90 . mounted inside of the tubular can is a stator 72 . the stator 72 has a passageway formed through it . an armature 74 is mounted onto the output shaft 26 . the armature 74 is located inside of the stator 72 , with the longitudinal axis 90 of the output shaft 26 extending in a direction co - axial to that of the can 70 , the output shaft 26 extending through the length of the can 70 . integrally formed as part of the can 70 , at the lower end of the can 70 , is a base plate 78 . the base plate 78 supports a first bearing 92 which supports one end of the output shaft 26 in a rotary manner . the output shaft 26 extends through the base plate 78 and away from the can 70 . electric cables ( not shown ) are also mounted on to the base plate 78 and connect to the stator 72 to provide power and controls signals to the motor 24 . attached to the upper end of the can 70 is an end cap 82 . the end cap 82 is manufactured in a one piece construction and comprises three sections ; a first section 94 located adjacent the can 70 , a second section 98 located remote from the can 70 and a third section 96 , separating the first and second sections , comprising a radial flange which extends generally outwardly in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 90 of the can 70 . the end cap 82 is secured to the can 70 using four screws 100 which are inserted through four apertures 102 formed in the end cap 82 and screwed into four threaded bosses 104 formed in the can 70 . the end cap 82 supports a second bearing 110 , the second bearing 110 rotationally supporting the output shaft 26 , the output shaft 26 passing through the end cap 82 and extending away from the can 70 and end cap 82 . a radial fan 106 is mounted on the output shaft 26 adjacent the armature 74 . the majority of the fan 106 locates inside of the end cap 82 , the remainder being located inside of the end of the can 70 adjacent the end cap 82 . a first series of apertures 112 are formed in the second section 98 of the end cap 82 . the inside wall of the end cap 82 surrounding the fan 106 is shaped to form a baffle to guide the air expelled radially be the rotating fan 106 towards and through the first series of apertures 112 . the end of the can 70 adjacent the end cap 82 is shaped to form a baffle which co - operates with the baffle formed inside of the end cap 82 to guide the air . it will be appreciated that as an alternative design , the whole of the baffle could be formed inside of the end cap 82 . formed in the base plate 78 is a second series of apertures 114 . when the motor 24 is activated , the armature 74 , the fan 106 and the output shaft 26 rotate . the rotating fan 106 draws air into the motor 24 through the second series of apertures 114 . the air passes through the inside of the can 70 , passing over the armature 74 and the stator 72 , and is drawn into the radial fan 106 . the radial fan 106 expels the air in a radial direction . the baffle formed by the inside wall of the end cap 82 then guides the air towards and directs it through the first series of apertures 112 . the flow of air through the motor 24 cools the motor down . when the motor 24 is assembled , the stator 72 is secured inside of the can 70 . the armature 74 and fan 106 , which have been mounted onto the output shaft 26 , are inserted into the stator 72 within the can 70 , the output shaft 26 being supported by the first bearing 92 in the base plate 78 . the end cap 82 is then secured to the can 70 using the screws 100 with the second bearing 110 supporting the output shaft 26 . the construction of motor 24 using a can 70 with an integral base plate 78 which is sealed by an end cap 82 produces a standalone component which can be manufactured and tested remotely from the rest of the hammer drill . when the hammer drill is assembled , the transmission mechanism 22 is assembled and mounted inside of the transmission housing 20 , the two clam shells 64 of the transmission housing 20 being fastened together with screws 68 to support and seal in the transmission mechanism 22 . the construction of such a transmission mechanism 22 mounted within such a transmission housing 20 ( collectively referred to as a transmission ) produces a standalone component which can be manufactured and tested remotely from the rest of the hammer drill . the assembled electric motor 24 is then attached to the assembled transmission . the output shaft 26 , which extends from the end cap 82 , is inserted into the transmission housing 20 through an aperture in the transmission housing 20 and is engaged with the first gear 30 , the pinion 28 meshing with the first gear 30 inside of the transmission housing 20 . the second section 98 of the end cap 82 then abuts against the base of the transmission housing 20 . the end cap 82 is then secured to the transmission housing 20 by using bolts 116 which pass through apertures 130 in the end cap and engage with threaded bores ( not shown ) formed in the transmission housing 20 . the securing of the end cap 82 to the transmission housing 20 attaches the electric motor 24 to the transmission housing 20 and transmission mechanism 22 . attachment of the transmission to the motor 24 produces a standalone component which can be assembled and test separately from the rest of the hammer drill . the assembled transmission and motor 24 are then inserted into the external tool housing 4 , 6 , 8 . the transmission housing 20 is then secured to the external housing 4 , 6 , 8 using fasteners ( not shown ). this results in the electric motor 24 being secured indirectly to the external housing 4 , 6 , 8 via the transmission housing 20 . when the assembled transmission and motor 24 is located inside of the external housing 4 , 6 , 8 , the periphery of the flange of the third section 96 of the end cap 82 engages with an internal wall 118 of the external tool housing 4 , 6 , 8 , the flange forming an internal wall inside of the hammer drill . the flange forms part of a separating wall between two cambers 120 , 122 formed inside of the external tool housing 4 , 6 , 8 when the assembled transmission and motor 24 are located inside of the external housing 4 , 6 , 8 . the first chamber 120 is formed on the side of the flange where the first section 94 of the end cap and the can 70 of the motor 24 are positioned with the motor 24 extending into and being located in the first chamber 120 . the second chamber 122 is formed on the side of the flange which is remote from the can 70 . the transmission mechanism 22 and transmission housing 20 is mounted within the second chamber 122 . the first series of apertures 112 in the end cap 82 are located inside of the second chamber 122 . the second series of apertures 114 in the base plate 78 are located in the first chamber 120 . air is drawn from the first chamber 120 into the motor 24 through the second series of apertures 114 . air is then expelled from the first series of apertures 112 into the second chamber 122 . the flange prevents air from moving from the first chamber 120 to the second chamber 122 except by passing through the motor 24 .	1
referring to fig1 the preferred embodiment comprises a damper housing 10 which is adapted to be interposed or otherwise placed in the vent stack ( not shown ) which emerges upwardly from the combustion chamber of a heating or cooling appliance . the appliance ( not shown ), may for example , be a gas - fired household furnace of the type having a vent stack projecting upwardly through the roof of the house . those skilled in the art will understand , however , that the present invention is also applicable to oil - fired appliances and may be applied to numerous industrial as well as home applications . the damper housing 10 is constructed in two separable parts , an upper part 12 and a lower part 14 . the lower part 14 terminates with an upper edge 18 telescopically received in the lower edge 15 of the upper part 12 . as shown in fig3 the lower part 14 has an expanded bead 16 which abuts the lower edge 15 of the upper part 12 . the upper part 12 has a conical enlargement 20 , and the lower part 14 likewise has a conical enlargement 22 , the enlargements 20 and 22 providing the housing 10 with an intermediately located diameter which allows a damper 26 to be mounted within the housing 10 for rotation by means of a transverse shaft 24 . the enlargements 20 and 22 allow damper installation without diminishment in the size of the passage through which gases to be vented upwardly through the housing 10 will pass . the damper 26 is preferably a one - piece metal sheet have a circular outer periphery and having a centrally disposed , diametric groove 28 shaped to cradle the shaft 24 . rivets 30 best appearing in fig4 affix the damper 26 to the shaft 24 so that the damper and the shaft will move in unison . disposed within the upper part 12 is an annular ring 32 having an upper half 34 and a lower half 36 joined by diametrically disposed hubs 38 . the upper and lower halves 34 and 36 are axially offset so that the damper plate 26 , when rotated from the vertical position illustrated in fig3 in the clockwise direction appearing in fig3 can be advanced to a generally horizontal position closely approaching but not abutting the upper and lower halves 34 and 36 of the ring 32 . the shaft 24 is normally biased by a torsion spring 40 to place the damper 26 in the vertical position illustrated in fig3 . as appears in fig1 the torsion springs 40 surrounds an end portion of the shaft 24 which projects outwardly from the housing 10 . the torsion spring 40 has an outwardly extending arm 42 which is hooked into an aperture 41 located in the upper wall of a cover means later to be described . the spring 40 also has an integrally formed hook portion 43 , whose function will be described shortly . affixed nonrotatably to the shaft 24 adjacent the spring 40 is a cam 44 having a circular periphery 46 interrupted as to circularity by a chordally extending flat 48 . the cam 44 has an aperture 49 sized to receive the shaft 24 and has a key member 51 radially entering through its circular periphery 46 to nonrotatably key the cam 44 to the shaft 24 . projecting outwardly from one side face of the cam 44 , as shown in fig1 is a pin 50 press - fitted into the body of the cam 44 . the pin 50 passes through the spring hook 43 and then passes through an aperture 53 located in a link 52 . the pin 50 is engaged at its outer end by a clamp ring 54 . for reasons to be described , a drag is placed upon the rotation of the shaft 24 by means of a compression spring 56 which encircles the shaft 24 and acts between washers 58 and 60 , the washer 58 bearing against the side of the cam 44 which is opposite the pin 50 , and the washer 60 bearing against the outside wall of the housing part 12 . in the assembled device , the clearance between the housing part 12 and the cam 44 is small in relation to length of the compression spring 56 and this condition establishes a frictional drag upon rotation of the shaft 24 by pressing the washers 58 and 60 respectively against the cam 44 and the housing part 12 . the shaft 24 is otherwise supported for free rotation by means of bushings 62 disposed centrally in the hubs 38 located on diametrically opposite sides of the ring 32 . as appears in fig1 the upper part 12 of the housing 10 has an aperture 63 through which the shaft 24 passes outwardly of the housing 10 . rotation of the shaft 24 and its affixed damper plate 26 is restricted as follows . referring to the open or vertically disposed position illustrated in fig3 the damper plate 26 is biased to rotate in the counterclockwise direction by means of the torsion spring 40 but is stopped upon reaching the illustrated vertical position by means of a resilient tube 64 surrounding a pin 66 pressed into a suitable aperture located in the ring 32 . solenoid mechanism to be described is energizable to cause a rotation of the damper plate 26 in the clockwise direction as it appears in fig3 whereupon the damper plate is caused to seat against a pair of bumpers 68 , each surrounding a pin 70 , there being two such pins located to opposite sides of the ring 32 as appears in fig4 . two bumpers 68 are preferred in this construction for absorbing the greater momentum of the damper plate 26 imparted by the solenoid . the compression spring 56 cooperates with the washers 58 and 60 to reduce bouncing of the damper plate against the bumpers 68 . a single resilient tube 64 , acting in cooperation with the drag mechanism , is found sufficient to absorb the relatively smaller momentum imparted to the damper plate 26 when returned by the spring 40 to the vertical position illustrated in fig3 . the solenoid , which is employed to move the damper from the vertical position illustrated in fig3 to its horizontal position resting upon the bumpers 68 , is identified by the reference number 76 in fig1 . this solenoid has an axially movable armature 74 pivotally connected to the aforementioned link 52 by means of a pin 72 passing diametrically across a bifurcated end portion of the armature 74 . because the link 52 is pivotally joined to the pin 50 located on the cam 44 , energization of the solenoid 76 will draw the armature 74 downwardly as appears in fig1 thus rotating the shaft 24 in the clockwise direction as it appears in fig1 . the spring 40 yieldably resists such motion and acts upon solenoid deenergization to return the cam 44 as well as the shaft 24 to approximately their original positions illustrated in fig1 . the solenoid 76 is provided with oppositely projecting wing portions 78 , each having a slot 80 for the receipt of a threaded fastener 82 which enters an aperture 84 located in a cover plate 86 to mount the solenoid 76 to the cover plate 86 . cover plate 86 can be seen in fig1 to have side portions 88 bent downwardly from the cover plate 86 for supporting the cover plate away from the housing 10 . the side portions 88 each have outwardly projecting wings 90 matching the wall contours of the upper and lower housing parts and separated by a notch 92 sized to receive the housing bead 16 . the wings 90 are attached to the upper and lower housing parts by an appropriate number of rivets 94 . the cover plate 86 can also be seen to have outwardly bent walls 95 and 126 which cooperate to receive therebetween the aforementioned solenoid 76 . the wall 95 is provided with an aperture 104 adapted to receive a threaded screw 102 which threadedly engages the ferromagnetic frame 98 of an electromagnetic relay 96 having appropriate terminals , later to be described , mounted on a terminal support 100 . the wall 95 also has located thereon the aforementioned aperture 41 for receiving the spring arm 42 . mounted to the cover plate 86 by a fastener 112 is a switch 106 having an outwardly projecting operator arm 108 terminating with a cam follower 110 , the follower 110 biased to follow the periphery of the aforementioned cam 44 . the switch 106 is spaced an appropriate distance from the cover plate 86 by means of a spacer sleeve 114 bearing against the cover plate 86 and surrounding fastener 112 . also mounted to the cover plate 86 is a commercially available heat sensor 116 equipped with wings 118 secured by threaded fasteners such as shown at 120 to suitable support posts 122 struck from the cover plate 86 . the sensor 116 passes into the interior of the housing 10 through an aperture 117 formed in the lower part 14 of that housing . the cover plate 86 is also provided with a window 119 aligned with the aperture 117 to accommodate the sensor 116 . as best seen in fig4 the sensor 116 includes switch elements 121 and 123 mounted to insulating means 115 . the switch element 123 has an aperture ( not shown ) through which passes an adjuster 124 , the adjuster 124 being adjustable to regulate the position of the switch element 121 , such adjustment being followed by the switch element 123 . the sensor 116 further includes an operator 125 having a position which changes with temperature . when the operator 125 bears against the switch element 123 with a pressure sufficient to separate the switch elements 121 and 123 , the sensor 116 , which comprises a normally closed switch , becomes an open switch . the aforementioned wall 126 has mounted on that face thereof which confronts the wall 95 a dielectric plate 128 supporting a plurality of electrically conductive terminal members designated generally by the reference number 130 . as best appears in fig1 the terminal members 130 are six in number and for convenience have been numbered 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 with appropriate legends applied in fig5 . a lamp 134 disposed under the wall 126 has lead wires 132 passing through suitable apertures 135 for soldered engagement to the terminal members 3 and 5 . the confronting wall members 95 and 126 cooperate to receive thereon a cover shield 136 having one relatively large aperture 138 and another relatively small aperture 140 in one face thereof . the aperture 138 is so located as to receive the previously described shaft 24 . the shaft 24 has a notch 148 in the end face thereof which is exposed by the aperture 138 . the applications for this notch 148 along with the aperture 140 will be described in succeeding remarks . referring further to the cover shield 136 , the shield is formed in a general u shape by bending downwardly therefrom side walls 137 which cooperate with the end walls 95 and 126 of the cover plate 128 to form a rectangular box receiving several of the electrical components heretofore described . cover shield 136 is fixed into position by means of one or more threaded fasteners , such as shown at 142 in fig1 . the side walls 137 are also provided with several ventilation apertures 146 for the purpose of minimizing the buildup of heat about the electrical components assembled into the volume enclosed by the cover plate 86 , its side walls 95 and 126 and the cover shield 136 . the cover plate 86 has an aperture 150 therein coaxially aligned with the aforementioned aperture 140 located in the cover shield 136 . the alignment of the apertures 140 and 150 and their diametric size are such that a tool , such as a conventional wood pencil 152 , may be passed coaxially through both apertures 140 and 150 , as is shown in fig6 . assuming the solenoid 76 not to be energized , the peripheral flat 48 of the cam 44 will be in a generally horizontal position below the inserted pencil 152 when the housing 10 has been assembled in a desired vertical position . the consequence is that the pencil 152 may be used to lock the damper plate 26 in a position opening the housing 10 . this feature is desirable in the event of failure of the spring 40 to give assurance that the vent housing will remain open . in the preceding portions of this specification , a device adapted to be inserted in the vent stack or flue of a heating or cooling apparatus utilizing fuel combustion has been described . the electrical components included in the device comprise a motive means or solenoid 76 , a relay 96 , a cam - operated switch 106 , a heat sensor 116 and a lamp 134 . associated with the solenoid 76 and not heretofore described is a rectifier 184 having terminals 186 and 188 , which is built into the solenoid package as shown in fig1 . for the purpose of describing an application for the disclosed invention , one can assume an existing house ( not shown ) which is already equipped with a gas furnace , a thermostat , a gas valve and a transformer stepping down the normal 115 volts available in the household to a lower level , such as 24 volts ac . it can further be assumed that the thermostat is a thermally responsive switch 160 and is connected in series with the transformer secondary 158 and possibly other components . the installer cuts the thermostat connections and by suitable extension wires 162 and 164 connects the cut thermostat connections respectively to the terminals 1 and 2 of the present device , as is illustrated in fig5 . the installer next locates the gas valve , which has two wires leading thereto , cuts such wires and by suitable extensions 168 and 170 connects the cut wires emanating from the gas valve to the terminals 3 and 4 , as illustrated in fig5 . the relay coil 96 can be seen in fig5 to have been connected in series with the thermostat switch 160 and the transformer secondary 158 by reason of terminal connections 101 and 103 extending from the relay coil to the terminals 1 and 2 . depending upon the particular type of relay being employed , the relay may tend to chatter or even fail to operate upon closure of the switch 160 if the gas valve or the transformer secondary have been connected with the wrong polarity . to test the operativeness of the connections , the previously described lamp 134 has been assembled with the previously described connections to terminals 3 and 5 for use as a single device . furthermore , the terminal 5 is provided with a wire 159 extending therefrom with its distal end initially unattached . the installer touches this loose end successively to the opposite ends 161 and 163 of the secondary , noting which end of the secondary provides a steady glow of the lamp 134 , and permanently attaches the heretofore loose end of the wire 159 to the end of the secondary which provides the steadiest lamp glow . this provides a power connection to the relay 96 which is of the proper polarity . it will be noted that the terminals 1 and 3 could have been constructed as a single terminal . however , the two terminals are preferably provided so as to simplify the installation procedure and to provide for the attachment of other circuit elements not necessary to the present invention . likewise , the terminal 6 might have been omitted but simplifies the wiring of the components . the illustration of fig5 assumes the proper connection was made to the end 163 of the secondary 158 . since the installer will not ordinarily know the transformer polarity without a test such as described , however , the permanent connection for the wire 159 is ordinarily not established until a test such as described . the installer next connects a pressure switch 172 having lead connections 174 and 176 across the circuit board terminals 5 and 6 . as is shown in fig7 the pressure switch 172 is contained in a housing 200 installed in communication with the gas manifold 202 so as to respond to the pressure of gas which flows in the manifold to enter the combustion chamber through a gas orifice 204 . the function of the pressure switch will be later described . the installer also places an audible alarm device 178 , which is of conventional , commercially available construction , across the leads 174 and 176 for the pressure switch 172 by means of lead connections 180 and 182 extending to the alarm device . with the foregoing installations , the structure of the present application is in readiness for operation . one can assume that the thermostat switch 160 is initially open and , therefore , the thermostat switch is not demanding heat . at such time , the solenoid 76 is energized to close the damper 26 over a safety circuit path which extends from the terminal 163 of the transformer secondary over the test wire 159 , to the terminal 5 and from there over the pressure switch 172 to terminal 6 and from there over the normally closed relay switch 190 and the thermal switch elements 121 and 123 , then the rectifier 184 to the opposite terminal 161 of the secondary 158 . the fact that the solenoid 76 is energized means that the cam 44 has been located by the solenoid at the position illustrated in fig5 to open the switch 106 , but this is of no consequence because the open thermostat switch 160 has already interrupted the power circuit placing secondary 158 across the terminals 1 and 2 . the safety circuit referred to above is so designated because that circuit will interrupt the application of power to the rectifier 184 and the solenoid 76 so as to permit the spring 40 to move the damper 26 to its open position in the housing 10 whenever any of the following occurs : the occurrence of a demand for heat which closes the thermostat switch 160 , thus energizing the relay 96 and opening the relay switch 190 , the presence of an excessive gas temperature in the vent stack , which opens the thermal switch elements 121 and 123 , or the presence of a gas pressure exerted upon the pressure switch 172 . upon movement of the thermostat switch to a position which would demand heat , the relay 96 would be energized because the thermostat switch , being now closed , would place the relay 96 across the transformer secondary . the energization of the relay 96 would then open the normally closed relay switch 190 , thus opening the safety circuit and deenergizing the solenoid 76 . this would enable the spring 40 to move the damper plate 26 to the normally open position . as the damper plate 26 approaches the vertical position illustrated in fig3 the switch 106 is closed by operation of the cam 44 to complete a combustion control circuit . this control circuit places the gas valve 166 in parallel with the relay 96 and in series with the transformer secondary as well as the thermostat switch , the control circuit proceeding from the gas valve 166 to the terminal 3 and from there to the terminal 1 , the transformer secondary , the thermostat switch , the terminal 2 , the switch 106 , the terminal 4 and thence to the other side of the gas valve . thus , closure of the thermostat switch 160 completed a control circuit which permitted the damper plate 26 to move toward the open position illustrated in fig3 and in so doing to energize the gas valve 166 so as to initiate combustion . when the house or medium being heated has reached a temperature level sufficient to open the thermostat switch 160 , the series circuit between the transformer secondary and the relay 96 is broken , permitting the relay switch 190 to close . when the switch 190 has closed , the solenoid is energized , thus moving the damper plate 26 to its closed position during which the switch 106 is opened to deenergize the gas valve . since many combustion devices to which the present invention is suited utilize a pilot light which produces a continuing release of combustion products at a low level , the bumpers 68 are preferably so located that the damper plate 26 is not permitted to fully close the housing 10 . should there have occurred a mechanical failure such that the gas valve would fail to deenergize , a continuing gas pressure against the pressure switch 172 would cause that switch to open . the opening of the switch 172 does two things . first the series circuit connecting the transformer secondary 158 in series with the relay 96 and the thermostat switch is opened . this permits the spring 40 to move the damper 26 to its open position , thus to be assured that gas escaping the gas manifold is provided a path through the damper housing to the ambient atmosphere . secondly , the opening of the switch 172 removes a shunt across the audible alarm device 178 , with the consequence that the alarm device is energized by the transformer secondary through the path including the test wire 159 , the terminal 5 , the alarm device 178 , the terminal 6 , the normally closed relay switch 190 ( now closed because the thermostat switch 160 is open ), the heat sensor 116 and the rectifier 184 , back to the transformer secondary 158 . the audible alarm 178 then announces to those in the household that an improper operation is occurring . in this case , the improper operation would be the ecape of gas into the furnace chamber and quite possibly to other regions of the house . the hazard is great if the furnace has a pilot light , and may be equally severe if the furnace has an electronic ignition device . if the gas with which the furnace is fueled is a natural gas , the defective condition , assuming an electronic igniter , may be of only secondary importance since the natural gas being lighter than air will be able to rise up the vent stack through the now open damper housing to escape to the surrounding atmosphere . should the fuel be a heavier gas , such as so - called lp gas , the gas escaping the gas manifold to the furnace chamber will not rise up the vent stack even though the damper 26 is in the open position . in such cases , the audible alarm provided by the device 178 is essential to alert the occupants of the household of a hazardous condition . another operating defect that can occur is that the gas valve may fail to close sufficiently to terminate a continuing combustion in the furnace chamber , although it does close sufficiently to allow the pressure switch 172 to close . assuming the thermostat switch 160 is open and thus seeking to discontinue combustion , the damper plate 26 may nevertheless be driven by the solenoid 76 to the closed position . an ensuing accumulation of relatively hot exhaust gases under the damper 26 will elevate the temperature of the heat sensor 116 so as to separate its switch elements 121 and 123 and thereby disable the solenoid 76 . this permits the spring 40 to move the damper plate 26 to its open position , whereupon appropriate ventilation is provided in view of the continuing combustion . the heat sensor 116 is normally preset by a manipulation of the adjuster 124 to operate at approximately 200 ° f . to prevent an undesired cyclic operation of the heat sensor , that element is preferably surrounded by a heat - absorbing medium 192 , which may be an electrical conductor or a nonconductor or a composite of the two , the purpose of such medium being to retain enough heat in contact with the heat sensor 116 so that , should a condition obtain in which the heat sensor contacts are opened due to excess heat in the vent stack , this open circuit condition will remain for a period of time sufficient to enable the spring 40 to move the damper plate 26 to its open position . in order to enhance the sensitivity of the heat sensor , it is desirable in many applications to provide the damper plate 26 with an aperture 198 as shown in fig1 such aperture overlying the heat sensor 116 so as to direct alongside the heat sensor those gases seeking to flow upwardly through the housing 10 , thus maximizing the tendency of such gases to deliver heat to the heat sensor . during any such improper operation occasioned by a defect of the gas valve , the damper plate 26 is preferably locked in its open position by the use of a tool such as the described pencil 152 , which locks the damper in the open position until appropriate repairs can be made . the foregoing discussion has assumed the prior existence of a house heated by means of a gas furnace and encompasses the procedures employed for lp gas - fueled furnaces as well as natural gas - fueled furnaces . the discussion has also made reference to electronic pilot lights as opposed to the more conventional gas - burning pilot lights . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above described installation of a device embodying the present invention is appropriately referred to as a retrofit installation . thus , the house is already built and may have been heated successfully for years , but the homeowner has now elected to connserve on fuel costs by retrofitting the present invention to the household vent stack . since the damper 26 is positively driven by the spring 40 and the solenoid 76 , it can be mounted in any position and thus does not require that the vent stack extend vertically . while the disclosed device has designed accommodation either for lp gas or for natural gas , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the pressure switch 172 and its associated audible alarm mechanism may be replaced by a shunt ( not shown ) across the terminals 5 and 6 . this results in an automatic damper which operates the same as described except , of course , that it lacks the safety of the pressure switch 172 and the audible alarm 178 . where retrofit is contemplated into homes or other facilities utilizing lp gas fuel , the pressure switch 172 , as well as the audible alarm device 178 , are obviously preferable . the present damper mechanism is also well suited for retrofit into homes utilizing oil burners , in which case the aforementioned shunt connected across the terminals 5 and 6 is desirable and the pressure switch 172 , as well as its associated alarm device 178 , are no longer needed . while the present description has been addressed primarily to retrofit installations , it should be appreciated that the present invention has obvious utility as original equipment for houses and other facilities yet to be constructed . in the case of original equipment installations , the installer will frequently have adequate knowledge concerning the transformer secondary to eliminate the need for the test wire 159 previously described ; and , in this case , the light 134 may be omitted . although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims .	5
referring now to the drawings , particularly to fig1 there is shown an electronic cash register with an easy - to - replace protective sheet mount structure for a display according to the present invention . the electronic cash register has a housing 1 . the housing 1 consists of a lower casing 2 and an upper casing 3 . the lower casing 2 has disposed therein a chassis mount ( not shown ) having the bottom in which an opening is formed . the lower casing 2 has an engaging portion 5 formed on an upper edge . the upper casing 3 , as shown in fig4 to 6 , includes an upper wall 6 and a side wall 7 surrounding the periphery of the upper wall 6 . the side wall 7 has an engaging portion 7 a formed on a lower edge thereof . the upper wall 6 has formed thereon a bill holder 8 , a pen holder 4 , a bearing assembly 9 , and a display mount 10 . the lower casing 2 and the upper casing 3 are joined in tight engagement of the engaging portions 5 with the engagement portion 7 a . the bill holder 8 , as clearly shown in fig7 ( a ), and 8 ( b ), has a bill tray 11 formed with a flat recess . a bill holding mechanism 12 is disposed on the center of a rear end of the bill tray 11 . the bill holding mechanism 12 includes a holder latch 13 formed on a rear wall of the bill tray 11 , a gripper 14 secured detachably by the holder latch 13 , a cushion plate 15 retained by the gripper 14 , and a steel ball 16 . the gripper 14 has formed therein a cushion chamber 17 in which the cushion plate 15 and the steel ball 16 are disposed . the cushion plate 17 produces elastic pressure urging the steel ball 16 into constant engagement with the bill tray 11 , thereby allowing , as indicated by p in fig8 ( b ), a bill to be held between the bill tray 11 and the steel ball 16 tightly . the upper wall 6 has the pen holder 4 formed behind the bill holder 8 . the pen holder 4 is defined by a protrusion 18 extending in a width - wise direction of the upper wall 6 in parallel to the rear wall of the bill holder 8 . the bearing assembly 9 includes , as clearly shown in fig4 to 6 , a front display mount protrusion 20 , a rear display mount protrusion 21 , and right and left bearings 24 . the display mount protrusions 20 and 21 extend in the width - wise direction of the upper casing 3 . the bearings 24 are installed between the display mount protrusions 20 and 21 . the display mount 10 includes a font slant wall 25 and a rear slant wall 26 . rectangular walls 27 , as clearly shown in fig4 and 6 , are formed on both sides of the front slant wall 25 . the rectangular walls 27 have formed therein stay guide slots 28 . the display 30 is , as shown in fig1 and 2 , pivotably supported by the bearing assembly 9 . the display 30 includes a casing 33 consisting of rear and front covers 31 and 32 , a touch sensitive panel 34 , and a protective sheet 35 . the rear cover 31 has a pair of cover bearings ( not shown ) mounted on right and left lower portions of an inner wall thereof . the cover bearings are arranged in alignment with the bearings 24 of the bearing assembly 9 . a supporting shaft ( not shown ) is inserted through the cover bearings of the rear cover 31 and the bearings 24 of the bearing assembly 9 to support the rear cover 31 pivotably so that the display 30 may tilt back and forth ( i . e ., a lengthwise direction of the cash register ) within a given angular range . the front cover 32 of the display 30 , as shown in fig9 to 11 , includes a rectangular frame 32 a which has claws 51 , as clearly shown in fig1 , formed on an upper , left , and right edges for attachment to the rear cover 31 . the frame 32 a has a frame mount 52 formed on right and left side surface and a lower surface thereof . the frame mount 52 has vertical drain grooves 153 formed in side portions thereof and also has a horizontal drain groove 154 formed in a lower portion thereof . the horizontal drain groove 154 leads to lower ends of the vertical drain grooves 153 and has drain holes 55 formed in ends thereof . the vertical drain grooves 153 have recesses 56 formed in central portions thereof for attachment of a sheet mount frame 60 , as will be described later in detail , to it . u - shaped holders 58 , as clearly shown in fig9 and 10 , are formed in ends and center of the lower portion of the frame mount 52 . each of the holders 58 , as shown in fig1 , consists of a pair of claws 57 . sheet lug insertion recesses 59 are formed in upper ends of the side portions of the frame mount 52 . the rear cover 31 of the casing 33 has formed therein recesses for engagement with the claws 51 of the front cover 32 . the casing 33 has disposed therein , as shown in fig1 the touch sensitive panel 34 which has a touch screen on which a touch switch section and a display section are arranged adjacent to each other . the rear and front covers 31 and 32 have lower portions 31 d and 32 d curved to form a round bottom 33 a of the casing 33 . the round bottom 33 a is placed between the front and rear display mount protrusions 20 and 21 in contact therewith . a transparent protective sheet 35 , as shown in fig1 covers the touch screen of the touch sensitive panel 34 exposed through an opening 32 a , as shown in fig9 of the front cover 32 of the casing 33 . the sheet mount frame 60 is attached to the frame mount 52 to hold the protective sheet 35 tightly between the sheet mount frame 60 and the frame mount 52 . the sheet mount frame 60 , as clearly shown in fig1 and 13 ( a ), has vertical ribs 61 and claw - like protrusions 62 formed on sides of a rear wall thereof and also has a horizontal rib 63 formed on a lower end of the rear wall . the horizontal rib 63 , as shown in fig1 , 13 ( b ), and 13 ( c ), has barb - like protrusions 64 formed on ends and center thereof . the sheet mount frame 60 has a seal 65 attached to the rear wall around an opening thereof and also has a slip - on rib 66 formed on the upper portion thereof . the protective sheet 35 has , as shown in fig1 , lugs 67 projecting from upper ends horizontally and also has , as shown in fig1 , a lower end bent to form a step 68 . the lugs 67 are inserted into the sheet lug insertion recesses 59 of the frame 32 a of the front cover 32 . the step 68 is fit on an inner lower edge of the frame 32 a . the sheet mount frame 60 is installed on the frame mount 52 by bringing the slip - on rib 66 of the sheet mount frame 60 into engagement with an inner upper edge of the frame mount 52 and forcing the claw - like protrusions 62 and the protrusions 64 into the recesses 56 and the holders 58 , respectively , thereby attaching the protective sheet 35 to the frame 32 a to cover the opening 32 a of the frame 32 a . the removing of the protective sheet 35 is achieved easily by reversing the above described operations . the frame 32 a has , as described above , the drain grooves 153 and 154 and the drain holes 55 . additionally , the sheet mount frame 60 has the seal 65 attached to the rear surface thereof which is held tightly between the sheet mount frame 60 and the protective sheet 35 on the frame 32 a . if , therefore , drops of water are adhered on the front cover 32 around the opening 32 a , most of them enter the drain grooves 153 or 154 and are drained from the drain holes 55 . even if drops of water are adhered inside the drain grooves 153 and 154 , the seal 65 avoids intrusion of them into the casing 33 . a pair of stays 36 are installed at flanges 36 a , as shown in fig1 , on right and left portions of an outer wall of the rear cover 31 using screws and inserted into the stay guide slots 28 formed in the display mount 10 . a display tilt adjusting mechanism 40 , as clearly shown in fig2 which adjusts an angular position of the display 30 , is disposed on an inner surface of the front slant wall 25 of the display mount 10 . the display tilt adjusting mechanism 40 includes stay holders 41 each of which , as shown in fig1 to 23 , has a plate 43 bent at right angles to a mount flange 42 having a mount hole 42 a formed therein and a pair of shaft retainers 44 bent at right angles to both sides of the plate 43 . the shaft retainers 44 each have , as shown in fig2 , formed therein an elongated hole 45 which extends with an inclination of α ( e . g ., 15 °) to the surface 43 a of the plate 43 . the shaft retainers 44 each have a mount plate 46 bent at right angles which has formed thereon a spring hook 47 . a resinous sliding plate 148 is , as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), attached to the surface 43 a of the plate 43 for facilitating ease of movement of the stay 36 . a support shaft 48 , as shown in fig2 ( a ), 3 ( b ), and 18 is inserted through the elongated holes 45 of the shaft retainers 44 so as to be movable in a lengthwise direction of the elongated holes 45 . the support shaft 48 has a roller 49 wound therearound . the support shaft 48 , as shown in fig1 , has formed in ends thereof grooves 50 . coil springs 51 are hung at one end on the grooves 50 of the support shaft 48 and at the other end on the spring hooks 47 of the mount plates 46 , respectively , to elastically urge the support shaft 48 to lower ends 45 b of the elongated holes 45 to bring the roller 49 into engagement with the sliding plate 48 . the display tilt adjusting mechanism 40 thus constructed is disposed in the upper casing 3 with the mount flanges 42 of the stay holders 41 secured using screws on a mount block 53 , as shown in fig2 formed on the inner wall of the upper casing 3 . each of the stays 36 extending through one of the stay guide slots 28 inward of the upper casing 3 passes through a nip formed by the roller 49 and the sliding plate 48 of one of the stay holders 41 . each of the stays 36 has disposed on an end a stopper 54 , as shown in fig2 which is made of a protrusion for avoiding dislodgement of the stay 36 from the stay holder 41 . in operation , when it is required to tilt the display 30 frontward , an operator pulls the display 30 manually . this causes , as shown in fig3 ( a ), each of the stays 36 to be moved upward , thereby lifting up the roller 49 slightly which is pressed against the stay 36 , so that the support shaft 48 is moved upward against the spring pressure of the coil spring 51 along the elongated hole 45 . the elongated hole 45 is , as described above , oriented at the angle a to the surface 43 a of the plate 43 . the upward movement of the support shaft 48 , thus , causes the roller 49 to move into disengagement from the surface of the stay 36 , thereby releasing the stay 36 from the nip formed by the roller 49 and the sliding plate 148 , which allows the display 30 to be tilted frontward smoothly . when the tilting motion of the display 30 is stopped by the operator , it will cause the support shaft 48 of each of the stay holders 41 to be urged downward by the spring pressure of the coil spring 51 to press the stay 36 against the sliding plate 48 to lock the stay 36 , so that the display 30 is held at a desired angle . when it is required to tilt the display 30 backward , the operator pushes the display 30 manually . this causes the stays 36 to be moved downward . the downward movement of each of the stays 36 increases the nip provided by the roller 49 and the sliding plate 148 . when the operator pushes the display 30 with pressure greater than the nips of the stays 36 , each of the stay 36 , as clearly shown in fig3 ( b ), slides downward along the sliding plate 148 . when the operator stops pushing the display 30 , the display 30 is held at a desired angle . while the present invention has been disclosed in terms of the preferred embodiments in order to facilitate better understanding thereof , it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in various ways without departing from the principle of the invention . therefore , the invention should be understood to include all possible embodiments and modifications to the shown embodiments which can be embodied without departing from the principle of the invention as set forth in the appended claims .	6
illustrated in fig1 is a control circuit for a four phase permanent magnet stepping motor including a stator 9 and a rotor ( not shown ). the stator 9 includes four individually excited coil windings designated 11 , 13 , 15 and 17 . it will be appreciated that during normal rotary operation of the motor the windings are successively energized causing the rotor to step . as indicated , windings 11 and 13 are illustrated in a dotted rectangular box 19 and coils 15 and 17 are illustrated in dotted box 21 . this representation is used to illustrate the close coupling between coils 11 and 13 and between 15 and 17 . while there exist some coupling between the remaining coil pairs , the magnitude of this coupling is substantially small and may be ignored for purposes of the following discussion . the relative polarity of the windings 11 , 13 , 15 , and 17 is illustrated by means of conventional dot notations . each of the windings 11 , 13 , 15 , and 17 are separately energized by npn switching transistors respectively designated 23 , 25 , 27 , and 29 . with respect to coil 11 the transistor 23 emitter is grounded with the collector thereof connected to the cathode of a transistor protection diode 31 the anode of which is connected to one terminal of the winding 11 . the remaining terminal of the winding is connected to the positive terminal v + of a power source . the current in winding 13 is switched by means of the switching transistor 25 in series with a protection diode 33 . the current through winding 15 is controlled by the series npn switching transistor 27 and a diode 35 combination . a protection diode 37 is in series with the winding 17 and the transistor 29 . progressively advancing phase control signals φ 1 , φ 2 , φ 3 , and φ 4 are respectively fed to the bases of the transistors 23 , 27 , 25 , and 29 which switch current through the respective motor windings . the phase control signals φ 1 , φ 2 , φ 3 , and φ 4 may be provided by any suitable timing circuitry such as a programmed logic array or microprocessor in a manner well known to those skilled in the art . it will be appreciated that upon turn off of an energized winding the inductance of the winding will attempt to maintain constant current flow through the winding ( e = l di / dt ). that is , the coil , upon interruption of the voltage to it , will act as a current source . serving to prevent the creation of excessively high voltages upon current interruption through the windings is a zener diode 39 the anode of which is connected to the v + terminal of the power source . the cathode of the zener diode 39 is connected to each of the windings 11 , 13 , 15 , and 17 through isolating diodes 41 , 43 , 45 , and 47 . it will be appreciated that upon interruption of the voltage to the previously energized winding inductive current will be forced through the zener diode 39 with the reference voltage of the diode determining the time period required to fully dissipate the energy stored in the switched winding . it will be appreciated that the higher the zener diode 39 reference voltage , the faster the energy will be dissipated . the upper limit in the selection of the zener reference voltage is generally determined by the breakdown voltage of the switching transistors , 23 , 25 , 27 , and 29 . that is , the zener reference voltage plus the drive voltage v + cannot be greater than the breakdown potential of the switching transistors taking into consideration an appropriate safety factor . the lower limit of the zener reference voltage being one that provides the desired power dissipation time interval . with reference to fig2 during time period t 0 through t 6 the signals generated during normal rotational operation of the motor are illustrated . the winding 11 is energized during time period t 0 through t 1 and during this interval a positive pulse φ 1 is applied to the transistor 23 which turns the transistor on bringing the lower terminal of the winding 11 ( voltage level v 1 ) to substantially ground potential . due to the inductance of the winding 11 , the current therethrough i 1 gradually increases until it reaches a fixed level determined by the winding 11 resistance . at time t 1 the transistor 23 is switched off and the winding 11 becomes a current source attempting to maintain a constant flow . thus voltage v 1 rises until the zener diode 39 breaks down . the voltage v 1 remains at this level until t 2 , that is , until the energy stored in the winding 11 is dissipated by the zener diode 39 and thereafter falls to the source supply voltage v + at t 2 . at time t 3 the input signal φ 3 to transistor 25 goes high turning on the transistor 25 initiating current flow through winding 13 . the change of winding 13 is coupled to winding 11 raising the voltage level v 1 . since v 1 is now greater than v +, there is a tendency for a current to be induced in coil 11 . this induced current does not occur unless the difference between v 1 and v + is greater than the zener diode voltage . at time t 4 , φ 3 goes low and the lower terminal of coil 13 rises . this voltage rise is coupled to coil 11 with reverse polarity bucking the v + supply voltage and voltage v 1 falls to minus level . at t 5 switching transistor 29 is turned on initiating current flow through winding 17 . during the sequential de - energization of the windings 15 , 13 , and 17 the induced current in each winding passes through its respective isolation diode 45 , 43 , or 47 to the zener diode 39 which quickly dissipates the energy stored in the winding . in this mode of operation , similar changes in v 2 , v 3 , v 4 will occur as transistors 25 , 27 , and 29 are turned on . returning now to fig1 the portion of the circuit diagram illustrated to the right of the dotted line is a switching circuit 49 used during the stationary mode of operation of the motor and serves to reduce power consumption of the motor while maintaining a magnetic field sufficient to hold the rotor stationary . as previously mentioned , in the stationary mode coil 11 is energized . it has been found that the amount of current necessary to hold the motor rotor stationary is substantially less than that necessary to maintain rotary operation . thus , in the stationary mode of operation the voltage to the winding 11 is pulsed by a pulsating signal φ 1 at the base of the transistor 23 from time to t 6 - t 10 . the average amount of power delivered to the winding 11 is substantially less than would be supplied were the switching transistor 23 maintained in a steady on condition . the switching circuit 49 shunts the zener diode 39 with a conventional silicon diode 51 having a much lower threshold voltage , e . g ., 1 volt . the collector of a pnp switching transistor 53 is connected to the v + supply and the emitter of the transistor 53 is connected to the cathode of the diode 51 . the anode of the diode 51 is connected to the lower terminal of the winding 11 . additionally , a biasing resistor 55 is connected between the emitter and the base of the transistor 53 with the transistor base coupled through a current limiting resistor 57 to the collector of a npn control transistor 59 . the emitter of the control transistor 59 is connected to ground and a stationary control signal is fed to the base of the transistor 59 . when the current through the winding 11 is pulsed during stationary operation , a continuous control signal is fed to the base of the transistor 59 . it will be appreciated that when the control signal is applied to the control transistor 59 the collector thereof is brought substantially to ground potential and a current path is provided from the lower terminal of winding 11 through the diode 51 . during the off condition of the transistor 23 , current will flow through the emitter collector junction of the transistor 53 as well as through the biasing resistor 55 biasing the transistor 53 on and effectively placing the diode 51 in parallel with the zener diode 39 . thus , two diode junction voltage drops are placed across the zener diode 39 . a first junction voltage drop is provided by the diode 51 and a second by the emitter collector junction of the transistor 53 . referring to fig2 during the stationary mode of operation starting at time t 6 the input φ 1 to the transistor 23 is pulsed and when the transistor 23 turns on , the voltage v 1 at the lower terminal of the winding 11 falls to substantially ground potential and the current i 1 through the coil rises . for purposes of discussion it will be assumed that the switching circuit 49 is inoperative . upon turn off of the transistor 23 , the energy stored in the winding 11 will quickly drop due to the current flow through the zener diode 39 . the zener reference voltage multiplied by the current flow determines the power dissipation which in this instance is relatively high . upon turn on of the transistor at t 6 the current i 1 through the winding will rise and generate the dotted sawtooth current waveform illustrated in fig2 . it will be appreciated that the voltage across the coil 11 generated by the switching of the transistor 23 is coupled to winding 13 with inverted polarity . thus , while the zener diode 39 provides an energy discharge path for winding 13 the isolating diode 43 connected to winding 13 is back biased preventing current i 3 from flowing through the zener diode 39 . similarly diodes 45 and 47 will prevent current flow through the remaining windings 15 and 17 during stationary operation . additionally , with the switching circuit 49 disabled , voltage spikes will be generated as indicated by the dotted lines from t 7 - t 10 of the voltage v 1 in fig2 limited in level by the zener diode 39 . it will be appreciated that with the switching circuit 49 disabled the average current through the winding 11 is the average of the dotted sawtooth current waveship i 1 of fig2 . upon the application of the control signal to the base of the transistor 59 , the switching transistor 53 will turn on as the current i 1 through the winding 11 increases . upon turn off , the voltage across the winding 13 rises attempting to maintain the previous level of current flow with the positive voltage polarity being the lower end of the winding 11 . current flows through the diode 51 and through the emitter base junction of transistor 53 as well as through the resistor 55 turning the switching transistor 53 on . the series impedance of the transistor 53 and the diode 51 is considerably less than the impedance of the zener diode 39 which is therefore effectively bypassed . since the winding 11 acts as a current source and the diode 51 transistor 53 combination present a relatively low impedance , the transistor - diode combination will dissipate very little power with the current falling very slowly , as illustrated by the solid line from t 6 - t 10 of the current i 1 of fig2 . at t 9 the transistor 23 is again turned on and the current flows through the winding 11 . the process continually repeats . it will be appreciated that the average current with the switching circuit 49 activated is substantially higher than the average current without the switching circuit . thus , although the average pulsed power supplied to winding 11 is the same in both instances a considerably higher average current is maintained through winding 11 when the switching circuit 49 is active resulting in the generation of a greater magnetic field by the stator 9 . thus , the switching circuit 49 directs current around the zener diode 39 during the stationary mode of operation substantially raising the efficiency of the control circuit . although this invention has been shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims :	7
in one embodiment , the present invention provides novel compounds of formula i or formula ii shown above , where the various symbols are as defined . representative amide compounds of the invention which exhibit excellent src kinase inhibitory activity belonging to formula i are listed below by names and structure . representative urea compounds of formula ii of the invention which exhibit excellent src kinase inhibitory activity are listed below by names and structure . representative sulfonamide compounds of the invention which exhibit excellent src kinase inhibitory activity of the formula ii are listed by names and structure below . the compounds of the invention may form pharmaceutically acceptable salts with organic and inorganic acids . examples of suitable acids for such salt formation are hydrochloric , sulfuric , phosphoric , acetic , citric , oxalic , malonic , salicylic , malic , fumaric , succinic , ascorbic , maleic , hydroxymaleic , benzoic , hydroxybenzoic , phenylacetic , cinnamic , salicyclic , 2 - phenoxybenzoic , p - toluensulfonic acid , and sulfonic acids such as methane sulfonic acid and 2 - hyroxyethane sulfonic acid and other mineral and carboxylic acids well known to those skilled in the art and acid metal salts such as sodium monohydrogen orthophosphate , and potassium hydrogen sulfate . such salts can exist in either a hydrated or substantially anhydrous form . the salts are prepared by contacting the free base form with a sufficient amount of the desired acid to produce a salt in the conventional manner . the free base forms may be regenerated by treating the salt with a suitable dilute aqueous base solution such as dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide , potassium carbonate , ammonia and sodium bicarbonate . the free base forms differ from their corresponding salt forms somewhat in certain physical properties , such as solubility in polar solvents , but the salts are otherwise equivalent to their corresponding free base forms for purposes of this invention . depending upon the substituents on the inventive compounds , one may be able to form salts with bases too . thus , for example , if there are carboxylic acid substituents in the molecule ( e . g ., compound 21 in the list above ), salts may be formed with inorganic as well as organic bases such as , for example , naoh , koh , nh 4 oh , tetraalkylammonium hydroxide , and the like . as stated earlier , the invention includes tautomers , enantiomers and other stereoisomers of the compounds also . such variations are contemplated to be within the scope of the invention . another embodiment of the invention discloses a method of making the substituted carboxamides , ureas and sulfonamides disclosed above . the compounds may be prepared by several processes known in the art of synthetic organic chemistry . one useful method to prepare compounds of formula i is schematically illustrated below in connection with the compound numbered 7 above . in general , this procedure is referred to as scheme a herein and involves : ( a ) bonding an amino acid to a suitably functionalized polymer support ; ( b ) coupling another suitably substituted amino acid thereto ; ( c ) reacting the coupled structure with an aldehyde to form a schiff base , which is then ( d ) reduced to the corresponding amine ; which , in turn , is converted to an amide by way of reaction with an acid chloride for example , which product may be ( e ) converted to the thioamide ; which , in turn , is ( f ) methylated and ( g ) converted to the amidino group . the product is then cleared from the solid phase support as will be further appreciated from the following discussion . in scheme a , all substituents , unless otherwise indicated , are as previously defined . the reagents and starting materials are readily available to one of ordinary skill in the art or may be prepared by conventional methods . the starting material ( 1 ) in scheme a is an amino functionalized solid phase material , which for the purposes of synthesis was modified with linker molecule ( formula iii ), which enables the product of the synthesis to be cleaved from the solid support ( resin ). example of such linker is the rink linker ( p -[( r , s )- α -( 9h - fluoren - 9 - yl ) methoxyfonnamido ]- 2 , 4 - dimethoxybenzyl ]- phenoxyacetic acid ( bernatowicz et al ., tetrahedron lett . 30 , 4645 ( 1989 )). commercially available resins with the desired linker already attached can be used as well . the rink linker attachment to a suitable solid phase is carried out by reacting an amino functionalized solid support with acid moiety of the linker molecule by standard peptide synthesis techniques well known in the art to provide an amide linkage , as shown in example 1 . such reaction can be carried out using standard coupling procedures such as , for example , as described in stewart and young , solid phase pepticle synthiesis , 2 nd ed ., pierce chemical co ., rockford , ill . ( 1984 ); gross , meienhofer , udenfriend , ed ., the pepticles : analysis , synthesis , biology , vol . 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 and 9 , academic press , new york , 1980 - 1987 ; bodanszky , peptide chemistry : a practical textbook , springer - verlag , new york ( 1988 ); and bodanszky , et al . the practice of peptide synthesis springer - verlag , new york ( 1984 ), the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . if a coupling reagent ( activator ) is needed , suitable coupling reagent may be selected from dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( dcc ), diisopropylcarbodiimide ( dic ), 1 - ethoxycarbonyl - 2 - ethoxy - 1 , 2 - dihydroquioline ( eedq ), 1 - ethyl - 3 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl ) carbodiimide hydrochloride ( edci ), n - propanephosphonic anhydride ( ppa ), n , n - bis ( 2 - oxo - 3 - oxazolidinyl ) amidophosphoryl chloride ( bop - ci ), diphenylphosphoryl azide , ( dppa ), castro &# 39 ; s reagent ( bop ), 2 -( 1h - benzotriazol - 1 - yl )- 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - tetramethyluronium salts ( hbtu ), 2 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 3 - oxo - 4 - hydroxythiophene dioxide ( steglich &# 39 ; s reagent &# 39 ; hotdo ) and 1 , 1 ′ carbonyldiimidazole ( cdi ). the coupling reagent may be used alone or in combination with additives such as 4 - dimethylaminopyridine ( dmap ), n - hydroxybenzotriazole ( hobt ), n - hydroxybenzotriazine ( hoobt ), n - hydroxysuccinimide ) hosu ) or 2 - hydroxypyridine . the coupling reactions can be performed in either solution ( liquid phase ) or solid phase . as used herein , the term “ solid phase support ” is not limited to a specific type of support . a large number of supports are available and are known to one of ordinary skill in the art . solid phase supports include silica gels , resins , derivatized plastic films , glass beads , cotton , plastic beads , alumina gels , polysaccharides and the like . a suitable solid phase support may be selected on the basis of desired end use and suitability for various synthetic protocols . for example , for peptide synthesis , solid phase support may refer to resins such as p - methylbenzhydrylamine ( pmbha ) resin ( from peptides international , louisville , ky . ), polystyrene ( e . g ., pam - resin available from bachem inc . ( torance , calif ., usa ), poly ( dimethylacrylamide )- grafted styrene co - divinyl - benzene ( e . g ., polyhipe ® resin , available from aminotech , nepean , ontario , canada ), polyamide resin ( e . g . spar - resin , available from advancedchemtech , louisville , ky ., usa ), polystyrene resin grafted with polyethylene glycol ( available from tentagel ®, rapp polymere , tubingen , germany ) polydimethylacrylamide resin ( available from milligen / biosearch , burlington , mass ., usa ), or sepharose ( available from phannacia corporation , stockholm , sweden ). the amino acid moiety may carry protecting groups prior to the coupling reaction . examples of suitable protecting groups include the following : ( 1 ) acyl types such as formyl , trifluoracetyl , phthalyl , and p - toluenesulfonyl ; ( 2 ) aromatic carbamate types such as benzyloxycarbonyl ( cbz or z ) and substituted benzyloxy - carbonyls , 1 -( p - biphenyl )- 1 - methylethoxy - carbonyl , and 9 - fluorenylmethyloxy - carbonyl ( fmoc ); ( 3 ) aliphatic carbamate types such as tertbutyloxycarbonyl ( boc ), ethoxycarbonyl , diisopropyl - methoxycarbonyl , and allyloxycarbonyl ; ( 4 ) cyclic alkyl carbamate types such as cyclopentyloxycarbonyl and adamantyloxycarbonyl ; ( 5 ) alkyl types such as triphenyl - methyl and benzyl ; ( 6 ) trialkysilane such as trimethyl - silane ; and ( 7 ) thiol containing types such as phenylthio - carbonyl and dithiasuccinoyl . the preferred protecting group is either boc or fmoc . if certain functional groups or side chains on the amino acid moiety need to be protected during the coupling reaction to avoid formation of undesired bond , suitable protecting groups that can be used for that purpose are listed in greene , protective groups in organic chemistry , john wiley & amp ; sons , new york ( 1981 ) and the peptides : analysis , synthesis , biology , vol . 3 , academic press , new york ( 1981 ), the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . those skilled in the art will appreciate the fact that the selection and use of appropriate protecting groups depend upon the overall structure of the amino acid compound and the presence of any other protecting groups on that compound . the selection of such a protecting group may be especially important if it should not be removed during the deprotection of the other protecting group . suitable amino acids for the coupling reaction are listed in table 1along with the symbol for each amino acid . more specifically , a solid phase support such as , for example , a deprotected ram - ps resin is typically treated with 3 equivalents of the amino acid moiety and 3 equivalents of 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole in a suitable organic solvent , such a n , n - dimethylformamide . then 3 equivalents of diisopropylcarbodiimide are added and the mixture shaken for about 30 minutes to five hours . the amide that is produced can be isolated and purified by well known techniques or the crude material can be carried on to deprotection as it is . the amide produced in the above - noted step is deprotected under conditions which do not cleave the solid phase support from the growing compound . such conditions are well known in the art . thus , when the boc protecting group is used , the methods of choice are trifluoroacetic acid either neat or in dichloromethane , or hci in dioxane or ethyl acetate . the resulting ammonium salt is then neutralized either prior to the coupling or in situ with basic solutions such as aqueous buffers , or tertiary amines in dichloromethane or dimethylformamide . when the fmoc protecting group is used , the reagents of choice are piperidine or substituted piperidine in dimethylformamide , but any secondary amine or aqueous basic solutions can be used . the deprotection is carried out generally at a temperature of between about 0 ° c . and about room temperature . for example , the above - noted crude amide may be treated with 30 % piperidine in n , n - dimethylformamide for about 20 minutes to about one hour , following which the reaction mixture is filtered to provide the deprotected compound . to the deprotected compound on solid phase , a suitably amino - protected compound having free carboxylic function ( for example , fmoc - protected biphenylalanine in scheme a ) to form the solid phase linked product . for example , 1equivalents of the deprotected compound may be combined with 3 equivalents of fmoc - biphenylalanine and 3 equivalents of 1 - hydroxybenzo - triazole and a suitable activator ( for example 3 equivalents of dic ) in a suitable organic solvent , such as n , n - dimethylformamide . the formed biphenylalanine linked compound is cleaved of the fmoc group and then reacted with a suitable aldehyde , such as , for example , 4 - phenylbenzaldehyde , to yield the corresponding schiff base . the schiff base is then reduced , for example , with sodium borohydride , sodium cyanoborohydride and the like , to form the corresponding amine which is then converted to the amide by reacting with , for example , an acid chloride , in this case , 4 - cyanobenzoyl chloride . the amide may be converted to the thioamide which is methylated and then converted to the amidino group . the product is then cleaved of the solid phase support to yield compound 7 . the compounds of formula ii where x is an urea may be prepared as described in scheme b : scheme b may be explained with the synthesis of a compound of formula ii where r 1 is 2 - naphthylmethyl , r 2 is cyclohexylpiperazinyl , r 3 is 3 - phenylpropyl , x is — nh — co —, y is conh2 and n is 1 . that compound is compound 8 identified above , 4 - cyclohexyl - 1 -[[ 2 -( 4 - phenylbutanoyl ) amino ]- 4 -[ 1 - aminocarbonyl - 2 -( 2 - naphthyl ) ethylamino ] carbonylaminophenyl ] piperazine thus , a solid phase support is coupled with a protected amino acid , in this case , fmoc - 2 - naphthylalanine in the presence of an activator such as , for example , 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole and dic . it is then deprotected and then reacted with 4 - fluoro - 3 - nitrophenylisocyanate and the fluorinated product is then reacted with 4 - cyclohexylpiperazine to introduce the r 2 group . the nitro group is then reduced with stannous chloride to the amine which is converted to the 4 - phenylbutyl amide by reacting with 4 - phenylbutyric acid by activation with hoat and dic . cleaving of the solid support yields the desired compound 8 . similarly , one synthesizes the other urea compounds by appropriate selection of the r 1 , r 2 and r 3 substituted reactants . synthesis of a compound of formula ii where x is sulfonamide is similar to that shown in scheme b except that in the step introducing the fluoronitrophenyl - isocyanate , the appropriate fluoronitrobenzene sulfonyl chloride is used . thus , replacing the isocyanate in the above description with 2 - fluoro - 5 - nitrobenzene sulfonyl chloride would yield the desired sulfonamide compound . isolation of the compound at various stages of the reaction scheme may be achieved after cleavage from solid support by standard techniques such as , for example , filtration , evaporation of solvent and the like . purification of the product , intermediate and the like , may also be performed by standard techniques such as recrystallization , distillation , sublimation , chromatography , conversion to a suitable derivative which may be recrystallized and converted back to the starting compound , and the like . such techniques are well known to those skilled in the art . the thus prepared compounds may be analyzed for their composition and purity as well as characterized by standard analytical techniques such as , for example , elemental analysis , nmr , mass spectroscopy , and ir spectra . in another embodiment , this invention provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising the above - described inventive compounds as an active ingredient . the pharmaceutical compositions generally additionally comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier diluent , excipient or carrier ( collectively referred to herein as carrier materials ). because of their therapeutic activity against osteoporosis and bone tissue loss , such pharmaceutical compositions possess utility in treating those diseases . in yet another embodiment , the present invention discloses methods for preparing pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of formula i or formula ii as an active ingredient . in the pharmaceutical compositions and methods of the present invention , the active ingredient or ingredients will generally be administered in admixture with suitable carrier materials suitably selected with respect to the intended form of administration , i . e . oral tablets , capsules ( either solid - filled , semi - solid filled or liquid filled ), powders for constitution , oral gels , elixirs , dispersible granules , syrups , suspensions , and the like , and consistent with conventional pharmaceutical practices . for example , for oral administration in the form of tablets or capsules , the active drug component may be combined with any oral non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable inert carrier , such as lactose , starch , sucrose , cellulose , magnesium stearate , dicalcium phosphate , calcium sulfate , talc , mannitol , ethyl alcohol ( liquid forms ) and the like . moreover , when desired or needed , suitable binders , lubricants , disintegrating agents and coloring agents may also be incorporated in the mixture . powders and tablets may be comprised of from about 5 to about 95 percent inventive composition . suitable binders include starch , gelatin , natural sugars , corn sweeteners , natural and synthetic gums such as acacia , sodium alginate , carboxymethylcellulose , polyethylene glycol and waxes . among the lubricants there may be mentioned for use in these dosage forms , boric acid , sodium benzoate , sodium acetate , sodium chloride , and the like . disintegrants include starch , methylcellulose , guar gum and the like . sweetening and flavoring agents and preservatives may also be included where appropriate . some of the terms noted above , namely disintegrants , diluents , lubricants , binders and the like , are discussed in more detail below . additionally , the compositions of the present invention may be formulated in sustained release form to provide the rate controlled release of any one or more of the components or active ingredients to optimize the therapeutic effects , i . e . antihistaminic activity and the like . suitable dosage forms for sustained release include layered tablets containing layers of varying disintegration rates or controlled release polymeric matrices impregnated with the active components and shaped in tablet form or capsules containing such impregnated or encapsulated porous polymeric matrices . liquid form preparations include solutions , suspensions and emulsions . as an example may be mentioned water or water - propylene glycol solutions for parenteral injections or addition of sweeteners and pacifiers for oral solutions , suspensions and emulsions . liquid form - preparations may also include solutions for intranasal administration . aerosol preparations suitable for inhalation may include solutions and solids in powder form , which may be in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier such as inert compressed gas , e . g . nitrogen . for preparing suppositories , a low melting wax such as a mixture of fatty acid glycerides such as cocoa butter is first melted , and the active ingredient is dispersed homogeneously therein by stirring or similar mixing . the molten homogeneous mixture is then poured into convenient sized molds , allowed to cool and thereby solidify . also included are solid form preparations which are intended to be converted , shortly before use , to liquid form preparations for either oral or parenteral administration . such liquid forms include solutions , suspensions and emulsions . the compounds of the invention may also be deliverable transdermally . the transdermal compositions may take the form of creams , lotions , aerosols and / or emulsions and can be included in a transdermal patch of the matrix or reservoir type as are conventional in the art for this purpose . preferably , the pharmaceutical preparation is in a unit dosage form . in such form , the preparation is subdivided into suitably sized unit doses containing appropriate quantities of the active components , e . g ., an effective amount to achieve the desired purpose . the quantity of the inventive active composition in a unit dose of preparation may be generally varied or adjusted from about 1 . 0 milligram to about 1 , 000 milligrams , preferably from about 1 . 0 to about 950 milligrams , more preferably from about 1 . 0 to about 500 milligrams , and typically from about 1to about 250 milligrams , according to the particular application . the actual dosage employed may be varied depending upon the patient &# 39 ; s age , sex , weight and severity of the condition being treated . such techniques are well known to those skilled in the art . generally , the human oral dosage form containing the active ingredients can be administered 1 or 2 times per day . the amount and frequency of the administration will be regulated according to the judgment of the attending clinician . a generally recommended daily dosage regimen for oral administration may range from about 1 . 0 milligram to about 1 , 000 milligrams per day , in single or divided doses . the term “ capsule ” refers to a special container or enclosure made of methylcellulose , polyvinyl alcohols , or denatured gelatins or starch for holding or containing compositions comprising the active ingredients . hard shell capsules are typically made of blends of relatively high gel strength bone and pork skin gelatins . the capsule itself may contain small amounts of dyes , opaquing agents , plasticizers and preservatives . the term “ tablet ” refers to a compressed or molded solid dosage form containing the active ingredients with suitable diluents . the tablet can be prepared by compression of mixtures or granulations obtained by wet granulation , dry granulation or by compaction . the term “ oral gel ” refers to the active ingredients dispersed or solubilized in a hydrophilic semi - solid matrix . the term “ powders for constitution ” refers to powder blends containing the active ingredients and suitable diluents which can be suspended in water or juices . the term “ diluent ” refers to substances that usually make up the major portion of the composition or dosage form . suitable diluents include sugars such as lactose , sucrose , mannitol and sorbitol ; starches derived from wheat , corn , rice and potato ; and celluloses such as microcrystalline cellulose . the amount of diluent in the composition can range from about 10 to about 90 % by weight of the total composition , preferably from about 25 to about 75 %, more preferably from about 30 to about 60 % by weight , even more preferably from about 12 to about 60 %. the term “ disintegrant ” refers to materials added to the composition to help it break apart ( disintegrate ) and release the medicaments . suitable disintegrants include starches ; “ cold water soluble ” modified starches such as sodium carboxymethyl starch ; natural and synthetic gums such as locust bean , karaya , guar , tragacanth and agar ; cellulose derivatives such as methylcellulose and sodium carboxymethylcellulose ; microcrystalline celluloses and cross - linked microcrystalline celluloses such as sodium croscarmellose ; alginates such as alginic acid and sodium alginate ; clays such as bentonites ; and effervescent mixtures . the amount of disintegrant in the composition can range from about 2 to about 15 % by weight of the composition , more preferably from about 4 to about 10 % by weight . the term “ binder ” refers to substances that bind or “ glue ” powders together and make them cohesive by forming granules , thus serving as the “ adhesive ” in the formulation . binders add cohesive strength already available in the diluent or bulking agent . suitable binders include sugars such as sucrose ; starches derived from wheat , corn rice and potato ; natural gums such as acacia , gelatin and tragacanth ; derivatives of seaweed such as alginic acid , sodium alginate and ammonium calcium alginate ; cellulosic materials such as methylcellulose and sodium carboxymethylcellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose ; polyvinylpyrrolidone ; and inorganics such as magnesium aluminum silicate . the amount of binder in the composition can range from about 2 to about 20 % by weight of the composition , more preferably from about 3 to about 10 % by weight , even more preferably from about 3 to about 6 % by weight . the term “ lubricant ” refers to a substance added to the dosage form to enable the tablet , granules , etc . after it has been compressed , to release from the mold or die by reducing friction or wear . suitable lubricants include metallic stearates such as magnesium stearate , calcium stearate or potassium stearate ; stearic acid ; high melting point waxes ; and water soluble lubricants such as sodium chloride , sodium benzoate , sodium acetate , sodium oleate , polyethylene glycols and d &# 39 ; l - leucine . lubricants are usually added at the very last step before compression , since they must be present on the surfaces of the granules and in between them and the parts of the tablet press . the amount of lubricant in the composition can range from about 0 . 2 to about 5 % by weight of the composition , preferably from about 0 . 5 to about 2 %, more preferably from about 0 . 3 to about 1 . 5 % by weight . the term “ glident ” refers to materials that prevent caking and improve the flow characteristics of granulations , so that flow is smooth and uniform . suitable glidents include silicon dioxide and talc . the amount of glident in the composition can range from about 0 . 1 % to about 5 % by weight of the total composition , preferably from about 0 . 5 to about 2 % by weight . the term “ coloring agent ” refers to excipients that provide coloration to the composition or the dosage form . such excipients can include food grade dyes and food grade dyes adsorbed onto a suitable adsorbent such as clay or aluminum oxide . the amount of the coloring agent can vary from about 0 . 1 to about 5 % by weight of the composition , preferably from about 0 . 1 to about 1 %. the term “ bioavailability ” refers to the rate and extent to which the active drug ingredient or therapeutic moiety is absorbed into the systemic circulation from an administered dosage form as compared to a standard or control . conventional methods for preparing tablets are known . such methods include dry methods such as direct compression and compression of granulation produced by compaction , or wet methods or other special procedures . conventional methods for making other forms for administration such as , for example , capsules , suppositories and the like are also well known . another embodiment of the invention discloses use of the pharmaceutical compositions disclosed above for treatment of diseases such as , for example , osteoporosis and bone tissue loss . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications , variations and alterations to the present disclosure , both to materials and methods , may be practiced . such modifications , variations and alterations are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention . the following examples are being provided to further illustrate the present invention . they are for illustrative purposes only ; the scope of the invention is not to be considered limited in any way thereby . unless otherwise stated , the following abbreviations have the stated meanings in the examples below : dcc = dicyclohexylcarbodiimide nabh ( oac ) 3 = sodium triacetoxyborohydride fmoc = 9 - fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl dce = 1 , 2 - dichloroethane diea = diisopropylethylamine cha = cyclohexylalanine nal ( 1 )= 1 - naphthylalanine teof = triethylorthoformate tips = triisopropylsilane nal ( 1 )= 1 - naphthylalanine bip = 4 - biphenylalanine boc = tert . butyloxycarbonyl pip = piperidine hoac = acetic acid tfa = trifluoroacetic acid py = pyridine dic = diisopropylcarbodiimide meoh = methanol nabh 4 = sodium borohydride nabh 3 cn = sodium cyanoborohydride p - tsoh = p - toluenesulfonic acid dmf : n , n - dimethylformamide thf : tetrahydrofuran dmso : dimethyl sulfoxide dcm : dichloromethane which can also be referred to as methylene chloride lah : lithium aluminum hydride hoat : 1 - hydroxy - 7 - azabenzotriazole hobt : 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole hrms = high resolution mass spectrometry hplc = high performance liquid chromatography nmr = nuclear magnetic resonance lrms = low resolution mass spectrometry nm = nanomolar additionally , “ kg ” refers to kilograms ; “ g ” refers to grams ; “ mg ” refers to milligrams ; μg ” refers to micrograms ; “ m 2 / g ” refers to square meters per gram and is used as a measurement of particle surface area ; “ mmol ” refers to millimoles ; “ l ” refers to liters ; “ ml ” refers to milliliters ; “ μl ” refers to microliters ; “ cm ” refers to centimeters ; “ m ” refers to molar &# 39 ; “ mm ” refers to millimolar ; “ μm ” refers to micromolar ; “ nm ” refers to nanomolar ; “ n ” refers to normal ; “ ppm ” refers to parts per million ; “ δ ” refers to parts per million down field from tetramethylsilane ; “° c .” refers to degrees celsius ; “° f .” refers to degrees fahrenheit ; “ mm hg ” refers to millimeters of mercury ; “ kpa ” refers to kilopascals ; “ psi ” refers to pounds per square inch ; “ rpm ” refers to revolutions per minute ; “ bp ” refers to boiling point ; “ mp ” refers to melting point ; “ dec ” refers to decomposition ; “ h ” refers to hours ; “ min ” refers to minutes ; “ sec ” refers to seconds &# 39 ; “ r f ” refers to retention factor ; and “ r t ” refers to retention time . starting materials used in the synthesis were obtained from chemical vendors such as aldrich , sigma , fluka , nova biochem and advanced chemtech . during the synthesis , the functional groups of the amino acid derivatives used were protected by blocking groups to prevent side reaction during the coupling steps . examples of suitable protecting groups and their use are described in the peptides , supra , 1981 , and in vol . 9 , udenfriend and meienhofer ( eds . ), 1987 , which is incorporated herein by reference . general solid - phase peptide synthesis was used to produce the compounds of the invention . such methods are described , for example , by steward and young , solid phase peptide synthesis ( freeman & amp ; co ., san francisco , 1969 ), which is incorporated herein by reference . unless indicated otherwise , peptides were synthesized on ram ™ polystyrene resin ( rapp polymere , tübingen , germany ). as an alternative to this , acid sensitive linker p -[( r , s )- α -[ 1 -( 9h - fluoren - 9 - yl ) methoxyformamido ]- 2 , 4 - dimethoxybenzyl ] phenoxyacetic acid ( knon - linker , bernatowicz et . al , tetr . lett . 30 ( 1989 ) 4645 , which is incorporated herein by reference ) can be coupled to any amino functionalized the solid support or the desired compounds can be synthesized on polystyrene resin cross - linked with 1 % divinylbenzene modified with an acid sensitive linker ( rink resin ) ( rink , tetr . lett . 28 ( 1987 ) 3787 ; sieber , tetr . lett . 28 ( 1987 ) 2107 , each of which is incorporated herein by reference ). coupling was performed using n , n ′- diisopropylcarbodiimide ( dic ) in the presence of an equivalent amount of hobt . all couplings were done n , n - dimethylformamide ( dmf ) at room temperature ( rt ). completion of coupling was monitored by ninhydrin test . a second ( double ) coupling was performed where coupling in the first instance was incomplete . deprotection of the fmoc group was accomplished using 50 % piperidine in dmf for 2 ± 15 min . the amount of fmoc released was determined from the absorbance at 302 nm of the solution after deprotection , volume of washes and weight of the resin used in the synthesis . the compound resin was at the end of the synthesis washed successively with dmf and dcm and the peptide was then cleaved and deprotected by a mixture tfa / tips ( 99 / 1 ) for 2 hours , unless specified otherwise . the resin was washed with dcm and the dcm wash combined with the tfa releasate . the solution was evaporated , the product was redissolved in a mixture of water and acetonitrile and lyophylized . the dried compound was subjected to hplc purification using an appropriate gradient of 0 . 1 % tfa in water and acetonitrile ( acn ). after collecting the peak containing the intended synthetic product , the solution was lyophilized and the compound was subjected to an identification process , which included electrospray mass spectrum ( ms ) and / or nmr to confirm that the correct compound was synthesized . for hplc analysis , a sample of the product was analyzed using beckman hplc system ( consisting of 126 solvent deliver system , 166 programmable detector module 507e autosampler , controlled by data station with gold nouveau software ) and ymc ods - am 4 . 6 × 250 mm column at 230 nm and flow rate 1 ml / min . for product purification , a sample of crude lyophilized compound was dissolved in a mixture of 0 . 1 % aqueous tfa containing 10 % to 50 % acn . the solution of the product was usually filtered through a syringe connected to a 0 . 45 μm “ acrodisc ” 13 cr ptfe ( gelman sciences ; ann arbor mich .) filter . a proper volume of filtered compound solution was injected into a semi - preparative c18 column ( ymc ods - a column ( 20 × 250 mm ), ymc , inc ., wilmington , n . c .). the flow rate of a gradient or isocratic mixture of 0 . 1 % tfa buffer and acn ( hplc grade ) as an eluent was maintained using a beckman “ system gold ” hplc ( beckman , system gold , programmable solvent module 126 and programmable detector module 166 controlled by “ system gold ” software ). elution of the compound was monitored by uv detection at 230 nm . after identifying the peak corresponding to the compound under synthesis using ms , the compound was collected , lyophilized and biologically tested . ms was performed using a vg platform ( fisons instruments ) instrument in es + mode . for nmr , typically samples were measured in dmso - d 6 ( aldrich ) using a bruker avance dpx 300 instrument . following generally the procedure described above as scheme a , polystyrene - ram ( substitution 0 . 74 mmol / g , 100 - 200 mesh , rapp polymere , tubingen , germany , 0 . 5 g ) was washed with dmf and the fmoc - protecting group cleaved by 50 % solution of piperidine in dmf ( twice 10 minutes , 5ml each ). the resin was then washed by dmf . fmoc - gly - oh ( 3 eq ) activated with dic / hobt ( 3 eq each ) in dmf ( 3 ml ) was coupled to the resin overnight and the completion was checked by ninhydrin test . after fmoc - group deprotection , the resin - bound intermediate was reacted with fmoc - 4 - biphenyl - alanine ( 3 eq , in 3 ml dmf ) activated with dic / hobt ( 3 eq each ) overnight . fmoc group was deprotected as described above and the resin was washed with dmf . resin was washed with dcm and a solution of 3 - phenoxybenzaldehyde ( 7 eq ) in 5 ml teof / dcm ( 4 : 1 ) was added and the reaction was carried out for 6 hours , the resin was washed with dcm ( 3 times ) and the formed schiff base was reduced with 5 ml of solution nabh 3 cn overnight . this was prepared by mixing 1m nabh 3 cn in thf ( commercially available ) with dce / meoh / acoh ( 80 : 18 : 2 ) in ratio 1 : 4 . after the reduction resin was washed with meoh , dmf , 10 % diea in dmf , dmf and dce . the resin - bound amine was reacted with 5 eq of 4 - cyanobenzoyl chloride in 5 ml dce with 5 eq diea overnight . resin was then washed with dce , dmf , with mixture pyridine / et 3 n ( 2 : 1 ) and treated with 8 ml of saturated solution of h 2 s in pyridine / et 3 n ( 2 : 1 ). after 5 hours , the solution was removed and the procedure repeated . after overnight standing , the resin was washed with acetone . the resulting thioamide was converted to the thioimidate by reaction with methyliodide in acetone (( 4 ml of 20 % solution , overnight ). the resin was washed with acetone and meoh , and a solution of 20 eq of ammonium acetate in methanol containing 20 eq of acetic acid was added and the kept at 50 ° c . for 3 hours . the resin was then washed with meoh , dmf and dcm . the product was cleaved by tfa ( 1 % tips ). the crude product was purified by preparative hplc . ms analysis : calculated 625 . 3 ( m ). found 626 . 2 ( mh )+. the title compound was synthesized using fmoc - gly - oh , fmoc - cha - oh , 3 -( 4 - tert . butylphenoxy ) benzaldehyde and 3 - cyanobenzoyl chloride according to procedures described in example 1 . ms analysis : calculated 611 . 4 ( m ). found 612 . 3 ( mh )+. the title compound was synthesized using fmoc - gly - oh , fmoc - phe ( 4 - nh - boc )- oh , 3 -( 4 - tert . butylphenoxy ) benzaldehyde and 3 - cyanobenzoyl chloride according to procedures described in example 1 . ms analysis : calculated 620 . 3 ( m ). found 621 . 3 ( mh )+. the title compound was synthesized using fmoc - gly - oh , fmoc - nal ( 1 )- oh , 3 -( 4 - tert . butylphenoxy ) benzaldehyde and 3 - cyanobenzoyl chloride according to procedures described in example 1 . ms analysis : calculated 655 . 3 ( m ). found 656 . 2 ( mh )+. the title compound was synthesized using fmoc - gly - oh , fmoc - arg ( boc ) 2 - oh , 3 -( 4 - tert . butylphenoxy ) benzaldehyde and 3 - cyanobenzoyl chloride according to procedures described in example 1 . ms analysis : calculated 614 . 3 ( m ). found 615 . 2 ( mh )+. the title compound was synthesized using fmoc - gly - oh , fmoc - tip ( boc )- oh , 3 -( 4 - tert . butylphenoxy ) benzaldehyde and 4 - cyanobenzoyl chloride according to procedures described in example 1 . ms analysis : calculated 644 . 3 ( m ). found 645 . 2 ( mh )+. the title compound was synthesized using fmoc - gly - oh , fmoc - bip - oh , 4 - phenylbenzaldehyde and 4 - cyanobenzoyl chloride according to procedures described in example 1 . ms analysis : calculated 609 . 3 ( m ). found 610 . 2 ( mh )+. examples 8 - 15 describe the synthesis of compounds of fonnula ii where x is a urea moiety . following generally the procedure described above in connection with scheme b , commercial polystyrene - ram resin ( 0 . 74 mmol / g ) ( rapp polymere , tubingen , germany , 0 . 25 g ) was slurried in dichloromethane , washed with dmf and treated for 30 minutes with a mixture of piperidine and dmf ( 1 : 1 v / v ). the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×), dcm ( 5 ×) and dmf ( 3 ×) and then coupled with 0 . 5 mmol of fmoc -( l )- 2 - naphthylalanine , 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole and diisopropyl - carbodiimide in 3 ml dmf overnight . the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 33 ) and treated with piperidine / dmf again for 30 minutes . after washing as described above , the coupling with 0 . 5 mmol of 4 - fluoro - 3 - nitrophenylisocyanate in 2 ml dmf was carried out over night . the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×) and treated with 3 ml of a 0 . 5 molar solution of 1 - cyclohexylpiperazine in dmf for 3 hours at 60 °. after washing with dmf ( 10 ×), the nitro group was reduced by shaking the resin with 4 ml of a molar solution of tin chloride dihydrate in dmf for 24 hours . the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×), meoh ( 5 ×), dcm ( 5 ×), dmf containing 5 % of diisopropylethylamine ( 1 ×) and dmf ( 3 ×). the final coupling with 1 mmol of 4 - phenyl butyric acid , 1 - hydroxy - 7 - azabenzotriazole and diisopropylcarbodiimide in 3 ml dmf was performed over night . following extensive washing of the resin with dmf , methanol and dcm and subsequent drying , it was cleaved with 3 ml of 95 % trifluoroacetic acid . the tfa solution was evaporated and the residue was combined with the washings of the resin with methanol . evaporation yielded the crude title compound which was purified by preparative hplc using the standard acetonitrile /− water + 0 . 1 % tfa gradient and a vydac c - 18 column . the pure sample had a m + 1 ion at 661 . 3 in the mass spectrum and was homogenous by hplc with a retention time of 26 . 95 minutes . this was prepared by the method of example 8 using trans - cinnamic acid in the final coupling step to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 645 . 3 and a retention time of 26 . 88 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 8 using fmoc - homophenylalanine in the initial coupling step to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 609 . 3 and retention time of 25 . 78 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 8 using fmoc - homophenylalanine in the initial coupling step to give the title compound with m + 1 at 625 . 3 and a retention time of 26 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 8 using fmoc - cyclohexylalanine in the initial coupling step to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 601 . 3 and retention time of 26 . 72 minutes . following generally the procedure shown in scheme b above , commercial polystyrene - ram resin ( 0 . 74 mmol / g ) ( rapp polymere , tubingen , germany , 0 . 25 g ) was slurried in dichloromethane , washed with dmf and treated for 30 minutes with a mixture of piperidine and dmf ( 1 : 1 v / v ). the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×), dcm ( 5 ×) and dmf ( 3 ×) and then coupled with 0 . 5 mmol of fmoc -( l )- 2 - naphthylalanine , 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole and diisopropylcarbodiimide in 3 ml dmf over night . the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×) and treated with piperidine / dmf again for 30 minutes . after washing as described above , the coupling with 0 . 5 mmol of 4 - fluoro - 3 - nitrophenylisocyanate in 2 ml dmf was carried out over night . the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×) and treated with 3 ml of a 0 . 5 molar solution of homopiperazine in dmf for 2 hours at 60 °. the resin was washed with dmf ( 10 ×) and coupled with 0 . 5 mmol of boc - isonipecotic acid , hobt and dic in 2 . 5 ml of dmf over night . the resin was washed with dmf ( 10 ×) and reduced with 4 ml of a molar solution of tin chloride dihydrate in dmf for 24 hours . the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×), meoh ( 5 ×), dcm ( 5 ×), dmf containing 5 % of diisopropyl - ethylamine ( 1 ×) and dmf ( 3 ×). the final coupling with 1 mmol of phenylbutyric acid , 1 - hydroxy - 7 - azabenzotriazole and diisopropylcarbodiimide in 3 ml dmf was performed over night . following extensive washing of the resin with dmf , methanol and dcm and subsequent drying , it was cleaved with 3 ml of 95 % trifluoroacetic acid . the tfa solution was evaporated and the residue was combined with the washings of the resin with methanol . evaporation yielded the crude title compound which was purified by preparative hplc using the standard acetonitrile /− water + 0 . 1 % tfa gradient and a vidac c - 18 column . the pure sample had a m + 1 ion at 704 . 3 in the mass spectrum and was homogenous by hplc with a retention time of 24 . 12 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 13 using 2 - benzofuran - carboxylic acid in the final coupling step to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 702 . 1 and retention time of 25 . 5 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 13 using fmoc - cyclohexylalanine in the initial coupling step and 2 - benzofurancarboxylic acid for the final acylation step to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 658 . 3 and retention time of 25 . 64 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 13 using fmoc - trans - 4 - aminomethylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid in the initial coupling step and 2 - benzofurancarboxylic acid for the final acylation to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 643 . 4 and retention time of 21 . 84 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 13 using fmoc - trans - 4 - aminomethylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid in the initial coupling step and boc - sarcosine for capping of the homopiperazine and 2 - benzofurancarboxylic acid for the final acylation to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 603 . 3 and retention time of 21 . 35 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 13 using fmoc - trans - 4 - aminomethylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid in the initial coupling step , boc - proline for capping of the homopiperazine and 2 - benzofurancarboxylic acid for the final acylation to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 629 . 3 and retention time of 22 . 12 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 13 using fmoc - trans - 4 - aminomethylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid in the initial coupling step , 4 -( 1 - piperidyl ) piperidine to displace the fluorine and 2 - benzofurancarboxylic acid for the final acylation to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 600 . 3 and retention time of 22 . 5 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 13 using fmoc - l - cyclohexylalanine in the initial coupling step and boc - isonipecotic acid for capping of the homopiperazine to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 659 . 4 and retention time of 23 . 97 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 13 using fmoc - homophenylalanine in the initial coupling step to give the title compound with m + 1 ion at 668 . 4 and retention time of 22 . 88 minutes . examples 22 - 25 describe the synthesis of sulfonamide compounds in accordance with the compounds of the present invention . following generally the procedures described above , commercial polystyrene - ram resin ( 0 . 74 mmol / g ) ( rapp polymere , tubingen , germany , 0 . 25 g ) was slurried in dichloromethane , washed with dmf and treated for 30 minutes with a mixture of piperidine and dmf ( 1 : 1 v / v ). the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×), dcm ( 5 ×) and dmf ( 3 ×) and then coupled with 0 . 5 mmol of fmoc -( l )- valine , 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole and diisopropylcarbodiimide in 3 ml dmf over night . the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×) and treated with piperidine / dmf again for 30 minutes . after washing with dmf ( 5 ×) and dcm ( 1 ×), the coupling with 0 . 5 mmol of 2 - fluoro - 5 - nitrophenylsulfonyl chloride in 2 ml dcm and 1 mmol of lutidine was carried out over night . the resin was washed with dcm ( 5 ×) and dmf ( 5 ×) and treated with 3 ml of a 0 . 5 molar solution of 4 - benzyl - piperidine in dmf for 24 hours at room temperature . after washing with dmf ( 10 ×), the nitro group was reduced by shaking the resin with 4 ml of a 0 . 5 molar solution of tin chloride in dmf / acetic acid 1 : 1 for 72 hours . the resin was washed with dmf ( 5 ×), meoh ( 5 ×), dcm ( 5 ×), dmf containing 5 % of diisopropylethylamine ( 1 ×) and dmf ( 3 ×). the final coupling with 1 mmol of 2 - pyrolidinecarboxylic acid , 1 - hydroxy - 7 - azabenzotriazole and diisopropylcarbodiimide in 3 ml dmf was performed over night . following extensive washing of the resin with dmf , methanol and dcm and subsequent drying , it was cleaved with 3 ml of 95 % trifluoroacetic acid . the tfa solution was evaporated and the residue was combined with the washings of the resin with methanol . evaporation yielded the crude title compound which was purified by preparative hplc using the standard acetonitrile / water + 0 . 1 % tfa gradient and a vydac c - 18 column . the pure sample had a m + 1 ion at 542 . 3 in the mass spectrum and was homogenous by hplc with a retention time of 26 . 7 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 22 using 4 - piperidinecarboxylic acid in the final coupling step to give the title compound with a m + 1 ion at 556 . 3 in the mass spectrum and a hplc retention time of 26 . 2 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 22 using 1 - cyclohexylpiperazine for displacement of the fluorine and cinnamic acid for the final acylation step to give the title compound with a m + 1 ion at 568 . 3 in the mass spectrum and a hplc retention time of 24 . 63 minutes . this compound was prepared by the method of example 22 using fmoc protected trans - 4 - aminomethylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid for the first coupling reaction to give the title compound with a m + 1 ion at 582 . 3 in the mass spectrum and a hplc retention time of 25 . 31 minutes . the compounds 1 - 25 above were assayed for activity with respect to the src protein tyrosine kinase by the fluorometric method described in measurement of the protein tyrosine kinase activity of c - src using time - resolved fluorometry of europium chelates , braunwalder , a . f . et al ., analytical biochemistry 238 , 159 - 164 ( 1996 ), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference , using the materials and procedures further specified below . the plates were coated with 0 . 1 mg / ml poly ( glu , tyr ) in coating solution , 35 μl / well . it was let stand overnight at room temp . the plates were then washed 3 times with mes ( 100 μl / wash ). the reaction was stopped by aspiration , and then washed 3 times with mes ( 100 μl / wash ). 20 μl 0 . 4 ng / μl of antibody in antibody dilution buffer ( final = 8 ng ab / well ) was added and then incubated for 30 min . at rt . the antibody solution was removed by aspiration and then washed 3 times with ix delfia wash solution . 20 μl delfia enhancement solution was added and the plates were read on a wallac victor plate reader in time - resolved fluorescence mode using 340 nm excitation and 615 nm emission wavelengths . the src kinase inhibitory activity of the compounds , given as ic50s ( μm ), are listed in table 2 . from these test results and the knowledge about the compounds described in the references in the section “ background of the invention ”, it would be apparent to the skilled artisan that the compounds of the invention have utility in treating conditions where selective inhibitory activity of an src kinase is desirable . while the invention has been described in detail , modifications to illustrated embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention , set forth in the appended claims , will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art .	2
as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , an exemplary wafer saw 10 according to the invention is comprised of a base 12 to which extension arms 14 and 15 suspended by support 16 are attached . a wafer saw blade 18 is attached to a spindle or hub 20 which is rotatably attached to the extension arm 15 . the wafer saw blade 18 may be secured to the hub 20 and extension arm 15 by a threaded nut 21 or other means of attachment known in the art . the wafer saw 10 also includes a translatable wafer table 22 movably attached in both x and y directions ( as indicated by arrows in fig1 and 2 ) to the base 12 . alternatively , wafer saw blade 18 may be translatable relative to the wafer table 22 to achieve the same relative x - y movement of the wafer saw blade 18 to the wafer table 22 . a silicon wafer 24 to be scribed or sawed may be securely mounted to the wafer table 22 . as used herein , the term “ saw ” includes scribing of a wafer , the resulting scribe line 26 not completely extending through the wafer substrate . further , the term “ wafer ” includes traditional full semiconductor wafers of silicon , gallium arsenide , or indium phosphide and other semiconductor materials , partial wafers , and equivalent structures known in the art wherein a semiconductor material table or substrate is present . for example , so - called silicon - on - insulator , or “ soi ,” structures , wherein silicon is carried on a glass , ceramic or sapphire (“ sos ”) base , or other such structures as known in the art , are encompassed by the term “ wafer ” as used herein . likewise , “ semiconductor substrate ” may be used to identify wafers and other structures to be singulated into smaller elements . the wafer saw 10 is capable of lateral multi - indexing of the wafer table 22 or wafer saw blade 18 or , in other words , translatable , from side - to - side in fig2 and into and out of the plane of the page in fig1 various nonuniform distances . as noted before , such nonuniform distances may be mere multiples of a unit distance , or may comprise unrelated varying distances , as desired . accordingly , a wafer 24 having variously sized integrated circuits or other devices or components therein may be sectioned or diced into its nonuniformly sized components by the multi - indexing wafer saw 10 . in addition , as previously alluded , the wafer saw 10 may be used to create scribe lines or cuts 26 that do not extend through the wafer 24 . the wafer 24 can then subsequently be diced by other methods known in the art or sawed completely through after the wafer saw blade 18 has been lowered to traverse the wafer to its full depth or thickness . before proceeding further , it will be understood and appreciated that design and fabrication of a wafer saw according to the invention having the previously referenced , multi - indexing capabilities , independent lateral blade translation and independent blade raising or elevation are within the ability of one of ordinary skill in the art and that , likewise , the control of such a device to effect the multiple - indexing ( whether in units of fixed increments or otherwise ), lateral blade translation and blade elevation may be effected by suitable programming of the software - controlled operating system , as known in the art . accordingly , no further description of hardware components or of a control system to effectuate operation of the apparatus of the invention is necessary . referring now to fig3 another illustrated embodiment of a wafer saw 30 is shown having two laterally spaced blades 32 and 34 with their centers of rotation in substantial parallel alignment transverse to the planes of the blades . for a conventional , substantially circular silicon semiconductor wafer 40 ( flat omitted ), as illustrated in fig4 having a plurality of similarly configured integrated circuits 42 arranged in evenly spaced rows and columns , the blades can be spaced a distance d substantially equal to the distance between adjacent streets 44 defining the space between each integrated circuit 42 . in addition , if the streets 44 of wafer 40 are too closely spaced for side - by - side blades 32 and 34 to cut along adjacent streets , the blades 32 and 34 can be spaced a distance d substantially equal to the distance between two or more streets . for example , a first pass of the blades 32 and 34 could cut along streets 44 a and 44 c and a second pass along streets 44 b and 44 d . the blades could then be indexed to cut the next series of streets and the process repeated for streets 44 e , 44 f , 44 g , and 44 h . if , however , the integrated circuits of a wafer 52 have various sizes , such as integrated circuits 50 and 51 , as illustrated in fig5 at least one blade 34 is laterally translatable relative to the other blade 32 to cut along the streets , such as street 56 , separating the variously sized integrated circuits 50 , 51 . the blade 34 may be variously translatable by a stepper motor 36 having a lead screw 38 ( fig3 ) or by other devices known in the art , such as high precision gearing in combination with an electric motor or hydraulics or other suitable mechanical drive and control assemblies . for a wafer 52 , the integrated circuits , such as integrated circuits 50 and 51 , may be diced by setting the blades 32 and 34 to simultaneously cut along streets 56 and 57 , indexing the blades , setting them to a wider lateral spread and cutting along streets 58 and 59 , indexing the blades while monitoring the same lateral spread or separation and cutting along streets 60 and 61 , and then narrowing the blade spacing and indexing the blades and cutting along streets 62 and 63 . the wafer 52 could then be rotated 90 ° and the blade separation and indexing process repeated for streets 64 and 65 , streets 66 and 67 , and streets 68 and 69 . as illustrated in fig6 a wafer saw 70 according to the present invention is shown having two blades 72 and 74 , one of which is independently raisable ( as indicated by an arrow ) relative to the other . as used herein , the term “ raisable ” includes vertical translation either up or down . such a configuration may be beneficial for situations where the distance between adjacent streets is less than the minimum lateral achievable distance between blades 72 and 74 , or only a single column of narrow dice is to be cut , such as at the edge of a wafer . thus , when cutting a wafer 80 , as better illustrated in fig7 the two blades 72 and 74 can make a first pass along streets 82 and 83 . one blade 72 can then be raised , the wafer 80 indexed relative to the unraised blade 74 and a second pass performed along street 84 only . blade 72 can then be lowered and the wafer 80 indexed for cutting along streets 85 and 86 . the process can be repeated for streets 87 ( single - blade pass ), 88 , and 89 ( double - blade pass ). the elevation mechanism 76 for blade 72 may comprise a stepper motor , a precision - geared hydraulic or electric mechanism , a pivotable arm which is electrically , hydraulically or pneumatically powered , or other means well known in the art . finally , it may be desirable to combine the lateral translation feature of the embodiment of the wafer saw 30 illustrated in fig3 with the independent blade raising feature of the wafer saw 70 of fig6 . such a wafer saw could use a single blade to cut along streets that are too closely spaced for dual - blade cutting or in other suitable situations , and use both blades to cut along variously spaced streets where the lateral distance between adjacent streets is sufficient for both blades to be engaged . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodiments herein described while illustrating certain embodiments are not intended to so limit the invention or the scope of the appended claims . more specifically , this invention , while being described with reference to semiconductor wafers containing integrated circuits or other semiconductor devices , has equal utility to any type of substrate to be scribed or singulated . for example , fabrication of test inserts or chip carriers formed from a silicon ( or other semiconductor ) wafer and used to make temporary or permanent chip - to - wafer , chip - to - chip and chip - to - carrier interconnections and that are cut into individual or groups of inserts , as described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 326 , 428 and 4 , 937 , 653 , may benefit from the multi - indexing method and apparatus described herein . for example , illustrated in fig8 a semiconductor substrate 100 may have traces 102 formed thereon by electrodeposition techniques that require connection of a plurality of traces 102 through a tie bar 104 . a two - blade saw in accordance with the present invention may be employed to simultaneously scribe substrate 100 along parallel lines 106 and 108 flanking a street 110 in order to sever tie bars 104 of adjacent substrate segments 112 from their associated traces 102 . following such severance , the two columns of adjacent substrate segments 112 ( corresponding to what would be termed “ dice ” if integrated circuits were formed thereon ) are completely severed along street 110 after the two - blade saw is indexed for alignment of one blade therewith , and the other blade raised out of contact with substrate 100 . subsequently , when either the saw or the substrate carrier is rotated 90 °, singulation of the segments 112 is completed along mutually parallel streets 114 . thus , substrate segments 112 for test or packaging purposes may be fabricated more efficiently in the same manner as dice and in the same sizes and shapes . further , and as previously noted , rfid modules may be more easily fabricated when all components of a module are formed on a single wafer and retrieved therefrom for placement on a carrier substrate providing mechanical support and electrical interconnection between components . as shown in fig9 a portion of a substrate 200 is depicted with three adjacent columns of varying - width segments , the three widths of segments illustrating batteries 202 , chips 204 and antennas 206 of an rfid device . with all of the rfid components formed on a single substrate 200 , an rfid module may be assembled by a single pick - and - place apparatus at a single work station . thus , complete modules may be assembled without transfer of partially assembled modules from one station to the next to add components . of course , this approach may be employed to any module assembly wherein all of the components are capable of being fabricated on a single semiconductor substrate . fabrication of different components by semiconductor device fabrication techniques known in the art is within the ability of those of ordinary skill in the art and , therefore , no detailed explanation of the fabrication process leading to the presence of different components on a common wafer or other substrate is necessary . masking of semiconductor device elements not involved in a particular process step is widely practiced and so similar isolation of entire components is also easily effected to protect the elements of a component until the next process step with which it is involved . further , the present invention has particular applicability to the fabrication of custom or nonstandard ics or other components , wherein a capability for rapid and easy die size and shape adjustment on a wafer - by - wafer basis is highly beneficial and cost - effective . those skilled in the art will also understand that various combinations of the preferred embodiments could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , it may be desirable to have at least one blade of the independently laterally translatable blade configuration be independently raisable relative to the other blade or blades , or a single blade may be both translatable and raisable relative to one or more other blades and to the target wafer . in addition , while , for purposes of simplicity , some of the preferred embodiments of the wafer saw are illustrated as having two blades , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the scopes of the invention and appended claims are intended to cover wafer saws having more or less than two blades . thus , while certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the invention disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the invention , which is defined in the appended claims .	8
referring to fig1 - 4 , fig1 - 4 illustrate a method for fabricating semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , a substrate 12 , such as a silicon substrate or silicon - on - insulator ( soi ) substrate is provided , and a transistor region , such as a pmos region or a nmos region is defined on the substrate 12 . at least a first fin - shaped structure 14 is formed on the substrate 12 and a hard mask 16 is formed on the each fin - shaped structure 14 , in which each of the fin - shaped structures 14 includes a top portion 18 and a bottom portion 20 . despite two fin - shaped structures 14 are disclosed in this embodiment , the quantity of the fin - shaped structures 14 could be adjusted according to the demand of the product . the formation of the fin - shaped structure 14 could be accomplished by first forming a patterned mask ( now shown ) on the substrate , 12 , and an etching process is performed to transfer the pattern of the patterned mask to the substrate 12 . alternatively , the formation of the fin - shaped structure 14 could also be accomplished by first forming a patterned hard mask ( not shown ) on the substrate 12 , and then performing an epitaxial process on the exposed substrate 12 through the patterned hard mask to grow a semiconductor layer . this semiconductor layer could then be used as the corresponding fin - shaped structure 14 . moreover , if the substrate 12 were a soi substrate , a patterned mask could be used to etch a semiconductor layer on the substrate until reaching a bottom oxide layer underneath the semiconductor layer to form the corresponding fin - shaped structure . next , a liner 22 could be formed selectively on the surface of the fin - shaped structures 14 through in - situ steam generation ( issg ) process , in which the liner 22 is preferably composed of silicon oxide and in addition to covering the top portion 18 and bottom portion 20 of the fin - shaped structures 14 , the liner 22 also covers the surface of the substrate 12 . next , a doped layer 24 and another liner 26 are sequentially formed on the liner 22 and covering the entire fin - shaped structures 14 . in this embodiment , the liner 26 is preferably composed of silicon nitride and the material of the doped layer 24 could be adjusted depending on the type of transistor being fabricated afterwards . for instance , if a nmos transistor were to be fabricated , the doped layer 24 is preferably composed of thin film containing p - type dopants , such as borosilicate glass ( bsg ). conversely , if a pmos transistor were to be fabricated , the doped layer 24 is preferably composed of thin film containing n - type dopants , such as phosphosilicate glass ( psg ). next , as shown in fig2 , a passivation layer , such as a dielectric layer 28 is formed on the liner 26 to cover the fin - shaped structures 14 entirely , and an etching back process is conducted to remove part of the dielectric layer 28 so that the top surface of remaining dielectric layer 28 is approximately between the top portion 18 and bottom portion 20 of the fin - shaped structures 14 . in this embodiment , the dielectric layer 28 is preferably an organic dielectric layer ( odl ), but not limited thereto . next , as shown in fig3 , another etching process is conducted by using the dielectric layer 28 as mask to remove part of the liner 26 and doped layer 24 not covered by the dielectric layer 28 . for instance , the liner 26 and doped layer 24 around the top portion 18 of fin - shaped structures 14 are removed to expose the top portion 18 of the fin - shaped structures 14 and the hard mask 16 . it should be noted that the liner 26 could be used to protect the top portion 18 of fin - shaped structures 14 during the etching process . next , as shown in fig4 , the dielectric layer 28 is removed completely , and a dielectric layer 30 composed of silicon oxide preferably through flowable chemical vapor deposition ( fcvd ) process is formed on the fin - shaped structures 14 , and an annealing process is conducted to drive the dopants from the doped layer 24 into the bottom portion 20 of fin - shaped structures 14 and / or substrate 12 to form an anti - punch - through ( apt ) layer for preventing current leakage . it should be noted that since the doped layer 24 composed of either bsg or psg are covered on the fin - shaped structures 14 depending on the type of transistor being fabricated , the dopants being driven into the bottom portion 20 through annealing process also differ from the material of doped layer 24 being used and the type of transistor being fabricated . for instance , if a nmos transistor were to be fabricated and the doped layer 24 on the fin - shaped structures 14 is composed of bsg , p - type dopants such as boron are preferably driven into the bottom portion 20 and / or substrate 12 through annealing process , whereas if a pmos transistor were to be fabricated and the doped layer 24 on the fin - shaped structures 14 is composed of psg , n - type dopants such as phosphorus are driven into the bottom portion 20 and / or substrate 12 through annealing process . next , etching process and / or chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) process could be conducted to remove part of the dielectric layer 30 for forming a shallow trench isolation ( sti ). transistor elements including gate structure and source / drain regions could also be formed thereafter depending on the demand of product , and the details of which are not explained herein for the sake of brevity . it should be noted that the aforementioned annealing process not only drives dopants from the doped layer 24 into the bottom portion 20 of fin - shaped structures 14 and / or substrate 12 , it also solidifies the originally flowable and viscous dielectric layer 30 formed through fcvd process into a much more solid and concrete structure , removes part of impurities such as nitrogen and hydrogen from the dielectric layer 30 , and repairs layer defect thereby increasing isolation effectiveness . it should be noted that instead of performing annealing process to drive dopants from the doped layer 24 into bottom portion 20 and / or substrate 12 after depositing the dielectric layer 30 , it would also be desirable to perform annealing process before the formation of dielectric layer 30 , such as after removing liner 26 and doped layer 24 not protected by the dielectric layer 28 and before removing the dielectric layer 28 . or , it would be desirable to perform annealing process after removing the dielectric layer 28 and before forming the dielectric layer 30 , remove the doped layer 24 completely after the annealing process , and then forming the dielectric layer 30 on the fin - shaped structures 14 , which is also within the scope of the present invention . referring to fig4 , which further discloses a semiconductor device structure according to first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig4 , the semiconductor device includes a substrate 12 , at least a fin - shaped structure 14 disposed on the substrate 12 , a liner 22 disposed on top portion 18 and bottom portion of the fin - shaped structure 14 , a doped layer 24 around the bottom portion 20 and another liner 26 disposed on the doped layer 24 . in this embodiment , the liner 22 is preferably composed of silicon oxide , the doped layer 24 could be composed of bsg or psg , and the liner 26 is composed of silicon nitride . referring to fig5 - 10 , fig5 - 10 illustrate a method for fabricating cmos transistor device according to a second embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig5 , a substrate 32 , such as a silicon substrate or soi substrate is provided , and a pmos region 34 and a nmos region 36 are defined on the substrate 32 . at least a fin - shaped structure 38 is formed on the pmos region 34 , at least a fin - shaped structure 40 is formed on the nmos region 36 , and a hard mask 42 is formed on each of the fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 , in which each of the fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 includes a top portion 44 and a bottom portion 46 . despite two fin - shaped structures 38 are formed on pmos region 34 and two fin - shaped structures 40 are formed on nmos region 36 in this embodiment , the quantity of the fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 could be adjusted according to the demand of the product . next , a liner 48 could be formed selectively on the surface of the fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 through issg process , in which the liner 48 is preferably composed of silicon oxide and in addition to covering the top portion 44 and bottom portion 46 of the fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 , the liner 48 also covers the surface of the substrate 32 . next , a doped layer 50 and another liner 52 are sequentially formed on the liner 48 and covering the entire fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 . in this embodiment , the liner 52 is preferably composed of silicon nitride and the doped layer 50 is composed of material containing p - type dopants such as bsg . next , as shown in fig6 , a patterned resist ( not shown ) is disposed on the fin - shaped structures 40 of nmos region 36 , and an etching process is conducted by using the patterned resist as mask to remove the liner 52 and doped layer 50 from pmos region 34 for exposing the liner 48 and hard mask 42 on pmos region 34 . after stripping the patterned resist , another doped layer 54 is formed on the exposed liner 48 and hard mask 42 of pmos region 34 and the liner 52 on nmos region 36 , in which the doped layer 54 is preferably composed of material containing n - type dopants such as psg . next , as shown in fig7 , another patterned resist ( not shown ) is formed on the doped layer 54 of pmos region 34 , and an etching process is conducted by using the patterned resist as mask to remove the doped layer 54 from nmos region 36 for exposing the liner 52 again . after stripping the patterned resist from pmos region 34 , another liner 56 is deposited on both pmos region 34 and nmos region 36 , such as on the doped layer 54 of pmos region 34 and liner 52 of nmos region 36 . next , as shown in fig8 , a passivation layer , such as a dielectric layer 58 is formed on the liner 56 of both pmos region 34 and nmos region 36 , and an etching back process is conducted to remove part of the dielectric layer 58 so that the top surface of the remaining dielectric layer 58 is between the top portion 44 and bottom portion 46 of fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 . in this embodiment , the dielectric layer 58 is preferably an organic dielectric layer ( odl ), but not limited thereto . next , as shown in fig9 , another etching process is conducted by using the dielectric layer 58 as mask to remove the liner 56 , doped layer 54 , liner 52 , and doped layer 50 not protected by the dielectric layer 58 , such as the liners 56 and 52 and doped layers 54 and 50 around the top portions 44 of fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 . this exposes the top portions 44 of fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 and the hard masks 42 . next , as shown in fig1 , after removing the dielectric layer 58 completely , a dielectric layer 60 composed of silicon oxide preferably through fcvd process is formed on the fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 , and an annealing process is conducted to drive dopants from the doped layers 54 and 50 into the bottom portion 46 of fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 and / or substrate 32 . specifically , phosphorus ions from the doped layer 54 composed of psg on pmos region 34 are driven into the bottom portions 46 of fin - shaped structures 38 , and boron ions from the doped layer 50 composed of bsg on nmos region 36 are driven into the bottom portions 46 of fin - shaped structures 40 . this forms an anti - punch - through ( apt ) layer on each transistor region to prevent current leakage . next , etching process and / or chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) process could be conducted to remove part of the dielectric layer 60 for forming a shallow trench isolation ( sti ), and transistor elements including gate structure and source / drain regions could also be formed thereafter depending on the demand of product , and the details of which are not explained herein for the sake of brevity . similarly , the aforementioned annealing process not only drives dopants from the doped layers 54 and 50 into the bottom portions 46 of fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 and / or substrate 32 , it also solidifies the originally flowable and viscous dielectric layer 60 formed through fcvd process into a much more solid and concrete structure , removes part of impurities such as nitrogen and hydrogen from the dielectric layer 60 , and repairs layer defect thereby increasing isolation effectiveness . also , similar to the aforementioned embodiment , instead of performing annealing process to drive dopants into the substrate after depositing the dielectric layer 60 , it would also be desirable to perform annealing process before the formation of dielectric layer 60 , such as before or after removing the dielectric layer 58 . the doped layers 54 and 50 could then be removed completely after the annealing process , and the dielectric layer 60 is covered directly on the fin - shaped structures 38 and 40 , which is also within the scope of the present invention . overall , the present invention discloses an approach of applying solid - state doping ( ssd ) technique on a finfet device , which preferably forms a doped layer and liner on bottom portion of fin - shaped structures and then performs an annealing process to drive dopants from the doped layer into the bottom portion of the fin - shaped structures and / or substrate to form an anti - punch - through ( apt ) layer for resolving current leakage issue of the device . in this embodiment , the material of the doped layer could be adjusted depending on the type of transistor being fabricated . for instance , if nmos transistor were to be fabricated , the doped layer is preferably composed of bsg whereas if pmos transistor were to be fabricated , the doped layer is preferably composed of psg . those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention . accordingly , the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims .	7
referring to fig3 , a schematic block diagram of an image scanner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown . the image scanner 300 in fig3 comprises an image sensing module 301 and a control circuit 302 . the image sensing module 301 comprises a row of image sensors 3011 – 301 n and three leds as light sources . the terms “ led lr ”, “ led lg ” and “ led lb ” indicate red led , green led and blue led , respectively . the present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the fig3 and table 1 . in this embodiment , the red , green and blue colors are referred as first , second and third colors , respectively . during scanning operation on the scan line l 1 , under control of the control circuit 302 , the red led lr and the green led lg simultaneously illuminate , and thus the first output image generated from the image sensors 3011 – 301 n includes both the red and green images of the scan line l 1 . successively , the green led lg and the blue led lb are controlled to simultaneously illuminate , and thus the second output image generated from the image sensors 3011 – 301 n includes both the green and blue images of the scan line l 1 . afterward , the red led lr and the blue led lb are controlled to simultaneously illuminate , and thus the third output image generated from the image sensors 3011 – 301 n includes both the red and blue images of the scan line l 1 . meanwhile , the scanning operation on the scan line l 1 is implemented . then , under control of the control circuit 302 , the red , green and blue images of the scan line l 1 are obtained from the first output image , the second output image and the third output image according to the following computing equations . from the above equations , it is found that the red , green and blue images of the scan lines can be obtained from the first output image , the second output image and the third output image according to simple arithmetic computations . it is appreciated that the computing operations on the red , green and blue image data of the scan lines can be performed in a computer electrically connected to the image scanner . since the scanning method of the present invention is operated by simultaneously turning on two leds as the light sources of the image sensors , the brightness of light doubles when compared with the conventional cis modules described in fig1 and 2 . as such , the exposure time for each scan line is shortened and thus the scanning speed is increased . by the way , since the brightness of the light source is increased , the signal - to - noise ratio of the image signal is enhanced . while the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures .	7
fig1 illustrates an embodiment 201 of the coverage element 200 of the configurable supportive protection system 100 according to the present invention . the coverage element 200 is positioned about a patient body and covers the torso . the coverage element 200 includes an inside surface 205 and an outside surface 206 and may be constructed from a single continuous piece of material or portions of material that are connected such as by sewing . more specifically , the coverage element 200 includes a back component 220 connected to a front component 230 . the front component 230 further includes a left side component 232 , a right side component 234 and , as shown in this embodiment , two sleeve components 236 . the coverage element 200 is made of cotton , but any material is contemplated such as nylon , polyester , spandex , lycra ®, paper , plastic , fleece , wool , or any combination thereof . the coverage element 200 includes a seam opening element 210 to allow access to the torso of a patient as well as to allow access to the sizeable support element 300 shown in fig3 through fig5 . the seam opening element 210 further includes one or more fastening components 212 to facilitate closure of the seam opening element 210 . as shown , fastening components 212 is velcro ®, but any fastening component is contemplated such as snaps , buttons , strings , zippers , tape or any combination thereof . as shown , the fastening components 212 are positioned off - center , more specifically left - center , along the front component 230 of the coverage element 200 which is approximate to the position of the patient &# 39 ; s heart . fig2 illustrates another embodiment 202 of a coverage element 201 . as shown , the left side component 232 includes an overlap component 233 , although it is contemplated that the right side component 234 may include the overlap component 233 . the overlap component 233 allows the coverage element 201 to accommodate various sized and / or shaped torsos . the overlap component 233 may extend beyond the front component 230 including right side component 234 to support and protect larger patients or may fold to the inside surface 205 or outside surface 206 of the coverage element 201 to support and protect smaller patients . in other embodiments , the back component 220 may include an expandable ridge element as shown by 240 to accommodate various sized and / or shaped torsos . in the preferred embodiment , the configurable supportive protection system 100 is hip - length , but it is also contemplated that the configurable supportive protection system 100 may be knee - length , calf - length , or ankle - length . fig3 illustrates an embodiment 301 sizeable support element 300 of the configurable supportive protection system 100 according to the present invention . the sizeable support element 300 is positioned about a patient body and covers the thorax including the breasts . the sizeable support element 300 includes an inside face 305 and an outside face 306 and may be constructed from a single continuous piece of material or portions of material that are connected such as by sewing . as shown in fig3 , the sizeable support element 300 includes a back portion 320 connected to a front portion 330 . in certain embodiments , the sizeable support element includes only a front portion ( see fig5 ). the front portion 330 further includes a left side portion 332 and a right side portion 334 . the left side portion 332 and the right side portion 334 of the sizeable support element 300 may be of any shape and / or size , for example , to accommodate breasts of varying configuration such as where one breast is smaller than the other . the sizeable support element 300 is made of a flexible material such as lycra ®, but any material is contemplated such as nylon , polyester , spandex , paper , plastic , fleece , wool , or any combination thereof . the sizeable support element 300 includes a joint opening element 310 to allow access to the chest , particularly the breasts . the joint opening element 310 may further include one or more securing components 312 to facilitate opening and closing of the sizeable support element 300 . as shown , securing components 312 is velcro ®, but any securing component is contemplated such as snaps , buttons , strings , zippers , tape or any combination thereof . as shown , the securing components 312 are positioned in - center along the front portion 330 , but it is contemplated the securing components 312 can be off - center such as left - center , along the front portion 300 of the sizeable support element 300 . in certain embodiments , the sizeable support element 300 further includes a band element 340 for additional support as shown in fig3 and fig4 . it is also contemplated that an embodiment 302 of the sizeable support element 300 as shown in fig4 may further include a padding element 400 for additional support , protection and cushion . the padding element 400 may be additional material but is shown to include pocket element 410 into which a padding element ( not shown ) such as pads , tissue , fluff or cups are inserted . more specifically , the left side portion 332 and right side portion 334 include a first pocket element 413 and a second pocket element 415 respectively . in certain embodiments such as the embodiment 303 shown in fig5 , the sizeable support element 300 includes only a front portion 330 as shown in fig5 . in embodiments where the sizeable support element 302 only includes a front portion 330 , the left side portion 332 terminates at a left lateral side 333 and the right side portion 334 terminates at a right lateral side 335 . in the embodiment shown in fig5 , the sizeable support element 302 is integrated with the coverage element 200 via attaching components 380 positioned on the lateral sides 333 , 335 . in one embodiment , the attaching components 380 are such that the sizeable support element 302 is stitch sewn into the coverage element 200 ( see fig7 ). as mentioned above , the left side portion 332 and the right side portion 334 of the sizeable support element 300 may be of any shape and / or size , for example , to accommodate breasts of varying configuration such as where one breast is smaller than the other . the coverage element 300 and sizable support element 200 may be unified in any number of ways . as shown by the embodiment 101 of the configurable supportive protection system 100 in fig6 , the coverage element 200 and sizeable support element 300 are integrated , or fixedly attached , via attaching component 382 such as snaps . it is contemplated that the attaching component 382 may be positioned anywhere such that the outside face 306 of the sizable support element 300 substantially abuts the inside surface 205 of the coverage element 200 . in another embodiment the sizeable support element 300 is separate from the coverage element 200 such that a patient first puts on the sizeable support element 300 and then puts on the coverage element 200 . it is also contemplated that sizeable support element 300 may be releasably attached to the coverage element 200 , for example at the shoulder portion , so that the coverage element 200 and sizeable support element 300 stay connected during a medical procedure . fig7 shows another embodiment 102 of the configurable supportive protection system 100 comprising the coverage element 200 and sizable support element 300 according to the present invention . in this embodiment 102 , the sizeable support element 200 includes a front portion 330 as described in reference to fig5 above . the sizeable support element 300 is integrated with the coverage element 200 via stitch sewn attaching components 380 positioned on the lateral sides 333 , 335 . 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
the microorganisms involved in the sulfur cycle in nature can be divided into two major nutritional categories , heterotrophs and autotrophs . autotrophic microorganisms are those which require only carbon dioxide as a source of carbon . heterotrophic microorganisms are capable of reducing sulfate and incorporating the reduced sulfur into cellular material . this process is termed assimilatory sulfate reduction . a few microorganisms utilize sulfate as a terminal electron acceptor under anaerobic conditions with reduction of sulfate to sulfide . the sulfide thus produced is for the most part not assimilated and accumulates external to the cells . this process is termed dissimilatory sulfate reduction and these organisms are collectively known as the sulfate reducing bacteria . sulfate reducing bacteria belong to the genera desulfovibrio , desulfotomaculum , desulfuromonas , desulfomonas , desulfococcus , desulfobacter , desulfobulbus , desulfosarcina and desulfonema . the sulfate reducing bacteria are strict anaerobes . mere exclusion of oxygen from culturing media is insufficient to promote growth . in fact redox - poising agents are required to maintain the redox potential in the range of - 150 to - 200 millivolts ( mv ). the sulfate reducing bacteria possess electron - transporting co - factors which are unstable at more positive redox potentials . these microorganisms are nutritionally limited to certain types of direct carbon and energy sources such as ethanol , lactate , pyruvate and malate . in accordance with the present invention , such direct carbon and energy sources are the end products of the anaerobic fermentation of the fermentable substrate by fermentive bacteria . it is well known that when so 2 reacts with water , a dynamic equilibrium is established between so 2 , sulfite ion ( so 3 - 2 ) and bisulfite ion ( hso 3 - ) as shown in the equation below : ## str1 ## the relative proportion of the various species in solution is dependent predominantly on ph . sulfate reducing bacteria can utilize sulfite as well as sulfate as a terminal electron acceptor to support growth . for example , cultivated desulfovibrio with sulfite and sulfate as terminal electron acceptors may use lactate as an electron donor and carbon source . the yields of biomass per mole of electron acceptor reduced are greater for sulfite ( 9 . 2g / mole ) than for sulfate ( 6 . 3 g / mole ). the greater yield on sulfite has been attributed to the fact that no atp is expended in its activation unlike sulfate . ( atp is adenosine triphosphate , the principle carrier of chemical energy in biological systems .) these observations suggest that sulfite may be the better terminal electron acceptor for desulfovibrio in terms of energy metabolism . the invention will first be described with respect to a maintenance medium comprising glucose as the fermentable substrate . desulfovibrio desulfuricans ( atcc 13541 ) was obtained from the american type culture collection , rockville , md ., and stock cultures were grown aseptically in complex glucose maintenance medium ( table 1 ) at 30 ° c . table 1______________________________________complex glucose maintenance medium component g / l______________________________________ na . sub . 2 hpo . sub . 4 1 . 2 kh . sub . 2 po . sub . 4 1 . 8 peptone 5 . 0 beef extract 3 . 0 yeast extract 0 . 2 mgso . sub . 4 1 . 5 na . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 1 . 5 fe ( nh ). sub . 4 ( so ). sub . 4 0 . 1 glucose 5 . 0______________________________________ sulfate was the terminal electron acceptor and ammonium ion the source of reduced nitrogen . this medium was recommended by the atcc although sulfate reducing bacteria for the most part cannot use glucose as a carbon and energy source . the actual carbon and energy source for d . desulfuricans in stock cultures was probably derived from the yeast extract , peptone , and beef extract . a working culture for the reduction of so 2 to h 2 s was prepared as follows . a fermentation vessel was filled with complex glucose medium ( table 1 ), inoculated with desulfovibrio desulfuricans and grown under non - aseptic conditions at 30 ° c . and a ph of 7 . 0 for 24 hours . cells were then harvested by centrifugation at 4900 × g for 10 minutes at 30 ° c . the supernatant was discarded and the cells were resuspended in a glucose minimal medium described in tables 2 and 3 with sulfate as the terminal electron acceptor . table 2______________________________________minimal glocuse maintenance mediumcomponent g / l______________________________________na . sub . 2 hpo . sub . 4 1 . 2kh . sub . 2 po . sub . 4 1 . 8na . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 1 . 5mgcl . sub . 2 . 6h . sub . 2 o 2 . 9glucose 5 . 0balch vitamin solution 2 . 0 mls ( see table 3 ) ______________________________________ table 3______________________________________balch vitamin solutioncomponent mg / l______________________________________biotin 2 . 0folic acid 2 . 0pyridoxine hydrochloride 10 . 0thiamine hydrochloride 5 . 0riboflavin 5 . 0nicotinic acid 5 . 0dl - calcium pantothenate 5 . 0vitamin b . sub . 12 0 . 1p - aminobenzoic acid 5 . 0lipoic acid 5 . 0______________________________________ the resuspended cells were then transferred back to the fermenter and grown in this medium for another 24 hours to acclimate the cells to the minimal medium prior to the introduction of so 2 . at the end of this incubation , cells were once again harvested by the method described above at 30 ° c ., then resuspended in the same minimal medium without sulfate and transferred back to the fermenter . at this point , a microscopic examination of the culture showed a collection of various gram negative and gram positive organisms which were very motile . approximately 50 % of the microorganisms in the culture were crescent shaped cells typical of desulfovibrio . when attempts were made to culture d . desulfuricans in a minimal medium ( tables 2 and 3 ) which utilized glucose as the sole source of carbon and energy under aseptic conditions , very little growth was observed . however , under non - aseptic conditions , in which populations of mixed heterotrophs developed in the cultures , vigorous growth of d . desulfuricans was observed . working cultures containing greater than 5 × 10 8 cells / ml were determined by microscopic counts to be approximately 50 % desulfovibrio . this was a surprising and unexpected result . there are probably two reasons for the observed stimulation in the growth of the desulfovibrio by the mixed heterotrophs . first , as noted above , sulfate reducing bacteria do not use carbohydrates , such as glucose , as a source of carbon and energy but are restricted to compounds such as ethanol , acetate , lactate and pyruvate . these are recognized as end products of anaerobic carbohydrate metabolism by fermentive bacteria . the fact that d . desulfuricans was observed to grow well in mixed culture in a medium containing only glucose as a carbon and energy source indicates beneficial cross - feeding in the culture . apparently , the mixed heterotrophs in the culture utilized glucose and produced pyruvate , lactate , or other end products . these fermentive end products then served as carbon and energy sources for d . desulfuricans . lactate could not be detected in the medium from working cultures . however , other end products may have predominated or lactate may have been utilized as fast as it was produced . secondly , pure cultures of d . desulfuricans require redox - poising agents to maintain strict anaerobic conditions in the culture medium . mere exclusion of oxygen is not sufficient . in all experiments conducted in the work described here , no redox - poising agents were used . apparently the mixed heterotrophs in the culture scavenged all the available oxidants and thus kept the redox potential sufficiently negative to favor the growth of the desulfovibrio . the contribution of the heterotrophs in these cultures to the growth of d . desulfuricans was further evidence by efforts to do plate counts for d . desulfuricans on complex glucose medium agar . in all cases except one , no growth of d . desulfuricans was seen on any of the plates as evidenced by the absence of black colonies indicative of sulfate reducing bacteria . colonies of sulfate reducing bacteria appear black in the presence of iron due to the precipitation of sulfide as iron sulfide . in isolated colonies , the benefits of cross - feeding between d . desulfuricans and mixed heterotrophs and , to some extent , oxygen scavenging by heterotrophs would be lost . to illustrate the present invention , a bench scale operation will be described using a 2 . 6 liter reactor vessel . the vessel was loaded with a working culture of d . desulfuricans and mixed heterotrophs prepared as described above . a synthetic gas mixture ( 0 . 99 % so 2 , 4 % co 2 and the balance n 2 ) was fed to the culture through a sparger at a molar flow rate of 0 . 78 mmoles so 2 / hr . nitrogen at 270 mliters / min was also fed to the culture to strip h 2 s . with this flow rate , so 2 limiting conditions were satisfied . that is , the so 2 feed rate was not in excess of the maximum specific activity of the biomass for so 2 reduction . sulfate was undetectable in the culture medium . the complete removal of the so 2 from the feed gas was evidenced by the lack of so 2 in the exit gases . also , as so 2 was removed , the total biomass protein concentration and the d . desulfuricans and total heterotrophs counts increased . analysis of the off - gas from the reactor showed a steady concentration of h 2 s of around 800 ppm . no sulfide or elemental sulfur accumulated in the culture medium . the following table 4 gives the results of three runs using gas chromatograph analysis with a detection limit of 50 ppm . therefore , the h 2 s analyses may be under valued and the actual h 2 s / so 2 ratio may be close to 1 . 0 . in other words , all the so 2 was converted to h 2 s . table 4______________________________________sulfur balance test 1 test 2 test 3______________________________________mmoles so . sub . 2 consumed 69 . 0 90 . 9 61 . 6mmoles h . sub . 2 s produced 63 . 7 86 . 2 60 . 4ratio h . sub . 2 s / so . sub . 2 0 . 92 0 . 95 0 . 98______________________________________ the glucose concentration in the culture decreased with time indicating that the culture was actively utilizing glucose . glucose addition ( 10 g ) was required about every 24 hrs . alkali was added as needed to maintain the ph of the culture medium at about 7 . 0 . in the tests , alkali addition was required for approximately 10 hours after each glucose addition . typically , 148 milliequivalents of hydroxide were used for every 10 grams of glucose required . the average ratio of moles of glucose consumed to the moles of so 2 reduced is about 3 . 4 . the average ratio of grams of biomass protein to moles so 2 reduced is about 11 . 4 grams / mole . the so 2 feed rate in tests 1 - 3 was always less than the maximum specific activity of the biomass for so 2 reduction and sulfite was undetected in the culture medium . to determine the maximum feed rate , the so 2 feed to working cultures developed as described above was increased to the point where sulfite began to accumulate in the liquid phase and further increases resulted in a disproportionate increase in the outlet h 2 s concentration . still further increases in the so 2 flow rate resulted in decreases in outlet h 2 s concentration and a large build - up of sulfite . on the basis of these upset conditions , it was determined that the maximum specific activity of d . desulfuricans for so 2 reduction was 1 . 69 mmoles so 2 / hour - 10 11 cells . an alternative form of the present invention involves the use of a pretreated sewage sludge as the substrate which is fermentable by the facultatively anaerobic heterotrophs . as indicated , this fermentation produces the products which act as the carbon and energy source for the sulfate reducing bacteria . although initial experiments indicated that a yeast extract would support sulfate reduction , raw sewage sludge did not . evidently d . desulfuricans and the mixed heterotroph could not utilize the predominantly insoluble carbon and energy sources of the raw sewage sludge . these observations led to pretreatment of the sewage sludge to facilitate solubilization of the sludge biosolids . 100 g of wet - packed sludge was suspended in 1 liter of the following medium : ______________________________________na . sub . 2 hpo . sub . 4 8 . 5 mmkh . sub . 2 po . sub . 4 13 . 2 mmmgcl . sub . 2 7 . 4 mmnh . sub . 4 cl 3 . 7 mmfecl . sub . 3 0 . 25 mmbalch vitamin solution 2 . 0 ml / l______________________________________ the ph was then adjusted to 12 . 0 with 10n naoh and the suspension autoclaved at 121 ° c . for 30 min . after cooling the ph was readjusted to 7 . 0 with 6n h 3 po 4 . table 5 shows the mixed liquor suspended solids ( mlss ) and soluble chemical oxygen demand ( cod ) and protein concentrations before and after treatment of the sludge suspensions . this is an indication that the heat / alkali pretreatment solubilized a significant fraction of the sludge biosolids . table 5______________________________________effect of heat / alkali treatment before after treatment treatment______________________________________mlss ( mg / l ) 5800 4370soluble cod ( mg / l ) 70 4400soluble protein ( mg / l ) 24 550______________________________________ a continuous so 2 - reducing culture with a feed of the pretreated sewage sludge was then developed . sulfate - reducing biomass from the d . desulfuricans culture growing on yeast extract was harvested by centrifugation at 5000 xg and 25 ° c . the biomass was then resuspended in 1 . 5 l of a filtered preparation of pretreated sewage sludge medium described above in a fermenter . the feed for the fermenter consisted of unfiltered pretreated sewage sludge medium . the feed reservoir was chilled with ice in an insulated container to slow subsequent microbial activity which might reduce the concentration of fermentable substrates in the feed . feed was pumped to the fermenter at a rate of 12 . 0 ml / hr resulting in a dilution rate of 0 . 19d - 1 . on day 59 the volumetric feed rate was reduced to 8 . 0 ml / hr ( 0 . 13 d - 1 ) and remained at this level for the duration of the first experiment . effluent from the fermenter was continuously removed at the culture surface which withdrew mixed liquor from the reactor as the volume increased with feed delivery . the culture was maintained at ph 7 . 0 and 30 ° c . the agitation rate was 200 rpm . the culture received gas feeds of 308 ml / min n 2 to strip h 2 s and 9 . 8 ml / min of 1 . 0 % so 2 , 5 % co 2 , balance n 2 . this corresponds to a molar so 2 feed rate of 0 . 236 mmoles / hr . during start - up of the continuous d . desulfuricans so 2 - reducing culture with pretreated sewage sludge feed , the h 2 s concentration in the reactor outlet gas was about 6000 ppmv after 24 hrs . this h 2 s production was much too high to account for in terms of so 2 reduction alone . over the next 48 hours the h 2 s concentration declined steadily until the concentration was 200 - 250 ppmv where it remained for the duration of the experiment . this extra h 2 s production , over and above that produced by so 2 reduction has been attributed to the metabolism by non - sulfate reducing bacteria heterotrophs of sulfur - containing substrates ( probably s - containing amino acids ) produced during heat / alkali treatment of sewage solids . these soluble substrates were present at very high concentrations during start - up . during the course of the experiment , the culture was very stable with respect to so 2 reduction . no upsets ( as indicated by accumulation of sulfite in the culture medium ) were observed and as shown in table 6 , complete reduction of so 2 to h 2 s was observed during six months of continuous operation . the culture utilized solubilized proteins and other sources of soluble cod as carbon and energy sources to support so 2 reduction . table 6______________________________________sulfur balances in d . desulfuricans continuousso . sub . 2 - reducing reactor operated on feed ofheat / alkali pretreated sewage sludgeso . sub . 2 feed rate h . sub . 2 s produciton rateday ( mmoles / hr ) ( mmoles / hr ) h . sub . 2 s / so2______________________________________21 0 . 205 0 . 204 1 . 0022 0 . 205 0 . 209 1 . 0247 0 . 222 0 . 224 1 . 0165 0 . 222 0 . 219 0 . 9968 0 . 236 0 . 229 0 . 9785 0 . 236 0 . 232 0 . 98______________________________________ as noted above , in so 2 - reducing cultures of d . desulfuricans in which glucose served as the ultimate carbon and energy source , acetic acid and other volatile fatty acids were produced as end products of glucose metabolism by d . desulfuricans and the mixed heterotrophs in the culture . in the cultures described here , very little net production of carboxylic acids (& lt ; 100 mg / l ) was observed when solubilized sewage sludge served as the carbon and energy source . in the second of two experiments of this type , after steady state was achieved , the so 2 feed rate was increased step - wise until the specific activity of d . desulfuricans was exceeded as indicated by accumulation of sulfite in the culture medium . combined with an enumeration of d . desulfuricans this allowed an estimation of the maximum specific activity of the organism for so 2 reduction under those growth conditions . an mpn count ( in triplicate ) of sulfate reducing bacteria in the process culture resulted in a count of 4 . 5 × 10 7 cells / ml . at a so 2 molar feed rate of 0 . 50 mmoles / hr this culture ( 1 . 5 l ) began to accumulate sulfite in the culture medium . therefore the maximum specific activity for so 2 reduction was 0 . 74 mmoles so 2 / hr - 10 11 cells . this compares to 1 . 7 mmoles so 2 / hr - 10 11 cells obtained for so 2 reduction by this organism in mixed culture with glucose as the indirect carbon and energy source . reference will now be made to the drawings which illustrate the biological process described thus far in an overall process for treating flue gas . in fig1 the flue gas 10 is fed to a conventional so 2 removal process 12 such as the previously discussed copper oxide process . the treated flue gas exits the process at 14 and the concentrated so 2 gas stream exits at 16 . in the embodiment of the present invention which includes the use of a claus reactor to convert so 2 and h 2 s to elemental sulfur , two thirds of the concentrated so 2 stream is fed to the bioreactor 18 in which the so 2 is converted to h 2 s as described . the h 2 s exits the bioreactor at 20 and is mixed with the remaining one - third so 2 in line 22 . the two - thirds h 2 s / one - third so 2 mixture is then fed to the claus reactor 24 in which the following reaction occurs : the elemental sulfur exits at 26 . of course , the claus process is a well known process and need not be described further . reference is made to handbook of natural gas engineering , mcgraw - hill , n . y ., 1959 .	1
referring initially to fig1 and 2 , a gun barrel 10 is formed with a breech portion 10a on the opposite end from a muzzle , or fore , portion 10b . the breech portion operates with a chamber member 11 , holding a shell 12 in firing position within the breech , and maintained in position by suitable means , such as ring member 14 and the like . in accordance with the invention , barrel 10 is comprised of an outer , or external , jacket portion 16 , extending the full length l of the barrel ( forward of chamber member 11 ), and thus having a barrel breech portion 16a , of maximum diameter d m , tapering at least through a barrel midportion 16b , to a barrel foreportion 16c , of minimum diameter d m ; the barrel portions 16a and 16c may also be tapered . the barrel jacket portion surrounds a liner layer 18 , metallurgically bonded to the jacket interior surface 16d . the jacket / liner portions are formed from a tubular coextrusion cylinder of concentric material layers carefully selected to include compatible materials , such as nickel , iron and cobalt base superalloys . the liner portion 18 is replaced , along a length l b of the barrel breech portion , with a borelining cylinder 20 ( preferably , length l b is less than one - fourth of the barrel length l ); a small expansion portion 22 ( of perhaps 50 milli - inches length or less ) may be provided between a foreportion 20a of the boreliner and the forelayer 18 rear portion 18a , for accommodation of liner portion 20 expansion . the unbonded boreliner portion 20 also has a breech portion 20b serving to retain the &# 34 ; floating &# 34 ; boreliner sleeve within the jacket breech bore 16e . the boreliner portion 20 can be fabricated of a more expensive high density refractory metal alloy which can withstand the very high breech temperature . the boreliner portion 20 would normally have an average thickness t1 greater than the average thickness t2 of the forebarrel liner portion . referring now to fig3 a - 3d , the barrel 10 is fabricated from a co - extruded barrel tube 24 ( e . g . a co - extruded tube obtained from inco alloys international , inc ., huntington , w . va . 25720 ) with an inco in - 909 iron - based alloy jacket 16 surrounding and metallurgically joined to an inco in - 718 nickel - based alloy liner 18 , with both the inside and outside of the tube being formed within one coextrusion die , to provide a high degree of concentricity of the interface diameter d i to both the liner bore surface 18c and the od of the jacket portion 16 . the co - extruded barrel cylinder may also be formed of other alloy combinations , including : liner layer 18 of one of the aforementioned in - 718 , or one of crmov steel , pyromet 31 or stellite 21 alloys , and the like ; and jacket layer 16 of the aforementioned in - 909 , or one of in - 908 or haynes 242 alloys , and the like , in combinations as selected for providing the desired concentric , bonded layers for achieving a particular end barrel result . the in - 718 liner alloy has sufficiently high chromium content to offer good erosion resistance to hot gun gasses . the in - 909 jacket was selected for its low thermal expansion and good elevated temperature strength . this particular combination of materials was also selected , in part , because of the relatively good compatibility of these two alloys regarding deformation at elevated temperature , facilitating coextrusion , and heat treatment . the raw cylinder outer surface is ( as shown in fig3 b ) now machined to form the breech portion 16a , the midportion 16b , and the desired muzzle portion 16c . a boreliner portion 16e is bored to a depth of slightly more than length l b and with an average diameter of about ( d r + 2t1 ) and the larger - diameter breech end portion 16f is then machined into the sleeve breech portion 16a . the breech boreliner portion 20 was separately formed ( of an alloy material such as ta - 10w , fs - 85 , fs - 752 , wc - 3009 and the like ) and finished , and is now shrunk - fit into the expanded bore portion 16e ( fig3 c ). thereafter , the undersized bore is machined ( fig3 d ) to add any desired rifling lands and grooves 28 and to bring the diameter up to the required caliber . then the bore of the forebarrel liner portion 18 can be plated , as desired , with a chromium or carbo - nitride film , to add corrosion resistance . while presently preferred embodiments of our novel multilayer composite gun barrel are described herein , many variations and modifications will now become apparent to those skilled in the art . it is our intent , therefore , to be limited only by the scope of the appending claims , and not by the specific details and instrumentalities included herein by way of explanation .	1
referring to fig1 and 2 , two identical spinal fixation devices of the present invention , each being generally referred to by the numerals 10 and 11 , respectively , are shown inserted into two vertebrae v adjacent to a disc d of a segment of the human spine . each spinal fixation device 10 and 11 is shown coupled to identical spinal fusion implants 40 and 41 that have been surgically implanted in the disc space between adjacent vertebrae v . in this manner , the spinal fixation devices 10 and 11 stabilize a segment of the spine , prevent the dislodgement of the spinal fusion implant 40 , and remain permanently fixated to the spine once applied . the spinal fixation devices 10 and 11 are identical such that the description of one is equally applicable to the other . thus , the description that follows will be directed to spinal fixation device 10 . referring to fig3 - 4 , the spinal fusion implant 40 such as , but not limited to , the spinal fusion implant described by michelson , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 0165 , 247 issued on may 14 , 1991 , is shown . the spinal fusion implant 40 is cylindrical in shape and has external threads 42 at its outer perimeter for engaging the bone of the vertebrae v adjacent to the disc d . the spinal fusion implant 40 has a trailing end 43 having a depression 44 and a threaded aperture 45 for engaging a portion of the spinal fixation device 10 and also for engaging a portion of an instrument used to insert the spinal fixation device 10 into the vertebrae v . referring to fig5 - 7 , it is appreciated that the spinal fixation devices 10 and 11 of the present invention are not limited in use with a threaded spinal fusion implant 40 and 41 , but may be used with different types of spinal fusion implants . for example , the spinal fixation devices 10 and 11 may be coupled to spinal fusion implants 40 a and 41 a , respectively , each having external ratchetings 42 a instead of external threads 42 as shown in fig5 . alternatively , the spinal fixation devices 10 and 11 may be coupled to spinal fusion implants 40 b and 41 b , respectively , each having a partially cylindrical shape with at least one truncated side 47 as shown in fig6 . as a further alternative , the spinal fixation devices 10 and 11 may be coupled to spinal fusion implants 40 c and 41 c , respectively , each having a knurled external surface 48 as shown in fig7 . it is also appreciated that the spinal fixation devices may be used with a variety of other bone fusion implants without departing from the scope of the present invention . referring to fig8 - 9 , in the preferred embodiment , the spinal fixation device 10 of the present invention comprises a staple member 12 having a substantially planar top member 14 which is of sufficient length to span one intervertebral disc d and to engage , via a plurality of essentially perpendicular extending projections 16 and 17 , the vertebrae v adjacent to that disc d . the top member 14 has a central opening 18 within a concentric , countersunk recess 19 for receiving therethrough a screw or similar coupling means for coupling the spinal fixation device 10 to the spinal fusion implant 40 . the top member 14 has an upper surface 20 having a pair of openings 22 a and 22 b for receiving the posts 88 a and 88 b of a driving instrument 80 which is described in greater detail below in reference to fig1 a and 16b . referring to fig1 , a cross sectional view of the top member 14 is shown . in the preferred embodiment , the top member 14 is generally triangularly shaped and is radiused along curved side 24 and straight side 26 . the curved side 24 of the top member 14 is radiused at its upper edge 25 and at the upper edge 27 of straight side 26 to conform to the external curvature of the vertebrae v . in this manner , smooth surfaces are created at the upper edges 25 and 27 of the top member 14 that are contoured to the shape of the external curvature of the vertebrae v when the staple member 12 is in place . the smooth contoured surface of the upper edges 25 and 27 of the top member 14 prevent aortic erosions and perforations of the vessels proximate the vertebral column such as the vena cava and the iliac vessels which might otherwise result from friction . in the preferred embodiment of the spinal fixation device 10 , the top member 14 has a width ranging from 6 . 0 mm to 28 . 0 mm , with 10 . 0 mm being the preferred width , and having a thickness in the range of 2 . 0 mm to 4 . 0 mm , with 3 . 0 mm being the preferred thickness . the staple member 12 is made of material appropriate for human surgical implantation including all surgically appropriate metals such as but not limited to , titanium , titanium alloy , chrome molybidium alloys , stainless steel ; or non - metallic materials including permanent or resorbable substances or composites , carbon fiber materials , resins , plastics , ceramics or others . further , the staple member 12 of the present invention may be treated with , or even composed of , materials known to participate in or promote in the fusion process or bone growth . the spinal fixation device 10 may be coated with materials to promote bone fusion and thus promote the incorporation and ultimate entombment of the spinal fixation device 10 into the bone fusion mass . the use of a bone fusion promoting material such as , but not limited to hydroxyapatite , hydroxyapatite tricalcium phosphate or bone morphogenic protein , results in a speedier vertebra v to vertebra v fusion as bone may grow along the coated spinal fixation device 10 bridging the two vertebrae v so that the spinal fixation device 10 acts as a trellis and supplies essential chemical elements to facilitate the bone fusion process . referring again to fig9 , the projections 16 and 17 are positioned at opposite ends of the top member 14 and depend downwardly and extend perpendicularly from the bottom surface 30 of the top member 14 . the projections 16 and 17 each terminate in a distal end 32 that is pointed and sharpened to facilitate the insertion of the projections 16 and 17 into the vertebrae v . the staple member 12 is most effective when the interprojection distance i between projections 16 and 17 is at least 4 . 0 mm and preferably 6 . 0 mm greater than the diameter of the particular spinal fusion implant 40 for which the spinal fixation device 10 is being used so that at least 2 . 0 mm and preferably 3 . 0 mm of bone from the vertebrae v will be present between the spinal fusion implant 40 and each of the projections 16 and 17 . typically , intervertebral spinal fusion implants have a diameter that ranges from 12 . 0 mm to 28 . 0 mm , therefore , the interprojection distance i typically will range from 18 . 0 mm to 34 . 0 mm for most applications . in the preferred embodiment , the projections 16 and 17 comprise a series of segmented and ratcheted portions 34 . the segmented and ratcheted portions 34 provide for a “ one way ” insertion of the staple member 12 to prevent the backing - out of the projections 16 and 17 once they are inserted into the bone of the vertebrae v . in the preferred embodiment , each segmented and ratcheted portion 34 of the projections 16 and 17 is conical in shape and the diameter of each segmented and ratcheted portion 34 increases in the direction from the distal end 32 toward the top member 14 so that the projections 16 and 17 resemble a stack of cones . the segmented and ratcheted portions 34 are spaced approximately 2 . 0 mm to 4 . 0 mm apart , with 3 . 0 mm being the preferred distance between each segmented and ratcheted portion 34 . referring to fig1 - 12 , in the preferred embodiment of the spinal fixation device 10 , in order to further facilitate the insertion of the projections 16 and 17 into the vertebrae v , the distal end 32 of each projection 16 has an eccentric , incline - planed inner surface 36 as shown in fig1 . the eccentric , incline - planed inner surface 36 of each of the projections 16 and 17 create a force f which pushes the bone of the vertebrae v toward the spinal fusion implant 40 as the staple member 12 is inserted into each of the vertebrae v as shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 a - 13f , in the preferred embodiment of the spinal fixation device 10 , the projections 16 and 17 are cylindrical in shape having a circular cross section as shown for projection 16 in fig1 a . alternatively , the projection 16 a may have a triangular cross section as shown in fig1 b ; the projection 16 b may have a square cross section as shown in fig1 c ; the projection 16 c may have a rectangular cross section as shown in fig1 d ; the projection 16 d may have a trapezoidal cross section as shown in fig1 e ; or the projection 16 e may have a cross section with a configuration as shown in fig1 f . in the preferred embodiment , the projections 16 and 17 each have a diameter of approximately 2 . 0 mm to 4 . 0 mm , with 3 . 0 mm being the preferred diameter at the widest point . the projection 16 and 17 each have a length ranging from 16 . 0 mm to 28 . 0 mm , with 22 . 0 mm being the preferred length when the spinal fixation device 10 is implanted in the direction of the anterior aspect of the vertebra v to the posterior aspect of the vertebrae v . alternatively , it is appreciated that the projections 16 and 17 each could have a longer length depending on the diameter of the vertebrae v in which the projections 16 and 17 are implanted . referring again to fig9 , the top member 14 of the staple member 12 has a central bar 35 extending from the center of its bottom surface 30 , for interdigitating and mating to an already implanted intervertebral spinal fusion implant 40 . in the preferred embodiment , the central bar 35 has a thickness in the range of 0 . 5 mm to 1 . 5 mm , with 0 . 5 mm being the preferred thickness . referring to fig1 , the central bar 35 is configured so that it complements and engages the depression 44 at the insertion end 43 of the spinal fusion implant 40 . once engaged to the depression 44 , the bar 35 interdigitates with the depression 44 of the spinal fusion implant 40 to lock and prevent the rotation of the spinal fusion implant 40 . referring to fig1 , in the preferred embodiment , the staple member 12 is secured to the spinal fusion implant 40 by a screw 60 having threaded end 61 with a locking thread pattern 62 and screw head 64 . the locking thread pattern 62 has a reduced pitch at the bottom of the threaded end 61 such that the screw 60 is self - locking . however , it is appreciated that the threaded pattern 62 may be any of the means for locking a screw well known by those skilled in the art . referring to fig2 and 8 , the threaded end 61 of the screw 60 passes through the central opening 18 of the top member 14 and the threaded pattern 62 threads into the threaded aperture 45 of the spinal fusion implant 40 . the screw head 64 fits within the countersunk recess 19 of the top member 14 such that the screw head 64 is at or below the plane of the upper surface 20 of the top member 14 . in the preferred embodiment , the central opening 18 has a diameter ranging from 4 . 5 mm to 5 . 5 mm , with 5 . 0 mm being the preferred diameter . the countersunk recess 19 has a diameter in the range of 6 . 0 mm to 8 . 0 mm with 7 . 0 mm being the preferred diameter . referring to fig1 a , 15 b , and 15 c , an enlarged cross sectional view of three different embodiments of a securing means 65 for locking the screw 60 once it is threaded to the spinal fusion implant 40 are shown . in fig1 a , the securing means 65 comprises a notch 66 in the surface 20 of the top member 14 which is preferably made of metal . once the screw 60 is threaded and securely tightened to the spinal fusion implant 40 , a chisel c is used to bend a portion 67 of the top member 14 into the central opening 18 and against the screw head 64 so as to prevent the outward excursion and any unwanted loosening of the screw 60 . in fig1 b , a second embodiment of the securing means 65 a is shown comprising a central score 66 a concentric with the central opening 18 . a screw 60 a having a slot 61 a in the screw head 64 a is threaded and securely tightened to the spinal fusion implant 40 . an instrument t is partially inserted into slot 61 a after which an impaction force f . sub . 1 is applied to the instrument t to spread apart the screw head 64 a in the direction of the arrows a so that the screw head 64 a becomes deformed from the impaction force f . sub . 1 and fits within the central score 66 a . once the screw head 64 a is in the central score 66 a , the outward excursion of the screw 60 a is prevented by the top lip 68 of the central score 66 a . in fig1 c , a third embodiment of the securing means 65 b is shown comprising a screw 60 b having a screw head 64 b with a slightly flanged portion 69 b near the top and a slot 61 b . the central opening 18 has along its circumference a recess 66 b for receiving the flanged portion 69 b of the screw head 64 b . the securing means 65 b relies on the natural resiliency of the metal screw head 64 b such that when the screw 60 b is being driven by a screw driver , the screw head 64 b flexes in the direction of the arrows b . in this manner , the flanged portion 69 b of the screw head 64 b slides along the interior of the central opening 18 so that the screw head 64 b is below the top lip 68 b of the recess 66 b . once the screw driver is removed from the screw 60 b , the screw head 64 b returns to its natural state in the direction opposite to the arrows b so that the flanged portion 69 b is within the recess 66 b . the outward excursion of the screw 60 is thus prevented by the top lip 68 b which blocks the screw head 64 b by catching the flanged portion 69 b . fig1 a - 18 show the instrumentation used for installing the spinal fixation device 10 . referring to fig1 a , a driving instrument 80 used for inserting the spinal fixation device 10 into the vertebrae v is shown having a hollow tubular shaft 82 which terminates at one end to a bottom flat member 84 and terminates to a top flat member 86 at the other end . the bottom flat member 84 is preferably configured so that it conforms to the shape of the top member 14 of the staple member 12 . the driving instrument 80 has a pair of short posts 88 a and 88 b extending from the bottom flat member 84 . the posts 88 a and 88 b are oriented on the bottom flat member 84 so as to correspond to the position of the openings 22 a and 22 b in the upper surface 20 of the top member 14 of the staple member 12 . each of the posts 88 a and 88 b fit into each of the openings 22 a and 22 b and keep the staple member 12 aligned on the bottom flat member 84 of the driving instrument 80 . it is appreciated that the openings 22 a and 22 b in the top member 14 may be depressions within the surface 20 of the top member 14 or may be holes that pass through the top member 14 . in the preferred embodiment , the openings 22 a and 22 b gave a diameter ranging from 1 . 5 mm to 3 . 5 mm , with 2 . 5 mm being the preferred diameter . referring to fig1 b , an alternative embodiment of the driving instrument 80 ′ which is used for inserting into the vertebrae v the spinal fixation device 210 , described in detail below in reference to fig2 , is shown having a hollow tubular shaft 82 ′ which terminates at one end to a bottom flat member 84 ′ and terminates to a top flat member 86 ′ at the other end . the bottom flat member 84 ′ is rectangular in shape so that it conforms to the shape of the top member 214 of the spinal fixation device 210 . the driving instrument 80 ′ has a pair of short posts 88 ′ a , 88 ′ b , 88 ′ c and 88 ′ d extending from the bottom flat member 84 ′. the posts 88 ′ a - 88 ′ d are oriented on the bottom flat member 84 ′ so as to correspond to the position of the openings 222 a - 222 d of the spinal fixation device 210 . each of the and keep the spinal fixation device 210 aligned on the bottom flat member 84 ′ of the driving instrument 80 ′. referring to fig1 a , an alignment rod 70 comprising a cylindrical shaft 72 having a smooth exterior surface 73 and a threaded end 74 may be threadably attached to the threaded aperture 45 of the spinal fusion implant 40 is shown . the alignment rod 70 fits through the central opening 18 of the spinal fixation device 10 and is used to properly align the projections 16 and 17 on each side of the spinal fusion implant 40 prior to engaging the vertebrae v . further , the alignment rod 70 also serves as a guide post for the drilling template instrument 50 described in greater detail below . referring to fig1 b , as an alternative embodiment of the alignment rod 70 , a splined alignment rod 70 ′ that has a finely splined surface 72 ′ along its longitudinal axis and a threaded end 74 ′ that may be attached to the threaded aperture 45 of the spinal fusion implant is shown . referring to fig1 , a drilling template instrument 50 for creating a pair of insertion holes 53 a and 53 b in each of the vertebrae v for receiving each of the projection 16 and 17 respectively is shown . the drilling template instrument 50 has a template 52 with a central aperture 54 therethrough and guide passages 55 and 56 for guiding a drill bit 51 of a drilling tool . attached to the template 52 is a handle 58 which angles away from the template 52 so as not to obstruct the line of sight of the surgeon and to allow easy access to the template 52 and easy access to the guide holes 55 and 56 for the drill bit 51 . extending from the center of the bottom surface of the template 52 is a central member 59 ( similar in structure and function to the central bar 35 ) for mating to an already implanted intervertebral spinal fusion implant 40 . the central member 59 interdigitates with the depression 42 of the spinal fusion implant 40 so that the template 52 is properly oriented about the spinal fusion implant 409 and the guide holes 55 and 56 are properly oriented with respect to the vertebrae v adjacent to the spinal fusion implant 40 . the alignment rod 70 serves as a guide post for the drill template instrument 50 as it fits through the central aperture 54 of the template 52 and aligns the template 52 with respect to the spinal ; fusion implant 40 and insures that it is coaxial . the central aperture 54 of the drilling template instrument 50 is smooth so that if it is placed over a splined alignment rod 70 ′ the drilling template instrument 50 may be easily rotated about the splined alignment rod 70 ′ into position such that the central member 59 is able to mate and interdigitate with the depression 44 of the spinal fusion implant 40 . referring to fig1 - 24 , the spinal fixation device 10 of the present invention is inserted in the following manner : at least one spinal fusion implant 40 is surgically implanted so that it is substantially within the disc space between two adjacent vertebrae v and engages at least a portion of each of the two adjacent vertebrae v . once the spinal fusion implant 40 is in place , the alignment rod 70 is attached to the threaded aperture 45 of the spinal fusion implant 40 . the alignment rod 70 serves as a guide post for the drilling template instrument 50 as it fits through the central aperture 54 of the template 52 and aligns the template 52 coaxially with respect to the spinal fusion implant 40 . referring to fig2 , once the template 52 is properly aligned and the drilling template instrument 50 is seated so that the central member 59 interdigitates with the spinal fusion implant 40 , the insertion holes 53 a and 53 b are drilled in each of the adjacent vertebrae v with a drilling instrument having a drill bit 51 with a diameter that is substantially smaller than the diameter of each the projections 16 and 17 of the staple member 12 . once the drilling of the insertion holes 53 a and 53 b is completed , the drill template instrument 50 is removed from the spinal fusion implant 40 and from the alignment rod 70 . the alignment rod 70 is left in place attached to the threaded aperture 45 of the spinal fusion implant 40 . referring to fig2 , the staple member 12 is placed onto the driving instrument 80 used for driving and fixing the staple member 12 into the vertebrae v so that the bottom flat member 84 and the posts 88 a and 88 b are aligned with the top member 14 and the depressions 22 a and 22 b of the top member 14 . the alignment rod 70 serves as a guide post for the staple member 12 as it fits through the central opening 18 of the staple member 12 and aligns the staple member 12 coaxially with respect to the spinal fusion implant 40 . referring to fig2 , once the staple member 12 is properly placed onto the bottom flat member 84 of the driving instrument 80 , the staple member 12 and the driving instrument 80 are aligned with respect to the alignment rod 70 so that the alignment rod 70 passes through the central opening 18 of the staple member 12 and is inserted into the central hollow portion 89 of the driving instrument 80 . the staple member 12 and the driving instrument 80 are then lowered along the alignment rod 70 so that the sharp distal end 32 of each of the projections 16 and 17 comes into contact with the external surface of the vertebrae v and is aligned with the previously drilled insertion holes 53 a and 53 b . as shown in fig2 a , it is preferred that the insertion holes 53 a and 53 b be drilled so that when the projections 16 and 17 are inserted into the holes 53 a and 53 b , the incline planed inner surface 36 of each of the projections 16 and 17 contacts the inner wall w of the insertion holes 53 a and 53 b that is closest to the spinal fusion implant 40 . in this manner a compression force f is created as each of the projections 16 and 17 of the staple member 12 is inserted into insertion holes 53 a and 53 b , respectively , compressing the bone of the vertebrae v toward the spinal fusion implant 40 . referring to fig2 , the staple member 12 is then driven into the vertebrae v by applying a high impaction force to the driving instrument 80 with a hammer h or other impacting means against the top flat member 86 of the driving instrument 80 . the staple member 12 is driven into the vertebrae v such that the projections 16 and 17 are moved forward into the insertion holes 53 a and 53 b , respectively , until the bottom surface 30 of the top member 14 of the staple member 12 comes to rest against the surface of the vertebrae v . referring to fig2 - 24 , the driving instrument 80 is lifted away from the alignment rod 70 so that the alignment rod 70 is no longer within the central hollow portion 89 of the driving instrument 80 . the alignment rod 70 is unthreaded from the threaded aperture 45 and is removed from the spinal fusion implant 40 . the staple member 12 is secured to the spinal fusion implant 40 with the locking screw 60 which has a threaded pattern 62 with a reduced pitch . the reduced pitch of the locking screw 60 locks the locking screw 60 to the spinal fusion implant 40 with minimal turning of the locking screw 60 and prevents any unwanted loosening . further , any of the three embodiments of the securing means 65 , 65 a or 65 b described above in reference to fig1 a - 15c may be used to further prevent any unwanted loosening and outward excursion of the screw 60 . referring back to fig1 , once the staple member 12 is driven into the vertebrae v and is secured to the spinal fusion implant 40 , the spinal fusion implant 40 is prevented from rotating along its rotational axis r by its connection to the staple member 12 which is fixated across the disc space between the vertebrae v . the staple member 12 is prevented from backing out from the vertebrae v along the longitudinal axis l by its connection to the spinal fusion implant 40 and by the segmented and ratcheted portions 34 of the projections 16 and 17 . in this manner , the staple member 12 and the spinal fusion implant 40 interact to prevent the dislodgement of each other from the vertebrae v in which they are implanted . thus , the staple member 12 is made safe against dislodgement by attachment to the spinal fusion implant 40 and the stability of the spinal fusion implant 40 is assured as it is also stabilized by the staple member 12 and each works in connection with the other to remove the only remaining degree of freedom that would allow for the disengagement of either . in addition , the incline planed inner surface 36 at the distal end 32 of the projections 16 and 17 forces bone toward the spinal fusion implant 40 along force lines f to further secure the spinal fusion implant 40 and further prevent the dislodgement of the spinal fusion implant 40 . it is appreciated by those skilled in the art that when the bone of the vertebrae v is sufficiently soft , a shorter method ( hereinafter referred to as the “ short method ”) of inserting the spinal fixation device 10 is possible by omitting the steps of drilling the insertion holes 53 a and 53 b prior to inserting the staple member 12 into the vertebrae v . referring to fig2 , in the short method , the splined alignment rod 70 ′ that is finely splined along its longitudinal axis is used instead of the alignment rod 70 . once the splined alignment rod 70 ′ has been attached to the spinal fusion implant 40 , the staple member 12 may be placed over the splined alignment rod 70 ′ so that the splined alignment rod 70 ′ passes through the aperture 18 and into the central aperture 89 of the driving instrument 80 . the central aperture 89 of the driving instrument 80 is correspondingly splined to the splines of the splined alignment rod 70 ′ so that the staple member 12 can be aligned with respect to the spinal implant 40 . the alignment of the staple member 12 and the driving instrument 80 is maintained as the corresponding splines of the central aperture 89 interdigitate with the splines of the splined alignment rod 70 ′ and prevent the rotation of the staple member 12 about the splined alignment rod 70 ′. the prevention of rotation about the splined alignment rod 70 ′ is especially important when the short method is used to insert the spinal fixation device 10 , as no insertion holes 53 a and 53 b have been drilled in the vertebrae v . the staple 12 can be driven directly into the vertebrae v by the application of a high impaction force to the driving instrument 80 as described above and shown in fig2 . once the staple member 12 is driven into the vertebrae v , the steps of the longer method described above are used to secure the spinal fixation device to the spinal fusion implant 40 are the same . the short method of inserting the staple member 12 reduces the amount of time required to insert and secure the spinal fixation device 10 of the present invention and thus reduces the overall duration of the spinal fixation surgical procedure . while the present invention has been described with respect to its preferred embodiment , it is recognized that alternative embodiments of the present invention may be devised without departing from the inventive concept . for example , referring to fig2 , a first alternative embodiment of a spinal fixation device 110 having a staple member 112 with a top member 114 generally in the shape of an elongated oval having two curved sides 124 a and 124 b is shown . in this alternative embodiment , the curved sides 124 a and 124 b have upper edges 125 a and 125 b , respectively , that are radiused to conform to the external curvature of the vertebrae v thereby creating smooth contoured surfaces as described above for the spinal fixation device 10 , the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the top member 114 has openings 122 a and 122 b in the upper surface 120 of the top member 114 and has two projections 116 and 117 depending downwardly from the bottom surface 130 of the top member 114 at opposite ends of the staple member 112 . the projections 116 and 117 are the same as the projections 16 described above for the preferred embodiment . referring to fig2 , a second alternative embodiment of the spinal fixation device 210 having a staple member 212 is shown with a top member 214 that is generally rectangular 5 in shape and has an upper surface 220 with openings 222 a , 222 b , 222 c , and 222 d . the top member 214 has four projections 216 , 217 , 218 , and 219 depending from its bottom surface at each of its corners . the projections 216 - 217 are the same as the projections 16 and 17 described above in the preferred embodiment . the stop member 2145 has four straight sides 228 a , 228 b , 228 c , and 228 d having upper edges 225 a , 225 b , 225 c , and 225 d , respectively , that are radiused to conform to the external curvature of the vertebrae v create a smooth surface as described above for the preferred embodiment . the driving instrument 80 ′ shown in fig1 b is used to insert the spinal fixation device 210 . referring to fig2 , a third alternative embodiment of the spinal fixation device 310 having a staple 312 with a top member 314 that is generally triangular is shown . the top member 314 has two projections 316 and 317 depending from the bottom surface of the top member 314 that engage the vertebrae v . extending from the center of the bottom surface of the top member 314 is a central member 390 which is similar to the central bar 35 of the preferred embodiment of the spinal fixation device 10 in that the central member 390 interdigitates with the depression 44 of the spinal fusion implant 40 . however , the central bar 390 also has an extension arm 392 that extends laterally from the top member 314 to span the diameter of an adjacent spinal fusion implant 41 . the extension arm 392 interdigitates with the depression 44 of the spinal implant 41 . the extension arm 392 has a central aperture 394 for receiving a screw 60 b used to couple the extension arm 392 to the spinal fusion implant 41 . in this manner , a single spinal fixation device 310 is capable of interdigitating with two adjacent spinal fusion implants 40 and 41 to clock and prevent the rotation and any excursion of the spinal fusion implants 40 and 41 . the fixation of two spinal fusion implants 40 and 41 is possible while leaving no protruding metal , such as the top member 314 , on the side of the spine where the vessels are located in close approximation to the vertebrae as is the case with the l 4 and l 5 vertebrae where the vessels are located over the left side of those vertebrae . it is appreciated that any of the securing means 65 - 65 b , described above may be used to lock the screw 60 b to the extension arm 392 . referring to fig2 , a fourth alternative embodiment of the spinal fixation device 410 having a staple member 412 with a top member 414 that is generally triangular in shape is shown in the installed position . the top member 414 is wider and larger than top member 14 as it is used with an implant 440 having a large diameter in the range of 22 . 0 mm to 28 . 0 mm . the top member 414 needs to be wider when used with implant 440 in order to provide a central bar 435 of sufficient length to interdigitate and mate with the depression 444 of the implant 440 in order to prevent its rotation . further , the top member 414 is tapered at portion 416 so as not to cause erosion or pressure against the vessels that may be present in the area of the spine adjacent to the portion 416 of the top member 414 . referring to fig2 - 32 , a fifth alternative embodiment of the spinal fixation device 510 with a staple member 512 having a generally rectangular top member 514 is shown . the staple member 512 is similar in structure to the staple 212 described above except that the top member 514 has multipronged projection blades 516 and 517 depending from its lower surface 530 as shown in fig3 . the multipronged projection blades 516 and 517 have the same function and similar structure as the projections 16 and 17 described above and include segmented and ratcheted portions 534 which are similar in design are function to segmented and ratcheted portions 34 . the multipronged blade projections 516 and 517 offer the added advantage of increasing the strength and stability of the staple member 514 once it is inserted into the bone of the vertebrae v providing a greater area of engagement of the staple member 512 to the vertebrae v . the lower surface 530 has knobs 532 and 534 extending therefrom for engaging and interdigitating with a spinal implant 540 having an insertion end 541 with openings 542 and 544 for receiving knobs 532 and 534 respectively . referring to fig3 and 32 , the spinal fusion implant 540 is shown inserted within the disc space between two adjacent vertebrae v . the spinal implant 540 is generally rectangular in shape . the multiprong blade projections 516 and 517 have a width that is approximately equal or slightly less than the width of the spinal fusion implant 540 . once inserted , the spinal fixation device 510 compresses the bone of the vertebrae v towards the spinal fusion implant 540 as discussed above in reference to fig1 . the spinal fixation device 510 may be secured to the spinal fusion implant 540 with a screw 60 as discussed above . the spinal fixation device 510 having a staple member 512 is the preferred embodiment of the present invention for use with a multi - segmental spinal alignment means 600 described in greater detail below in that the staple 512 provides a more solid anchoring means that can resist greater torsion forces resulting from the application of the multi - segmental spinal alignment means 600 to align the spine . alternatively , for all of the embodiments described above , the spinal fixation device 10 of the present invention could be made of resorbable materials , such as bio - compatible resorbable plastics , that resorb at an appropriate rate such that once the spinal fixation device 10 is no longer needed ( i . e . when spinal fusion is complete ) the body would resorb the spinal fixation device 10 . one such resorbable material is polygalactone , however any other resorbable plastic or other material safely usable within the human body are also within the scope of the present invention . further , the spinal fixation device could be only in part resorbable such that the projections 16 and 17 of the staple member 12 would be non - resorbable and would remain incarcerated in the vertebrae v and sealed off once the resorbable portion of the staple is resorbed by the body . referring to fig3 and 34 , as a further application , the spinal fixation device 510 of the present invention may be used as an anchor for a multi - segmental spinal alignment means 600 , such that a multiplicity of spinal fixation devices may then be interconnected via a cable , rod , bar , or plate , so as to achieve or maintain any desired multi - segment spinal alignment . in the preferred embodiment , the multi - segmental spinal alignment means 600 comprises more than one spinal fixation device 510 of the present invention placed in series along the spine such that each spinal fixation device 510 spans one disc d and engages two adjacent vertebrae v . the spinal fixation device 510 is preferred over the other embodiments of the present invention in that it has a greater area of engagement with the vertebrae v so as to provide a solid anchoring means for the multi - segmental spinal alignment means 600 . however , it is appreciated that other embodiments including but not limited to those described herein may be utilized as anchoring means for the multi - segmental spinal alignment means 600 . when used as an anchor , each spinal fixation device 510 interdigitates with and is connected to a spinal fusion implant 610 having an insertion end 612 , an interior chamber 614 and is inserted in the disc space between the two adjacent vertebrae . the spinal fusion implant 610 has a threaded blind hole 620 for receiving a threaded post 622 therein . the blind hole 620 has a casing that is made of strong surgically , implantable material such as , but not limited to titanium . the casing 624 extends from the insertion end 612 of the spinal fusion implant 610 into the interior central chamber 614 . the insertion end 612 has a rigid construction that is capable of withstanding high torsion forces resulting from the tensioning of the multi - segmental spinal alignment means to align segments of the spine . in the preferred embodiment , the insertion end 612 of the spinal fusion implant has an end portion 626 that closes the insertion end 612 . the end portion is substantially thicker than the rest of the spinal fusion implant 610 and in the preferred embodiment , the end portion 626 has thickness ranging from 1 . 5 mm to 4 . 0 mm , with 2 . 5 mm being the preferred thickness . referring to fig3 , the threaded post 622 has a threaded end 628 with a locking thread pattern that is substantially longer than the locking thread pattern 62 of the screw 60 described above and a head portion 630 having a hole 632 for receiving a rod 634 or a cable therethrough . the head portion 630 has a rounded exterior surface to prevent any damage such as aortic erosion to the vessels in the area adjacent to the spine . in the preferred embodiment the threaded post has a diameter ranging from 3 . 0 mm to 6 . 0 mm , with 4 . 5 mm being the preferred diameter and has a length ranging from 15 . 0 mm to 25 . 0 mm , with 20 . 0 mm being the preferred length . the head portion 630 extends at a height above the top member 514 of the spinal fixation device 510 of approximately 8 . 0 mm to 16 . 0 mm , with 12 . 0 being the height preferred once it is threadably attached to the spinal fusion implant 610 such that it does not significantly protrude from the spinal column into the tissue and vessels adjacent thereto . once the threaded post 622 is attached to the spinal fusion implant 610 , the head portion 630 of each threaded post 622 are connected to one another by the rod 634 having a sufficient diameter to fit through the hole 632 of each head portion 630 . the rod 634 has at least a portion thereof that is threaded so that a plurality of lock nuts 638 may be used to secure the rod 634 to the head portions 630 . the lock nuts 638 may also be used as length adjusting means to adjust the length of the rod 634 between head portions 630 so that segmental portions of the spine may be held closer together or held further aport for the purposes of aligning the spine . it is appreciated that a plurality of multi - segmental spinal alignment means 600 may be placed in series either on one side or on opposite sides of the spine , such that one side of the spine may be extended while the other side may be held stationary or may be compressed in order to achieve proper spinal alignment . the multi - segment spinal alignment may be maintained by keeping the rod tensioned with the lock nuts 638 or by any other means well known by those skilled in the art . it is also appreciated that in place of a rod 634 a cable , a plate or any other means well known by those skilled in the art may be used to interconnect the multi - segmental spinal alignment means . referring to fig3 , a sixth alternative embodiment of the spinal fixation device of the present invention is shown and generally referred to by the numeral 710 . the spinal fixation device 710 comprises a top member 714 that is similar to the top member 14 described above , except that it does not have projections 16 and 17 extending from the bottom surface . like numbers are being used to designate identical features of the top members 14 and 714 . in the top member 714 , instead of having projections 16 and 17 , independent projection members 716 and 717 in the form of screws are used to secure the top member 714 of the spinal fixation device 710 to the vertebrae v of the spine . the projection screw members 716 and 717 each terminate in a sharp distal end 720 and 722 respectively , have a threaded portion 723 , and have screw heads 724 and 726 for engaging a screw driver or similar driving instrument . the top member 714 has a hole 728 on one end and a hole 730 at its other end through which each of the projection screw members 716 and 717 respectively , may pass . the projection screw members 716 and 717 pass through the holes 728 and 730 to engage the vertebrae v . each of the holes 728 and 730 has a concentric counter sunk recess 732 for receiving and seating the screw heads 724 and 726 of the projection screw members 716 and 717 so that the screw heads 724 and 726 are flush or below the top surface 20 of the stop member 714 once inserted into the vertebrae v . as the projection screw members 716 and 717 are threaded , they can be rotationally advanced into the vertebrae instead of by way of an impaction force such that the potential for damage to the vertebrae v is reduced . the threads of the threaded portion 723 follow one another as the projection screw members 716 and 717 are being screwed into the bone such that the integrity of the vertebrae v is preserved . also , as the projection screw members 716 and 717 are independent from the top member 714 , the penetration depth of the spinal fixation device 710 into the bone of the vertebrae v may be easily altered by selecting different sized projection screw members 716 and 717 appropriate for the particular vertebrae being fused . further , it is possible to configure the holes 728 and 730 in the top member 714 such that the projection screw members 716 and 717 may be inserted into the vertebrae v from a number of different angles relative to the top member 714 . adjacent and proximate to each of the holes 728 and 730 are threaded openings 740 and 742 , respectively , for receiving locking screws 744 and 746 respectively . each of the locking screws 744 and 746 have a head portion 750 and a locking thread portion 754 for threadably and lockably engaging the threaded openings 740 and 742 . the locking screws 744 and 746 are attached to the top member 714 after the projection screw members 716 and 717 have been inserted into the vertebrae v . at least a part of the head portion 750 and 752 blocks and preferably makes contact with the screw projections 716 and 717 to prevent any unwanted loosening and outward excursion of the screw projections 716 and 717 . it is appreciated that the projection members 716 and 717 , instead of being threaded screws , may have a number of other configurations such as , but not limited to , the configurations of the projections described above for the various embodiments of the present invention . if the projections members 716 and 717 are ratcheted instead of being threaded , they can be driven into the vertebrae v with a driving instrument and impaction force as described above for the method of the present invention . while the present invention has been described with respect to its preferred embodiment and a number of alternative embodiments , it is recognized that additional variations of the present invention may be devised without departing from the inventive concept and scope of the present invention .	0
fig1 shows a perspective side - view of the essential parts of an embodiment of a heat - generating element in a blown - up representation . the heat - generating element has a positioning frame 2 , made of injection - moulded plastic , whose middle longitudinal axis forms a bisecting plane of the heat - generating element . this element is essentially formed with one side the mirror image of the other , and initially has contact plates 4 provided on each side of the positioning frame 2 , said contact plates holding between them the ptc elements 6 held in the positioning frame 2 . on the exterior side of the contact plates 4 is located a two - layer insulating layer 8 , comprising an exterior insulating foil 10 and an inner ceramic plate 12 , that fits directly against the contact plate 4 . the ceramic plate 12 is a relatively thin aluminium oxide plate that provides very good electric dielectric strength of roughly 28 kv / mm and good thermal conductivity of more than 24 w /( m k ). the plastic foil 10 in this case is formed by a polyamide foil that has good thermal conductivity of roughly 0 . 45 w /( m k ) and dielectric strength of 4 kv . located between the plastic foil 10 and the ceramic plate 12 is a wax layer , with a thickness of a few μm , whose melting point is coordinated with regard to the operating temperature of the heat - generating element , namely in such a way that the wax melts at the operating temperature and becomes distributed between the plastic foil and the ceramic plate 12 , which fit closely together under compressive stress , with the distribution being of such a manner that a levelling film is created that furthers good heat transfer between the two parts 10 , 12 of the insulating layer 8 . the combination of plastic foil 10 and ceramic plate 12 leads to an insulating part 8 that has good electrical characteristics and thermal conductivity characteristics and , particularly with respect to voltages of up to 2 , 000 v , is not subject to flashover , but which simultaneously displays the necessary strength . any stress peaks that can , in particular , be generated by pressure against heat - emitting elements that fit against the heat - generating element , are relieved and homogenized by the insulating foil positioned on the exterior . the wax that is arranged between the two parts 10 , 12 of the insulating layer , as well as , optionally , an adhesive that is also provided there and that connects the two parts 10 , 12 to one another , furthers this relief of stress peaks . accordingly , there is no risk of the relatively brittle ceramic layer breaking , even at higher compressive stresses that hold a layer composition of heat - generating and heat - emitting elements under an initial tension . the insulating layer 8 is preferably glued to the exterior side of the contact plate 4 . this is located roughly centred , below the insulating layer 8 , and is formed with a width less than that of the insulating layer 8 . the respective contact plate 4 projects beyond the insulating layer 8 , however , at the face sides . the width of the contact plate 4 is initially considerably reduced at these ends that project beyond the insulating layer 8 . at the right end as seen in fig1 , the contact plate 4 has an attachment tab 14 , which is narrowed by cutting free some of the width of the contact plate 4 and into which a cut 16 is made . at the opposite end , shown in fig1 at the left , a corresponding narrowed attachment tab 18 with a cut 16 is likewise provided . from the side edge of this attachment tab 18 , a tab 20 , bent out of the level of the contact plate 4 , goes off , forming the basis of a plug connection 22 that projects beyond the positioning frame 2 on the face side . the tab 20 meshes with a slot 24 cut into the positioning frame 2 , with said slot 24 opening towards the face side of the positioning frame 2 . on its face side end regions , the positioning frame 2 furthermore has pegs 26 , that extend in the height direction of the heat - generating element , i . e ., that go off at a right angle from the surface of the positioning frame 2 . during assembly , these pegs 26 are introduced into the cuts 16 . subsequently , the peg 26 is melted to form a thickening of melted material and the contact plate 4 is secured to the positioning frame 2 in this manner . as can be derived in particular from fig1 and 4 , the positioning frame 2 has , in addition to the pegs 26 , additional positioning aids for precise arrangement of the contact plate 4 on the positioning frame 2 . in this way , the positioning frame 2 forms , firstly , face - sided attachment pegs 28 on the face - sided ends of the contact plate 4 , said attachment pegs 28 extending slightly beyond the upper side of the contact plate 4 and being spaced at a distance to one another that roughly corresponds to the length of the contact plate 4 . in this way , the contact plate 4 is positioned lengthwise . secondly , across the width , the positioning frame 2 forms bordering edges 30 that extend along almost the entire length of the contact plate 4 , said bordering edges 30 likewise extending beyond the upper side of the contact plate 4 and being spaced at a distance to one another that is slightly larger than the width of the contact plate 4 . projecting beyond this bordering edge 30 on both sides are bordering tabs 32 with locking protuberances in the interior , by means of which a heat - emitting element that is arranged on the heat - generating element can be fixed in place for assembly purposes . in the heat - generating element , as can be seen in fig3 , opposing surfaces of the ptc elements 6 fit against the interior surfaces of the contact plate 4 , which are fixed in place in a frame opening 34 of the positioning frame 2 . as can be seen in fig1 , six ptc elements 6 are located within each frame opening 34 . two equally sized frame openings 34 are provided , arranged one behind the other along the length . the ptc elements are packed at a distance to the material of the positioning frame 2 by means of an insulating gap 36 . this insulating gap 36 also extends in a direction parallel to the supporting plane , between the interior side of the contact plate 4 and a narrowed interior edge 38 of the positioning frame that surrounds the circumference of the frame opening 34 . accordingly , the current - carrying parts of the heat - generating element , i . e ., the two contact plates 4 and the ptc elements 6 , are spaced at a distance from the material of the positioning frame 2 by means of the insulating gap 38 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 to 4 , this distance is ensured by an insulating spacing medium 40 , which surrounds the front end of the interior edge 38 around the circumference . in the embodiment shown , the insulating spacing medium 40 is formed by a silicone strip that holds the front area of the interior edge 38 and surrounds it around the circumference . it is not absolutely required that the current - carrying parts of the heat - generating element fit directly against the insulating spacing medium 40 . rather , the spacing medium is only intended to prevent the current - carrying parts from coming into direct contact with the plastic material of the positioning frame 2 . the insulating characteristics of the spacing medium 40 are selected in such a way that in any case , it has a better insulating effect than does the plastic material of the positioning frame 2 . the length of the spacing medium 40 across the width is selected in such a way that in any case , it extends to the end of the contact plate 4 corresponding to the width . the spacing medium 40 covers the sides of the interior edge 30 that are open to the top and to the bottom , as well as an edge 42 that is formed by the interior edge 38 and that surrounds the frame opening 34 around the circumference . the spacing medium 40 can accordingly also be understood as the interior insulating jacket coating the edge surrounding the circumference of the frame opening 34 , which prevents both direct contact between the ptc element 6 and the thermoplastic material of the positioning frame 2 and direct contact of the contact plates 4 to the positioning frame 2 , and ensures a minimum distance between the named parts that is to be maintained for the electrical insulation . in addition to electrical insulation of the current - carrying parts of the heat - generating element , the embodiment shown in fig1 to 4 also provides complete encapsulation of these parts . to this end , the insulating layer has an edge section 44 that extends across ( fig3 ) the contact plate 4 on both sides . between this edge section 44 and the interior edge 38 of the positioning frame 2 is located a sealing element 46 , which is positioned in such a manner that it lies against and forms a seal with both the positioning frame 2 and the insulating layer 8 . in the circumferential direction , i . e ., across the width , the encapsulation accordingly has the opposing insulating layers 8 and the arrangement of two sealing elements 46 , which extend essentially at right angles , with the material of the positioning frame 2 provided between them . the encapsulation is selected in such a way that no moisture or dirt can penetrate into the current - carrying parts from outside . the sealing element 46 is formed by a plastic adhesive that fixes the insulating layer 8 in place with respect to the positioning frame 2 , consequently enclosing all parts of the heat - generating element provided within the insulating layer 8 . in this development , it is possible to do without fixing the ptc elements 6 in place to the contact plates 4 with respect to the insulating layer 8 , with a view to positioning during operation of the heat - generating element . nevertheless , for manufacturing reasons , such an attachment may be expedient . elastomers , for example , silicone or polyurethane , have proven suitable for forming the sealing element 46 in the form of an adhesive . as can particularly be derived from fig2 , the sealing element 46 extends along the length of the positioning frame and is provided between the outer edge of the frame opening 34 and the bordering edge 30 . the sealing element fits against the interior edge 38 , which has a reduced thickness . on the exterior side , directly adjacent to the sealing element 46 , a sealing medium bordering edge 48 is provided that is formed by the positioning frame 2 . with a view to the best possible sealing , the sealing element 46 can fit closely against this edge that extends at right angles to the accommodating level for the ptc elements . fig5 and 6 show an alternative embodiment of the heat - generating element according to the invention . components that are the same as those in the already discussed embodiments are identified with the same reference numbers . the embodiment shown in fig5 and 6 is narrower , i . e ., it can be formed with a width that is less than that of the previously discussed embodiment . this is due to the fact that the sealing element 46 lies directly against the spacing medium 40 , as can be seen in the sectional view according to fig6 . each contact plate 4 has a width roughly corresponding to the width of the ptc element . only one ptc element 6 is arranged in each of the frame openings 34 . multiple ptc elements 6 are arranged , one behind the other , along the length of the positioning frame 2 . the insulating layer 8 extends across the width to the outer edge of the positioning frame 2 . the bordering edge 30 serves merely for the arrangement of the sealing element 46 at the side . the sealing layer 8 likewise extends at a distance with respect to the height , to the upper edge of the bordering edge 30 , so that any deviations in aligning the insulating layer 8 regarding the width with respect to the positioning frame 2 can be compensated for without interfering with the capability of the heat - generating element . in the embodiment shown in fig5 and 6 , the current - carrying parts are also encapsulated around the circumference . in a direction at a right angle to the supporting plane of the ptc elements 6 , this encapsulation is formed by the two sealing elements 46 and the spacing medium 40 arranged between them . across the width , the exterior surface of the heat - generating element is completely level and is formed solely by the exterior surface of the insulating layer 8 . only in the area of the ends on the face sides are elements that project beyond this upper layer 8 , where these elements are in the form of pegs 26 that , as already described previously with reference to the first embodiment , mesh in corresponding cuts 16 in the contact plates 4 . furthermore , attachment pegs 28 project beyond the upper side , said pegs serving in this embodiment particularly the positioning of the heat - emitting segments along the length . to be cited as a further difference is the fact that the contact plates 4 are bent outwards at the face sides , where they form plug connections 50 that extend essentially parallel to the level of the contact plate 4 . the positioning frame 2 extends along the length until beyond the area of the contact plate 4 that is bent outwards , consequently offering reliable insulation and spacing of the two current - carrying components . it is pointed out that , in the embodiment shown in fig5 , it is also possible to provide only a single plug connection 50 , instead of two plug connections . in this case , the energizing of the other contact plate 4 can , for example , be accomplished by means of a structural component of the holding device for holding the heat - generating elements , for example , by means of the attachment tab 14 , which projects beyond the insulating layer 8 at the face side opposite the plug connection 50 . fig7 shows an embodiment of a heating device according to the invention . this comprises a holding device in the form of a frame 52 closed around the circumference , which is formed from two frame hulls 54 . within this frame 52 , multiple layers of identically formed heat - generating elements ( for example , according to fig1 to 4 ), running parallel to one another , are held . furthermore , the frame 52 contains a spring ( not shown ), by means of which the layer composition is held in the frame 52 at an initial tension . preferably , all heat - emitting elements 56 are arranged directly adjacent to a heat - generating element . the heat - emitting elements 56 shown in fig7 are formed by means of strips of aluminium plating bent in a meandering fashion . the heat - generating elements are located between these individual heat - emitting elements 56 and behind the lengthwise bars 58 of one of the air inlet or outlet openings of the grid that penetrates the frame 52 . one of these lengthwise bars 58 is removed from the middle of the frame 52 for the purposes of the depiction , so that a heat - generating element 60 can be seen there . because the heat - emitting elements 56 fit closely against the current - carrying parts , with an insulating layer 8 placed in between , the heat - emitting elements 56 , i . e ., the radiator elements , are potential - free . the frame 52 is preferably formed from plastic , as a result of which the electrical insulation can be further improved . additional protection , particularly against unauthorized contact with the current - carrying parts of the heating device , is additionally provided by the grid , which is likewise formed from plastic and developed as a single piece with the frame hulls 54 . on one face side of the frame 52 , a plug connection is located in a manner known per se , with power supply lines and / or control lines going off of it , by means of which the heating device can be connected for control and power supply purposes in a vehicle . on the face side of the frame 52 , a housing is indicated which can also have control or regulating elements , in addition to the plug connection .	5
in fig1 a schematic isometric view of one embodiment of an ink jet printhead 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown mounted on a heat sink 26 and oriented to show the front face 29 of printhead and the array of droplet ejecting nozzles 27 therein . referring also to fig2 a cross - sectional view of the printhead as viewed along view line 2 -- 2 of fig1 is shown through an ink channel 20 . the printhead has a silicon heater plate 28 with heating elements 34 , addressing circuitry means 32 represented by dashed line , and leads 33 on one surface thereof . the leads interconnect the heating elements and addressing circuitry means and have contact pads 31 connected to a printed circuit board 30 by wire bonds 25 . the circuit board is connected to a controller or microprocessor of the printer ( neither shown ). the controller selectively addresses the heating elements through the addressing means to eject ink droplets from the nozzles . one suitable addressing circuitry means is described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 947 , 192 and is hereby incorporated by reference . generally , an underglaze layer 14 of , for example , sio 2 is formed on the heater plate surface on which the heating elements , addressing circuitry means , and leads are to be formed , followed by a passivation layer 15 which is patterned to expose the heating elements and contact pads . an optional thick film layer 16 of , for example , polyimide , may be deposited and patterned to provide pits 38 for the heating elements as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 774 , 530 and incorporated herein by reference . however , for high resolution printheads having nozzles spaced for printing at 600 spots per inch ( spi ) or more , heating element pits have been found not to be necessary , for the vapor bubbles generated to eject ink droplets from nozzles and channels of this size tend not to ingest air . in this printhead embodiment , a photosensitive polymeric material is deposited over the thick film layer 16 , if used , on the heater plate to form a channel structure 24 , which is photolithographically patterned to produce the ink channels 20 and common manifold 18 . each channel has an open end to serve as a nozzle 27 and an end 21 which connects to a common manifold 18 . the contact pads 31 of the electrical leads are also cleared of the channel structure 24 to enable the wire bonding . a cover plate 22 of glass , quartz , or ceramic material has an aperture 23 therethrough , and is bonded to the surface of the patterned photopolymeric channel structure 24 with a suitable adhesive epoxy adhesive ( not shown ). the cover plate aperture 23 has a cross - sectional area about the same size as the total cross - sectional areas of all of the channels 20 in the printhead in order to keep the ink flow rate through the reservoir relatively high and the time the ink is resident therein relatively short , so that air bubbles formed during the droplet ejection process are removed by subsequently ejected droplets . in the preferred embodiment , the ink channels have approximately 30 × 30 μm cross - sections , so that the cross - sectional area of the reservoir in the direction of ink flow is about that of one channel cross - sectional area times the number of channels . the exact value of the reservoir cross - sectional area is slightly larger than the total channel cross - sectional areas to account for flow impedance . the aperture 23 is shaped and positioned to align with the common manifold 18 into which the ends 21 of the channels connect and , as such , provides an adequate ink supply for the printhead . thus , the aperture is generally elongated to enable ink flow communication with all of the channels opening into the common manifold . the ink flow path from the reservoir to the channels 20 is indicated by arrow 19 . an optional nozzle plate 12 is shown in dashed line which is adhered to the printhead front face 29 with the nozzles 13 therein aligned with the open ends 27 of the channels 20 in the channel structure 24 . as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . re 32 , 572 , 4 , 774 , 530 , and 4 , 947 , 192 all of which are incorporated herein by reference , the heater plates of the present invention are batch produced on a silicon wafer ( not shown ) and later separated into individual heater plates 28 as one piece of the printhead 10 . as disclosed in these patents , a plurality of sets of heating elements 34 , addressing circuitry means 32 for each set of heating elements , and electrical leads 33 are patterned on a polished surface of a ( 100 ) silicon wafer which has first been coated with an underglaze layer 14 , such as silicon dioxide having a thickness of about 2 μm . the heating elements may be any well known resistive material such as zirconium boride , but is preferably doped polycrystalline silicon deposited , for example , by chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) and concurrently monolithically fabricated with the addressing circuitry means as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 947 , 193 . afterwards , the wafer is cleaned and re - oxidized to form a second silicon dioxide layer ( not shown ) over the wafer including the addressing circuitry means . a phosphorous doped glass layer or boron and phosphorous doped glass layer ( not shown ) is then deposited on the thermally grown second silicon dioxide layer ( not shown ) and is reflowed at high temperatures to planarize the surface . as is well known , photoresist is applied and patterned to form vias for electrical connections with the heating elements and the addressing circuitry means and aluminum metallization is applied to form the electrical leads and provide the contact pads . any suitable electrically insulative passivation layer 15 , such as , for example , polyimide , polyarylene , or bisbenzocyclobutene ( bcb ), is deposited over the electrical leads to a thickness of about 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 μm and removed from the heating elements and contact pads . finally , the optional thick film layer 16 of polymeric material , such as , for example , polyimide is deposited to a depth sufficient to provide a thickness after curing of 10 - 50 μm . this thick film layer 16 is photopatterned to expose both the heating elements , thereby placing them in pits 38 , and the contact pads 31 . if the topography of the completed heater plate wafer is uneven , the wafer is polished , for example , as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 665 , 249 and incorporated herein by reference , and then the photopatternable polymer which is to provide the channel structure 24 is deposited . as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 738 , 799 mentioned above , and incorporated herein by reference , a suitable channel structure material must be resistant to ink , exhibit temperature stability , be relatively rigid , and be readily diceable . the most versatile material for a channel structure is polyimide or polyarylene ether ( pae ). in the preferred embodiment , ocg 7520 ™ polyimide is used , and because polyimide shrinks about 45 to 50 % when cured , this must be taken into account when depositing a layer of polyimide on the heating element wafer . after deposition of the polyimide , it is exposed using a mask with the channel sets pattern and contact pads pattern . the patterned polyimide channel structure layer is developed and cured . in one embodiment , the channel structure thickness is 30 μm , so the original thickness deposited is about 65 μm , which shrinks to about 33 μm when cured and is then polished to the desired 30 μm . after the patterned channel structure layer 24 is cured and polished , a cover plate 22 , the same size as the wafer and having a plurality of apertures 23 therein , is bonded thereto with each aperture aligned with the common manifold 18 into which the ends 21 of the sets of channels 20 open . the silicon wafer and wafer size cover plate with the channel structure sandwiched therebetween are separated into a plurality of individual printheads by a dicing operation . the dicing operation not only separates the printheads , but also produces the printhead front face 29 and opens one end of the channels to form the nozzles 27 . an optional nozzle plate 12 is individually bonded to the printhead front faces , if desired . the printheads 10 are each bonded to a heat sink 26 together with a printed circuit board 30 and they are electrically connected by wire bonds 25 . the circuit board is in turn connected to the printer controller ( not shown ) which controls the printer and effects the droplet ejection process through the addressing means 32 . fig3 is a schematic isometric view of another ink jet printhead 50 , an alternate embodiment of the printhead of fig1 and fig4 is a cross - sectional view of the alternate embodiment as viewed along view line 4 -- 4 of fig3 . the difference between the printhead 10 in fig1 and the printhead 50 is that the channel structure 24 and cover plate 22 of printhead 10 is replaced in printhead 50 with an etched silicon channel plate 52 . another embodiment ( not shown ) of a printhead incorporating the present invention is a combination of the printheads disclosed in fig1 and 3 . namely , the silicon plate 52 of fig3 having the ink inlet and reservoir 56 , but without the etched channels 54 , is bonded to the patterned channel structure 24 on the heater plate 28 of fig1 which has the ink channels 20 . thus , the cover plate 22 of the printhead 10 in fig1 is replaced with the silicon plate 52 of the printhead 50 in fig3 except the silicon plate 52 does not have the etched channels 54 . in this embodiment the modified silicon plate 52 serves as a cover plate similar to that in fig1 but the aperture is slanted to provide a parallelogram shape in cross - section which is oriented to slant in a direction to prevent stagnant ink regions as depicted in fig4 . the channel plate 52 is fabricated in a similar way as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 774 , 530 and incorporated herein by reference , except that the ink inlet and reservoir 56 are produced by substantially the same size via in the etch resistant masks ( not shown ) on opposite sides of the channel plate , which are offset from each other , so that the anisotropic etching of the inlet and reservoir 56 from both sides of the channel plate meet at the common { 111 } crystal plane shown in dashed line 58 and produce a more narrow reservoir which has a cross - sectional area having the shape of a parallelogram as shown in fig4 . this particular shape of the reservoir 56 has the benefit that there are no stagnant flow areas which impede the movement of any exsolved gas or air bubbles from the printhead reservoir . the channels 54 have a triangular cross - sectional area and penetrate the front face 29 to form triangular shaped nozzles 55 . the reservoir 56 has a cross - sectional area established in the same way as for the printhead 10 in fig1 ; viz ., about equal to the total cross - sectional areas of the array of channels , plus an increase in size necessary to overcome the ink flow impedance , so that ink refill is not slowed . the channel ends 53 opposite the nozzles are closed , so that the thick film layer 16 must be patterned to form a bypass trench 59 concurrently with the patterning of the pits 38 , in order to provide a flow path between the channels and the reservoir as depicted by arrow 51 . in accordance with u . s . pat . no . 4 , 774 , 530 the channel plate 52 is formed from a two side polished , ( 100 ) silicon wafer ( not shown ) to produce a plurality of channel plates 52 for the printhead 50 . after the wafer is chemically cleaned , a pyrolytic cvd silicon nitride layer ( not shown ) is deposited on both sides . using conventional photolithography , a via ( not shown ) for the ink inlet side of the reservoir 56 of each of the plurality of channel plates 52 are patterned to expose the silicon wafer . an anisotropic etch , such as potassium hydroxide ( koh ), etches the silicon along the { 111 } planes , so that the size of the via determines the depth of the apex of the pyramidal recesses . in the preferred embodiment , the size is such as to enable the etched recesses to substantially etch through the wafer . next , the opposite side of the wafer is photolithographically patterned to form the plurality of sets of parallel channels 54 and a recess adjacent each set of channels ( and inlet recess ) which is about the same size as the recesses on the other side of the wafer . the location of the recesses on the channel set side of the wafer is offset from the recesses etched from the other side so that the etch recesses have a common { 111 } plane 58 with the first etched recesses shown in dashed line . therefore , the common plane disappears and the two combined slightly offset etched recesses form the parallelogram shaped inlet and reservoir 56 . the surface of the wafer having the channel sets is aligned and bonded to the heater wafer , so that each channel has a heating element therein . the bonded wafers are separated into a plurality of individual printheads 50 by a dicing operation . one of the dicing cuts forms the front face 29 of the printhead and opens one end of the channels to provide the nozzles 55 . as with printhead 10 in fig1 an optional nozzle plate 12 shown in dashed line with nozzles 13 therein may be aligned and bonded to the printhead front face , so that the nozzles in the nozzle plate are aligned with the channel nozzles 55 . another printhead embodiment 70 is shown in fig5 which is similar to the printhead 50 in fig4 . the only difference is that the volume of the reservoir is reduced by reducing the size of the recesses etched adjacent the sets of channels 54 , so that the depth of the apex of the pyramidal recesses are less than the thickness of the wafer , but still meet the previously etched recesses at a common crystal plane 58 . the cross - sectional shape of the reservoir 72 is similar to a ` y `, and retains all of the advantages of the parallelogram shaped reservoir in printhead 50 ; namely , low volume to keep the resident time of the ink in the reservoir short and narrow cross - sectional area to cause a high refill flow rate . the printheads of each embodiment keep the air bubbles swept from the reservoir , so that they do not coalesce into larger bubbles which deleteriously affect print quality . another advantage of this high flow rate of ink supply from the reservoir is that the high flow rate and low residency of the ink ensures that the ink does not reside long in the printhead , minimizing the time the ink can pick up dissipated waste heat , especially during high area coverage printing . since the air solubility in ink is inversely proportional to temperature , the higher the temperature the more the ink is capable of exsolving air bubbles in the printhead reservoirs . therefore , the printhead reservoir configurations of the present invention eliminates stagnant ink areas and causes high ink flow rates during refills with the benefit of short ink residency thereby providing the desired bubble management . although the foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment , other variations are possible and all such variations as will be apparent to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the following claims .	1
this invention relates to an improved sensor unit for a rotary shaft positioned by motor or otherwise . the invention will be described in its preferred embodiment of the sensor unit for a gerotor pressure device having a valve integral with the rotor ( white model re [ fig1 – 6 ] and rs [ fig7 – 10 ] designs ). as understood , a gerotor pressure device will operate as either a motor or a pump , depending on the nature of its fluidic and mechanical connections . they are designed for a specified number of gallons per minute for a given displacement at high pressures up to 4000 psi . other gerotor devices are spaced separate rotating valved , drive shaft valved , rotating rotor face valved and other such devices made by white , eaton , parker , danfoss and others . the gerotor pressure device 10 exemplified herein includes a power unit 15 , an output shaft 20 and a sensor unit 30 . the power unit 15 serves to interconnect the rotation of the output shaft 20 to and / or from a interconnection to another device ( not shown ) with a gerotor pressure unit . this other device could be a pump ( if the power unit was utilized as a motor ), a motor ( power unit pump ) or another unit utilizing a hydraulic pressure differential . in the particular embodiment disclosed , the power unit is a white model re hydraulic motor having two ports 16 , 17 for typical interconnection to a hydraulic pump / source of pressure through a series of valves ( fig1 – 6 — valves not shown ). the output shaft 20 serves to physically interconnect the power unit 15 to an object . this interconnection can provide rotary power to the object and / or accept rotary power from the object depending on the particular application involved . an output shaft separate from the power unit may be utilized . in the particular embodiment disclosed , the output shaft 20 is integral with that of the power unit 15 . this shaft is rotatedly interconnected directly to the housing 18 of the power unit by two spaced main bearings 21 , 22 . these bearings 21 , 22 thus serve to physically mount the output shaft to the associated device through the power unit by providing the physical support thereof . in that this output shaft 20 is integral with the power unit 15 , a main shaft seal 19 is incorporated in respect to the output shaft 20 so as to fluidically isolate the hydraulic pressure within the housing 18 of the power unit . this shaft seal thus serves to restrict the high pressure within the power unit 15 . a separate thrust bearing 24 between a shoulder of the shaft 20 and the housing 18 of the power unit serves to maintain the output shaft 20 in axial position in respect to the power unit . in the particular embodiment disclosed in fig1 – 6 , the shaft is that of a white model re motor having a shaft diameter of 1 . 3 ″ with the cylindrical section extending some 1 ″ from the front flange of the body 18 of the hydraulic gerotor motor ( so as to provide an interactive surface for the later described support section 40 and seal 52 ). in the alternate embodiment of fig7 – 10 the device is a white model rs motor having a shaft diameter of approximately 1 ″ with the cylindrical section extending substantially 0 . 7 ″ from the flange to allow for cooperation with the sensor unit 30 . the invention of the present application relates to a sensor unit 30 . this sensor unit 30 is designed to provide for a variety of functions in respect to the output shaft 20 . these include aligning the sensor to the shaft , physically protecting the sensor and any associated seal against rocks and dirt on the outside of the device , providing for the use of differing sensors in a single sensor unit design , reliably orienting the sensor in respect to the output shaft , and allowing for the simplified manufacture / repair of sensor units . each sensor 30 is chosen in response to the type of motor as well as the device to which it is to be attached . preferably , this union is optimized to both the sensor as well as motor for example in fig1 – 6 one side is utilized to match the re mounting flange while this outside is designed for strength , maintenance and repair . this also allows existing parts of the re — its bolt location , its internal lip and other factors this is preferable . the particular sensor unit 30 disclosed has a body 32 with a central opening 34 , a sensor cavity 37 and a mounting surface 45 . the body 32 of the sensor unit is for physically mounting the sensor in respect to the output shaft 20 . the body 32 in addition physically protects the sensor from physical damage and outside contaminants . in the preferred single output shaft design , the body 32 is radially located directly by the shaft 20 . it is held in position after initial operation by its physical connection to the power unit . the central opening 34 of the sensor unit is utilized as the main alignment member for the sensor unit 30 . the central opening provides for this alignment by having an inner support section 40 having an internal diameter 42 substantially the same as the diameter 23 of the output shaft . this inner support section 40 thus physically radially aligns the later described sensor with the shaft and / or anything mounted thereon when first installed . after the power unit 15 is installed , the body 32 of the sensor 30 is tightly captured between the hydraulic unit 15 and the frame 100 with which it is associated . it therefor cannot move in respect to either thereafter . in the preferred embodiment disclosed , the distance between the inner support section 40 and an external mounting surface 45 ( for sensor placement ) is precisely defined in the manufacture of the sensor unit 30 . this dimension is thus highly controlled providing for a reliable distance between the mounting surface 45 and the output shaft 20 during original manufacture . it is therefore not necessary to compensate for any misalignment within the sensor unit 30 such as by shims , adjustment screws , or other secondary adjustment means on initial installation nor anytime thereafter . after initial installation the sensor unit 30 does not move for it is not subject to any meaningful displacement forces . it therefore retains its initial , and precise , positioning — a positioning that further is common to all other output shafts using the same design power unit . a given sensor can therefor be exchanged with another without concern for any dimensions ( as herein explained ). in the preferred embodiments disclosed the mounting surface 45 is 1 . 9 ″ from the centerline of the shaft 20 . the surface 45 itself is 0 . 7 ″ wide and 2 ″ long . the cavity 37 is located on the inside of the body 32 of the sensor unit for physical mounting of the internal parts of the sensor in addition to any shaft mounted auxiliary components . in the embodiment disclosed , the cavity 37 includes a seal cavity 49 , the inner end 72 of the inside extension of the sensor 60 and a intermediate component 74 utilized between the output shaft 20 and the sensor 60 . the seal cavity is for the physical location of a secondary seal 52 . this seal excludes external contaminants such as water and dirt from the cavity 37 . note the seal is oriented such that it in addition allows for any grease from the later described grease fitting 54 to exit the cavity 37 if such is pressurized relative to the normal atmosphere . this prevents over pressurization of the cavity ( in addition to its previously described elimination of contaminants from the cavity ). note further that the inner support section 40 , being located outside of the seal 52 , serves to protect the seal 19 against dirt , rocks and other physical damage . it also similarly protects the sensor . in the preferred embodiment disclosed in fig1 – 6 , the body 30 of the sensor unit has a central hole 1 . 3 ″ in diameter ( for the shaft 20 ). the body section itself is substantially 3 . 6 ″ high and 5 . 25 ″ wide . the mounting surface 45 is substantially 1 . 9 ″ from the centerline of the shaft . in the alternate embodiment of fig7 – 10 the support section 40 has an inner diameter of substantially 1 ″ for its shaft and a width / height of substantially 3 ″. again , the mounting surface 45 for the sensor 60 is located 1 . 9 ″ from the centerline of the shaft . a small o - ring type seal is located on the sensor surrounding the inside extension 70 so as to seal the sensor unit to the body 32 . the sensor 60 and intermediate component 75 in the embodiment disclosed provide for the actual position / rotation / direction sensing of the output shaft 20 . this is preferred in that the intermediate component 75 increases the relative diameter of the output shaft 20 at the location of the sensor , thus increasing the accuracy of the sensing without requiring a concomitant increase in the diameter of the output shaft . the intermediate component in the preferred embodiment disclosed also provides for a single sensor 60 to be utilized with differing devices ( contrast fig1 – 6 with fig7 – 10 ). in the preferred embodiment of fig1 – 6 the intermediate component is a 50 pulse magnet ring having an inner diameter of 1 . 28 ″ and an outer diameter of 2 ″. it is substantially 0 . 25 ″ wide . in the embodiment of fig7 – 10 the magnet rotor has an inner diameter of 1 ″ with the same outer diameter and width as the first embodiment . this in combination with the commonality of distance of mounting surface 45 allows a single sensor 60 to be utilized interchangeably with both embodiments . the sensor 60 itself includes a mounting member 64 and an inside extension 70 . the mounting member 64 serves to mount the sensor to the body 32 of the sensor unit 30 . in the preferred embodiment disclosed , the mounting member 64 includes a support surface 67 . this support surface 67 cooperates with the mounting surface 45 of the body of the sensor unit in order to physically interconnect the sensor 60 to such unit . this mounting is preferably removable so as to allow for the installation / replacement of the sensor without disassembly of the sensor unit 30 or the power unit with which it is utilized . this facilitates the initial construction and repair of the unit . in the preferred embodiment disclosed , this removable mounting is provided by a series of mounting holes 65 through the mounting member 64 , which holes allow for the use of screws 68 so as to removably connect the sensor 60 to the body 32 of the sensor unit . it is preferred that some sort of indexing means exist between the sensor 60 and the body 32 of the sensor unit . in the embodiment disclosed this indexing is provided by the mounting holes 65 being offset from the longitudinal axis of the mounting member 64 . this offset ensures that the mounting member 64 can only be assembled with the right orientation between the sensor 60 and the output shaft 20 . alternate means of providing for a set orientation can be provided by other indexing means such as location pins , orientation slots , or other unidirectional mounting schemes . in the embodiments disclosed the mounting holes 65 are offset some 0 . 085 ″ from the centerline of the mounting member 64 of the sensor . the inside extension 70 of the sensor 60 serves to close the distance between the mounting surface 45 and the output shaft 20 ( in the preferred embodiment disclosed the diameter of the output shaft expanded by distance 76 via the intermediate component 75 ). the optional inside extension 70 of the sensor 60 has an inner end 72 . the distance between the inner end 72 and the support surface 67 of the mounting member is a set distance 73 , which set distance is selected to precisely locate the inner end 72 in a predetermined relationship in respect to the effective outer surface of the output shaft 20 ( in the preferred embodiment as enlarged by the intermediate member ). this set distance 73 thus cooperates with the inner support section 40 and its location of the mounting surface 45 so as to reliably and predictably control the critical dimension of the inner end 72 of the sensor to the effective outer diameter of the output shaft 20 . for this reason , the inner end 72 of the sensor can be reliably and uniformly located during initial construction and / or subsequent repair without consideration for secondary adjustment . further multiple sensors 60 are interchangeable without dimensional concern for a given sensor unit 30 ( for shafts of corresponding nature ). in the preferred embodiment disclosed , the sensor 60 has an inside extension 70 some 0 . 88 ″ long from its surface 67 to the end 72 . the mounting member 64 itself has a width of substantially 0 . 65 ″ and a length of substantially 1 . 7 ″. it contains a hall - effect sensor with interconnections to ground , input voltage , output and direction . the inner end 72 of the sensor 60 is located within + 0 . 3 ″ of the ring magnet in both embodiments , this spacing determined by the gauss of the magnet and sensitivity of the hall - effect sensor . note that due to the use of the cooperation between a support surface 67 of the mounting member 64 and a mounting surface 45 of the body 32 a multiplicity of differing sensors can be utilized in a given design sensor unit . for example , a dual speed hall sensor , an inductive proximity sensor , an optical sensor , or other sensor could be utilized with a single body 32 to provide for many differing applications while retaining the same construction ( albeit in certain instances with a differing intermediate component ). this again would be true of initial manufacture as well as subsequent field use . the intermediate component 75 in the preferred embodiment serves to expand the relative diameter of the output shaft 20 as well as providing for a secondary unit for cooperation with the sensor 60 to establish the rotation / angle / direction of the output shaft 20 in respect to the sensor unit 30 . in the preferred embodiment disclosed , the intermediate member is a generally cylindrical magnet 77 located immediately surrounding the output shaft 20 spaced therefrom through a separation member 78 . preferably the intermediate component 75 , whether the magnet 77 or other component , is fixedly mounted to the output shaft 20 so as to rotate therewith under all conditions . this intermediate component 75 extends off of the shaft 20 so as to expand its relative diameter at this location ( by distance 76 disclosed ). this allows for an effective shaft diameter differential for sensor location ( mounting surface 45 at 40 ) and the set distance 73 of the inner end 72 of the sensor . note that other intermediate components 75 could be utilized such as a gear having external slots ( for use with an induction sensor or optical sensor ), a segmented magnet having alternating north and south poles circumferentially about the member , or other expansion means capable of cooperating with a selected operation of sensor 60 . in any event , the intermediate component 75 would be selected to go with the particular sensor to be utilized with the sensor unit 30 . ( note however , that a given intermediate component such as the preferred magnet 77 could be utilized with differing sensors — for example a dual speed hall sensor instead of a single speed hall sensor ). although the body 32 of the sensor unit is radially supported to the output shaft 20 precisely by the inner support section 40 , it is preferred that the sensor unit 30 , once installed , in addition be mounted in a fixed position in respect to the output shaft 20 . in the preferred embodiment disclosed , this is accomplished by a flange 80 extending outwardly off of the body 32 of the sensor unit . the particular flange 80 disclosed has a series of holes therein matching the holes utilized to mount the power unit 15 to its auxiliary component ( six holes shown in fig2 , four holes shown in fig7 ). note that the purpose of these holes is primarily to hold the sensor unit 30 in rotational orientation in respect to the housing 18 of the power unit after assembly . to facilitate this , the particular embodiment disclosed has a series of pressed steel sleeves 82 within the mounting holes 81 . these sleeves 82 serve to pass the compression force between the power unit 15 and the component to which it is physically mounted , thus to prevent any compression effect including distortion on the body 32 of the sensor unit 30 . since the cooperation between the inner support section 40 and the shaft 20 initially locate the sensor 60 , a purpose of the flange 80 is to thereafter retain the sensor unit 30 in respect to such shaft 20 . this reduces considerations of wear from shifting the location of the mounting surface ( i . e . once fixed the distance 46 remains constant after installation ). subsequent sensors 60 can therefore be substituted with this knowledge . in the preferred embodiment the body 32 of the sensor unit 30 is made of plastic ( acetal disclosed ) having an inner surface diameter 42 some 0 . 002 - 4 ″ over the diameter 23 of the shaft 20 . this precisely locates the mounting surface 45 in respect to the remainder of the device on installation . once fixed in position on operation any high points / distortions would be removed by the wear by the steel shaft — a wear not compromising the initial relative location of the mounting surface in respect to the shaft 20 . as the distance 73 from the inner end 72 of the sensor 60 to its support surface 67 is set in manufacture , this distance is presubscribed . this distance is preferably within 0 . 017 ″ for the set forth hall sensor ( with consideration of the extension distance 76 ). due to the above any sensor 60 used with any sensor body meeting the standards will be properly dimensionally positioned for the shaft utilized therewith . no shimming measurements or other secondary operation is necessary on initial installation , repair or replacement . although the invention is described in its preferred embodiment with a certain degree of particularity , it is realized that numerous changes may be made without deviating from the invention .	6
the method of the invention can comprise administration of an inhibitor wherein the inhibitor in ( a ), the inhibitor in ( b ), or both , are other than substantially cytotoxic . cytotoxicity can be determined by any means common in the art , including , but not limited to measurement of apoptosis and metabolic functions such as respiration and substrate utilization . by substantially cytotoxic is meant that one skilled in the art would recognize that cytotoxicity is generally found upon administration of the agent to a test animal or upon use in an in vitro assay under conditions and concentrations corresponding to the use of the agent in the invention . the method can comprise administration of an inhibitor wherein the inhibitor in ( a ), the inhibitor in ( b ), or both , are other than substantially a mitosis inhibitor . mitosis can be determined by any means common in the art , including , but not limited to measurements of mitotic index , dna content and cell number . by substantially a mitosis inhibitor is meant that one skilled in the art would recognize that diminished mitosis is generally found upon administration of the agent to a test animal or upon use in an in vitro assay under conditions and concentrations corresponding to the use of the agent in the invention . the in vitro activity of the compounds for use in the methods of the present invention can be determined by the amount phosphorylation inhibition by a test compound relative to a control . recombinant erbb2 ( amino acid residues 675 - 1255 ) and egfr ( amino acid residues 668 - 1211 ) intracellular domains were expressed in baculovirus - infected sf9 cells as gst fusion proteins and purified by affinity chromatography on glutathione sepharose beads . the phosphorylation of poly ( glu , tyr ) was measured as described in j . d . moyer , e . g . barbacci , k . k . iwata , l . arnold , b . boman , a . cunningham , et al ., induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by cp - 358 , 774 , an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase , cancer res . 57 ( 1997 ) 4838 - 4848 , except the kinase reaction was performed in 50 μl of 50 mm hepes , ph 7 . 4 , containing 125 mm sodium chloride , 10 mm magnesium chloride , 0 . 1 mm sodium orthovanadate , and 1 mm atp . tyrosine phosphorylation in intact cells may be measured using the following assay . nih3t3 cells transfected with either human egfr ( b . d . cohen , d . r . lowy , j . t . schiller , transformation - specific interaction of the bovine papillomavirus e5 oncoprotein with the platelet - derived growth factor receptor transmembrane domain and the epidermal growth factor receptor cytoplasmic domain , j . virol ., 67 ( 1993 ) 5303 - 5311 ) or a chimeric receptor with egfr extracellullar domain and erbb2 intracellular domain were seeded in 96 well tissue culture plates in dmem ( f . fazioli , u . h . kim , s . g . rhee , c . j . molloy , o . segatto , p . p . difiore , the erbb - 2 mitogenic signaling pathway : tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase c - gamma and gtpase - activating protein does not correlate with erbb - 2 mitogenic potency , mol . cell . biol ., 11 ( 1991 ) 2040 - 2048 ). inhibitors in dmso ( or dmso vehicle for controls ) were added 24 h after plating and incubated with the cells for 2 h at 37 ° c . cells were stimulated with human recombinant egf ( 50 ng / ml final concentration ) for 15 min at room temperature . medium was aspirated and cells were fixed for 30 min with 100 μl cold 1 : 1 ethanol : acetone containing 200 μm na 3 vo 4 . plates were washed with wash buffer ( 0 . 5 % tween - 20 in pbs ) and 100 μl block buffer ( 3 % bovine serum albumin in pbs + 200 μm fresh sodium orthovanadate ) was added . plates were further incubated for 1 h at room temp and washed twice with wash buffer . anti - phosphotyrosine antibody ( py54 ) labeled with horseradish peroxidase was added to wells and incubated for 1 h at room temp . antibody was removed by aspiration and plates were washed 4 times with wash buffer . the colorimetric signal was developed by addition of tmb microwell peroxidase substrate ( kirkegaard and perry , gaithersburg , md . ), 50 μl per well , and stopped by the addition of 0 . 09 m sulfuric acid , 50 μl per well . phosphotyrosine is estimated by measurement of absorbance at 450 nm . signal from control wells containing no compound stimulated with egf after subtraction of the background from wells without egf was defined as 100 % of control . examination of extracts from these egf stimulated cells by western blotting with anti - phosphotyrosine indicated that the majority of the protein phosphotyrosine represented autophosphorylated egfr or egfr / erbb2 chimera respectively , but other protein substrates also displayed increased tyrosine phosphorylation . egf typically increased total phosphotyrosine levels by approximately 4 - fold in each transfected cell . ic 50 values represent the concentration of compound required to reduce the signal to 50 % of control and were determined graphically from titrations over a 100 - fold concentration range . analysis of erbb phosphorylation by immunoprecipitation followed by western blotting . skbr3 cells were treated with compound or activating ligand as indicated . the media was aspirated , and 1 ml / 75 cm 2 flask ice - cold immunoprecipitation lysis buffer ( 1 . 0 % tx100 ; 10 mm tris ; 5 mm edta ; 50 mm nacl ; 30 mm sodium orthovanadate with freshly added 100 μm pmsf , and 1 complete ™ protease inhibitor tablet ( roche diagnostics , indianapolis , ind . per 50 ml buffer ) was added . immunoprecipitation was performed on 100 μl of lysate : egfr was immunoprecipitated using santa cruz sc - 120 , 2 μl / 100 μl lysate ; erbb2 using oncogene op15 , 1 μg / 100 μl lysate ; and erbb3 with santa cruz sc - 285 , 2 μl / 100 μl lysate . all immunoprecipitations were carried out at 4 ° c . overnight , with rocking , in the presence of 30 μl of protein a beads . the beads with immobilized protein were isolated by centrifugation at 14 , 000 rpm , 4 ° c . for 10 seconds . the supernatants were aspirated and the pellets washed 3 × with pbs with 0 . 1 % tween 20 . the samples were then resuspended in 40 μl laemmli buffer with dtt and boiled for 4 minutes . the samples were then loaded on a 4 - 12 % page . they were electrophoresed 1 hr at 150v using mes buffer . the gels were transferred to pvdf in the presence of 10 % methanol . the membrane was blocked using blocking buffer ( roche diagnostics , indianapolis , ind .) and the phosphotyrosine was detected using anti - py54 antibody conjugated to horseradish peroxidase and developed by enhanced chemiluminescence according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions ( ecl ™; amersham , pharmacia biotech , piscataway , n . j . ; lumiglo ™; cell signaling ). the signal was quantitated with a lumi - imager ™ ( boehringer mannheim , indianapolis , ind .). the following assay may also be employed for c - erbb2 kinase to determine the potency and selectivity of the compounds for their use as c - erbb2 inhibitors . the following assay is similar to that described previously in schrang et . al . anal . biochem . 211 , 1993 , p233 - 239 . nunc maxisorp 96 - well plates are coated by incubation overnight at 37 ° c . with 100 ml per well of 0 . 25 mg / ml poly ( glu , tyr ) 4 : 1 ( pgt ) ( sigma chemical co ., st . louis , mo .) in pbs ( phosphate buffered saline ). excess pgt is removed by aspiration , and the plate is washed three times with wash buffer ( 0 . 1 % tween 20 in pbs ). the kinase reaction is performed in 50 ml of 50 mm hepes ( ph 7 . 5 ) containing 125 mm sodium chloride , 10 mm magnesium chloride , 0 . 1 mm sodium orthovanadate , 1 mm atp , 0 . 48 mg / ml ( 24 ng / well ) c - erbb2 intracellular domain . the intracellular domain of the erbb2 tyrosine kinase ( amino acids 674 - 1255 ) is expressed as a gst fusion protein in baculovirus and purified by binding to and elution from glutathione coated beads . the compound in dmso ( dimethylsulfoxide ) is added to give a final dmso concentration of 2 . 5 %. phosphorylation was initiated by addition of atp ( adenosine triphosphate ) and proceeded for 6 minutes at room temperature , with constant shaking . the kinase reaction is terminated by aspiration of the reaction mixture and subsequent washing with wash buffer ( see above ). phosphorylated pgt is measured by 25 minutes of incubation with 50 ml per well hrp - conjugated py54 ( oncogene science inc . uniondale , n . y .) antiphosphotyrosine antibody , diluted to 0 . 2 mg / ml in blocking buffer ( 3 % bsa and 0 . 05 % tween 20 in pbs ). antibody is removed by aspiration , and the plate is washed 4 times with wash buffer . the colorimetric signal is developed by addition of tmb microwell peroxidase substrate ( kirkegaard and perry , gaithersburg , md . ), 50 ml per well , and stopped by the addition of 0 . 09 m sulfuric acid , 50 ml per well . phosphotyrosine is estimated by measurement of absorbance at 450 nm . the signal for controls is typically 0 . 6 - 1 . 2 absorbance units , with essentially no background in wells without the pgt substrate and is proportional to the time of incubation for 10 minutes . inhibitors are identified by reduction of signal relative to wells without inhibitor and ic 50 values corresponding to the concentration of compound required for 50 % inhibition are determined . the compounds exemplified herein which correspond to formula 1 have ic 50 values of & lt ; 10 mm against erbb2 kinase . ic 50 values may be used to determine selectivity by any means known in the art . for example , the ratio for ic 50 values at erbb1 receptors and erbb2 receptors ( ic 50 erbb1 ≈ ic 50 erbb2 ) can be used . advantageously , the ratio exceeds two . the in vivo anti - tumor activity of the compounds for use in the methods of the present invention can be determined by the amount of inhibition of tumor growth by a test compound relative to a control . the tumor growth inhibitory effects of various compounds can be measured according to the method of corbett t . h ., et al ., “ tumor induction relationships in development of transplantable cancers of the colon in mice for chemotherapy assays , with a note on carcinogen structure ”, cancer res ., 35 , 2434 - 2439 ( 1975 ) and corbett t . h ., et al ., “ a mouse colon - tumor model for experimental therapy ”, cancer chemother . rep . ( part 2 )”, 5 , 169 - 186 ( 1975 ), with slight modifications . tumors can be induced in the left flank of mice by subcutaneous ( sc ) injection of 1 - 5 million log phase cultured tumor cells suspended in 0 . 1 ml rpmi 1640 medium . after sufficient time has elapsed for the tumors to become palpable (˜ 100 - 150 mm 3 in size / 5 - 6 mm in diameter ) the test animals ( athymic female mice ) are treated with test compound ( formulated at a concentration of 10 to 15 mg / ml in 5 gelucire or 0 . 5 % methyl cellulose ) by the intravenous ( iv ) or oral ( po ) route of administration once or twice daily for 7 to 29 consecutive days . in order to determine an anti - tumor effect , the tumor is measured in millimeters with a vernier caliper across two diameters and the tumor size ( mm 3 ) is calculated using the formula : tumor size ( mm 3 )=( w × w )/ 2 × l ( l = length and w = width ), according to the methods of geran , r . i ., et al . “ protocols for screening chemical agents and natural products against animal tumors and other biological systems ”, third edition , cancer chemother . rep ., 3 , 1 - 104 ( 1972 ). results are expressed as percent inhibition , according to the formula : inhibition growth (%)=[ 100 -{(% growth of treated /% growth of control )× 100 }]. the flank site of tumor implantation provides reproducible dose / response effects for a variety of chemotherapeutic agents , and the method of measurement ( tumor diameter ) is a reliable method for assessing tumor growth rates . administration of erbb2 inhibitors can be effected by any method that enables delivery of the compounds to the site of action . these methods include oral routes , intraduodenal routes , parenteral injection ( including intravenous , subcutaneous , intramuscular , intravascular or infusion ), topical , and rectal administration . the amount of the active compound administered will be dependent on the subject being treated , the severity of the disorder or condition , the rate of administration , the disposition of the compound and the discretion of the prescribing physician . however , an effective dosage is in the range of 0 . 001 to 200 mg per kg body weight per day , preferably 1 to 35 mg / kg / day . for a 70 kg human , this would amount to 0 . 05 to 7 g / day , preferably 0 . 2 to 2 . 5 g / day . in some instances , dosage levels below the lower limit of the aforesaid range may be more than adequate , while in other cases still larger doses may be employed without causing any harmful side effect . the erbb2 inhibitors of the present invention may be applied as a sole therapy or may involve one or more other anti - tumour substances , for example those selected from , for example , mitotic inhibitors , for example vinblastine ; alkylating agents , for example cis - platin , carboplatin and cyclophosphamide ; anti - metabolites , for example 5 - fluorouracil , cytosine arabinoside and hydroxyurea , or , for example , one of the preferred anti - metabolites disclosed in european patent application no . 239362 such as n -( 5 -[ n -( 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2 - methyl - 4 - oxoquinazolin - 6 - ylmethyl )- n - methylamino ]- 2 - thenoyl )- l - glutamic acid ; growth factor inhibitors ; cell cycle inhibitors ; intercalating antibiotics , for example adriamycin and bleomycin ; enzymes , for example interferon ; and anti - hormones , for example anti - estrogens such as nolvadex ™ ( tamoxifen ) or , for example anti - androgens such as casodex ™ ( 4 ′- cyano - 3 -( 4 - fluorophenylsulphonyl )- 2 - hydroxy - 2 - methyl - 3 ′-( trifluoromethyl ) propionanilide ). such conjoint treatment may be achieved by way of the simultaneous , sequential or separate dosing of the individual components of the treatment . the pharmaceutical composition may , for example , be in a form suitable for oral administration as a tablet , capsule , pill , powder , sustained release formulations , solution , suspension , for parenteral injection as a sterile solution , suspension or emulsion , for topical administration as an ointment or cream or for rectal administration as a suppository . the pharmaceutical composition may be in unit dosage forms suitable for single administration of precise dosages . the pharmaceutical composition will include a conventional pharmaceutical carrier or excipient and a compound according to the invention as an active ingredient . in addition , it may include other medicinal or pharmaceutical agents , carriers , adjuvants , etc . exemplary parenteral administration forms include solutions or suspensions of active compounds in sterile aqueous solutions , for example , aqueous propylene glycol or dextrose solutions . such dosage forms can be suitably buffered , if desired . suitable pharmaceutical carriers include inert diluents or fillers , water and various organic solvents . the pharmaceutical compositions may , if desired , contain additional ingredients such as flavorings , binders , excipients and the like . thus for oral administration , tablets containing various excipients , such as citric acid may be employed together with various disintegrants such as starch , alginic acid and certain complex silicates and with binding agents such as sucrose , gelatin and acacia . additionally , lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate , sodium lauryl sulfate and talc are often useful for tableting purposes . solid compositions of a similar type may also be employed in soft and hard filled gelatin capsules . preferred materials , therefor , include lactose or milk sugar and high molecular weight polyethylene glycols . when aqueous suspensions or elixirs are desired for oral administration the active compound therein may be combined with various sweetening or flavoring agents , coloring matters or dyes and , if desired , emulsifying agents or suspending agents , together with diluents such as water , ethanol , propylene glycol , glycerin , or combinations thereof . methods of preparing various pharmaceutical compositions with a specific amount of active compound are known , or will be apparent , to those skilled in this art . for examples , see remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , mack publishing company , easter , pa ., 15th edition ( 1975 ). the examples and preparations provided below further illustrate and exemplify the methods of the present invention . it is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited in any way by the scope of the following examples and preparations . the “ test compound ” used in the following examples , unless otherwise indicated , is the selective erbb2 inhibitor , e - 2 - methoxy - n -( 3 -{ 4 -( 3 - methyl - 4 -( 6 - methyl - pyridin - 3 - yloxy )- phenylamino )- quinazolin - 6 - yl }- allyl )- acetamide . the fre model : effect of the duration of exposure on anti - tumor efficacy of a test compound an objective of the pre - clinical investigations was to determine whether the c max or area under the curve ( auc ) of the test compound is critical for the anti - tumor efficacy . an additional goal was to establish a pharmacokinetics / pharmacodynamics ( pk / pd ) relationship in the fre / erbb2 tumor model . the fre / erbb2 is an engineered murine tumor model , which over - expresses human erbb2 with a trans - membrane mutation . the role of duration of the test compound exposure on fre / erbb2 tumor growth in athymic mice was determined . the test compound was either administered using tail vein infusion or orally . using tail vein infusion a calculated fixed c max ( 1200 ng / ml ) concentration was maintained during daily infusion while the duration of exposure and therefore auc was varied . treatments and plasma concentrations in treated animals is shown in table 1 . a 1 . 15 mg / ml solution of the test compound was infused iv at 550 μl / hr for 2 minute ramped infusions followed by 50 μl / hr for 15 min or 4 hour daily infusions . ( projection was based on cl of the test compound ). athymic female mice bearing fre / erbb2 tumors (˜ 100 mm 3 in size ) were treated with vehicle , the test compound orally or the test compound intravenously . body weight changes and tumor measurements were obtained at regular intervals ( days 1 , 3 , 5 , and 7 ). the study was carried out for 7 days . plasma and tumor samples were isolated for pk and pd analysis at the termination of study . the results on anti - tumor efficacy , tumor volume , body weight changes , plasma concentration of the test compound as well as p - erbb2 ( the phosphorylated form of erbb2 receptor ) inhibition in control and test compound animals are shown in table 1 . approximately 54 % tumor growth inhibition was achieved in animals treated with daily oral administration of the test compound . plasma concentration at 0 . 5 hr post - dosing on day 7 was 1460 ng / ml . the test compound treatments were safe and did not cause any body weight loss or mortality . daily 15 - minute infusion of the test compound resulted in approximately 34 % growth inhibition . in contrast , equivalent infusion for 4 hr / day resulted in substantially higher tumor growth inhibition ( 76 %). this suggests that the duration of coverage above a threshold plasma concentration has a significant value in the overall anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound in this model . based on these results , it can be also concluded that the coverage ( auc ) for 4 hr / day at an approximate plasma concentration of 500 ng / ml is sufficient to cause substantial fre / erbb2 tumor growth inhibition . the duration of exposure or auc ( coverage ) significantly affect efficacy : the daily c max alone cannot explain efficacy in this model . the duration of coverage (˜ 4 hr / day ) at a plasma concentration of ˜ 500 ng / ml has an advantage over a shorter duration of coverage (˜ 15 min / day ) in the fre / erbb2 tumor model . the anti - tumor efficacy of 25 mg / kg of the test compound administered orally once a day was effective at slowing volume growth of the fre tumors in the nu / nu mice is shown in bar graph format in fig1 . the figure shows that at seven days of treatment the fre tumor volume in treated mice is about half of the control . fig2 shows in bar graph format that the anti - tumor efficacy of the 10 mg / kg of the test compound administered iv for seven days over a four hour period each day is highly effective both on an absolute basis and when compared to infusion of either about 1 . 4 mg / kg of the inhibitor daily over about 15 min / day or vehicle . the test compound at about 10 mg / kg slowed the tumor volume increase to less than 24 % of the vehicle control . by contrast , rapid infusion of about 1 . 4 mg / kg slowed the tumor volume increase to less than 66 % of the vehicle control . the sk - ov - 3 model : effect of the duration of exposure on anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound pre - clinical investigations were conducted to determine whether the duration of the test compound coverage is critical for the anti - tumor efficacy . another goal was to establish the minimum efficacious ( c max and cave 0 - 4 h ) concentration in human ovarian adenocarcinoma , sk - ov - 3 tumor model . as background , the test compound ( po , qd ) was shown in example 1 to be efficacious against fre erbb2 tumors . similarly , iv administration of test compound was efficacious against fre erbb2 tumors . the findings demonstrated that maintaining ˜ 500 ng / ml blood concentrations of the test compound for 4 hr / day has an advantage over a shorter duration of coverage (˜ 15 min / day ) with comparable p - erbb2 reduction ( 48 - 53 %) in the fre erbb2 tumor model . pharmacokinetic , pharmacodynamic and efficacy data are shown in table 1 . based on the exposure measured in earlier studies , a c max of ˜ 1200 ng / ml or auc 02 h of ˜ 985 ng · hr / ml for the test compound with coverage of ˜ 2 hours was critical for ˜ 50 % fre erbb2 tumor growth inhibition . the investigation was extended to the human xenograft model , human ovarian adenocarcinoma model sk - ov - 3 , which over - expresses erbb2 . sk - ov - 3 cells obtained from atcc ( rockville , md .) were grown in mccoy &# 39 ; s medium containing 10 % fetal bovine serum and pen / strep . exponentially growing cells were harvested and inoculated sc ( 5 million cells / animal ) into female athymic mice . athymic mice bearing sk - ov - 3 tumors (˜ 100 mm 3 in size ) were randomized in 7 groups as shown in table 2 . the tumor measurements and body weight changes were obtained on days 1 , 3 , 6 , 10 , 13 and 18 . tumor volume was calculated by the following formula : tumor volume ( mm 3 )═( w × w )/ 2 × l ( l = length & amp ; w = width ). blood samples (˜ 50 μl ) were isolated at 0 . 5 , 1 , 2 , 4 and 8 hrs after dosing on day 18 for pk - analysis . tumors were isolated at 0 . 5 hr post - dosing on day 18 for pd - analysis by elisa . the p - erbb2 reduction , tumor volume and body weight changes in control and test compound treated animals are shown below in table 2 . oral anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound ( qd and bid ) was determined against human ovarian adenocarcinoma model sk - ov - 3 which overexpresses erbb2 . moreover , the test compound administration ( qd or bid ) was efficacious and caused dose - dependent inhibition of sk - ov - 3 xenografts ( fig3 and 4 ). the test compound was well tolerated and there was no body weight loss or animal mortality . the qd dosing of the test compound at 50 mg / kg for 18 days was non - efficacious . approximately 29 % tumor growth inhibition was achieved when a total daily dose of 50 mg / kg / day was administered on a bid schedule ( 25 mg / kg , bid ). the reduction of erbb2 receptor autophosphorylation at 0 . 5 hr post - dosing on day 18 was comparable in both qd and bid treatment groups ( 14 - 20 %), however , the c max for the test compound in 50 mg / kg qd group was approximately 2 - fold higher compared to 25 mg / kg bid dosed animals ( c max , 3640 ng / ml vs . 1780 ng / ml ). similarly , the auc 0 - 4 h ( 3410 ng . hr / ml vs . 1560 ng . hr / ml ) and cave 0 - 4 h ( 853 ng / ml vs . 390 ng / ml ) in qd group was approximately 2 - fold higher compared to bid dosed group . these results demonstrate that neither higher c max nor auco 4 h are critical for the anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound . an average coverage of 390 ng / ml of the test compound ( cave 0 - 4 hr ) twice a day ( bid ) has a benefit over an average coverage of 853 ng / ml ( cave 0 - 4 hr ) once a day ( qd ) though both approaches ( qd & amp ; bid ) gave comparable reduction of erbb2 autophosphorylation . the benefit of bid over qd dosing was also observed at higher doses of the test compound in the sk - ov - 3 model . in comparison with 50 mg / kg bid dosing of the test compound ( 100 mg / kg / day ), qd dosing of 100 mg / kg / day resulted in higher reduction of erbb2 - autophosphorylation ( 75 % vs . 24 %) and was associated with higher c max ( 12 , 100 ng / ml vs . 3880 ng / ml ), auco 4 h ( 16 , 300 ng . hr / ml vs . 4180 ng . hr / ml ) and cave 0 - 4 h ( 4080 ng / ml vs . 1050 ng / ml ). however , the qd schedule was less efficacious than the bid schedule ( 23 % vs . 45 % tumor growth inhibition ). these results support the interpretation that higher c max , or auc 0 - 4 h of the test compound does not have any significant benefit in this tumor model whereas the frequency of coverage ( cave 04 , bid versus qd ) above a threshold level is the determining factor for the anti - tumor efficacy . furthermore , an approximately 24 % reduction of sk - ov - 3 tumor p - erbb2 may be sufficient for ˜ 50 % growth inhibition if the average duration of coverage is maintained for a longer period of time with bid dosing . oral absorption of the test compound was non - linear at 200 mg / kg qd dosing . the c max and the cave 0 - 4 h values for the test compound were comparable in both 200 mg / kg qd and 100 mg / kg bid dosed animals . despite the lower reduction of tumor erbb2 - autophosphorylation in 100 mg / kg bid dosed animals ( 62 % vs . 90 %), the tumor growth inhibition in this group was 2 - fold higher than 200 mg / kg , qd dosed animals ( 71 % vs . 36 %). these observations further support the interpretation that a lower reduction of erbb2 - autophosphorylation ( 62 % vs . 90 %) with a longer / more frequent daily coverage ( bid schedule ) at a comparable c max has significant benefit . the present findings are in accord with the results in athymic mice bearing fre erbb2 tumors ( example 1 ). in that study , compared to 15 min / day , maintaining ˜ 500 ng / ml blood concentrations of the test compound for 4 hr / day with a comparable reduction of erbb2 - autophosphorylation had a benefit . thus , in this example , the findings of sk - ov - 3 tumor model suggest that the total daily coverage , i . e . frequency of daily dosing , is critical for the anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound . that is , a bid schedule has a benefit over qd dosing . the higher reduction of erbb2 - autophosphorylation for a shorter duration has limited value . pre - clinical investigations were conducted to determine whether the duration of the test compound coverage is critical for the anti - tumor efficacy and also to establish the minimum efficacious ( c max and cave 0 - 4 h ) concentration in the human breast adenocarcinoma , bt - 474 tumor model . as background , the test compound ( po , qd ) was shown in example 1 to be efficacious against fre erbb2 tumors . similarly , iv administration of test compound was efficacious against fre erbb2 tumors . the findings demonstrated that maintaining ˜ 500 ng / ml blood concentrations of the test compound for 4 hr / day has an advantage over a shorter duration of coverage (˜ 15 min / day ) with comparable p - erbb2 reduction ( 48 - 53 %) in the fre erbb2 tumor model . pharmacokinetic , pharmacodynamic and efficacy data are shown in table 1 . based on the exposure measured in the earlier study in fre erbb2 model the investigation was extended in example 2 to the human ovarian adenocarcinoma xenograft model sk - ov - 3 , which overexpresses erbb2 . the test compound was efficacious and the findings of the sk - ov - 3 tumor model suggested that the total daily coverage , i . e . frequency of daily dosing , is critical for the anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound . a bid dosing schedule is more beneficial than a qd dosing schedule . the higher reduction of erbb2 - autophosphorylation for a shorter duration has limited value . the present example extends the evaluation of the significance of the frequency of daily dosing for the anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound to a human breast adenocarcinoma model bt - 474 , which over - expresses erbb2 receptors . exponentially growing bt - 474 cells ( rpmi 1640 with 10 mm hepes , 10 % fbs , and pen / strep [ gibco ]) were harvested and inoculated sc ( 5 million cells / animal ) into female athymic mice . trochar pieces of bt - 474 tumors were then implanted into the right flank of animals . bt - 474 tumor bearing mice ( 50 - 320 mm 3 in size , n = 40 ) were randomized in 7 groups consisting 5 - 6 animals each . animals were treated with vehicle ( po , bid ) or the test compound ( po , qd or bid ) as described in table 4 . the tumor measurements and body weight changes were obtained on days 1 , 6 , 11 , 15 and 22 . tumor volume was calculated by the following formula : tumor volume ( mm 3 )═( w × w )/ 2 × l ( l = length & amp ; w = width ). blood samples (˜ 50 μl ) were isolated at 0 . 5 , 1 , 2 , 4 and 8 hrs after dosing on day 22 for pk - analysis . tumors were isolated at 0 . 5 hr post - dosing on day 22 for pd - analysis by elisa . statistical analysis : anova was conducted on the percentage growth data and planned comparisons were conducted between like - doses . the data were log transformed for the analysis due to the distribution of the values . the dunnett - tamahane procedure was used for the multiple comparison analysis . the p - erbb2 reduction , tumor volume and body weight changes in control and test compound treated animals is shown in table 4 . table 5 c max 0 . 5 h auc 0 - 4 h groups ( ng / ml ) ( ng · hr / ml ) cave 0 - 4 h ( ng / ml ) 15 mg / kg , po , qd 250 nd nd 30 mg / kg , po , qd 1800 1280 * 320 * 50 mg / kg , po , qd 5890 4220 * 1060 * 15 mg / kg , po , bid 616 480 120 30 mg / kg , po , bid 1570 1440 * 360 * 50 mg / kg , po , bid 6170 5280 1320 nd : not determined due to the extrapolated portion of auc ≧ 30 % of total auc values represent the average . * values were estimated based on the extrapolated concentration at 4 hr from 2 hr and 8 hr exposures . thus , oral anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound ( qd and bid ) was determined against human breast adenocarcinoma model bt - 474 which overexpresses erbb2 . the test compound administration ( qd or bid ) was efficacious and caused growth inhibition of bt - 474 xenografts ( fig5 a and 5 b ). the test compound was well tolerated and there was no body weight loss or animal mortality . due to a wide variation in the initial tumor volume , % growth of individual tumor was calculated and an average of each group was used to determine relative anti - tumor efficacy . the test compound treatments at 15 mg / kg qd ( 15 mg / kg / day ) and bid ( 30 mg / kg / day ) for 22 days were efficacious and caused 22 % and 54 % ( p = 0 . 007 ) tumor growth inhibition , respectively . the reduction of erbb2 receptor autophosphorylation at 0 . 5 hr post - dosing on day 22 was below the limit of detection in both qd and bid treatment groups and the determination of cave 0 - 4 h in qd dosed animals was not possible due to the extrapolated portion of auc ≧ 30 % of total auc . the efficacious c max , auc 0 - 4 h and cave 0 - 4 h ( 54 % growth inhibition ) for the test compound in 15 mg / kg , bid dosed animals were 616 ng / ml , 480 ng - hr / ml and 120 ng / ml , respectively . the pk , pd and anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound was also determined after 30 mg / kg qd ( 30 mg / kg / day ) and bid ( 60 mg / kg / day ) treatments . the pk values were comparable for the test compound after qd or bid dosing determined on day 22 i . e . c max ( 1800 ng / ml vs . 1570 ng / ml ), auco 4 h ( 1280 ng · hr / ml vs . 1440 ng - hr / ml ) and cave 0 - 4 h ( 320 ng / ml vs . 360 ng / ml , table 5 ). the reduction of bt - 474 tumor erbb2 autophosphorylation in qd dosed animals was higher than bid dosed animals ( 57 % vs . 26 %, p = 0 . 06 ). the 30 mg / kg bid schedule of the test compound was more efficacious than qd dosing ( 68 % vs . 33 % growth inhibition , p = 0 . 053 ). in comparison with 30 mg / kg qd or bid dosing of the test compound ( 30 mg / kg / day or 60 mg / kg / day ), qd or bid dosing of 50 mg / kg / day ( 50 mg / kg / day or 100 mg / kg / day ) resulted in greater reduction of tumor erbb2 - autophosphorylation (˜ 75 % reduction ). the pk - parameters of the test compound in 50 mg / kg qd or bid treatment groups on day 22 were also comparable i . e . c max ( 5890 ng / ml vs . 6170 ng / ml ), auco 4 h ( 4220 ng - hr / ml vs . 5280 ng - hr / ml ) and cave 0 - 4 h ( 1060 ng / ml vs . 1320 ng / ml ). the qd schedule appeared less efficacious than the bid schedule ( 35 % vs . 68 % tumor growth inhibition , p = 0 . 066 ). a pooled test , comparing like - doses between qd and bid , was performed . this test showed that , overall , the bid dosings were more efficacious than qd dosing ( p = 0 . 0346 ). this finding suggests that the multiplicity of the test compound - dosing has positive effect on overall outcome of treatment . a comparison of pk , pd and anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound observed in 50 mg / kg , qd ( 50 mg / kg / day ) vs . 30 mg / kg , bid ( 60 mg / kg / day ) groups ( the two closest groups in the total daily dosing ) were also evaluated to determine the value of dosing - frequency . the p - erbb2 reduction in 50 mg / kg , qd ( 50 mg / kg / day ) dosed group was much higher than 30 mg / kg , bid ( 60 mg / kg / day ) dosed group ( 75 % vs . 26 % p - erbb2 reduction , table 4 ). similarly , higher c max ( 5890 ng / ml vs . 1570 ng / ml ), auc 0 - 4 h ( 4220 ng · hr / ml vs . 1440 ng - hr / ml ) and cave 0 - 4 h ( 1060 ng / ml vs . 360 ng / ml ) for the test compound was observed in 50 mg / kg , qd dosed group compared to 30 mg / kg , bid dosed group ( table 5 ). despite the lower p - erbb2 reduction and pk - values for the test compound ( i . e ., c max , auc 0 - 4 h and cave 0 - 4 h ), 30 mg / kg , bid dosing ( 60 mg / kg / day ) was more efficacious than 50 mg / kg , qd dosing ( 50 mg / kg / day ). overall , approximately 68 % and 35 % tumor growth inhibition was observed in 30 mg / kg , bid and 50 mg / kg , qd groups , respectively ( p = 0 . 0636 ). although the total daily dose of the test compound in these two groups is slightly unequal , a conclusion can be made that the frequency of daily dosing i . e . bid dosing has benefit over qd dosing . these results are similar to the findings with the sk - ov - 3 tumor model study , example 2 , supra , that the frequency of daily dosing i . e . the cave 0 - 4 twice a day coverage with bid dosing confers a benefit compared to cave 0 - 4 once a day coverage with qd dosing . furthermore , an approximately 26 % reduction of bt - 474 tumor - autophosphorylation twice a day with bid dosing may be sufficient for ˜ 50 % growth inhibition if the average duration of coverage (˜ 360 ng / ml ) is maintained for a longer period of time with bid dosing . the present findings are also in accord with the results of iv administration of the test compound by infusion into athymic mice bearing fre erbb2 tumors . that study demonstrated that maintaining ˜ 500 ng / ml blood concentrations of the test compound for 4 hr / day conferred a benefit compared to a bolus administration . thus , the findings from the bt - 474 tumor model suggest that both multiplicity of dosing and the frequency of daily dosing are critical for the anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound . multiplicity of dosing relates to administering a dose ( x mg / kg ) from at least twice a day to six or optionally seven times per day compared to administering the same dose ( x mg / kg ) once per day . frequency of daily dosing relates to dividing a daily dose , for example one half x mg / kg twice per day compared to x mg / kg once per day . the higher reduction of erbb2 - autophosphorylation for a shorter duration has limited value . pre - clinical investigations were conducted to determine whether the duration of the test compound coverage is critical for the anti - tumor efficacy and also to establish the minimum efficacious ( c max and cave 0 - 4 h ) concentration in the human breast adenocarcinoma tumor model , mda - mb - 453 . as background , the test compound ( po , qd ) was shown in example 1 to be efficacious against fre erbb2 tumors . similarly , iv administration of test compound was efficacious against fre erbb2 tumors . the findings demonstrated that maintaining ˜ 500 ng / ml blood concentrations of the test compound for 4 hr / day has an advantage over a shorter duration of coverage (˜ 15 min / day ) with comparable p - erbb2 reduction ( 48 - 53 %) in the fre erbb2 tumor model . pharmacokinetic , pharmacodynamic and efficacy data are shown in table 1 . the investigation was extended to the human ovarian adenocarcinoma xenograft model sk - ov - 3 which overexpresses erbb2 . the test compound was efficacious and the findings of sk - ov - 3 tumor model suggest that the total daily coverage , i . e . frequency of daily dosing is critical for the anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound ( bid schedule has benefit over qd dosing ). the anti - tumor effect of qd vs . bid oral dosing schedules of the test compound was also investigated against the bt - 474 human breast adenocarcinoma model which overexpresses erbb2 . the findings also suggest that both multiplicity and frequency of dosing are critical for the anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound . overall , the findings of both sk - ov - 3 and bt - 474 models suggest that the higher reduction of erbb2 - autophosphorylation for a shorter duration has limited value . the present investigation was performed to determine the oral anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound against an additional human breast carcinoma model , mda - mb - 453 which overexpresses erbb2 . our second objective of this investigation was to determine whether multiplicity or frequency of the test compound dosing has any benefit against this model . study design : exponentially growing mda - mb - 453 cells ( dmem / f12 with 10 % fbs , and pen / strep [ gibco ]) were harvested and inoculated sc ( 5 million cells / animal ) into female athymic mice . mda - mb - 453 tumor bearing mice (˜ 100 mm 3 in size , n = 64 ) were randomized in 8 groups consisting 8 animals each . animals were treated with vehicle ( po , qd or bid ) or the test compound ( po , qd or bid ) as described in table 6 . the tumor measurements and body weight changes were obtained on days 1 , 3 , 7 , 10 , 14 , 17 , 21 , 24 , and 29 . tumor volume was calculated by the following formula : tumor volume ( mm 3 )═( w × w )/ 2 × l ( l = length & amp ; w = width ). blood samples (˜ 50 μl ) were isolated at 0 . 5 , 1 , 2 , 4 and 8 hrs after dosing on day 29 for pk - analysis . tumors were isolated at 0 . 5 hr post - dosing on day 29 for pd - analysis by elisa . statistical analysis : anova was conducted on the percentage growth data and planned comparisons were conducted between like - doses . the data were log transformed for the analysis due to the distribution of the values . the dunnett - tamahane procedure was used for the multiple comparison analysis . the p - erbb2 reduction , tumor volume and body weight changes in control and test compound treated animals are shown in table 6 . thus , oral anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound ( qd and bid ) was determined against human breast adenocarcinoma model mda - mb - 453 which overexpresses erbb2 . the test compound administration ( qd or bid ) was efficacious and caused growth inhibition of mda - mb - 453 xenografts ( fig6 a and 6 b ). the test compound was well tolerated and there was no body weight loss or animal mortality . the test compound treatments at 50 , 100 and 200 mg / kg qd ( 50 , 100 and 200 mg / kg / day ) for 29 days were efficacious and caused 38 %, 63 % and 100 % tumor growth inhibition , respectively . the reduction of erbb2 receptor autophosphorylation at 0 . 5 hr post - dosing on day 29 in 50 , 100 and 200 mg / kg groups were 78 %, 88 % and 92 %, respectively . bid dosing of 25 , 50 and 100 mg / kg the test compound for 29 days was efficacious against mba - mb - 453 tumors and caused 19 %, 66 % and 83 % growth inhibition , respectively . the p - erbb2 reduction in these groups were 69 %, 75 % and 79 %, respectively . anova was used for statistical analysis of overall efficacy for the different doses of the test compound . dunnett - tamahane &# 39 ; s procedure was used for multiple comparisons to vehicle adjustments . the results show that there is no significant difference between 25 mg / kg bid and the 50 mg / kg qd ( p = 0 . 295 ), the 50 mg / kg bid and the 100 mg / kg qd ( p = 0 . 703 ) and the 100 mg / kg bid and the 200 mg / kg qd ( p = 0 . 117 ) dosing schedules of the test compound . similarly , there was no significant difference between like doses i . e . 50 mg / kg bid vs . 50 mg / kg qd ( p = 0 . 13 ) and 100 mg / kg bid vs . 100 mg / kg qd ( p = 0 . 17 ). comparative statistical evaluation using only the dose / dosing - schedule and anti - tumor efficacy observed in different groups is not sufficient to derive any definitive conclusion to address the question : whether bid schedule has any benefit over qd dosing of the test compound . the reduction of p - erbb2 after qd ( 50 - 200 mg / kg ) or bid ( 25 - 100 mg / kg ) dosings was 69 - 92 % and it was difficult to use it as a parameter for any further statistical data analysis . hence , the data - analysis was extended using pharmacokinetic parameters i . e . c max and cave 0 - 4 h of the test compound . the caves 0 - 4 h of 591 ng / ml and 3120 ng / ml obtained after 50 mg / kg ( 50 mg / kg / day ) and 100 mg / kg ( 100 mg / kg / day ) qd dosing caused 38 % and 63 % tumor growth inhibition . cave 0 - 4 h of 509 ng / ml obtained twice a day with 50 mg / kg bid dosing schedule resulted in 66 % efficacy . the cave 0 - 4 h of 509 ng / ml maintained for 8 hrs / day with bid dosing is not significantly different from maintaining cave 0 - 4 h at 591 ng / ml ( 50 mg / kg qd dosing ) or 3120 ng / ml ( 100 mg / kg qd dosing ) for 4 hrs / day ( p = 0 . 13 & amp ; p = 0 . 58 , respectively ). this can also be interpreted that maintaining 509 ng / ml average plasma concentration for 8 hrs / day has equal or better benefit compared to maintaining average plasma concentrations of 591 to 3120 ng / ml for 4 hrs / day . the c max for the test compound in the 50 mg / kg qd and 50 mg / kg bid groups was comparable ( 2760 ng / ml vs . 2390 ng / ml ) whereas the c max in the 100 mg / kg , qd group was approximately 4 - fold higher ( 9770 ng / ml ). these results suggest that higher c max or cave 0 - 4 h alone has limited value when p - erbb2 reduction is comparable . a comparison of c max and cave 0 - 4 h vs . anti - tumor efficacy of the test compound observed in the 100 mg / kg bid and 200 mg / kg qd groups was also performed . the c max for the test compound in the 200 mg / kg qd group was 2 . 4 - fold higher than that in the 100 mg / kg bid group ( 16700 ng / ml vs . 6870 ng / ml ). similarly cave 0 - 4 h was 3 . 8 - fold higher in the 200 mg / kg qd group compared to the 100 mg / kg bid group ( 6510 ng / ml vs . 1710 ng / ml ). despite the higher c max and cave 0 - 4 h , the overall efficacy of the test compound observed in with the 200 mg / kg qd dose was comparable to the anti - tumor efficacy observed with 100 mg / kg bid dosing ( 100 % vs . 83 %). this data further suggest that maintaining 8 hrs / day average plasma concentration at 1710 ng / ml ( c max , 6870 ng / ml ) by 100 mg / kg bid dosing of the test compound is as beneficial as maintaining 6510 ng / ml ( c max , 16 , 700 ng / ml ) average plasma concentration after 200 mg / kg qd dosing . thus , the findings here suggest that in the mda - mb - 453 tumor model , maintaining 8 hrs / day ˜ 509 ng / ml plasma concentration of the test compound ( 50 mg / kg , bid dosing ) is as effective as maintaining 4 hrs / day average plasma concentrations of 591 to 3120 ng / ml ( 50 - 100 mg / kg qd dosing ) in inhibiting tumor growth . thus a low dose of the test compound given on bid schedule has benefit equal to the higher doses given on qd schedule . the present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein . indeed , various modifications of the invention in addition to those described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and the accompanying figures . such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . all patents , applications , publications , test methods , literature , and other materials cited herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties .	0
schematically illustrated in fig1 are major components of a booster pump control valve of the type generally illustrated in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 2 , 384 , 420 and presently sold by the assignee of the present invention as a clayton booster type pump control valve model 60p - 1a ( globe ). the valve of fig1 controls flow of fluid from a pump ( not shown in fig1 ) via an upstream pipe 10 to a downstream pipe 12 and includes a valve seat 14 cooperating with a movable valve closure member 16 that is operated by a valve shaft 18 . valve shaft 18 , in turn , is operated by a diaphragm 20 that is driven either upwardly or downwardly ( as viewed in fig1 ) in accordance with the pressure differential in first and second valve operator chambers 22 , 24 on either side of the diaphragm 20 . pressure in the valve operator chambers 22 , 24 is controlled by a valve controller in the form of a pilot valve solenoid 26 . valve controller 26 receives liquid under pressure via check valves 28 and 30 respectively from a conduit 32 connected to the upstream pipe 10 and from a conduit 34 connected to the downstream conduit 12 . pilot valve solenoid or valve controller 26 includes a solenoid that switches the pilot valve between energized and de - energized conditions . in this booster pump arrangement , the pilot valve solenoid , when de - energized , feeds a relatively high pressure to chamber 22 via line 36 . the pilot valve and line 38 connect the chamber 24 to a low pressure or atmosphere . this keeps the valve ( 14 , 16 ) closed . when the solenoid of the valve controller 26 is energized , high pressure from the upstream pipe 10 is fed via line 32 through check valve 28 and through the pilot valve and line 38 to the chamber 24 . upper chamber 22 is connected via line 36 and the pilot valve solenoid , when energized , to a lower pressure or the atmosphere . thus the valve ( 14 , 16 ) begins to open under control of diaphragm 20 and valve shaft 18 , when the pilot valve solenoid is energized . limit switch 40 is connected to be operated by an upper extension 42 of the valve shaft 18 so that the switch is in one position when the closure member 16 contacts the seat 14 to close the valve and is in another position when the closure member 16 raises a small amount to begin to open the valve ( 14 , 16 ). the system pump ( not shown in fig1 and 2 ) is under control of a motor 50 , shown in fig2 in a prior control system . this prior control system includes a pair of power input terminals 52 , 54 which energize a first circuit including a remote control and manual start selector 56 and a remote control switch 58 . energization of these switches , manually or remotely , energize the coil 60 of a run command relay ( rcr ) having normally open run command contact pairs , 60 - 1 and 60 - 2 connected to be closed when coil 60 is energized . contacts 60 - 1 operate ( when closed ) in a second circuit to energize a solenoid coil 66 ( pvs ) of the pilot control or valve controller 26 of fig1 . when this circuit is energized by operation of switches 56 , 58 , the pilot valve solenoid coil 66 is energized to begin opening the normally closed valve 14 , 16 of fig1 . concomitantly , contacts 60 - 2 energize a third circuit in which is connected the coil 68 of a motor control relay ( mcr ) having first and second normally open contacts 68 - 1 , 68 - 2 connected to be closed upon energization of coil 68 . thus , upon the run command achieved by operation of switches 56 , 58 , both coils 60 and 68 are energized and contacts 68 - 2 are also energized to establish a fourth circuit having the motor 50 connected therein . as the valve 14 , 16 moves from its normally closed position , the normally open contact limit switch 40 is closed to establish a circuit including the contacts of limit switch 40 , the closed contacts 68 - 1 and the motor control relay coil 68 , to thereby latch the motor in a steady state run condition . the motor is connected to drive the pump . to stop the pump , under control of the prior circuit of fig2 switches 56 , 58 are operated to de - energize coil 60 and open contact 60 - 1 , 60 - 2 . opening contacts 60 - 1 de - energizes the pilot valve solenoid coil 66 and the anti - surge valve 14 , 16 begins to close . nevertheless , the motor continues to run because the motor control relay coil 68 is latched by the still closed limit switch 40 and the still closed motor control relay contacts 68 - 1 . only when the valve closure member 16 attains a nearly closed condition , do the contacts of the limit switch 40 open thereby de - energizing the motor control relay coil 68 and opening the contacts 68 - 2 to the motor . a valve substantially similar to that of fig1 is illustrated in fig3 and is arranged for use with a deep well pump ( not shown ) that provides pressurized fluid from its discharge side to the upstream pipe 10a and thence through a main flow control valve having a closure member 76 and a valve seat 78 to a downstream pipe 12a . closure member 76 is connected to be operated by pressure difference on the two sides of the valve 76 , 78 . when the pump is off , downstream pressure in conduit 12a , which is connected to the hydraulic mainline system , is a higher pressure and , via a valve operating diaphragm 80 , forces closure member 76 into a closed position . when the pump is operating , the upstream side of the main valve 76 , 78 has a higher pressure to thereby open the valve 76 , 78 . parts of the valve of fig3 that correspond to parts of the valve of fig1 are designated by the same reference numbers , but with the suffix a . in this deep well pump arrangement , the pump is started with the pump control valve in open condition to flow a mixture of liquid and air , initially discharged from the starting pump , from the system to the atmosphere via a conduit 82 . the anti - surge valve for control of the deep well pump is substantially identical to the valve of fig1 but its closure member 16a is initially open ( when the pump is off ), and the valve controller is de - energized with the lower chamber 24a adjacent the valve operating diaphragm 20a having a higher pressure than the upper chamber 22a . this drives the closure member 16a to its upper or open position . according to previous practice , when the pump is started , the valve controller or pilot valve solenoid 26a is energized to start the closing of valve closure member 16a by producing a higher pressure in chamber 22a and a relatively low pressure in chamber 24a . as valve 16a begins to move from its open position , limit switch 40a closes to establish and latch a motor control relay circuit similar to circuit of fig2 and including limit switch 40a , contacts 68 - 1 and motor control relay coil 68 of fig2 . as valve member 16a closes , pressure increases at the upstream side of main valve 76 , 78 which then opens , as valve member 16a reaches its final closed position , and the system continues with the pump running in such a steady state condition . when the pump run command is removed , pilot valve solenoid 26a is de - energized and closure member 16a begins to raise , to open the pump control valve 16a , 14a . as the closure member 16a nears its fully opened position , limit switch 40a disables the motor control relay latch circuit and the motor and pump stop . the system and controls described above have been used for some time , but are subject to several problems , as previously mentioned . with the above - described prior system , it is possible to start the pump with the control valve in the wrong position ( open for a booster pump , or closed for the deep well pump ). if the pump loses suction or discharge pressure , or a pump shaft is broken , the system or at least those parts still operable may continue to run . in case of a power failure , this prior system may begin its stop cycle , but if power should return before the control valve has fully closed in the booster pump , or before the control valve has fully opened in the deep well pump , the pump may restart and subject the hydraulic mainline system to an undesired starting surge . it may be noted that the valves described above may take about four to five minutes to move from one position to the other . the rate of closure and the rate of opening of the valves are controlled by throttling and rate control valves ( not shown ) that are connected in the lines between the valve controllers 26 , 26a and the chambers 22 , 24 , and 22a , 24a . in the deepwell pump , as controlled according to prior art , it is possible that the control valve may close before all of the mixture of air and liquid in the line between the valve and the discharge side of the pump has been fully vented to the atmosphere . in the prior system , this time of closing is not readily controllable . to eliminate these problems in prior systems , to provide a safety control that avoids incorrect and potentially dangerous operation of the system in the presence of certain hazards and failures , and to provide generally improved functioning of the system , principles of the present invention are employed to control the pump and valve as illustrated in fig4 . a system pump 86 , having an input side 88 and a discharge side 90 , is driven by a motor 50 under control of a motor control 92 . pump 86 feeds fluid under pressure to a control valve 94 which may be a booster control valve of the type illustrated in fig1 or a deep well control valve of the type illustrated in fig3 . valve 94 is operated between its open and closed positions by a valve controller 96 which is a conventional solenoid controlled pilot valve , of the type normally employed with the above identified cla - val valves . a valve position detector in the form of a limit switch 98 is connected with the valve 94 to send an electrical signal representing the sensed position of the valve . when the valve is in one position , closed for the booster pump or open for the deep well pump , it sends a &# 34 ; run &# 34 ; signal via a line 97 , and in the other position the detector 98 sends an &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; signal via a line 99 . a pressure detector 100 is connected to sense fluid pressure at a point between the discharge side of the pump and the input of the valve , preferably adjacent the input side of the valve 94 . detector 100 provides a signal on a line 101 when the sensed pressure is at or above a pre - determined pressure level . the valve controller 96 receives a first input on line 101 representing sensed pressure and a second input on a line 103 representing a run command which is a manually or remotely provided command signal to operate the pump . motor control 92 is operated by a motor run signal on a line 93 which is provided by one or more of three different circuits at different conditions of operation . thus , the motor run signal is provided by ( a ) an initiate circuit 104 , ( b ) a timed start circuit 106 , and ( c ) a steady state run circuit 108 . a timer 110 is provided to generate a time interval for system start . upon occurrence of a run command signal , a run command input to timer 110 via a line 111 starts a time interval to provide a start interval input on lines 113 and 114 to the initiate circuit 104 and to the timed start circuit 106 . the initiate circuit 104 also receives inputs from the run command on line 116 and from the valve position detector on line 99 ( indicating position of the valve when the system is not running ). the timed start circuit 106 receives a run command input on line 118 and a motor on input on a line 120 from the output of the motor control relay 92 when the latter is energized to drive the motor 50 . the steady state run circuit 108 has a motor on input on a line 122 from the motor control 92 when the latter is energized to drive the motor , and also has a second input on line 97 from the valve position detector 98 , indicating that the valve is in the run position ( open for the booster pump and closed for the deep well pump ). operation of the control system of fig4 will be described with respect to a booster pump such as shown in fig1 . valve 94 is initially closed and valve controller 96 is de - energized . low pressure is sensed by pressure sensor 100 . position detector 98 detects the off position of the valve . motor control 92 is de - energized , motor 50 is not running and the pumps 86 is off . a run command actuates the timer 110 to initiate the start time interval and further provides a first input to both the initiate circuit 104 and the timed start circuit 106 . the latter , however , still lacks an input on line 120 since the motor control 92 has not yet been energized . run circuit 108 is also not energized at this time because the valve is in its off position . however , initiate circuit 104 receives all of its three required inputs , the start interval from the timer , the run command and the off valve position and accordingly , motor control 92 is energized from circuit 104 to start motor 50 and to drive pump 86 . timed start circuit 106 is established ( enabled ) as soon as the motor control 92 is energized , receiving its motor on input on line 120 , the run command on line 118 and the start interval on line 114 . initially pressure of the discharge side of pump 90 is low and no input to valve controller 96 is provided from the pressure sensor 100 , whereby the valve controller initially remains de - energized and the valve 94 remains in its off position , while the motor and pump begin to run . as soon as the pressure at the input of valve 94 reaches the predetermined level , this is detected by the pressure sensor 100 , and valve controller 96 receives its second input . controller 96 is accordingly energized , whereupon valve 94 begins to move from its off position to its run position . as the valve moves from its off position , valve position detector 98 senses displacement of the valve . the initiate circuit 104 is now disabled because it no longer receives an off valve position signal . however , run circuit 108 which is receiving a motor on input from motor control 92 now receives a run valve position signal from the position detector and this steady state run or latch circuit is now established to operate the motor control . at the end of the start time interval provided by timer 110 , timed start circuit 106 is disabled but is no longer needed since the steady state run circuit 108 is now energizing the motor controller 92 . however , if valve 94 had failed to open even though the motor control 92 had been energized and the motor and pump were operating , the timed start circuit 106 would be disabled at the end of the start time interval and the motor control 92 would thereupon be de - energized . initiate circuit 104 is also de - energized at the end of the start time interval because it requires a start interval input on line 113 . further , the steady state run circuit 108 is not energized if the valve does not move to its run position . in prior circuits , the motor control 92 is operated directly by the run command and thus will drive the motor regardless of valve position . assuming the run circuit 108 is established and the system is running in steady state condition , it will continue to do so only as long as the run command continues and the pressure at the input to valve 94 as detected by pressure sensor 100 remains above a preselected value . to stop the system , the run command is removed , thereby de - energizing valve controller 96 which starts to move the valve 94 from its run position to its off position . however , the motor and pump continue to run until the valve has almost reached its off position , at which time the run valve position input to run circuit 108 is removed by valve position detector 98 and the motor and pump are stopped . should the pressure detected by pressure sensor 100 drop below a pre - determined minimum during operation of the system , valve controller 96 is de - energized . accordingly , the system will stop in the same manner as it would if the run command is removed . should there be an electrical failure during steady state operation , the system must be completely shut down before it can be restarted . in prior control systems , on the other hand , the pump and motor could be restarted upon resumption of power after a power failure , even though the valve had not yet returned to its off position . with the arrangement of fig4 however , run circuit 108 cannot be re - energized until the motor controller 92 is energized once again . the latter cannot be initially energized by the run circuit nor by the timed start circuit , both of which require the motor control to be on . start and restart can be controlled only by the initiate circuit 104 . since this circuit is under control of the valve position detector and can be established only when the valve is in the off position the system cannot be restarted until it has been entirely shut down . it will be understood that the control concepts of the present invention are merely functionally illustrated in fig4 and can be implemented by various electrical and electromechanical control elements and devices well known in the art . thus , the timer and the three motor control energizing circuits 104 , 106 and 108 , may be all or partly provided by conventional electronic components such as solid state semi - conductor logic . alternatively , these may be provided by control relays . a system of the latter type is selected for purposes of illustration and shown in fig5 . a plurality of circuits are provided between electric power input terminals 126 , 128 . a run command circuit for energizing a run command relay ( rcr ) coil 130 is operable by a manual run command provided by a remote / manual selector switch 132 or a remote switch 134 so that the coil 130 may be manually energized by moving switch 132 to its lower position or by remote operation of switch 134 with the selector switch 132 in its upper position . an indicator light 136 is connected to provide a visible indication of remote operation of the circuit . a valve controller circuit including the solenoid 138 of the pilot valve ( pvs ) is connected in circuit with a first set of normally open contacts 130 - 1 that are operated by coil 130 . also connected in the circuit of solenoid 138 is a pressure switch 142 that is open when the pressure at its sensing input is below a predetermined value and closed when the pressure is at or above its predetermined value . a time delay relay ( tdr ) 144 is connected in a time interval circuit with a second set of normally open contacts 130 - 2 that are operated by the run command relay coil 130 . time delay relay 144 operates a set of normally closed contacts 144 - 1 to cause these contacts to open a predetermined time interval after energization of the coil of the time delay relay . a motor control relay ( mcr ) coil 150 is connected to be energized by three different circuits as described above in connection with fig4 . the first of these circuits is the initiate circuit and includes a limit switch 152 in its illustrated normally closed position , the normally closed time delay relay contacts 144 - 1 and a third set of normally open contacts 130 - 3 connected to be closed by energization of the run command relay coil 130 . a second or timed start circuit for energization of the motor control relay coil 150 comprises the normally closed time delay relay contacts 144 - 1 , the third set of run command relay contacts 130 - 3 and a first set of normally open motor control relay contacts 150 - 2 that are connected to be closed by energization of motor control relay coil 150 . the steady state run circuit for motor control relay coil 150 comprises limit switch 152 , when it moves to its run position ( the unillustrated position of fig5 ), and a second set of normally open contacts 150 - 1 connected to be closed upon energization of the motor control relay coil 150 . a third set of normally open contacts 150 - 3 connected to be closed by energization of motor control relay coil 150 is connected in circuit with the motor 50 and with an indicator light 162 which is energized whenever the motor is energized to provide a visual indication of the motor on condition . the relay control circuit of fig5 operates just as previously described in connection with the functional diagram of fig4 and will control either the booster type pump control valve or the deep well type pump control valve . the system will automatically shut down in the absence of appropriate pressure at the input side of the valve . it will provide a delay upon start to allow the pressure to build up . it will start to operate the pump control valve to its run position only after pressure has reached its selected value and only with the control valve in its off position . further , if the valve does not move to its run position , the system will stop after a start time interval . where the system of fig5 is applied to a booster pump , a starting cycle is initiated by closing switch 132 ( manual operation ) or both switches 132 and 134 ( remote operation ) to energize coil 130 thereby closing run command relay contacts 130 - 1 , 130 - 2 and 130 - 3 . solenoid coil 138 is not yet energized because pressure switch 142 has not yet sensed its preset pressure level . time delay relay 144 is energized and the start time interval commences . normally closed contacts 144 - 1 remain closed during the start time interval and open at the end of this interval . motor control relay coil 150 is energized by the initiate circuit including limit switch 152 in the illustrated off position , contacts 130 - 3 and normally closed contacts 144 - 1 . upon energization of motor control relay coil 150 , its contacts 150 - 1 , 150 - 2 and 150 - 3 close . this energizes the timed start circuit including contacts 150 - 2 , contacts 130 - 3 and still closed contacts 144 - 1 . upon build up of pressure , switch 142 closes to energize solenoid 138 of the valve controller and the pump control valve begins to open . as the valve opens slightly , switch 152 moves to its other position to establish the run control circuit including limit switch 152 and now closed contacts 150 - 1 . just after the valve begins to open the initiate circuit is disabled . as soon as the start time interval terminates , the timed start circuit is disabled . now the pump continues to run on the run circuit including limit switch 152 and contacts 150 - 1 . if the valve had not opened after receipt of the run command , the run circuit ( limit switch 152 and contacts 150 - 1 ) would not have been established and at the end of the start time , the system would have shut down . further , if the pressure had not risen to the preset level , the valve controller coil 138 would not have been energized and the valve would remain closed , whereupon at the end of the start time interval the system would shut down . during steady state run under control of the run circuit , including limit switch 152 and motor control relay latching contact 150 - 1 , the system continues to run and will stop upon command or upon the occurrence of certain failures . if pressure should be lost as by loss of suction or a broken pump shaft , for example , pressure switch 142 opens , de - energizing the solenoid of the valve controller , thereby driving the pump control valve toward its closed position , operating limit switch 152 and de - energizing the run circuit . upon occurrence of an electrical failure , all relay coils are de - energized . all relay contacts moved to their de - energized position and the valve begins to close . if power should be resumed before the valve is fully closed , the system will not restart . as previously described , it is undesirable to start the system unless the valve is closed . however , when the time delay relay is de - energized contacts 144 - 1 close and , upon re - establishment of power after a momentary power failure , contacts 130 - 3 of the timed start circuit also close . however , the motor control relay contacts 150 - 2 do not close unless the motor control relay coil 150 has been energized again . but the latter cannot be energized unless and until the valve has completely closed , to move limit switch 152 to the illustrated position and establish the initiate circuit . in a commanded stop , the command circuit is disabled by opening one or the other of switches 132 , 134 , thereby de - energizing run command relay coil 130 and opening its contacts 130 - 1 , 130 - 2 and 130 - 3 . pilot valve solenoid 138 is de - energized and the control valve starts to close . the pump is still being driven because the motor is still energized by the run circuit including limit switch 152 and contacts 150 - 1 . limit switch 152 remains in its run position ( unillustrated in fig5 ) until the valve has almost closed . then it switches back to the position illustrated , de - energizing the run command circuit and stopping the motor and pump . the circuit of fig5 is also applicable to the deep well pump illustrated in fig3 . operation , including start cycle , stop cycle and its protective functioning is substantially same as that described for the booster type . however , as previously indicated , the deep well type pump control valve is initially open and begins to close only after the motor and pump have been started and pressure , as detected by pressure switch 142 at the input of the valve , has reached the predetermined level . this feature is particularly useful with the deep well pump to ensure that the pump control valve does not close prematurely . although the invention has been described and specifically illustrated in connection with booster type and deep well type pumps and control valves therefor , it will be readily appreciated that principles of the invention may be applied to other types of pump and valve systems wherein a desired sequencing of pump and valve operations is required for start or stop or where other system protective features are useful . the foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as given by way of illustration and example only , the spirit and scope of this invention being limited solely by the appended claims .	5
this application incorporates by reference all subject matter included in u . s . provisional ser . no . 61 / 860 , 534 entitled “ variable noise attenuator with adjustable attenuation ” filed jul . 31 , 2013 . this application incorporates by reference all subject matter included in u . s . provisional ser . no . 61 / 790 , 243 entitled “ variable noise attenuator ” filed mar . 15 , 2013 . this application incorporates by reference all subject matter included in u . s . ser . no . 14 / 212 , 409 entitled “ variable sound attenuator ” filed mar . 14 , 2014 . referring to fig1 , an ear attenuator headset 200 is shown being placed on the head of a user 100 . the variable attenuator headset 200 is shown having an earcup 215 being connected to a strap 220 / 225 , which has adjustment member 230 , that is able to adjust the size of strap 220 / 25 , so that it comfortable fits the user &# 39 ; s head . in fig1 , control element 210 is shown as a knob whereby the knob can be rotated along arrow a . power control 240 is shown having on switch 245 , whereby the ear attenuator headset 200 can be turned on or off . in certain embodiments , the control element 210 does not extend or extends just minimally past the earcup 215 , such that the attenuator 200 appears to be an ordinary headset . in fig2 a - 2d , various cross sections along axis b - b of ear attenuator headset 200 are shown . fig2 a shows the open position of ear attenuator headset 200 . fig2 b shows a 60 % open position , fig2 c shows a 30 % open position and fig2 d shows a closed position . the control element 210 is rotated to control the amount of attenuation through the at least one earcup 215 . the amount of attenuation can be modified as the control element 210 is rotated . in the cross - section view of fig2 a - 2d , the control element 210 is connected via a fastening element 260 ( shown as a screw ) to a plate 250 , which is then connected to a blocking member 210 . the blocking member 210 can be made of foam or other attenuating material . the plate 250 is the outer portion of the earcup 215 . the plate 250 may be flat or may have a curved shape according to a headset as control element 210 is turned , the blocking member 270 moves axially with respect to the control element 210 , such that in fig2 a , the blocking member is furthest from the control element 210 ( the open position ) and in fig2 d the blocking member is closest to the control element 210 and is flush against the earcup 215 , closing the passageway through the earcup 215 . in certain embodiments , the blocking member 270 rotates when the control element 210 is rotated . in other embodiments , the blocking member 270 does not rotate when the control element 210 is rotated , but rather moves in a straight line path when the control element 210 is rotated . the attenuator works on the fact that the greater the opening in the passageway , the greater the amount of sound that can pass through the passageway , as the blocking member 270 prevents the passage of sound , thus providing attenuation . as the control element 210 rotates , the amount of rotation of the control element 210 allows for varying levels of attenuation through the earcup 215 . shown are levels where the device is fully open , 60 % open , 30 % open and closed . as the control element 210 is turned to tighten the blocking member 270 towards the plate 250 , the level of attenuation decreases as the blocking member is tightened . as the blocking member is tightened with respect to the control element 210 , less sound is able to pass through the passageway . in the fully open , 60 % open , and 30 % open diagrams , the sound is able to pass through the top portion of the passageway , around the blocking member 270 and through the rest of the passageway into a user &# 39 ; s ear . however , in the closed position , the blocking member 270 prevents sound from passing through the passageway and the sound is reflected back and not able to be heard by a person wearing the device . when closed , the device provides for complete attenuation . when open , the device provides enough sound to enter the passageway to make voice audible . when partial attenuation is desired , the control element gives a varying degree of sound flow through . referring to fig3 , another embodiment of the invention is shown . here , the control element 310 ( shown as a knob ) is slidable with respect to a bore 305 in the ear attenuator headset 300 . the ear attenuator headset 300 is shown located on the head of a person 100 . in fig3 , the control element 310 is shown having a greater width than the passageway ( rectangular bore 305 ), and is able to slide along the outside of the ear attenuator 300 in a manner that is perpendicular to the passageway and along arrow c . the earcup 315 is shown being attached via a strap 320 / 235 with adjustable element 330 . as the knob 310 slides , it can go from a position where the blocking member does not cover the passageway ( fully open ) to a position where the blocking member covers the passageway ( closed ) and prevents sound from passing through the passageway . in certain embodiments , the control element 310 does not extend or extends just minimally past the earcup 315 , such that the attenuator 300 appears to be an ordinary headset . in certain embodiments , the ear attenuator headset 300 is shown having an audio source 380 . the audio source 380 provides a sound to a user and is reminiscent of the audio source on a standard headset . the audio source can receive sounds from a wire or from a wireless source , such that the ear attenuator headset 300 can either be powered via batteries ( in a wireless version ) or can draw power from a device that it is plugged into via a wire . the audio source can be controlled via bluetooth and can include a processor whereby software executes on the processor to control the audio source . the audio source 380 can also be provided in various additional embodiments of the invention , for example , in the embodiments shown in fig1 a - 2d , and 5 - 7 . as shown in fig4 a - 4d , various positions of the attenuator are shown along axis d - d of the device . fig4 a shows the attenuator 300 in an open position having passageway e , whereby sound is able to pass through the earcup 315 into a person &# 39 ; s ear . also shown in fig4 a is control element 310 , which is held via a screw 360 to a blocking member 370 . the blocking member 270 prevents the passage of sound , thus providing attenuation . the blocking member 270 can be made of foam or other attenuating material , such as foam and / or rubber than prevents sound from passing through the blocking material . also shown in fig4 a is the audio source 380 with acoustic signal f . the acoustic signal f is sound that comes from an audio source on a standard headset . having both the audio source 380 allows a user to listen to music . if another person asks the user a question , the user can hear the person without having to remove the ear attenuator device 300 from the user &# 39 ; s head , as external noise can pass through the passageway . fig4 a shows the open position , fig4 b shows a position whereby the attenuator is 60 % open , fig4 c shows a position that is 30 % open and fig4 d shows the closed position . in certain embodiments , the position of the knob can be varied , which allows a user to control the level of attenuation of the device . the blocking member 270 is able to slide to block the passageway to control the level of attenuation in the device . in certain embodiments , as the blocking member 270 slides , it tightens with respect to the earcup 315 and forms an airtight seal to provide complete attenuation in the closed position . in certain embodiments , a screen is provided such that the screen prevents debris from entering the device . the screen does not prevent sound from entering the passageway . fig5 shows another embodiment of the invention whereby an external power source is used to power the control element . in fig5 , attenuator device 500 includes an earcup 515 and a control element 510 , the control element 510 able to control the blocking element in the same manner as shown in fig1 and as described in fig2 a - 2d . additionally , fig5 shows power source 580 , the power source 580 being controlled by an external element such as bluetooth or by a controller . the power source 580 is able to control the rotation of control element 510 , to control attenuation of the device . in certain instances , this is useful as a user may not be able to physically control the control element 510 , as in the case of a user lacking coordination or even lacking the ability to perform such a maneuver as a result of an injury . in certain embodiments , the earcup 515 includes a processor and software executing on the processor , such that the software is able to control the power source 580 . in certain embodiments , a computer or non - transient medium is used to store instructions to control the power source 580 and the control element . fig6 shows another embodiment of the invention whereby an external power source is used to power the control element . in fig6 , attenuator device 600 includes an earcup 615 and a control element 610 , the control element 610 able to control the blocking member in the same manner as shown in fig3 and as described in fig4 a - 4d . additionally , fig6 shows power source 685 , the power source 685 being controlled by an external element such as bluetooth or by a controller . the power source 685 is able to control amount of sliding of the control element 610 , to control attenuation of the device . in certain instances , this is useful as a user may not be able to physically control the control element 610 , in the case of a user lacking coordination or even lacking the ability to perform such a maneuver as a result of an injury . in certain embodiments , the earcup 615 includes a processor and software executing on the processor , such that the software is able to control the power source 685 . in certain embodiments , a computer or non - transient medium is used to store instructions to control the power source 685 and the control element . referring to fig7 a - 7d , another embodiment of the invention is shown . here , the control element 710 is shown as a knob whereby the knob can be rotated . fig7 a shows the open position of ear attenuator headset 700 . fig7 b shows a 60 % open position , fig7 c shows a 30 % open position and fig7 d shows a closed position . the control element 710 is rotated to control the amount of attenuation through the at least one earcup 215 . in the cross - section views of fig7 a - 7d , the control element 710 is connected via a fastening element 760 ( shown as a screw ) to various pancake shaped elements 720 , 725 , 730 and 735 . while four pancake shaped elements are shown , either a greater or lesser amount of pancake elements are contemplated as part of the embodiment . as the control element 710 is rotated , the pancake shaped elements 720 , 725 , 730 and 735 are drawn into the passageway , thus closing the passageway and obstructing the passageway , thus , providing attenuation . the pancake elements 720 , 725 , 730 and 735 are blocking members that may be made of attenuating material such as foam , rubber , or other attenuating material . the pancake elements may be connected via the fastening member 760 or may be connected to one another via a spring or other such element that allows these pancake members to axially move with respect to the control member 710 , either towards the control member 710 to close off the passageway , or away from the control member 710 to allow sound to pass through the passageway . in certain embodiments , the pancake members rotate when the control element 710 is rotated . in other embodiments , the pancake members simply move either towards or away from the control element without rotation of the pancake members . in certain embodiments of the invention , the control member is controlled by a remote control . in certain embodiments , the remote control allows for a user to close or open the passageway through the at least one earcup allowing for sound to pass through . in certain embodiments , the remote control is located away from or remote from the at least one earcup and in other embodiments , the remote control may be attached to or linked via an electronic cable to the at least one earcup . in certain embodiments , the remote control includes a processor and / or a computer and software executing on a processor to provide control signals to control the amount of attenuation in the earcup . in certain embodiments , the remote control changes the size of the passageway ( also the attenuation space ( as )) based upon the detected amount of sound in the environment . in certain embodiments , the width , length and / or depth of the passageway may be changed by the remote control . in certain embodiments , the ear attenuator headset includes a sensor or noise detector ( such as a microphone ) to detect the amount of external sound that is present in the environment . in certain embodiments , the sensor or noise detector is located in the at least one earcup or in the strap . in certain embodiments , the sensor or noise detector is located in the remote control . in certain embodiments of the invention , variable attenuation is provided in earphones or headphones which deliver sound and in sound monitoring devices , but at the same time also need to provide attenuation , such as in active ear attenuators such as noise cancelling electronic devices . in these embodiments , variable attenuation devices are provided so that external sound can be controlled through the attenuation device . while the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof , it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation and that various changes and modifications in form and details may be made thereto , and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit . the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature , and thus , variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
sphericity of the particles of the instant invention is achieved through a polymerization in suspension , wherein the polymerization consists of two phases , one aqueous and the other organic , under agitation . size of the particles depends on a series of experimental parameters such as temperature , agitation , and initiator . the hardness of said particles depends on the type , amount of crosslinking agent and the medium in which the polymerization in suspension takes place . the polymerization process for obtaining the ultralight crosslinked polymer particles of the instant invention is a polymerization in suspension wherein the organic phase is constituted by a mixture of two or more monomers : one of those is bifunctional for promoting the reticulation and micro - and nano - loads for reducing the static , an initiator ( trimers , oligomers , or a low - molecular weight polymer can be added as dispersant of the organic phase ) and an aqueous phase with dispersant agent . the resulting material has a density between 0 . 95 and 1 . 04 g / ml . accordingly , the instant invention encompasses a reticulate composite material in which the polymer presents a repetitive structure of formula i : wherein s 1 and s 2 are olefin substituent groups , r 2 is an alkyl or aryl of the crosslinking monomer . as a generic example , a way to put into practice the instant invention is presented : reactor which can be cylindrical heating blanket for the reactor mechanical agitator , with corresponding stand agitating rod nitrogen input ( g ) thermocouple with temperature controller cooler distilled water / residual waters from polymerization polyvinylic alcohol (+ 99 . 9 % hydrolized , sigma - aldrich ) sodium chloride ( nacl ) mono - olefinic monomer / s divinylbenzene ( dvb ) azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) lampblack / carbon nanotubes / carbon nanotubes plus ceramic nanoparticles smaller than 50 nm polyvinylic alcohol ( pva ) and sodium chloride ( nacl ) are weighted in a scale and added to the reactor , along with the corresponding water volume ( distilled and residual water ). then , agitation is started at about 850 rpm and the heating mat connected to a thermocouple with temperature controller is turned on . the solution is heated to more than 50 ° c ., preferably 70 ° c ., wherein said process requires about 30 min . separately , the monomeric phase is prepared , which consists of two or more monomers , mono - olefin / s and a di - olefin , a initiator , aibn , whose optimal activation temperature is the reaction temperature ( 70 ° c . ), a dispersant can be added such as low molecular weight polystyrene . for preparation of the monomeric phase , it is first required the extraction of the inhibitors present in each of the commercial monomers . said process consists of the following steps : 1 . each monomer is washed three times with a 10 % naoh ( sodium hydroxide ) solution , using a base volume equal to one third of the monomer amount to be purified ( separate ampoules ) ( see fig2 ). 2 . three washes of the organic phase with distilled water , whose volume corresponds to one third of the volume of the monomer . verification that the wash water is not basic . 3 . the organic phase is removed and anhydrous calcium chloride is added ( cacl 2 anh .). 4 . the monomer is then passed through a column with basic alumina , for extracting the remaining inhibitor . once said procedure is finished , each monomer will be ready to be incorporated into the batch together with the initiator . the mass of the load ( lampblack / carbon nanotubes / carbon nanotubes plus ceramic particles ) is added to the monomeric phase and it is sonicated for 8 minutes . then the initiator is added and sonication is performed again for 2 minutes , verifying that the aibn has dissolved completely into the monomeric phase . finally , the solution resulting from the monomers , the initiator , and the load , is incorporated into the reactor , which is already at 70 ° c . and under continuous agitation . right after the addition , the nitrogen pass is open , in order to generate the inert atmosphere . after about 20 min ., the pass is closed , and all the inlets to the reactor are kept closed . the agitation speed from start until 20 minutes from the addition of the monomeric phase is about 850 rpm , then the speed is incremented to 1048 rpm , until the end of polymerization after 5 hrs of reaction . from the time of the addition of the monomeric phase , agitation should not be interrupted , since otherwise the suspension will coalesce . it must be controlled that during polymerization the agitating rod is correctly placed , as to avoid material projections . addition of the load was assayed in two different ways : either by incorporation into the aqueous phase , or by addition to the organic phase . it was noticed that the solid resulting from co - polymerization with addition of micro - or nano - load in the organic phase had an intense black color , and also that the reaction water was not darkened , which indicates that the particles were successfully incorporated into the solid . when the load particles were added to the aqueous phase , the resulting solid had a grayish coloration and load particles were found remaining into the reaction water . accordingly , it was observed that a better addition of particles into the solid is achieved if the pigment is incorporated in the monomeric phase . the final step of the process can include ( or not ) one wash with water or other polar solvent as to eliminate the excess of aqueous dispersing agent . in table 1 the amounts of reagents used in each reaction are indicated . once completed the 5 hrs of the reaction , the solid is removed from the reactor and the residual water is separated , for use in a subsequent polymerization . the obtained solid is successively washed with distilled water , including steps of washing at temperatures higher than 50 ° c ., in order to eliminate all the polyvinyl alcohol that could have remained on the surface of the spheres . afterwards , if the maximum degree of crosslinking was not achieved , a post - curation step can be performed . finally , the resulting material is dried and weighted . a new washing is performed with hot toluene , in order to eliminate the rests of mono - olefinic monomers , or small chains of non - crosslinked polymer which could have formed into the reactor . again , the material is brought to vacuum stove for 2 hrs at 70 ° c . after this time , it is removed and weighted again ( at room temperature ). the mass difference between the two washes determinates the percentage of monomers , oligomers and lineal polymer slightly resistant to organic solvents . afterwards , the material is separated by size using the astm sieves # 60 - 12 , by means of mechanic agitator . for analyzing the thermal stability of the solid , the thermogravimetric assays were performed in a tga - 51 shimadzu equipment . two jumps corresponding to the mass losses were observed , where the first one is situated about 420 - 450 ° c . with losses in the range of 85 %- 90 %; and the second jump at 580 - 600 ° c . with mass losses in the range of 15 %- 10 %. the glass - to - solid transition temperature was studied by dsc . the assays were performed in a taq series ™ q20 - 1041 equipment . a ramp of 20 ° c ./ min was used , with prior erasing of the thermal history of the material . the glass transition temperature was higher than 140 ° c . the chemical structure of the different materials synthetized was analyzed by infrared spectroscopy ft - ir , in a nicolet 550 equipment , using potassium bromide tablets . in all cases , signals were observed at round 3000 cm − 1 , corresponding to the c — h bounds of the aromatic and aliphatic groups . then , around 1600 cm − 1 , the peak associated to the c ═ c stretching is found , while at 700 cm − 1 , deformation of the c — h of the aromatic rings is found . density : it was determined by using a conical 25 ml hubbard pycnometer . for obtaining the solid density value , density of the used solvent ( measured in the same pycnometer ), mass of the solid to be analyzed , and the difference of weight between the pycnometer filled with solvent alone and later with the solvent and the solid inside are taken into account . the resulting density values ranged from 0 . 95 to 1 . 04 g / ml . the following assays were performed according to the norm : measurement of properties of proppants used in hydraulic fracturing and gravel - packing operations granulometry : the size of the obtained solid was analyzed using astm sieves # 12 , # 30 and # 60 . 90 % by weight of the material is between sieves # 12 and # 60 , according to iso 13503 - 2 standard . geometry : a portion of the sample was observed under optical microscope olympikus bx60m , and sphericity and roundness of the developed proppant was measured . the process consists in observing 20 particles under the microscope , with the appropriate magnification , and taking a value for each parameter . said value results from comparing with the graphic representation of roundness vs . sphericity that is in section 7 . 2 of iso1350 - 2 standard . average values were between 0 . 5 and 1 , for both parameters . see fig1 . mechanical strength : the strength to the compression assay was analyzed by applying 10 , 000 psi ( compressive force over the container area in which the sample is confined ). samples with granulometry # 16 / 30 were used , and their resulting fine residues are between 2 and 14 % by mass ( section 11 iso 1350 - 2 standard ). a hydraulic press was used in the assays . a ) the assay consists in adding a portion of sample to a container with the corresponding acid , placing it into a sonicator for 15 minutes and filtering in previously tared filtering funnels . the filtrate is successively washed with water , until a neutral ph is achieved . then , it is brought to vacuum stove . once it is cold , it is weighted and the percentage of mass loss is calculated . resistance to concentrated hydrochloric acid , 37 %, was analyzed , resulting in a decrease of 0 % to 2 % by weight for granulometry # 12 / 30 . b ) applying the same procedure described above chemical resistance to mineral acids was determined ( concentrated hydrochloric acid , 37 %) resulting in a decrease of 0 % to 2 % by weight for granulometry # 30 / 60 . a ) the assay consists in adding a portion of sample to a container with the corresponding solvent , placing it into a sonicator for 15 minutes and filtering in previously tared filtering funnels . the filtrate is then brought to vacuum stove . once it is cold , it is weighted and the percentage of mass loss is calculated . resistance to solvents was analyzed , such as dichloromethane , toluene , benzene and octane , for granulometry # 12 / 30 resulting in a decrease of 0 % to 2 % by weight . b ) applying the same procedure described above chemical resistance to organic solvents was determined such as dichloromethane , toluene , octane , acetone , tetrahydrofurane , for granulometry # 30 / 60 resulting in a decrease of 0 % to 2 % by weight . the invention comprises , without limitation , the following embodiments : 1 ) a polymeric material particle suitable for hydraulic fracture in a secondary gas and oil extraction wherein said particle comprises cross - linked polymer and loads . 2 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein said loads comprise microloads at a concentration of up to 0 . 13 % ( w / w ). 3 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein said loads comprise nanoloads at a concentration of up to 0 . 03 % ( w / w ). 4 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein said loads comprise a combination of nanoloads and microloads at a concentration of up to 0 . 13 % ( w / w ). 5 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein has a density of between 0 . 95 and 1 . 04 g / ml . 6 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein has a density of up to 1 . 04 g / ml . 7 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein it has a mass loss lower than 2 % when subjected to the action of organic solvents selected from the group comprising acetone , toluene , octane and tetrahydrofurane . 8 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein it has a mass loss lower than 2 % when subjected to the action of organic acids such as hydrochloric acid . 9 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein it has a mass loss lower than 14 % when subjected to a pressure of 20 , 000 psi . 10 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein said particle is a microparticle . 11 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein said loads are selected from the group comprising lampblack , carbon nanotubes , ceramic nanoparticles and combinations thereof . 12 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein said loads comprise carbon nanotubes and ceramic nanoparticles . 13 ) the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein said particle comprises a reticulated polymeric material in which the polymer presents a repetitive structure of formula i : wherein s 1 and s 2 are substituent groups of olefins , and r 2 is an alkyl or aryl from a crosslinking monomer . 14 ) a process for obtaining the particle of embodiment 1 , wherein said process comprises a polymerization in suspension which comprises the following steps : a . mixing a stabilizer and a dispersing agent in water and heating ; b . adding a mixture of at least one monomer , loads and one initiator to the aqueous solution of step a ; c . making react the mixture at a temperature higher than 50 ° c . under continuous agitation and for a time of at least 3 hours ; d . once the polymerization reaction is completed , filtering and washing with water the obtained particles of the invention . 15 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein in step a said stabilizer is selected from the group comprising sodium chloride , potassium chloride , an inorganic salt and mixtures thereof ; while said dispersing agent is selected from the group comprising polyvinylic alcohol , sodium polyacrylates , cellulose polymers , hydroxyethyl cellulose ( natrosol ), hydroxypropyl cellulose ( klucel ), poly ( n , n - dialyl - n , n - dimethyl ammonium chloride ) ( cat - floc b ), gelatin , polyalcohols or combinations thereof . 16 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein said process is isothermal and is carried out at a temperature of at least 50 ° c . 17 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein said process is isothermal and is carried out at a temperature of 70 ° c . 18 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein the mixture of step b comprises at least two monomers . 19 ) the process of embodiment 18 , wherein a first monomer is a bis - olefin selected from the group comprising polyfunctional acrylates , trimethacrylate , trimethylpropane , diacrylate , pentaeritrithol tetramethylacrylate divinylbenzene , dimethacrylate ethylene glycol , and combinations thereof , and a second monomer is a mono - olefinic one , selected from the group comprising acrylates , vinyl acetate , styrene , vinylnaphthalenes , vinyltoluene , allylic esters , vinyl chloride olefins , and combinations thereof . 20 ) the process of embodiment 19 , wherein said first monomer comprises a concentration of between 20 and 55 % by weight of the monomer . 21 ) the process of embodiment 18 , wherein a second monomer is a mono - olefinic selected from the group comprising acrylates , vinyl acetate , styrene , vinylnaphtalenes , vinyl toluene , allylic esters , vinyl chloride olefins , and combinations thereof . 22 ) the process of embodiment 18 wherein said process comprises two or more monomers comprising a vinyl group . 23 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein said initiator of the mixture of step b comprises azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ). 24 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein said loads of step b are selected from the group comprising lampblack , carbon nanotubes , ceramic nanoparticles and combinations of any of the preceding . 25 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein said loads of step b are nanoloads and comprise carbon nanotubes and ceramic nanoparticles . 26 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein in step b said loads are microloads and comprise a concentration of between 0 . 1 and 0 . 2 w / w % relative to the weight of the monomers . 27 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein in step b said loads are nanoloads and comprise a concentration lower than 0 . 03 % w / w equivalent to 0 . 015 % v / v . 28 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein in step b said loads are comprise a combination of microloads at a concentration lower than 0 . 12 % w / w and nanoloads at a concentration of up to 0 . 01 % w / w . 29 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein step b comprises dispersion of said loads in monomer solution under sonication in absence of the dispersing agent . 30 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein the aqueous phase resulting from the reaction medium can be reused . 31 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein said stabilizer of the aqueous phase of step a comprises a neutral inorganic salt at a concentration lower than 4 % by weight as salt . 32 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein said process comprises a neutral ph in the aqueous phase of step a . 33 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein said water of step a comprises the aqueous phase of a reaction medium used in a previous polymerization . 34 ) the process of embodiment 14 , wherein agitation comprises at least a rotation speed in the order of 850 rpm during the manufacturing process . in example 1 , it was used a 1 liter capacity reactor with four inlets , placing on each a refrigerant , thermocouple , nitrogen entrance , and at the center thereof a mechanical agitator . heating is achieved by a heating mat . synthesis consists in a co - polymerization in suspension , comprising an aqueous phase and a monomeric phase . the aqueous phase is formed by distilled water , sodium chloride as stabilizer , polyvinylic alcohol as dispersing agent . meanwhile the monomeric phase consists , in this example , of two monomers , styrene and divinylbenzene , an initiator as azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) and a load of lampblack . distilled water , along with sodium chloride and the polyvinylic alcohol are placed into the reactor , and are brought to 70 ° c ., in order to form the aqueous phase . when that temperature is reached , 10 ml of the solution are removed . to that fraction , the mass of lampblack is added , and is taken to the sonicator for 10 minutes . the resulting solution is taken back to the reactor . in another batch , the monomers and the initiator are mixed , ensuring the dissolution of the initiator into the organic phase . then , the mixture is incorporated into the reactor , which presents the aqueous phase at the desired temperature and under continuous stirring . the entrance of nitrogen in kept open for about 15 minutes as from the addition of the organic phase , and is then closed , keeping an inert atmosphere within the reactor . the agitator should not be stopped from the time of adding the monomeric phase until the reaction is considered as completed , since otherwise the suspension will coalesce . temperature must be kept around 70 ° c . at all times during polymerization . agitation speed from the start until 20 minutes counted since the addition of the monomeric phase is about 850 rpm , after which the speed is increased to 1050 rpm , until the polymerization is completed after 5 hrs of reaction . agitation should not be stopped from the time of adding the monomeric phase as otherwise the suspension will coalesce . after the polymerization is complete , the polymer is removed , filtered and successively washed with distilled water in order to eliminate the remaining stabilizing agent . in example 2 , a similar equipment to the one used in example 1 was employed , using a reactor with 1 liter capacity reactor with four inlets , placing on each a refrigerant , thermocouple , nitrogen entrance , and at the center thereof a mechanical agitator . heating is achieved by a heating mat . synthesis consists in a co - polymerization in suspension , comprising an aqueous phase and a monomeric phase . the aqueous phase is formed by distilled water , sodium chloride as stabilizer , polyvinylic alcohol as dispersing agent . meanwhile , the monomeric phase consists , in this example , of two monomers , methyl methacrylate and divinylbenzene , an initiator as azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) and a load of lampblack . distilled water , along with sodium chloride and the polyvinylic alcohol are placed into the reactor , and are brought to 70 ° c ., in order to form the aqueous phase . in another batch , the monomers and the load are mixed . after 8 minutes of sonication , the initiator is added and sonication continues for two additional minutes , ensuring dissolution of the initiator into the organic phase . lastly , said phase is incorporated into the reactor which has the aqueous phase at the desired temperature and under continuous stirring . the entrance of nitrogen in kept open for about 15 minutes as from the addition of the organic phase , and is then closed , keeping an inert atmosphere within the reactor . the agitator should not be stopped from the time of adding the monomeric phase until the reaction is considered as completed , since otherwise the suspension will coalesce . temperature must be kept around 70 ° c . at all times during polymerization . agitation speed from the start until 20 minutes counted since the addition of the monomeric phase is about 850 rpm , after which the speed is increased to 1050 rpm , until the polymerization is completed after 5 hrs of reaction . agitation should not be stopped from the time of adding the monomeric phase as otherwise the suspension will coalesce . after the polymerization is complete , the polymer is removed , filtered and successively washed with distilled water in order to eliminate the remaining stabilizing agent . example 3 , consisted in the co - polymerization of the three monomers , one of them with crosslinking ability , and the addition of loads to the reaction . a similar equipment to the one used in example 1 was used , using a reactor with 1 liter capacity reactor with four inlets , placing on each a refrigerant , thermocouple , nitrogen entrance , and at the center thereof a mechanical agitator . heating is achieved by a heating mat . synthesis consists in a co - polymerization in suspension , comprising an aqueous phase and a monomeric phase . the aqueous phase is formed by distilled water , sodium chloride as stabilizer , polyvinylic alcohol as dispersing agent . meanwhile , the monomeric phase consists , in this example , of two monomers , styrene , methyl methacrylate and divinylbenzene , an initiator as azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) and a load of lampblack . distilled water , along with sodium chloride and the polyvinylic alcohol are placed into the reactor , and are brought to 70 ° c ., in order to form the aqueous phase . in a batch , the monomers and the load are mixed . then the initiator is added , ensuring its dissolution into the organic phase . then , the solution is incorporated into the reactor , which presents the aqueous phase at the desired temperature and under continuous stirring at about 850 rpm . the entrance of nitrogen in kept open for about 15 minutes as from the addition of the organic phase , and is then closed , keeping an inert atmosphere within the reactor . then , the agitation speed is increased to 1050 rpm . the agitator should not be stopped from the time of adding the monomeric phase until the reaction is considered as completed , since otherwise the suspension will coalesce . temperature must be kept around 70 ° c . at all times during polymerization , i . e . during the course of the 5 hrs . the addition of the monomeric phase is considered as the start of polymerization . after the polymerization is complete , the polymer is removed , filtered and successively washed with distilled water in order to eliminate the remaining stabilizing agent . example 4 , consisted in the co - polymerization of the two monomers , one of them with crosslinking ability , and the addition of loads to the reaction . a similar equipment to the one used in example 1 was used , using a reactor with 1 liter capacity reactor with four inlets , placing on each a refrigerant , thermocouple , nitrogen entrance , and at the center thereof a mechanical agitator . heating is achieved by a heating mat . synthesis consists in a co - polymerization in suspension , comprising an aqueous phase and a monomeric phase . the aqueous phase is formed by distilled water , sodium chloride as stabilizer , polyvinylic alcohol as dispersing agent . meanwhile , the monomeric phase consists , in this example , of two monomers , styrene and divinylbenzene , an initiator as azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) and one load of carbon nanotubes . a procedure similar to the described before was followed . in table 5 , the employed amounts are indicated . example 5 , consisted in the co - polymerization of the two monomers , one of them with crosslinking ability , and the addition of loads to the reaction . a similar equipment to the one used in example 1 was used , using a reactor with 1 liter capacity reactor with four inlets , placing on each a refrigerant , thermocouple , nitrogen entrance , and at the center thereof a mechanical agitator . heating is achieved by a heating mat . synthesis consists in a co - polymerization in suspension , comprising an aqueous phase and a monomeric phase . the aqueous phase is formed by distilled water , sodium chloride as stabilizer , polyvinylic alcohol as dispersing agent . meanwhile , the monomeric phase consists , in this example , of two monomers , styrene and divinylbenzene , an initiator as azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) and two loads , one of lampblack and the other of carbon nanotubes . a procedure similar to the described before was followed . in table 6 , the employed amounts are indicated . example 6 , consisted in the co - polymerization of the two monomers , one of them with crosslinking ability , and the addition of loads to the reaction . a similar equipment to the one used in example 1 was used , using a reactor with 1 liter capacity reactor with four inlets , placing on each a refrigerant , thermocouple , nitrogen entrance , and at the center thereof a mechanical agitator . heating is achieved by a heating mat . synthesis consists in a co - polymerization in suspension , comprising an aqueous phase and a monomeric phase . the aqueous phase is formed by distilled water , sodium chloride as stabilizer , polyvinylic alcohol as dispersing agent . meanwhile , the monomeric phase consists , in this example , of two monomers , styrene and divinylbenzene , an initiator as azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) and one load of carbon nanotubes plus ceramic nanoparticles . a procedure similar to the described before was followed . in table 7 , the employed amounts are indicated . example 7 , consisted in the co - polymerization of the two monomers , one of them with crosslinking ability , and the addition of loads to the reaction . a similar equipment to the one used in example 1 was used , using a reactor with 1 liter capacity reactor with four inlets , placing on each a refrigerant , thermocouple , nitrogen entrance , and at the center thereof a mechanical agitator . heating is achieved by a heating mat . synthesis consists in a co - polymerization in suspension , comprising an aqueous phase and a monomeric phase . the aqueous phase is formed by distilled water , sodium chloride as stabilizer , polyvinylic alcohol as dispersing agent . meanwhile , the monomeric phase consists , in this example , of two monomers , styrene and divinylbenzene , an initiator as azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) and two loads , one of lampblack and the other of carbon nanotubes plus ceramic nanoparticles . a procedure similar to the described before was followed . in table 8 , the employed amounts are indicated .	2
referring now to the drawings , an embodiment to be preferred of a compressed gas powered gun , made according to the present invention , is disclosed . the gun includes , generally , a grip 45 ; a body , including an upper main housing 3 and a lower main housing 1 ; a barrel 10 ; a bore 5 ; a bolt 9 within a breech ; a hammer chamber 2 ; a pneumatic gas cylinder 34 ; a slider 33 ; and a trigger 24 . throughout the description , the term “ forward ” indicates being towards the outer , open , free end of the barrel 10 extending from the upper main housing 3 of the gun . “ rearward ” indicates the opposite direction of “ forward .” as shown in fig1 and 2 , a projectile feed tube 6 opens into the barrel 10 , said projectile feed tube 6 for supplying the barrel 10 with projectiles 100 , which are preferably spherical in form and contain a marking fluid . a conventional projectile retention lever ( not shown ) biased by a spring allows only one projectile 100 to enter the barrel 10 at a time . generally rearward and below the barrel 10 , the hammer chamber 2 holds a hammer 32 which is integrally attached to the forward end of the slider 33 . slider 33 is horizontally and reciprocally moveable within gas cylinder 34 from a cocked position , as shown in fig1 to a firing position , as shown in fig2 through the use of spring bias and compressed gas . the slider 33 is cocked by means of an electronic solenoid actuated 4 - way valve 65 located in the lower main housing 1 . a manifold 8 connects the 4 - way valve 65 to the pneumatic gas cylinder 34 . when biased to the firing position , the slider 33 forces the hammer 32 to engage a valve stem 29 . a link pin 41 , circular in cross - section , extends between and connects the bolt 9 to the hammer 32 . the bolt 9 is held within the gun through use of the link pin 41 , attached to the hammer 32 . removal of the link pin 41 allows the bolt 9 to be removed from the gun . this may be done for routine maintenance . the link pin 41 is held in place by means of a bolt retention spring 76 . within the pneumatic gas cylinder 34 , a main compression spring 71 extends between the slider 33 and an end - cap 35 which is attached at the rearward end of the gas cylinder 34 . a solid main spring guide 36 rests within the cylinder 34 between the slider 33 and the end - cap 35 , said guide 36 for receiving the coiled main compression spring 71 . slider 33 is biased forward to a firing position by the main compression spring 71 and compressed gas ( not shown ). the shock of the hammer 32 is dampened both as the hammer 32 moves forward into the firing position and as it returns to a recocked position . the forward motion of the hammer 32 is dampened by both the valve spring 72 and the compressed gas surrounding the valve spring 72 . the rearward motion of the hammer 32 is dampened by an o - ring 84 located in gas cylinder 34 , between the guide 36 and the end - cap 35 . releasably holding the slider 33 in a cocked position is an electronic solenoid activated 4 - way valve 65 . the electronic solenoid 60 is actuated through a micro - switch 61 located rearward of the trigger 24 . pulling on the trigger 24 sends an electronic signal to a cpu ( microprocessor ) 64 located in the grip 45 . this cpu 64 by means of software determines which of a number of dual in - line package ( hereinafter “ dip ”) switches 63 have been switched on or off , thereby determining the firing rate and mode selected by the user . the cpu 64 then , based on firing rate and mode , actuates the solenoid 60 , causing the 4 - way valve 65 to shift , causing the slider 33 to be propelled forward under the bias of spring pressure and compressed gas . the cpu 64 then deactuates the solenoid 60 causing the 4 - way valve 65 to shift , and compressed gas forces the main compression spring 71 to compress thereby recocking the gun . a trigger spring 75 forces the trigger 24 back to its original position . compressed gas for propelling projectile 100 and for moving the slider 33 to a firing position is provided from a canister or cylinder ( not shown ), which may be attached directly to the gun or may be attached to the person operating the gun . the gas is fed through a high pressure ( hereinafter “ hp ”) regulator 50 , and then through a passageway through a high pressure adaptor 51 to a cavity , the high pressure storage chamber 210 defined by upper main housing of body 3 . the high pressure regulator 50 reduces the gas pressure from over 500 pounds per square inch ( hereinafter “ p . p . s . i .”) to around ( hereinafter “˜”) 250 p . p . s . i .. the hp regulator comprises an hp adjustment screw 39 , an hp regulator spring 73 , an hp regulator piston 53 , an hp regulator cup 52 , and an hp regulator cup spring 74 . this high pressure regulator 50 further comprises a safety feature forcibly closing the high pressure regulator cup 52 when over 800 or so p . p . s . i . is applied . this closure protects the inner workings of the gun and protects the gun &# 39 ; s operator . contained within the gun are two valve means . the first valve means is for operating a low pressure ( hereinafter “ lp ”) circuit , including for propelling the slider 33 . the second valve means is for operating an hp circuit , including for supplying gas to propel the projectile 100 . the first valve means further comprises a lp regulator 54 for reducing pneumatic gas pressure from the ˜ 250 p . p . s . i . supplied to ˜ 85 p . p . s . i . this pressurized gas is then channeled to the gas cylinder 34 for the propulsion of the slider 33 upon actuation of the trigger 24 . the lp regulator comprises an lp adjustment screw 56 , an lp regulator spring 173 , an lp regulator piston 153 , an lp regulator cup 152 , and an lp regulator cup spring 174 . this low pressure regulator 54 further comprises a safety feature forcibly closing the low pressure regulator cup 152 when over 300 or so p . p . s . i . is applied . this closure protects the inner workings of the gun and protects the gun &# 39 ; s operator . the second valve means includes a horizontally oriented valve stem 29 which is horizontally and reciprocally moveable within the valve stem guide 30 . valve stem 29 is provided with a valve cup 28 engaged by a valve spring 72 , biasing the value cup 28 to a seated position on the valve stem guide 30 to prevent flow of compressed gas from the high pressure storage chamber 210 into the barrel 10 . it has also been found that projectile 100 velocity can be maximized through the use of specifically angled surfaces within the gas passage 4 , through which the gas expands as it enters the barrel 10 . the gas passage 4 is defined by the continuous conduit extending from the valve cup 28 , through the valve stem guide 30 and the forward portion of the bolt 9 . when the valve cup 28 is actuated to an open / firing position , the gas is allowed to expand through the conduit extending through the valve stem guide 30 and the bolt 9 . bolt 9 has an angled port 220 drilled through its forward portion . valve stem guide 30 is the discharge port . bolt 9 with its port 220 is in the breech of the gun . the breech is connected to the rearward port of barrel 10 . the inner surfaces of the valve stem guide 30 and the bolt 9 are machined to form a conduit having a specific maximum angle through which the gas expands . it has been found by the inventor that 23 degrees ± 5 degrees is the optimal angle for these surfaces . use of such angular surfaces allows the present invention to fire a projectile 100 using less than one half the p . p . s . i . of traditional guns at the same firing rate as those guns , without jeopardizing the efficiency , trajectory or range of the projectile 100 . by funneling the gas as it expands through the use of such angular surfaces , resistance is reduced , thereby allowing firing at a high firing rate to be done with lower p . s . i . the gun further comprises an electronic system comprising a circuit board 62 containing a microprocessor ( cpu ) 64 , and a series of dip switches 63 which can be set to control the firing rate and mode of the gun . the gun is further programmable so as to allow firing rate and mode limits to be forcibly set . sequential action of the gun may be seen to advantage . a projectile 100 is in place within the barrel 10 . a second projectile ( not shown ) is held in place above the barrel 10 and within feed tube 6 by the projectile retention lever ( not shown ). slider 33 is in the cocked position via the solenoid 60 . it is assumed that the high pressure regulator 50 is in fluid communication with an external compressed gas source ( not shown ) to fill the high pressure storage chamber 210 with compressed gas . the trigger 24 is then pulled , a microswitch 61 is activated sending a signal to the cpu 64 that the user wishes to fire the gun . the cpu 64 then determines which dip switches 63 have been preset by the user , thereby determining the firing rate and mode of the gun . upon determining the firing rate and mode , the cpu 64 then directs the solenoid 60 to act accordingly . the firing rate and mode of the gun are detailed as follows : rate of fire is dependent on the mode and switch settings of the dip switches . modes are : 2 . 3 shot ( 3 shots if the trigger is pulled and not released , with single shot capabilities ), 3 . 6 shot burst ( 6 shots if the trigger is pulled and not released , with single shot or any amount between capabilities ), 4 . full auto ( as long as the trigger is pulled it will cycle ). mode selection is done via switches # 1 and # 2 . mode settings using the switches are as follows : # 1 # 2 off off semi auto mode on off 3 shot mode off on 6 shot burst mode on on full auto mode dip switch # 3 and # 4 ( registers solenoid on ; times in milliseconds ) # 3 # 4 off off = 06 ms on off = 08 ms off on = 10 ms on on = 12 ms dip switch # 5 , # 6 , and # 7 ( registers solenoid off ( delay before re - cycle ); times in milliseconds ) # 5 # 6 # 7 off off off = 70 ms on off off = 80 ms off on off = 90 ms on on off = 100 ms off off on = 110 ms on off on = 120 ms off on on = 130 ms on on on = 140 ms as the solenoid 60 is deactuated , the gun is cocked . as the solenoid 60 is actuated , compressed gas and the main compression spring 71 move the hammer 32 and slider 33 to the firing position , by moving the slider 33 forward with hammer 32 slidably engaging the valve stem 29 . the hammer 32 engages valve stem 29 , thereby unseating the valve cup 28 , causing the release of compressed gas into the gas passage 4 , thereby propelling the projectile 100 through the barrel 10 . the slider 33 has moved forward into the firing position forcing the hammer 32 to engage the tip of valve stem 29 . simultaneously , valve stem 29 is forced inwardly against the bias of valve spring 72 to unseat the valve cup 28 from its seat , thus allowing the compressed gas to enter the barrel 10 . gas entering the barrel 10 progresses through the conduit formed by angular surfaces of the valve stem guide 30 and the port 220 in the forward portion of the bolt 9 , forcing projectile 100 , which has a diameter approximating that of the bore 5 of the barrel 10 , out of the barrel 10 at a velocity dependent upon the gas pressure within the barrel 10 which is controlled by high pressure regulator 50 . the solenoid 60 is then deactuated to force the slider 33 and hence hammer 32 back to the recocked position . valve stem 29 is again biased into its seated position by valve spring 72 to prevent further flow of compressed gas into the barrel 10 . upon deactuation of solenoid 60 , the slider 33 and hence the link pin 41 and bolt 9 are forced back to the recocked position . as the bolt 9 moves to the recocked position , the projectile retention lever ( not shown ) allows a new projectile 100 to enter barrel 10 and again holds a next projectile ( not shown ) in place under bias of a spring . having thus described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention , it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes could be made in the apparatus without altering the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein . the present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the forgoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraced therein .	5
the following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure , its application , or uses . for purposes of clarity , the same reference numbers will be used in the drawings to identify similar elements . as used herein , the term module , circuit and / or device refers to an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), an electronic circuit , a processor ( shared , dedicated , or group ) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs , a combinational logic circuit , and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality . it should be understood that steps within a method may be executed in a different order without altering the principles of the present disclosure . most memory technologies are limited to n = 2 states . however , in addition to binary storage of data with n = 2 states , phase change materials can store additional states ( n & gt ; 2 ) that can be used to further increase data storage density . the additional states are obtained by interim resistance values between the low and high values corresponding to fully crystalline and fully amorphous states , respectively . for example with n = 4 , two bits can be stored per cell . the present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for accurately writing and reading multi - level values into a memory array including phase change memory cells . the memory array may be used in electronic devices including portable electronic devices , such as cell phones , laptop computers , personal digital assistants ( pdas ), hand - held gaming devices , portable music players , portable video players , and the like . a memory module may perform calibration of the phase change memory cells in the array for each write operation . calibration may include writing a cell with a first write profile , writing the cell with a second write profile and comparing the resulting cell resistance values to a predetermined resistance value ( i . e . optimal target resistance value ). a target write profile may be based on the comparison . the target write profile may be used to write a target resistance value into the cell that may differ from the optimal target resistance value . the target resistance value may be incrementally decreased to approach the optimal target resistance . calibration according to the present disclosure enables programming of multiple resistance levels into phase change memory cells of the memory array , which allows storage of more than one bit per cell . this , in turn , increases storage density . referring now to fig1 , a phase change memory cell including a phase change material such as chalcogenide alloy can be programmed using a temperature profile 1 . on the left side of the temperature profile 1 , the phase change material remains in a substantially constant high resistance state until a sufficient current pulse ( reset pulse ) is applied . during the reset pulse , the temperature of the phase change material is raised above a melting temperature ( t m ) and allowed to quench or cool down quickly in an amorphous state . in other words , the temperature of the phase change material is brought below a crystallization temperature ( tx ) during a time period ( t 1 ). on the right side of the profile 1 , a set pulse programs the memory cell from the high resistance amorphous state to the low resistance crystalline state . the set pulse heats the phase change material to a temperature tset that is below tm but above tx . a prolonged period ( t 2 ) at tset allows the material to re - order to the crystalline state . the length of t 2 may determine the extent of crystallization . if the phase change material is annealed at a temperature other than tset , intermediate resistance values between the crystalline and amorphous state can be obtained . as annealing temperature increases , relative resistance tends to decrease . further , because partial crystallization is possible , control of crystallization time during a write process allows multi - level writing . in other words , each cell can store additional states and n can be greater than 2 . while a write current pulse and duration controls a temperature profile , there may be at least two limitations . first , process , material , and pattern formation non - uniformities can cause the memory cells to have slightly different programmed resistance values for a given temperature profile ( or write parameter ). second , with resistance changes over several orders of magnitude , it may be difficult to read - back the resistance value with sufficient dynamic range and accuracy . referring now to fig2 , 3 , and 4 , to calibrate memory cells , interpolation and / or extrapolation may be used for each write operation . crystallization time and / or temperature maybe varied to calibrate the cell so that it approaches a predetermined or optimal target resistance . in fig2 , temperature profiles 2 , 3 , 4 including successively decreasing crystallization times , t 1 , t 2 , and t 3 respectively , are illustrated . a curve 6 in fig3 illustrates different resistivities corresponding to crystallization temperatures t 1 , t 2 , and t 3 . following the erase / write operations 8 , 9 of the first profile 2 , a difference between the resulting resistance 10 of the material and the optimal target resistance is measured . crystallization time of the second profile 3 is reduced based on the difference resulting in resistance 12 . a difference between the resulting resistance 12 of the material and the optimal target resistance is measured . the third profile 4 results in a third resistance 13 that may correspond to the optimal target resistance for the material . the temperature profile 4 may be based on interpolation and / or extrapolation of the resistance differences and may include a shorter crystallization time than profiles 2 , 3 . t 1 and t 2 of profiles 2 , 3 may be chosen above an estimated crystallization time for the memory cell . t 1 may be based on a optimal target resistance ( r target ) plus a resistance above the optimal target resistance ( δr ), and t 2 may be between t 1 and a crystallization temperature for the optimal target resistance . in fig4 , incremental write pulses 20 , 22 , 24 may be used to incrementally adjust the resistance 13 closer to the optimal target resistance . pulse height corresponds to temperature applied to the cell . successive heights 26 , 28 , 30 of the incremental write pulse 20 , 22 , 24 are measured in view of a resulting resistance value of the memory cell . as the resistance approaches the optimal target resistance , the pulses 20 , 22 , 24 are reduced . referring now to fig5 a , 5 b , and 6 , exemplary memory cells are illustrated . in fig5 a , a memory cell 50 includes a phase change material 52 . a heater 56 and a select switch 58 are connected in a row and column orientation . the heater 56 can be a resistive heater . the memory cell 50 may be located at an intersection of a column bit line 64 and row select line 66 . one end 68 of the material 52 is connected to the column bit line 64 . another end 72 is connected to the resistive heater 56 , which is selectively connected by the switch 58 to a reference potential such as ground . the switch 58 is controlled by the row select line 66 . the resistive heater 56 may include an inert electrical heater cell . referring now to fig5 b , another select switch 59 may be controlled by a read row select line 61 . this approach eliminates the resistive heater 56 from a read operation but increases cell size . reading the phase change memory cell may include applying current and / or measuring voltage to determine resistance . referring now to fig6 , current and voltage ( i / v ) characteristics of a phase change material are shown . in addition , the i / v characteristic curve shows read voltage and write current ranges . due to material break - down characteristics , a substantial amount of current may be conducted by applying a voltage exceeding the breakdown voltage ( v b ) of the material . current flowing through the material may be adjusted to control heating . a rise in temperature from both heating and power dissipated within the phase change material provides controlled temperature cycling used for writing the phase change memory cell . because of the break - down characteristics of the phase change material , the read - back process may be performed at an applied voltage lower than the breakdown voltage . referring now to fig7 a and 7b , a memory module 100 or phase change memory system is illustrated . the memory module 100 is capable of being read from and written to by an input / output ( i / o ) module 102 of a host device 104 through a memory i / o module 106 . the memory module 100 typically includes a memory core 180 . the memory core 180 includes multiple phase change memory cells 210 - 1 , 210 - 2 , . . . , 210 - n ( collectively 210 ). the memory cells 210 - 1 , 210 - 2 , . . . , 210 - n hold the data to be stored . each of the memory cells may be programmable to a plurality of resistance states . a control module 122 receives control signals from the host device 104 and controls a read module 124 , a write module 126 , and a row / column select module 150 . further , the control module 122 includes an estimation module 137 , as will be described below . the row / column select module 150 outputs select signals to a column read / write module 160 and a row select module 170 to select one or more phase change memory cells 210 in the array . in fig7 b , the row select module 170 is split into a read row select module 211 controlling reading stored cell data and a write row select module 213 controlling heating of memory cell phase change materials during a write operation , the control module 122 instructs the row / column select module 150 ( and the column and row select modules 160 and 170 ) to select write target cells for the write procedure . the target cells may include any number of cells , such as a particular cell , a row of cells , a column of cells , a block of cells , etc . once the target cells are selected , the control module 122 instructs the write module 126 to generate a write signal having a first parameter . the write target cells are written to using the first parameter . the first parameter may be a default value for the initial write process . alternately , the first parameter may be stored in a write profile module 136 and may be unique for each cell , and group of cells , etc . once the write target cells have been written , additional target cells may be identified and written . the estimation module 137 compares read back values for the target cells and may generate a second write parameter based on the first write parameter and the comparison . the second write parameter may be stored in the write profile module 136 . the read back value may be compared with a predetermined threshold . the second write parameter may be determined based upon the first write parameter , the read back values and / or the comparison . the write and read process may be repeated as necessary . the write process may include heating the phase change memory cells to a melting temperature and cooling the phase change memory cells to a crystallization temperature based on the first parameter . the first parameter may include a crystallization time or a crystallization temperature . the estimation module 137 determines the extent to which the read back value matches a predetermined threshold . when the control module 122 finds the cell resistance within an acceptable threshold of the optimal target value , the first write parameter is used . if outside of an acceptable threshold , the estimation module 137 generates the second write parameter and / or a target write parameter using any suitable method . for example , interpolation and / or extrapolation may be used . during a read operation , the control module 122 instructs the row / column select module 150 to select read target cells for the read procedure . the read target cells may include any number of cells , such as a particular cell , a row of cells , a column of cells , a block of cells , etc . once the read target cells are selected , the control module 122 instructs the read module 124 to generate a read signal . a sensing module 132 in the read module 124 senses the stored value in the target cells . the sensing module 132 may include one or more amplifiers 133 . in some implementations , the amplifiers 133 may have a logarithmic transfer function as will be described further below . referring now to fig8 , a method 350 for controlling a multi - level phase change memory system including an array of phase change memory cells is illustrated . in step 352 , a first write process is performed for one or more of the phase change memory cells within the system based on a first parameter . the first parameter may be a predetermined crystallization time or temperature associated with a target data value . a write waveform profile from a precalibrated write parameter table or equation may be used as first parameter so that it is nominally correct for a majority of the phase change memory cells . a second activation of step 352 generates a second write process using a second profile ( for example temperature profile 3 in fig2 ) having a different crystallization time and / or temperature than the first profile . in step 354 , values within the cell or cells from the write process of step 352 may be read back using a read - back amplifier . a determination is then made in step 356 whether the read - back values of step 354 differ from respective predetermined optimal target values by more than a predetermined threshold . the threshold may depend on memory cell parameters and a degree of accuracy required by the system . a comparison may be based on a resistance value within a portion of at least one phase change memory cell and the predetermined optimal target value . in step 358 , a determination is made whether the read - back value is lower than the optimal target value . for a positive response , in step 360 , crystallization time of the phase change material within the cells is shortened , crystallization temperature is decreased , or a combination of the aforementioned is implemented . for example , the second profile discussed regarding fig2 illustrates a shortened crystallization time in relation to the first profile . other approaches can also be used . otherwise , in step 362 , crystallization time of the phase change material within the cells is lengthened , crystallization temperature is increased , or a combination of the aforementioned is implemented . step 362 may be eliminated when the crystallization time and / or temperature for one write operation is deliberately chosen higher than the target value by the control module and merely reduced for each successive write profile . in response to steps 360 and 362 , control returns to step 352 . for step 356 true , a target write profile is interpolated and / or extrapolated from previous write profiles in step 364 . resistance values resulting from previous write profiles are compared with the predetermined optimal target resistance for the interpolations and / or extrapolations . in step 366 , incrementally decreasing write pulses may refine a target resistance resulting from the target write profile . the memory control module may check the memory cell following each incremental pulse and may determine whether the memory cell is sufficiently close to the optimal target resistance . in operation , during each new write of a memory cell , write profiles may be used that have decreasing crystallization times . the crystallization times are chosen above a typical or predetermined time for crystallization to an optimal target resistance . a target profile may be based on interpolation / extrapolation of cell resistances resulting from the write profiles as compared with the optimal target resistance . cell resistance resulting from the target profile may be incrementally adjusted down to more closely resembles the optimal target resistance . the memory control module 122 may check the memory cell following each incremental adjustment . as an illustrative example , where the crystallization time is used as the controlled parameter so that t 21 is the crystallization time for the first write , logv 1 is the read - back value after the first write , t 22 is the crystallization time for the second write , logv 2 is the read - back value after the second write , and logvtarget is the target read - back value ; the crystallization time t 23 can be determined to the first order using linear interpolation and extrapolation as : the write and read process can be repeated as many times as required to achieve a predetermined accuracy . one interpolation step , however , may be all that is needed for achieving accurate results . further , the corrected write profile may be determined by using the gradient of t 2 versus logv values described in a calibrated write table and simply performing a second write step using the following equation : a third write may be required for achieving a desired accuracy , and the third write process can be determined by analyzing the behavior of the first write and the second write processes and an interpolation between the first and second resistances and the target resistance . to improve the read - detection performance further , read - back processes may be processed serially through the control module 122 using a trellis coded modulation ( tcm ) or iterative ( for example , a low - density parity - check code ( ldpc )) channel . the signal processing of the tcm channel may be corrected through a hard error correcting code . further , every written cell of the array of phase change memory cells may be read - back through the column read / write module 160 including an automatic gain control function and a level linearization function . the level linearization function includes an iterative decoding channel for signal processing . the iterative decoding channel functions with a low density parity code ( ldpc ) and is corrected through a hard error correcting code . further , the hard error correcting code may include a reed - solomon ( rs ) code . further , the column read / write module 160 may control future drift in cell resistance due to a high temperature condition through an automatic gain control ( agc ) loop having a non - linear channel . referring now to fig9 a - 9g , various exemplary implementations incorporating the teachings of the present disclosure are shown . referring now to fig9 a , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a hard disk drive ( hdd ) 400 . the hdd 400 includes a hard disk assembly ( hda ) 401 and a hdd pcb 402 . the hda 401 may include a magnetic medium 403 , such as one or more platters that store data , and a read / write device 404 . the read / write device 404 may be arranged on an actuator arm 405 and may read and write data on the magnetic medium 403 . additionally , the hda 401 includes a spindle motor 406 that rotates the magnetic medium 403 and a voice - coil motor ( vcm ) 407 that actuates the actuator arm 405 . a preamplifier device 408 amplifies signals generated by the read / write device 404 during read operations and provides signals to the read / write device 404 during write operations . the hdd pcb 402 includes a read / write channel module ( hereinafter , “ read channel ”) 409 , a hard disk controller ( hdc ) module 410 , a buffer 411 , nonvolatile memory 412 , a processor 413 , and a spindle / vcm driver module 414 . the read channel 409 processes data received from and transmitted to the preamplifier device 408 . the hdc module 410 controls components of the hda 401 and communicates with an external device ( not shown ) via an i / o interface 415 . the external device may include a computer , a multimedia device , a mobile computing device , etc . the i / o interface 415 may include wireline and / or wireless communication links . the hdc module 410 may receive data from the hda 401 , the read channel 409 , the buffer 411 , nonvolatile memory 412 , the processor 413 , the spindle / vcm driver module 414 , and / or the i / o interface 415 . the processor 413 may process the data , including encoding , decoding , filtering , and / or formatting . the processed data may be output to the hda 401 , the read channel 409 , the buffer 411 , nonvolatile memory 412 , the processor 413 , the spindle / vcm driver module 414 , and / or the i / o interface 415 . the hdc module 410 may use the buffer 411 and / or nonvolatile memory 412 to store data related to the control and operation of the hdd 400 . the buffer 411 may include dram , sdram , etc . the nonvolatile memory 412 may include flash memory ( including nand and nor flash memory ), phase change memory , magnetic ram , or multi - state memory , in which each memory cell has more than two states . the spindle / vcm driver module 414 controls the spindle motor 406 and the vcm 407 . the hdd pcb 402 includes a power supply 416 that provides power to the components of the hdd 400 . referring now to fig9 b , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a dvd drive 418 or of a cd drive ( not shown ). the dvd drive 418 includes a dvd pcb 419 and a dvd assembly ( dvda ) 420 . the dvd pcb 419 includes a dvd control module 421 , a buffer 422 , nonvolatile memory 423 , a processor 424 , a spindle / fm ( feed motor ) driver module 425 , an analog front - end module 426 , a write strategy module 427 , and a dsp module 428 . the dvd control module 421 controls components of the dvda 420 and communicates with an external device ( not shown ) via an i / o interface 429 . the external device may include a computer , a multimedia device , a mobile computing device , etc . the i / o interface 429 may include wireline and / or wireless communication links . the dvd control module 421 may receive data from the buffer 422 , nonvolatile memory 423 , the processor 424 , the spindle / fm driver module 425 , the analog front - end module 426 , the write strategy module 427 , the dsp module 428 , and / or the i / o interface 429 . the processor 424 may process the data , including encoding , decoding , filtering , and / or formatting . the dsp module 428 performs signal processing , such as video and / or audio coding / decoding . the processed data may be output to the buffer 422 , nonvolatile memory 423 , the processor 424 , the spindle / fm driver module 425 , the analog front - end module 426 , the write strategy module 427 , the dsp module 428 , and / or the i / o interface 429 . the dvd control module 421 may use the buffer 422 and / or nonvolatile memory 423 to store data related to the control and operation of the dvd drive 418 . the buffer 422 may include dram , sdram , etc . the nonvolatile memory 423 may include flash memory ( including nand and nor flash memory ), phase change memory , magnetic ram , or multi - state memory , in which each memory cell has more than two states . the dvd pcb 419 includes a power supply 430 that provides power to the components of the dvd drive 418 . the dvda 420 may include a preamplifier device 431 , a laser driver 432 , and an optical device 433 , which may be an optical read / write ( orw ) device or an optical read - only ( or ) device . a spindle motor 434 rotates an optical storage medium 435 , and a feed motor 436 actuates the optical device 433 relative to the optical storage medium 435 . when reading data from the optical storage medium 435 , the laser driver provides a read power to the optical device 433 . the optical device 433 detects data from the optical storage medium 435 , and transmits the data to the preamplifier device 431 . the analog front - end module 426 receives data from the preamplifier device 431 and performs such functions as filtering and a / d conversion . to write to the optical storage medium 435 , the write strategy module 427 transmits power level and timing information to the laser driver 432 . the laser driver 432 controls the optical device 433 to write data to the optical storage medium 435 . referring now to fig9 c , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a high definition television ( hdtv ) 437 . the hdtv 437 includes a hdtv control module 438 , a display 439 , a power supply 440 , memory 441 , a storage device 442 , a wlan interface 443 and associated antenna 444 , and an external interface 445 . the hdtv 437 can receive input signals from the wlan interface 443 and / or the external interface 445 , which sends and receives information via cable , broadband internet , and / or satellite . the hdtv control module 438 may process the input signals , including encoding , decoding , filtering , and / or formatting , and generate output signals . the output signals may be communicated to one or more of the display 439 , memory 441 , the storage device 442 , the wlan interface 443 , and the external interface 445 . memory 441 may include random access memory ( ram ) and / or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory , phase change memory , or multi - state memory , in which each memory cell has more than two states . the storage device 442 may include an optical storage drive , such as a dvd drive , and / or a hard disk drive ( hdd ). the hdtv control module 438 communicates externally via the wlan interface 443 and / or the external interface 445 . the power supply 440 provides power to the components of the hdtv 437 . referring now to fig9 d , the teachings of the disclosure may be implemented in memory of a vehicle 446 . the vehicle 446 may include a vehicle control system 447 , a power supply 448 , memory 449 , a storage device 450 , and a wlan interface 452 and associated antenna 453 . the vehicle control system 447 may be a powertrain control system , a body control system , an entertainment control system , an anti - lock braking system ( abs ), a navigation system , a telematics system , a lane departure system , an adaptive cruise control system , etc . the vehicle control system 447 may communicate with one or more sensors 454 and generate one or more output signals 456 . the sensors 454 may include temperature sensors , acceleration sensors , pressure sensors , rotational sensors , airflow sensors , etc . the output signals 456 may control engine operating parameters , transmission operating parameters , suspension parameters , etc . the power supply 448 provides power to the components of the vehicle 446 . the vehicle control system 447 may store data in memory 449 and / or the storage device 450 . memory 449 may include random access memory ( ram ) and / or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory , phase change memory , or multi - state memory , in which each memory cell has more than two states . the storage device 450 may include an optical storage drive , such as a dvd drive , and / or a hard disk drive ( hdd ). the vehicle control system 447 may communicate externally using the wlan interface 452 . referring now to fig9 e , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a cellular phone 458 . the cellular phone 458 includes a phone control module 460 , a power supply 462 , memory 464 , a storage device 466 , and a cellular network interface 467 . the cellular phone 458 may include a wlan interface 468 and associated antenna 469 , a microphone 470 , an audio output 472 such as a speaker and / or output jack , a display 474 , and a user input device 476 such as a keypad and / or pointing device . the phone control module 460 may receive input signals from the cellular network interface 467 , the wlan interface 468 , the microphone 470 , and / or the user input device 476 . the phone control module 460 may process signals , including encoding , decoding , filtering , and / or formatting , and generate output signals . the output signals may be communicated to one or more of memory 464 , the storage device 466 , the cellular network interface 467 , the wlan interface 468 , and the audio output 472 . memory 464 may include random access memory ( ram ) and / or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory , phase change memory , or multi - state memory , in which each memory cell has more than two states . the storage device 466 may include an optical storage drive , such as a dvd drive , and / or a hard disk drive ( hdd ). the power supply 462 provides power to the components of the cellular phone 458 . referring now to fig9 f , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a set top box 478 . the set top box 478 includes a set top control module 480 , a display 481 , a power supply 482 , memory 483 , a storage device 484 , and a wlan interface 485 and associated antenna 486 . the set top control module 480 may receive input signals from the wlan interface 485 and an external interface 487 , which can send and receive information via cable , broadband internet , and / or satellite . the set top control module 480 may process signals , including encoding , decoding , filtering , and / or formatting , and generate output signals . the output signals may include audio and / or video signals in standard and / or high definition formats . the output signals may be communicated to the wlan interface 485 and / or to the display 481 . the display 481 may include a television , a projector , and / or a monitor . the power supply 482 provides power to the components of the set top box 478 . memory 483 may include random access memory ( ram ) and / or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory , phase change memory , or multi - state memory , in which each memory cell has more than two states . the storage device 484 may include an optical storage drive , such as a dvd drive , and / or a hard disk drive ( hdd ). referring now to fig9 g , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a mobile device 489 . the mobile device 489 may include a mobile device control module 490 , a power supply 491 , memory 492 , a storage device 493 , a wlan interface 494 and associated antenna 495 , and an external interface 499 . the mobile device control module 490 may receive input signals from the wlan interface 494 and / or the external interface 499 . the external interface 499 may include usb , infrared , and / or ethernet . the input signals may include compressed audio and / or video , and may be compliant with the mp3 format . additionally , the mobile device control module 490 may receive input from a user input 496 such as a keypad , touchpad , or individual buttons . the mobile device control module 490 may process input signals , including encoding , decoding , filtering , and / or formatting , and generate output signals . the mobile device control module 490 may output audio signals to an audio output 497 and video signals to a display 498 . the audio output 497 may include a speaker and / or an output jack . the display 498 may present a graphical user interface , which may include menus , icons , etc . the power supply 491 provides power to the components of the mobile device 489 . memory 492 may include random access memory ( ram ) and / or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory , phase change memory , or multi - state memory , in which each memory cell has more than two states . the storage device 493 may include an optical storage drive , such as a dvd drive , and / or a hard disk drive ( hdd ). the mobile device may include a personal digital assistant , a media player , a laptop computer , a gaming console or other mobile computing device . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented as a variety of forms . therefore , while this disclosure includes particular examples , the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , the specification and the following claims .	6
in accordance with the present invention , there are provided methods for the in vivo reduction of nitric oxide levels in a subject . invention methods comprise : administering to a subject an effective amount of at least one dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavenger . dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavengers contemplated for use in the practice of the present invention include any physiologically compatible derivative of the dithiocarbamate moiety ( i . e ., ( r ) 2 n -- c ( s )-- sh ). such compounds can be described with reference to the following generic structure : each of r 1 and r 2 is independently selected from a c 1 up to c 18 alkyl , substituted alkyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , alkylaryl , substituted alkylaryl , arylalkyl , substituted arylalkyl , arylalkenyl , substituted arylalkenyl , arylalkynyl , substituted arylalkynyl , aroyl , substituted aroyl , acyl , substituted acyl or r 1 and r 2 can cooperate to form a 5 -, 6 - or 7 - membered ring including n , r 1 and r 2 , m is a monovalent cation when x is 1 , or m is a physiologically compatible divalent or trivalent transition metal cation when x is 2 . presently preferred compounds having the above - described generic structure are those wherein : each of r 1 and r 2 = a c 1 up to c 12 alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl or substituted alkynyl , wherein the substituents are selected from carboxyl , -- c ( o ) h , oxyacyl , phenol , phenoxy , pyridinyl , pyrrolidinyl , amino , amido , hydroxy , nitro or sulfuryl , and especially preferred compounds having the above - described generic structure are those wherein : r 1 = a c 2 up to c 8 alkyl or substituted alkyl , wherein the substituents are selected from carboxyl , acetyl , pyridinyl , pyrrolidinyl , amino , amido , hydroxy or nitro , r 2 is selected from a c 1 up to c 6 alkyl or substituted alkyl , or r 2 can cooperate with r 1 to form a 5 -, 6 - or 7 - membered ring including n , r 2 and r 1 , and the presently most preferred compounds having the above - described generic structure are those wherein : r 1 = a c 2 up to c 8 alkyl or substituted alkyl , wherein the substituents are selected from carboxyl , acetyl , amido or hydroxy , r 2 = a c 1 up to c 4 alkyl or substituted alkyl , and when r 1 and r 2 cooperate to form a 5 -, 6 - or 7 - membered ring , the combination of r 1 and r 2 can be a variety of saturated or unsaturated 4 , 5 or 6 atom bridging species selected from alkenylene or -- o --, -- s --, -- c ( o )-- and / or -- n ( r )-- containing alkylene moieties , wherein r is hydrogen or a lower alkyl moiety . monovalent cations contemplated for incorporation into the above compounds include h + , na + , nh 4 + , tetraalkyl ammonium , and the like . physiologically compatible divalent or trivalent transition metal cations contemplated for incorporation into the above compounds include charged forms of iron , cobalt , copper , manganese , or the like ( e . g ., fe + 2 , fe + 3 , co + 2 , co + 3 , cu + 2 , mn + 2 or mn + 3 ). in accordance with the present invention , the ratio of dithiocarbamate - species to counter - ion m can vary widely . thus , dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavenger can be administered without any added metallic counter - ion ( i . e ., m = h + , or a transition metal cation to dithiocarbamate - species ratio of zero ), with ratios of transition metal cation to dithiocarbamate - species up to about 1 : 2 ( i . e ., a 2 : 1 dithiocarbamate : transition metal cation complex ) being suitable . as employed herein , &# 34 ; substituted alkyl &# 34 ; comprises alkyl groups further bearing one or more substituents selected from hydroxy , alkoxy ( of a lower alkyl group ), mercapto ( of a lower alkyl group ), cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , aryloxy , substituted aryloxy , halogen , trifluoromethyl , cyano , nitro , nitrone , amino , amido , -- c ( o ) h , acyl , oxyacyl , carboxyl , carbamate , sulfonyl , sulfonamide , sulfuryl , and the like . as employed herein , &# 34 ; cycloalkyl &# 34 ; refers to cyclic ring - containing groups containing in the range of about 3 up to 8 carbon atoms , and &# 34 ; substituted cycloalkyl &# 34 ; refers to cycloalkyl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; alkenyl &# 34 ; refers to straight or branched chain hydrocarbyl groups having at least one carbon - carbon double bond , and having in the range of about 2 up to 12 carbon atoms , and &# 34 ; substituted alkenyl &# 34 ; refers to alkenyl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; alkynyl &# 34 ; refers to straight or branched chain hydrocarbyl groups having at least one carbon - carbon triple bond , and having in the range of about 2 up to 12 carbon atoms , and &# 34 ; substituted alkynyl &# 34 ; refers to alkynyl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; aryl &# 34 ; refers to aromatic groups having in the range of 6 up to 14 carbon atoms and &# 34 ; substituted aryl &# 34 ; refers to aryl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; alkylaryl &# 34 ;, refers to alkyl - substituted aryl groups and &# 34 ; substituted alkylaryl &# 34 ; refers to alkylaryl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; arylalkyl &# 34 ; refers to aryl - substituted alkyl groups and &# 34 ; substituted arylalkyl &# 34 ;, refers to arylalkyl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; arylalkenyl &# 34 ; refers to aryl - substituted alkenyl groups and &# 34 ; substituted arylalkenyl &# 34 ; refers to arylalkenyl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; arylalkynyl &# 34 ; refers to aryl - substituted alkynyl groups and &# 34 ; substituted arylalkynyl &# 34 ; refers to arylalkynyl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; aroyl &# 34 ; refers to aryl - carbonyl species such as benzoyl and &# 34 ; substituted aroyl &# 34 ; refers to aroyl groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; heterocyclic &# 34 ; refers to cyclic ( i . e ., ring - containing ) groups containing one or more heteroatoms ( e . g ., n , o , s , or the like ) as part of the ring structure , and having in the range of 3 up to 14 carbon atoms and &# 34 ; substituted heterocyclic &# 34 ; refers to heterocyclic groups further bearing one or more substituents as set forth above . as employed herein , &# 34 ; halogen &# 34 ; refers to fluoride , chloride , bromide or iodide atoms . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , there are provided methods for treating nitric oxide overproduction in a subject . invention methods comprise : administering to a subject an effective amount of at least one dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavenger . nitric oxide overproduction is associated with a wide range of disease states and / or indications , such as , for example , septic shock , ischemia , administration of cytokines , overexpression of cytokines , ulcers , inflammatory bowel disease ( e . g ., ulcerative colitis or crohn &# 39 ; s disease ), diabetes , arthritis , asthma , alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease , multiple sclerosis , cirrhosis , allograft rejection , encephalomyelitis , meningitis , pancreatitis , peritonitis , vasculitis , lymphocytic choriomeningitis , glomerulonephritis , uveitis , ileitis , liver inflammation , renal inflammation , hemorrhagic shock , anaphylactic shock , burn , infection ( including bacterial ( e . g ., e . coli infection ), viral ( e . g ., hiv ), fungal ( e . g ., candidiosis and histoplasmosis ) and parasitic ( e . g ., leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis ) infections ), hemodialysis , chronic fatigue syndrome , stroke , cancers ( e . g ., breast , melanoma , carcinoma , and the like ), cardiopulmonary bypass , ischemic / reperfusion injury , and the like . with particular reference to cytokine therapy , the invention method will find widespread use because cytokine therapy ( with consequent induction of nitric oxide overproduction ) is commonly used in the treatment of cancer and aids patients . systemic hypotension due to the induction of . no overproduction is a dose - limiting side effect of cytokine therapy . thus , a large patient population exists which will benefit from the invention method . presently preferred indications for treatment in accordance with the present invention include septic shock , ischemia , administration of il - 1 , administration of il - 2 , administration of il - 6 , administration of il - 12 , administration of tumor necrosis factor , administration of interferon - gamma , ulcers , ulcerative colitis , diabetes , arthritis , asthma , alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease , multiple sclerosis , cirrhosis or allograft rejection . especially preferred indications for treatment in accordance with the present invention include nitric oxide overproduction associated with septic shock and nitric oxide overproduction associated with cytokine therapy . in accordance with a particular aspect of the present invention , the dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavenger is administered in combination with a cytokine ( e . g ., il - 1 , il - 2 , il - 6 , il - 12 , tnf or interferon - γ ), an antibiotic ( e . g ., gentamicin , tobramycin , amikacin , piperacillin , clindamycin , cefoxitin or vancomycin , or mixtures thereof ), a vasoactive agent ( e . g ., a catecholamine , noradrenaline , dopamine or dobutamine ), or mixtures thereof . in this way , the detrimental side effects of many of the above - noted pharmaceutical agents ( e . g ., systemic hypotension ) can be prevented or reduced by the dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavenger . thus , a patient being treated with any of the above - described agents could be monitored for evidence of nitric oxide overproduction ( e . g ., blood pressure drop ). at the first evidence of such overproduction , co - administration of a suitable dose of the above - described dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavenger could be initiated , thereby alleviating ( or dramatically reducing ) the side - effects of the primary therapy . those of skill in the art recognize that the dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavengers described herein can be delivered in a variety of ways , such as , for example , orally , intravenously , subcutaneously , parenterally , rectally , by inhalation , and the like . since individual subjects may present a wide variation in severity of symptoms and each drug has its unique therapeutic characteristics , the precise mode of administration and dosage employed for each subject is left to the discretion of the practitioner . in general , the dosage of dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavenger employed in the practice of the present invention falls in the range of about 0 . 01 mmoles / kg body weight of the subject / hour up to about 0 . 5 mmoles / kg / hr . in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention , there are provided physiologically active composition ( s ) comprising a compound having the structure i or the structure ii , as described hereinafter , in a suitable vehicle rendering said compound amenable to oral delivery , transdermal delivery , intravenous delivery , intramuscular delivery , topical delivery , nasal delivery , and the like . as noted above , compounds of structure i ( i . e ., dithiocarbamate - species free of transition metal cations ) can be employed directly in the practice of the present invention , or pre - formed dithiocarbamate - transition metal chelates ( i . e ., compounds of structure ii ) having varying ratios of transition metal to dithiocarbamate - species can be employed in the invention methods . depending on the mode of delivery employed , the dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavenger can be delivered in a variety of pharmaceutically acceptable forms . for example , the scavenger can be delivered in the form of a solid , solution , emulsion , dispersion , micelle , liposome , and the like . pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention can be used in the form of a solid , a solution , an emulsion , a dispersion , a micelle , a liposome , and the like , wherein the resulting composition contains one or more of the compounds of the present invention , as an active ingredient , in admixture with an organic or inorganic carrier or excipient suitable for enteral or parenteral applications . the active ingredient may be compounded , for example , with the usual non - toxic , pharmaceutically acceptable carriers for tablets , pellets , capsules , suppositories , solutions , emulsions , suspensions , and any other form suitable for use . the carriers which can be used include glucose , lactose , gum acacia , gelatin , mannitol , starch paste , magnesium trisilicate , talc , corn starch , keratin , colloidal silica , potato starch , urea , medium chain length triglycerides , dextrans , and other carriers suitable for use in manufacturing preparations , in solid , semisolid , or liquid form . in addition auxiliary , stabilizing , thickening and coloring agents and perfumes may be used . the active compound ( i . e ., compounds of structure i or structure ii as described herein ) is included in the pharmaceutical composition in an amount sufficient to produce the desired effect upon the process or condition of diseases . pharmaceutical compositions containing the active ingredient may be in a form suitable for oral use , for example , as tablets , troches , lozenges , aqueous or oily suspensions , dispersible powders or granules , emulsions , hard or soft capsules , or syrups or elixirs . compositions intended for oral use may be prepared according to any method known to the art for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions and such compositions may contain one or more agents selected from the group consisting of a sweetening agent such as sucrose , lactose , or saccharin , flavoring agents such as peppermint , oil of wintergreen or cherry , coloring agents and preserving agents in order to provide pharmaceutically elegant and palatable preparations . tablets containing the active ingredient in admixture with non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable excipients may also be manufactured by known methods . the excipients used may be , for example , ( 1 ) inert diluents such as calcium carbonate , lactose , calcium phosphate or sodium phosphate ; ( 2 ) granulating and disintegrating agents such as corn starch , potato starch or alginic acid ; ( 3 ) binding agents such as gum tragacanth , corn starch , gelatin or acacia , and ( 4 ) lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate , stearic acid or talc . the tablets may be uncoated or they may be coated by known techniques to delay disintegration and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and thereby provide a sustained action over a longer period . for example , a time delay material such as glyceryl monostearate or glyceryl distearate may be employed . they may also be coated by the techniques described in the u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 256 , 108 ; 4 , 160 , 452 ; and 4 , 265 , 874 , to form osmotic therapeutic tablets for controlled release . in some cases , formulations for oral use may be in the form of hard gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with an inert solid diluent , for example , calcium carbonate , calcium phosphate or kaolin . they may also be in the form of soft gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with water or an oil medium , for example , peanut oil , liquid paraffin , or olive oil . the pharmaceutical compositions may be in the form of a sterile injectable suspension . this suspension may be formulated according to known methods using suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents . the sterile injectable preparation may also be a sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non - toxic parenterally - acceptable diluent or solvent , for example , as a solution in 1 , 3 - butanediol . sterile , fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium . for this purpose any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono - or diglycerides , fatty acids ( including oleic acid ), naturally occurring vegetable oils like sesame oil , coconut oil , peanut oil , cottonseed oil , etc ., or synthetic fatty vehicles like ethyl oleate or the like . buffers , preservatives , antioxidants , and the like can be incorporated as required . compounds contemplated for use in the practice of the present invention may also be administered in the form of suppositories for rectal administration of the drug . these compositions may be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable non - irritating excipient , such as cocoa butter , synthetic glyceride esters of polyethylene glycols , which are solid at ordinary temperatures , but liquify and / or dissolve in the rectal cavity to release the drug . since individual subjects may present a wide variation in severity of symptoms and each drug has its unique therapeutic characteristics , it is up to the practitioner to determine a subject &# 39 ; s response to treatment and vary the dosages accordingly . typical daily doses , in general , lie within the range of from about 10 μg up to about 100 mg per kg body weight , and , preferably within the range of from 50 μg to 10 mg per kg body weight and can be administered up to four times daily . the daily iv dose lies within the range of from about 1 μg to about 100 mg per kg body weight , and , preferably , within the range of from 10 μg to 10 mg per kg body weight . in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention , there are provided compounds having the structure i : provided , however , that the following compounds are excluded from the definition of formula i , i . e ., when r 1 is ethyl , r 2 is not ethyl ; or when r 1 is ch 2 ( choh ) 4 ch 2 oh , r 2 is not methyl , isoamyl , benzyl , 4 - methylbenzyl or p - isopropylbenzyl ; or when r 1 is ch 2 co 2 --, r 2 is not ch 2 co 2 --; or when r 1 is c0 2 -, r 2 is not ch 3 ; or when r 1 is ch 2 ch 2 -- oh , r 2 is not ch 2 ch 2 -- oh ; or when r 1 and r 2 combined , together with the carbamate nitrogen , form a pyrrolidinyl - 2 - carboxylate . in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention , there are provided compounds having the structure ii : m is a physiologically compatible divalent or trivalent transition metal cation , provided , however , that the following compounds are excluded from the definition of formula ii , i . e ., when r 1 is ethyl , r 2 is not ethyl ; or when r 1 is ch 2 ( choh ) 4 ch 2 oh , r 2 is not methyl , isoamyl , benzyl , 4 - methylbenzyl or p - isopropylbenzyl ; or when r 1 is ch 2 co 2 --, r 2 is not ch 2 co 2 --; or when r 1 is co 2 --, r 2 is not ch 3 ; or when r 1 is ch 2 ch 2 -- oh , r 2 is not ch 2 ch 2 -- oh ; or when r 1 and r 2 combined , together with the carbamate nitrogen , form a pyrrolidinyl - 2 - carboxylate . also contemplated are compositions representing a combination of compounds of structure i and compounds of structure ii , i . e ., dithiocarbamate species wherein the ratio of m + 1 : dithiocarbamate - species is less than 1 : 1 and the ratio of m + 2 ,+ 3 : dithiocarbamate - species is less than 1 : 2 . a presently preferred composition is one wherein the ratio of m + 2 ,+ 3 : dithiocarbamate - species is about 1 : 5 ( i . e ., about 40 % of the dithiocarbamate - species are incorporated into a dithiocarbamate : transition metal cation complex , while about 60 % of the dithiocarbamate - species exist in monovalent form ). r 1 = a c 1 up to c 12 alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl or substituted alkynyl , wherein the substituents are selected from carboxyl , -- c ( o ) h , oxyacyl , phenol , phenoxy , pyridinyl , pyrrolidinyl , amino , amido , hydroxy , nitro or sulfuryl , r 2 = a c 1 up to c 4 alkyl or substituted alkyl , and r 1 = a c 2 up to c 8 alkyl or substituted alkyl , wherein the substituents are selected from carboxyl , acetyl , pyridinyl , pyrrolidinyl , amino , amido , hydroxy or nitro , the presently most preferred compounds having the structure ii are those wherein : r 1 = a c 2 up to c 8 alkyl or substituted alkyl , wherein the substituents are selected from carboxyl , acetyl , amido or hydroxy , the invention will now be described in greater detail by reference to the following non - limiting examples . icr mice ( female , 20 - 30 g ) were supplied by harlan sprague - dawley ( indianapolis , ind .). dexamethasone , lipopolysaccharide ( lps ; e . coli 026 : b6 ) and acetylcholine chloride were obtained from sigma ( st . louis , mo .). 15 n 2 - guanido - l - arginine ( 15 n - arginine ) was purchased from cambridge isotope laboratories ( woburn , mass .). n g - monomethyl - l - arginine ( nmma ) was obtained from calbiochem ( san diego , calif .). methoxyflurane was obtained from pitman - moore ( mundelein , ill .). pure . no gas was purchased from matheson ( joliet , ill .) and pure argon gas was obtained from airco ( murray hill , n . j .). saturated . no solution in water was prepared by following the method of kelm and schrader , supra . the concentration of the saturated . no solution is 2 . 0 mm , as verified by an iso - no meter from world precision instruments ( sarasota , fla .). no 2 - was measured by a colorimetric assay ( green et al ., anal . biochem . 126 : 131 - 138 ( 1982 )). no 3 -- was first converted to no 2 - by e . coli nitrate reductase ( bartholomew , b ., fd . chem . toxic . 22 : 541 - 543 ( 1984 )) and measured as described above . n - methyl - d - glucamine and carbon disulfide were obtained from aldrich ( milwaukee , wis .). n - methyl - d - glucamine dithiocarbamate ( mgd ) was synthesized by following the method of shinobu et al . ( acta pharmacol . toxicol . 54 : 189 - 194 ( 1984 )). a . in vivo measurement of ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! levels in the circulation of the lps - treated mice . noninvasive in vivo epr spectra were recorded with an epr spectrometer equipped with an s - band microwave bridge and a low - frequency loop - gap resonator with a 4 - mm loop with a length of 1 cm , operating at 3 . 5 ghz ( froncisz and hyde , j . magn . reson . 47 : 515 - 521 ( 1982 )). instrument settings include 100 - g field scan , 30 - s scan time , 0 . 1 - s time constant , 2 . 5 - g modulation amplitude , 100 - khz modulation frequency and 25 - mw microwave power . the measured unloaded q of the empty resonator was 3000 and the loaded q was 400 ( with the presence of the mouse tail ). other instrument settings and experimental conditions have been described previously ( komarov et al ., supra and lai and komarov , supra ). for measurement of 15 no production , at 6 h after i . v . injection of lps ( 6 mg / mouse ) via the lateral tail vein , the mice were anesthetized with methoxyflurane prior to subcutaneous injections of 15 n - arginine ( 5 or 10 mg per mouse ) in saline , and of 0 . 4 ml of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ( 326 mg / kg of mgd and 34 mg / kg of feso 4 ) in water . injections of ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex at levels up to 1 % body weight did not affect the survival of the mice ( lai and komarov , supra ). immediately after injection , the mouse housed in a plexiglass restraining tube was transferred to the s - band epr spectrometer and the tail of the mouse was immobilized by taping down with a thin and narrow plexiglass stick and then placed inside the resonator ; no anesthetic agent was used . the in vivo epr signal was recorded at 2 h after the injection of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ( lai and komarov , supra ). for inhibition experiments , at 6 h after lps treatment , mice were injected intraperitoneally with an aliquot of 50 mg / kg n - monomethyl - l - arginine ( nmma ) in saline . nmma is an inhibitor of both constitutive and inducible synthase activities ( aisaka et al ., supra and rees et al ., supra ). in other experiments , at 1 . 5 h prior to lps challenge , mice were injected intravenously with 3 mg / kg dexamethasone in saline . dexamethasone is an inhibitor of inducible . no synthase , but not constitutive . no synthase ( rees et al ., biochem . biophys . res . commun . 173 : 541 - 547 ( 1990 )). the in vivo epr signal was also recorded at 2 h after the injection of ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ( lai and komarov , supra ). b . ex vivo measurements of ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! levels in the urine of normal mice . normal mice housed in a restraining tube were injected subcutaneously with 0 . 4 ml of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ( 326 mg / kg of mgd and 34 mg / kg of feso 4 ). after 2 h , the animals were sacrificed and the urine samples were collected from the urinary bladder . the urine sample , which was dark brown ( characteristic of the presence of ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ), was transferred to a quartz flat cell for epr measurement . the spectra were recorded at 22 ° c . with an x - band epr spectrometer , operating at 9 . 5 ghz . instrument settings include 100 - g field scan , 4 - min scan time , 0 . 5 - s time constant , 2 . 5 - g modulation amplitude , 100 - khz modulation frequency and 100 - mw microwave power . the concentrations of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex in the urine samples were calculated by comparing the signal intensities obtained from the samples to the signal intensity of a standard solution containing 0 . 1 mm of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex . for inhibition experiments , mice were injected intraperitoneally with 50 mg / kg nmma in saline immediately after the injection of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex . in other experiments , mice were injected intravenously with 3 mg / kg dexamethasone in saline about 1 . 5 h before the injection of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex . for measurement of 15 no production in normal mice , mice were injected subcutaneously with 15 n - arginine ( 5 or 10 mg / mouse ) in saline immediately before the injection of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex . acetylcholine chloride ( sigma ) in saline was freshly prepared prior to subcutaneous injection at a dose of 67 mg / kg . c . ex vivo measurement of ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! levels in the urine of lps - treated mice . at 0 , 2 , 4 , 6 or 8 h after lps treatment ( 6 mg / mouse ; at least three animals in each group ), the mice housed in a restraining tube were anesthetized with methoxyflurane prior to subcutaneous injection with 0 . 4 ml of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ( 326 mg / kg of mgd and 34 mg / kg of feso 4 ). after 2 h , the mouse was sacrificed and the urine sample was collected from the urinary bladder , and immediately transferred to a quartz flat cell for x - band epr measurement as described above in example 2b . inhibition experiments with nmma or dexamethasone were performed as described above in example 2a , except that the mice were treated with lps prior to following the protocols for . no inhibition experiments . the procedures for s - band epr measurement of wet tissues and blood samples were as described previously ( lai and komarov , supra ). at 2 h after subcutaneous injection of an aliquot ( 0 . 4 ml ) of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ( 326 mg / kg of mgd and 34 mg / kg of feso 4 ) into normal mice ( a ) ( and also in the presence of nmma ( 50 mg / kg ) ( b ), or of dexamethasone ( 3 mg / kg ) ( c )), the animals were sacrificed and the urine samples collected and transferred to a quartz flat cell for x - band ( 9 . 5 ghz ) epr measurement at 22 ° c . the spectrum of the urine samples was found to be composed of two components , a three - line spectrum ( α n = 12 . 5 g and g iso = 2 . 04 ) characteristic of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex , and a strong broad signal ( see fig1 a ). the strong broad signal is part of the epr spectrum of the ( mgd ) 2 / cu ! complex present in the urine , resulting from the chelation of urinary copper by the excreted mgd molecule . the concentration of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex detected in the urine sample of normal mice is estimated to be 1 . 3 μm ( see table 1 ). table 1______________________________________quantitation of the amounts of ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe -- no ! present in mouse urine under various conditionsconditions ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe -- no !, μm . sup . a______________________________________controls 1 . 3 ± 0 . 2 ( 8 ) . sup . b + nmma ( 50 mg / kg ) 0 . 4 ± 0 . 3 ( 8 ) + acetylcholine ( 67 mg / kg ) 3 . 9 ± 0 . 8 ( 3 ) + dexamethasone ( 3 mg / kg ) 1 . 4 ± 0 . 3 ( 7 ) ______________________________________ . sup . a the amounts of the ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe -- no ! complex in mouse urine were calculated by comparing the epr signal intensities of mouse urine with the signal intensity of a standard solution containing known concentration of ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe -- no !. . sup . b the data presented are mean ± s . e . ( number of mice ). * p & lt ; 0 . 05 compared with controls . simultaneous injection of ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! and nmma markedly reduced the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! signal in the urine samples , see fig1 b and table 1 . on the other hand , as noted in fig1 c and table 1 , injection of ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! into mice pretreated with dexamethasone produced negligible effects on the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! signal . these results suggest that the no detected in normal mouse urine in the form of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex was produced by constitutive no synthase , but not by inducible . no synthase . to further verify this suggestion , the effect of acetylcholine , a vasodilatory agent which is known to effect the basal . no level , but not the inducible . no level ( aisaka et al ., biochem . biophys . res . commun . 163 : 710 - 717 ( 1989 ); whittle et al ., br . j . pharmacol . 98 : 646 - 652 ( 1989 ); and vicaut et al ., j . appl . physiol . 77 : 536 - 533 ( 1994 )), was tested on the urinary ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! level of normal mice . injection of acetylcholine was found to produce a 3 - fold increase in urinary ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! levels ( see table 1 ). this observation represents the first direct in vivo evidence to confirm that the endothelium - derived relaxation factor released by acetylcholine ( the furchgott phenomenon ) is indeed nitric oxide . the question is raised whether the . no detected in normal mouse urine ( example 3 ) and the . no trapped by the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ( table 1 ) is a result of the injection of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex . in other words , does the injection of the complex alone enhance the . no production in vivo ? in the previous experiments , it has been shown that the intravenous injection of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex did not affect the mean arterial pressure of mice ( komarov , et al . supra ), suggesting that the complex by itself does not seem to affect the in vivo . no production . it is well established in the art that l - arginine is converted into . no and citrulline by . no synthase enzymes ( ignarro , l . j ., supra ; moncada , s ., supra ; and lowenstein and snyder , supra ). to determine the origin of . no detected in normal mouse urine , 15 n - arginine ( 10 mg / mouse ) and ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! were injected simultaneously , and the epr signal in the resulting urine sample was measured , as described above . thus , mice were injected with 0 . 4 ml of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ( 326 mg / kg of mgd and 34 mg / kg of feso 4 ) with ( a ) 10 mg 15 n - arginine or ( b ) 5 mg 15 n - arginine . the animals were sacrificed at 2 h after injection , and the urine samples were transferred to a quartz flat cell for epr measurement at 22 ° c . it was reasoned that if the . no detected in normal mouse urine comes from the arginine - no synthase pathway , upon injection of 15 n - arginine , one should expect to detect the 15 no in the form of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 15 no ! complex in the urine . this indeed was the case as seen by epr , in which the two - line spectrum of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - i 5 no ! complex was detected in the urine , along with a weak three - line spectrum of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 14 no ! complex ( fig2 a , the solid lines ); the 14 no was generated by the same enzymatic pathway , except utilizing endogenous 14 n - arginine as a substrate . this suggests that subcutaneously injected 15 n - arginine competes effectively with endogenous 14 n - arginine as a substrate for . no synthases . when 15 n - arginine was omitted from the injection solution , the typical three - line spectrum of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 14 no ! complex became more visible ( see fig2 a , dotted lines ). on the other hand , when the amount of 15 n - arginine injected ( 5 mg / mouse ) was reduced by one - half , the signal intensity of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 15 no ! complex decreased compared to that of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 14 no ! complex ( see fig2 b ). therefore , it can be concluded that the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex injected subcutaneously into normal mice interacts with the . no produced in tissues through the arginine - constitutive . no synthase pathway to form the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex , which is eventually concentrated in the urine and excreted . detection of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex in the blood circulation of lps - treated mice it has previously been shown that upon bolus infusion of lps ( 6 mg / mouse ), mice are in septic - shock like conditions within 6 h , as indicated by a gradual fall in mean arterial pressure from 121 ± 3 mm hg to 85 ± 7 mm hg ( lai and komarov , supra ). in addition , it has been shown that at 6 h after lps treatment , the in vivo three - line spectrum of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex ( wherein ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! is injected subcutaneously 2 h before epr measurement ) is observed in the circulation of the mouse tail , as detected by s - band epr spectroscopy ( lai and komarov , supra ). to further ascertain the chemical nature of . no detected in lps - treated mice , 15 n - arginine ( 10 mg / kg ) was injected , together with 0 . 4 ml of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! spin - trapping reagent ( 326 mg / kg of mgd and 34 mg / kg of feso 4 ), into lps - treated mice and measured in vivo by s - band epr spectrum . the in vivo s - band epr spectra were recorded 2 h after administration of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex . albeit weak , the in vivo two - line spectrum of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe 15 - no ! complex in the circulation of the mouse tail was clearly visible ( fig3 a , the solid lines ), further confirming that the detected . no in the form of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex in lps - treated mice was produced via the arginine - no synthase pathway . the three - line spectrum typical of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 14 no ! complex was obtained when 15 n - arginine was omitted ( fig3 a , the dotted lines ). the mice treated with 15 n - arginine were sacrificed , and the whole blood obtained was transferred for x - band epr measurement at 22 ° c . the epr signal of the whole blood obtained from 15n - arginine treated mice ( fig3 b ) is identical to that of the solid lines of fig3 a . this suggests that the epr signal in fig3 a or fig3 b is attributed to the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex circulating in the blood , rather than trapped in the tail muscle at or near the site of the injection . the s - band epr signal of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 15 no ! complex was also detected in various isolated tissues obtained from lps - treated mice injected with the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex and 1 n - arginine ( fig4 ). thus , the two - line spectrum characteristic of ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 15 no !, superimposed with the three - line spectrum characteristic of ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 14 no !, were observed in the liver and kidneys ( see fig4 a and 4b , respectively ). again , the spectrum characteristic of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 14 no ! complex was detected in the mouse liver when 15 n - arginine was omitted from the injection fluid ( see fig4 a , the dotted lines ). detection of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex in the urine of lps - treated mice the effects of nmma on ex vivo 9 . 5 - ghz epr spectra of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex in the urine of the lps - treated mice were determined . thus , at 6 h after lps treatment , mice were injected with the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex , with and without i . p . injection of nmma ( 50 mg / kg ). the mice were sacrificed at 2 h after injection of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex . the urine samples were collected and the epr measurement was carried out at 22 ° c . a strong three - line spectrum characteristic of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex was detected in the urine sample obtained from the lps - treated mouse injected with the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex ( see fig5 a ). the concentration of the complex is estimated to be 35 . 1 μm at 8 h after lps challenge ; the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex was injected at 6 h after lps . injection of nmma markedly reduces the signal intensity ( fig5 b ) as well as the amounts of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex ( table 2 ), which is consistent with the notion that the . no trapped by the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex injected in the lps - treated mice is produced mainly by inducible . no synthase . thus , inducible . no synthase activities in living animals may be reduced by treatment with . no trapping agents as described herein . furthermore , simultaneous injection of 15 n - arginine ( 10 mg / mouse ) and the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex into the lps - treated mice gave rise to a composite epr spectrum , consisting of a two - line spectrum of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 15 no ! complex ( closed circles ), and a three - line spectrum of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 14 no ! complex ( open circles ) as shown in fig6 a ( the solid lines ). the pure three - line spectrum of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 14 no ! complex as depicted by the dotted lines in fig6 a was obtained when 15 n - arginine was omitted from the injection solution . in addition , when 15 n - arginine was administered at a level of 5 mg / mouse , the signal intensity of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 15 no ! complex was reduced compared to that of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - 14 no ! complex ( fig6 b ). the results clearly confirm that the . no detected in the lps - treated mouse urine was overproduced via the arginine - no synthase pathway . in summary , the isotopic tracer experiments using 15 n - arginine have unambiguously demonstrated that the no trapped by the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex either in normal or the lps - treated mice is produced via arginine - no pathway ( fig2 , 4 and 6 ). the authenticity of . no produced in vivo which is trapped by the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex in our experimental systems is therefore firmly established . the time - dependent increase in ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! levels detected in urine samples after lps administration is shown in table 2 . table 2______________________________________time - dependent changes in the amounts of ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe -- no ! present in the lps - treated mouse urineconditions ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe -- no !, μm . sup . a______________________________________lps - treated . sup . b0 h 1 . 4 ± 0 . 4 ( 3 ) . sup . c2 h 7 . 3 ± 2 . 2 ( 3 ) * 4 h 18 . 2 ± 4 . 8 ( 4 ) * 6 h 17 . 1 ± 4 . 8 ( 4 ) * 8 h 35 . 1 ± 5 . 7 ( 3 ) * lps - treated ( after 6 h ) . sup . d + nmma ( 50 mg / kg ) 3 . 6 ± 0 . 9 ( 4 ) †+ nmma ( 100 mg / kg ) 3 . 8 ± 2 . 3 ( 3 ) † ______________________________________ . sup . a the amounts of ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe -- no ! in mouse urine were determine as described in table 1 . . sup . b at different times points after lps challenge as indicated , the mice were injected subcutaneously with ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe !, and were sacrificed 2 h later to collect urine for epr measurement . . sup . c the data presented are mean ± s . e . ( number of mice ). . sup . d various amounts on nmma were injected intraperitoneally at 6 h after lps challenge just prior to injection of ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe !. urine was collected 2 h later . * p & lt ; 0 . 05 compared with controls ( see table 1 ). † p & lt ; 0 . 05 compared with the lpstreated group at 6 h . in vivo reduction of no levels by ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex in lps - treated mice the time - dependent increase in plasma nitrate levels in lps - treated mice was determined as previously described ( see komarov and lai , supra ). the results are summarized in table 3 . table 3______________________________________effects of lps and ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe ! on total nitrate / nitrite levels in mouse plasmaconditions nitrate / nitrite , μm . sup . a______________________________________controls 73 ± 7 ( 10 ) . sup . dlps - treated . sup . b2 h 103 ± 10 ( 6 ) * 4 h 291 ± 38 ( 6 ) * 6 h 506 ± 75 ( 4 ) * 8 h 638 ± 29 ( 8 ) * lps + mgd ). sub . 2 / fe ! complex . sup . c8 h 336 ± 46 ( 3 ) † ______________________________________ . sup . a the nitrate / nitrite determination in the mouse plasma was performe as previously described ( see komarov and lai , supra ). . sup . b the mice were sacrificed at different time points as indicated after intravenous injection of lps . . sup . c at 6 h after lps challenge the mice were injected subcutaneously with ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe ! and were sacrificed 2 h later . . sup . d the data presented are mean ± s . e . ( number of mice ). p & lt ; 0 . 05 compared with controls † p & lt ; 0 . 05 compared with the lpstreated group at 8 h . nitrate levels are seen to increase with time after lps challenge . injection of the . no trapping agent , ( mgd ) 2 / fe !, reduced the nitrate level in the plasma by about one - half , a result suggesting that the trapping of . no by ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! in the lps - treated mice prevents it from interaction with hemoglobin in the red blood cells , thereby reducing nitrate levels in the plasma . these results demonstrate that the administration of a dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavenger , such as the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex , is effective to reduce in vivo . no levels in lps - treated mice . although the route by which the subcutaneously injected spin - trapping reagent enters the tissues before its excretion into the urine is not yet known , it can be speculated that upon subcutaneous injection , the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex diffuses across the capillary bed , where it interacts with . no produced by . no synthases to form the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex . the latter complex then enters the blood circulation and is eventually excreted and concentrated in the urine , thereby reducing in vivo . no levels . the isolated urine containing the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex was found to be stable at 4 ° c . for several hours . when the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex was injected intravenously into normal or lps - treated mice , the epr signal of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe - no ! complex was also detected in the urine . this suggests that regardless of the route of administration employed , dithiocarbamate - containing nitric oxide scavengers , such as the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex , are capable of interacting with the . no produced in vivo to form a dithiocarbamate - fe - no complex , which reduces in vivo . no levels . as shown in example 7 , subcutaneous administration of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex reduced the in vivo . no levels in lps - treated mice . since excessive . no production is known to induce systemic hypotension , injections of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex that reduce in vivo . no levels should also restore blood pressure in hypotensive animals induced by lps treatment . to test this idea , experiments were carried out to determine the effects of administration of the ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex on the blood pressure of the hypotensive rats induced by lps challenge . thus , male wistar rats ( 230 - 300 g ) fasted overnight were anesthetized with thiobutabarbital ( inactin , 100 mg / kg , i . p .). a catheter was implanted in the femoral vein for drug infusions . the femoral artery was cannulated for continuous blood pressure measurement . rats were injected with an i . v . bolus dose of lps ( s . typhosa endotoxin , 4 mg / kg ). two hours after lps challenge , rats were then subjected to one of the following treatments : ( a ) control , saline infusion -- 1 . 0 ml saline i . v . injection followed by 1 . 0 ml / hr of saline infusion for 1 . 5 hours , ( b ) ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! ( at a ratio of 2 - to - 0 . 4 )- 0 . 1 mmole / kg i . v . bolus injection followed by 0 . 1 mmole / kg infusion for 1 . 5 hours , ( c ) ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! ( at a ratio of 2 - to - 0 . 2 )- 0 . 1 mmole / kg i . v . bolus injection followed by 0 . 1 mmole / kg infusion for 1 . 5 hours , and ( d ) ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! ( at a ratio of 2 - to - o )- 0 . 1 mmole / kg i . v . bolus injection followed by 0 . 1 mmole / kg infusion for 1 . 5 hours . the results of mean arterial pressure ( map ) measurement are summarized in table 4 . table 4______________________________________effects of various ratios of ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe ! treatment on themean arterial pressure ( map in mmhg ) in thelipopolysaccharide ( lps )- induced shocked rats . 2 hrs 1 . 5 hrs baseline . sup . 2 after lps afterconditions . sup . 1 ( mean ± sem ) treatment treatment______________________________________a ) control 96 ± 2 77 ± 2 78 ± 4saline ( n = 16 ) . sup . 3b ) ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe ! 95 ± 3 75 ± 2 96 ± 3 ( 2 / 0 . 4 ) . sup . 4 ( n = 16 ) c ) ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe ! 98 ± 3 73 ± 4 87 ± 4 ( 2 / 0 . 2 ) ( n = 6 ) d ) mgd ( 2 / 0 ) 102 ± 5 73 ± 2 94 ± 6 ( n = 6 ) ______________________________________ . sup . 1 experimental conditions were as described in the text . . sup . 2 the values of map prior to lps treatment . . sup . 3 n , the number of animals in each group . . sup . 4 ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe ! ( 2 / 0 . 4 ) is defined as the ratio of ( mgd ). sub . 2 / fe ! to be 2to - 0 . 4 . the map of anesthetized rats was in the range of 96 to 102 mmhg . two hours after lps treatment , the map decreased to between 73 and 77 mmhg , which is indicative of the onset of systemic hypotension , caused by abnormally elevated levels of nitric oxide . while the 1 . 5 hr saline infusion did not change the map , infusions of ( mgd ) 2 / fe ! complex at various ratios , ranging from 2 - to - 0 . 4 ( mgd to fe ) to 2 - to - 0 ( mgd to fe ), restored the blood pressure to 87 - 96 mmhg ( table 4 ). these results suggest that the i . v . infusion of mgd either with or without added iron ( fe ) can restore normal blood pressure in hypotensive rats induced by lps challenge ( table 4 ). since mgd does not bind . no , it is speculated that the restoration of the map by mgd infusion may at least in part be attributed to the mgd chelation of cellular iron released by excess . no production , which is known to attack cellular iron - containing proteins and result in cellular iron loss during sepsis or septic shock . this example shows that mgd , either with or without added iron , is effective for the treatment of systemic hypotension , a condition which is associated with many inflammatory and / or infectious diseases . while the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood that modifications and variations are within the spirit and scope of that which is described and claimed .	0
loudspeaker suspension systems play an important role in the sound quality provided by loudspeaker arrays . such arrays comprise a plurality of individual loudspeakers positioned adjacent to one another in selected configurations to maximize the quality of sound emanating therefrom . proper alignment of the acoustic wavefronts of the individual speakers and proper positioning of the acoustic centers comprise key design considerations for such systems . additionally , depending upon the size of the venue , such systems may comprise hundreds of arrayed speakers , requiring an enormous expenditure of time and effort to effect proper placement for the audience . while conventional methods for suspending loudspeakers work well to provide a satisfactory level of sound quality for permanent and semi - permanent installations , such systems fail to provide the modularity and portability required to efficiently transport , erect and dismantle temporary configurations commonly undertaken by traveling stage organizations . the method of the present invention provides steps for suspending a plurality of individual loudspeakers such that the respective acoustic wavefronts and centers are aligned to provide maximum sound quality . furthermore , the method combines such alignment capability with steps for maximizing the modularity and portability of such a loudspeaker rigging system . referring now to fig1 - 3 , a frame or truss module device 1 comprises two tubular assemblies , one positioned in the front of the device 2 and one positioned in the back of the device 3 . two additional tubular assemblies or suspension supports 4 and 5 are positioned lengthwise between the tubular assemblies 2 and 3 thereby completing a framework for the truss module device . plates 6 are added to the device for stiffening and mounting . the tubular assemblies 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 , and the plates 6 are connected together by structural weldment . various holes 7 are positioned throughout the tubular assemblies 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 to accommodate attachment of various mounts described in the present invention at several locations . fig3 shows the open end of tubular assembles 2 and 3 where a connector or connecting bar device may be inserted into the truss module device . with reference to fig4 - 6 , a shackle mount device 15 comprises two identically formed assemblies 17 , one positioned front and one positioned back , the back part positioned 180 degrees from the front part . an extension 16 is fastened between the two formed parts 17 with sae grade 8 bolt type fasteners 18 and sae grade 8 nylon insert locking nuts 19 . the formed parts 17 contain high tolerance holes 21 which serve as attachment points to the truss module devices described in the present invention . the extension part 16 includes one large diameter hole 20 which serves as the suspension attachment point for the present invention . referring now to fig7 - 9 , an extended shackle mount device 8 comprises two identically formed assemblies 10 , one positioned front and one positioned back , the back part positioned 180 degrees from the front part . an extension 9 is fastened between the two formed parts 10 with sae grade 8 bolt type fasteners 11 and sae grade 8 nylon insert locking nuts 12 . the formed parts 10 contain high tolerance holes 14 which serve as the attachment point to the truss module devices described in the present invention . the extension part 9 includes several large diameter holes 13 which serve as the suspension attachment point for the present invention . referring now to fig1 - 12 , a stacking bracket device 22 comprises two identically shaped assemblies 23 , one positioned on either side of a perpendicularly positioned plate 24 and connected together by structural weldment . assemblies 23 contain high tolerance holes 25 which serve as attachment points to the truss module devices described in the present invention . with reference to fig1 - 15 , a connecting bar device 26 comprises two elongated connecting or extension arms 27 and 28 pivoted together at a pivot joint including two identical swivel joint parts 29 and 30 fastened together with sae grade 8 bolt type fasteners and sae grade 8 nylon insert locking nuts 31 through a male - female hinge intersection . swivel joint part 29 is positioned opposing swivel joint part 30 and both 29 and 30 are fastened together at a central pivot point with an sae grade 8 bolt type fastener and sae grade 8 nylon insert locking nut 32 . parts 27 , 28 , 29 , and 30 , when fastened with bolts 31 and 32 , create a universal type joint able to flex in all directions and then be fixed into position by tightening bolts 31 and 32 . parts 27 and 28 contain several holes 33 which serve as selectable retention points when the part is inserted into the front and / or back tubular assemblies on the truss module device described in the present invention . referring to fig1 - 17 , a quick release pin device 34 comprises a cylindrical shaft 35 of a predetermined length which contains two retractable retaining balls 36 at a predetermined location toward the end of the shaft 35 . a handle 38 is attached to the top end of the shaft 35 by conventional mechanical means for handling and serves as a stop for the shaft 35 . the retaining balls 36 contained within the shaft 35 are spring loaded and will retract into the shaft 35 when a button 37 is depressed at the top of the handle 38 . when the button 37 is released , the retaining balls 36 will move to protrude from the shaft 35 and cause the quick release pin to be locked in to the appropriate devices as described in the present invention . referring now to fig1 - 21 , a representative two loudspeaker grouping suspended by the method of the present invention comprises four truss modules 1 fastened to the loudspeakers with conventional mechanical means to the top and the bottom of each loudspeaker . connecting bar devices 26 are inserted into the rear tubular assemblies of the adjacent truss modules 1 at the top and the bottom of each loudspeaker , the bottom connecting bar 26 being held in place with quick release pins 34 at the selected inward - most position thereby positioning the loudspeakers close together at the bottom . the top connecting bar 26 is held in place with quick release pins 34 at the selected outward - most position thereby positioning the loudspeakers farther apart at the top . the connecting bar 26 is retained in the truss module 1 by passing a quick release pin 34 through one side of the truss module tubular assembly , through the inserted connecting bar , and then through the opposite side of the truss module tubular assembly . the universal joint mechanism built into the connecting bar 26 is adjusted to provide a splay ( horizontal spreading ) between the loudspeakers and then fastened securely by tightening the bolt fasteners located in the joint of the connecting bars 26 . the loudspeakers , being in a fixed position , can then be suspended as a group utilizing two extended shackle mounts 8 fastened to the top truss modules 1 of each of the loudspeakers with the use of quick release pins 34 . the extended shackle mounts 8 can be attached at any one of the selected holes included in the truss module 1 tubular assemblies . the extended shackle mount 8 is retained in the truss module 1 by passing a quick release pin 34 through one side of the extended shackle mount 8 , through the truss module 1 tubular assembly , and then through the opposite side of the extended shackle mount 8 . the extended shackle mount 8 can be positioned toward the rear of the truss module 1 in order to cause the loudspeaker grouping to tilt downward or the extended shackle mount 8 can be positioned toward the front of the truss module 1 in order to cause the loudspeaker grouping to suspend vertically or tilt upward . referring to fig2 - 24 , a representative six loudspeaker grouping suspended by the method of the present invention comprises twelve truss modules 1 fastened to the loudspeakers with conventional mechanical means to the top and the bottom of each loudspeaker . connecting bar devices 26 are inserted into the rear tubular assembly of the adjacent truss modules 1 at the top and the bottom of each loudspeaker , the bottom connecting bars 26 being held in place with quick release pins 34 at the selected inward - most position thereby positioning the loudspeakers close together at the bottom . the top connecting bars 26 are held in place with quick release pins 34 at the selected outward - most position thereby positioning the loudspeakers farther apart at the top and automatically tilting the loudspeaker downward . the connecting bar 26 is retained in the truss module 1 by passing a quick release pin 34 through one side of the truss module tubular assembly then through the inserted connecting bar then through the opposite side of the truss module tubular assembly . the universal joint mechanism built into the connecting bar 26 is adjusted to provide a splay ( horizontal spreading ) between the loudspeakers that will enable a circular loudspeaker grouping and then fastened securely by tightening the bolt fasteners located in the joint of the connecting bars 26 . the loudspeakers , being in a fixed position , can then be suspended as a group utilizing three extended shackle mounts 8 fastened to the top truss modules 1 of each of the loudspeakers with the use of quick release pins 34 . the extended shackle mounts 8 can be attached at any one of the selected holes included in the truss module 1 tubular assemblies . the extended shackle mount 8 is retained in the truss module 1 by passing a quick release pin 34 through one side of the extended shackle mount 8 then through the truss module 1 tubular assembly then through the opposite side of the extended shackle mount 8 . with reference to fig2 - 27 , a representative nine loudspeaker multiple row grouping suspended by the method of the present invention comprises eighteen truss modules 1 fastened to the loudspeakers with conventional mechanical means to the top and the bottom of each loudspeaker . connecting bar devices 26 are inserted into the rear tubular assembly of the adjacent truss modules 1 at the top and the bottom of each loudspeaker . the top and bottom connecting bars 26 of the top and middle rows of grouped loudspeakers are held in place with quick release pins 34 at the selected inward - most position thereby positioning the loudspeakers close together at the top and at the bottom . the bottom connecting bars 26 of the bottom row of grouped loudspeakers are held in place with quick release pins 34 at the selected inward - most position thereby positioning the loudspeakers close together at the bottom . the top connecting bars 26 of the bottom row of grouped loudspeakers are being held in place with quick release pins 34 at the selected outward - most position thereby positioning the loudspeakers farther apart at the top . the connecting bar 26 is retained in the truss module 1 by passing a quick release pin 34 through one side of the truss module tubular assembly then through the inserted connecting bar then through the opposite side of the truss module tubular assembly . the universal joint mechanism built into the connecting bar 26 is adjusted to provide a splay ( horizontal spreading ) between the loudspeakers and is then fastened securely by tightening the bolt fasteners located in the joint of the connecting bars 26 . following the connecting of the loudspeakers to one another , the individual rows of loudspeaker groupings , being in a fixed position , can then be suspended as independent groups utilizing a combination of stacking brackets 22 and / or shackle mounts 15 and / or extended shackle mounts 8 fastened to the selected truss modules 1 of each of the loudspeakers with the use of quick release pins 34 . the stacking brackets 22 and shackle mounts 15 and extended shackle mounts 8 can be attached at any one of the selected holes included in the truss module 1 tubular assemblies . the stacking bracket 22 and shackle mount 15 and extended shackle mount 8 is retained in the truss module 1 by passing a quick release pin 34 through one side of the stacking bracket 22 and / or shackle mount 15 and / or extended shackle mount 8 then through the truss module 1 tubular assembly then through the opposite side of the stacking bracket 22 and / or shackle mount 15 and / or extended shackle mount 8 . the top row loudspeaker grouping is suspended with two shackle mounts 15 and the middle row loudspeaker grouping is attached to the top row with two stacking brackets 22 fastened to the truss modules 1 as described above . the top row loudspeaker grouping and the middle row loudspeaker grouping are fixed into a vertically stacked configuration with the use of the stacking brackets 22 . the bottom row loudspeaker grouping is suspended from the middle row loudspeaker grouping utilizing four extended shackle mounts 8 fastened to the truss modules 1 as described above . two extended shackle mounts 8 are attached to the bottom truss modules 1 of the middle row at the selected hole positions in the truss module 1 tubular assembly . two extended shackle mounts 8 are attached to the top truss modules 1 of the bottom row loudspeaker grouping at the selected hole positions in the truss module 1 tubular assembly . those skilled in the art will appreciate that by selecting the appropriate extended shackle mount 8 mounting hole in the truss modules 1 attached to the bottom of the middle row loudspeaker grouping , the bottom row loudspeaker grouping may be moved back so that the fronts of the loudspeakers are in coherent alignment . additionally , by selecting the appropriate extended shackle mount 8 mounting hole in the truss modules 1 attached to the top of the bottom row grouping of loudspeakers , the bottom row downward tilt angle may be adjusted as desired . the connection between the extended shackle mounts 8 attached to the bottom of the middle row grouping of loudspeakers and the extended shackle mounts 8 attached to the top of the bottom row grouping of loudspeakers is achieved by commonplace mechanical means . the present invention thus provides a method for suspending a plurality of loudspeakers to form a modular loudspeaker enclosure suspension rigging system including the steps of selecting structural members ( truss modules ) which , when attached to a loudspeaker enclosure , renders that loudspeaker enclosure suspendable . the same structural members ( truss modules ), when attached to numerous loudspeaker enclosures , render the group of loudspeaker enclosures suspendable as a whole unit from a minimized number of suspension points when various other members selected by steps in the present invention are utilized in conjunction with the truss modules . moreover , the present invention allows for angle variance between adjacent loudspeaker enclosures by providing steps utilizing multiple adjustable structural components ( connecting bars ) between adjacent loudspeaker enclosures . the aforementioned connecting bars can be adjusted for proper loudspeaker enclosure aim and then tightened into a rigid connection between adjacent loudspeaker enclosures , thereby rendering the loudspeaker enclosure group a solid mass . the present invention allows for the suspension of the loudspeaker group by a minimal number of suspension points with the utilization of structural mounts ( shackle mounts , extended shackle mounts , stacking brackets ) connecting onto the truss modules . the present invention provides for the expedient assembly and disassembly of all components parts with the use of structural retaining pins ( quick release pins ) and / or bolt and nut fasteners . while the invention has been described with reference to its preferred configuration , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teaching of the invention without departing from its essential teachings .	8
in a first embodiment , a system with two nodes a and b interconnected by a communication network n is depicted in fig1 . the nodes communicate by sending messages ( packets ) over the network n . a measurement is performed from a node a to a node b , where a is called a requesting node , and b is called a responding node . each node may work both as a requesting node and a responding node . a node can also perform measurements with more than one other node . for example , a can perform a measurement with a third node c ( not disclosed in fig1 ) at the same time . the network n may be an inter - network running the ip protocol . this enables any nodes with an ip - interface and an ip protocol stack to communicate with each other over n . in fig2 , an embodiment of a node is shown . the computer node is equipped with a network interface card that can communicate using ip . such a node has a cpu , memory buses , disks , etc ., that enables it to operate as a computer . the node runs an operating system , in which the system software can be implemented . this embodiment is implemented as a software module running in an operating system of such a node . in fig3 , an embodiment of a network module is shown . the software module implementing the method described in this document needs to have access to a network module . the network module shown in fig3 typically consists of a network interface card , a device driver , an ip stack and a socket api . the network interface card enables the node to physically connect to an access network . the device driver contains software enabling the ip stack to access the network services on the network interface card . the ip stack contains full implementation of the communication protocols that enables the node to communicate over the internet . this may be the set of protocols referred to as tcp / ip . the socket api is a functional interface that the system module can access in order to send and receive packets to and from the network . in an embodiment , a system module implementing the invention may be implemented as a user application in an operating system . it requires a socket api to access the network in order to send and receive packets over the network . the nodes communicate with messages over the network . there are two kinds of messages : both types of messages may be encapsulated over the ip protocol using the udp / ip transport protocol or some other non - reliable datagram service . in an embodiment , both types of messages are encoded with the rtp protocol . a synchronization message is either a request ( syncreq ) or response ( syncresp ). the request message is sent by the requesting node and received by a responding node . a response is sent by a responding node when it receives a syncreq message . the syncresp message is received by the requesting node . the syncreq message contains the following fields : a sequence number and a time - stamp t1 . the syncresp message contains the following fields : a sequence number and three timestamps : t1 , t2 , and t3 . the semantics of the message fields are as follows : sequence number — the requesting node sets the sequence number incrementally ( 0 , 1 , 2 , etc .). the responder copies the sequence number from a syncreq to a syncresp message . the sequence number is used to detect packet loss , reordering or duplications on the network . timestamp t1 . the time when the syncreq message was sent by the requesting node . timestamp t2 . the time when the syncreq message was received by the responding node . timestamp t3 . the time the syncresp message was sent by the responding node . the measurement messages are sent from the requesting node to the responding node only . the measurement message contains a sequence field and a timestamp field t1 . sequence number — the requesting node sets the sequence number incrementally ( 0 , 1 , 2 , etc .). the responder copies the sequence number from a syncreq to a syncresp message . the sequence number is used to detect packet loss , reordering or duplications on the network . timestamp t1 . the time when the measurement message was sent by the requesting node . timestamp t2 . the time when the syncreq message was received by the responding node timestamp t3 . the time the syncresp message was sent by the responding node . the measurement messages are sent from the requesting node to the responding node only . the measurement message contains a sequence field and a timestamp field t1 . the sequence number . the requesting node sets the sequence number incrementally ( 0 , 1 , 2 , etc .). timestamp t1 . the time when the measurement message was sent by the requesting node . now referring to the inventive method , both nodes have high accuracy clocks that are not synchronized with each other . high accuracy means that they are linear with respect to each other over a limited time period on the order of minutes , and that they have high resolution , at least to the level of 1 microsecond . that is , the clocks have different rates , but the rate difference is constant over time . p1 — synchronization 1 p2 — measurement p3 — synchronization 2 p4 — interpolation and generating a latency profile . in table 1 below an embodiment of constants used to parameterize the method are given . the values given to the constants are merely an example ; the method can be used also for other values . in fig4 , an embodiment of a requestor node pre - synchronization flowchart is schematically depicted . the node sends a syncreq to the responding node . it sets the sequence number and the t1 timestamp in the syncreq message . then it waits for a reply to come back from the responding node , or for a timeout to occur . if a syncreq message was received , a timestamp t4 is registered when the syncresp message was received . together with the three timestamps t1 , t2 and t3 , the module tries to find the message with the smallest round - trip - time . this message is used to find the two values cabs0 and cdiff0 and is used in the interpolation method p4 . the method uses two variables nsreq and nsresp to record the number of sent syncreq messages and received syncresp messages , respectively . these variables are used as a terminating condition . if the module sends 2snr syncreq messages without having received snr syncresp messages , this is an error . as soon as the module has received snr syncresp messages , it continues to the next phase , p2a . snr is a predefined constant , typically 50 messages . the method may also use the variables rtt and rtt_min . rtt_min is pre - set to a large value , and is used to find the syncreq / syncresp pair with the smallest round - trip - time . this measurement is then used to compute the cabs and cdiff values . in other words , we claim that the best measurement is the one with the smallest rtt . many other methods use the mean value . note that the method described in fig4 may be implemented somewhat differently . for example , the sending and receiving of messages can be made concurrently , not sequentially as is shown in the figure . in that case , two processes are created , one that is sending syncreq messages regularly , and one that is waiting for syncresp messages . in that case , a timeout need not be made . instead , a delay between the sending of syncreq messages need to be introduced . in fig5 , an embodiment of a responder node pre - synchronization flowchart is schematically depicted . the node waits for a syncreq from the requesting node . when such a message is received , it creates a syncresp message , copies the sequence number and t1 from the syncreq message , records t2 and t3 , and sends the syncresp message back to the requesting node . if the received message is not a syncreq message , it is assumed that it is a measurement message which is handled in p2b . the size of the vectors is equal to the number of measurement messages sent . the measurement phase consists of the requesting node periodically sending measurement messages to the responding node . the responding node records the timestamps of the time of sending and the time of receiving the messages in two vectors a [ ] and b [ ], respectively . the size of the vectors is equal to the number of measurement messages sent , nm . the two vectors are later used in p4 . in fig6 , an embodiment of a flowchart of requesting node in the measurement phase is schematically depicted . the requesting node sends nm messages ( for example 10000 ) with interval dt between each packet ( for example 20 ms ). each syncreq message will contain seq , the sequence number ; and t1 , the time the message was sent . the overhead of sending a message ks is computed initially . this is the difference in time from when the timestamp was taken and when the message was actually sent . ks may be set to 0 if the node lacks the capability to compute this time . in fig7 , an embodiment of a flowchart of the responding node is shown . the responding node stores the sending timestamp t1 in a vector a , and the receiving timestamp t2 in the vector b . the sequence number is used as an index in the vector . the overhead of sending a message kr is computed initially . this is the difference in time from when the timestamp was taken and when the message was actually sent . kr may be set to 0 if the node lacks the capability to compute this time . the second synchronisation phase is in this embodiment similar to phase p1 described above . the differences are as follows : 1 . the two processes are called p3a and p3b instead of p1a and p1b , respectively . 2 . the resulting variables are named cabs1 and cdiff1 instead of cabs0 and cdiff0 , respectively . 3 . after successful completion of the processes , both flowchart goes to p4 instead of to p2a and p2b . in the interpolation phase , the measurements collected in phase p2 in the vectors a [ ] and b [ ] and the synchronization values cabs0 , cdiff0 , cabs1 and cdiff1 in phases p1 and p3 are used to interpolate a sequence of one - way latency values . the method itself can be performed on the requesting node , the responding node , or some other node , and can be performed at any time after the other three phases . for example , this phase can be made as a post processing stage in a server . however , the data must be transferred to the place where the method is implemented . the end result of the method is a vector l [ ], i . e . the latency profile , with size nm containing the true one - way latency values of the measurement between the requesting and responding node . in fig8 , an embodiment of a flowchart of the interpolation method is schematically depicted . first the difference in rate ratebias is computed as follows : the method iteratively computes the values of the one - way latency vector l [ ] from values collected or computed , as follows :	7
reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention ( s ), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below . while the invention ( s ) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments , it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention ( s ) to those exemplary embodiments . on the contrary , the invention ( s ) is / are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments , but also various alternatives , modifications , equivalents and other embodiments , which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 , step s 10 is a step of ascertaining whether idle stop and go ( isg ) entrance is possible with an isg logic executed , which means determining whether ventilation conditions satisfy conditions preventing isg entrance by using the ventilation conditions in isg entrance . step s 20 models external air temperature on the basis of the correlation between the engine room temperature and the intake air temperature and calculates a modeling value d of the external air temperature from the modeling . in step s 21 , the factor a is the engine room temperature , b is a correction factor according to the modeling , c is a calibration factor determined with b as an x axis , and d is the modeling value of the external air temperature . the engine room temperature a is implemented by a 2d map composed of engine torque representing the load state of the engine and cooling water temperature , in which an offset factor is used for the cooling water temperature when a cooling fan operates . the 2d map is commonly used to analyze the relationship between the engine torque and the cooling water temperature . the correction factor b represents the difference between the exterior air temperature and the intake air temperature which are modeled on the basis of the intake air temperature , information closest to the external air temperature . the intake air temperature means a temperature value directly measured by a sensor . the calibration factor c , as a time filter , smoothes time variation of the calculation value of the modeling by considering the characteristics of the external air temperature without a rapid change . as described above , the modeling value d of the external air acquired in step s 20 is calculated from d = a × c , in which d is used as the value of the engine room temperature considering the external air temperature . d is also referred to as the modified engine room temperature . the variables and factors are determined by estimation or measurement of parameters for a vehicle and are not limited to specific values or specific methods . next , the voltage of the air - conditioning system is detected in step s 30 , and the detected voltage value is used for modeling using the relationship between voltage and temperature , such that it is possible to calculate a relationship between the magnitude of voltage of the air - conditioning system and temperature according to heating / cooling of the air - conditioning system , or the reverse relationship . in various embodiments , voltage output from a blower is used as the voltage of the air - conditioning system . referring to fig2 , it shows voltage value of the air - conditioning system for cooling / heating temperature by driving the air - conditioning system . step s 40 is a process of determining whether it corresponds to the isg entrance restriction conditions in isg entrance by using the engine room temperature d calculated by the modeling and the detected voltage of the air - conditioning system . this is determined by comparing the conditions to see whether the voltage of the air - conditioning system & lt ; e and modified engine room temperature d & lt ; g . in the voltage of the air - conditioning system & lt ; e , e is a voltage value corresponding to a specific temperature in the table of fig2 , and accordingly , the voltage of the air - conditioning system & lt ; e represents that the detected voltage value is lower than the modeled voltage value of fig2 . in modified engine room temperature d & lt ; g , g is a specific temperature in the table of fig2 . when the condition of voltage of the air - conditioning system & lt ; e and the condition of modified engine room temperature d & lt ; g are simultaneously satisfied after performing step s 40 , isg entrance is performed , as in step s 41 . that is , step s 41 means that the ventilation condition does not relate to the idle stop condition restricting the isg entrance , in the isg entrance , such that idle go is performed and the engine is restarted . a determination logic for the ventilation condition in isg entrance which is executed in step s 10 and step s 41 can be performed independently by being independently added to the isg logic . next , step s 50 and step s 51 mean that isg is performed through determination of the ventilation condition in isg entrance and then the engine stops in accordance with the idle stop condition . meanwhile , step s 60 to step s 90 are a logic that determines again whether the engine is restarted during idle stop and restarts the engine during the idle stop when the condition is satisfied , and it may be executed by being added to the isg logic , independently from or together with the determination logic of the ventilation condition in the isg entrance which is executed in step s 10 and step s 41 described above . when the process enters a process of determining whether the engine is restarted during idle stop in step s 60 , as in step s 70 , the external air temperature and the voltage of the air - conditioning system are detected or calculated through modeling . the logic used in step s 70 is basically the same as the logic used in step s 20 and step s 30 described above , such that the external air temperature through the modeling means the modified engine room temperature d ( d = a × c ) and the voltage of the air - conditioning system means the voltage measured in the air - conditioning system . in step s 80 , whether to restart the engine is determined by determining time passage of the idle stop or comparing voltage values of the air - conditioning system . a map1 ( h ) implies a comparing value that can be compared with time passage in the idle stop , such as when time passes and the engine should be restarted without charging a battery during the idle stop , and map1 ( h ) includes time according to the external air temperature through modeling . the map1 ( h ) is calculated by using the map2 ( h ), as in step s 81 . accordingly , when at least one of a condition of idle stop time passage & gt ; map1 ( h ) and the voltage of the air - conditioning system & gt ; i , which are compared in step s 80 , is satisfied , the engine is restarted as in step s 90 . in the voltage of the air - conditioning system & gt ; i , i is a voltage value corresponding to a specific temperature in the table of fig2 , and accordingly , the voltage of the air - conditioning system & gt ; i represents that the detected voltage value is higher than the modeled voltage value of fig2 . as described above , in various embodiments , the determination of the ventilation condition in the isg entrance and the determination of whether to restart the engine during the idle stop can be implemented by a software - typed logic , not a hardware - typed method using the air - conditioning controller of the air - conditioning system , sensors , and communication network as in the related art , by acquiring the external air temperature information by the ventilation state modeling using the information ( cooling water temperature , intake air temperature , engine torque , blower voltage in the air - conditioning system ) which can be acquired from the vehicle . therefore , the problem due to the layout , which makes it difficult to use the isg , of vehicles that have been manufactured is removed such that it is possible to greatly increase availability of the isg , and particularly , it is possible to easily mount the isg even in a vehicle where an air - conditioning controller cannot be mounted . for convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims , the terms higher or lower , and etc . are used to describe features of the various embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures . the foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed , and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application , to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention , as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents .	1
fig4 shows the principle of an apparatus for detecting a pn pattern . the apparatus shown in fig4 is composed of a received data latch unit 10 , an operation unit 11 , a comparator 12 , a counter 13 and a coincidence detection unit 14 and a delay unit 15 . the received data latch unit 10 latches n received bits where n is an arbitrary number . the delay unit 15 delays the latched n - bit data in order to synchronize n bits output by the latch unit 10 with n bits output by the operation unit 11 . the operation unit 11 generates an n - bit pattern subsequent to the previous n - bit data by an operation which will be described later . the operation unit 11 is configured based on the principle in which an n - bit pattern subsequent to an n - bit pattern within the period of a pn pattern is definitely determined by the generating polynomial thereof . the operation unit 11 receives an n - bit pattern input via the received data latch unit 10 and the delay unit 15 , and generates , from the received n - bit pattern , an n - bit pattern subsequent thereto . more specifically , the operation unit 11 leftwardly shifts the received n - bit pattern by a predetermined number of bits . next , the operation unit 11 executes a first exclusive - or operation on the received n -- bit pattern and the shifted n - bit pattern . then , the operation unit 11 rightwardly shifts a resultant n - bit pattern obtained by the first exclusive - or operation by a predetermined number of bits . finally , the operation unit 11 executes a second exclusive - or operation on the resultant n - bit pattern and the leftwardly shifted n - bit pattern . a resultant n - bit pattern generated by the second exclusive operation shows the n - bit pattern which should be received immediately after the n - bit pattern latched in the latch unit 10 . the comparator 12 compares the n - bit pattern latched in the received data latch unit 10 with the next n - bit pattern generated by the operation unit 11 . when both the n - bit patterns are the same as each other , the comparator 12 generates an increment signal which increments the counter value in the counter 13 by + 1 . on the other hand , when both the n - bit patterns are not the same as each other , the comparator 12 generates a reset signal which clears the counter value in the counter 13 . the counter value in the counter unit 13 is output to the coincidence detection unit 14 , which receives a specified threshold value . when the counter value is equal to the specified threshold value , the coincidence detection unit 14 generates a pattern detection signal , which functions as an activating signal and activates the data circuit - terminating equipment . fig5 shows a data circuit - terminating circuit 20 configured based on the present invention . the data circuit - terminating equipment 20 is coupled , via a four - wire ( 4 w ) subscriber line ( data transmission line ), to a network including a data exchange . the data circuit - terminating equipment 20 is composed of a subscriber line bipolar signal receiver 21 , a subscriber line bipolar signal transmitter 22 , subscriber line / data terminal format conversion units 23 and 24 , a data terminal signal transmitter 25 , a data terminal signal receiver 26 , a loopback circuit 27 and a microprocessor 28 . the receiver 21 receives a signal transmitted via a two - wire receive line of the four -- wire subscriber line and a transformer . the transmitter 22 sends a signal received from the format conversion unit 24 to a two - wire transmit line of the four - wire subscriber line via a transformer . the format conversion unit 23 converts the format of the received signal in conformity to the four - wire transmission line into a format used in a data terminal 29 . the format conversion unit 24 converts the format used in the data terminal 29 into the format in conformity to the four - wire subscriber line . the transmitter 25 transmits the received signal from the format converter 23 to the data terminal 29 through the loopback circuit 27 . the receiver 26 receives a signal from the data terminal 29 through the loopback circuit 27 , and outputs the received signal to the format conversion unit 24 . the loopback circuit 27 forms a loopback path which connects the transmitter 25 and the receiver 26 by detecting a loopback test starting signal sent out by another data circuit - terminating equipment ( not shown in fig5 ). the microprocessor 28 controls the entire operation of the data circuit - terminating equipment 20 , as will be described below . it will be noted that the configuration shown in fig4 is implemented by the microprocessor 28 . fig6 is a flowchart of a loopback test starting signal detection procedure executed under the control of the microprocessor 28 . the illustrated procedure handles a pn pattern which consists of 127 bits within one period and which is generated by the aforementioned generating polynomial 1 + x - 4 + x - 7 . further , the aforementioned n is equal to 7 . at step 30 , the microprocessor 28 of the data circuit - terminating equipment 20 shown in fig5 waits for data received via the two - wire receive line of the four - wire subscriber line . at step 31 , the microprocessor 28 receives seven consecutive bits and registers them in an internal register a , which corresponds to the received data latch unit 10 shown in fig4 . at step 32 , the microprocessor 28 generates a 7 - bit pattern subsequent to the 7 - bit pattern previously received at step 31 from the previously received 7 - bit pattern , and registers the generated n - bit pattern into an internal register b . at step 33 , the microprocessor 28 compares the received n - bit pattern registered in the internal register a with the generated n - bit pattern registered in the internal register b . when it is determined , at step 33 , that both the n - bit patterns are the same as each other , the microprocessor 28 increments the counter value in an internal counter by + 1 . this internal counter corresponds to the counter 13 shown in fig4 and is formed in an internal memory area of the microprocessor 28 . at subsequent step 35 , the microprocessor 28 determines whether or not the counter value is greater than a predetermined value ( which corresponds to the aforementioned specified threshold value ). when the result at step 35 is yes , the microprocessor 28 activates the loopback test ( in other words , the microprocessor 28 detects the loopback test starting signal ). on the other hand , when the result at step 35 is no , the process returns to step 30 . the process also returns to step 30 when it is determined , at step 33 , that the received n - bit pattern is not the same as the generated n - bit pattern . at step 34 , it is possible to arbitrarily determine the predetermined value . in order to detect 16 periods ( 2047 bits ) of the 127 - bit pn pattern , the predetermined value is set equal to 292 (≈ 2047 / 7 ). a description will now be given of an example of the operation executed at step 33 shown in fig6 with reference to fig7 . a part of the 127 - bit pn pattern which functions as the loopback test starting signal is illustrated in ( a ) of fig7 . as shown in fig8 in which x : y , such as 1 : 1 , means the bit identified by a serial number x is y , the pattern consisting of the first bit through the seventh bit is 1111111 and is the same as the pattern consisting of the 128th bit through 134th bit . similarly , the pattern consisting of the eighth bit through the 14th bit is 0000111 and is the same as the pattern consisting of the 135th bit through the 140th bit . that is , the same seven - bit pattern repeatedly appears for every 127 bits (= 2 7 - 1 ) in the pn pattern obtained by the generating polynomial 1 + x - 4 + x - 7 . thus , it is possible to generate the next seven - bit pattern from the previously received seven - bit pattern prior to the above next seven - bit pattern . returning fig7 it is now assumed that the received seven bit pattern is 0000111 ( which correspond to the eighth through 14th bits ), as shown in ( b ) thereof . at step 1 shown in ( c ) of fig7 the microprocessor 28 receives the received seven bits labeled ( a ). at step 2 , the microprocessor 28 leftwardly shifts the received seven - bit pattern ( a ) by three bits and sets the three bits on the right side to zero , so that a shifted seven - bit pattern ( b ) is obtained . at step 3 , the microprocessor 28 executes the exclusive - or operation on the patterns ( a ) and ( b ), so that a resultant seven - bit pattern ( c ) is obtained . at step 4 , the microprocessor 28 rightwardly shifts the pattern ( c ) by four bits and sets the four bits on the left side to zero , so that a shifted seven - bit pattern ( d ) is obtained . at step 5 , the microprocessor 28 executes the exclusive - or operation on the patterns ( c ) and ( d ), so that a resultant seven - bit pattern ( e ) is generated . it will be noted that the seven - bit pattern ( e ) shows a seven - bit pattern which should be received immediately after the received seven - bit pattern shown in ( b ) of fig7 . the above - mentioned procedure shown in fig7 can be realized by software . alternatively , it is possible to implement the procedure shown in fig7 by a hardware configuration shown in fig9 . the configuration shown in fig9 corresponds to the operation unit 11 ( fig4 ), and is made up of two 7 - bit registers 101 and 106 , two seven - bit flip -- flops ( f / f ) 102 and 104 , and two exclusive - or units ( hereafter simply referred to as exor units ) 103 and 105 . the seven consecutive bits received are latched in the register 101 and are output to the exor unit 103 . the four low - order bits out of the seven bits are output to the flip - flop 102 . the flip - flop 102 functions to leftwardly shift the seven bits by three bits and outputs a three - bit shifted pattern to the exor unit 103 . the exor unit 103 has seven exor gates , which execute the respective exclusive - or operations on the corresponding bits of the seven - bit patterns from the register 101 and the flip - flop 102 . then , seven bits output by the exor unit 103 are output to the exor unit 105 , and the three high - order bits thereof are output to the flip - flop 104 . the flip - flop 104 functions to rightwardly shift the seven bits generated by the exor unit 103 by four bits . seven bits generated by the flip - flop 104 are output to the exor unit 105 , which includes seven exor gates . seven bits obtained by the exclusive - or operation in the exor unit 105 are latched in the register 106 , and are then output to the comparator 12 shown in fig4 . it will be noted that the seven - bit pattern latched in the register 106 shows the 7 - bit pattern which should be received after the seven - bit pattern latched in the register 101 . the present invention is not limited to the 127 - bit pn pattern . a description will now be given of a second embodiment of the present invention which handles a 2 9 pn pattern ( 511 - bit pn pattern ) generated by a generating polynomial 1 + x - 5 + x - 9 . fig1 shows bits generated by the generating polynomial 1 + x - 5 + x - 9 . as shown , the first through ninth bits are 111111111 , and the 10th through 18th bits are 000001111 . the 512th through 520th bits are 111111111 , and the 521th through 529th bits are 000001111 . that is , the same nine - bit patterns occurs for every 511 bits . referring to fig1 , it is now assumed that the received 9 - bit pattern consists of the 186th through 194th bits equal to 101110010 as shown in ( b ) thereof . at step 1 shown in ( c ) of fig1 , the operation unit 11 shown in fig4 receives the nine bits 101110010 , labeled ( a ). at step 2 , the operation unit 11 leftwardly shifts the received nine bits by four bits , so that nine bits 100100000 labeled ( b ) is obtained . at step 3 , the operation unit 11 executes the exclusive - or operation on the received nine bits ( a ) and the shifted nine bits ( b ), and generates a resultant nine - bit pattern 001010010 , labeled ( c ). at step 4 , the operation unit rightwardly shifts the nine - bit pattern ( c ) by five bits , so that shifted nine bits 000000010 labeled ( d ) are obtained . at step 5 , the operation unit 11 executes the exclusive - or operation on the nine - bit patterns ( c ) and ( d ), so that a nine - bit pattern 001010000 labeled ( e ) is obtained . as shown in ( a ) of fig1 , the pattern ( e ) shows a nine - bit pattern which should be received after the received nine - bit pattern shown in ( b ) thereof . the procedure shown in fig1 can be realized by a hardware configuration shown in fig1 . the configuration shown in fig1 is composed of two nine - bit registers 111 and 116 , two nine - bit flip - flops 112 and 114 , and two exor units 113 and 115 , each having nine exor gates . the operation of the shift register 111 corresponds to step 1 shown in ( c ) of fig1 , and the operation of the flip - flop 112 corresponds to step 2 shown therein . the operation of the exor unit 113 corresponds to step 3 , and the operation of the flip - flop 114 corresponds to step 4 . further , the operation of the exor unit 115 corresponds to step 5 . a description will now be given of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention which handles a 2 11 pn pattern ( 2047 - bit pn pattern ) generated by a generating polynomial 1 + x - 9 + x - 11 . fig1 shows bits generated by the generating polynomial 1 + x - 9 + x - 11 . as shown , the first through eleventh bits are 11111111111 , and the 12th through 22th bits are 00000000011 . the 2048th through 2058th bits are 11111111111 , and the 2059th through 2069th bits are 00000000011 . that is , the same 11 - bit patterns occur for every 2047 (= 2 11 - 1 ) bits . referring to fig1 , it is now assumed that the received 11 - bit pattern consists of the 565th through 575th bits equal to 11011011001 as shown in ( b ) thereof . at step 1 shown in ( c ) of fig1 , the operation unit 11 shown in fig4 receives the 11 bits 11011011001 , labeled ( a ). at step 2 , the operation unit 11 leftwardly shifts the received 11 bits by two bits , so that 11 bits 01101100100 labeled ( b ) is obtained . at step 3 , the operation unit 11 executes the exclusive - or operation on the received nine bits ( a ) and the shifted 11 bits ( b ), and generates a resultant 11 - bit pattern 10110111101 , labeled ( c ). at step 4 , the operation unit rightwardly shifts the 11 - bit pattern ( c ) by nine bits , so that shifted nine bits 00000000010 labeled ( d ) is obtained . at step 5 , the operation unit 11 executes the exclusive - or operation on the 11 - bit patterns ( c ) and ( d ), so that an 11 - bit pattern 10110111111 labeled ( e ) is obtained . as shown in ( a ) of fig1 , the pattern ( e ) shows an 11 - bit pattern which should be received after the received 11 - bit pattern shown in ( b ) thereof . the procedure shown in fig1 can be realized by a hardware configuration shown in fig1 . the configuration shown in fig1 is composed of two 11 - bit registers 121 and 126 , two 11 - bit flip - flops 122 and 124 , and two exor units 123 and 125 , each having 11 exor gates . the operation of the shift register 121 corresponds to step 1 shown in ( c ) of fig1 , and the operation of the flip - flop 122 corresponds to step 2 shown therein . the operation of the exor unit 123 corresponds to step 3 , and the operation of the flip - flop 124 corresponds to step 4 . further , the operation of the exor unit 125 corresponds to step 5 . the above - mentioned procedures are mainly related to the detection of the loopback test starting ( activating ) signal . of course , it is possible to use the above - mentioned procedures in order to detect the aforementioned confirmation signal and the complete signal . further , it is possible to use the present invention to other applications . the description is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments , and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention .	7
earlier research on parallel computing focused on automatically detecting parallelism in a sequential application . for example , engineers developed techniques in computer architecture , such as out - of - order buffers , designed to detect dependencies among instructions and schedule independent instructions in parallel . such techniques only examine code fragments coded in a sequential programming language and cannot exploit application - level parallelism . accordingly , such techniques limit the amount of parallelism that can be exploited . a large class of applications , in particular data - intensive batch applications , possess obvious parallelism at the data level . however , several technical challenges exist to implementing parallel applications . programmers must address nontrivial issues relating to communications , coordination and synchronization between machines and processors when the programmers design a parallelized application . in stark contrast to sequential programs , programmers must anticipate all the possible interactions between all the machines in the configuration of a parallelized program , given the inherent asynchronous nature of parallel programs . also , effective debugging tools for parallelized application and configuration development do not exist . for example , stepping through some code maybe difficult to perform in an environment where the configuration has many threads running on many machines . also , because of the complex interactions that result in parallelized applications , programmers identify many of the bugs observed as transient in nature and difficult to reproduce . the technical challenges faced by programmers implementing parallelized applications translate directly into higher development costs and longer development cycles . in addition , often programmers cannot migrate or replicate a parallelized solution to other implementations . programmers recognize databases systems as well suited for the analytics applications . unfortunately , database systems do not scale for large data sets for at least two reasons . first , databases systems present a high level sql ( structured query language ) with the goal of hiding the implementation details . although sql maybe relatively easy to use , the nature of such a high level language forces users to express computations in a way that results in processing that performs inefficiently from a parallelization perspective . in contrast to programming in a lower level language ( e . g ., c ++) where the parallelized processing only reads a data set once , the same processing expressed in sql may result in several reads being performed . even though techniques have been developed to automatically optimize query processing , the performance realized by using a lower level language to implement a parallelized computation still far exceeds the performance of the higher level language such as sql . second , the i / o architecture of databases systems limits the scalability of distributed parallelized implementations because databases assume that data access to be via a common logical storage unit on the network , either through a distributed file system or san ( storage area network ) hardware . databases do not leverage logical to physical mappings of data and therefore , do not take advantage of data locality or the physical location of data . even though sophisticated caching mechanisms exist , databases often access data by traversing the network unnecessarily and consuming precious network bandwidth . analytics applications differ from web applications in several regards . analytics applications typically process structured data , whereas , web applications frequently deal with unstructured data . analytics applications often require cross referencing information from different sources ( e . g ., different database tables ). analytics applications typically focus on much fewer statistics than web applications . for example , a word counting application would require statistics for all words in a vocabulary , whereas , an analytics application may be only interested in the number of products sold . gridbatch provides fundamental operators that may be employed for analytics or other applications . a detailed parallelized application implementation may be expressed as a combination of basic operators provided by gridbatch . gridbatch saves the programmer considerable time related to implementing and debugging because gridbatch addresses the parallel programming aspects for the programmer . using gridbatch , the programmer determines the combination of operators desired , the sequence operators , and minimal programming to deploy each operator . although specific components of gridbatch will be described , methods , systems , and articles of manufacture consistent with gridbatch may include additional or different components . for example , a processor may be implemented as a microprocessor , microcontroller , application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), discrete logic , or a combination of other type of circuits or logic . similarly , memories may be dram , sram , flash or any other type of memory . logic that implements the processing and programs described below may be stored ( e . g ., as computer executable instructions ) on a computer readable medium such as an optical or magnetic disk or other memory . alternatively or additionally , the logic may be realized in an electromagnetic or optical signal that may be transmitted between entities . flags , data , databases , tables , and other data structures may be separately stored and managed , may be incorporated into a single memory or database , may be distributed , or may be logically and physically organized in many different ways . programs may be parts of a single program , separate programs , or distributed across several memories and processors . furthermore , the programs , or any portion of the programs , may instead be implemented in hardware . one example is described below in which a web based retailer sells computer equipment such as pcs and printers . the retailer uses several tables requiring terabytes of storage to track volumes of data and information that can be used to derive analytics information using several tables including : transaction table ; customer table ; and distributor table . the transaction table stores the records for the product id of each item sold and the customer id of the purchaser . the customer table stores customer information for every customer , and the distributor table stores information regarding every distributor doing business with the retailer . the retailer may use gridbatch to analyze many analytics , some of the analytics include simple counting statistics ( e . g ., how many of a particular product have been sold and identify the top 10 revenue producing customers ). the retailer may use gridbatch to analyze more complicated analytics that involve multiple tables and complex computations . for example , the retailer may use gridbatch to determine the number of customers located in geographical proximity to one of distribution facilities of the retailer in order to measure the efficiency of the distribution network . the gridbatch infrastructure runs on a cluster of processing nodes (“ nodes ”). two software components run in the gridbatch cluster environment named the file system manager and the job scheduler . the file system manager manages files and stores files across all computation nodes in the cluster . the file system manager may segment a large file into smaller chunks and store each chunk on separate nodes . among all nodes in the cluster , gridbatch may designate , for example , one node to serve as the name node and all other nodes serve as data nodes . a data node holds a chunk of a large file . in one implementation , depending on the number of nodes in the cluster and other configuration considerations , a data node may hold more than one chunk of a large file . a data node responds to client requests to read from and write to chunks assigned to the data node . the name node holds the name space for the file system . the name node maintains the mapping of a large file to the list of chunks , the data nodes assigned to each chunk , and the physical and logical location of each data node . the name node also responds to queries from clients request the location of a file and allocates chunks of large files to data nodes . in one implementation , gridbatch references nodes by the ip addresses of the nodes , so that gridbatch can access nodes directly . the master node also maintains a physical network topology which keeps track of which nodes are directly connected . the physical network topology may be populated manually by an administrator and / or discovered through an automated topology discovery algorithm . the network topology information may improve the performance of the recurse operator by indicating nearby neighbour slave nodes where intermediate results can be sent and / or retrieved in order to reduce network bandwidth consumption . a brief description of the topology and its use in facilitating execution of the recurse operator will be discussed below . the gridbatch file system distributes large files across many nodes and informs the job scheduler of the location of each chunk so that the job scheduler can schedule tasks on the nodes that host the chunks to be processed . gridbatch targets large - scale data analysis problems , such as data warehousing , where a large amount of structured data needs to be processed . a file typically stores a large collection of data records that have identical schema ( e . g ., object owner , or structure , or family of objects ). for structured data , gridbatch uses data partitioning to segment data into smaller pieces , similar to database partitioning . gridbatch file system stores files in a fixed number of chunks , each chunk having a chunk id ( cid ). a programmer may access any chunk , independent of other chunks in the file system . in one implementation , the programmer may specify the number of chunks that gridbatch can assign . in another implementation , a gridbatch administrator specifies the number of chunks gridbatch can assign , and / or gridbatch determines the number of chunks gridbatch can assign based on the number of nodes available and / or other system configuration resource considerations . in one implementation , the gridbatch file system sets the highest assignable cid to be much larger than n , the number of nodes in the cluster . gridbatch employs a system level lookup table to prescribe the mapping from cid to n translation . the translation provides support for dynamic change of the cluster size such that when the configuration decommissions nodes and additional nodes join the cluster , the gridbatch file system can automatically re - balance the storage and workload . in other words , the file system maintains a mapping of cid to data node , and moves data automatically to different nodes when the cid to data node mapping changes ( e . g ., when a data nodes joins and / or leaves the gridbatch cluster 102 ). in one implementation , gridbatch processes two kinds of data sets : vector and indexed vector . similar to records of a database table , a vector includes a set of records that gridbatch considers to be independent of each other . the records in a vector may follow the same schema , and each record may include several fields ( similar to database columns ). in contrast to a vector , but similar to an indexed database table , each record in an indexed vector also has an associated index . for example , one of the fields of the record in the indexed vector could be the associated index of the indexed vector and the index can be of any data type ( e . g ., string or integer ). when using indexed vectors , the programmer defines how data should be partitioned across chunks through a partition function . when a new data record needs to be written , the file system calls the partition function to determine the chunk id and appends the new data record to the end of the chunk corresponding to the chunk id . in one implementation , the user - defined partition function takes the form : int [ ] partitionfunc ( index x ) where x represents the index for the record to be written and int [ ] indicates an array of integers . the partition function applies a hash function to convert the index into one or more integers in the range of 1 to cid that indicate the assigned chunk id ( s ) where the data record should be stored . in another implementation , the partition function may take the form : int [ ] partitionfunc ( distributionkey x ) where x represents the distribution key indicator for the record to be written to indicate a preferred processor and / or set of processors to use . when using vectors , the gridbatch file system may write each new record to a randomly chosen chunk . in one implementation , when a user requests a new file for a new indexed vector to be created , the user provides the file system manager a user - defined hash function , which has the form of int [ ] hashfunc ( distributionkey x ). the hash function accepts a distribution key as input , and produces one or more integers in the range of 1 to cid . when a new record is written , the file system manager invokes the hash function to determine which partition to write the new record . as a result , gridbatch partitions the index vector as new records are processed by the file system manager . the job scheduling system includes a master node and multiple slave nodes . the master node may use master node logic to implement the master node functionality . a slave node manages the execution of a task assigned to the slave node by the master node . the master node may use the master node logic to break down a job ( e . g ., a computation ) into many smaller tasks as expressed in a program by a programmer . in one implementation , the master node logic distributes the tasks across the slave nodes in the cluster , and monitors the tasks to make sure all of the tasks complete successfully . in one implementation , gridbatch designates data nodes as slave nodes . accordingly , when the master node schedules a task , the master node can schedule the task on the node that also holds the chunk of data to be processed . gridbatch increases computational performance by reducing network bandwidth dependencies because gridbatch minimizes data transfers and performs data processing on data local to the nodes . gridbatch provides a set of commonly used primitives called operators that the programmer can use to implement computational parallelization . the operators handle the details of distributing the work to multiple nodes , thus the programmer avoids the burden of addressing the complex issues associated with implementing a parallel programming solution . the programmer introduces a set of operators into a program , in the same fashion as writing a traditional sequential program . gridbatch provides five operators : distribute , join , convolution , recurse , map . the distribute operator converts a source vector or a source indexed vector to destination indexed vector with a destination index . the conversion involves transferring data from a source data node to a destination data node . the distribute operator takes the following form : vector distribute ( vector v , func newpartitionfunc ) where v represents the vector where the data to be converted resides and newpartitionfunc represents the partition function that indicates the destination data node where gridbatch will generate a new vector . in one implementation , the user - defined partition function takes the form int [ ] newpartitionfunc ( index x ), where x represents the index of the record , and int [ ] denotes an array of integers . the user - defined partition function returns a list of numbers corresponding to the list of destination data nodes . in one implementation , the distribute operator may duplicate a vector on all nodes , so that each node has an exact copy for convenient local processing . duplication of the vector on all nodes may result when the newpartitionfunc returns a list of all the data nodes as destination nodes . the join operator takes two indexed vectors and merges the corresponding records where the indexed field matches . gridbatch identifies the corresponding records that have a matching index and invokes a user - defined join function . the user - defined join function may simply merge the two records ( e . g ., similar to a database join ), but generally may implement any desired function . the join operator takes the following form : vector join ( vector x , vector y , func joinfunc ) where x and y represent the indexed vectors to be joined and joinfunc represents the user - defined join function to apply to the corresponding records in the indexed vectors . the join operator produces a new vector that includes the results of applying the user - defined function . the user - defined join function takes the following form : record joinfunc ( record z , record k ) where z and k represent a record of vector x and y , respectively . when gridbatch invokes the user - defined function , gridbatch may guarantee that the indexes for record z and k match . gridbatch may perform a distribute operation before performing the join operation so that gridbatch partitions vector x and y using the partition function on the same index field that the join will subsequently use . the join operator performs the join on each node locally without determining whether gridbatch has distributed or fetched data to each node . in one implementation , the join operator automatically performs the distribute operator before performing the join . the join operator may be used when an exact match exists on the index field . however , when a programmer desires to identify the inverse result of the join operator ( e . g ., identifying non - matching records ), every record z is checked against every record k . the convolution operator identifies matching z and k records and applies a user - defined function to each match . the convolution operator provides additional capability and provides more computational options to the programmer . in one implementation , all the computational operations that involve two vectors can be accomplished through the convolution operator . the convolution operator can perform the join function on non - indexed vectors and indexed vectors using any vector field , even when the join uses a non - indexed field for the join . the convolution operator takes the following form : vector convolution ( vector x , vector y , func convfunc ) where x and y represent the two input vectors , and convfunc represents the user - defined convolution function provided by the programmer . the convolution operator produces a new vector as a result . the user - defined function takes the following form : record convfunc ( record z , record k ) where z and k represent a record of vector x and y , respectively . the convfunc function determines whether any action should be taken ( e . g ., determines whether record z matches record k ) and then performs the corresponding action . gridbatch may perform a distribute operator before performing the convolution operator so that gridbatch partitions vector x and y on the same index field that the convolution may subsequently use . the convolution operator performs the computation on each node locally without determining whether gridbatch has distributed or fetched data to each node . in other implementations , the convolution operator automatically performs the distribute operator before performing the convolution . as one example , a programmer may desire to determine the number of customers located in close proximity to the distributors of a retailer . the gridbatch file system would generate a customer vector that includes a physical location field that indicates the physical location of each customer , and a distributor vector that includes a physical location field that indicates the physical location of each distributor . the programmer may use gridbatch to merge the customer vector and distributor vector based on the physical location field of both vectors . the programmer may use the convfunc to evaluate the physical distance between each customer and each distributor based on the proximity specified by the programmer , and store each record meeting the specified proximity in a results vector . in one implementation , the gridbatch recurse operator performs a reduce operation , which takes all records of a vector and merges them into a single result . the actual logical operation performed on the records of the vector is defined by a user - specified function . addition is an example of the reduce operation where all records of a vector are added together . sorting another example of the reduce operation where all the records of a vector are checked against each other to produce a desired sequence . the recurse operator spreads the reduce operation across many nodes . web applications often perform frequent reduce operations ( e . g ., word count , where each word requires a reduce operation to add up the number of appearances ), in contrast to most analytics applications which perform few reduce operations . the reduce operator of most analytics applications becomes a bottleneck and limit the scalability of an application when a programmer merely needs sorted output for reporting or a few statistics . many reduce operations exhibit commutative and associative properties , and may be performed order independently . for example , counting the number of occurrences of an event involves the commutative and associative operator known as addition . the order in which the addition occurs does not affect the end result . similarly , sorting may be order independent . gridbatch recurse operator performs order independent reduce operations and takes the following form : record recurse ( vector x , func recursefunc ) where x represents the input vector to reduce and recursefunc represents the user - defined recurse function to apply . the recurse operator merges the vector into a single record . the user - defined function recursefunc takes the following form : record recursefunc ( record z 1 , record z 2 ) where z 1 and z 2 represent partial results from merges of two subparts of vector x . the recursefunc function specifies how to further merge the two partial results . for example , where vector x represents a vector of integers and the programmer desires to compute the sum of the integers then the programmer will use the addition function as the user - defined recursefunc function expressed : record addition ( record z 1 , record z 2 ) { return new record ( z 1 . value ( )+ z 2 . value ( ));}. gridbatch will apply the addition function recursively over the records of vector x to eventually compute the sum total of the integers in the vector . in another example , vector x includes records that represent sorted lists of strings and the programmer desires to sort the strings for final reporting . table 1 illustrates how gridbatch may implement the user - defined function for sorting the strings . the user - defined function merges two sorted list of strings into one sorted string and when the programmer implements the user - defined function to be called recursively , the user - defined function implements the merge sort algorithm . recurse parallelizes the reduce operation over many nodes . in addition , recurse minimizes network traffic for operations that need partial results . for example , where a programmer needs to identify the top 10 revenue producing customers , each node computes the local top 10 customers and forwards the results ( e . g ., partial results ) to neighbouring nodes that in turn merge the partial results with the local result of the receiving node to produce the top 10 . each node only passes the top 10 records to particular neighbouring nodes , rather than passing every record of each node to a single node performing the reduce operation . accordingly , the recurse operator avoids large bandwidth requirements and undesired network traffic , and provides higher computational performance . the map operator applies a user - defined map function to all records of a vector . the map operator takes the following form : vector map ( vector v , func mapfunc ) where v represents the vector , more specifically the records of the vector , to which the mapfunc will be applied . the user - defined map function may take the following form : record mapfunc ( record x ). the user - defined function , mapfunc , accepts one record of the input vector as an argument and produces a new record for the result vector . in one implementation , gridbatch tolerates slave node failures and errors by re - executing tasks when slave nodes fail to complete tasks . each vector chunk of a vector is duplicated x times on x different slave nodes designated backup nodes , where x is a constant that may be specified by the user and / or determined by gridbatch based on the configuration , available resources and / or historical observations . during the computation of any operator , if a slave node fails before the slave node completes the assigned task , the master node is informed and the master node starts another process on a slave node that holds a backup copy of the vector chunk . the master node identifies a slave node as a failed slave node when the master node does not receive a periodic heartbeat from the slave node . fig1 illustrates the gridbatch system configuration 100 ( gridbatch ) that includes a gridbatch cluster 102 , an application 104 and user interface 106 . gridbatch 100 components communicate through a network 108 ( e . g ., the internet , a local area network , wide area network , or any other network ). gridbatch cluster 102 includes multiple nodes ( e . g ., master node 116 and slave node 120 ). each slave node 120 may include a communications interface 113 and memory 118 . gridbatch 100 designates a master node 116 , and the remaining nodes slave nodes ( e . g ., slave node 120 ). gridbatch 100 may designate slave nodes as data nodes ( e . g ., data node 134 ), described further below . the slave node 120 uses slave node logic 160 to manage the execution of slave tasks 158 assigned to the slave node 120 by the master node 116 . fig2 shows an example master node 116 . the master node 116 may include a communications interface 211 and memory 215 . gridbatch 100 uses file system manager logic 222 to manage and store files across all the nodes in gridbatch cluster 102 . in one implementation , the file system manager logic 222 segments a large file into smaller chunks and stores the chunks among slave nodes . the file system manager logic 222 maintains a mapping of cid to data node , and moves data automatically to different nodes when the cid to data node mapping changes ( e . g ., when a data nodes joins and / or leaves the gridbatch cluster 102 ). gridbatch 100 uses job scheduler logic 230 to coordinate operations between all the nodes in gridbatch cluster 102 . among all the nodes in gridbatch cluster 102 , gridbatch 100 may designate the master node 116 as the name node 232 , and designate all other nodes to serve as data nodes ( e . g ., data node 134 ). the name node 232 holds the name space 238 of the file system 240 . the name node 232 maintains the vector mappings 242 of files to the list of corresponding vector chunks , the data nodes assigned to each chunk , and the physical and logical location of each data node . the name node 232 also responds to task requests 244 for the location of a file . in one implementation , the name node 232 allocates chunks of large files to data nodes . the master node 116 breaks down a task 252 ( e . g ., a computation ) as expressed in a program by a programmer into slave tasks ( e . g ., slave task 158 ) that the job scheduler logic 230 distributes among the slave nodes . in one implementation , the master node 116 distributes the slave tasks across the slave nodes in gridbatch cluster 102 , and monitors the slave tasks to make sure all of the tasks complete successfully . accordingly , when the master node 116 schedules a task 252 , the master node 116 can schedule the slave tasks ( e . g ., slave task 158 ) on the slave node that also holds the chunk of data to be processed . for example , the master node 116 may decompose the task 252 into slave tasks corresponding to slave nodes where the data to be processed resides locally in vector chunks , so that gridbatch 100 increases computational performance by reducing network bandwidth dependencies by minimizing data transfers and performing data processing on data local to the nodes . in one implementation , gridbatch 100 implements master node logic 260 on the master node 116 that coordinates communication and interaction between gridbatch cluster 102 , the application 104 and user interface 106 . the master node logic 260 may coordinate and control the file system manager logic 222 and job schedule logic 230 . the master node logic 260 may maintain gridbatch software library 262 that includes the distribute operator logic 264 , join operator logic 266 , convolution operator logic 268 , recurse operator logic 270 and map operator logic 278 . the master node 116 may receive task requests 244 and coordinate the execution of the task requests 244 through the slave nodes and the slave node logic 160 . fig3 shows gridbatch 100 during the processing of a distribute function call 300 ( e . g ., task request 244 ) and exercise of the distribute operator logic 264 . in one implementation , the master node 116 receives the distribute function call 300 to perform the distribute operator with parameters that include a first vector identifier 272 that identifies a first vector to redistribute to obtain redistributed vector chunks redistributed among a set of nodes . for example , the first vector may represent a previously distributed vector with distributed vector chunks v 1 c 1 308 , v 1 c 2 310 , and v 1 c 3 312 among a set of nodes ( e . g ., slave node 1 328 , slave node 3 330 , and slave node 6 332 , respectively ). the vector chunks v 1 c 1 308 , v 1 c 2 310 , and v 1 c 3 312 include corresponding vector chunk records v 1 c 1 r 1 - v 1 c 1 rx 322 , v 1 c 2 r 1 - v 1 c 2 ry 324 and v 1 c 3 r 1 - v 1 c 3 rz 326 , respectively . the master node logic 260 initiates execution of a partition function by spawning partitioning tasks 334 on each set of nodes ( e . g ., slave node 1 328 , slave node 3 330 , and slave node 6 332 , respectively ) with first vector chunks . the arrow 336 represents a transition to a node state where each node with first vector chunks runs partitioning tasks 334 . the records of each vector chunk v 1 c 1 308 , v 1 c 2 310 and v 1 c 3 312 of the first vector chunk may be evaluated by corresponding partitioning tasks 334 to determine destination vector chunk assignments . for example , each partitioning task 334 may evaluate the first vector chunk records residing on the corresponding slave node to determine a destination vector chunk location to redistribute each first vector chunk record . each partitioning task 334 may create destination vector chunk assignment files ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 f 1 338 , v 1 c 2 f 1 - v 1 c 2 f 4 - v 1 c 2 f 3 - v 1 c 2 f 6 340 and v 1 c 3 f 1 - v 1 c 3 f 2 - v 1 c 3 f 5 - v 1 c 3 f 6 342 ) on the corresponding slave node for each destination vector chunk location ( e . g ., destination vector chunk assignment ) where the first vector chunk records will be redistribute . the master node 116 may receive task completion notifications from each partitioning task 334 as each partitioning task 334 completes . the master node 116 initiates execution of a redistribution task by spawning redistribution tasks 344 on each slave node ( e . g ., slave node 1 328 , slave node 3 330 , slave node 4 346 , slave node 5 348 , slave node 6 332 and slave node 8 350 ). the arrow 346 represents a transition to a node state in which each node corresponding to destination vector chunks run redistribution tasks 344 . the destination vector chunks ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 352 , v 1 c 2 354 , v 1 c 3 356 , v 1 c 4 358 , v 1 c 5 360 and v 1 c 6 362 ) indicated by the vector chunk locations identified by the vector chunk assignment files ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 f 1 338 , v 1 c 2 f 1 - v 1 c 2 f 4 - v 1 c 2 f 3 - v 1 c 2 f 6 340 and v 1 c 3 f 1 - v 1 c 3 f 2 - v 1 c 3 f 5 - v 1 c 3 f 6 342 ). the redistribution tasks 344 initiate the remote copying of the vector chunk assignment files to the corresponding destination slave nodes to collocate the vector chunk assignment files on the slave node corresponding to the vector chunk assigned to the slave node ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 f 1 - v 1 c 3 f 1 - v 1 c 2 f 1 364 , v 1 c 3 f 2 368 , v 1 c 2 f 3 370 , v 1 c 2 f 4 372 , v 1 c 3 f 5 374 , and v 1 c 3 f 6 - v 1 c 3 f 6 376 ). the redistribution tasks 344 initiates a merge 378 of the records ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 r 1 - v 1 c 1 rx 382 , v 1 c 2 r 1 - v 1 c 2 ry 384 , v 1 c 3 r 1 - v 1 c 3 rz 386 , v 1 c 4 r 1 - v 1 c 4 rq 388 , v 1 c 5 r 1 - v 1 c 5 rs 390 and v 1 c 6 r 1 - v 1 c 6 rt 392 ) located in each vector chunk assignment file corresponding to a particular destination vector chunk . the arrow 380 represents a transition to a node state in which each node corresponding to destination vector chunks perform the merge 378 . the merge 378 results in the redistributed vector chunks of the first vector redistributed among the set of nodes . the slave node logic 160 of each slave node sends the master node 116 a completion notice that indicates the completion status of the merge 378 . fig4 shows gridbatch 100 during the processing of a join function call 400 ( e . g ., task request 244 ) and exercise of the join operator logic 266 . in one implementation , the master node 116 receives the join function call 400 with parameters that include the first vector identifier 272 and a second vector identifier 274 , and a user - defined join function ( e . g ., a user - defined function 276 ). the first vector identifier 272 and a second vector identifier 274 identify the first vector and a second vector partitioned into first vector chunks ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 404 , v 1 c 2 406 and v 1 c 3 408 ) and second vector chunks ( e . g ., v 2 c 1 410 , v 2 c 2 412 and v 2 c 3 414 ). the first vector chunks and second vector chunks include first vector chunk records ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 r 1 - v 1 c 1 rz 416 , v 1 c 2 r 8 - v 1 c 2 rj 418 and v 1 c 3 r 4 - v 1 c 3 rl 420 ) and second vector chunk records ( e . g ., v 2 c 1 r 3 - v 2 c 1 ry 422 , v 2 c 2 r 7 - v 2 c 2 rk 424 and v 2 c 3 r 4 - v 2 c 3 rm 426 ), respectively . the master node 116 initiates spawning of sorting tasks ( e . g ., slave tasks 158 ) locally on the set of nodes ( e . g ., slave node 1 428 , slave node 4 430 and slave node 6 432 ) corresponding to the location of the first vector chunks and second vector chunks to sort each of the first vector chunks and second vector chunks for the second vector located on each of the set of nodes . in one implementation , the sorting task 434 sorts the first vector records and the second vector records according to an index value of the join index field present in each first vector record of the first vector ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 r 1 if - v 1 c 1 rzif 438 , v 1 c 2 r 81 f - v 1 c 2 rjif 440 and v 1 c 3 r 41 f - v 1 c 3 rlif 442 ) and each second vector record of the second vector ( e . g ., v 2 c 1 r 3 if - v 2 c 1 ryif 444 , v 2 c 2 r 7 - v 2 c 2 rkif 446 and v 2 c 3 r 4 - v 2 c 3 rmif 448 ), respectively . the arrow 436 represents a transition to a node state in which each node with vector chunks runs sorting tasks 434 . in one implementation , the sorting task 434 compares the index value of the index field present in the first vector records and the second vector records to determine first vector records and second vector records that include matching index values and apply the user - defined function 276 ( e . g ., a user - defined join function ) to first vector records and second vector records with matching index field values . the sorting task 434 performs a matching task 450 which compares the index field values of the index fields of the first vector records and second vector records . the arrow 452 represents a transition to a node state in which each node with vector chunks run matching tasks 450 . the matching task 450 applies the user - defined function 276 ( e . g ., a user - defined join function ) to first vector records and second vector records with matching index field values for corresponding vector chunks ( e . g ., v 1 c 2 rbif 454 and v 2 c 2 rpif 456 , and v 1 c 2 rbif 458 and v 2 c 2 rpif 460 ) to obtain a join function chunk result ( e . g ., “ no jfc 1 r ” 462 , jfc 2 r 464 and jfc 3 r 466 ). the matching task 450 does not apply the user - defined join function to first vector records and second vector records when the index field values for corresponding vector chunks do not match ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 rxif 468 and v 2 c 1 ryif 470 ). the join function chunk results form a join function vector result that identify join function vector chunks ( e . g ., jfvc 1 476 and jfvc 2 478 ) that include join function vector chunk records ( jfvc 1 rt 480 and jfvc 2 r 3 - jfvc 2 rn 482 ) obtained from the join function chunk results ( e . g ., jfc 2 r 464 and jfc 3 r 466 ). in one implementation , the slave node logic 160 of each slave node sends the master node 116 a completion notice that indicates that the completion status of the sorting task 434 . for example , in one implementation , a programmer may use gridbatch 100 to index two vectors , a product vector ( e . g ., first vector identified by the first vector identifier 272 ) indexed by a product id field ( e . g ., index fields v 1 c 1 r 1 if - v 1 c 1 rzif 438 , v 1 c 2 r 81 f - v 1 c 2 rjif 440 and v 1 c 3 r 41 f - v 1 c 3 rlif 442 ) and the customer vector ( e . g ., second vector identified by the second vector identifier 274 ) indexed by customer id field ( e . g ., index fields v 2 c 1 r 3 if - v 2 c 1 ryif 444 , v 2 c 2 r 7 - v 2 c 2 rkif 446 and v 2 c 3 r 4 - v 2 c 3 rmif 448 ). the product vector includes the product id and the customer id corresponding to the products purchased ( e . g ., index field values ). the customer vector holds the customer id and the demographic information of the customers ( e . g ., index field values such as age , address , gender ). in the event the programmer desires to know how many people in each age group purchased a particular product , the programmer invokes a join function call with the product vector and the customer vector as parameters to obtain a join result that links the product id information with the customer demographic information . in one implementation , in order to ensure the highest performance by gridbatch 100 in processing the join function call 400 of the product vector and the customer vector based on the customer id field ( e . g ., index field ), the programmer invokes the distribute function call 300 to index the product vector by the customer id instead of the product id . the distribute function call ensures that gridbatch 100 distributes the records of the product vector to the nodes in gridbatch cluster 102 according to the customer id field . gridbatch 100 then may apply the user - defined function 276 ( e . g ., a user - defined join function ) to each record of the product vector and the customer vector where the customer id field values of both product vector and the customer vector equal to obtain the join function vector result . fig5 shows gridbatch 100 during the processing of a convolution function call 500 ( e . g ., task request 244 ) and exercise of the convolution operator logic 268 . in one implementation , the master node 116 receives the convolution function call 500 with parameters that include the first vector identifier 272 and the second vector identifier 274 , and a user - defined convolution function ( e . g ., a user - defined function 276 ). the first vector identifier 272 and a second vector identifier 274 identify the first vector and a second vector partitioned into first vector chunks ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 504 and v 1 c 2 506 ) and second vector chunks ( e . g ., v 2 c 1 508 and v 2 c 2 510 ) correspond to partitioned vector chunks distributed across the nodes of gridbatch cluster 102 . the first vector chunks and second vector chunks include first vector chunk records ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 r 1 - v 1 c 1 rz 512 and v 1 c 3 r 4 - v 1 c 3 rl 514 ) and second vector chunk records ( e . g ., v 2 c 1 r 3 - v 2 c 1 ry 516 and v 2 c 3 r 4 - v 2 c 3 rm 518 ), respectively . the master node 116 initiates spawning of convolution tasks ( e . g ., slave tasks 158 ) locally on the set of nodes ( e . g ., slave node 1 520 and slave node 8 522 ) corresponding to the location of the first vector chunks and second vector chunks . the arrow 526 represents a transition to a node state for each node where the master node 116 spawns the convolution tasks 524 . the convolution tasks 524 apply the user - defined function 276 ( e . g ., a user - defined convolution function ) locally to the permutations of first vector chunk records and second vector chunk records ( e . g ., 528 and 530 ). the user - defined convolution function evaluates each permutation of corresponding first vector chunk records and second vector chunk records ( e . g ., 528 and 530 ) to obtain convolution function evaluation results ( e . g ., 536 , 538 , 540 and 542 ). the arrow 534 represents a transition to a node state for each node where the user - defined convolution function evaluates each permutation of corresponding first vector chunk records and second vector chunk records . the convolution function evaluation results may indicate when a permutation of the corresponding first vector chunk records and second vector chunk records results in a convolution function chunk result records ( e . g ., cfc 1 r 1 - cfc 1 r 3 - cfc 1 r 4 - cfc 1 rz 536 and cfc 2 r 3 - cfc 2 rk 540 ). the convolution function evaluation results may indicate when a permutation of the corresponding first vector chunk records and second vector chunk records results in no convolution function chunk result records ( e . g ., “ no cfc 1 rx ” 538 and “ no cfc 2 ry ” 542 ). the user - defined convolution function may transform the convolution function results into convolution function chunk result records ( e . g ., cfvc 1 r 1 - cfvc 1 r 3 - cfvc 1 r 4 - cfvc 1 rz 548 and cfvc 2 r 3 - cfvc 2 rk 550 ) to obtain convolution function results for each node ( e . g ., slave node 1 520 and slave node 8 522 ). for example , in one implementation , a programmer may invoke the convolution function call 500 to determine the number of customers located in close proximity to the distributors of a retailer . the file system manager logic 222 may include a customer vector ( e . g ., first vector identified by the first vector identifier 272 ) that includes a physical location field that indicates the physical location of each customer and a distributor vector ( e . g ., second vector identified by the second vector identifier 274 ) that includes a physical location field that indicates the physical location of each distributor . the programmer may invoke the convolution function call 500 to apply a user - defined convolution function ( e . g ., user - defined function 276 ) to the customer vector and distributor vector based on the physical location field to evaluate the physical distance between each customer and each distributor and obtain a convolution function results vector . in one implementation , the user - defined convolution function may be expressed as convfunc . before the convolution call , the customer vector may be partitioned into customer vector chunks ( e . g ., first vector chunks — v 1 c 1 504 and v 1 c 2 506 ) partitioned across the nodes of gridbatch cluster 102 according to the physical location field ( e . g ., index field ) present in each of the customer vector records . the distributor vector chunks ( e . g ., second vector chunks — v 2 c 1 508 and v 2 c 2 510 ) may be copied to all nodes of the cluster . this can be achieved by supplying a partition function which always returns a list of all nodes to the distribute operator . the user - defined convolution function evaluates the permutations of customer vector records and the distributor vector records residing on corresponding slave nodes , to obtain convolution function chunk results records . in other words , where the customer vector chunk has z number of records and the distributor vector chunk has k number of records , the user - defined convolution function may evaluate z × k number of permutations where for each record 1 through z of the customer vector chunk gridbatch 100 applies the user - defined convolution function to every record 1 though k of the distributor vector chunk . the result of the convolution function call performed by each slave node of gridbatch cluster 102 results in corresponding convolution function vector chunks to obtain convolution function results for each node ( e . g ., slave node 1 520 and slave node 8 522 ). fig6 illustrates gridbatch 100 during the processing of a recurse function call 600 ( e . g ., task request 244 ) and exercise of the recurse operator logic 270 . in one implementation , the master node 116 receives the recurse function call 600 with parameters that include the first vector identifier 272 and a user - defined recurse function ( e . g ., a user - defined function 276 ). the first vector identifier 272 identifies the first vector partitioned into first vector chunks ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 604 , v 1 c 2 606 and v 1 c 3 610 ) corresponding to partitioned vector chunks distributed across the nodes of gridbatch cluster 102 . the first vector chunks include first vector chunk records ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 r 1 - v 1 c 1 rx 616 , v 1 c 1 r 3 - v 1 c 1 rj 618 , v 1 c 2 r 1 - v 1 c 2 ry 620 , v 1 c 2 rk - v 1 c 2 rn 622 , v 1 c 3 r 4 - v 1 c 3 rz 624 and v 1 c 3 rg - v 1 c 3 rm 626 ). the master node 116 initiates spawning of recurse tasks 634 ( e . g ., slave tasks 158 ) locally on the set of nodes ( e . g ., slave node 1 628 , slave node 4 630 and slave node 6 632 ) corresponding to the location of the first vector chunks . the arrow 636 represents a transition to a node state in which each node with first vector chunks run the recurse tasks 634 . the recurse tasks 634 initially apply the user - defined recurse function to the first vector chunk records to produce intermediate recurse vector chunk results for each first vector chunks ( e . g ., irv 1 c 1 r 1 638 , irv 1 c 1 r 2 640 , irv 1 c 2 r 1 642 , irv 1 c 2 r 2 644 , irv 1 c 3 r 1 646 and irv 1 c 3 r 2 648 ). the recurse tasks invoke the user - defined recurse function on the intermediate recurse vector chunk results to produce intermediate recurse slave node results ( e . g ., irsn 1 r 650 , irsn 4 r 652 and irsn 6 r 654 ). the recurse tasks communicate a subset of the intermediate recurse slave node results ( e . g ., irsn 1 r 650 ) to a subset of the set of nodes ( e . g ., slave node 4 630 ) and the recurse tasks iterate invocation of the user - defined recurse function on the intermediate results ( e . g ., irsn 1 r 650 and irsn 4 r 652 ) to produce increasingly fewer intermediate slave node results ( e . g ., ifirsn 4 r 660 ). the recurse tasks communicate a subset of the increasingly fewer intermediate results ( e . g ., ifirsn 4 r 660 ) to an increasingly smaller subset of the set of nodes ( e . g ., slave node 6 632 ) until gridbatch 100 obtains a final recurse result ( e . g ., frr 668 ) on a final node in the set of nodes . in one implementation , a subset of the intermediate results communicated by the recurse tasks to a subset of the set of nodes includes one - half of the intermediate results that produce a subset of increasingly fewer intermediate results . similarly , each subset of increasingly fewer intermediate results subsequently communicated by the recurse tasks to a subset of the set of nodes includes one - half of the increasingly fewer intermediate results . in one implementation , the recurse operator logic 270 uses network topology information to improve computation performance of the recurse operator by identifying nearby neighbour slave nodes where intermediate results can be sent and / or retrieved in order to reduce network bandwidth consumption . the programmer , user and / or gridbatch 100 may define the factors that determine whether a slave node constitutes a nearby neighbour slave node to another slave node . the factors that may be used to determine whether a slave node is designated a nearby neighbour slave node may include data transmission times between slave nodes , the number of network hops ( e . g ., number of network routers ) between slave nodes , or a combination of data transmission times and network hops . fig6 illustrates how the gridbatch recurse operator logic 270 distributes intermediate results among slave nodes of gridbatch cluster 102 . the slave nodes may compute a local intermediate recurse result ( e . g ., irsn 1 r 650 , irsn 4 r 652 and irsn 6 r 654 ). a subset of the slave nodes ( e . g ., slave node 1 628 ) may transmit the local intermediate recurse result ( e . g ., irsn 1 r 650 ) to a subset of the slave nodes ( e . g ., slave node 4 630 ). the slave nodes receiving intermediate recurse results from other slave nodes may iteratively apply the transmitted intermediate results ( e . g ., irsn 1 r 650 ) with the local intermediate results ( e . g ., irsn 4 r 652 ). iteratively , until a single slave node ( e . g ., slave node 6 632 ) produces the final recurse result ( e . g ., frr 668 ), a subset ( e . g ., one - half ) of the slave nodes transmit intermediate results to the other one - half of nodes with local intermediate results ( e . g ., folding transmitted intermediate results into local intermediate results ). in one implementation , the master node determines the scheme for passing intermediate results to slave nodes in the set of nodes and the number of folding iterations required to produce a final recurse result ( e . g ., frr 668 ). fig7 illustrates the logic flow gridbatch 100 may take to perform the distribute operator . in one implementation , the master node 116 receives the distribute function call 300 to perform the distribute operator . in one implementation , the distribute function call 300 may be expressed as distribute ( vector v , func newpartitionfunc ). vector v represents the source vector and the newpartitionfunc represents a function that determines the location of new nodes for data in vector v . fig7 and the discussion here uses vector u as a notational aid to explain the redistribution of the data in vector v . vector v contains the same data as vector u . the distribute function call 300 results in one vector remaining , possibly partitioned into new chunks that may be redistributed to a different set of nodes . the master node logic 260 spawns a slave task ( e . g ., slave task 158 ) corresponding to each vector chunk of vector v ( 702 ). in one implementation , the number of slave tasks equal the number of vector chunks of vector v . the slave tasks reside on the slave nodes where corresponding vector chunks reside ( 704 ). localizing the slave tasks to slave nodes where corresponding vector chunks reside minimizes data transfer and avoids network bandwidth scaling issues . slave nodes invoke slave node logic 212 to generate output files corresponding to vector chunks of vector u where gridbatch 100 will redistribute records of vector v ( 706 ). the slave node logic 160 evaluates each record of the corresponding vector chunk of v to determine the chunk identifier of vector u where gridbatch 100 will redistribute the record . the slave node logic 160 writes the record to the output file corresponding to the vector chunk of vector u where gridbatch 100 will redistribute the record of vector v . as each slave task completes evaluation of the records of the corresponding vector chunks of v , each slave task notifies the master node logic 260 of the completion status of the slave task and the location of the output files corresponding to the vector chunks of vector u ( 708 ). the master node logic 260 spawns new slave tasks on slave nodes where gridbatch 100 will redistribute vector chunks of vector v to vector chunks of vector u ( 710 ). each slave task receives a list of the locations of output files that include vector chunks of u that correspond to the slave node corresponding to the slave task and retrieves the output files to the slave node ( e . g ., using a remote copy operation , or other file transfer ). each slave task merges the output files into corresponding vector chunks of u and notifies the master node logic 260 of the completion status of the slave task ( 712 ). in one implementation , the distribute function call 300 distributes all records of the first vector to all the available slave nodes . for example , the newpartitionfunc of the distribute function call 300 expressed as distribute ( vector v , func newpartitionfunc ) may direct gridbatch 100 to distribute each record of vector v to all of the available slave nodes to duplicate vector v on all the available slave nodes . fig8 shows the logic flow gridbatch 100 may take to perform the join operator . in one implementation , the master node logic 260 receives the join function call 400 to join vector x and vector y . in one implementation , the join function call 400 may be expressed as vector join ( vector x , vector y , func joinfunc ) ( 802 ). the master node logic 260 spawns a slave task corresponding to a vector chunk number ( e . g ., vector chunk id ), where the file system manager logic 222 partitions vector x and vector y into an equal number of vector chunks and the file system manager logic 222 assigns vector chunks of x and vector chunks of y with corresponding chunk numbers or vector chunk ids ( 804 ). for example , the file system manager logic 222 may assign a particular chunk id to both a vector chunk of x and a vector chunk of y residing on a corresponding slave node . in one implementation , the slave task sorts , according to an indexed field value , the records of the vector chunk of x and records of vector chunk of y residing on the corresponding slave node ( 806 ). the slave task invokes slave node logic 160 and evaluates the indexed field value of the records of the vector chunk of x and records of vector chunk of y . where the indexed field values of the records of the vector chunk of x and records of vector chunk of y equal ( 808 ), gridbatch 100 invokes a user - defined join function ( e . g ., user - defined function 276 ). in one implementation , the user - defined join function may be expressed as record joinfunc ( record z , record k ) that joins the records of the vector chunk of x and records of vector chunk of y ( 814 ). where the slave node logic 160 evaluates the indexed field value of record z of vector chunk x to be less than the indexed field value of record k of vector chunk of y then the slave node logic 160 evaluates the next record z of vector chunk of x with the indexed field value of record k of vector chunk of y ( 810 ). where the slave node logic 160 evaluates the indexed field value of record z of vector chunk x to be greater than the indexed field value of record k of vector chunk of y then the slave node logic 160 evaluates the next record k of vector chunk of y with the indexed field value of record z of vector chunk of x ( 812 ). the slave node logic 160 evaluates every record z of vector chunk of x and record k of vector chunk of y ( 816 ). fig9 shows the logic flow gridbatch 100 may take to perform the convolution operator . in one implementation , the master node logic 260 receives the convolution function call 500 to process vector x and vector y ( 902 ). in one implementation , the convolution function call 500 may be expressed as vector convolution ( vector x , vector y , func convfunc ), where convfunc is the user - specified convolution function . for each record 1 to z of the vector chunks of vector x the master node logic 260 applies a user - defined convolution function ( e . g ., user - defined function 276 ), expressed as record convfunc ( record z , record k ) to records 1 to k of vector chunks of vector y ( 904 ). in other words , where a vector chunk of vector x has z number of records and a vector chunk of vector y has k number of records , the user - defined convolution function evaluates z × k number of permutations of record pairs . the slave node logic 160 applies the user - defined convolution function to each record 1 though k of the vector y ( 906 ) with every record 1 through z of the vector chunk x ( 908 ). fig1 shows the logic flow gridbatch 100 may take to perform the recurse operator . in one implementation , the master node logic 260 receives the recurse function call 600 to recurse vector x . in one implementation , the recurse function call 600 may be expressed as record recurse ( vector x , func recursefunc ). the master node logic 260 spawns recurse operation slave tasks corresponding to each vector chunk residing on corresponding slave nodes ( 1002 ). slave tasks invoke slave node logic 160 to reduce ( e . g ., merge ) the first record and the second records of vector chunk of vector x residing on corresponding slave nodes . the slave node logic 160 stores the intermediate recurse ( e . g ., merger ) result ( 1004 ). the slave node logic 160 evaluates whether more records of vector chunk of vector x exist ( 1006 ) and merges the next record of vector chunk of vector x to the intermediate merge result ( 1008 ). once the slave node logic 160 obtains the intermediate merge result of the vector chunks of vector x , each slave task notifies the master node logic 260 of the completion status of the slave task ( 1010 ). a subset of slave tasks ( e . g ., one - half ) send intermediate merge results to the remaining slave tasks ( e . g ., the other one - half ) with local intermediate results . the subset of slave tasks receiving the intermediate merge results merge the intermediate merge tasks with local intermediate merge results ( 1012 ). the slave nodes with intermediate merge results iteratively fold the intermediate merge results into fewer slave nodes , until the slave nodes merge the increasingly smaller number of intermediate merge results into a final merge result residing on one slave node ( 1014 ). fig1 illustrates gridbatch 100 during the processing of a map function call 1100 ( e . g ., task request 244 ) and exercise of the map operator logic 278 . the map operator may be expressed as vector map ( vector v , func mapfunc ) where v represents the vector , more specifically the records of the vector , to which the mapfunc will be applied to obtain a new vector of mapped records of vector v . the map operator allows the user to apply a user - defined function to all the records of a vector . in one implementation , the master node logic 260 receives the map function call 1100 with parameters that include a first vector identifier 272 and a user - defined map function ( e . g ., a user - defined function 276 ). the first vector identifier 272 identifies the first vector partitioned into first vector chunks ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 1104 , v 1 c 2 1108 and v 1 c 3 1110 ) corresponding to partitioned vector chunks distributed across the nodes of gridbatch cluster 102 . the first vector chunks include first vector chunk records ( e . g ., v 1 c 1 r 1 1116 , v 1 c 1 rx 1118 , v 1 c 2 r 1 1120 , v 1 c 2 ry 1122 , v 1 c 3 r 4 1124 , and v 1 c 3 rz 1126 ). the master node 116 initiates spawning of map tasks 1134 ( e . g ., slave tasks 158 ) locally on the set of nodes ( e . g ., slave node 1 1128 , slave node 4 1130 and slave node 6 1132 ) corresponding to the location of the first vector chunks . the arrow 1136 represents a transition to a node state in which each node with first vector chunks run the map tasks 1134 ( e . g ., map tasks running in parallel 1150 , 1152 and 1154 ). the map tasks 1134 apply the user - defined map function to each of first vector chunk records to produce the mapped vector chunk records that form mapped vector chunks of vector m . the arrow 1158 represents a transition to a node state in which each node with first vector chunks includes corresponding mapped vector chunks ( e . g ., vmc 1 1160 , vmc 2 1162 , and vmc 3 1164 ) with corresponding mapped vector chunk records ( e . g ., vmc 1 r 1 1166 , vmc 1 rx 1168 , vmc 2 r 1 1170 , vmc 2 ry 1172 , vmc 3 r 4 1174 , and vmc 3 rz 1176 ). for example , a sales record vector 1180 may include a customer id , product id , and date of purchase field , along with several other fields . however , for a particular analysis , only two fields of the sales record vector may be of interest , such as the customer id and the product id . for efficient processing performance , a programmer may invoke the map function call 1100 to perform the map operator to extract just the customer id and the product id fields from the sales record vector ; the map function call 1100 may be expressed in the following form : vector newvector = map ( salerecordvector , chop ). the user - defined chop function parses each record of the sale record vector 1180 to produce new records that only include the customer id and product id fields in the newvector 1182 records . fig1 shows the logic flow gridbatch 100 may take to perform the map operator . the master node logic 260 receives the map function call 1100 to map vector v ( 1202 ). the master node logic 260 spawns slave tasks corresponding to each vector chunk of vector v ( 1204 ). slave tasks invoke slave node logic 160 to locate each vector chunk of vector v assigned to corresponding slave nodes ( 1206 ). for each vector chunk of vector v , the slave node logic 160 applies the user - defined mapfunc to each vector chunk record to obtain mapped vector chunk records that form a mapped vector chunk of vector m ( 1208 ). once the slave node logic 160 has applied the mapfunc to each vector chunk record of vector v , each slave task notifies the master node logic 260 of the completion status of the slave task and the location of the corresponding mapped vector chunk of m . the map operator successfully finishes when the slave nodes notify the master node that all slave tasks have finished ( 1210 ). the mapped vector chunks of vector m combine to form a new vector m . the additional operators that gridbatch provides yield unexpectedly good results for parallel programming techniques . in particular , each operator provides significant advantages over prior attempts at application parallelization . the unexpectedly good results include significant additional programming flexibility , efficiency , and applicability to extraordinarily difficult problems faced by modern businesses , particularly with enormous amounts of data that must be processed in a realistic timeframe to achieve meaningful results . the mapreduce programming model implements a unitary programming construct . in particular , a map function is always paired with a reduce function . on the other hand , gridbatch provides multiple independent operators : recurse , convolution , join , distribute , and map that a programmer may use in virtually any order or sequence to build a complex application that executes in parallel across many nodes . furthermore , the gridbatch framework implements user defined functions specified for the independent operators through which the programmer may impart an immense degree of custom functionality . such user defined functions include a partition function to determine how to break a vector into chunks , a hash function for distributing vector chunks among nodes , a join function for specifying how to combine records , a convolution function to support the join operator , a recurse function that specifies how to merge partial results of the recurse operator , and a map function for application to records of a vector . a number of implementations have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , other implementations are within the scope of the following claims .	6
references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as left and right , refer to the relationship and operation of the apparatus in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the operational orientation in every application of the present invention . with initial reference to fig1 an apparatus 10 for cooling and salting cheese is connected to the outlet 12 of a conventional cheese molding machine , such as one that produces blocks of mozzarella . each cheese block emerging from outlet 12 enters an inlet flume system 15 formed by an inlet flume 16 and four side channels 21 , 22 , 23 , and 24 . the inlet flume 16 is a u - shaped , open channel having a width that is less than twice the width of a cheese block thus ensuring that the block travel in single file and will not wedge side - by - side blocking the flume . as will be described in greater detail , a variable speed pump creates a flow of brine through the inlet flume at a rate up to 300 gallons per minute in a direction indicated by arrow 20 . the flow of brine propels floating blocks of cheese through the inlet flume 16 and the flow rate determines the speed of the cheese blocks . a plurality of first sensors 26 are spaced along the inlet flume 16 to detect the presence of a cheese block at the respective locations . the first sensors 26 provide input signals to a microcomputer based controller 25 which governs the operation of the cheese cooling apparatus 10 . fig2 illustrates the details of one of the first sensors 26 . the sensor 26 has a pivotally mounted rod 27 that extends downward into the inlet flume 16 . a cross member 28 is mounted to pivot with the rod 27 and has an end that is adjacent a proximity sensor 29 . the proximity sensor 29 is of a conventional design and emits a signal the indicates the presence or absence of the end of the cross member 28 . a block of cheese floating past the sensor 29 moves the rod 27 upward as indicated by the rod drawn in phantom lines . when the rod pivots upward , the cross member 28 moves away from the proximity sensor 29 changing the signal from that device thereby indicating the presence of the cheese block . it should be understood that other types of devices for sensing the passage of cheese may be employed in the present system . with reference again to fig1 a movable stop 42 is located in the inlet flume 16 to control the flow of cheese from the outlet 12 of the molding machine . the details of the stop 42 are shown in fig3 . the stop 42 has a rod 44 that extends downward into the inlet flume 16 to prevent a cheese block from floating past the stop . the rod 44 is pivotally mounted above the inlet flume 16 and is connected to a lever 45 that is driven by a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 46 . when the cylinder 46 rotates the lever 45 by 90 degrees , the rod 44 pivots out of the inlet flume 16 to allow cheese blocks to pass . when power is reversed to the cylinder 46 the stop rod 44 returns to the illustrated downward position . returning to fig1 the warm cheese blocks travel down the inlet flume 16 toward a series of open u - shaped side channels 21 , 22 , 23 and 24 . each side channel 21 - 24 leads at an angle from the inlet flume 16 to the top of a separate cell of a cooling tank 19 and has separate inlet control gate 36 at the junction with the inlet flume 16 . as shown in fig4 for the third side channel 23 , each inlet control gate 36 is connected to a first actuator 38 , such as a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder and piston , located above the inlet flume , which operates a linkage 40 connected to that control gate . the inlet control gate 36 is pivotally attached to a side wall of inlet flume 16 and moves in response to activation of the first actuator 38 by the microcomputer 25 . as will be described , cheese blocks flow with the brine along the inlet flume 16 until reaching a side channel 21 - 24 with an control open gate 36 , as is illustrated for third side channel 23 . that open gate 36 directs the flow of brine and the cheese block into the side channel . the cooling apparatus 10 can be utilized with large blocks of cheese which have a width approximately equal to the width of an entrance 59 into the cooling tank 19 . alternatively smaller blocks that are slightly less than one - half the entrance width can be processed . for this latter version , each side channel 21 - 24 has a secondary control gate 55 that is operated by a second actuator , such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 57 mounted above the side channel . beyond the secondary gate 57 , the side channel 23 is divided in half longitudinally by a vertical wall 54 . the secondary gate 57 directs the smaller cheese blocks into one side of the wall 54 and then into the other side , as will be described . a plurality of second sensors 58 are located between the secondary gates 57 and the entrance 59 of the cooling tank 31 - 34 and provide sensor signals to the controller 25 . the second sensors 58 are of the same design as shown in fig2 for the first sensors 26 . the cooling tank 19 in fig1 is subdivided into four identical cooling cells 31 , 32 , 33 , and 34 defined by walls 43 extending the full height and width of the cooling tank . four cooling cells are shown for ease of illustration , with the understanding that additional cooling cells can be provided to increase the capacity of the cooling apparatus 10 . the cooling tank 19 further includes a brine reservoir 30 which does not receive blocks of cheese . each of the brine reservoir 30 and cooling cells 31 - 34 are separate water tight compartments of the cooling tank 19 and can be independently drained and filled with brine . referring to fig1 and 6 , each cooling cell 31 - 34 is divided lengthwise into two sections 61 and 62 by an internal wall 63 which extends across the length of the cooling cell . the cheese blocks flow into and out of the top of the first section 61 . within each cooling cell 31 - 24 is a carousel 65 having chains 66 on which are mounted elongated tubes 64 fabricated of perforated sheet metal or welded rods , thereby forming receptacles for the cheese blocks . for example , the carousel 65 can have twenty tubes 64 with ten tubes residing in each cooling cell section 61 and 62 at any given time . the tubes 64 rotate in a vertical loop through the cooling cell around the internal wall 63 when the chain 66 is driven by a motor 53 connected to the lower sprocket 67 . thus the chain 66 , lower sprocket 67 and motor 53 form a drive mechanism for the carousel 65 . as the chain rotates 65 in a clockwise direction indicated by arrow 68 in fig6 the tubes 64 in the first section 61 move downward while the tubes move upward in the second section 62 . the tubes 64 travel above and below the internal wall 63 between the two sections 61 and 62 of the cooling cell . the cooling cells 31 - 34 are filled with brine to a level 69 that is slightly below the top of the upper most tubes 64 . as will be described , this level allows the cheese blocks to float into and out of the tube at the top of the first section 61 in each cooling cell . referring specifically to fig1 each cooling cell 31 - 34 has an exit opening 75 in a wall that is opposite to the wall having the entrance 59 . a pair of exit stops 77 are located side by side in different halves of each exit opening 75 to control the movement of cheese blocks through that opening , as will be described . each exit stop 77 has the same design as stop shown in fig3 . each exit opening 75 of the cooling tank 19 is connected to an outlet flume system 70 comprising a plurality of outlet channels 71 , 72 , 73 and 74 and an outlet flume 76 . a trough shaped outlet channel 71 , 72 , 73 or 74 connects one of the cell exit openings 75 to the similarly shaped outlet flume 76 . a separate outlet control gate 80 is located at the junction of each outlet channel 71 - 74 with the outlet flume 76 and has an actuator operated by controller 25 . a plurality of third sensors 78 are located in each outlet channel 71 - 74 and a fourth sensor 79 is positioned in the outlet end of the outlet flume 76 to provide sensor signals to the controller 25 . the outlet flume 76 leads to equipment ( not shown ) for packaging the cheese blocks . a fluid level sensor 81 provides a signal indicating the brine level in the outlet flume 76 , which level corresponds to the height of brine in the cooling cell associated with an open exit gate 80 ( e . g . third cooling cell 33 ). alternatively , separate level sensors can be provided in each cooling cell 31 - 34 and in the reservoir 30 . the cheese cooling apparatus 10 includes a fluid circulation system 100 that comprises a flume circuit 102 and a cooling circuit 108 shown in fig1 . the flume circuit 102 creates a flow of brine that moves the blocks of cheese through the cooling apparatus 10 . a first variable speed pump 82 draws brine from the reservoir 30 at a rate between zero and 300 gallons per minute . the speed of the first variable speed pump 82 and an electrically operated flow valve 83 in the flume circuit 102 are operated by the controller 25 . the flow of brine from the first variable speed pump 82 is applied to the input flume adjacent the outlet 12 of the cheese molding machine , as indicated by arrow 20 . this creates flow of brine at a high rate that carries the cheese blocks into the cooling tank 19 . the brine flows along inlet flume 16 until encountering an open inlet control gate 36 , such as shown for the third side channel 23 . at that location the brine is directed into the side channel and the associated cell ( e . g . third cooling cell 33 ) of the cooling tank 19 . this flow of brine exits this cooling cell 33 through exit opening 75 and an open outlet control gate 80 for the third outlet channel 73 . additional electrically operated , proportional valves 84 and 85 control the flow of brine from the outlet flume 76 back to the reservoir 30 through return conduit 86 and provide the primary means of controlling the fluid levels in the system . the difference in the flow rate from the first variable speed pump 82 and that through these outlet valves 84 and 85 determines the rate of level change in the flume systems 15 and 70 and in the cooling cell 33 in which cheese is being exchanged . the pump rate is set for a desired flow velocity in the inlet flume 16 . the outlet valves 84 and 85 are constantly being adjusted by a feedback control loop based on the fluid level measured by sensor 81 . accurate level control is required for proper movement of the cheese . in addition to the flume circuit 102 that creates a fluid flow which moves the blocks of cheese , the fluid circulation system 100 includes a cooling circuit 108 which circulates refrigerated brine through the cooling tank 19 . with continuing reference to fig1 the cooling circuit 108 has a second variable speed pump 112 with an inlet connected to an outlet of the brine reservoir 30 . the second variable speed pump 112 supplies brine at a flow rate of 50 - 100 gallons per minute to a conventional heat exchanger 114 of a refrigeration system , which reduces the temperature of the brine to 25 - 40 degrees fahrenheit . the chilled brine from the heat exchanger 114 flows to a diverter valve 116 which directs the brine flow into either a first or a second distribution conduit 118 or 119 , respectively . half of the cooling cells 31 - 34 are connected to each distribution conduit 118 or 119 . specifically , the third and fourth cooling cells 33 and 34 are connected to the first distribution conduit 118 by separate control valves 120 , which are electrically operated by the controller 25 . the first and second cooling cells 31 and 32 are connected by similar electrically operated valves 120 to the second distribution conduit 119 . as will be described , chilled brine is introduced to the bottom of one of the cooling cells 31 - 34 at any given time by selectively directing the flow of chilled brine from the heat exchanger 114 to one of the distribution conduits 118 or 119 and then opening the associated distribution valve 120 connected to the selected cell . the two distribution conduits 118 and 119 also are connected to a drain control valve 122 which is electrically operated by the controller 25 . the drain control valve 122 directs the brine from one of the distribution conduits 118 or 119 through a return line 124 to the input of a drain pump 126 , that feeds into the brine reservoir 30 . by selectively coupling one of the distribution conduits 118 or 119 to the drain pump 126 and opening the appropriate valve 120 , the drain pump 126 can be used to empty brine from a cooling cell 31 - 34 that needs maintenance . in addition , as cheese is loaded into a previously empty cooling cell , the cheese blocks will displace brine which is removed from that cell and sent to the reservoir by the drain pump 126 . the cooling circuit 108 further includes a series of inter - cell pumps 131 - 134 which route brine between the cooling cells . the first inter - cell pump 131 transfers brine from the second section 62 of the first cooling cell 31 to an inlet of the fourth cooling cell 34 which is adjacent the cheese entrance 59 . similarly , the second inter - cell pump 132 feeds brine from the second cooling cell 32 to the cheese entrance area of the first cooling cell 31 . the third inter - cell pump 133 transfers brine between the third and second cooling cells , and the fourth inter - cell pump 134 transfers brine between fourth and third cooling cells . each inter - cell pump 131 - 134 introduces brine near the top of the first section 61 of a cooling cell 31 - 34 from which point the brine flows downward , under the internal cell wall 63 ( fig6 ) and upward in the second section 62 of the cooling cell from which the brine is drawn by another inter - cell pump . this path circulates the chilled through the entire cooling cell and produces uniform cooling of the cheese blocks . the cheese to be cooled enters from the outlet 12 of the molding machine and the flow of brine in the flume circuit 102 carries the floating cheese through the cooling apparatus 10 . this enables the cheese blocks to be loaded into and removed from the cooling tank 19 entirely without human intervention . newly molded cheese blocks replace ones that have been stored in the cooling tank for the greatest amount of time . the controller 25 tracks the time that cheese has been stored in each tube 64 of the tank cooling cells 31 - 34 . a particular cooling cell ( e . g . cell 33 ) is selected to receive the newly molded cheese blocks by the controller opening the inlet control gate 36 and the outlet control gate 80 associated with that cell . this action allows blocks of cheese to float with the brine flowing through the inlet flume system 15 into the selected cooling cell . when the cheese cooling apparatus 10 is started , the cooling cells are loaded with cheese beginning with the fourth cooling cell 34 and then going sequentially to the left in fig1 . at that time each cooling cell does not contain any cheese blocks that were previously being cooled . therefore , the entering blocks of cheese displace a significant amount of brine in the cell . when fully loaded , the cheese blocks may occupy 28 % of the cooling cell volume , for example . this means that the selected cell must be filled initially with a significantly greater amount of brine than required once fully loaded . the present system enables this extra brine to be temporally borrowed from another cooling cell . for example , brine can be borrowed from the first cooling cell 31 to fill the third cooling cell 33 . when the third cooling cell is being loaded for the first time , chilled brine from the heat exchanger 114 is being fed into the fourth cooling cell 34 from the first distribution conduit 118 . at this time , the drain control valve 122 is operated to connect the second distribution conduit 119 to the drain pump 126 . the valve 120 for the first cooling cell 31 is open to supply brine to the second distribution conduit 119 from which the brine is drawn by the drain pump 126 and sent to the reservoir 30 . this replenishes brine that previously was drawn from the reservoir 30 . the brine drained from the first cooling cell 31 is supplied from the reservoir 30 to the selected third cooling cell 33 via the flume circuit 102 and the cooling circuit 108 . the brine , that is displaced by blocks of cheese entering the third cooling cell 33 , flows out through the outlet flume system 70 from which the brine is returned to the reservoir 30 via return conduit 86 . by drawing brine from an cooling cell that does not contain cheese during start - up of the system 10 , the size of the reservoir 30 can be reduced as it does not have to provide the entire volume of brine needed to charge the flume systems and initially overfill the cooling cells . after all of the cooling cells have been filled with cheese , newly molded cheese replaces the cheese block that have been in the cooling system the longest . at that time , the cheese being replaced has been cooled to a temperature at which it can be handled by processing equipment downstream of the cooling system 10 . because the old cheese now is being exchanged with newly molded cheese , a significantly smaller volume of brine is being displaced as occurred during system start - up and the capacity of the reservoir 30 is sufficient to compensate for the minor fluctuations in the brine level . to load freshly molded cheese blocks into the selected cooling cell , such as the third cell 33 as illustrated in fig1 the carousel 65 sequentially aligns each of its tubes 64 with the entrance 59 and exit opening 75 of the cooling cell . each time that another carousel tube 64 is indexed into this alignment , the top most position in the first section 61 of the selected cell , the stop 42 near the connection of the cheese molding machine to the cooling system prevents cheese blocks from entering the inlet flume 16 . the exit stop 77 , for the half of the cell tube 64 that is selected by the secondary control gate 55 , is opened to allow the flow of brine to carry previously stored cheese blocks from the topmost carousel tube 64 before newly molded blocks enter the other end of that tube . the exiting cheese blocks travel through the third outlet channel 73 , past closed outlet control gates 80 in the outlet flume 76 for the other outlet channels 71 - 72 and on toward the packaging machine ( not shown ). while this movement of cheese blocks is occurring , the controller 25 is receiving signals from the third sensor 78 at the exit of the selected cooling cell 33 . thus the controller 25 is able to count the number of cheese blocks that float out of the cooling cell to determine when all of the blocks have exited . at that time , the controller 25 closes the exit stop 77 so that new cheese blocks will not travel through the tube and out the exit opening . after a predefined interval of time , the controller 25 opens the stop 42 in the inlet flume 16 allowing the newly molded cheese blocks to flow into the cooling tank 19 . the brine flow and the blocks of cheese are directed past the closed inlet control gates 36 , which provide a water - tight closure of the opening of their respective side channels . the open inlet control gate 36 directs the brine flow and the blocks of cheese carried by that flow into and along the third side channel 23 until encountering its secondary gate 55 . that secondary gate 55 directs the cheese blocks to one side or the other of vertical channel wall 54 ( fig4 ). the blocks continue to move through the entrance 59 of the associated cooling cell 33 and into one side of the topmost carousel tube 64 in the first cell section 61 . the cheese blocks float on the surface of the brine in the cooling cell and move through the top most tube until reaching remote end where the first cheese block strikes the exit stop 77 . when one side of the topmost carousel tube 64 is full , the controller 25 activates the secondary gate 55 to fill the other side of the tube . when both sides of the topmost tube 64 have been filled with fresh blocks of cheese , the carousel 65 indexes to the next location so that the tube which previously was at the top of the second cell section 62 moves into the top position in the first section 61 . the process of replacing the cooled cheese blocks with fresh blocks to be cooled then repeats for that tube and each of the other tubes until the third cooling cell 33 has been filled with new blocks of cheese . while the cheese blocks are cooling in each cell 31 - 34 , the carousel 65 moves tubes 64 in a closed path through the brine in the tank to ensure that the cheese cools uniformly . the cheese in the top tubes should be submerged when cheese in its cooling cell is not being exchanges ( i . e . its inlet and outlet control gates 36 and 80 are closed ). when the outlet control gate 80 opens , the level of fluid in the associated cell should drop enabling the cheese blocks in the upper most tubes to float . a 300 gallon per minute flow from the inlet flume system 15 should drop the level one inch . at that time , the inlet control gate 36 and the outlet control gate 80 for the third cooling cell 33 are closed by the controller 25 . this causes the level of brine in the third cooling cell 33 to rise above the top of the upper most carousel tubes 64 . the second cooling cell 32 then is selected by opening its inlet and outlet control gates . in this manner , the cheese blocks are loaded into each cooling cell 31 - 34 sequentially from left to right in fig1 . when the first cooling cell 31 has been loaded with new cheese blocks , the sequence selects the fourth cooling cell 34 . as will be described , this loading sequence has an important relationship to the direction that refrigerated brine flows through the cooling tank 19 . although the exemplary cheese cooling apparatus 10 has only four cooling cells for ease of illustration , it should be understood that additional cooling cells can be provided so that a given cheese block will remain in the cooling tank for a long enough period of time to cool sufficiently before having to be replaced with freshly molded cheese . for example , ten cooling cells as described may be required to allow continuous operation of a typical molding machine and provide sufficient cooling time . regardless of the number of cooling cells , the cooling circuit 108 produces a flow of chilled brine through the cooling tank 19 to cool the cheese blocks uniformly . the chilled brine from the heat exchanger 114 is introduced into the bottom of the cooling cell 31 - 34 which is closed - off from the flume systems 15 and 70 and which contains the cheese blocks that have been in the cooling tank 19 the greatest amount of time , i . e . the coldest cheese . that cooling cell usually is the one to the immediate left of the cell that is being loaded with warm , freshly molded cheese , except chilled brine is introduced into the fourth cooling cell 34 when the first cooling cell 31 is being loaded with cheese blocks . thus , the coldest brine flows around the coldest cheese first and then is transferred to the cooling cell with the next coldest cheese , and so on until finally reaching the cooling cell having the warmest cheese , that has recently entered the cooling tank . to accomplish this flow pattern in the exemplary apparatus in fig1 where newly molded cheese is entering the third cooling cell 33 , the controller 25 opens the distribution valve 120 associated with the second cooling cell 32 and closes all the other distribution valves . at this time , the third inter - cell pump 133 , having an inlet connected to the third cooling cell 33 , is turned off . thus brine from the cell receiving hot , freshly molded cheese will not be fed to the adjacent cell with relatively cold cheese . the other inter - cell pumps 131 - 133 transfer the brine between cooling cells in a direction going toward cells with increasingly warmer cheese . this inter - cell brine flow ultimately reaches the cooling cell with the warmest cheese , i . e . the one presently be loaded with freshly molded cheese blocks ( cooling cell 33 in the example ). the brine then exits the cooling tank 19 through the cheese exit 75 of the third cell 33 and is returned to the reservoir 30 through the outlet flume 76 , valves 84 , 85 and conduit 86 . when the third cooling cell 33 becomes filled with newly molded cheese , the cheese blocks from the molding machine will be sent through the inlet flume system 15 into the second cooling cell 32 . at that time , the distribution valve 120 associated with the second cooling cell 32 is closed and the distribution valve for the first cooling cell 31 is opened to introduce chilled brine from the heat exchanger 114 into that latter cell . the inter - cell pump 132 for the second cooling cell 32 now is turned off by the controller 25 and the inter - cell pump 133 for the third cooling cell 33 is activated . this switching of the brine flow path continues as loading and unloading cheese blocks sequences through the cooling cells 31 - 34 so that brine always flows in a direction from the coldest to the warmest cheese in the tank 19 . as stated previously , each carousel 65 periodically moves in a closed path around the internal cell wall 64 which results in more uniform cooling and minimization of cupping and bulging of the cheese blocks . as evident from fig6 the carousel tubes 64 act as a paddle wheel forcing water over the outer wall 43 into the adjacent cooling cell to the left in fig1 . this movement of the carousels 65 also stirs the brine in each cooling cell 31 - 34 to minimize temperature gradients within the brine , and also flips the cheese blocks over in the cooling cells thereby producing uniformly shaped blocks . the present cheese cooling apparatus 10 offers automated operation so that human intervention , required in previous cooling systems to guide and submerge the cheese blocks , is not needed . the counter flow of the cheese to the direction of the chilled brine flow increases cooling efficiency , that is the incoming refrigerated brine first contacts the coldest cheese , i . e . that which has been in the cooling system the greatest amount of time . this counter flow leads to a larger temperature difference being maintained throughout the system resulting in greater and more efficient heat transfer . the dual distribution conduits 118 and 119 of the cooling circuit 108 enable brine to be drained from a given cooling cell 31 - 34 without affecting operation of the remaining cooling cells . when the chilled brine from the heat exchanger 114 is being supplied to a cooling cell connected to one distribution conduit 118 or 119 , a cooling cell connected to the other conduit can be drained . that other distribution conduit is connected by outlet control valve 122 to the drain pump 126 and the distribution valve 120 for the cooling cell to be drained is opened . when the drain pump 126 is turned - on brine is drawn from the selected cooling cell and fed to the reservoir 30 . the water - tight inlet and outlet control gates 36 and 80 prevent brine from the various flumes 16 and 76 from entering the cooling cell being drained . note that additional connections than those illustrated have to be provided between the inter - cell pumps 131 - 134 to bypass the cooling cell being drained . the foregoing description was primarily directed to a preferred embodiment of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure .	0
referring to the drawings in detail , and in particular to fig1 a portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus , indicated generally at 12 , is utilized in this condition to be pushed along a support surface 13 in order to contact and grasp ball members such as tennis ball members 15 . the ball members 15 are grasped and moved in arcuate path upwardly to be placed within a container structure of this invention as will be described . the condition for &# 34 ; ball retrieving &# 34 ; is indicated in fig1 but the invention has further embodiments of ( 1 ) being a ball holder to place a container structure in an elevated position as shown in fig8 ; and ( 2 ) ball carrier position as illustrated in fig3 with the handle assembly in a folded storage condition as indicated in dotted lines . the operation of these three ( 3 ) various positions of the invention will be described in detail . the portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus 12 includes ( 1 ) a main support frame assembly 14 ; ( 2 ) a support and power drive assembly 16 positioned forwardly and connected to the main support frame assembly 14 ; ( 3 ) a ball pick - up assembly 18 mounted forwardly of the support and power drive assembly 16 ; ( 4 ) a ball container assembly 20 operable to hold the ball members 15 therein and mounted adjacent but rearwardly of the ball pick - up assembly 18 ; and ( 5 ) an actuator handle assembly 22 connected to the ball pick - up assembly 18 and operable to be usable in three ( 3 ) various functions as will be explained . the main support frame assembly 14 includes ( 1 ) a base support assembly 26 ; ( 2 ) a base support wheel assembly 28 connected to the base support assembly 26 ; and ( 3 ) spaced vertical support arms 30 connected to the base support assembly 26 . the base support assembly 26 includes a pair of divergent support members 32 as noted in fig9 with the adjacent ends thereof interconnected by a connector plate member 34 . the support members 32 can be constructed of a square tubular material or the like which provides support for the ball container assembly 20 when in the retrieving and carrier positions as will be explained . the base support wheel assembly 28 includes an adjustable caster wheel member 36 which is rotatable 360 degrees so as to easily direct the entire portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus 12 in a ball member retrieving operation . as noted in fig4 the vertical support arms 30 includes spaced , parallel , upright support members 38 which are interconnected by a cylinder support member 40 to provide a rigid connection between the base support assembly 26 and the support and power drive assembly 16 as will be noted . the support and power drive assembly 16 includes a wheel drive assembly 44 operably connected to a power drive assembly 46 . the wheel drive assembly 44 includes a main support shaft or axle 48 having wheel members 50 secured to outer ends thereof and anchored to the support shaft 48 through anchor nut members 52 . the wheel members 50 resemble lawn mower type wheel members and being rotatable to drive the power drive assembly 46 which operates to actuate the ball pick - up assembly 18 as will be explained . the power drive assembly 46 includes a drive sprocket 54 secured to the adjacent wheel member 50 so as to be rotatable therewith ; and a drive chain member 56 trained about the drive sprocket member 54 and a driven sprocket member 58 . the driven sprocket member 58 is anchored to a support shaft of the ball pick - up assembly 18 as will be noted . the ball pick - up assembly 18 includes a main retriever housing 62 which is connected through the cylinder housing support arm 40 to the main support frame assembly 14 ; and a ball pick - up cylinder assembly 64 which is mounted within the main retriever housing 62 and driven through the power drive assembly 46 . the main retriever housing 62 includes ( 1 ) an arcuate top wall member 68 ; ( 2 ) an arcuate bottom wall member 70 ; ( 3 ) parallel , spaced side wall members 72 integral with the top wall member 68 and the bottom wall member 70 ; and ( 4 ) a connector assembly 74 operable to connect the retriever housing 62 to the main support frame assembly 14 . the arcuate top wall member 68 is formed with a horizontal wall section 76 integral with a curved wall section 78 having a forward portion integral with a vertical wall section 80 on an outer end thereof . an outer edge of the vertical wall section 80 is elevated a distance off the support surface 13 so as to define a ball entrance opening 82 where the ball members 15 enter as clearly noted in fig4 . the arcuate bottom wall member 70 is provided with a vertical connector wall section 86 integral with a bottom wall section 88 . it is noted that an outer edge of the arcuate bottom wall section 88 defines a ball entrance opening 90 for the ball members 15 to enter . the ball members 15 are engagable with an upper surface of the arcuate bottom wall 70 and the pick - up cylinder assembly 64 in a manner to be explained . the parallel side wall members 72 are extended in spaced vertical planes so as to provide the lateral limitations of the ball entrance openings 82 and 90 . each side wall member 72 is provided with ( 1 ) handle support openings 92 ; ( 2 ) cylinder shaft openings 94 ; and ( 3 ) basket support openings 98 . the functions of these openings will be explained . the connector assembly 74 includes a pair of spaced parallel support yoke members 102 . each support yoke member 102 is provided with a yoke body 104 having a shaft axle opening 106 therein . the shaft axle opening 106 is operable to receive the support shaft or axle 48 therethrough to provide rigid support to the main support frame assembly 14 . the pick - up cylinder assembly 64 , as noted in fig1 , includes ( 1 ) a cylindrical support assembly 108 ; ( 2 ) a ball - pick - up cylinder member 110 ; and ( 3 ) a cylinder connector assembly 112 . the cylindrical support assembly 108 includes a cylindrical drive shaft 114 having an inner support cylinder 116 connected thereto . the cylindrical drive shaft 114 has opposite ends thereof mounted and supported within the cylinder shaft openings 94 of the side wall members 72 . additionally , one end of the cylinder drive shaft 114 extends a distance outwardly of the right side wall member 72 having the driven sprocket member 58 connected thereto which receives the power drive for the entire pick - up cylinder assembly 64 . the inner support cylinder 116 is preferably constructed of a rigid material adapted to support the pick - up cylinder member 110 thereon . the inner support cylinder 116 is provided with an outer sleeve member 120 which is formed of a plastic foam type material which is selected to have the specific capability of being deformed when receiving the ball members 15 thereagainst . as best shown in fig4 the deformity in the sleeve member 120 is indicated by a curved portion 121 . the cylinder connector assembly 112 includes a shaft bearing member 122 mounted on each opposite end of the cylindrical drive shaft 114 in the openings 94 . a lock cap 123 is operable to retain the shaft bearing members 122 on the drive shaft 114 . additionally , a cylinder lock pin 124 , as noted in fig1 , extends through a hole in the cylindrical drive shaft 114 so as to maintain the inner support cylinder 116 in a predetermined axial location along the cylinder drive shaft 114 . the cylinder drive shaft 114 is removed from the pick - up cylinder assembly 64 so it can be removed for repair and maintenance . normally , the main repair and maintenance necessary would be the replacement of the foam sleeve member 120 which may be worn after a long period of usage . the ball container assembly 20 includes a main container support assembly 128 which is connected at a lower end portion to the main retriever housing 62 and at an upper portion to a container member 130 . the container support assembly 128 includes ( 1 ) a pair of spaced container support arm members 134 ; ( 2 ) a container support cross arm member 136 interconnected to the container support arm members 134 ; and ( 3 ) a connector assembly 138 to pivotally connect the support arm members 134 to the main retriever housing 62 . the container support cross arm member 136 is a support strap member 140 connected as by rivets , bolts , or the like to the support arm members 134 . the connector assembly 138 includes ( 1 ) container pivot pins 142 to allow pivotal movement of the container member 130 ; ( 2 ) retriever housing stop pins 144 operable to be engagable by the actuator handle assembly 22 for reasons to be explained ; and ( 3 ) a pair of pivot pins 145 are mounted within the respective basket support openings 98 in the side wall members 72 of the main retriever housing 62 to permit pivotal movement of the support arm members 134 . the container member 130 includes a bottom wall section 146 ; a front wall section 148 ; parallel opposed side wall sections 150 ; and an inclined rearwall section 152 . it is noted that the numerous wall sections are integral with each other so as to form a substantially rectangular box shape with an open top to receive the ball members 15 therein after retrieving ; holding in an elevated position ; and storage as will be explained . the actuator handle assembly 22 includes a u - shaped support yoke member 156 pivotally connected at a lower end thereof to the main retriever housing 62 ; and an actuator handle member 158 pivotally connected to the support yoke member 156 . the support yoke member 156 is provided with connector legs 160 integral with a top yoke section 162 . the connector legs 160 are secured to with connector elbows 163 at the lower end thereof which are pivotally mounted in the respective handle support openings 92 . the actuator handle member 158 includes ( 1 ) a main handle body 164 ; ( 2 ) a connector tee section 166 secured to a lower end of the main handle body 164 and pivotally connected to the top yoke section 162 ; ( 3 ) a handle grip section 168 ; and ( 4 ) a container support hook 169 thereon . the main handle body 164 is of a tubular construction including an outer curved portion 165 having the handle grip section 168 mounted thereon . the container tee section 166 is pivotally mounted on the top yoke section 162 but held in a locked position , as noted in fig8 by a lock pin assembly 170 . the lock pin assembly 170 includes a lock pin member 172 ; a retainer chain assembly 174 having one end connected to the lock pin member 172 and the other end secured to connector tee section 166 ; and a retainer clip member 175 engagable with the lock pin member 172 to prevent its unintentional axial movement within aligned holes through the connector tee section 166 and the top yoke section 162 . the lock pin member 172 locks the actuator handle assembly 22 in the extended condition of fig1 and 8 and in the folded condition as shown in dotted lines in fig3 . the container support hook 169 includes an l - shaped hook member 178 which is operable in the elevated ball holding position as noted in fig8 to support the front wall section 148 of the container member 130 . in the use and operation of the invention , we will note the condition of the portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus 12 in fig1 as being in the ball retriever condition . in this condition , the ball container assembly 20 is in a lowered position adjacent and rearwardly of the ball pick - up assembly 18 and vertically supported on the main support frame assembly 14 . the main actuator handle member 158 is rearwardly extended and inclined having the handle member 164 connected to the u - shaped support yoke member 156 by the lock pin assembly 170 . this is similar to the locked condition of the actuator handle assembly 22 as shown in fig8 which is in an elevated ball holder condition which will be explained . in the ball retriever condition of fig1 it is noted that the connector legs 160 of the support yoke member 156 are engagable with the retriever housing stop pins 144 . this allows for the operator of the invention to place a downward pressure on the handle grip section 168 which aids in the frictional contact of the wheel members 50 on the support surface 13 which provides the driving force for the ball pick - up assembly 18 . this is important as the initial contact of the ball members 15 as noted in fig4 will be between the outer foam cover member 120 and the support surface 13 . this is necessary to obtain the initial grasping of the ball members 15 on being moved within the arcuate bottom wall 70 of the main retriever housing 62 . as noted in fig4 in the ball retriever condition , the ball members 15 are moved inwardly as shown in dotted lines and moved upwardly by contact with the foam cover member 120 whereupon they are moved through a ball opening 149 in the front wall section 148 of the container member 130 . next , after the ball members 15 have been picked up and placed within the container member 130 , the operator may wish to place the container member in either ( 1 ) the transport or storage condition with the actuator handle assembly 22 in the folded condition ; or ( 2 ) in the elevated ball holder condition as noted in fig8 . on referring to fig8 in the elevated ball holder condition , it is seen that the container member 130 is movable upwardly from the main support frame assembly 14 . the container support arm members 134 are pivoted upwardly with the container member 130 maintained with the bottom wall section 146 in a horizontal plane to prevent spilling of the ball members 15 therefrom . concurrently , the actuator handle assembly 22 is pivoted to a forward position as noted in fig8 . in this position , the forward portion of the front wall section 148 of container member 130 is operable to engage the container support hook 169 so as to provide support . in this elevated ball holder condition of fig8 it is further noted that the support end strap member 140 of the container support assembly 128 is engagable with the horizontal wall section 76 of the arcuate top wall member 68 of the main retriever housing 62 . this , along with the use of the container support hook 169 , is operable to hold the entire container member 130 as shown in fig8 . in this condition , it is obvious that , for example , a tennis player can stand next to the portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus 12 in order to grasp and receive ball members 15 therefrom to practice volley or serving adjacent with the ball members 15 held in a convenient adjacent elevated position . additionally , the portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus 12 is movable into a collapsed or folded condition for ( 1 ) the ease of transport in the trunk of a vehicle ; or ( 2 ) storage purposes in a compact condition . on referring to fig3 portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus 12 is first moved from the ball retriever condition of fig1 by the removing the lock pin member 172 from the connector tee section 166 and moving the actuator handle assembly 22 to the folded condition as noted in dotted lines in fig3 . at this time , the container member 130 is supported on the main support frame assembly 14 . next , the lock pin member 172 is inserted within aligned holes in the connector tee section 166 and the top yoke section 162 to anchor the actuator handle assembly 22 in the condition as shown in dotted lines in fig3 . this allows for the easy grasping of the actuator handle member 158 and transfer of the entire portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus 12 . this folded condition is ideal for storage purposes or conveyance in the trunk of a vehicle requiring a minimum amount of space . it is seen that the portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus of this invention provides numerous functions such as ( 1 ) ball member retrieving ; ( 2 ) ball member elevated holding ; and ( 3 ) ball member storage and carrier . the portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus may be constructed of a lightweight , maintenance free , plastic material having a self powered drive assembly operable to grasp ball members on a support surface and move them inwardly and upwardly into a ball container assembly . it is seen that the portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus of this invention is illustrated as being used on tennis ball members normally in a tennis practice area . however , it is obvious that the size of this invention can be altered so as to be utilized to pick up various items such as handballs on a handball court ; golf balls on a putting green ; etc . it is noted that the portable ball retriever , holder , and carrier apparatus of this invention is lightweight ; sturdy in construction ; easy to operate ; provides a self contained power drive means to perform the ball pick - up functions ; and substantially maintenance free . while the invention has been described in conjunction with preferred specific embodiments thereof , it is to be understood that this description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention , which is defined by the following claims .	0
the refractory metals within the contemplation of the present invention are sometimes called &# 34 ; reactive &# 34 ; metals because they are highly reactive with oxygen , typically have high melting points and require substantial energy to reduce their ores . refractory metals suitable for treatment by the inventive process include titanium , zirconium , hafnium , thorium , vanadium . niobium , tantalum , chromium , molybdenum , tungsten , alloys thereof , and mixtures thereof . preferred refractory metals are the group iva metals titanium , zirconium and hafnium and the group va metals vanadium , tananium and niobium . of these , titanium , niobium , zirconium and vanadium are more preferred , with titanium and zirconium being even more preferred . because of its commercial significance , titanium is most preferred . as suggested above , the term refractory metal should be read to include mixtures of one or more metals , mixtures of one or more alloys containing the recited metals and mixtures of one or more metals with one or more alloys . the process is directed to the deoxidation of metals which contain oxygen in relatively small amounts as surface or interstitial impurities . preferably , the refractory metal contains up to about one weight percent oxygen , more preferably , less than about 0 . 5 percent . as stated above , the process is effective for alloys of refractory metals , although it should be noted that alloys containing oxygen - scavenging elements such as yttrium , erbium , or rare earths cannot be effectively deoxidized . the refractory metal can be processed in the process of the present invention in the form of sheet , foil , turnings , chips , chunks , powders and the like . in general , it is preferred that the refractory metal be provided in a thickness of less than about 0 . 1875 inch . more preferably , the thickness of the refractory metal is no more than about 0 . 125 inch . if scrap metal is used it should be cleaned , as necessary , with detergents , organic solvents or by mechanical means , such as centrifugation , to remove oil and grease . undesired metal contaminants such as drill bits can be physically or magnetically removed . the material should also be dried , if necessary , to remove moisture . the process is particularly desirable for use on metal powders because powders retain their size and surface characteristics following deoxidation . pure or alloyed metal powder , plasma rotating electrode powder ( prep ), rapidly solidified powder ( rsp ), sponge fines , hydride - dehydride powder and gas atomized powder can be treated with the inventive process . the process involves contacting the oxidized refractory metal with a metallic deoxidant . the metallic deoxidant is a metal that readily forms oxide at the temperature of this process but does not form alloys with the refractory metal . refractory metals meeting these criteria include calcium , barium and strontium . these metals are preferred for use as the refractory metal . of these , calcium is particularly preferred because it is readily and economically available compared to barium and strontium . it , furthermore , is characterized by a melting and a boiling temperature particularly attractive to the desired thermodynamic conditions of the present process . although it is emphasized that any concentration of metallic deoxidant is operable , it is preferred to introduce the metallic deoxidant in a concentration which although providing a large molar excess compared to the concentration of oxygen in the refractory metal , is not present in too great an excess so as to present refractory metal - metallic deoxidant separation problems . to this end , it is preferred that the metallic deoxidant be present in an amount such that it represents between about 1 % and about 3 % by weight , based on the weight of the refractory metal . the metallic deoxidant , preferably calcium , barium or strontium , and most preferably , calcium , may be used in the process of this invention as the pure metal . in the preferred embodiment wherein the metallic deoxidant is a pure metal , it may be provided as shot , turnings , chunks , ingot or liquid . of these forms , calcium shot , a form of pure calcium metal known as those skilled in the art , is particularly preferred . in another preferred embodiment the metallic deoxidant is provided in as a metallic mixture . in this embodiment the metallic deoxidant is mixed with a carrier metal . the carrier can be any metal that does not form alloys with the oxidized metal and is removable from the system by distillation , leaching or other means . the carrier must also have a lower melting point than the metallic deoxidant . preferably , the boiling point of the carrier is above the melting point but below the boiling point of the deoxidant . these thermodynamic conditions allow good dispersion of the molten deoxidant over the refractory metal and also permits selective removal of the carrier by distillation . alkali metals , alkaline earth metals , and zinc are preferred for use as the carrier metal . within these generic classes lithium , potassium , sodium , magnesium and zinc are preferred . of these , sodium and magnesium are more preferred , with sodium being particularly preferred . the metallic deoxidant and the metal carrier can be combined and then heated or the deoxidant can be added to the molten carrier . in a preferred embodiment , existing mixtures of calcium and sodium produced as a by - product of sodium metal manufacturing are conveniently used . these mixtures , known as &# 34 ; sodium sludges ,&# 34 ; are the metallic residues produced during the electrolysis of sodium and calcium fused salts followed by filtration of the liquid sodium metal . such sludges may contain from 65 to 95 percent sodium , 5 to 35 percent calcium , and varying quantities of oxides or chloride salts of either sodium or calcium . the sludge melts between about 110 ° c . and about 200 ° c . depending upon their particular composition . if natural sodium sludge is not available a mixture of calcium and sodium may be used , with calcium representing about 1 to about 35 weight percent , preferably about 1 to about 10 weight percent , based on the total weight of the mixture . in a third preferred embodiment , the metallic deoxidant may be a mixture of pure metal , in one of the forms mentioned above , and a mixture of a metallic deoxidant with a carrier metal . for example , the metallic deoxidant may , in the preferred embodiment wherein calcium is employed , be a blend of calcium shot with sodium sludge . the refractory metal containing oxygen is preferably placed in a dry crucible made of inert metal that does not react or alloy with the refractory metal , for example titanium , titanium alloy , hastelloy metal , stainless steel or steel , and then mixed with the metallic deoxidant . to avoid moisture or other sources or oxygen contamination , the mixing can be conducted in dry air , for example , air maintained at a dew point of minus 10 ° c ., or more preferably , in an atmosphere of an inert gas . the crucible is placed in a dry retort which is sealed , evacuated and pressurized with any inert gas that does not react with any of the metals at the process temperature . nitrogen should not be used with certain metals such as titanium because it embrittles the metal . argon is preferred . the retort can be connected to a condenser system suitable for the collection and the condensation of vapor of the carrier metal if a mixture is utilized . thermocouples and pressure measuring equipment can optionally be connected to the system . if desired , the furnace retort can itself be used as a crucible to contain the refractory metal and the metallic deoxidant . the method of contact of the refractory metal with the metallic deoxidant depends , of course , upon the embodiment employed to contact the components . that is , it depends upon which preferred form of refractory metal and metallic deoxidant contact each other . for instance , if the refractory metal is in sheet form jigs , fabricated from suitable materials , can be used to support the sheet in the retort or other heating means . if foil is used , it can be suspended from hangers in the retort . if the refractory metal is in the form of sheets or foil and if the metallic deoxidant is present as a pure metal , the pure metal deoxidant can be disposed beneath the suspended sheet or foil in inert metal boats . when forms of refractory metal scrap are utilized , they can be mixed with either preferred form of the metallic deoxidant , the pure metal , a metal mixture or a mixture of the pure metal and the metal mixture , by charging alternate layers of refractory metal and metallic deoxidant to the heating means , usually a retort . the retort or other heating means is heated to the reaction temperature , which can be in the range of between about 700 ° c . and about 1200 ° c ., and held for a period of about one to about twelve hours . the retort can be maintained at any convenient pressure from substantially full vacuum to about 20 pounds per square inch gauge ( psig ). in a preferred mode of operation , the retort is held at a temperature of about 800 ° c . to about 1000 ° c . under a pressure of about 2 to about 10 psig for about 2 to about 12 hours . more preferably , the contact occurs at a temperature of between about 900 ° c . and about 1000 ° c . and a pressure of between atmospheric pressure and about 10 psig . still more preferably , the pressure is in the range of between about 0 . 25 psig and about 2 psig . in regard to the pressure in the retort , although a vacuum has advantages , it is critical to prevent oxygen from entering the system . thus , operation at a positive pressure is preferred . if atmospheric pressure is utilized continuous flow of an acceptable inert gas is preferred . at the end of the heating period , the retort is cooled under an inert gas atmosphere to approximately ambient temperature . the retort is isolated from the condenser , opened to the atmosphere , and unloaded . the treated metal , especially if originally powdered , is often sintered into a large mass . this mass can be crushed , if desired , to regain its original size distribution and shape characteristics . standard crushing and materials handling equipment can be used to resize the metal . roll or jaw crushers may be used , preferably under an inert gas blanket , to avoid reoxidation of the metal . the deoxidized refractory metal is then leached with a dilute mineral or organic acid to remove residual metallic deoxidant , if present , metal carrier , oxides of the deoxidant and soluble metal compounds from the surface of the treated refractory metal . any suitable mineral or organic acid may be used to remove these contaminants , provided no insoluble precipitates are formed by reaction with the metallic deoxidant . in a preferred embodiment of the process , about one - half ( 0 . 5 ) to about three ( 3 %) percent muriatic ( hydrochloric ) acid is used to remove the oxide surface layers and any free deoxidant metal from the treated metal . other preferred acids that may be used include acetic acid and nitric acids . sulfuric acid , it is noted , is not recommended for use in this application . metal or organic salts may be also added to the leach solution to minimize hydrogen pickup during the leaching step . any suitable leaching equipment can be used to accomplish this stage of the process . batch stirred tanks , flow - through static bed equipment and rotary leaching equipment are all suitable for use in this step of the process . the leached refractory metal is preferably next washed with water until all acid is removed . the metal is next dried in either a batch or continuous dryer . it is preferable to use vacuum drying equipment to complete this stage of the process . the dry , treated metal is sampled and analyzed for oxygen using conventional methodology . it has been found that the process of this invention reduces the oxygen level to between about 10 % to about 90 %, usually about 20 % to about 80 % of the original oxygen content . the following examples are given to illustrate the scope of the present invention . because these examples are provided for illustrative purposes only , the invention should not be limited thereto . treatment of titanium scrap metal using a mixture of calcium and sodium pure titanium scrap turnings were washed with acetone to remove surface oil and dirt . the cleaned titanium turnings , weighing 55 grams , were mixed with 10 grams of sodium sludge cut into one - eighth inch cubes and placed into a 150 milliliter titanium beaker . the sodium sludge was obtained from a commercial sodium metal production plant and contained approximately 23 % calcium . all mixing and sludge handling was done in a dry box under a dry , argon atmosphere . the beaker was sealed with a loose fitting lid and placed into a hastelloy metal retort . the retort was sealed and placed in a crucible furnace . the retort was evacuated and flushed with high purity argon three times prior to heating . when the temperature in the retort reached 500 ° c ., the argon vent was closed . the temperature was raised to 840 ° c . and held for two hours . the retort temperature was then raised to 940 ° c . and held for another two hours . pressure in the retort was maintained at 10 psig during the heating cycle . the retort was then cooled to room temperature and opened . the titanium turnings were removed from the retort and crushed . the treated turnings were leached in three volumes of 0 . 5 % hydrochloric acid solution in a pyrex beaker with vigorous stirring , then washed three times with deionized water . the acid - free scrap was placed in a vacuum drying oven and dried overnight at a temperature of 110 ° c . and a vacuum of 23 inches hg . the turnings were melted into a button and analyzed for oxygen . the oxygen content of the scrap was found to have been decreased from an initial value of 0 . 197 % to a final concentration of 0 . 052 %, a reduction of 79 %. treatment of a 6 - 4 titanium alloy with a mixture of calcium and sodium turnings from a 6 - 4 titanium alloy , a titanium alloy containing 6 % aluminum and 4 % vanadium , were mixed with 10 grams of sludge in a weight ratio of 5 . 5 to 1 . the sludge contained 23 % calcium . the mixture was stirred and heated in the same manner as described in example 1 . the retention times at 840 ° c . and 940 ° c . were increased to three hours each . analysis of the purified turnings indicated that the oxygen level had decreased from a starting value of 0 . 255 % to a final value of 0 . 031 %, a decrease of 88 percent . treatment of 6 - 4 titanium alloy with calcium metal and a mixture of calcium and sodium a 55 gram sample of the 6 % aluminum , 4 % vanadium ( 6 - 4 ) titanium alloy turnings used in example 2 was heated with 10 grams of a sodium sludge containing 20 to 23 % calcium . one ( 1 ) gram of pure calcium shot was added to this mixture . the reaction retort was heated to 840 ° c . and then 940 ° c . for two hours at each temperature as described in example 1 . the final oxygen level of the treated turnings was found to be 0 . 027 %, a decrease of 89 %. treatment of 6224 titanium alloy with a mixture of calcium and sodium a 60 gram sample of 6224 titanium alloy , a titanium alloy containing 6 % aluminum , 2 % molybdenum , 2 % tin and 4 % zirconium , was treated with 5 grams of sodium sludge similar to that used in examples 1 to 3 . the internal temperature of the retort was maintained at 830 ° c . and then 950 ° c . for one hour at each temperature under a pressure of 2 psig and 10 psig respectively . the temperature was maintained at 950 ° c . for one additional hour with a small argon flow through the system at a retort pressure of 2 psig . the analysis of the treated sample showed that an original oxygen content of 0 . 325 % had been lowered to 0 . 023 %, a decrease of 93 %. a 69 gram sample of a titanium alloy powder passing through a 30 mesh screen , an alloy containing 6 % aluminum , 6 % vanadium , and 2 % tin , produced by the plasma rotating electrode process ( prep ) was mixed with 2 . 5 grams of sodium sludge containing 20 to 25 % calcium in a dry box in which an argon atmosphere was maintained . the sludge was precut into 1 / 8 inch cubes and blended with the powder in a 150 ml . titanium beaker . the beaker was covered with a loose fitting lid and transferred to a high temperature alloy furnace retort . the retort was evacuated and refilled with high purity argon three times prior to heating . the temperature of the retort was increased gradually to 500 ° c . and the argon vent was closed . the temperature was again increased to a temperature of 845 ° c . and was held constant for one hour at a retort pressure of 10 psig . the temperature was then raised to 880 ° c . and was maintained for two hours at a retort pressure of 2 psig . during the last hour of heating , argon gas was allowed to vent from the retort at a nominal rate . the furnace was turned off and the retort was cooled to room temperature . the retort was opened and the reaction products were removed from the titanium beaker . the mass was crushed using a laboratory mortar and pestle to a size which would pass through a 40 mesh screen . the crushed powder was leached with three volumes of dilute ( 0 . 5 %) hydrochloric acid and washed with three volumes of deionized water . acid leaching and washing was conducted with vigorous stirring . the wet powder was dried in a vacuum oven at 110 ° c . and a vacuum of 23 inches hg until thoroughly dry . the treated powder was sampled and analyzed for residual oxygen content . analysis showed that the residual oxygen content of the powder had been decreased 68 % from a starting value of 0 . 174 % to 0 . 055 % as a result of the deoxidation treatment . treatment of a mixture of titanium metal and titanium aluminide powder with a mixture of calcium and sodium a 100 gram sample of titanium alpha 2 aluminide powder passing through a 30 mesh but not an 80 mesh screen was mixed with 10 grams of sodium sludge . the sludge , containing between 20 and 25 % calcium , was melted at 150 ° c . prior to being mixed with the aluminide powder in a dry box containing a pure argon atmosphere . thirty grams of chemically pure titanium metal granules about one - eighth cubic inch in size were added to the mixture of sludge and powder . an additional 15 grams of the same titanium granules were spread evenly over the bottom of a 150 ml . titanium beaker prior to addition of the powder , sludge and pure titanium granules mixture . the titanium granules were added to make the resultant powder mass more porous and easier to remove from the titanium beaker as well as making the products easier to crush . the beaker was sealed with a loose fitting lid and transferred into an alloy retort in an electrically heated crucible furnace . the retort was sealed , then evacuated and refilled with pure argon three times . the retort was then heated to a temperature of 500 ° c . at which time the argon vent was closed . the temperature was gradually increased to 830 ° c . and held constant for one hour at a retort pressure of 2 psig . the retort temperature was then raised to 930 ° c . and the pressure was allowed to rise to 10 psig . these conditions were held for one hour . the pressure of the retort was then lowered to 2 psig and held for another two hours at 930 ° c . argon was allowed to vent from the retort at a low rate during this period . after four hours , the furnace and retort were allowed to cool to room temperature . the retort was then opened and the contents of the titanium beaker were removed and crushed to pass though a 40 mesh screen . during the crushing operation , the larger , pure titanium granules were sieved from the powder . the crushed powder was then thoroughly leached in a 0 . 5 % solution of muriatic acid following the same procedures detailed in example 1 . the leached powder was vacuum dried overnight at a pressure of 23 inches hg . analysis of the dried power showed that the residual oxygen content had been reduced 76 % from a starting value of 0 . 1754 % to a final level of 0 . 0412 %. treatment of niobium hydride powder with a mixture of calcium and sodium a 113 g . sample of niobium hydride - dehydride metal powder passing through a 140 mesh but not a 325 mesh screen containing 0 . 069 % oxygen was treated in a manner similar to example 5 . about 9 . 4 g . sodium sludge ( containing about 30 % calcium ) was used , with heating at 845 ° c . for one hour at 3 psig , then at 950 ° for four hours at the same pressure . the sample was cooled , then crushed and leached with 2 % hydrochloric acid . residual oxygen was determined to be 0 . 032 %, a decrease of 53 % from the oxygen concentration originally present . a prep powder of niobium 55 - titanium 45 alloy was deoxidized with a sodium sludge containing 23 % calcium . specifically , the 30 g . sample was treated with 2 . 5 g . sludge at 845 ° c . for one hour , 950 ° c . for three hours , and finally 845 ° c . for an additional hour , all at 2 psig . oxygen decreased 66 % from an initial concentration of 0 . 056 % to a final concentration of 0 . 019 %. about 30g of zirconium metal turnings were treated in accordance with the procedure of example 1 . three grams of sodium sludge containing 30 % calcium was heated with the zirconium at 830 ° c . for one hour then at 930 ° c . for four hours , all at one psig . following treatment , the oxygen had decreased to 0 . 039 % from 0 . 19 %, a decrease of about 79 %. ten pounds of dry , chopped 6 % aluminum 4 % vanadium ( 6 - 4 ) titanium alloy turnings with an initial oxygen content of 0 . 2040 % were mixed with 0 . 55 pounds of calcium shot . these turnings had previously been cleaned by washing with a detergent solution and hot water and vacuum dried . this mixture was placed in a stainless steel retort which was then evacuated and filled with argon gas . this evacuation procedure was repeated three ( 3 ) times . the retort was then heated to a temperature of 920 ° c . and held for a period of six ( 6 ) hours . a pressure of approximately 0 . 5 psig was maintained in the retort during heat treatment . at the end of the heating period the furnace was switched off and the retort was allowed to cool to room temperature . the sintered mass of alloy scrap was removed from the furnace and crushed in a jaw crusher . the treated scrap turnings were then leached in a plastic lined concrete mixer using one - half percent hydrochloric acid as a leach solution . after leaching , excess acid was drained from the mixer and the turnings were washed with tap water until acid free . the turnings were then dried under vacuum at about 100 ° c . the deoxidized turnings had an oxygen content of 0 . 058 % after treatment , a decrease of 71 . 5 % from the original oxygen content . twenty - five pounds of a 6 % aluminum , 2 % molybdenum , 2 % tin , 4 % zirconium ( 6224 ) titanium alloy chips and one ( 1 ) pound of calcium shot were added to a stainless steel retort in layers . the retort was sealed , evacuated with a mechanical vacuum pump and refilled with argon gas . this procedure was repeated three times . the retort was heated to a temperature of 920 ° c . for a period of seven ( 7 ) hours and cooled to room temperature . both heating and cooling steps were conducted under a 0 . 5 psig argon pressure . the scrap was removed from the retort and crushed and leached in accordance with the procedure of example 10 . the oxygen content of these alloy chips was reduced from an initial level of 0 . 2255 % to 0 . 061 %, a decrease of 72 %. fifty pounds of the 6224 titanium alloy used in example 11 and one ( 1 ) pound of calcium shot were layered in a retort and treated for seven ( 7 ) hours under the conditions described in examples 10 and 11 . the retort was cooled to ambient temperature under an argon pressure of 0 . 5 psig . the product from the retort was crushed and leached in accordance with the procedure of example 10 . the oxygen content of the resultant titanium alloy was reduced from an initial level of 0 . 220 % to a final oxygen concentration of 0 . 061 %, a decrease of 72 %. a one and one half by seven inch sample of titanium alpha - 2 aluminide ( ti - 14al - 21nb ) foil , 0 . 004 inches thick was loaded into a retort with 0 . 6 grams of calcium shot . the retort was evacuated , filled with argon gas and heated for 6 . 5 hours as in the example 10 . after cooling , the foil sample was leached with 0 . 5 % hydrochloric acid and washed with tap water . the oxygen content was reduced from an initial value of 0 . 44 % to a level of 0 . 21 % oxygen , a reduction of 52 . 3 % in the oxygen content . a sample of pure titanium foil , three inches long by one quarter inch wide by 0 . 001 thick , was treated with 5 grams of calcium for 4 hours at 960 ° c . processing procedures were the same as those used in example 13 . after acid cleaning , rinsing and drying , the oxygen level was reduced from 0 . 241 % to 0 . 093 % in the deoxidized foil sample . this is equivalent to a reduction of 61 . 4 % in the oxygen content of the sample . a one inch long by one half inch wide by 0 . 065 inch thick sample of titanium 6 % aluminum , 4 % vanadium ( 6 - 4 ) alloy was deoxidized for 4 hours at a temperature of 950 ° c . using 5 grams of calcium . a sample was cut from the deoxidized coupon and analyzed for oxygen . the sample was then treated for an additional 4 hours at a temperature of 960 ° c . the coupon was again sampled and was subjected to a final four hour treatment . the sample had an initial oxygen content of 0 . 143 %. after the first deoxidation treatment , the oxygen level decreased to 0 . 085 %. after the second deoxidation step the oxygen was reduced to 0 . 06 %. the oxygen dropped to 0 . 0395 % after completion of the total 12 hour treatment . this represents an oxygen decrease of 72 %. a 3 . 5 inch by 0 . 155 inch by 0 . 020 inch thick sheet sample of titanium alpha - 2 aluminide ( ti - 14al - 21nb ) was mixed with 3 grams of calcium and deoxidized at 960 ° c . for 12 hours . after acid cleaning and rinsing , the dry sheet sample which had an initial oxygen content of 0 . 065 % was found to contain 0 . 015 % oxygen . oxygen removal in this sample amounted to 77 percent . the above embodiments and examples are provided to illustrate the scope and spirit of the present invention . these embodiments and examples will make apparent , to those skilled in the art , other embodiments and examples . these other embodiments and examples are within the contemplation of the present invention . therefore , the present invention should be limited only by the appended claims .	2

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