Split (3)

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the c 1 - 14 alkanoyl groups referred to above can be straight - or branched - chain or cyclic and can be exemplified by formyl , acetyl , propionyl , butyryl , isobutyryl , cyclopropanecarbonyl , hexanoyl , octanoyl and decanoyl . the c 1 - 14 alkenoyl groups referred to above can be straight - or branched - chain or cyclic but have at least one carbon - carbon double bond as exemplified , propenoyl , butenoyl , isobutenoyl , hexenoyl , octenoyl and decenoyl . the c 1 - 6 alkoxyacetyl referred to above can be methoxy - acetyl , ethoxyacetyl and butoxyacetyl . the halogens referred to above can be exemplified by fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine . the c 2 - 6 alkanoyl groups referred to above can be exemplified by acetyl , propionyl , butyryl , isobutyryl , and hexanoyl . the c 1 - 4 alkyl groups referred to above , whether alone or as part of an alkoxy , an alkylsulfonyl or an alkyl - mercapto group , can be straight - or branched - chain alkyl groups containing up to 4 carbon atoms . examples of various such groups are methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , methoxy , ethoxy , butoxy , methylsulfonyl , ethylsulfonyl , methylmercapto and ethylmercapto . the phenyl ( c 2 - 6 alkanoyl ) groups referred to above can be exemplified by benzeneacetyl and benzenepropionyl . the various naphthalenecarbonyl , pyridinecarbonyl , thiophenecarbonyl and furancarbonyl groups referred to above include the various position isomers and these can be exemplified by naphthalene - 1 - carbonyl , naphthalene - 2 - carbonyl , nicotinoyl , isonicotinoyl , n - methyl - dihydro - pyridine - 3 - carbonyl , thiophene - 2 - carbonyl , thiophene - 3 - carbonyl , furan - 2 - carbonyl and furan - 3 - carbonyl . the naphthalene , pyridine , thiophene and furan groups can be optionally further substituted as indicated above . the expression &# 34 ; a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt &# 34 ; is intended to apply to any non - toxic organic or inorganic acid addition salt of the base compounds . illustrative inorganic acids which form suitable salts include hydrochloric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , and phosphoric acids and acid metal salts such as sodium monohydrogen orthophosphate and potassium hydrogen sulfate . illustrative organic acids which form suitable salts include the mono , di , and tricarboxylic acids . illustrative of such acids are , for example , acetic , glycolic , lactic , pyruvic , malonic , succinic , glutaric , fumaric , malic , tartaric , citric , ascorbic , maleic , hydroxymaleic , benzoic , hydroxybenzoic , phenylacetic , cinnamic , salicylic , and 2 - phenoxybenzoic acids . other organic acids which form suitable salts are the sulfonic acids such as methane sulfonic acid and 2 - hydroxyethane sulfonic acid . these salts and the base compounds can exist in either a hydrated or a substantially anhydrous form . the acid salts are prepared by standard techniques such as by dissolving the free base in aqueous or aqueous - alcohol solution or other suitable solvent containing the appropriate acid and isolating by evaporating the solution , or by reacting the free base in an organic solvent in which case the salt separates directly or can be obtained by concentration of the solution . in general the acid addition salts of the compounds of this invention are crystalline materials which are soluble in water and various hydrophilic organic solvents and which in comparison to their free base forms , demonstrate higher melting points and an increased solubility . preferred compounds of the present invention are those wherein r , r 1 and r 2 are 1 or 2 alkanoyl , alkenoyl , or benzoyl groups with the benzoyl substituted by y , y &# 39 ; and y &# 34 ; as described above , especially a c 1 - 4 alkanoyl or a benzoyl optionally substituted with an alkyl or halogen . more preferred are those compounds of formula 1 wherein one of r , r 1 and r 2 is alkanoyl or benzoyl , especially a c 1 - 8 alkanoyl , c 1 - 8 alkenoyl , or a benzoyl optionally substituted with an alkyl or halogen , and the others are hydrogens . even more preferred are those compounds of formula 1 wherein one of r , r 1 and r 2 is a c 1 - 8 alkanoyl , c 1 - 8 alkenoyl , or a benzoyl optionally substituted with an alkyl or halogen , especially a methyl , bromo , chloro , or fluoro group , and the others are hydrogens . most preferred are those compounds of formula 1 wherein r 1 is a c 1 - 8 alkanoyl , c 1 - 8 alkenoyl , or benzoyl optionally substituted with an alkyl or halogen , especially a methyl , bromo , chloro , or fluoro group , most especially a methyl , bromo , chloro , or fluoro group at the para position , and wherein r and r 2 are each a hydrogen . the esters of the present invention are prepared by the reaction of castanospermine with an appropriate acid chloride or anhydride in an inert solvent . the halide can be a chloride or bromide and the anhydride includes mixed anhydrides . the relative amount of the acid halide or anhydride used , the relative amount of solvent , the temperature and the reaction time are all controlled so as to minimize the number of hydroxy groups that will be acylated . thus , only a limited excess of the acid derivative is used , which means up to about a three - fold excess of the acylating agent . use of a solvent in relatively large amounts , serves to dilute the reactants and hold down the amount of higher acylated products that form . the solvent used is preferably one that will dissolve the reactants used without reacting with them . it is further preferable to carry out the reaction in the presence of a tertiary amine which will react with and remove any acid formed during the course of the reaction . the tertiary amine can be added to the mixture or it can itself be used in excess and serve as the solvent . pyridine is a preferred solvent in this regard . as indicated above , the time and the temperature are likewise controlled to limit the amount of acylation that takes place . preferably , the reaction is carried out with cooling in an ice - bath for a period of about 16 hours to give the monoesters with the reaction time extended to a longer period , such as 7 days , if diesters are desired . the reaction can actually be carried out at higher temperatures and , in fact , heating can be used as long as the various factors involved are properly controlled . the fact of the matter is , when the reaction is carried out as described , the final reaction mixture will still contain a considerable amount of unreacted castanospermine . this unreacted material can be recovered from the reaction mixture and recycled in subsequent reactions and thus increase the overall amount of castanospermine converted to ester . this recycling is particularly important when the reaction is carried out under conditions which would favor the isolation of monoesters . the procedures as described above will generally give 6 - or 7 - monoesters or 6 , 7 - or 6 , 8 - diesters . other isomers can be obtained by appropriate use of blocking groups . thus , for example , castanospermine can be reacted with 2 -( dibromomethyl ) benzoyl chloride to give the 6 , 7 - diester . this diester is then reacted with an appropriate acid halide or anhydride to give the corresponding 8 - ester . the two protecting groups are then readily removed by conversion of the two dibromomethyl groups to formyl ( using silver perchlorate and 2 , 4 , 6 - collidine in aqueous acetone ) followed by hydrolysis of the formylbenzoic acid ester obtained using morpholine and hydroxide ion . the indicated procedure can be used in a similar way to give diester isomers . alternatively , the 1 , 8 - o - isopropylidenecastanospermine or 1 , 8 - cyclohexylidenecastanospermine , the reaction of this material with an acid chloride in a standard esterification procedure favors the formation of the 6 - ester almost exclusively . the isopropylidene or cyclohexylidene group is then removed by treatment with an acid such as 4 - toluenesulfonic acid . the starting ketal compounds are themselves obtained form castanospermine 6 , 7 - dibenzoate . this dibenzoate is reacted with 2 - methoxypropene or 1 - methoxycyclohexene and acid to introduce the 1 , 8 - o - isopropylidene or 1 , 8 - o - cyclohexylidene group and the two benzoate ester groups are removed by hydrolysis with base such as sodium hydroxide or by transesterification with sodium or potassium alkoxide as the catalyst . the ability of the castanospermine ester derivatives of this invention to act as anti - viral agents can be demonstrated by their ability to inhibit the growth and replication of hsv virus . used herein the term &# 34 ; a method of treating a herpes viral infection &# 34 ; refers a patient who as been in infected with the herpes virus , either type 1 or type 2 , and administering to said patient a virally effective amount of a compound of formula ( 1 ). futhermore , it is also understood that the term &# 34 ; viral infection &# 34 ; refers to any state or condition characterized by the virus residing in the cells or body of said patient . antiviral activity of the compounds of formula ( 1 ) can assessed by the plaque - reduction assay as previously described by tyms et al ., j . antimicrobial chemotherapy , 8 , 65 - 72 ( 1981 ). briefly , human embryonic fibroblast cells ( mrc5 ) were cultured in 24 - well tissue culture trays in the presence of eagles &# 39 ; minimum essential medium ( mem ) supplemented with 10 % fetal calf serum . when cell monolayers were semi - confluent , they were inoculated with 30 - 50 plaque - forming units of hsv2 strain hg52 or hsv1 strain 17i ( davison & amp ; wilkie , j . general virology , 55 , 315 - 331 ( 1981 ). at the end of an adsorption period of one hour at room temperature , infected monolayers were overlayed with mem containing 2 % fetal calf serum , 0 . 5 % low - temperature gelling agarose and the antiviral compound at a range of concentrations . after 3 days incubation , cells were fixed in 10 % formalin in saline and subsequently stained with 0 . 3 % methylene blue . dose - response lines were plotted from the mean number of plaques present versus the log of the concentration of the compound . the 50 % effective dose ( ed50 ) was computed after linear regression analysis . the antiviral activities of various compounds of this invention are tabulated in table 1 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________inhibitory concentration of various castanospermineester derivatives of formula 1 ed . sub . 50 ed . sub . 50 chemical ( υg / ml ) ( υg / ml ) reference no . name hsvi hsvii__________________________________________________________________________mdl 28 , 574 [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8aβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - ≦ 75 ≦ 22 indolizinetetrol 6 - butanoatemdl 43 , 305 [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8aβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - -- ≦ 20 indolizinetetrol 6 - benzoatemdl 29 , 204 [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8aβ ) l - octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - -- ≦ 20 indolizinetetrol 6 -( 4 - methylbenzoate ) mdl 29 , 513 [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8aβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - ≦ 5 ≦ 5 indolizinetetrol 6 -( 3 - hexenoate ) mdl 29 , 797 [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8aβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - ≦ 10 ≦ 5 indolizinetetrol 6 - octanoate__________________________________________________________________________ applicants consider the use of the castanospermine ester derivatives of this invention to treat hsv infections in humans to be of most importance . the term &# 34 ; patient &# 34 ; used herein is taken to mean mammals such as primates , including humans , sheep , horses , cattle , pigs , dogs , cats , rats and mice . the applicants refer to the term herpes viral infection used herein to mean infections caused by either by the herpes type i virus or the herpes type 2 virus . the amount of the castanospermine ester derivative of formula ( 1 ) to be administered can vary widely according to the particular dosage unit employed , the period of treatment , the age and sex of the patient treated , the nature and extent of the disorder treated , and the particular castanospermine ester derivative selected . moreover the castanospermine ester derivative can be used in conjunction with other agents known to be useful in the treatment of hsv infections and agents known to be useful to treat the symptoms of and complications associated with diseases and conditions caused by virus . the anti - herpes virally effective amount of a castanospermine ester derivative of formula 1 to be administered will generally range from about 15 mg / kg to 500 mg / kg . a unit dosage may contain from 25 to 500 mg of the castanospermine ester derivative , and can be taken one or more times per day . the castanospermine ester derivative can be administered with a pharmaceutical carrier using conventional dosage unit forms either orally , parenterally , or topically . the preferred route of administration is oral administration . for oral administration the castanospermine ester derivative can be formulated into solid or liquid preparations such as capsules , pills , tablets , troches , lozenges , melts , powders , solutions , suspensions , or emulsions . the solid unit dosage forms can be a capsule which can be of the ordinary hard - or soft - shelled gelatin type containing , for example , surfactants , lubricants , and inert fillers such as lactose , sucrose , calcium phosphate , and cornstarch . in another embodiment the compounds of this invention can be tableted with conventional tablet bases such as lactose , sucrose , and cornstarch in combination with binders such as acacia , cornstarch , or gelatin , disintegrating agents intended to assist the break - up and dissolution of the tablet following administration such as potato starch , alginic acid , corn starch , and guar gum , lubricants intended to improve the flow of tablet granulations and to prevent the adhesion of tablet material to the surfaces of the tablet dies and punches , for example , talc , stearic acid , or magnesium , calcium , or zinc stearate , dyes , coloring agents , and flavoring agents intended to enhance the aesthetic qualities of the tablets and make them more acceptable to the patient . suitable excipients for use in oral liquid dosage forms include diluents such as water and alcohols , for example , ethanol , benzyl alcohol , and the polyethylene alcohols , either with or without the addition of a pharmaceutically acceptably surfactant , suspending agent , or emulsifying agent . the castanospermine ester derivatives of this invention may also be administered parenterally , that is , subcutaneously , intravenously , intramuscularly , or interperitoneally , as injectable dosages of the compound in a physiologically acceptable diluent with a pharmaceutical carrier which can be a sterile liquid or mixture of liquids such as water , saline , aqueous dextrose and related sugar solutions , an alcohol such as ethanol , isopropanol , or hexadecyl alcohol , glycols such as propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol , glycerol ketals such as 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane - 4 - methanol , ethers such as poly ( ethylene - glycol ) 400 , an oil , a fatty acid , a fatty acid ester or glyceride , or an acetylated fatty acid glyceride with or without the addition of a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant such as a soap or a detergent , suspending agent such as pectin , carhomers , methylcellulose , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , or carboxymethylcelluiose , or emulsifying agent and other pharmaceutically adjuvants . illustrative of oils which can be used in the parenteral formulations of this invention are those of petroleum , animal , vegetable , or synthetic origin , for example , peanut oil , soybean oil , sesame oil , cottonseed oil , corn oil , olive oil , petrolatum , and mineral oil . suitable fatty acids include oleic acid , stearic acid , and isostearic acid . suitable fatty acid esters are , for example , ethyl oleate and isopropyl myristate . suitable soaps include fatty alkali metal , ammonium , and triethanolamine salts and suitable detergents include cationic detergents , for example , dimethyl dialkyl ammonium halides , alkyl pyridinium halides , and alkylamines acetates ; anionic detergents , for example , alkyl , aryl , and olefin sulfonates , alkyl , olefin , ether , and monoglyceride sulfates , and sulfosuccinates ; nonionic detergents , for example , fatty amine oxides , fatty acid alkanolamides , and polyoxyethylenepolypropylene copolymers ; and amphoteric detergents , for example , alkyl - beta - aminopropionates , and 2 - alkylimidazoline quarternary ammonium salts , as well as mixtures . the parenteral compositions of this invention will typically contain from about 0 . 5 to about 25 % by weight of the castanospermine ester derivative of formula 1 in solution . preservatives and buffers may also be used advantageously . in order to minimize or eliminate irritation at the site of injection , such compositions may contain a non - ionic surfactant having a hydrophile - lipophile balance ( hlb ) of from about 12 to about 17 . the quantity of surfactant in such formulations ranges from about 5 to about 15 % by weight . the surfactant can be a single component having the above hlb or can be a mixture of two or more components having the desired hlb . illustrative of surfactants used in parenteral formulations are the class of polyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters , for example , sorbitan monooleate and the high molecular weight adducts of ethylene oxide with a hydrophobic base , formed by the condensation of propylene oxide with propylene glycol . the castanospermine ester derivatives of this invention may also be administered topically , and when done so the carrier may suitably comprise a solution , ointment or gel base . the base , for example , may comprise one or more of the following : petrolatum , lanolin , polyethylene glycols , bee wax , mineral oil , diluents such as water and alcohol , and emulsifiers and stabilizers . topical formulations may contain a concentration of the castanospermine ester or it &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical salt from about 0 . 1 to about 10 % w / v ( weight per unit volume ). a slurry of 4 . 0 g of castanospermine in 140 ml of pyridine was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes until essentially all of the solids had dissolved . the solution was cooled to 0 ° c . in an ice / water bath , and a solution of 5 . 85 ml of benzoyl chloride in 15 ml of pyridine was added dropwise over 15 minutes under nitrogen . after the addition , the reaction was stirred at 8 ° c . overnight . the reaction mixture was partitioned between 225 ml methylene chloride and 300 ml water . the organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer extracted with two 225 - ml portions of methylene chloride . the combined organic layers were washed successively with 150 ml of 0 . 5n hydrochloric acid , saturated sodium carbonate , water and saturated sodium chloride solutions , and then dried over sodium sulfate . evaporation of solvents under reduced pressure gave 2 . 9 g of a tan glassy residue . this material was slurried in chloroform and a white precipitate formed . these solids were isolated to afford 910 mg of a white powder . thin layer chromatography ( 85 : 15 , ethyl acetate : methanol ) analysis showed the material to be composed of two components ( rf 0 . 33 and rf 0 . 26 ). the solid mixture was slurried in 45 ml of 4 : 1 ethyl acetate : methanol and filtered . the residue was dried in vauco to provide 350 mg of [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 6 - benzoate as a white powdery solid melting at about 233 °- 236 ° c ., with decomposition . this corresponded to the less polar component of the mixture . nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 1 . 5 - 2 . 2 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 9 - 3 . 6 ( m , 4h ), 4 . 1 ( m , 1h , c 1 - h ), 4 . 3 ( d , 1h , - oh ) 4 . 7 ( d , 1h , - oh ), 4 . 8 ( sextet , 1h , c 6 - h ), 5 . 1 ( d , 1 h , - oh ), 7 . 6 - 8 . 1 ( m , 5h , aryl ). ms ( ci - ch 4 ) 294 ( mh + ), 276 ( mh + - h 2 o ), 172 ( mh + - phco 2 h ). the filtrate from above was condensed and fractionated by preparative thin layer chromatography ( silica gel , 80 : 20 , ethyl acetate : methanol ) to provide 120 mg of the more polar component , [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 7 - benzoate as a white powdery solid melting at about 200 °- 202 ° c . nmr ( dmso - d 6 + d 2 o ) 1 . 5 - 2 . 2 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 9 - 3 . 1 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 6 - 3 . 8 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 1 ( m , 1h , c 1 - m ), 4 . 8 ( t , 1h , c 7 - h ), 7 . 4 - 8 . 1 ( m , 5h , aryl ). ms ( ci - ch 4 ) 294 ( mh + ), 276 ( mh + - h 2 o ), 172 ( mh + - phco 2 h ). this compound has the following structural formula : ## str6 ## castanospermine ( 1 . 89 g ) was added to a stirred solution of 10 ml of pyridine and cooled to 0 ° c . in an ice bath . benzoyl chloride , 3 . 0 g , was added dropwise to the mixture and the resulting suspension was kept at 0 °- 4 ° c . for 7 days . water , 10 ml , was added and the mixture was evaporated to dryness in vacuo . the resulting residue was redissolved in 1 : 1 water : ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ) and the phases were separated . the aqueous layer was extracted again with 100 ml of ethyl acetate . the organic extracts were combined and concentrated to a syrup which was shown to be a mixture of two major components by thin layer chromatography ( 1 : 1 ethyl acetate : hexane , silica gel , rf = 0 . 42 and rf = 0 . 11 ). the mixture was separated by preparative high pressure liquid chromatography ( silica gel , 1 : 1 ethyl acetate : hexane ) to provide 1 . 9 g ( 48 %) of the more polar [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 6 , 7 - dibenzoate as a dry foam melting at about 79 °- 81 ° c . nmr ( dmso - d 6 / d 2 o ) δ 1 . 5 - 2 . 3 ( m , 5h ), 3 . 0 - 3 . 4 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 9 ( t , 1h ), 4 . 2 ( m , 1h , c 1 - m ), 5 . 15 ( m , 1h , c 6 - h ), 5 . 3 ( t , 1h , c 7 - h ), 7 . 4 - 8 . 0 ( m , 10h , aryl ). ms ( fab - xe ) 398 ( mh + ), 380 ( mh + - h 2 o ), 276 ( mh + - phco 2 h ). the less polar component ( rf = 0 . 42 ) was isolated as a dry foam melting at about 75 °- 78 ° c . which was [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 6 , 7 , 8 - tribenzoate . when the procedure of example 1 was repeated using castanospermine and the appropriate acid chloride , the following compounds were obtained : [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ ]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 6 -( 4 - fluorobenzoate ) melting at about 216 °- 218 ° c . ; [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ ]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 6 -( 4 - fluorobenzoate ) melting at about 190 °- 193 ° c . ; [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 7 -( 2 , 4 - dichlorobenzoate ) melting at about 179 °- 181 ° c . ; [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 6 -( 4 - bromobenzoate ) melting at about 234 °- 235 ° c . ; [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 6 -( 4 - methoxybenzoate ) melting at about 221 °- 224 ° c . when the procedure of example 2 was repeated using castanospermine and 4 - fluorobenzoyl chloride , the product obtained was [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 860 β )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 6 , 7 - bis ( 4 - fluorobenzoate ) melting at about 82 °- 84 ° c . to a suspension of 3 g of castanospermine in 30 ml of pyridine at 0 ° c . was added dropwise a solution of 3 g of 4 - methylbenzoyl chloride . after the addition , the mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and then heated at 55 ° c . for 24 hours . the reaction mixture was diluted with 10 ml of water and evaporated to dryness in vacuo . the resulting residue was stirred in 150 ml of a 1 : 2 mixture of water : methylene chloride . the insoluble material was separated by filtration to provide an amorphous off - white solid which was dissolved in 60 ml of hot methanol , treated with 0 . 5 g of activated charcoal and filtered . the colorless liltrate was cooled to give colorless crystals of [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 6 -( 4 - methylbenzoate ) melting at about 255 °- 258 ° c . with decomposition ( 580 mg , 12 % yield ). the two - phase water / methylene chloride mixture obtained above was evaporated to dryness and the residue was dissolved in 50 ml of a 1 : 2 mixture of methanol : ethyl acetate . the solution was fractionated by preparative high pressure liquid chromatography ( silica gel , 9 : 1 ethyl acetate : methanol ) and fractions containing the more polar component ( i . e ., more polar than the 6 - ester obtained in the preceding paragraph ) were collected and evaporated in vacuo to provide a colorless solid which was [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 7 -( 4 - methylbenzoate ) melting at about 220 °- 223 ° c . with decomposition ( 210 mg , 4 % yield ). when the procedure of example 5 is repeated using castanospermine and the appropriate acid chloride , the following esters are obtained : castanospermine ( 350 mg ) was added to 5 ml of pyridine and stirred under nitrogen at room temperature . butyric anhydride ( 0 . 97 g ) was added dropwise and the mixture was kept at room temperature for 24 hours . the reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness in vacuo to leave a syrupy residue . the residue was dissolved in ether and a colorless solid precipitated when pentane was added . recrystallization of the solid from a mixture of ether and petroleum ether gave colorless needles of [ 1s -( 160 , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 6 , 8 - dibutanoate melting at about 110 °- 111 ° c . ( 22 mg , 4 % yield ). nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 3 . 7 ( t , 1h , c 7 - h ) 4 . 1 ( m , 1h , c 1 - h ) 4 . 85 ( t , 1h , c 8 - h ), 5 . 0 ( m , 1h , c 6 - h ). ms ( ci - ch 4 ) 330 ( mh + ), 312 ( mh + - h 2 o ). when the procedure of example 7 is repeated using acetic anhydride , propionic anhydride or caproic anhydride in place of the butyric anhydride , the corresponding 6 , 8 - diesters are obtained . to a stirred suspension of 1 . 5 g of castanospermine in 15 ml of pyridine cooled at 0 ° c . in an ice - bath was added dropwise 1 . 0 g of butyryl chloride . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 days and added to a 1 : 1 mixture of water : methylene chloride ( 400 ml ). after partitioning , the aqueous phase was concentrated in vacuo to provide an oily residue which was fractionated by radial thin layer chromatography ( silica gel , 2 mm thickness plate , 2 : 8 methanol : chloroform ) to provide 68 mg of [ 1s ( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 6 - butanoate , homogeneous by thin layer chromatography ( silica gel , 2 : 8 methanol : chloroform , rf = 0 . 5 ). recrystallization of the product from 5 : 95 isopropanol : hexane gave a colorless solid melting at 113 °- 114 ° c . nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 3 . 5 - 3 . 8 ( 2t , 2h , c 7 - h and c 8 - h ), 4 . 4 ( m , 1h , c 1 - h ), 4 . 95 ( m , 1h , c 6 - h ). ms ( ci - ch 4 ) 260 ( mh + ), 242 ( mh + - h 2 o ), 172 ( mh + - c 3 h 7 co 2 h ). similarly , when the above procedure was repeated using acetyl chloride or propionyl chloride , the following mono - esters were obtained : [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 6 - acetate melting at about 188 °- 189 ° c . [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 7 - propionate melting at about 153 °- 155 ° c . a mixture of 5 . 0 g of [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 , - indolizinetetrol 6 , 7 - dibenzoate hydrochloride , 100 ml of 1 , 2 - dimethoxyethane , 22 ml 0 . 22 g of 4 - tolunesulfonic acid monohydrate was refluxed with stirring for 1 . 5 hours to give a clear solution . the reaction was cooled to 25 ° c . and diluted with 30 ml of saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution and 60 ml of water . this solution was then extracted twice with methylene chloride and the combined organic extracts were dried over magnesium sulfate and the solvent was evaporated in vauco to give a light green foam . this material was recrystallized form penatane to give [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- 1 , 8 - o - isopropylideneoctahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 ,- indolizinetetrol 6 , 7 - dibenzoate as white crystals melting at about 132 °- 133 ° c . ( 78 . 6 %) yield ). to a solution of 0 . 34 g of [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- 1 , 8 - o - isopropylideneoctahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 ,- indolizinetetrol 6 , 7 - dibenzoate in 50 ml of tetrahydrofuran , at 25 ° c ., there was added 3 . 1 ml of 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide in one portion . the reaction mixture was stirred for 24 hours , diluted with 10 ml of saturated brine , and extracted with four portions of methylene chloride . the combine organic extracts were dried with magnesium sulfate and the solvent was evaporated in vacuo to give [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- 1 , 8 - o - isopropylideneoctahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 , - indolizinetetrol as a clear glass which was used without further purification ( 95 % yield ). 1h nmr ( cdcl 3 , 300 mhz ) δ 4 . 5 ( d , 1h ), 3 . 8 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 65 ( t , 1h ), 3 . 5 ( dd , 1h ), 3 . 25 ( dd , 1h ), 3 . 0 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 8 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 2 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 9 ( m , 1h ). a mixture of 0 . 3 g of [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- 1 , 8 - o - isopropylideneoctahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 , - indolizinetetrol , 6 . 0 ml of methylene chloride and 0 . 54 ml of triethylamine was cooled to 0 ° c . and 0 . 18 ml of benzolyl chloride was added dropwise with stirring . the reaction was then stirred at 0 °- 5 ° c . for 24 hours before dilution with 10 ml of water and 3 ml of saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution . the layers were separated and the aqueous layer was extracted twice with methlene chloride . the combined organic layers were then dried over magnesium sulfate and the solvent was evaporated in vacuo give a crude solid product . this solid was recrystallised from ethyl acetate / pentane ( 1 : 2 ) to give [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- 1 , 8 - o - isopropylideneocta - hydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 ,- indolizinetetrol 6 - benzoate as white needles melting at about 181 °- 183 ° c . ( 77 . 9 % yield ). a solution was prepared form 0 . 2 g of [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- 1 , 8 - o - isopropylideneoctahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 ,- indolizinetetrol 6 - benzoate and 10 ml of methanol . to this solution , at 25 ° c ., was added 0 . 34 g of 4 - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate in one portion . the reaction was stirred for one hour and the mixture was then diluted with 30 ml of methylene chloride , 10 ml of saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution , and 10 ml of saturated brine . the layers were separated , the aqueous layer was extracted five times with methylene chloride , and the combined organic layers were dried over magnesium sulfate . the solvent was then evaporated in vacuo to give [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 6 - benzoate as a white powder melting at about 233 °- 235 ° c . with decomposition ( 91 % yield ). similarly , when the above procedure was repeated using 3 - hexenyl chloride , octanyl chloride , pentyl chloride , or butryl chloride , the following mono - esters were obtained : [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 6 - octanoate melting at about 105 °- 106 ° c . [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 6 - pentanoate . [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8αβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizine - tetrol 6 - butanoate melting at about 113 °- 114 ° c . ______________________________________ [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8aβ )]- octahydro - 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - 250 mgindolizinetetrol 6 - benzoatestarch 40 mgtalc 10 mgmagnesium stearate 10 mg______________________________________ ______________________________________ [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8aβ )]- octahydro - 400 mg1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol 6 , 7 - dibenzoatetalc 40 mgsodium carboxymethylcellulose 40 mgstarch 120 mg______________________________________ ______________________________________ [ 1s -( 1α , 6β , 7α , 8β , 8aβ )]- octahydro - 0 . 500 g1 , 6 , 7 , 8 - indolizinetetrol6 -( 4 - fluorobenzoate ) polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate 2 . 000 gsodium chloride 0 . 128 gwater for injection qs ad 20 . 000 ml______________________________________	8
now referencing specifically the drawings to aid in describing the present invention : it is quite possible to construct or manufacture this invention using a variety of materials and methods . the invention is also susceptible to various modifications . the drawings depicting the invention and these subsequent detailed descriptions of the drawings are not intended to place limitations on the claims of the inventor . these drawings and their description are in no way intended to limit the invention to the specific form as disclosed . this invention is , however , intended to cover all modifications , methods , and alternative constructions and any subsequent equivalents within the spirit of the invention as described and claimed . the caddy ( 1 ) and the shoulder harness ( 2 ), is to be constructed of a light weight durable material . the caddys &# 39 ; ( 1 ) outer walls and shoulder harness ( 2 ), seen in fig1 & amp ; fig2 , are to be constructed of a lightweight solid material to provide for complete concealment of the handgun . the preferred material for manufacture is polyurethane or neoprene with a covering of heavy duty nylon for durability and protection from weather . the layered construction of these panels shall consist of using a heavy duty adhesive to attach the nylon to each side of polyurethane or neoprene panels and sewing the three layers together as depicted in fig5 . though it is not intended to limit construction of the outside panels specifically to polyurethane or neoprene and nylon , the intent is to also allow for the outer panels to be constructed of any number of a variety of materials that are durable enough to provide for extended and regular use of the invention , yet flexible and light weight enough to provide for practical use of the invention , e . g . it is also desired , in certain instances , to use such materials as heavy duty leather , raw hide and / or other synthetic materials for the construction of outside panels of the present invention . this would allow the manufacture to provide a variety of color and style choices for the end user . the gun holder ( 8 ) portion of the present invention fig4 and fig6 is to be constructed of a heavy duty elastomer to provide for flexibility to allow various size and types of handguns to be easily inserted and removed from the holster . the elastomer in the present invention is to be lined with a soft durable fabric such as nylon or a similar material to increase durability and reduce friction on the handgun to further allow for ease of engaging and disengaging from the holster . the fabric lining should be attached to the holster using a heavy duty adhesive and the three linings sewn together . the gun holder ( 8 ) fig4 and fig6 should be sewn to the inside panel of the caddy and orientated on a downward facing angle fig4 to allow the handgun when engaged to point slightly downward for added security and further reduction of the possibility of unintended disengagement . the zipper ( 7 ) shown fig3 shall be a heavy duty zipper in a heavy fabric such as a durable heavy nylon and sewn to the side panels of the caddy ( 1 ), the same type heavy fabric shall be used to attach the back side of the two panels without the zipper ( 7 ) sewn in . though the drawings in fig2 and fig3 depict a concealment caddy ( 1 ), shoulder harness ( 2 ), and holster to be used by a right handed user , it is not intended to limit the present invention to a patent specifically for right hand use . but , to the contrary , it is the intention of the inventor to be awarded a patent by the u . s . patent and trademark office that allows for the protection of and construction of said patent in a form for the use by left handed and / or right handed users . fig1 represents an outside outward facing view of the outer most side of the caddy ( 1 ) and shoulder harness ( 2 ), showing a storage pocket ( 3 ) with snap fastener for storing cell phones , extra magazines , etc . for further concealment of handgun compartment . the accessory pocket ( 3 ) fig1 on the outside of the outer panel of the caddy ( 1 ) shall be constructed of durable nylon and sewn to the outside of the outside panel when the panel is constructed using nylon as the outside liner . the pocket ( 3 ) shall be constructed of leather , raw hide or other material consistent with the material used to construct the outside panels when the panels are constructed of such materials . fig2 depicts the elastic loop ( 5 ) attached to the lower portion of the inner most side of the inside panel to allow the end user to insert a belt to secure the caddy ( 1 ) to the abdomen during activities , such as running or jogging or as the end user deems necessary ; fig2 further reveals the belt loops ( 11 ) designed for inserting the belt of a user while wearing trousers or shorts with a belt . the lower strap ( 4 ) fig1 , fig2 , fig3 , and fig4 with snap locking mechanism should allow the end user to attach the lower portion of the caddy ( 1 ) by looping the strap ( 4 ) around a belt worn by the end user . the strap ( 4 ) shall be sewn to the bottom of the inside panel during manufacture . the stud ( 6 ) portion of the strap attachment will be attached to the outside of the inside panel positioned sufficiently to allow attachment of the end of the strap ( 4 ) using the socket portion of the snap ( 6 ) attached to the end of the strap ( 4 ). fig7 depicts the gun holster ( 8 ) attached to the inside of the inner most side panel of the caddy ( 1 ). the gun holster ( 8 ) is attached with a heavy duty adhesive and subsequently sewn to the panel . fig8 depicts the lower section of the shoulder harness ( 2 ) and revealing the outside of the snaps ( 9 ) used for attaching the shoulder harness ( 2 ) to the concealment caddy ( 1 ). fig9 depicts the concealment caddy ( 1 ) detached from the shoulder harness ( 2 ) and revealing the lower half of the zipper ( 10 ) and the inside view of the snaps ( 9 ) used to attach and detach the caddy ( 1 ) to and from the shoulder harness ( 2 ). fig1 depicts the concealment caddy ( 1 ) detached from the shoulder harness ( 2 ) with the snaps ( 9 ) closed and snapped onto the concealment caddy ( 1 ). fig1 is a frontal view of the shoulder harness ( 2 ) attached to the concealment caddy ( 1 ) as worn by a user . fig1 is a frontal view of the concealment caddy ( 1 ) detached from the shoulder harness ( 2 ) depicted with a belt inserted through the band loop ( 5 ) as worn around the abdomen of a user . fig1 is a frontal view of the concealment caddy ( 1 ) detached from the shoulder harness ( 2 ) shown worn horizontally attached to a users belt via the attached belt loops ( 11 ).	0
the following description is given with reference to a security document forming a passport consisting of a number of sheets connected to each other along a folding axis . obviously this description based on a passport is in no way limiting on the invention and it can apply to other security documents , such as a driver &# 39 ; s license , an identity card , a transport ticket , a subscription ticket , an access control document , a title consisting of two parts each formed of a card conforming to the iso standard 7816 and connected to each other flexibly by one of their sides . the security document is not necessarily foldable . it can comprise two parts that are moved relative to each other , for example along a chosen translation axis . the two portions of the document mobile relative to each other can also be independent and not connected to each other . referring to fig1 , the document comprises a support 10 having at least first and second portions 12 , 14 mobile relative to each other . the document can be folded and the portions 12 and 14 pivot relative to each other about a folding axis 16 along the edges 18 and 22 of the portion 12 and the portion 14 , respectively . the portions 12 and 14 can occupy a plurality of positions between a “ closed ” position in which said portions 12 and 14 are superposed and form between them an angle of 0 ° and an “ open ” position in which these portions form between them an angle greater than or equal to 90 °. in fig3 , the angle a 1 is of the order of 20 °, corresponding to the support 10 slightly open . in fig4 , the angle a 2 is of the order of 140 °, corresponding to the support 10 wide open . refer again to fig1 . the first portion 12 includes a contactless electronic device 1 conforming to the iso standard 14443 . the contactless electronic device 1 includes an electronic microcircuit 3 and contactless coupling means 2 electrically connected to said electronic microcircuit 3 . the contactless coupling means are preferably of the inductive type and adapted to be coupled magnetically to an external reader station 5 to establish contactless communication with the inductive element 4 of the latter station 5 . in practice , the inductive coupling means 2 comprise an antenna supported by the first portion 12 of the support 10 . for example , the antenna 2 comprises a conductive winding connected to the electronic microcircuit 3 . the conductive winding can comprise one or more turns . alternatively , the contactless coupling means 2 are of capacitive type . for its part , the electronic microcircuit 3 is , for example , a secure microcontroller conventionally having a cpu type processor unit 8 and ram , rom and / or eeprom memories 9 , all connected to a data bus and to an input / output interface . the portions 12 and 14 can form the cover of the document including a plurality of sheets interleaved between the two inside faces of the cover . alternatively , they can constitute any sheet of said document . the portions 12 and 14 of the support 10 are preferably contiguous and touch when the support is closed . for example , the dimensions of the passport are 125 × 90 mm . once closed , the thickness of the passport is of the order of 2 mm . in practice , the contactless electronic device 1 is mounted in the thickness of the first portion 12 of the support 10 . for example , the electronic microcircuit 3 operates at a frequency lower than 100 mhz , in particular between 13 and 15 mhz , preferably 13 . 56 mhz . in the situation corresponding to portions 12 and 14 consisting of two cards with a format conforming to the iso standard 7816 , the bearer will be protected from fraudulent reading by keeping the two cards superposed on each other , for example in their wallet . for example , the right - hand edge of the antenna 2 is situated at a distance d from the folding axis 16 between 2 and 15 mm , typically 5 mm , in particular to improve the reliability of the mounting of the various electronic elements of the contactless electronic device of the invention . the countermeasure preventing fraudulent reading of the document by the reader station 5 , which is known as antiskimming , is implemented by the detector means 20 described in more detail hereinafter that detect the relative proximity of the two portions 12 and 14 of the support 10 and are connected to security means 30 for inhibiting and / or authorizing activation of contactless communication as a function of the relative proximity detected in this way , without calling on the contactless coupling means . as a result of this the operation of the document is invulnerable in the presence of a high electromagnetic power radiated in the vicinity of the document . referring to fig1 , the security means 30 are connected and supplied with power electronically by the contactless coupling means 2 . the security means 30 can cut off the power supply from the microcircuit 3 as a function of the relative proximity of the two portions 12 and 14 detected in this way by the detector means 20 . alternatively ( fig2 ), the security means 30 are connected and supplied with power electronically by the microcircuit 3 . as a function of the relative proximity of the two portions 12 and 14 of the support 10 detected in this way by the detector means 20 , the security means 30 send the microcircuit 3 an inhibiting and / or authorization signal for inhibiting and / or authorizing activation of contactless communication as a function of the relative proximity of the first and second portions 12 and 14 detected in this way . in practice , the storage means 9 of the microcircuit 3 are adapted to store sensitive and / or personal data . the security means 30 therefore inhibit and / or authorize reading and / or writing of sensitive and / or personal data in said storage means 9 as a function of the relative proximity of the two portions 12 and 14 of the support 10 detected in this way . for example , the sensitive data is identification data such as passport serial numbers , bearer nationality , photograph , passport expiry date , etc . clearly proximity sensors independent of the contactless coupling means 12 can detect the relative proximity of the two portions 12 and 14 of the support 10 . here references to the relative proximity of the two portions 12 and 14 of the support 10 mean a geometrical configuration of these two portions 12 and 14 , in particular their relative position , especially the angle between them in the case of a document that can be folded ( fig3 and 4 ). in a first embodiment as shown in fig1 , the detector means are capacitive sensors . this kind of sensor detects the opening and / or the closing of a circuit established between the first and second portions 12 and 14 of the support 10 . for example , the capacitive sensor 20 comprises a current generator 27 and an arrangement of capacitors distributed over the first portion 12 and the second portion 14 to form with the generator 27 a circuit that is open or closed according to the angle to which the document is open . for example , two capacitors or capacitor plates 23 and 25 are disposed on the side of the first portion 12 of the support 10 and a capacitor 29 is disposed on the side of the second portion 14 of the support 10 , facing the capacitors 23 and 25 when the foldable document is closed . as explained in more detail hereinafter , the capacitor plates 23 , 25 , 29 can be produced in conductive ink , for example . the elements 20 and 30 ( excluding the capacitor 29 ) are preferably disposed inside the perimeter defined by the winding of the antenna 2 . if it is assumed that the capacitors 23 , 25 and 29 form with the generator 27 a closed circuit when the foldable document is closed and an open circuit when the document is open , it is clear that the current that flows in the circuit concerned changes and that how it changes is a function of the relative proximity of the two portions 12 and 14 of the document . it is therefore clear that , by measuring a physical magnitude linked to the current flowing in the circuit concerned , it is possible to detect the relative position of the two portions 12 and 14 of the document , in particular the angle between them . thus a simple current measurement indicates whether the portions 12 and 14 are superposed ( i . e . the document is closed ) or not : when the portions 12 and 14 are superposed , then the current is a non - zero current , and a zero current indicates that the document is open . this kind of measurement is entirely obvious to the person skilled in the art . alternatively , it can be preferable for the capacitive test to involve a threshold value other than a zero / non - zero current . in another variant , the current generator 27 is replaced by feeding a current from the electronic microcircuit 3 and / or the coupling means 2 . the capacitive sensor 20 is connected to the security means 30 which , in response to the capacitive test , inhibit and / or authorize activation of contactless communication either in accordance with the embodiment described with reference to fig1 or in accordance with the embodiment described with reference to fig2 . as a function of the capacitive test , the security means 30 enable the electronic microcircuit 3 to initiate the procedure for exchange with the external environment or not . if the test is satisfied , the exchange procedure is initiated and can in practice continue to the end , as long as the document remains in the field of the reader station , even if the geometrical condition ( or the relative position of the two portions ) ceases to be complied with . it goes without saying that this test is advantageously verified by the electronic microcircuit itself although the test can instead be verified by a dedicated circuit . it is obvious to the person skilled in the art how to adapt the shape , location and number of capacitors and to choose an appropriate threshold for a relative proximity of the two portions , in particular an angle between them in the case of a foldable document . in a second embodiment that is not shown , the detector means 20 are hall effect proximity sensors . this kind of sensor detects a magnetic flux between the first and second portions 12 and 14 . for example , the hall effect proximity sensor comprises a magnet disposed on the second portion 14 while facing it ( when the two portions are superposed on each other ), the first portion 12 comprises another magnet and a hall effect cell , for example of the type sold by siemens under the product references tle4921 - 3u and tle4923 or by microsystems under the product references ugn3503lt , ugn3503u and ugn3503ua . when the magnetic flux between the first and second portions 12 , 14 reaches a predetermined threshold corresponding to a predetermined relative position of the first and second portions 12 and 14 of the support 10 , the hall effect cell sends a signal to the security means 30 , which in response inhibit and / or authorize activation of contactless communication either in accordance with the embodiment described with reference to fig1 or in accordance with the embodiment described with reference to fig2 . it is obvious to the person skilled in the art how to adapt the aforementioned hall effect cells and to choose an appropriate threshold for a relative proximity of the two portions , in particular an angle between them in the case of a foldable document . apart from the magnetic element or elements producing the magnetic field used by the hall effect sensor , all components , namely the hall effect cell 20 and the security means 30 , can be integrated into the microcircuit 3 and disposed on the first portion 12 of the support 10 at an appropriate location facing that of the magnet producing the magnetic field . alternatively , the hall effect detection function 20 and the security function 30 can be implemented by one or more dedicated circuits disposed on the first portion 12 , on the second portion 14 of the support 10 , or distributed over one or the other of these two portions 12 and 14 . it will be noted that this kind of hall effect proximity sensor 20 is totally independent of the contactless coupling means 2 , which makes this kind of detection and the resulting security invulnerable in the presence of a high electromagnetic power radiated in the proximity of the document . moreover , no connection is required between the first and second portions of the support . the hall effect detector means 20 are preferably placed in the first quarter of the first portion 12 situated relatively close to the fold axis 16 and more particularly at a distance d from the fold axis 16 between 2 and 15 mm . when the first and second portions 12 , 14 are stitched together , the detector means 20 are advantageously disposed in the proximity of the stitches to facilitate capture in the case of a small angle between them at the same time as avoiding damaging the components on folding . in a third embodiment the detector means 20 are photosensitive proximity sensors . for example , the proximity sensor comprises a cell disposed on the first portion and able to detect brightness between the first and second portions 12 , 14 of the support 10 . in practice , the second portion is at least partially opaque at the location facing the cell 20 . when the brightness between the first and second portions 12 , 14 reaches a predetermined threshold corresponding to a predetermined relative position of the first and second portions 12 , 14 of the support 10 , the photosensitive cell 20 ( of cmos or other technology ) sends a signal to the security means 30 which in response inhibit and / or authorize activation of contactless communication . the security means 30 and the cell 20 can be produced either in accordance with the embodiment described with reference to fig1 or in accordance with the embodiment described with reference to fig2 . it is obvious to the person skilled in the art how to adapt the photosensitive cells and to choose an appropriate threshold for a relative proximity of the two portions , in particular an angle between them in the case of a foldable document . the photosensitive cell 20 and the security means 30 can be integrated into the microcircuit 3 and disposed on the first portion 12 of the support 10 at an appropriate location facing an opaque location of the second portion 14 of the support 10 ( fig3 and 4 ). alternatively , the photosensitive detection function 20 and the security function 30 can be implemented by one or more dedicated circuits disposed on the first portion 12 of the support 10 , on the second portion 14 of the support 10 , or distributed over one or the other of these two portions 12 and 14 . it will also be noted that this kind of photosensitive sensor is totally independent of the inductive coupling means 2 , which makes such detection and the resulting security totally invulnerable in the presence of a high electromagnetic power radiated in the proximity of the document . moreover , no connection is required between the first and second portions 12 , 14 of the support . in a fourth embodiment ( not shown ), the detector means 20 comprise an inductive proximity sensor . for example , the proximity sensor comprises a measuring device able to measure the inductance between the conductive winding 2 situated on the first portion 12 and a conductive winding situated on the second portion 14 . when the inductance measured in this way between the first and second portions 12 , 14 reaches a predetermined threshold corresponding to a predetermined relative position of the first and second portions 12 , 14 of the support 10 , the inductance measuring device sends a signal to the security means which in response inhibit and / or authorize activation of contactless communication . it is obvious to the person skilled in the art how to adapt the inductance measuring device and to choose an appropriate threshold for a relative proximity of the two portions , in particular a predetermined angle between them in the case of a foldable document . in fabrication mode , the electronic microcircuit 3 and the security means 30 can be mounted on the support 10 in the same assembly step , which simplifies and facilitates assembly . the security means 30 and where appropriate the detector means 20 can advantageously be produced using a technology ( printed circuit technology , for example ) that is simpler and less costly than that used for the electronic microcircuit 3 ( cmos technology , for example ). alternatively , the electronic microcircuit 3 and the security means 30 are produced using identical microelectronic technologies . generally speaking , the detector means , the security means , the contactless coupling means and the electronic microcircuit can be inserted into the thickness of at least a portion of the support . it should also be specified that the connections between the various elements 3 , 20 and 30 and where appropriate a portion of the elements constituting the detector means 20 can advantageously be produced at the same time and by the same fabrication process . for example , the fabrication process is of the screenprinting , etching or electrolytic deposition type . for example , the antenna 2 , the connections and the capacitor plates 23 , 25 , 29 are made of copper ( produced by etching a layer of copper previously deposited on the support ) or by a screenprinted conductive ink . for example , this all applies to a first sheet and is then followed by mounting the elements 3 , 20 and 30 on this first sheet , for example by the flip chip process . finally , the resulting first sheet is laminated at least with a second sheet to form the portion of the corresponding support . finally , it should be noted that the detector means and the security means can be added to an electronic microcircuit already installed in the document . in the case of a foldable document in which the first and second portions 12 , 14 are stitched together , the detector means 20 are disposed in the proximity of the stitches to enable reliable detection even in the case of a small angle between them . note that the configuration the number and the distribution of the antennas forming the contactless coupling means are here not essential features of the invention in that it is precisely the detector means that constitute proximity sensors that detect relative proximity of the two portions of the document independently of said contactless coupling means .	6
fig1 and 4 show a preferred embodiment of the combined laser position detector infrared emissivity target , and tv target generally designated 1 . fig2 and 4 show glass substrate 14 and target patterns 3 and 4 . the combined detector 1 includes substrate 14 having light - opaque coating 13 and having an emissivity infrared target 3 in the shape of a square at the center on a first side of substrate 14 where light - opaque coating 13 is absent , and a smaller light - opaque tv target 4 which is a square line formed by etching substrate glass 14 on the side opposite coating 13 , and filling the line with a light opaque material . fig4 is a side view of the glass substrate illustrating the infrared target 3 on one side of the glass , and etched tv target 4 , consisting of a square line filled with an opaque material , on the other side of the glass . the light - opaque coating on substrate 14 is typically chrome oxide , and the substrate 14 is commercially available with the chrome oxide coating already applied . because the substrate is readily available with the chrome oxide coating applied , the most convenient way to form target 3 is merely to remove a rectangular area of the chrome oxide . this forms the clear rectangular area referred to as emissivity target 3 . as shown in fig2 and 4 , tv target 4 is formed on the opposite side of substrate 14 from emissivity target 3 . tv target 4 is formed by etching a rectangular trough , i . e ., the trough or groove 40 circumscribes a rectangular area . the groove 40 may typically be 0 . 02 inch wide and extend about 0 . 002 inch deep into the glass substrate 14 which is on the order of 0 . 06 inch thick . when the rectangular groove 40 has been completely etched , it is then filled with a substance such as sodium silicate and titanium dioxide to form the rectangular solid line of target 4 . the rectangular area inside target 4 is clear . target 3 may measure about 0 . 2 inch on a side and target 4 could be 0 . 12 inch on a side to fit easily within target 3 . these dimensions and shapes are illustrative only , and other dimensions and shapes may be desired depending upon the specific application . in fig1 light - emitting lamps 5 , 6 , 7 and 8 are shown in outline because they are positioned behind substrate 14 so as to permit the light they emit to pass through glass subtrate 14 and be obstructed by both the emissivity target 3 and tv target 4 . also shown in outline are screws 9 , 10 , 11 and 12 , which hold the back panel 24 of housing 21 to the side panels 22 and 23 ( see fig3 ). in some embodiments , the usually smaller tv target 4 is not required when the size of the ir and tv target can be made equal . then , target 3 functions both as an infrared and as a tv target . fig3 shows the construction of an arrangement of the laser position detector 17 , and target 1 that includes infrared target 3 and tv target 4 . housing 21 includes top panel 22 , bottom panel 23 , glass substrate 14 with light - opaque coating 13 thereon , and rear panel 24 . rear panel 24 includes recess 16 that is adapted to receive laser position detector 17 and to fix its position in relation to the positions of tv target 4 and emissivity target 3 . the readout from detector 17 is electrically calibrated to measure misalignment of the laser relative to tv target 4 and infrared emissivity target 3 . on the inner wall of recess 16 is opening 18 through which laser light can pass to strike the front surface 19 of laser position detector 17 . lamps 5 , 6 , 7 and 8 provide illumination necessary for tv target 4 and sufficient energy to heat infared target 3 . screws 9 , 10 , 11 and 12 hold rear panel 24 to top and bottom walls 22 and 23 of housing 21 . fig5 and 6 show an optical system that incorporates a flir , tv , and laser with an optical collimator consisting of mirrors 50 and 51 to collect or transmit a portion of optical energy from two apertures 30 and 32 . these energies are focused by optical collimator 34 onto combined tv / infrared targets and laser position detector 1 shown in fig1 - 4 . generally , the flir optical component and the laser / tv optical component are separate assemblies which should be mounted within a common chassis with their optical centerlines ( boresights ) precisely aligned . the target of the present invention is used to check such alignment . to check the alignment of the flir , emissivity target 3 is activated ( i . e ., heated by lamps 5 , 6 , 7 and 8 ). the emitted ir energy travels from the target 3 , through collimator 34 , through the periscope ( mirrors 50 and 51 ) and enters the flir aperture 30 and the flir optical system ( not shown ). at this point , automatic electronic flir tracking devices ( not shown ) measure the position of the emissivity target within the flir field of view . the target should be centered for proper flir alignment . if not centered , the mechanical mountings of the flir are adjusted to bring the image of target 3 into proper alignment . to check the alignment of the tv optics , tv target 4 is actived ( i . e ., lamps 5 , 6 , 7 and 8 are turned on to illuminate target 4 ). the image of target 4 is similarly projected through collimator 34 , reflected off mirrors 50 and 51 , and enters the tv / laser aperture 32 , and the tv optical system ( not shown ). again , automatic electronic tracking devices measure the position of the projected tv target 4 within the tv optics field of view . if the tv target is not centered , the mechanical mountings of the tv optical assembly are adjusted to bring the image of tv target 4 into proper position . to check the alignment of the laser optical system , a laser ( not shown ) is fired . laser energy exits the laser / tv aperture , is reflected off mirrors 50 and 51 into collimator 34 , and is focused through target 3 and target 4 onto the forward surface 19 of laser detector 17 . again , automatic electronic equipment then measures the position of the laser beam and determines alignment . if the laser beam center is not aligned , adjustments are made via the laser optics mounting devices . thus , all three optical systems can be properly aligned , utilizing the rugged , combined target system described herein . in some embodiments , the tv and infrared targets can be substantially the same size . in such embodiments , both the tv and infrared targets comprise an uncoated target formed by removing a portion of the coating from a substrate such as a glass substrate . in the embodiment of fig5 and 6 , infrared target 3 in fig1 and 2 is larger than tv target 4 in fig1 and 2 . thus , the tv target is etched on the opposite side of the glass substrate from the infrared target . preferably , both targets are on the first side of substrate 14 , which results in increased optical accuracy . in military applications , shock and vibration can cause optical misalignment of plural target projectors to occur . the test equipment measuring these misalignments must be rugged , and resistant to change . this invention incorporates a plurality of targets or sensors into a single unit that resists misalignment from shock and vibration . by contrast , units including a plurality of separately - made , optically - combined targets ( i . e ., plural target projectors ) and sensors in a system incorporating mirrors and / or beam splitters is difficult to align and to maintain in alignment .	5
[ 0024 ] fig1 is a sectional view of a brushless motor for driving a disk according to one embodiment of the present invention , and fig2 is a sectional view of a stator used in the brushless motor . it is to be noted that the “ vertical direction ” used in the following description of one embodiment of the present invention implies the vertical direction as defined on each of the drawings for the sake of convenience , but that the direction of the brushless motor as actually mounted is not limited to the illustrated direction . the brushless motor for driving a disk according to the described embodiment illustrates a motor used in a disk drive for a cd - rom or the like . the brushless motor comprises a frame 1 , a bushing 5 fixed to the frame 1 to stand in the vertical direction , a sleeve bearing 9 fitted to the bushing 5 , a shaft 7 rotatably supported by thesleeve bearing 9 , and a substantially cup - shaped rotor 17 . the frame 1 , serving as a stationary member , has a central hole 3 formed therein , and the bushing 5 is fitted to the central hole 3 . the bushing 5 is fabricated from a magnetic material , such as iron or stainless steel , and has a substantially cylindrical shape . the bushing 5 is fixed to the frame 1 by plastically deforming a caulked portion 51 a , which is formed at a lower end of the bushing 5 , toward the outer peripheral side . the sleeve bearing 9 is fitted to an inner periphery of the bushing 5 on the upper side , and a closing plate 11 is attached to a lower end of the bushing 5 to enclose a bottom opening of the bushing 5 . a disk - shaped thrust bearing plate 13 is attached to an upper surface of the closing plate 11 , and the thrust bearing plate 13 and the closing plate 11 are both fixed to the bushing 5 by plastically deforming a caulked portion 51 b , which is formed at the lower end of the bushing 5 , toward the inner peripheral side . a projection 52 is formed at the upper end of the bushing 5 and extends outwardly from its outer periphery . a hook 14 is attached to an inner portion of a rotor 17 so that it is capable of engaging the projection 52 , whereby the amount of axial movement of both the shaft 7 and the rotor 17 is restricted . the rotor 17 , serving as a rotating member , is formed of a magnetic material , such as iron , by pressing . the rotor 17 comprises an upper wall portion 17 a , a peripheral wall portion 17 b extending downward from an outer periphery of the upper wall portion 17 a , and a boss portion 17 c erected at the center of the upper wall portion 17 a and having a circular bore formed through the boss portion 17 c . then , the boss portion 17 c is fitted over an upper portion of the shaft 7 so that the shaft 7 and the rotor 17 are rotated in union with each other . an upper surface of the upper wall portion 17 a of the rotor 17 serves as a loading portion on which a disk , such as a cd - rom , is loaded . a buffer member 21 is attached to an upper surface of an outer peripheral portion of the upper wall portion 17 a , and a disk ( not shown ) is placed on the upper wall portion 17 a with the buffer member 21 interposed therebetween . further , a center boss 23 formed of a nonmagnetic material and fitted to a center hole of the disk is mounted to the boss portion 17 c of the rotor 17 . the center boss 23 is provided with a plurality of chucks 25 which are movable in the radial direction and are arranged at equal angular intervals . each of the chucks 25 is urged radially outward by a spring 26 disposed inside the chuck 25 . accordingly , when the center hole of the disk is fitted to the center boss 23 , an inner peripheral edge of the disk pushes the chucks 25 radially inward against the biasing forces of the springs 26 acting radially outward . then , when the disk is loaded in a position where it contacts the buffer member 21 , a distal end of each chuck 25 is positioned over an upper surface of an inner peripheral portion of the disk around the center hole , whereupon the chuck 25 now presses the disk against the upper wall portion 17 a of the rotor 17 by the biasing force of the spring 26 acting radially outward . as a result , the disk is properly placed on the upper wall portion 17 a of the rotor 17 . in addition , the center boss 23 is provided with a plurality of center aligning fingers 27 positioned between the chucks 25 in the circumferential direction . upon loading of the disk , the center aligning fingers 27 contact the inner peripheral edge of the disk for center alignment of the disk . the structure constituting the features of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to fig1 , 3 and 4 . as shown in fig1 a cylindrical rotor magnet 19 is attached to an inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 17 b of the rotor 17 and is positioned to face the stator 15 with a very small gap left between them in the radial direction . the stator 15 comprises a stator core 15 a and windings 15 b wound over teeth ( not shown ) projecting from a base portion of the stator core 15 a in a radial pattern . the stator 15 is fitted to a stepped portion 53 formed in an upper outer peripheral portion of the bushing 5 . further , an annular magnet 18 is attached to an upper surface of the base portion of the stator core 15 a . the annular magnet 18 is positioned to face the upper wall portion 17 a of the rotor 17 in the axial direction for applying a magnetic bias to the rotor 17 . as shown in fig2 by way of example , the windings 15 b are wound such that the number of windings is larger on the inner peripheral side than on the outer peripheral side . with this arrangement , a space sufficient to accommodate a hall device 31 is ensured between the adjacent teeth of the stator core 15 a . corresponding to those spaces , a plurality of hall devices 31 are attached to a circuit board 29 that is disposed on the frame 1 . in this embodiment , since the number of teeth of the stator core 15 a is 12 and the windings 15 b are wound in 3 phases , three hall devices 31 are disposed between three pairs of the adjacent teeth of the stator core 15 a . further , as shown in fig3 and 4 , the hall devices 31 are each fixed in the above - mentioned space at a position where magnetic flux is maximally changed with the rotor rotation , and the magnetically sensitive surface 31 a of each hall device 31 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the axial direction of the shaft 7 . the predetermined angle is selected to a value at which magnetic flux is maximally changed with the rotor rotation . with this arrangement , in spite of the hall device being fixed to a location away from the position directly below the rotor magnet 19 , the hall device can detect , with satisfactory accuracy , changes in the density of magnetic flux caused by the rotation of the rotor magnet 19 . consequently , not only the stator current can be switched using the detected result to make the rotor rotate accurately , but also the rotor magnet 19 can be positioned closer to the upper surface of the frame 1 , with the circuit board 29 interposed between them . the resulting brushless motor has a smaller thickness than a conventional one . as described above , by winding the windings 15 b over the stator core 15 a in a larger number on the inner peripheral side than on the outer peripheral side thereof , while keeping the total number of the stator windings 15 b wound over each tooth of the stator core 15 a substantially equal to that in the conventional motor , a space sufficient to accommodate the hall device 31 is defined between the adjacent teeth of the stator core . such unevenness in the number of windings can be realized by estimating a position where the sensitivity in detecting the rotor rotation is maximized by arranging the hall device 31 in that position , and determining a manner of winding the windings , with which the space is created in that position . by thus ensuring the space , it is possible to adjust the position where the hall device 31 is to be fixed . the inner construction of a general disk drive 40 will now be described with reference to fig5 . the disk drive 40 comprises a housing 42 , a brushless motor 44 fixedly disposed within the housing 42 , a removable disk 46 having the shape of a circular plate and held on the brushless motor 44 , and a pickup device 48 for writing and / or reading information in and / or from a predetermined position on the disk 46 during the motor rotation . while one embodiment of the present invention has been described above , the present invention is not limited to the above - mentioned embodiment , but can be modified in various ways . for example , the above - mentioned embodiment uses the hall device 31 having the magnetically sensitive surface 31 a inclined with respect to the axial direction of the shaft 7 . however , a hall device having a magnetically sensitive surface parallel to the axial direction of the shaft may also be used . further , while a hall device is used as a rotational position detecting means in the above description , the rotational position detecting means is not limited to the hall device . moreover , the embodiment has been described in connection with the disk driving motor of the so - called outer rotor type in which the rotor magnet 19 is disposed on the side radially outward of the stator 15 . however , the present invention is also applicable to a disk driving motor of the so - called inner rotor type in which a rotor magnet is disposed on the radially inward side of a stator . in such a case , similar advantages in operation to those in the above - mentioned embodiment can also be obtained . additionally , while the embodiment of the present invention has been described in connection with the disk driving motor , the applicable range of the present invention is not limited to the field related to driving of disks . the present invention can also be employed in other various fields of applications , and similar advantages in operation to those in the above - mentioned embodiment can be obtained .	8
the present invention is described herein with reference to a particular illustrative embodiment . however , such embodiment is presented for the purposes of illustrating the present invention , and does not limit the scope thereof . in particular , the present invention is described herein with reference to a particular example of a umts network supporting user equipment , such as a mobile station , and providing connections for the user equipment to external ip networks . referring to fig1 , there is illustrated the main elements of a umts network implementing an all - ip diameter protocol system for the purposes of describing the present invention . in fig1 only those elements of a umts system necessary for supporting the diameter protocol charging in accordance with the present invention are illustrated . the full implementation of such a system will be apparent to one skilled in the art . fig1 illustrates generally a umts network infrastructure 10 including a serving call state control function ( s - cscf ) 4 , a combined charging collector function ( ccf ) and online charging system ( ocs ) 8 , and an application server ( as ) 6 . the s - cscf 4 supports a call session for the user equipment , such as user equipment 2 , connected in the umts network 10 . the ccf provides the centralized charging function for offline charging , and the ocs provides the centralized charging for online charging . the s - cscf 4 additionally has a connection 12 to an ip network or element of an ip network external to the umts network 10 , as described further hereinbelow . in particular , the connection 12 connects to a service provider or terminating part with which the user equipment 2 establishes a session . the umts network provides access to other , external ip services or networks for the user equipment 2 . for the purposes of the present example , it is assumed that a call session is to be established between the user equipment 2 , and a b - subscriber 22 in a further ip network 18 . the further ip network 18 supports the call session for the b - subscriber 22 with a serving call state control function ( s - cscf ) 20 . for the purposes of this example , as the initiating caller the user equipment 2 is considered to be the a - subscriber . for the purposes of supporting the call session , the connection 12 is between the respective s - cscfs of the respective subscribers . the b - subscriber may , for example , be a further user equipment or a service provided by a third party . fig1 also illustrates the protocol interfaces for the various ip network elements . the s - cscf 4 is connected to the as 6 via an isc interface represented by block 12 . the isc interface may , for example , be a session initiation protocol ( sip ) interface . the ccf / ocs 8 is connected to the s - cscf 4 via a diameter protocol represented by block 16 . the ccf / ocs 8 is connected to the as 6 via a diameter protocol represented by block 14 . the principle of shared charging enables operators and / or the terminating user to co - operate to share or distribute the charges for a call . in conventional charging the user responsible for originating the call bears the full cost of the call . under a shared or sponsored charging regime the user of the terminating part may bear part of the cost , either voluntarily or under requirement from an operator . the preferred embodiment of the present invention proposes the use of shared charging information in a diameter protocol as new avps ( attribute value pairs ) or as part of an existing grouped service - parameter - info avp . the sponsorship charging information in a diameter acr ( accounting request ) may preferably be defined with four avps : shared charging information ; shared percentage information ; shared amount information ; and sponsor identity information . these are described in more detail in turn hereinbelow . the type of shared charging information may preferably be indicated by a code according to table 1 . table 1 includes examples of shared charging information . other types of shared charging may be used in addition to or instead of those listed above when needed . the shared percentage information , implemented as an avp , has a value which defines the amount of the fee ( 0 - 100 %) that the service provider or terminating part is willing to pay , according to shared charging alternatives . the shared amount information , implemented as an avp , has a value that defines the fixed amount of the fee which the service provider or terminating part is willing to pay , according to shared charging alternatives . if the fixed amount is used , the shared percentage must be set to zero . the sponsor identity information , implemented as an avp , defines the identity of the party willing to pay the sponsored part . referring to fig2 and 3 , an example embodiment of the present invention is now described . in a first step , user equipment 2 transmits an invite message 100 in the packet domain — as represented by block 101 to the serving call state control function ( s - cscf ) 4 allocated to the call session . responsive thereto , in the preferred embodiment an initial accounting is started by the s - cscf 4 . as represented by diameter protocol communication exchange 102 in fig2 , and shown in further detail in fig3 ( a ), the s - cscf sends an acr ( start_record ) accounting request message 200 to the ccf / ocs 8 . the ccf / ocs 8 replies with an aca accounting acknowledgement message 202 . if the user equipment 2 is a pre - paid user , an initial threshold value is also sent to the s - cscf 4 by the ccf / ocs 8 . following the start of the initial accounting , the s - cscf 4 transmits an invite message 104 to the as 6 . the as 6 preferably performs a one - time event , as represented by diameter protocol communication 106 . as shown in further detail in fig3 ( b ), the as 6 sends an acr ( event_record ) account request message 204 to the ccf / ocs 8 . this acr includes any sponsorship information , where the as 6 confirms its identity and also that it will pay a percentage , or a predetermined fixed amount , of certain charges . in the present example , the as 6 informs the ccf / ocs 8 that it intends to pay for 50 % of the call control charges and 50 % of the mobility management charges , as charged by the s - cscf 4 . the ccf / ocs 8 stores this information . the ccf / ocs 8 replies with an aca accounting acknowledgement message 205 . thereafter , the as 6 returns an invite message 108 to the s - cscf 4 . the s - cscf then forwards an invite message 110 towards the terminating party ( the b - subscriber 22 ), i . e . the recipient of the call session initiated by the user equipment 2 . responsive to satisfactory acceptance of the call , in accordance with known techniques , the terminating party returns a positive acknowledgement message 112 to the s — cscf 4 , which message may be a 2000k message . responsive to receipt of the acknowledgement message , interim accounting is triggered from the s — cscf 4 to the ccf / ocs b , as represented by diameter protocol communication 114 in fig2 . as shown in further detail in fig3 ( c ), the s - cscf 4 sends an acr ( interim_record ) account request message 206 to the ccf / ocs 8 to obtain a final tariff for the connection . in the present example , referring again to fig3 ( c ), an aca account acknowledgement message 208 is sent from the ccf / ocs 8 to the s - cscf 4 , which message includes the new tariff . more importantly , in a pre - paid user scenario , a new threshold value is sent from the ccf / ocs 8 to the s - cscf 4 . finally , a positive acknowledgement is transmitted from the s - cscf 4 to the user equipment 2 . from the above description , and from the protocol interfaces shown in fig1 , it will be apparent that the communications 102 , 106 , 114 represent diameter protocol communications , and the other communications of fig2 are , for example , sip or isc protocol communications . thus the present invention provides for the actual charge towards each party to be determined for a diameter protocol system . the present invention is described herein with reference to examples of preferred embodiments for the purpose of illustration , and is not limited to any such embodiments . the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims .	7
the deposit removal probe ( drp ) of this invention is designed to be inserted into a pipeline through which a bulk liquid is flowing in order to evaluate the effectiveness of chemical treatments at removing deposits from the surface of pipelines and / or determine the rate of corrosion under deposits and in the bulk fluid . the dpr should be constructed of materials which are inert to the liquid in which the probe is immersed and have enough rigidity to withstand the stress placed on it by the liquid flow over the probe . the shape of the probe is not material so long as it minimizes the drag over it as the probe protrudes into the bulk flowing liquid in the pipeline . the probe should be sized such that significant back pressure is not introduced into the line . the drp comprises a chamber constructed of a porous material such as wire mesh . the pore size of the mesh can be determined empirically depending on the nature of the deposit to be evaluated and the liquid flowing through the pipeline . the deposit is often an emulsified mixture with oil and water and consequently is a viscous liquid , in which case the mesh size needs to be small enough to prevent the material naturally passing through the pores but large enough to allow the material to be removed with the action of the chemical and liquid flow . typical mesh sizes are about 80 ( i . e . 80 holes per square inch ) to about 150 . in 80 mesh material , for example , the hole diameter is about 0 . 007 inches and the wire diameter is about 0 . 0055 inches . the wire should be manufactured from a corrosion resistant material like stainless steel . it should be understood that the pore size can in certain instances vary considerably from the above range based on the nature of the deposit sample . for example , a larger pore size would be acceptable for mineral samples such as sand or clay . in an embodiment , dpr comprises a substantially cylindrical chamber which is capped on both ends with an impermeable material which is inert to the fluids being transported in the pipeline . representative impermeable materials include polyetherether ketone ( peek ) and poly tetrafluoro ethylene ( ptfe ), and the like . the dpr further comprises means for supporting the probe in the pipeline . means for supporting equipment in pipelines is known in the art . in an embodiment , the probe attaches to a standard fining such as a cosasco plug , which screws through a standard 2 ″ threaded access fitting . this is inserted and subsequently removed from the pipeline using a standard coupon removal tool . as discussed above , deposit formation in pipelines can lead to high localized corrosion rates . in an embodiment , the dpr of this invention can be used in combination with standard corrosion coupons to measure localized corrosion in the presence of deposits . according to this embodiment , at least one standard corrosion coupon is installed in the chamber such that it is in contact with the deposit sample placed in the chamber . the coupons have the same metallurgy as the pipeline . common metallurgies include 1018 , x - 52 , x - 65 , x - 70 and the like . in another embodiment , the dpr further comprises at least one additional corrosion coupon installed on the dpr such that it is exposed to the bulk liquid flowing through the pipeline but not in contact with the deposit sample contained in the chamber . as described below , the corrosion coupons are used to determine corrosion rates for surfaces of the pipeline in contact with deposits and in contact with bulk fluids flowing through the pipeline . a deposit removal probe according to an embodiment of this invention is shown schematically in fig1 and 2 . the probe may be constructed as described below . it is understood that the pipeline size and access fittings will dictate the actual dimensions for the probe . a long ¼ ″- 20 316 stainless steel rod 1 is cut to the desired length . top and bottom body sections 9 and 4 are constructed of peek material and machined on a lathe . both sections are manufactured with a groove which supports the wire mesh s . the top section 9 has a ¼ ″ bore through which the threaded bolt 1 passes . the bottom section 4 contains a threaded ¼ ″- 20 ‘ nut ’ which the threaded rod 1 screws in to . corrosion evaluation coupons 5 and 10 are machined out of the same material as that of the pipeline that the probe will be used in , in this example c - 1018 . non - metallic washers 6 and 11 are silicone or ptfe . mesh 8 , ¼ ″ wide washer 3 and jam nuts 2 , 7 and 12 are 316 stainless steel . the first ¼ ″ jam nut 2 is screwed onto the threaded rod 1 making sure that sufficient length of rod is exposed to screw into the solid plug part ( weight loss coupon holder , not shown ). the ¼ ″ wide washer 3 is inserted and the threaded ¼ ″- 20 bottom body 4 is screwed down until it sits on the ¼ ″ wide washer 3 . the first coupon 5 is placed on the top of bottom body 4 , then the ¼ ″ non - metallic washer is placed on the coupon 5 to avoid metallic contact between coupon and other metal parts of the drp . the second ¼ ″- 20 jam nut 7 is screwed onto rod 1 to hold down the first coupon 5 . wire mesh having the desired pore size is rolled into a tube , the diameter of which matches the groove in the peek end caps 4 and 9 to form a mesh tube 8 and the sides of the mesh tube are spot welded . the wire mesh tube 8 is placed into the groove on the bottom peek section 4 and the upper peek section 9 is then placed over the top of the wire mesh tube 8 . the second coupon 10 is placed on the top of upper peek section 9 , then the ¼ ″ non - metallic washer 11 placed on top of coupon 10 to insulate the coupon from the other metal parts . the last ¼ ″- 20 jam nut 12 is screwed onto the top of the central threaded rod 1 to hold the second coupon in place and tightened to pull the upper and lower peek sections 4 and 9 together . in a typical application , the two corrosion coupons 5 and 10 are weighed . the full probe assembly is also weighed ( with coupons in place ). the top peek section 9 of the probe is removed and a representative , homogeneous sample of a deposit from the pipeline to be evaluated is placed inside the mesh tube 8 . care is taken during the filling to ensure that the lower metal coupon 5 is evenly covered with the deposit and the chamber is filled homogeneously . the mesh tube 8 is filled to the top then the upper peek section 9 is pushed into the top of the tube 8 , squeezing any excess deposit through the sides of the mesh . excess material is wiped from the sides of the mesh . the upper peek section 9 is fitted with the second corrosion coupon 10 and bolted in place . the fully loaded probe is then weighed again to quantify the amount of deposit charged to the probe . the probe is then attached to a cosasco plug and is inserted into the pipeline through a standard corrosion probe access port . the probe is left in place for a predetermined time dependent upon the anticipated effectiveness of the chemical program to be evaluated . the probe is then removed and a visual observation of the volume of deposit remaining made . excess liquid is then drained from the probe , and then the probe assembly is weighed . the weight of deposit remaining , hence the removal efficiency is then calculated . the two coupons , one from the top of the probe , previously exposed just to the liquids in the pipeline , and the other from under the deposit in the chamber , are then removed . the coupons are cleaned and the weight loss calculated . from these values the corrosion rates in the bulk liquid , and under the deposit , are calculated . in an embodiment , the chemical program comprises one or more deposit control chemicals . in an embodiment , the chemical program comprises one or more corrosion inhibitors . changes can be made in the composition , operation and arrangement of the method of the invention described herein without departing from the concept and scope of the invention as defined in the claims .	6
in the preferred embodiment a phase profile of an object is measured using the computer - implemented software to estimate background tilt and offset . referring now to the drawings and in particular to fig1 apparatus 10 comprising an optical measurement instrument is shown . for the purposes of depicting the preferred embodiment of the present invention , apparatus 10 includes a light source 12 that directs light 14 toward surface 16 of object 18 . the reflected light 22 is observed by detector 24 . the readings of detector 24 are transmitted via interface line 25 to computer system 26 . computer system 26 includes computer - implemented software which performs the necessary analysis of the recorded data to determine background tilt and offset in order to provide an accurate measurement of the surface topography of object 18 . as indicated hereinabove , an important aspect of image processing for phase profilometry height mapping of a target object is the robust estimation and removal of background tilt and offset from the substrate . when the optimal reference frame is determined , the height measurements are essentially referenced relative to the substrate . the variety of heights presented on the surface of a target object are measured with reference to what is assumed to be a generally flat substrate . the invention employs a merit function , optimized to generate a reference plane which will enable differential measurement of the height in the profile map . the reference plane is used to estimate the background tilt and offset . it is preferred that a quantity or quantities be associated with the estimate so that the optimization can be performed by finding an extremum in the quantity . the quantity will preferably represent a global quality of the measurements , that is , properties of the image taken over a wide area . in developing the merit function , the first quantity element is the histogram of heights which is formed in the raw image . the principal concept in the generation of the histogram of heights is that once the substrate is isolated from the effects of the tilt , each of the planes will have constant height . this means that histograms located at the same plane will exhibit identical heights . a simple but effective measure of the “ peakiness ” of the histogram is simply the sum of the squares of the histogram values . a good intuitive grasp of the effectiveness of this procedure can be gained by imagining that there are 256 pixels in the image , and 256 intervals in the histogram . if the image is badly tilted , there will be an approximately uniform distribution of phases . thus , in the simplified illustrative example , we would have one pixel in each of the 256 intervals . the square of 1 is 1 , and thus the sum would be 256 . however , if the image were perfectly flat and de - tilted , all the pixels would lie at the same height . thus one interval in the histogram would have the value 256 , and the other zero . the square of 256 is 65536 , and thus the sum of squares would also be 65536 . this is 256 times greater than the merit function in the badly - tilted case . the offset is the height of the untilted substrate . in order to produce a height image where the heights of the features can be measured directly , the offset must be removed from the calculated tilt of the reference plane . one means of finding the offset of the reference plane is to find the tallest peak in the histogram . however , this is inadequate as a final estimate , since many circuit boards have a predominance of two heights in the substrate ( for instance , bare fiberglass and solder mask ), which creates a double peak in the histogram . slight variations in the field of view or board manufacture will cause one or the other peak to be the tallest , and thus the estimate may choose either . since consistency is the most important factor in industrial process control , this erratic behavior is unacceptable . thus , this estimate is only used as a starting point for a more stable procedure . the histogram values within a neighborhood about the initial estimate are squared , and the centroid of these values is computed . this weights the peak more heavily than the outliers , but the technique is relatively insensitive to minor variations in the histogram . a second technique of detecting offset is to use a reference circuit board with measured height histogram . the height histogram of this reference board can be saved and correlated against the histogram of the board under test . a peak in the correlation function indicates that the height of the board under test has been adjusted to be equal to the height of the reference board . with the foregoing analysis in mind , we now refer to fig2 where a flow chart for the process of the invention is depicted . the process is started by engaging a begin command under block 30 . the begin command is followed with initialization steps for tilt under block 32 which is followed by the operative command to calculate the merit function under block 34 . the merit function is optimized under decision block 36 . as will be discussed hereinbelow , the optimization of the merit function is one of the key elements of the present invention . under decision block 36 a subroutine block 38 operates to choose / select a new tilt until a positive response is obtained as to whether the calculated merit function is optimal . the subroutine is disengaged when the merit function is optimized under decision block 36 . hereafter , the tilt for which the merit function is optimal is applied to the measurement under block 42 . consequently , a new reference plane is generated at block 44 . as discussed hereinabove , this reference plane is then deducted from the raw image of object 18 to yield an untilted substrate . the reference plane under block 44 is moved to a desired height under block 46 using an offset to move the reference plane to a desired height . this height offset is then removed to produce a height image where the heights of the features can be measured . the generation of the proper tilt and the solution of the reference plane applicable to the tilt which is then applied to the desired height is confirmed under block 48 and consequently the end of the optimal solution is reached . one specific detilting approach is based on the realization that when the heights are referenced to the proper base plane , surfaces with significant approximately planar regions will have many heights that are very similar . furthermore , for most surfaces , the range in heights will be smaller when referenced to proper base plane . only surfaces with very unusual features will not have heights confined to a narrower range when referenced to a proper base plane . this would seem to be true generally , and certainly for all surfaces with a reasonable distribution of features . therefore , any function related to the distribution of heights will have greater values . the simplest way to take advantage of this property is first to construct a histogram of the measured heights , n ( hi ). a grid is constructed of heights h i where heights h are associated with the grid points by the relationship , h i − δ / 2 & lt ; h ≦ h i + δ / 2 , and δ is the grid spacing . a sum over n ( h i ) yields the total number of height measurements . in order to give more weight to larger groupings of heights in the distribution , n ( h i ) is squared . the squared quantities are summed to yield a merit function , as follows , m = ∑ i = 1 p  [ n  ( h i ) ] 2 . ( 1 ) the merit function m is related to the tilt of the plane from which the height measurements refer . larger groupings of heights would be expected when the measurements are made relative to the proper base plane . therefore , m should be made a maximum to find the desired reference plane . in other words , the closer the measurement plane is to a plane parallel to the nominal base plane , the larger the merit function . the sum of the squares of the histogram values , i . e ., m , is related to the variance ( standard deviation ) of n ( h i ). this functional will serve as a practical merit function for the detilting of the contour measurements . the merit function is sensitive to the discretization of the height levels . in the extreme , when δ is very small , each discrete height measurement could lie in its own histogram interval . in this extreme , m = n , where n is the number of height measurements . then , m would be independent of the tilt . obviously , such a merit function would be totally useless . if the discrete merit function of eq . 1 is to have a relationship with the tilt , the discretization in heights should not be taken to an extreme unless the number of points of the height measurement becomes correspondingly larger . in practice , the determination of the reference plane by maximizing the discrete merit function m should not be sensitive to the exact discretization in heights as long as the discretization is coarse enough that significant numbers of points in the histogram contain a fairly large number of pixels . the histogram n ( h i ) is related to the probability distribution of heights assuming that the heights are uncorrelated random variables . therefore , if the grid is made too fine , each height seems unique , and we obtain no information on the distribution . the easy solution is to use a grid that is not too fine . while the easy solution may be acceptable , it sacrifices accuracy for a given set of measurements . of course , the heights are correlated because the physical surface is continuous , so points physically near each other on the surface will have comparable heights . the set of measurements will contain information on this correlation based on the relationship of the measurements over the surface . a more general , and typically better , merit function would have the form m = ∑ a = 1 n  ∑ b = 1 n  f  ( h a , h b ) , ( 2 ) where f ( h i , h j ) provides information on the correlation in heights and n is the measurement values . if the heights are placed in the bins of a histogram , eq . ( 2 ) becomes : m = ∑ i = 1 p  ∑ j = 1 p  n  ( h i )  n  ( h j )  f  ( h i , h j ) . ( 3 ) if f ( h i − h j ) is selected to be the following step function , f  ( h i , h j ) = 1 ,  z i - z j  ≤ δ / 2 , = 0 ,  z i - z j  & gt ; δ / 2 , ( 4 ) the original merit function in eq . ( 1 ) is reproduced . the functional relationship in eq . ( 4 ) is just the imposition of the bins used in creating eq . ( 1 ) while otherwise uncoupling the heights . eq . ( 2 ) can be understood from a different perspective . the portion of monochromatic light reflected directly back to the light source can be determined as a function of wavelength of light and the height distribution . the reflected light is a maximum when the base plane is perpendicular to the incidence direction of propagation of the light . therefore , the measurement of the portion of light reflected directly back toward the source is a reasonable choice as a merit function as follows : m = ∑ a = 1 n  ∑ b = 1 n  cos  ( k  ( h a - h b ) ) , ( 5 ) where the wave number k is related to the wavelength of the light λ by k = 2π / λ . if the heights are again placed in bins , eq . ( 5 ) becomes m = ∑ i = 1 p  ∑ j = 1 p  n  ( h i )  n  ( h j )  cos  ( k  ( h i - h j ) ) , ( 6 ) which is in the form of eq . ( 3 ). note that eq . ( 6 ) is a calculational tool . from this perspective , the equation can be used even if the actual light in the measurements is not monochromatic and even if the measurements are not even optically obtained . for a light source that is not monochromatic , eq . ( 5 ) generalizes to m = ∑ a = 1 n  ∑ b = 1 n  f  ( h a - h b ) , ( 7 ) where f ( h i − h j ) is the cosine transform of the spectral density f ( k ), f  ( h i - h j ) = ∫ 0 ∞  cos  ( k  ( h i - h j ) )  f  ( k )    k . ( 8 ) if the heights are again placed on a histogram , eq . ( 7 ) becomes m = ∑ i = 1 p  ∑ j = 1 p  n  ( h i )  n  ( h j )  f  ( h i - h j ) , ( 9 ) if the surface is tilted so as to maximize the merit function , the optical analogy is that of a mirror that has been tilted to center its fraunhofer diffraction pattern on a detector . the maximum possible value of the merit function is always n 2 , the square of the number of pixels . this is analogous to the maximum intensity possible in a perfect , diffraction - limited system . the ratio of the actual central intensity to the maximum central intensity s − m / n 2 is called the strehl ratio , and is often used to characterize the quality of an optical system [ schroeder , 1987 ]. again , eq . ( 9 ) is a calculational tool , so the spectral density does not have to reflect the spectral density of the light source . a convenient and simple form of f ( h i − h j ) is the following step function , f  ( h i - h j ) = 1 ,  i - j  ≤ w , = 0 ,  i - j  & gt ; w ,  ( 10 ) where w is an integer 1 or greater . using eq . ( 10 ), eq . ( 9 ) simplifies to m = ∑ i = 1 p  ∑ j = i - w i + w  n  ( h i )  n  ( h j ) . ( 11 ) the subexpression ∑ j = i - w i + w  n  ( h j ) ( 12 ) is a sliding sum which can be updated rapidly from previously evaluated sums through the relation , ∑ j = i - w i + w  n  ( h j ) = ∑ j = ( i - 1 ) - w ( i - 1 + w )  n  ( h j ) + n  ( h i + w ) - n  ( h i - 1 - w ) . ( 13 ) so as i is incremented in the summation of eq . ( 11 ), the subexpression in eq . ( 12 ) can be evaluated with one addition and one subtraction using eq . ( 13 ). therefore , the calculation of the merit function m from eq . ( 11 ) scales just by p rather than p2 . referring now to fig3 a block diagram of the hardware for the histogram accelerator is shown . the histogram accelerator is a dedicated calculator for producing histograms of a height image to which has been applied prescribed x and y tilts . this computation represents the bulk of the work in detilting ; thus it is the most logical candidate for hardware acceleration techniques . decimator 52 sub - samples the height image and the modulation index image , transferring them into frame buffers 56 and 54 , respectively . adder 58 receives height input from frame buffer 56 . address generator 62 provides the pixel address to frame buffer 56 , which transfers the height of the selected pixel to adder 58 . further , address generator 62 sends the pixel address to x - axis tilt generator 64 and y - axis tilt generator 66 , as shown in fig3 . these tilt generators calculate the height of a plane of the prescribed tilt and apply them also to adder 58 . adder 58 sends the resulting sum to digital histogrammer 68 . digital signal processor ( dsp ) 72 receives histogram input from digital histogrammer 68 , and sends output to x - axis tilt generator 64 , y - axis tilt generator 66 and address generator 62 . the cooperative operation of the histogram accelerator and the algorithm of the present invention is of particular significance . referring now to fig2 and 3 , after the software receives the begin command under block 30 , the next step is to initialize tilt under block 32 . the initialization command is directed to decimator 52 . decimator 52 decimates height and modulation index data from the images generated by the image processing system . there are at least two decimators to decimate at two different frequencies , in order to reduce the effects of aliasing caused by the decimation . primarily , the histogram data is weighted by modulation index 54 , which suppresses background noise from the data . the modulation index 54 data is then digitized by histogrammer 68 . the frame buffer holds an array of at least 256 × 256 pixels , with a depth of at least 8 bits . the height of the reference plane is calculated in the manner discussed hereinabove for a known address , obtained - from address generator 62 . the height is then transferred to adder 58 . adder 58 sums the height data , the x - tilt and the y - tilt data . the output from adder 58 is input into histogrammer 68 where the register at the address corresponding to the calculated height is incremented by an amount equal to the modulation index at that location . the software utilizes the digitized data to calculate the merit function under block 34 and proceeds in the manner shown in fig2 . as mentioned earlier , a two - dimensional iterative search is used to find the x - and y - tilt where the merit function is maximal . it is appropriate at this point to elaborate on these iterative techniques . since the height image is roughly square , and the pixels are also square , it should not be surprising that the merit function varies similarly with respect to x - and y - tilts . because of this , the contours of equal merit are roughly circular ; an effective optimization procedure is to perform four successive one - dimensional optimizations along the x - and y - axes . it is possible that more sophisticated procedures would give better performance , but the present strategy has proved satisfactory in practice . the one - dimensional optimizations are carried out by a well - known procedure known as the “ golden mean ” algorithm [ press , et al ., 1992 ]. the interested reader will find it well described in the reference cited , but a brief summary of the method follows : three abscissae are chosen which bracket the desired maximum . the larger interval is subdivided so that the ratio of intervals is the golden mean ( φ =( 1 + 5 )/ 2 ). the abscissa having the highest merit function , and its immediate neighbor on each side , are kept for the next iteration ; the fourth value is discarded . this procedure converges linearly with a rate of 1 / φ . more sophisticated procedures could be devised , but the golden mean algorithm is very robust ; its performance is relatively insensitive to noise in the data , and it degrades gracefully under adverse conditions . these are important considerations for embedded software . ( press , william h ., saul a . teukolsky , william t . vetterling and brian p . flannery , numerical recipes in c , 2nd ed . ( cambridge university press , 1992 ).) having thus described the preferred embodiment of this invention those skilled in the art will readily appreciate the other embodiments , modifications and variations which can be made to the method and apparatus of the present invention without departing from the scope of the claims provided below .	6
all percentages are by weight of the total composition unless specifically stated otherwise . all ratios are weight ratios unless specifically stated otherwise . the term “ hydrophobic ,” as used herein , refers to the property of a surface to repel water with a water contact angle greater than about 90 °. the term “ superhydrophobic ” refers to the property of a surface to repel water very effectively . this property is quantified by a water contact angle generally exceeding 150 °. the term “ hydrophilic ,” as used herein , refers to surfaces with water contact angles well below 90 °. as used herein , the term “ breathability ” refers to the water vapor transmission rate ( wvtr ) of an area of film . breathability is measured in grams of water per square meter per day . for purposes of the present disclosure , a film is “ breathable ” if it has a wvtr of at least 800 grams per square meter per 24 hours as calculated using the mocon test method , which is described in detail below . as used herein , the term “ nonwoven web ” or “ nonwoven fabric ” means a web having a structure of individual fibers or threads that are interlaid , but not in an identifiable manner as in a knitted web . nonwoven webs have been formed from many processes , such as , for example , meltblowing processes , spunbonding processes , air - laying processes , coforming processes , bonded carded web processes , and tissue and towel manufacturing processes . the basis weight of nonwoven webs is usually expressed in ounces of material per square yard ( osy ) or grams per square meter ( gsm ) and the fiber diameters are usually expressed in microns , or in the case of staple fibers , in denier . it is noted that to convert from osy to gsm , multiply osy by 33 . 91 . as used herein the term “ spunbond fibers ” refers to small diameter fibers of molecularly oriented polymeric material . spunbond fibers can be formed by extruding molten thermoplastic material as fibers from a plurality of fine , usually circular capillaries of a spinneret with the diameter of the extruded fibers then being rapidly reduced as in , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 340 , 563 to appel et al ., and u . s . pat . no . 3 , 692 , 618 to dorschner et al ., u . s . pat . no . 3 , 802 , 817 to matsuki et al ., u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 338 , 992 and 3 , 341 , 394 to kinney , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 502 , 763 to hartman , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 542 , 615 to dobo et al , and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 382 , 400 to pike et al . spunbond fibers are generally not tacky when they are deposited onto a collecting surface and are generally continuous . spunbond fibers are often about 10 microns or greater in diameter . however , fine fiber spunbond webs ( having an average fiber diameter less than about 10 microns ) can be achieved by various methods including , but not limited to , those described in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 200 , 669 to marmon et al . and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 759 , 926 to pike et al . meltblown nonwoven webs are prepared from meltblown fibers . as used herein the term “ meltblown fibers ” means fibers formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of fine , usually circular , die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into converging high velocity , usually hot , gas ( e . g . air ) streams that attenuate the filaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter , which can be to microfiber diameter . thereafter , the meltblown fibers are carried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers . such a process is disclosed , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 849 , 241 to buntin . meltblown fibers are microfibers that can be continuous or discontinuous , are generally smaller than 10 microns in average diameter ( using a sample size of at least 10 ), and are generally tacky when deposited onto a collecting surface . as used herein , the term “ polymer ” generally includes , but is not limited to , homopolymers , copolymers , such as for example , block , graft , random and alternating copolymers , terpolymers , etc . and blends and modifications thereof . furthermore , unless otherwise specifically limited , the term “ polymer ” shall include all possible geometrical configurations of the molecule . these configurations include , but are not limited to isotactic , syndiotactic and random symmetries . as used herein , the term “ multicomponent fibers ” refers to fibers or filaments that have been formed from at least two polymers extruded from separate extruders but spun together to form one fiber . multicomponent fibers are also sometimes referred to as “ conjugate ” or “ bicomponent ” fibers or filaments . the term “ bicomponent ” means that there are two polymeric components making up the fibers . the polymers are usually different from each other , although conjugate fibers can be prepared from the same polymer , if the polymer in each component is different from one another in some physical property , such as , for example , melting point , glass transition temperature or the softening point . in all cases , the polymers are arranged in substantially constantly positioned distinct zones across the cross - section of the multicomponent fibers or filaments and extend continuously along the length of the multicomponent fibers or filaments . the configuration of such a multicomponent fiber can be , for example , a sheath / core arrangement , wherein one polymer is surrounded by another , a side - by - side arrangement , a pie arrangement or an “ islands - in - the - sea ” arrangement . multicomponent fibers are taught in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 108 , 820 to kaneko et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 336 , 552 to strack et al . ; and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 382 , 400 to pike et al . for two component fibers or filaments , the polymers can be present in ratios of 75 / 25 , 50 / 50 , 25 / 75 or any other desired ratios . as used herein , the term “ multiconstituent fibers ” refers to fibers that have been formed from at least two polymers extruded from the same extruder as a blend or mixture . multiconstituent fibers do not have the various polymer components arranged in relatively constantly positioned distinct zones across the cross - sectional area of the fiber and the various polymers are usually not continuous along the entire length of the fiber , instead usually forming fibrils or protofibrils that start and end at random . fibers of this general type are discussed in , for example , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 108 , 827 and 5 , 294 , 482 to gessner . as used herein , the term “ substantially continuous fibers ” is intended to mean fiber that have a length that is greater that the length of staple fibers . the term is intended to include fibers that are continuous , such as spunbond fibers , and fibers that are not continuous , but have a defined length greater than about 150 millimeters . as used herein , the term “ staple fibers ” means fibers that have a fiber length generally in the range of about 0 . 5 to about 150 millimeters . staple fibers can be cellulosic fibers or non - cellulosic fibers . some examples of suitable non - cellulosic fibers that can be used include , but are not limited to , polyolefin fibers , polyester fibers , nylon fibers , polyvinyl acetate fibers , and mixtures thereof . cellulosic staple fibers include for example , pulp , thermomechanical pulp , synthetic cellulosic fibers , modified cellulosic fibers , and the like . cellulosic fibers can be obtained from secondary or recycled sources . some examples of suitable cellulosic fiber sources include virgin wood fibers , such as thermomechanical , bleached and unbleached softwood and hardwood pulps . secondary or recycled cellulosic fibers can be obtained from office waste , newsprint , brown paper stock , paperboard scrap , etc ., can also be used . further , vegetable fibers , such as abaca , flax , milkweed , cotton , modified cotton , cotton linters , can also be used as the cellulosic fibers . in addition , synthetic cellulosic fibers such as , for example , rayon and viscose rayon can be used . modified cellulosic fibers are generally are composed of derivatives of cellulose formed by substitution of appropriate radicals ( e . g ., carboxyl , alkyl , acetate , nitrate , etc .) for hydroxyl groups along the carbon chain . as used herein , the term “ pulp ” refers to fibers from natural sources such as woody and non - woody plants . woody plants include , for example , deciduous and coniferous trees . non - woody plants include , for example , cotton , flax , esparto grass , milkweed , straw , jute , hemp , and bagasse . as used herein , “ tissue products ” are meant to include facial tissue , bath tissue , towels , hankies , napkins and the like . the present disclosure is useful with tissue products and tissue paper in general , including but not limited to conventionally felt - pressed tissue paper , high bulk pattern densified tissue paper , and high bulk , uncompacted tissue paper . the present disclosure relates to a surface of a hydrophilic substrate , or the substrate itself , exhibiting hydrophobic characteristics when treated with certain compositions . the hydrophobicity can be applied either over the entire surface , patterned throughout or on the substrate material , and / or directly penetrated through the z - directional thickness of the substrate material . materials such as diaper outercover spunbond - film laminate or surgical gown sms are currently used to prevent liquid from penetrating through the material and onto the user or into the user &# 39 ; s environment . these materials use film or meltblown made from hydrophobic polymers as barrier materials to prevent fluid penetration . on the other hand , many hydrophilic materials are currently used in various applications , the materials including those such as coform and hydroknit brand towel ( available from kimberly - clark ) for wipes as well as cellulosic tissues for facial and bath tissues . these materials are absorptive and thus not useful as barriers to aqueous fluids . tissue - based materials tend to be less expensive than polymeric laminates and films . therefore , it would be desirable to use these as barrier materials if adequate function can be engineered . the primary functions of a diaper outer cover are to isolate the contents of the inside of a diaper ( e . g . body fluids ) from the environment and to keep the entire product together over its useful life through disposal . film - based substrates have been the choice historically because they can achieve this function at a low cost with a widely available material — polyethylene film . over time , several features have been added to the outer cover including breathability ( for skin health ), cloth - like feel ( tactile consumer benefit ) and graphics ( visual consumer aesthetics ). this has necessitated an increase in base cost of the outer cover due to additional materials , process steps , and handling requirements . the materials described herein chooses a different starting point — a porous tissue - based substrate — to study the possibility of producing a material with a barrier function while maintaining breathability and not significantly increasing cost . in addition , tissue might be more widely available , particularly globally . this disclosure focuses on the outer cover portion of a diaper , and how to develop tissue that provides a water barrier such that it can function as an outer cover . tissue is typically a highly absorbent , highly porous material that is unusable as a water barrier . three basic aspects of functionality that are important to understand and influence are 1 ) breathability — greater than a threshold vapor permeability ; 2 ) liquid barrier — resistant to liquid transfer from a saturated absorbent ; and 3 ) durability — abrasion and poke - through resistance . the durability requirement stems from the need to keep the product contents together through the life of the article . the most stringent requirements likely are when the absorbent is saturated and the outer cover is subjected to deformation in use . breathability is likely not an issue with this approach except that it can be too high such that there is a damp feel . prior work has described how to mitigate this effect , see u . s . pat . no . 6 , 369 , 292 , which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent is does not conflict herewith . liquid barrier is a challenge that is particularly tough for this approach because the starting point is a porous material that can be naturally hydrophilic . surface energetics and pore size need to be controlled to ensure that the fabric has sufficient fluid transfer resistance . barrier performance with air permeability can be accomplished by coating a hydrophilic , fibrous substrate with both a polyolefin dispersion and a hydrophobic component . it was found that a combination of two treatments provided the desired benefits on a tissue / towel - based substrate . the best performance observed was the use of substrate a , a double recreped tissue with printed latex and creped on both sides as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 277 , 241 , which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent it does not conflict herewith , and sold commercially as scott brand scrub cloths . substrate b is an uctad tissue with printed latex and creped on one side as described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 462 , 258 , which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent it does not conflict herewith , and sold commercially as viva brand paper towels . the first step is coating the substrate with a polyolefin dispersion such as a polyethylene copolymer dispersion commercially available as hypod 8510 from dow chemical , freeport , tex ., u . s . a ., as described in more detail below . this can be done via standard application methods including spray / crepe and foam / crepe processes such as those described in u . s . patent publication nos . us20070137810 , us20070137809 , and us20120160400 , and in u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 905 , 429 , each of which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent it does not conflict herewith . uniformity of this coating step is important to ensure uniformity of the subsequent treatment in the second step . the second step is coating the polymeric - dispersion treated substrate with a hydrophobic chemistry , as described in more detail below . such hydrophobic chemistries can include daikin unidyne kco3 fluorinated water and oil repellent , formulation iii , or formulation v described below . unidyne kco3 fluorinated water and oil repellent is a chemical produced by daikin america . formulation iii is 5 percent pmc , a 20 wt . % dispersion of a fluorinated ethylene - acrylic copolymer in water , as obtained from dupont ( trade name capstone st - 100 ), and 95 percent water . formulation v is pmc , water , and a hydrophilic nano - structured filler ( nanomer brand pgv nanoclay from sigma aldrich ), which is a bentonite clay without organic modification . in formulation v , the hydrophilic nanoclay is added to water and is sonicated until a stable suspension is produced . formulations iii and v are further described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 193 , 065 , which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent it does not conflict herewith . the approach that was taken in this work was to experiment with additives and treatments that have been used previously to impart water barriers . the additives used were various sizing chemistries that tend to make the bulk hydrophobic . to provide a barrier function , only the surface of a substrate needs to be hydrophobic . as a result , the bulk approach is inefficient in terms of the level of chemistry added . however , additives in the wet end are easy to incorporate compared to surface treatments . the treatments used include a polyolefin dispersion applied using creping and several hydrophobic treatments that were applied by spray . both the additive and treatment approaches rely on creating hydrophobic surfaces in the substrate . these need to be complemented with small pore size within the substrate as well to maintain good barrier . sheet density and size of fibers used to form the substrate , for example , are well known ways to control pore size . several examples are detailed herein , leading to the conclusion that the combination of the polyolefin dispersion and hydrophobic treatments yields unexpected benefits , where one or the other treatment alone does not provide the desired benefits . suitable substrates of the present disclosure can include a nonwoven fabric , woven fabric , knit fabric , or laminates of these materials , to include a tissue or towel , as described herein . materials and processes suitable for forming such substrate are generally well known to those skilled in the art . for instance , some examples of nonwoven fabrics that can be used in the present disclosure include , but are not limited to , spunbonded webs , meltblown webs , bonded carded webs , air - laid webs , coform webs , spunlace nonwoven web , hydraulically entangled webs , and the like . in each case , at least one of the fibers used to prepare the nonwoven fabric is a thermoplastic material containing fiber . in addition , nonwoven fabrics can be a combination of thermoplastic fibers and natural fibers , such as , for example , cellulosic fibers ( softwood pulp , hardwood pulp , thermomechanical pulp , etc .). generally , from the standpoint of cost and desired properties , the substrate of the present disclosure is a hydrophilic nonwoven fabric . if desired , the nonwoven fabric can also be bonded using techniques well known in the art to improve the durability , strength , hand , aesthetics , texture , and / or other properties of the fabric . for instance , the nonwoven fabric can be thermally ( e . g ., pattern bonded , through - air dried ), ultrasonically , adhesively and / or mechanically ( e . g . needled ) bonded . for instance , various pattern bonding techniques are described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 855 , 046 to hansen ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 620 , 779 to levy , et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 962 , 112 to haynes , et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 093 , 665 to sayovitz , et al . ; u . s . design pat . no . 428 , 267 to romano , et al . ; and u . s . design pat . no . 390 , 708 to brown . in another aspect , the substrate of the present disclosure is formed from a spunbonded web containing monocomponent and / or multicomponent fibers . multicomponent fibers are fibers that have been formed from at least two polymer components . such fibers are usually extruded from separate extruders but spun together to form one fiber . the polymers of the respective components are usually different from each other although multicomponent fibers can include separate components of similar or identical polymeric materials . the individual components are typically arranged in substantially constantly positioned distinct zones across the cross - section of the fiber and extend substantially along the entire length of the fiber . the configuration of such fibers can be , for example , a side - by - side arrangement , a pie arrangement , or any other arrangement . when used , multicomponent fibers can also be splittable . in fabricating multicomponent fibers that are splittable , the individual segments that collectively form the unitary multicomponent fiber are contiguous along the longitudinal direction of the multicomponent fiber in a manner such that one or more segments form part of the outer surface of the unitary multicomponent fiber . in other words , one or more segments are exposed along the outer perimeter of the multicomponent fiber . for example , splittable multicomponent fibers and methods for making such fibers are described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 935 , 883 to pike and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 200 , 669 to marmon , et al . the substrate of the present disclosure can also contain a coform material . the term “ coform material ” generally refers to composite materials including a mixture or stabilized matrix of thermoplastic fibers and a second non - thermoplastic material . as an example , coform materials can be made by a process in which at least one meltblown die head is arranged near a chute through which other materials are added to the web while it is forming . such other materials can include , but are not limited to , fibrous organic materials such as woody or non - woody pulp such as cotton , rayon , recycled paper , pulp fluff and also superabsorbent particles , inorganic absorbent materials , treated polymeric staple fibers and the like . some examples of such coform materials are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 100 , 324 to anderson , et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 284 , 703 to everhart , et al . ; and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 350 , 624 to georger , et al . additionally , the substrate can also be formed from a material that is imparted with texture one or more surfaces . for instance , in some aspects , the substrate can be formed from a dual - textured spunbond or meltblown material , such as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 659 , 609 to lamers , et al . and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 833 , 003 to win , et al . in one particular aspect of the present disclosure , the substrate is formed from a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric . hydroentangling processes and hydroentangled composite webs containing various combinations of different fibers are known in the art . a typical hydroentangling process utilizes high pressure jet streams of water to entangle fibers and / or filaments to form a highly entangled consolidated fibrous structure , e . g ., a nonwoven fabric . hydroentangled nonwoven fabrics of staple length fibers and continuous filaments are disclosed , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 494 , 821 to evans and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 144 , 370 . hydroentangled composite nonwoven fabrics of a continuous filament nonwoven web and a pulp layer are disclosed , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 284 , 703 to everhart , et al . and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 315 , 864 to anderson , et al . of these nonwoven fabrics , hydroentangled nonwoven webs with staple fibers entangled with thermoplastic fibers is especially suited as the substrate . in one particular example of a hydroentangled nonwoven web , the staple fibers are hydraulically entangled with substantially continuous thermoplastic fibers . the staple can be cellulosic staple fiber , non - cellulosic staple fibers or a mixture thereof . suitable non - cellulosic staple fibers includes thermoplastic staple fibers , such as polyolefin staple fibers , polyester staple fibers , nylon staple fibers , polyvinyl acetate staple fibers , and the like or mixtures thereof . suitable cellulosic staple fibers include for example , pulp , thermomechanical pulp , synthetic cellulosic fibers , modified cellulosic fibers , and the like . cellulosic fibers can be obtained from secondary or recycled sources . some examples of suitable cellulosic fiber sources include virgin wood fibers , such as thermomechanical , bleached and unbleached softwood and hardwood pulps . secondary or recycled cellulosic fibers can be obtained from office waste , newsprint , brown paper stock , paperboard scrap , etc ., can also be used . further , vegetable fibers , such as abaca , flax , milkweed , cotton , modified cotton , cotton linters , can also be used as the cellulosic fibers . in addition , synthetic cellulosic fibers such as , for example , rayon and viscose rayon can be used . modified cellulosic fibers are generally composed of derivatives of cellulose formed by substitution of appropriate radicals ( e . g ., carboxyl , alkyl , acetate , nitrate , etc .) for hydroxyl groups along the carbon chain . one particularly suitable hydroentangled nonwoven web is a nonwoven web composite of polypropylene spunbond fibers , which are substantially continuous fibers , having pulp fibers hydraulically entangled with the spunbond fibers . another particularly suitable hydroentangled nonwoven web is a nonwoven web composite of polypropylene spunbond fibers having a mixture of cellulosic and non - cellulosic staple fibers hydraulically entangled with the spunbond fibers . the substrate of the present disclosure can be prepared solely from thermoplastic fibers or can contain both thermoplastic fibers and non - thermoplastic fibers . generally , when the substrate contains both thermoplastic fibers and non - thermoplastic fibers , the thermoplastic fibers make up from about 10 % to about 90 %, by weight of the substrate . in a particular aspect , the substrate contains between about 10 % and about 30 %, by weight , thermoplastic fibers . for this disclosure , a nonwoven substrate will have a basis weight in the range of about 10 gsm ( grams per square meter ) to about 200 gsm , more typically , between about 15 gsm to about 150 gsm . for particularly suitable substrates , the basis weight will be in the 20 gsm to 50 gsm range . the thermoplastic materials or fibers making - up at least a portion of the substrate can essentially be any thermoplastic polymer . suitable thermoplastic polymers include polyolefins , polyesters , polyamides , polyurethanes , polyvinylchloride , polytetrafluoroethylene , polystyrene , polyethylene terephthalate , biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid and copolymers and blends thereof . suitable polyolefins include polyethylene , e . g ., high density polyethylene , medium density polyethylene , low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene ; polypropylene , e . g ., isotactic polypropylene , syndiotactic polypropylene , blends of isotactic polypropylene and atactic polypropylene , and blends thereof ; polybutylene , e . g ., poly ( l - butene ) and poly ( 2 - butene ); polypentene , e . g ., poly ( l - pentene ) and poly ( 2 - pentene ); poly ( 3 - methyl - 1 - pentene ); poly ( 4 - methyl 1 - pentene ); and copolymers and blends thereof . suitable copolymers include random and block copolymers prepared from two or more different unsaturated olefin monomers , such as ethylene / propylene and ethylene / butylene copolymers . suitable polyamides include nylon 6 , nylon 6 / 6 , nylon 4 / 6 , nylon 11 , nylon 12 , nylon 6 / 10 , nylon 6 / 12 , nylon 12 / 12 , copolymers of caprolactam and alkylene oxide diamine , and the like , as well as blends and copolymers thereof . suitable polyesters include polyethylene terephthalate , polytrimethylene terephthalate , polybutylene terephthalate , polytetramethylene terephthalate , polycyclohexylene - 1 , 4 - dimethylene terephthalate , and isophthalate copolymers thereof , as well as blends thereof . these thermoplastic polymers can be used to prepare both substantially continuous fibers and staple fibers , in accordance with the present disclosure . in another aspect , the substrate can be a tissue product . the tissue product can be of a homogenous or multi - layered construction , and tissue products made therefrom can be of a single - ply or multi - ply construction . the tissue product desirably has a basis weight of about 10 g / m2 to about 65 g / m2 , and density of about 0 . 04 g / cc or more . more desirably , the basis weight will be about 40 g / m2 or less and the density will be about 0 . 2 g / cc or more . most desirably , the density will be about 0 . 3 g / cc or more . unless otherwise specified , all amounts and weights relative to the paper are on a dry basis . tensile strengths in the machine direction can be in the range of from about 100 to about 5 , 000 grams per inch of width . tensile strengths in the cross - machine direction are from about 50 grams to about 2 , 500 grams per inch of width . absorbency is typically from about 5 grams of water per gram of substrate to about 9 grams of water per gram of substrate prior to any treatment being applied . conventionally pressed tissue products and methods for making such products are well known in the art . tissue products are typically made by depositing a papermaking furnish on a foraminous forming wire , often referred to in the art as a fourdrinier wire . once the furnish is deposited on the forming wire , it is referred to as a web . the web is dewatered by pressing the web and drying at elevated temperature . the particular techniques and typical equipment for making webs according to the process just described are well known to those skilled in the art . in a typical process , a low consistency pulp furnish is provided from a pressurized headbox , which has an opening for delivering a thin deposit of pulp furnish onto the fourdrinier wire to form a wet web . the web is then typically dewatered to a fiber consistency of from about 7 % to about 25 % ( total web weight basis ) by vacuum dewatering and further dried by pressing operations wherein the web is subjected to pressure developed by opposing mechanical members , for example , cylindrical rolls . the dewatered web is then further pressed and dried by a steam drum apparatus known in the art as a yankee dryer . pressure can be developed at the yankee dryer by mechanical means such as an opposing cylindrical drum pressing against the web . multiple yankee dryer drums can be employed , whereby additional pressing is optionally incurred between the drums . the formed sheets are considered to be compacted because the entire web is subjected to substantial mechanical compressional forces while the fibers are moist and are then dried while in a compressed state . one particular aspect of the present disclosure utilizes an uncreped through - air - drying technique to form the tissue product . through - air - drying can increase the bulk and softness of the web . examples of such a technique are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 048 , 589 to cook , et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 399 , 412 to sudall , et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 510 , 001 to hermans , et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 591 , 309 to ruqowski , et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 017 , 417 to wendt , et al ., and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 432 , 270 to liu , et al . uncreped through - air - drying generally involves the steps of : ( 1 ) forming a furnish of cellulosic fibers , water , and optionally , other additives ; ( 2 ) depositing the furnish on a traveling foraminous belt , thereby forming a fibrous web on top of the traveling foraminous belt ; ( 3 ) subjecting the fibrous web to through - air - drying to remove the water from the fibrous web ; and ( 4 ) removing the dried fibrous web from the traveling foraminous belt . hypod 8510 polyolefin dispersion is a dow chemical product that can be used to provide softness for the facial tissue . hypod polyolefin dispersion is a polyolefin dispersion ; polyolefin dispersions typically have very low surface energy and do not wet out well , are inert chemically , and are water based . some advantages of the polyolefin dispersion are 1 ) water resistance , 2 ) oil and grease resistance , 3 ) heat seal ability , 4 ) low temperature flexibility , and 5 ) it can be applied using low viscosity methods such as spraying , printing , and foaming . the ethylene octene copolymer contributes softness and the ethylene acrylic acid is the binder that keeps the particles from agglomerating in the dispersion . the use of hypod polyolefin dispersion is further described in u . s . patent publication no . us20120164200 and in u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 905 , 429 , each of which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent it does not conflict herewith . the hydrophobic component is a hydrophobic polymer that is dispersible in water to form the basic elements of the hydrophobic properties of the present disclosure . in general , a hydrophobic component of this disclosure can include , but is not limited to , fluorinated or perfluorinated polymers . however , due to low degree of water dispersibility , the fluorinated or perfluorinated polymer can need to be modified by introducing a comonomer onto their molecular structure . suitable comonomers include , but are not limited to , ethylenically unsaturated monomers including functional groups that are capable of being ionized in water . one example is ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid , such as acrylic acid . the amount of the comonomer within the hydrophobic component is determined by balancing two properties : hydrophobicity and water dispersibility . one example of the hydrophobic component of this disclosure is a commercially available modified perfluorinated polymer compound available from dupont as a water - based product under the trade name capstone stc - 100 . due to its low surface energy , the polymer contributes to the hydrophobicity . additionally , the polymer molecules can be modified to contain groups , such as amines , that can become charged upon ph reduction and alter the dynamics of hydrophobicity within the liquid dispersion . in such a case , the polymer can stabilize in water through partial interaction . surfactants that are introduced into the composition can also behave as dispersants of the polymer , thereby also altering some of the hydrophobic mechanics . hydrophobic coatings are further described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 193 , 065 , which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent it does not conflict herewith . the solid components of the present disclosure can be present in an amount from about 1 . 0 % to about 3 . 0 %, by weight of the solution . such an amount is suitable for spray applications where higher concentrations of polymer can lead to either viscoelastic behavior , resulting in either clogging of the spray nozzle or incomplete atomization and fiber formation , or dramatic increases in dispersion viscosity and thus nozzle clogging . it should be noted that this range is not fixed and that it is a function of the materials being utilized and the procedure used to prepare the dispersion . when a higher amount of the polymer is used , the surface structure is less desirable as it lacks the proper texture to be hydrophobic . when a lower amount of the polymer is used , the binding is less desirable as the coating behaves more so as a removable powder coating . unidyne kco3 fluorinated water and oil repellent is composed of water , flouroalkyl methacrylate copolymer , emulsifiers , and tripropylene glycol . it is a cost effective , soil resistant , oil and water repellant flouropolymer . the function of water and oil repellency is due to unidyne kco3 fluorinated water and oil repellent reducing the surface energy . this reduction of surface energy is due to the fluorine that is present . daikin unidyne products have been investigated in the past and is currently used in , for example , surgical gowns . dupont capstone stc - 100 is an aqueous flourochemical dispersion that provides a transparent protective barrier against oil and water on porous surfaces . fennosize bmp sizing is available from kemira chemicals , helsinki , finland . it is a water - dispersible surface sizing . polygraphix sizing is also available from kemira chemicals . precis 2090 sizing is an internal alkyl ketene dimer ( akd ) sizing agent from hercules corporation . internal sizing is also based on lowering the surface energy of the cellulose . the bulk sizing technique includes an akd molecule binding to the cellulose fiber . the formulation used in treating the surface of the present disclosure eliminates the use of an organic solvent by carefully selecting the appropriate combination of elements to impart the hydrophobic characteristics . preferably , the non - organic solvent is water . any type of water can be used ; however , demineralized or distilled water can be opted for use during the manufacturing process for enhanced capabilities . the use of water helps to reduce the safety concerns associated with making commercial scale formulations including organic solvents . for example , due to the high volatility and flammability of most organic solvents , eliminating such use in the composition reduces production safety hazards . additionally , production costs can be lowered with the elimination of ventilation and fire prevention equipment necessitated by organic solvents . raw material costs can be reduced in addition to the transportation of such materials as an added advantage to utilizing the non - organic solvent formulation to arrive at the present disclosure . the formulation used to treat the surface of the present disclosure includes greater than about 95 %, greater than about 98 %, or about 99 % water , by weight of the dispersion composition . the hydrophobic polymers within the formulation of the present disclosure can play a dual role in acting both as a hydrophobic component and a binder . polymers such as dupont capstone stc - 100 promote adhesion , as compared to the fluorinated polymer alone , so that an additional binder within the composition is not necessary . if a water - dispersible hydrophobic polymer is used wherein an additional binder is needed , it is preferred that the binder is selected from water - dispersible acrylics , polyurethane dispersions , acrylic copolymers , or acrylic polymer precursors ( which can cross link after the coating is cured ). the amount of the binder present within the formulation of the present disclosure can vary . a binder can be included in an effective amount of up to about 2 . 0 % by weight of the total dispersion composition . the formulation within the present disclosure can be additionally treated with a stabilizing agent to promote the formation of a stable dispersion when other ingredients are added to it . the stabilizing agent can be a surfactant , a polymer , or mixtures thereof . if a polymer acts as a stabilizing agent , it is preferred that the polymer differ from the hydrophobic component used within the base composition previously described . additional stabilizing agents can include , but are not limited to , cationic surfactants such as quaternary amines ; anionic surfactants such as sulfonates , carboxylates , and phosphates ; or nonionic surfactants such as block copolymers containing ethylene oxide and silicone surfactants . the surfactants can be either external or internal . external surfactants do not become chemically reacted into the base polymer during dispersion preparation . examples of external surfactants useful herein include , but are not limited to , salts of dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid and lauryl sulfonic acid salt . internal surfactants are surfactants that do become chemically reacted into the base polymer during dispersion preparation . an example of an internal surfactant useful herein includes 2 , 2 - dimethylol propionic acid and its salts . in some aspects , the stabilizing agent used within the composition to treat the surface of the present disclosure can be used in an amount ranging from greater than zero to about 80 % of the hydrophobic component . for example , long chain fatty acids or salts thereof can be used from about 0 . 5 % to about 10 % by weight based on the amount of hydrophobic component . in other aspects , ethylene - acrylic acid or ethylene - methacrylic acid copolymers can be used in an amount up to about 80 %, by weight based of hydrophobic component . in yet other aspects , sulfonic acid salts can be used in an amount from about 0 . 01 % to about 60 % by weight based on the weight of the hydrophobic component . other mild acids , such as those in the carboxylic acid family ( e . g ., formic acid ), can also be included in order to further stabilize the dispersion . in an aspect that includes formic acid , the formic acid can be present in an amount that is determined by the desired ph of the dispersion wherein the ph is less than about 6 . the composition used to treat the surface of the present disclosure can further include one or more fillers . the composition can include from about 0 . 01 to about 600 parts , by weight of the hydrophobic component , for example , polyolefin and the stabilizing agent . in certain aspects , the filler loading in the composition can be from about 0 . 01 to about 200 parts by the weight of the hydrophobic component , for example , polyolefin , and the stabilizing agent . it is preferred that such filler material , if used , be hydrophilic . the filler material can include conventional fillers such as milled glass , calcium carbonate , aluminum trihydrate , talc , antimony trioxide , fly ash , clays ( such as bentonite or kaolin clays for example ), or other known fillers . untreated clays and talc are usually hydrophilic by nature . the following are provided for exemplary purposes to facilitate understanding of the disclosure and should not be construed to limit the disclosure to the examples . for the substrates that were coated with unidyne kco3 fluorinated water and oil repellent , formulation iii , formulation v , fennosize sizing , precis sizing , and polygraphix sizing were added onto at a low , medium , and high level . low was approximately 1 gsm , medium was approximately 5 gsm , and high was approximately 10 gsm . these chemistries were added on using an atomizing sprayer and an allen bradley panelview controller 550 . substrate a and substrate b samples were coated twice on each side using the following creping technique : the chemicals were foamed and then applied to the dryer surface . this creping technique improves application efficiency by reducing waste because the chemistry applicator can be placed in much closer proximity to the dryer surface than liquid spray tips ( ¼ ″ vs . 4 ″). liquid and air was pumped into a mixer that blends the air into the fluid and produces foam that contains fine bubbles . this foam exits the mixer and flows to an applicator that is placed closely to the dryer surface to uniformly distribute the foam . handsheet samples were made with 70 % pictou pulp and 30 % eucalyptus pulp . the precis sizing addition was added into the pulp water mixture per the required concentration . the following precis sizing handsheets were created : control : no precis sizing , 2 lbs precis sizing / mt pulp , 4 lbs precis sizing / mt pulp , 8 lbs precis sizing / mt pulp , 16 lbs precis sizing / mt pulp , 32 lbs precis sizing / mt pulp . a set of handsheets with each level of precis sizing add - on was then spray coated with unidyne kco3 fluorinated water and oil repellent chemistry and another set with formulation v . the drop test was the initial screening method for these samples . a drop of water was placed on the sample and a stop watch was started . when the sample penetrated or was absorbed , the stop watch was stopped and the time was noted . if the drop penetrated in under 60 seconds , those samples were discarded . if a drop stayed at least 60 seconds , then those samples were tested with functional water barrier testing and hydrohead . samples that had to be eliminated via this technique were all substrates that had been treated with polygraph ix sizing chemistry and substrates with low add - ons of the fennosize sizing chemistry . substrates that were coated with only hypod polyolefin dispersion also did not pass this test . hydrohead was measured with hydrohead equipment that was created in the university of illinois in chicago . water is pumped into a column graded for centimeters of water . the sample is attached to the bottom of the column , treated side toward the water . a mirror is placed on the underside of the sample . when the first drop is visualized , the valve is closed and the height of the water is recorded . fig9 shows an image of the apparatus . data shows that hydrohead trend can increase slightly with add - on level but is mainly dictated by substrate . hypod polyolefin dispersion coated substrate a and substrate b generally have higher hydrohead than non - hypod polyolefin dispersion coated samples . fig1 shows hydrohead trends for these substrates . handsheets increase in hydrohead as size concentration is increased and then decreases . fig2 shows the effect of bulk sizing on the handsheets . the purpose of the functional water barrier test is to help determine the ability of treated substrates to withstand insults of water meant to replicate a baby &# 39 ; s urine . the test is done by placing a piece of blotter paper beneath the treated substrate . a diaper core is placed atop the substrate and insulted with saline . a weight is then placed on the diaper core and left to rest for 15 minutes . the blotter paper is then weighed and compared to its starting weight to determine the substrates effectiveness . 1 ) weigh blotter papers and diapers cores . record measurements in spreadsheet . keep as matched pairs for proper calculations . 2 ) fill syringes with total of 127 ml per sample , three samples per code . 3 ) layer blotter paper , treated substrate within plastic shield and diaper cores . 4 ) insult sample with 127 ml of saline and start timer for 15 minutes . 5 ) wait one minute and place weight on top of stack . it was found that there were three regimes of water barrier with this kind of testing : “ no barrier ”— where the saline permeated the outer cover sample ; “ barrier : feels clammy ”— where the amount of saline that permeated the outer cover was so low it was more of a water vapor transmission ; and “ barrier : feels dry ”— where the amount of saline that permeated the outer cover was either none or was so low that it was not detectable by touch , only by gravimetric analysis . fig3 and 4 show the substrate a and substrate b based samples that fell into the regimes . fig5 shows the functional water barrier test behavior for handsheets . handsheet barrier falls from no barrier to “ feels clammy ” with the smallest sizing amount and then slightly increases but stays in that “ feels clammy ” regime . handsheets with hydrophobic chemistries in addition to the sizing fall into the same “ feels clammy ” regime , even with zero sizing . the hydrophobic add - ons were approximately 0 . 1 gsm for nanoclay and 2 gsm for unidyne kco3 fluorinated water and oil repellent . the samples were tested for air permeability . the air permeability testing was standard test method ( stm ) eq - stm - 3801 : “ air permeability — tesxtest fx 3300 .” it was found that like hydrohead , air permeability depended mainly on the type of substrate . fig6 shows air permeability for different samples . substrate b basesheets with hydrophobic chemistries had the most permeability , then substrate a samples , and then any samples that were coated with polyolefin dispersion and hydrophobic chemistries . handsheets had the least amount of air permeability . the air permeability of a standard asfl outer cover is zero . the typical test method to understand the water barrier behavior for diapers is hydrohead . for an outer cover material that provides an adequate water barrier but not necessary a premium water barrier , the hydrohead to be achieved can potentially be much less than the hydrohead of standard premium asfl outer covers , which was found to be approximately 137 cm of water . hydrohead is essentially a very robust test that couples strength and impermeability . for an outer cover sample that has been designed for water barrier and not strength , hydrohead measurement can be somewhat of an excessive evaluation that does not necessarily describe the impermeability function . as a result , the functional water barrier test was designed . when hydrohead is plotted against functional water barrier test leakage it can be seen that hydrohead does not necessarily describe all cases of water barrier functionality . for the materials described herein , high hydrohead was always equal to low leakage ; high leakage was always equal to low hydrohead ; but low hydrohead was not equal to high leakage . low hydrohead could have high or low leakage . fig7 illustrates this relationship . note that the functional water barrier test that these hydrohead values were plotted against were carried out in a slightly different way than those in fig3 , 4 , and 5 . the pressure was increased to 0 . 2 psi , the core was insulted with saline to 90 % of its capacity , and a one - minute wait was provided for the absorbent core to begin to absorb the saline before adding the weight . air permeability demonstrated a similar behavior that can be seen in fig8 . high and medium air permeability always had low hydrohead ; however , samples that had low air permeability varied in hydrohead . this is suspected to be due to the presence of larger pore openings . samples that had low permeability were those coated with a polyolefin dispersion or were the very dense handsheets . substrate b had more air permeability than substrate a . the presence of pores not only dictated the air permeability , but also seemed to affect the leakage barrier in the fwbt results shown in fig3 and 4 . it can be seen in both figures that tissue coated with a polyolefin dispersion and a hydrophobic chemistry shows a better leakage barrier than the tissues that only have the hydrophobic chemistry . because of this behavior it is suspected that the water barrier can be achieved by a combination of two mechanisms : surface energy reduction ( from the hydrophobic chemistries ) and pore clogging ( by the polyolefin dispersion coating ). each one of those was not sufficient on its own to create a barrier that felt completely dry . as described herein , it is possible to create a tissue based water barrier that can be used as an outer cover . a combination of a polyolefin dispersion and hydrophobic / superhydrophobic chemistries can be used to achieve this result . the combination was seen to provide a more uniform treatment of the surface . such uniformity is important when the function of interest is a barrier because a single weak point can cause the failure of an entire substrate . prior efforts have focused on treating a basesheet with either a polyolefin dispersion or a hydrophobic / superhydrophobic chemistry . the combination found herein yields unexpected benefit . the dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited . instead , unless otherwise specified , each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value . for example , a dimension disclosed as “ 40 mm ” is intended to mean “ about 40 mm .” all documents cited in the detailed description are , in relevant part , incorporated herein by reference ; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present disclosure . to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference , the meaning or definition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern . while particular aspects of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described , it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure . it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this disclosure .	3
a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described , by way of example , with reference to the accompanying drawings . referring to fig1 an electrochemical sensor 1 comprises a generally cylindrical cup 2 formed from plastics resin material . first and second contact pins 3 , 4 extend through the base of the cup 2 . a layer 5 of potting compound is located immediately over the floor of the cup 2 . a first electrode structure 6 overlays the potting compound . a wad 7 , comprising a roll of glass fibre textile , sits on top of the first electrode structure 6 . the wad 7 is soaked in an electrolyte . a disc - shaped cap 8 is dimensioned to plug the open end of the cup 2 . the cap 8 has an axial , centrally located hole 9 to allow gas to be sensed to pass into the cup 2 . a first wire ( not shown ) extends from the first contact pin 3 and overlays the first electrode structure 6 . a second wire ( not shown ) extends from the second contact pin 4 , up the inside of the cup 2 , and between the wad 7 and the second electrode structure 11 to provide a connection thereto . an aperture 14 is provided in the side wall of the cup 2 . this aperture 14 is stopped with a plug 15 . the first electrode 6 comprises a disc of gas - permeable ptfe , coated on one face with platinum black . the coated face forms an electrode and , in the assembled sensor 1 , contacts the wad 7 . the second electrode structure 11 has the same construction and its coated face is also in contact with the wad 7 in the assembled sensor 1 . the second electrode 11 allows the passage of gas . however , it prevents the electrolyte escaping through the hole 9 in the cap 8 . the wad 7 acts as a wick to ensure that , whatever the orientation of the sensor , the electrode structures 6 , 11 remain in contact with the electrolyte . referring to fig2 a gas detecting apparatus comprises a sensor circuit 21 , a microcomputer 22 for analysing the output of the sensor circuit 21 , a 3v battery 23 , a 28 switching circuit 24 for selectively applying power to the sensor circuit 21 in dependence on a switching signal from the microcomputer 22 , an alarm circuit 25 and a loudspeaker 26 connected to the alarm circuit 25 . the microcomputer 22 comprises a microprocessor 27 , a read - only memory ( rom ) storing a control program , a random - access memory ( ram ) 29 for storing data and an analogue - to - digital converter ( adc ) 30 . the components of the microcomputer 22 are connected by a data and address bus 31 . the adc 30 receives as its input the output of the sensor circuit 21 . the microprocessor 27 is configured to have two 1 - bit wide ports , the first of which is connected to the switching circuit 24 and the second of which is connected to the alarm circuit 25 . the microprocessor 27 is of a type ( e . g . motorola mc146805e2 ) which has a low - power consumption wait mode . cpu timer - generated interrupts are used to wake up the microprocessor 27 from its wait state . referring to fig3 the switching circuit 24 comprises a pnp switching transistor 32 and a resistor 33 connected between the base of the transistor 32 and the first 1 - bit wide port of the microprocessor 27 . the emitter of the transistor 32 is connected to the positive terminal of the battery 23 . the sensor circuit 21 includes an operational amplifier ( op - amp ) 34 , a feedback resistor 35 connected between the output and the inverting input of the op - amp 34 , a resistor 36 connected between the inverting input of the op - amp 34 and earth , a socket 37 for receiving a plug - in electrochemical gas sensor 38 and connecting it in parallel with resistor 36 , a resistor 39 connected between the non - inverting input of the op - amp 34 and earth , a potential divider comprising two series - connected resistors 40 , 41 , and a capacitor 42 connecting the central node of the potential divider to the non - inverting input of the op - amp 34 . one end of resistor 40 is connected to the collector of the switching transistor 32 and one end of resistor 41 is connected to earth . the positive supply terminal of the op - amp 34 is also connected to the collector of the switching transistor 32 . the operation of the gas detecting apparatus will now be described . referring to fig4 when the microprocessor 27 becomes active , it outputs a 0v signal from the first 1 - bit wide port ( step s 1 ) to turn on the switching transistor 32 . this applies power to the sensor circuit 21 . the resistors 40 , 41 of the potential divider have values in a ratio in the region of 99 : 1 . consequently , the voltage at the central node of the potential divider rises rapidly from 0v to approximately 30 mv fig5 ( a )) when the switching transistor 32 is turned on . this induces a corresponding voltage increase , the test signal , on the other side of the capacitor 42 across the resistor 39 ( fig5 ( b )). the voltage across the resistor 39 then decays exponentially . in other words , the capacitor 42 and the resistor 39 form an imperfect differentiator . the rc time constant of the resistor 40 and the capacitor 42 should be much less that that of the resistor 39 and the capacitor 42 . if no gas sensor 38 is plugged into the circuit , the gain of the op - amp 34 is determined by the ratio of the values of the resistor 35 and the resistor 36 ( the well - known formula : a v = r f / r s ). this ratio is of the order of 10 . accordingly , the 30 mv peak signal across the resistor 39 will be amplified and output to the adc 30 with a peak value of 300 mv ( fig5 ( c )). at this point , the microprocessor 27 reads the adc 30 ( step s 2 ). the value read from the adc 30 is compared with a first threshold value , e . g . 1 . 5v , ( step s 3 ). with no sensor 38 present , the value read from the adc 30 will be below the first threshold and the microprocessor 27 then outputs a fault alarm signal to the alarm circuit 25 from the second 1 - bit wide port ( step s 4 ). the fault alarm signal is normally at 0v . however , in the event of a fault , the microprocessor 27 outputs pairs of pulses , the time between pairs being significantly greater that the time between the pulse of a pair . the alarm circuit 25 causes the loudspeaker 26 to output a tone pulse in response to each of the pulses from the microprocessor 27 . the sensor 38 has a large capacitance and consequently very low impedance for the frequency domain components of the transient , that is the test signal , appearing across the resistor 39 . consequently , the gain of the op - amp 34 is very high for the test signal . indeed , the gain is so high that the op - amp &# 39 ; s output saturates at , typically , 2v from the start of the test signal until it has almost completely decayed away ( fig5 ( d )). thus , if a serviceable sensor 38 is present , the value read from the adc at step s 2 will be determined to be greater that the first threshold at step s 3 . in this case , the microprocessor 27 waits for 1 second ( step s 5 ), to allow the output of the op - amp 34 to fall from its saturation level , and then reads the adc again ( step s 6 ). once the adc has been read for the second time , the sensor circuit 21 no longer needs to be active . accordingly , the microprocessor 27 raises the output from its first 1 - bit wide port to 3v ( step s 7 ) to turn off the switching transistor 32 . the value read from the adc at step s 6 , is then compared with a second threshold , representing a predetermined gas concentration ( step s 8 ). if the value is above the threshold , the microprocessor 27 sounds the gas alarm ( step s 9 ). the microprocessor 27 does this by outputting a series of equi - spaced 1 - second pulses from the second 1 - bit wide port . corresponding tone pulses are then output by the loudspeaker 26 . if the second threshold has not been exceeded , the microprocessor 27 enters its dormant or wait state ( step s 10 ). the microprocessor 27 remains in this state until it is woken by an interrupt request generated by its cpu timer ( step s 11 ). once , the microprocessor 27 has “ woken up ”, it returns to step s 1 . in the foregoing , the present invention has been described in the cases where a sensor is either present or absent . however , the present invention is also able to detect when a sensor is present but faulty . one of the failure modes of electrochemical sensors is a break in one of the wires leading to the electrodes . if this occurs , the capacitance of the sensor drops dramatically and the sensor appears as a simple open circuit . in this case , the sensor circuit 21 will behave as if no sensor were present . another failure mode of electrochemical sensors is the loss of electrolyte . if this occurs , the capacitance of the sensor 38 will fall , thereby reducing the gain of the op - amp 34 for the test signal . this will have the effect of shortening the length of the 2v pulse output by the op - amp 34 . a threshold corresponding to an acceptable amount of electrolyte can be set by introducing a delay between steps s 1 and s 2 . in such an arrangement , the longer the delay , the smaller the amount of electrolyte that can be lost before the fault alarm is sounded . the present invention has been described with reference to a gas alarm . however , it is equally applicable to a gas concentration monitoring and / or recording apparatus , in which the gas alarm function is optional . apparatus according to the present invention may be connected to a central station by point - to - point links or over a network . in such systems , the fault and gas alarms would be notified to the central station . neither of the alarm conditions need necessarily be indicated or sounded locally .	6
an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig1 to 5 . the schematic configuration of a multi - beam image forming apparatus having an image forming system as a main body will be described first with reference to fig5 . after a drum - shaped photoconductor 500 for forming a toner image is electrostatically charged evenly by an electrostatic charging device 501 , the photoconductor 500 is exposed to laser beams output from an optical scanner 502 in accordance with image data which are to be recorded and which are transmitted from a host apparatus 507 such as a host computer . in this manner , an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor 500 . then , a developing agent is fed onto the photoconductor 500 by a developing device 503 , so that the electrostatic latent image is developed to a toner image . the toner image formed on the photoconductor 500 is transferred onto a printing sheet 508 by a transfer device 504 . the printing sheet 508 having the transferred toner image thereon is conveyed to a fixing device 505 , so that the toner image on the printing sheet is pressure - melted and fixed onto the printing sheet 508 . a part of toner which remains on the photoconductor 500 because it has not been transferred by the transfer device 504 is removed by a cleaning device 506 in preparation for next image formation . fig1 is a schematic configuration view of a multi - beam image forming apparatus having an optical scanning system as a main body according to a basic embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 , the multi - beam image forming apparatus includes an optical scanner 100 ( equivalent to the optical scanner 502 in fig5 ), an image processing unit 103 , and an image writing unit 104 . these constituent parts 100 , 103 and 104 are connected as shown in fig1 . the image processing unit 103 is connected to the host apparatus 507 . the optical scanner 100 has a beam generating unit 101 , a polygon mirror 102 as a scanning unit , and an fθ lens 105 . the fθ lens 105 faces the photoconductor 500 . the image writing unit 104 has two writing devices , that is , a write asic device ( 1 ) 106 and a write asic device ( 2 ) 107 . for example , the beam generating unit 101 is configured as shown in fig3 a and 3b . fig3 a shows an example in which two semiconductor laser arrays are used . fig3 b shows an example in which one semiconductor laser array is used . in this embodiment , a beam generating unit which generates 20 beams is used as the beam generating unit 101 . in fig3 a , the reference numerals 300 and 301 designate semiconductor laser arrays ( hereinafter referred to as ldas ) each of which generates 10 beams . the laser beams generated by the ldas 300 and 301 enter a beam splitter 302 , so that the laser beams are combined and output as 20 laser beams from the beam splitter 302 . in fig3 b , the reference numeral 303 designates a semiconductor laser array which is composed of 20 laser components and which outputs 20 laser beams . referring back to fig1 , the 20 laser beams output from the beam generating unit 101 are irradiated on deflective and reflective surfaces of the polygon mirror 102 which is a scanning unit for scanning the surface of the photoconductor 500 . the laser beams reflected by the polygon mirror 102 pass through an imaging unit such as the fθ lens 105 , so that an image is formed on the photoconductor 500 . in fig1 , the reference symbol x designates the number of image data in the primary scanning direction , that is , an image forming region . in this embodiment , the image forming region x has 24000 dots . if the image forming region x is simply allocated equally to the write asic device ( 1 ) 106 and the write asic device ( 2 ) 107 , the write asic device ( 1 ) 106 performs image writing for a region of from the first dot to the 12000th dot while the write asic device ( 2 ) 107 performs image writing for a region of from the 12001st dot to the 24000th dot . there is however a possibility that positional displacement will occur in a printing image at the time of switching of writing in accordance with characteristic difference between the write asic devices 106 and 107 , image data of the 12000th dot and the 12001st dot on the turn and image data of several lines in the secondary scanning direction . therefore , the image processing unit 103 has a function of properly changing the dividing position of image data based on image data of ambient dots so that positional displacement caused by switching of image data writing becomes inconspicuous in a printing image corresponding to image data to be recorded . fig2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image processing unit 103 . as shown in fig2 , the image processing unit 103 has a speed change line memory 200 , a first line memory 201 , a second line memory 202 , a third line memory 203 , a latch circuit 204 , a comparison circuit 205 , an image data counter 206 , a recording medium 207 , a dividing circuit 208 , and a delay circuit 209 . these constituent parts 200 to 209 are connected as shown in fig2 . as shown in fig2 , the latch circuit 204 is composed of a large number of shift registers 213 provided in accordance with the line memories 201 to 203 . the host apparatus 507 ( see fig1 ) transmits image data 210 of 20 lines per scan and a transfer clock signal 211 , for example , of 20 mhz to the image processing unit 103 . the image processing unit 103 having the plurality of line memories 200 to 203 writes the image data into the line memories 200 to 203 in synchronization with the transfer clock signal . an operation sequence of the line memories 200 to 203 will be described below . first , image data of first 20 lines ( called 20 lines a ) are written into the speed change line memory 200 successively in synchronization with the transfer clock signal 211 . the written 20 lines a are read in synchronization with a printing pixel sync clock signal 212 ( for example , of 60 mhz ) in a next scan . at the same time , next 20 lines ( called 20 lines b ) are written in synchronization with the transfer clock signal 211 . the aforementioned operation is performed in accordance with each scan in order to change the speed of image data . on the other hand , the read 20 lines a are written into the line memory 201 in synchronization with the printing pixel sync clock signal 212 . in a further next scan , the 20 lines a are read from the line memory 201 and 20 lines b are written into the line memory 201 . in a further next scan , 20 lines c are written into the line memory 201 while the 20 lines b are read from the line memory 201 , the 20 lines b are written into the line memory . 202 while the 20 lines a are read from the line memory 202 , and the 20 lines a are written into the line memory 203 . in this manner , repetition of data reading and data writing permits the image processing unit 103 to hold image data of 60 lines at all times . the data of 60 lines read from the group of line memories 201 to 203 are transferred to the latch circuit 204 . the latch circuit 204 shifts the image data to the right in fig2 in synchronization with the printing pixel sync clock signal 212 and holds the data up to next synchronization timing of the printing pixel sync clock signal 212 . the number of image data held in the primary scanning direction is decided based on the number of latches in the latch circuit 204 . for example , assuming now that the number of image data held is 60 , then image data of 60 dots in the primary scanning direction and 60 dots in the secondary scanning direction are transmitted , as information for making a decision for dividing image data , to the comparison circuit 205 . the image processing unit 103 has the image data counter 206 for counting the number of image data in synchronization with the printing pixel sync clock signal 212 . in this embodiment , the image processing unit 103 validates the comparison circuit 205 when the number of counts reaches 11970 , and the image processing unit 103 invalidates the comparison circuit 205 when the number of counts reaches 12030 . when the comparison circuit 205 is validated , the comparison circuit 205 compares the image pattern with an image pattern stored in advance in the recording medium 207 while shifting the image data dot by dot in the primary scanning direction to judge whether the image data have continuity or not . when the comparison circuit 205 makes a decision that the image data have continuity , the comparison circuit 205 outputs a dividing signal for dividing image data to the dividing circuit 208 so that image data transfer is changed from the write asic device ( 1 ) 106 to the write asic device ( 2 ) 107 . when the comparison circuit 205 makes a decision that the image data have no continuity , the comparison circuit 205 outputs a dividing signal for dividing image data at the time of the 12000th dot as the count number so that image data are allocated equally to the write asic device ( 1 ) 106 and the write asic device ( 2 ) 107 . the image processing unit 103 , which has the delay circuit 209 for delaying image data to absorb the time required for judgment of continuity , eliminates the time lag between the image data and the dividing signal . in this embodiment , the delay circuit 209 is provided as a circuit for delaying image data for 60 dots . fig4 shows an image example in which image data dividing is performed based on image data to be printed in the condition that an ordinary boundary of the dividing position of image data is set between the 12000th dot and the 12001st dot as described above . a character “ r ” and a japanese character are shown in this example . whether or not the image data have continuity is judged in the condition that each character is divided by 60 dots in the primary scanning direction and by 60 dots in the secondary scanning direction ( fig4 shows a state in which the number of divisions is small for the sake of simplification ). when several white or black dots ( e . g . about 5 to 10 dots ) are continuous , a decision is made that the image data have continuity . since there is a possibility that white stripes will occur when the dividing position is decided based on black dots , and since decision of the dividing position based on white dots has an advantage that displacement becomes inconspicuous , the dividing position in this embodiment is decided based on white dots . the line 400 in fig4 is a dividing line by which the image data are divided . in the character “ r ” shown in fig4 , image data dividing in the ordinary boundary is used because the character “ r ” is high in both continuity of black dots and continuity of write dots . on the other hand , in the japanese character , the dividing position of image data is set at a high - continuity position as shown in fig4 so that image displacement caused by switching in the image writing unit can be made inconspicuous , because the japanese character is low in continuity in the ordinary boundary . incidentally , the position of the vertical line attached to each of the characters “ r ” and expresses the dividing position of image data in fig4 .	1
referring more particularly to the drawings , the materials separation system shown in fig1 includes a magnetic rotary drum separator 10 and a supply system such as a hopper or bin 12 from which a supply of commingled materials are transported via means such as a vibrating chute 14 to the interior of the drum . the hopper 12 may be supported in any suitable manner so as to be loaded with commingled materials which are to be separated , such means in fig1 being exemplified by a supporting frame 16 . the chute 14 , which also may be mounted on a portion of the frame 16 , is disposed with its upper end located beneath the outlet of the hopper 12 so as to receive commingled materials therefrom under control of a suitable gate device , not shown . the chute 14 may be of any conventional type disposed at a predetermined angle and including vibratory means 18 to move such materials at a steady rate of feed into the drum 10 . the drum 10 is disposed at an adjusted angle of inclination to the horizontal , such as fifteen degrees , for example , and the lower end of the chute 14 is positioned to allow commingled materials to fall onto the inner surface of the drum at any selected point along its length , such as midway thereof , for example . drum 10 is mounted on any suitable support such as bed 20 , for example , which is pivotally connected at its upper end to a fixed support 22 and is supported along its length by adjustable posts 24 . thus , by vertical adjustment of posts 24 the lower end of the bed 20 and the drum 10 thereon can be raised and lowered to adjust the angle of inclination of the drum for reasons to become apparent hereinafter . rotation of the drum 10 about its longitudinal axis may be accomplished in any suitable manner and in the fig1 embodiment this is achieved by positioning the drum upon four rollers 26 , two adjacent each end of the drum , which rollers are rotatably mounted in brackets 28 carried by the bed 20 . one roller 26 is also connected by a drive shaft 30 to a motor 32 whereby this roller is turned to frictionally rotate the drum . a suitable collector 34 is positioned beneath the upper end of the drum to collect conductive items which are separated in the drum in a manner to be described , and a second collector 36 is positioned beneath the lower end of the drum to collect separated nonconductive items . the collectors may be any suitable devices such as bins or boxes as shown , or may be conveyor systems if desired . in the construction of the magnetic rotary drum separator , magnets 38 are positioned upon the inner surface of the drum and function to remove conductive items from the commingled materials which are deposited in the drum from chute 14 . the magnets 38 are arranged in an array which comprises parallel contiguous rows of oppositely polarized magnets ( fig2 ) disposed on the drum surface at an angle , such as 45 ° for example , to the drum axis . each row may comprise a number of small magnets placed end - to - end or may comprise a single long magnet , the magnets being attached to the drum by suitable adhesive or mechanical means . in the embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 the drum 10 is made of magnetic material such as steel and the magnets thus adhere to the steel wall through their own magnetic attraction . in the operation of the described system it is highly desirable that ferromagnetic items be removed in some manner from the commingled materials prior to their being loaded into the supply hopper . this can be done in any of several ways , such as by a conventional magnetic pulley and belt device as is well known . thus only nonferromagnetic commingled materials are fed through chute 14 to the drum . the magnets 38 in the array , indicated by numeral 40 in fig2 are of substantially uniform thickness and provide at their common exposed surface an alternating array of north and south magnetic poles which establish along the surface a sequentially alternating series of oppositely directed static magnetic fields . extending from any particular north magnetic pole of the array are flux lines which bend upwardly of the sloped inclined surface defined by the angle of inclination of the drum and other flux lines which bend downwardly thereof to enter respective adjacent south magnetic poles on either side of the source magnet 38 . accordingly , between any three adjacent magnetic poles of the array , there is established a sequential pair of oppositely directed magnetic fields , which extend around the inner circumference of the magnet array and at a substantially uniform angle with respect to the longitudinal direction thereof . the lines of magnetic flux associated with the alternating series of oppositely directed magnetic fields extend above the surface of the array and are cut by the nonferromagnetic items as the drum and consequentially the magnet array is rotated . it has been found that when the drum and magnet array are rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig2 the magnetic fields passing sequentially through the materials will cause a series of eddy currents to be induced in conductive items among the commingled materials . this creates a force which causes actual movement of the conductive items upwardly along the inclined bottom of the drum . the direction of rotation determines the direction of motion induced in the conductive items by such electromagnetic forces . this action is fully described in the aforementioned copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 552 , 576 . the structure described in said copending application differs in that the commingled materials are made to slide down a ramp over an array of magnets , whereupon conductive items are moved laterally by the electromagnetic forces , while in the present invention the magnet array moves with respect to the materials causing electromagnetic forces to move conductive items towards the upper opening of the drum . from the above it will be understood that conductive items will be continually moved upwardly to a point where they will eventually fall out the upper end of the drum into collector 34 . since nonconductive items will be substantially unaffected by the magnetic fields and consequently will not have eddy currents induced in them , they will gradually slide down and out the lower end of the drum into collector 36 . for more details of the theory relating to the magnetic fields and their relations to the conductive items , reference should be had to the aforementioned copending application ser . no . 552 , 576 , now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 003 , 850 . it will be understood that the actual separation of different conductive and nonconductive materials may be optimized as desired by varying the angle of inclination of the drum and / or the rotational speed of the drum . it is highly desirable that the array 40 of magnets 38 extend all the way to the ends of the drum , especially to the upper end , so that efficient removal of conductive items from the drum is achieved . however , means such as rings 58 may be provided at the ends of the magnet array to prevent displacement of the array axially of the drum , which rings 58 may be bolted or otherwise affixed to the peripheral ends of the drum in overlying relation to the ends of the magnet array . thus , it will be apparent that commingled nonferromagnetic materials may be separated as described into conductive and nonconductive materials . however , in the event that ferromagnetic materials for some reason are not previously separated from the commingled materials loaded into the hopper 12 , this can be done in the embodiment of the invention shown in fig3 - 5 wherein the commingled materials are not only separated into conductive and nonconductive fractions but also into a third fraction consisting of magnetic materials . the drum 50 in the fig3 structure is mounted on bed 20 supported by jack posts 24 for adjustment to a desired angle of inclination about a pivot at the upper end of frame member 34 as in the fig1 structure . the drum 50 is supported on the bed 20 by means of rollers 26 carried by brackets 28 fixed to the bed 20 with one roller 26 being connected to a motor 32 to rotate the drum about its axis , as in the fig1 structure . as seen best in fig4 and 5 , drum 50 comprises an outer cylinder 52 of rigid material such as steel which has on its inner surface a magnetic layer 54 similar to magnet array 40 and comprised of magnets arranged in stripes around the inside of the drum which stripes are oppositely polarized and disposed in parallel contiguous fashion at an angle as shown in fig2 . the drum 50 is fed with a commingled mixture of ferromagnetic and nonferromagnetic materials by means of chute 14 and the conductive materials are separated from the nonconductive materials as the drum is rotated , as described in connection with the operation of the fig1 embodiment . however , since the commingled materials may contain magnetic items , it will be apparent that such magnetic items will be magnetically attracted to the magnets 54 and will magnetically adhere thereto , thus being carried round and round as the drum is rotated . this will obviously interfere with the separation of the conductive and nonconductive materials . to overcome this problem the drum is provided with a flexible liner 56 which overlies the magnet array 54 and is formed of nonmagnetic material such as stainless steel or polytetrafluorthylene , for example . this liner 56 should be relatively thin so as to permit the magnetic fields in layer 54 to penetrate into the interior of the drum sufficiently to efficiently reach the materials being separated . thus , magnetic materials will be magnetically attracted and held against the liner as the drum is rotated . the ends of the liner 56 extend through the respective rings 58 and terminate substantially flush with the outer surfaces of the rings so that a smooth continuous surface is provided for maximum sliding motion of the materials within the drum . within the drum 50 above chute 14 is a chute or trough 60 which extends substantially the full length of the drum and is inclined with respect thereto as shown in fig3 with its lower end projecting outwardly from the lower open end of the drum . adjacent the top of the drum 50 the liner 56 is pulled away from the magnet array 54 by a longitudinally extending roller 62 which lies between the magnet array and liner . thus , as the drum 50 is rotated about its axis the liner moves with it and carries upwardly any magnetic items which may be attached . as the magnetic items reach the area 64 where the adjacent portion 66 of the liner is pulled away from the magnet array 54 by roller 62 , these magnetic items are removed sufficiently far enough away from the magnets as to be unaffected by the magnetic fields therefrom . consequently , since the magnetic attraction is removed , these magnetic items fall into the inclined trough 60 and slide down therein and out the lower end into a separate collector 68 . thus , the magnetic items are collected as a third fraction separated from the nonmagnetic conductive items and residue of nonconductive nonmagnetic items . the trough 60 and roller 62 may be supported within the drum 50 by any suitable means . such means may comprise vertically extending rigid metal frames 70 and 70a at the respective upper and lower ends of the drum and fixed to the bed 20 independently of the drum . each frame has an upright extension 74 between which the roller 62 extends , the ends of the roller being rotatably secured to the extensions 74 . the upper end of trough 60 is secured to the upper frame 70 and covered by a hinged plate 76 ( fig4 ) which provides ready access to the upper end portion of the trough for cleaning or the like . the lower end of trough 60 may be supported on frame 70a as by brackets or lugs 78 ( fig5 ). the frame 70a at the lower end of the drum carries a transversely extending rod 82 upon the ends of which rollers 84 are rotatably mounted . rollers 84 bear upon the adjacent end of the liner 56 to prevent its axial displacement within the drum . a deflector plate 80 is secured by bolts or the like to the frames at one side of the trough 60 so as to deflect magnetic items into the trough in cases when the drum is rotated at a sufficiently rapid rate as to create centrifugal forces which act upon the magnetic items as they become separated from the liner 56 . from the foregoing it will be apparent that novel apparatus has been provided for separating conductive and nonconductive items from commingled materials and for further separating magnetic items therefrom as described . it is to be understood , however , that various modifications and changes in the structures shown and described and in their methods of operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims . therefore , all matter shown and described is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .	1
the figures show a trough mangle for commercial laundries . the trough mangle has a cylindrical mangle roll 10 , which can be driven so as to rotate about a longitudinal mid - axis 11 . the mangle roll 10 shown here has , according to the invention , a diameter of about 2000 mm . the mangle roll 10 is associated with a flexible mangle trough 12 . the mangle trough 12 surrounds approximately the lower half of the mangle roll 10 , so that the mangle trough 12 is approximately semicircular in cross section . at opposite longitudinal edges 13 and 14 , the mangle trough 12 is preferably continuously mounted on a fixed frame 15 of the trough mangle . the right - hand longitudinal edge 13 of the mangle trough 12 in fig1 is associated with an inlet side 16 of the trough mangle and is firmly connected to the frame 15 . the opposite longitudinal edge 14 on an outlet side 17 is mounted on the frame 15 such that it can move on the frame 15 , via a slightly skewed swinging support 18 which is preferably continuous in the longitudinal direction of the mangle trough 12 . this mounting can be designed in the manner according to de 197 02 644 a1 , to whose entire content reference is made which reveals details of the mounting , in particular the swinging support 18 . in the area of the inlet side 16 and the outlet side 17 , the mangle trough 12 can be provided with an extension pointing upward , which runs rectilinearly and is aligned somewhat obliquely , to be specific in such a way that the longitudinal edges 13 and 14 are at a distance from the mangle roll 10 in order to form a gap on the inlet side 16 and the outlet side 17 . such a gap primarily makes it easier to insert the pieces of laundry to be mangled between the mangle roll 10 and the mangle trough 12 . the resilient mangle trough 12 nestles against the cylindrical surface of the mangle roll 10 in the semicircular area , so that the pieces of laundry are moved along through the trough mangle between the mangle roll 10 and an inner smoothing surface 19 of the mangle trough 12 by means of the mangle roll 10 , driven in a clockwise direction ( drive direction 20 ) in the exemplary embodiment shown . the gap shown in fig1 between the mangle trough 12 and the mangle roll 10 merely serves for illustrative purposes and explanatory purposes ; in actual fact , it is not present during operation of the trough mangle . the resilient mangle trough 12 is formed of two trough halves 21 and 22 in the trough mangle shown here . each of the trough halves 21 and 22 , running uninterruptedly over the entire longitudinal direction of the trough mangle , extends approximately over a quarter of the circumference of the cover of the mangle roll 10 . the trough halves 21 and 22 are connected by a connecting line 23 running through in the longitudinal direction of the mangle roll 10 . the connecting line 23 extends on a vertical longitudinal mid - plane of the trough mangle lying on the longitudinal mid - axis 11 of the mangle roll 10 . apart from their mirror - image arrangement about the longitudinal mid - axis of the trough mangle , the two trough halves 21 and 22 are of substantially identical design . each trough half 21 and 22 is double - walled . for this purpose , each trough half 21 and 22 has a thicker inner trough plate 24 and a thinner outer trough plate 25 . the inner sides of the inner trough plates 24 of each trough half 21 and 22 , pointing toward the mangle roll 10 , together form the smoothing surface 19 of the mangle trough 12 . the trough plates 24 and 25 are formed from high - grade steel , in particular stainless steel . the equally thick inner trough plates 24 of the trough halves 21 and 22 are about 2 to 3½ times as thick as the likewise equally thick outer trough plates 25 of the trough halves 21 and 22 . the thickness of the inner trough plates 24 lies in the range from 4 to 6 mm . accordingly , the outer trough plates 25 are 1 . 2 to 3 mm thick . to form the respective trough halves 21 and 22 , the inner trough plate 24 and the outer trough plate 25 of the same are welded tightly all around at the edge . furthermore , the areas of the trough halves 21 and 22 are provided with a preferably uniform grid of connecting points 26 . in the areas of the connecting points 26 , the inner trough plates 24 are additionally welded to the outer trough plates 25 . between the individual connecting points 26 , the outer trough plates 25 are spaced apart from the inner trough plates 24 , to be specific approximately by an amount which corresponds to the thickness of the outer trough plates 25 , preferably being somewhat less . in those areas in which the trough plates 24 and 25 are spaced apart from each other , flow ducts 27 to lead heating medium through , in particular steam or a heated liquid ( hot oil ) are formed within the respective trough half 21 and 22 . alternatively , it is conceivable to connect the trough plates 24 and 25 to each other by means of longitudinal seams or transverse seams in the area of the surface of the trough halves 21 and 22 . the connection of the trough plates 24 , 25 both along the circumference and at the connecting points 26 and longitudinal or transverse seams is carried out by means of welding , to be specific , preferably laser welding . each of the two trough halves 21 and 22 is designed independently with regard to the supply of energy . to this end , the trough half 21 has , at the upper edge region , pointing toward the inlet side 16 , and the trough half 22 has , at the upper edge region pointing toward the outlet side 17 , at least one , preferably a plurality of , steam connections . at the lower edge , close to the connecting line 23 , each trough half 21 and 22 has connections 28 to discharge condensate . each trough half 21 and 22 preferably has a plurality of separate connections 28 . in the exemplary embodiment shown , each trough half 21 and 22 has five connections 28 to discharge condensate . if required , each trough half 21 and 22 can also have more than five connections 28 . likewise , less than five connections can be provided if appropriate . at the connecting line 23 running continuously in the longitudinal direction of the trough mangle , edges of the trough halves 21 and 22 that are directed toward one another are welded to one another , to be specific by means of a longitudinal welded seam 29 , which if required can be formed from a plurality of individual welded seams produced one after another . the longitudinal welded seam 29 is produced in accordance with a suitable , known arc welding method , under inert gas . if appropriate , however , other welding methods can also be used for this purpose . in one embodiment of the invention , the longitudinal welded seam 29 extends over the entire thickness of the adjacent edges of the trough halves 21 and 22 , specifically over the sum of the thickness of the inner trough plate 24 and of the outer trough plate 25 , which , in the area of the connecting line 23 or longitudinal welded seam 29 , rest continuously on each other in the longitudinal direction of the trough mangle , since they have already been welded to form the trough halves 21 and 22 by means of the welded seam surrounding each trough half 21 and 22 all around . alternatively , it may be sufficient for the longitudinal welded seam 29 to extend only over the thickness of the inner trough plate 24 and not of the outer trough plate 25 as well . on the inner side of the mangle trough 12 , the longitudinal welded seam 29 is subsequently machined , by means of grinding and / or polishing , for example , in such a way that a transition - free connection between the inner surface of the inner trough plates 24 of the individual trough halves 21 and 22 is produced , and therefore a continuous smoothing surface 19 also in the area of the connecting point 26 . at each of its two opposite ends , the mangle roll 10 is connected to the frame 15 via a lever mechanism 30 , 31 . by means of the lever mechanisms 30 and 31 , the mangle roll 10 can be pressed into the mangle trough 12 and , if required , moved away from the same . one end of the mangle roll 10 is assigned a drive 32 . this side of the mangle roll 10 will be referred to below as the drive side 33 . the opposite end of the mangle roll 10 , which is not assigned a drive , will be referred to as the non - driven side 34 . this side is assigned the lever drive 31 . on the drive side 33 , the mangle roll 10 is mounted directly on the drive 32 without a stub axle , specifically on an output drive shaft 35 of a gearbox belonging to the drive . this gearbox is designed as an angled epicyclic gearbox 36 . the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 has a transmission ratio ( i ) of 200 to 350 , preferably about 300 . as a result , in spite of the relatively large diameter of about 2000 mm , a circumferential speed is achieved with the mangle roll 10 which corresponds approximately to that which can be achieved in conventional trough mangles with a mangle roll of smaller diameter , namely at about 45 m / min . on the drive side 33 , the mangle roll 10 is mounted on the output drive shaft 35 of the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 , said shaft being formed as splined shaft . the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 in the exemplary embodiment shown is driven by an electric motor 37 . the electric motor 37 is flange - mounted on the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 in such a way that the longitudinal mid - axis of the electric motor 37 intersects the longitudinal mid - axis 11 of the mangle roll 10 so as to be oriented approximately horizontally , to be specific at a right angle , by the longitudinal mid - axis of the electric motor 37 running transversely with respect to the longitudinal mid - axis 11 of the mangle roll 10 . on the drive side 33 , a coupling flange 39 is assigned to an end wall 38 of the mangle roll 10 . a flange plate 40 resting on the outside of the end 38 of the mangle roll 10 and belonging to the coupling flange 39 is screwed to the end wall 38 . a splined profile 41 is machined into the flange plate 40 of the coupling flange 39 . the splined profile 41 in the flange plate 40 is formed so as to correspond with the profile of the output drive shaft 35 of the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 , likewise formed as a splined profile . by plugging the output drive shaft 35 of the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 into the splined profile of the plug - on sleeve 41 , a torque - transmitting connection is made between the output drive shaft 35 of the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 and the mangle roll 10 on the drive side 33 . the plug - on sleeve 41 , in particular the splined profile of the same , is arranged concentrically with the longitudinal mid - axis 11 of the mangle roll 10 as a result of which the latter can be driven by the drive 32 so as to rotate about the longitudinal mid - axis 11 . the lever mechanisms 30 , 31 on opposite sides of the mangle roll 10 are designed equally , in conceptional terms , as parallelogram link mechanisms . however , the lever mechanisms 30 , 31 in the exemplary embodiment shown have different dimensions . the lever mechanism 30 on the drive side 33 has a ( lower ) double lever 42 and a single lever 43 located at a distance above it . the double lever 42 is mounted on the frame 15 at an outer end such that it can pivot about a pivot 44 . the pivot 44 runs parallel to the longitudinal mid - axis 11 of the mangle roll 10 . the pivot 44 is located beside and below the longitudinal mid - axis 11 . at an end opposite the pivot 44 , the double lever 42 is connected in an articulated manner to a piston - rod end 45 of a pneumatic cylinder 46 . a piston underside of the pneumatic cylinder 46 is pivotably mounted on the frame 15 . between the pivot 44 at one end of the double lever 42 and the piston - rod end 45 at the other end of the double lever 42 , the drive , specifically the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 , is mounted on the double lever 42 . furthermore , the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 is mounted at a free end of the single lever 43 . the opposite free end of the single lever 43 is mounted on the frame 15 such that it can pivot about a pivot 47 . this pivot 47 is located laterally beside and above the longitudinal mid - axis 11 of the mangle roll 10 , specifically , in the exemplary embodiment shown , approximately vertically above the pivot 44 for the double lever 42 . by retracting and extending the pneumatic cylinder 46 , the double lever 42 is pivoted about the pivot 44 and , at the same time , the drive 32 with the drive side 33 of the mangle roll 10 fixed to it is raised or lowered . accordingly , the single lever 43 also connected to the drive 32 is pivoted about the pivot 47 , as a result of which the drive 32 and the drive side 33 of the mangle roll 10 are moved up and down on a virtually vertical path in order to move the mangle roll 10 into the mangle trough 12 and in order to move the mangle roll 10 out of the mangle trough 12 . the lever mechanism 31 on the non - driven side 34 of the mangle roll 10 , designed in principle like the lever mechanism 30 on the drive side 33 , also has a double lever 32 , which can be pivoted about the pivot 44 , and a single lever 49 , which can be pivoted about the pivot 47 . the double lever 48 can also be pivoted by a pneumatic cylinder 50 . between the opposite outer ends of the double lever 48 and at the free end of the single lever 49 a bearing 15 for the non - driven side 34 of the mangle roll 10 is attached . this bearing 51 is additionally connected to the free end of the single lever 49 . in the bearing 51 , a stub axle 53 that is firmly connected to the end wall 52 of the mangle roll 10 , on the non - driven side 34 of the same is supported and , in the exemplary embodiment shown , is designed as a sleeve . the lever mechanisms 30 and 31 are synchronized , to be specific by a compensating shaft 54 in the exemplary embodiment shown . the compensating shaft 54 is located on the pivot 44 for mounting the double levers 42 and 48 on the frame 15 . the compensating shaft 54 therefore constitutes a torque - transmitting connection between the double levers 42 and 48 of the lever mechanisms 30 and 31 by transmitting the movement of one double lever 42 to the other double lever 48 . in addition , the compensating shaft 54 also serves to implement the mounting of the double levers 42 and 48 on the frame 15 . in order that the compensating shaft 54 ensures virtually identically equal pivoting of the double levers 42 and 48 , the compensating shaft 54 is designed to be substantially torsionally rigid . this is achieved , for example , by means of appropriate dimensioning of the compensating shaft 54 . the double levers 42 and 48 of the different lever mechanisms 30 and 31 are designed with different lengths . accordingly , the double lever 42 on the drive side 33 is somewhat shorter . the distances of the attachment of the bearing 51 for mounting the mangle roll 10 on the non - driven side 34 and of the angled epicyclic gearbox 36 for mounting the mangle roll 10 on the drive side 33 to the pivot 44 and to the compensating shaft 54 are equal . on the other hand , the distances of those points at which the pneumatic cylinders 46 and 50 are attached to the free ends of the double levers 42 and 48 to the pivot 44 or compensating shaft 54 are of different lengths . as a result , the pneumatic cylinder 50 on the non - driven side 34 is attached to the double lever 48 at a greater distance from the pivot 44 than the pneumatic cylinder 46 on the drive side 33 . the different lengths of the double levers 42 and 48 lead to the forces with which the mangle roll 10 is pressed into the mangle trough 12 being substantially equal on both sides of the mangle roll 10 although on the drive side 33 , because of the weight of the drive 32 , a considerable proportion of the pressing force of the mangle roll 10 into the mangle trough 12 is produced by the weight of said drive 32 . since , on the non - driven side 34 , the weight component of the drive 32 is missing , a greater pressing force has to be exerted here by the pneumatic cylinder 50 , which is implemented by means of the longer double lever 48 . the length ratios of the double levers 42 and 48 are coordinated with each other in such a way that the longer double lever 48 on the non - driven side 34 compensates for the weight , which is missing here , of the drive 32 on the drive side 33 , specifically exerting a correspondingly higher force on the bearing 51 of the mangle roll 10 on the non - driven side 34 . alternatively , it is conceivable to make the lever ratios of the lever mechanisms 30 and 31 different in another way , in order that the lever drive 30 on the drive side 33 presses the mangle roll 10 into the mangle trough 12 with lower forces than the lever mechanism 31 on the non - driven side 34 . it is also possible to design the double levers 42 and 48 to be equally long and , instead , to provide on the non - driven side 34 a pneumatic cylinder 50 with a greater piston area required to compensate for the weight of the drive 32 . as a result of the diameter of the mangle roll 10 of about 2000 mm , an elastic wrapping surrounding the mangle roll 10 is primarily more highly loaded in the circumferential direction than in the case of conventional trough mangles with smaller diameters of the mangle roll . for this reason , according to the invention a special wrapping is provided . this is formed of a single - layer felt 55 with a thickness of preferably 7 to 18 mm . the felt 55 per se can comprise a plurality of layers which are permanently connected to one another and which can have identical or else different characteristics . a material web of the felt 55 formed in this way is then laid completely once around the mangle roll 10 , and the transverse edges of the material web are connected without offset at a connecting point 56 , in particular spliced . to this end , the adjacent transverse edges of the felt 55 , to be put together at the connecting point 56 , are chamfered as viewed in the cross - sectional direction of the mangle roll 10 in order to form chamfered connecting faces 57 . as a result of this chamfering , the wrapping at the connecting point 56 is exactly as thick as the felt 55 outside the connecting point 56 . the connecting faces 57 of opposite end areas of the felt 55 for forming the wrapping are connected to each other at the connecting point 56 , to be specific preferably by means of adhesive bonding or the like . alternatively or additionally , the connection can also be made by means of sewing in the area of the connecting point 56 .	3
in one aspect , the present invention provides dialysate compositions having high concentrations of citrate . in another aspect , the present invention provides methods of performing dialysis with such dialysate compositions , in order to provide unexpected benefits . thus , the present invention provides for increasing the amount of citrate in dialysate to increase and create treatment benefits associated with its use . all current dialysate formulations include an acid to achieve a proper ph , where that ph is typically a physiological ph of about 7 . 4 . the present invention recognizes that there is a significant benefit to the use of citrate in dialysate , above and beyond the benefit provided by using citric acid as a ph - adjusting component of dialysate . indeed , the present invention recognizes that dialysate may be used to provide benefits above and beyond the function of providing a normalizing of certain of the patient &# 39 ; s blood constituent concentrations . as described in more detail herein , a citrate concentration of 2 . 4 meq / l in dialysate was studied for its effect on the dialysis process , relative to the use of acetic acid . this concentration was selected because increasing the citrate level above 2 . 4 meq / l has traditionally led to clinically unacceptable decreases in ionized calcium within the patient &# 39 ; s blood . the present invention recognizes that citrate levels of greater than 2 . 4 meq / l may be successfully employed in dialysate , when compensatory action is taken , and that such a high citrate dialysate may provide unexpected and desirable advantages in dialysis treatment . for example , although a dialysate citrate concentration of 2 . 4 meq / l is well below the level needed to achieve systemic anti - coagulation , this and higher concentrations has been surprisingly found to provide an anti - coagulation effect at the point of blood / dialysate interaction , i . e ., the pore openings of the dialyzer . this surprising effect is associated with surprising benefits , which include increasing the treated patient &# 39 ; s ‘ dose of dialysis ;’ and increasing the ability to reuse dialyzers . furthermore , the high citrate dialysate of the present invention provides additional surprising and advantageous effects , which are particularly pertinent to certain patients undergoing dialysis . thus , in one aspect of the present invention , the high citrate dialysate is particularly beneficial in treating patients with chronic acidosis , in order to reduce the acidity of their blood . in another aspect , the high citrate dialysate is particularly useful in instances where patients should be heparin - free during dialysis . for example , post - operative patients may undergo acute kidney failure due to the kidney &# 39 ; s response to the anesthesia , and thereafter need dialysis treatment until kidney recovery occurs . heparin or other anti - coagulant should not be delivered systemically to these patients because retaining the patient &# 39 ; s ability to clot blood is an important part of the healing process . with traditional dialysate , undesirable blood clotting will occur within the dialyzer , unless the patient receives some anti - coagulant . however , with the high citrate dialysate of the present invention , a patient with acute kidney failure can undergo successful dialysis without systemic administration of anti - coagulant . a patient with acute kidney failure may also experience more rapid recovery of kidney function upon exposure to the high citrate dialysate of the present invention , in comparison to conventional dialysate , because the high citrate dialysate has less tendency to activate complement formation , where complement formation tends to slow down kidney recovery . in one aspect , the present invention provides dialysate compositions having citrate at concentrations greater than or equal to 2 . 4 meq / l , and possibly as high as 20 meq / l . preferably , the citrate concentration in the dialysate will be in the range of about 2 . 4 to 15 meq / l , and more preferably within the range of 3 to 10 meq / l . when dialysate having such high citrate concentration is used in dialysis , the impact on the patient &# 39 ; s calcium levels should be addressed , and methods to address this issue are presented herein . in one embodiment , the increased citrate that would enter the patient &# 39 ; s blood as a consequence of using the high citrate dialysate is offset by including additional ionized calcium and magnesium in the dialysate , and optionally reducing the levels of sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate in the dialysate . thus , both the calcium and magnesium concentrations in the high citrate dialysate may be higher than the concentrations found in standard dialysate . the calcium ion concentration in a high citrate dialysate of the present invention may be as high as about 5 meq / l , while the magnesium ion concentration in a high citrate dialysate of the present invention may be as high as about 2 meq / l . in an alternative embodiment , the dialysate entering the dialyzer , and contacting the patient &# 39 ; s blood , contains a high level of citrate , but not a high level of either calcium or magnesium . when the calcium and / or magnesium ion concentration in dialysate is not increased to compensate for the calcium and magnesium binding action of citrate , then the calcium ion concentration in the citrate may be as low as about 2 . 5 meq / l , while the magnesium ion concentration may be as low as about 1 . 0 meq / l . if the high citrate dialysate does not contain compensatory levels calcium and / or magnesium ions , then the blood leaving the dialyzer will have a high concentration of citrate , and in fact may have a higher concentration of citrate than is clinically desirable , due to the tendency of the citrate to bind calcium within the patient . to address this consequence , in one method of the invention , calcium may be added directly to the blood , at a point after the blood leaves the dialyzer but before the blood re - enters the patient . in this way , the desirable effects of high citrate levels within the dialyzer are obtained , while obviating the undesirable effects of having high citrate levels within the blood that is , in turn , within the patient . the calcium may be added to the patient &# 39 ; s blood in the form of an aqueous solution of calcium chloride , to thereby effectively neutralize the calcium binding effect of the citrate . using this approach , a patient that is prone to undesirable clotting may receive dialysis without the need to receive an injection or other direct administration of an anti - coagulant . in a preferred method , the patient undergoing the dialysis does not have a high level of heparin within the patient &# 39 ; s blood during the time of dialysis . however , the patient may receive heparin , and then undergo dialysis with a high citrate dialysate , without adverse effects . the incorporation of a high amount of citrate in a dialysate potentially causes another problem . within the body , citrate decomposes to bicarbonate . dialysate often contains bicarbonate , and accordingly a high citrate dialysate according to the present invention preferably contains a reduced amount of bicarbonate . thus , the high citrate dialysate of the present invention may contain less sodium bicarbonate than traditional dialysate , and may contain at little as 25 meq / l , or as much as about 40 meq / l of sodium bicarbonate . the sodium chloride concentration in the high citrate dialysate may also be reduced to as little as about 110 meq / l , or may be equal to about 140 meq / l of sodium chloride . the citrate in the present dialysis compositions may come from citric acid , as well as other sources of citrate , including a buffer such as trisodium citrate , as well as additives such as calcium and magnesium citrate . thus , the concentration of citrate in a dialysate of the invention is not constrained by , or directed solely to , providing a proper ph for a dialysate , but instead is selected to provide additional benefits to the patient receiving the dialysate . because incorporation of too much citric acid into the dialysate will cause a very low ph , it is preferred to use at least some citrate salt , e . g ., trisodium citrate , as the source of citrate , in the dialysate compositions of the present invention . as used herein , “ citrate ” refers to a citrate anion , in any form , including citric acid ( citrate anion complexed with three protons ), salts containing citrate anion , and partial esters of citrate anion . citrate anion is an organic , tricarboxylate with the following chemical formula : citric acid , which has been assigned registry no . 77 - 92 - 2 by the american chemical society , has the molecular formula hoc ( co 2 h )( ch 2 co 2 h ) 2 and a formula weight of 192 . 12 g / mol . a citrate salt ( i . e ., a salt containing citrate anion ) is composed of one or more citrate anions in association with one or more physiologically acceptable cations . exemplary physiologically acceptable cations include , but are not limited to , protons , ammonium cations and metal cations . suitable metal cations include , but are not limited to , sodium , potassium , calcium , and magnesium , where sodium and potassium are preferred , and sodium is more preferred . a composition containing citrate anion may contain a mixture of physiologically acceptable cations . a partial ester of a citrate anion will have one or two , but not all three , of the carboxylate ( i . e ., — coo − ) groups of citrate anion in an ester form ( i . e ., — coo — r , where r is an organic group ). in addition to one or two r groups , the partial ester of a citrate anion will include one or two physiologically acceptable cations ( so that the total of the r group ( s ) and cation ( s ) equals three ). the r group is an organic group , preferably a lower alkyl . the citrate is preferably in association with protons and / or metal cations . exemplary of such citrate compounds are , without limitation , citric acid , sodium dihydrogen citrate , disodium hydrogen citrate , trisodium citrate , trisodium citrate dihydrate , potassium dihydrogen citrate , dipotassium hydrogen citrate , calcium citrate , and magnesium citrate . in one embodiment , the citrate is present in the dialysate precursor composition in the form of one or more of citric acid , sodium dihydrogen citrate , disodium hydrogen citrate , potassium dihydrogen citrate , or dipotassium hydrogen citrate . in a preferred embodiment , citric acid provides the source for the citrate anions . in this embodiment , the citric acid functions as the main acidifying agent of the precursor composition . citric acid is a relatively inexpensive physiological acid that , under ambient conditions , is in the form of a dry chemical powder , crystal , pellet or tablet . any physiologically tolerable form of citric acid may be used to introduce citrate anions to the composition . for instance , the citric acid may be in the form of a hydrate , including a monohydrate . in the event that the ph of a high citrate dialysate begins to increase ( i . e ., the dialysate becomes more basic ) during the course of a dialysis treatment , a buffering anion , present in an effective amount , may be used to prevent the ph of the dialysate composition from rising beyond a physiologically acceptable range . for compositions having the citrate concentrations described above , and to provide the desired buffering effect , the dialysate composition may contain from about 0 . 001 to about 4 meq / l of acetate and / or lactate . in a preferred embodiment , the dialysate may contain from about 0 . 01 to about 2 . 5 meq / l of acetate and / or lactate . in one embodiment , the buffering anion is a mixture of acetate and lactate . in another embodiment , the buffering anion is acetate , and lactate is not present in the composition . in another embodiment , the buffering anion is lactate , and acetate is not present in the composition . with peritoneal dialysate , to facilitate the diffusion between blood and dialysate , it is desirable to maintain an osmotic gradient between the fluids by adding an osmotic agent to the dialysate . the presence of an osmotic agent in the peritoneal dialysate will encourage excess fluid and metabolic waste byproducts to flow from the blood and into the dialysate . a suitable osmotic agent for the precursor dialysate composition is sugar . the sugar is preferably selected from glucose ( e . g ., dextrose ), poly ( glucose ) ( i . e ., a polymer made from repeating glucose residues , e . g ., icodextrin , made from repeating dextrose units ), or fructose . while it is possible to make a dialysate precursor with no sugar , if sugar is to be added to the dialysate composition , it is generally dextrose . it is further appreciated that any biocompatible , non - sugar osmotic agent that functions as an equivalent could be a viable substitute . the sugar is typically present in the dialysate composition at a concentration of less than about 60 g / l . a patient &# 39 ; s blood serum contains several components including , for example , proteins , carbohydrates , nucleic acids , and various ions . typically , a dialysate composition prescribed by a physician is chosen to reduce , increase , or normalize the concentration of a particular component in the serum . any of these components may be added to a high citrate dialysate of the present invention . as used herein , “ meq / l ” refers to the concentration of a particular dialysate component ( solute ) present in proportion to the amount of water present . more specifically , meq / l refers to the number of milli - equivalents of solute per liter of water . milli - equivalents per liter are calculated by multiplying the moles per liter of solute by the number of charged species ( groups ) per molecule of solute , which is then multiplied by a factor of 1 , 000 . as an example , when 10 grams of citric acid are added to a liter of water , the citric acid is present at a concentration of 10 g / l . anhydrous citric acid has a molecular weight of 192 . 12 g / mol ; therefore , the number of moles per liter of citric acid , and consequently citrate anion ( since there is one mole of citrate anion per mole of citric acid ), is 10 g / l divided by 192 . 12 g / mol , which is 0 . 05 mol / l . citrate anion has three negatively charged species in the form of carboxylate groups . accordingly , the citrate concentration of 0 . 05 mol / l is multiplied by three and then by 1 , 000 , in order to provide a concentration of citrate in terms of meq / l , which in the present example is 156 meq / l of citrate anion . a preferred water of the invention is water that has been treated in order that it is essentially pyrogen - free and at least meets the purity requirements established by the association for the advancement of medical instrumentation ( aami ) for dialysate compositions . the water may also be referred to as treated water or aami - quality water . a monograph describing water treatment for dialysate , monitoring of water treatment systems , and regulation of water treatment systems is available from aami ( standards collection , volume 3 , dialysis , section 3 . 2 water quality for dialysis , 3 ed ., 1998 , aami , 3330 washington boulevard , arlington , va . 22201 ) or through the internet at http :// www . aami . com . in addition , all of the other components of the precursor dialysate composition of the present invention are preferably at least united states pharmacopeia ( usp )- grade purity , which is generally a purity of about 95 %. the benefits attendant to the use of citrate in dialysate flow , in part , from the anti - coagulation properties of citrate . the present dialysate compositions emphasize , and take advantage of , localized anti - coagulant properties of citrate , to achieve benefits including : increasing the blood flow through the dialyzer , thereby increasing the dose of dialysis ; keeping the dialyzer cleaner , thereby allowing more extended reuse of the dialyzer ; mitigating the clogging of dialyzer pores , thereby allowing greater clearance of ‘ middle molecules ’ e . g ., molecules having a molecular weight of about 12 , 000 daltons ; providing a significant source of additional bicarbonate to the blood , thereby reducing the incidence of chronic acidosis ; and reducing or eliminating the need for the anti - coagulant heparin . in addition to the benefits arising from maximizing , and taking advantage of the anti - coagulant properties of citrate , other potential and realized benefits of using higher levels of citrate in dialysate include increasing patient metabolism and achieving better management of calcium and magnesium levels . currently , products such as calcium or magnesium salts , e . g ., calcium acetate , are administered to patients in order to bind or sequester phosphate , and thereby lower the phosphate level in the patient &# 39 ; s blood . however , these phosphate - binding agents concomitantly increase the calcium and / or magnesium concentration in blood , and in some instances this is undesirable . because citrate will bind or sequester ionized calcium and / or magnesium , the high citrate dialysate of the present invention may be used in conjunction with phosphate binding agents , in order to achieve better management of phosphate levels along with calcium and magnesium levels . the indications for use of a new higher - citrate dialysate would include patients : with a risk of bleeding from the use of systemic anti - coagulation ( heparin ); with an antibody to ( intolerance to ) heparin ; who only achieve limited dialyzer reuse due to extensive clotting within the dialyzer during dialysis ; have chronic acidosis ; and / or usually achieve less than a desirable ‘ dose of dialysis .’ the effects of the citric acid - containing dialysate of the present invention , and methods of using a citric acid - containing dialysate according to the present invention , are shown in the following studies . as described herein , the anti - coagulation properties of citrate can be used to give patients a better dialysis treatment and decrease the cost of the treatment . to summarize the studies , a dry dialysate concentrate acidified with citric acid ( citrate dialysate ) was used in two separate clinical studies with hemodialysis patients . the first study compared a single treatment using this dialysate with one dialysis using regular standard dialysate acidified with acetic acid ( acetic acid dialysate ) in a prospective , randomized , crossover study of 74 dialyses . changes in the blood levels of electrolytes and other blood constituents during dialysis were calculated by subtracting post - dialysis from pre - dialysis blood concentrations . compared to acetic acid dialysate , citrate dialysate was associated with significantly greater decreases in total and ionized calcium , magnesium and chloride . citrate dialysate was also associated with larger increases in serum sodium , and citrate concentrations , although their post - dialysis concentrations remained within or just outside normal ranges . changes in other blood constituents were similar with both dialysates . the second study used citrate dialysate exclusively for all dialyses over a twelve - week period in twenty - two patients ( the study actually began with twenty - five patients , but three were dropped for various reasons unrelated to the dialysis ). pre - dialysis blood samples were taken at the start of the study and at four - week intervals thereafter , and post - dialysis blood samples were obtained after the first and last dialysis . repeated measure analysis showed that although pre - dialysis blood concentrations of magnesium , potassium and citrate remained within the normal range , there was a significant declining trend over the course of the study . at the same time , pre - dialysis serum bicarbonate levels increased , and significantly more of the patients had a pre - dialysis bicarbonate concentration within the normal range at the end of the study than at the start ( 15 vs . 8 , p = 0 . 001 chi - square ). in nineteen patients ( excluding three patients for whom the type of dialyzer was changed during the study ) the dose of dialysis for the first and last dialysis was calculated by the urea reduction ratio ( urr ) and kt / v . there was a significant increase in both measurements , without any changes in dialysis time , blood and dialysate flows , or dialyzer used . the urr increased from 68 ± 5 . 9 % to 73 ± 5 . 3 % ( p & lt ; 0 . 03 ) and the kt / v from 1 . 23 ± 0 . 19 to 1 . 34 ± 0 . 20 ( p = 0 . 01 ) from the first to last dialysis respectively . in conclusion , the citric acid dialysate was well tolerated and intra - dialytic changes in blood chemistries were similar to those seen with regular dialysate . using dialysate containing citric instead of acetic acid increased the delivered dialysis dose . using standard acetate - containing dialysate . the first , a crossover study , compared changes in blood chemistry after one dialysis with each of the two dialysate concentrates . a second study involved exclusive use of the citrate dialysate for twelve weeks . an institutional review board approved both studies , and informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to participation . the citrate acid a concentrate was prepared from a dry chemical blend ( dryalysate ™, advanced renal technologies , seattle , wash .) by mixing it with treated water ( aami quality ) to yield a “ citrate concentrate ”, which contained citrate at a concentration 45 times greater than that which was intended to be used for hemodialysis . the citrate concentrate solution was delivered through the a concentrate input line of fresenius model d , e and h and cobe centry 3 machines . the b concentrate was prepared from a dry powder , naturalyte ™ ( national medical care , rockleigh , n . j . ), according to the standard practice at the dialysis units where the studies were done . the acetate a concentrate used was the commercial concentrate , naturalyte ™ 4000 series acid concentrate for bicarbonate dialysis ( national medical care ). for both the crossover and exclusive use studies , only the a concentrate was changed , while the b concentrate was the same in both , yielding a final dialysate concentration of 37 meq / l in all cases . all blood samples for both studies were analyzed at one laboratory . serum electrolytes , ionized calcium , urea nitrogen , creatinine , albumin and total protein , were measured in all samples . in addition , serum citrate was measured in thirteen sets of crossover studies , in hourly samples during seven pairs of dialyses in the crossover sub - study , and in all exclusive use study samples . crossover study : the crossover study was designed to compare single treatment changes in blood chemistry ; one treatment using citrate dialysate and the other using regular acetic acid dialysate . the second and third dialyses of the same week were selected for the study . one dialysis was randomly assigned to the citrate concentrate and the other to the patient &# 39 ; s regular acetic acid concentrate ; the b concentrate used was the same for both dialyses . changes in blood chemistry using citrate dialysate were compared with those using acetic acid dialysate by measuring pre - and post - dialysis blood concentrations with both dialyses . the composition of the dialysates obtained from the two concentrates is shown in table 1 . for seven patients , in addition to pre - and post - dialysis blood sampling , hourly intradialytic and one - hour post - dialysis blood samples were obtained . in the crossover study , only patients on highflux dialysis using f - 60 or f - 80 dialyzers ( fresenius medical care north america , lexington , mass .) were included . patients with a serum calcium level of less than 9 . 0 mg / dl or with severe cardiac disease were excluded . a total of 37 sets ( 74 dialyses ) of crossover studies were performed in 34 patients , with average age of 53 . 8 ± 15 . 3 years , of whom nineteen were males and fifteen females . three patients participated more than once , with a minimum interval between sets of at least two weeks . all treatment variables , including duration , blood and dialysate flows , and dialyzer model were the same for the two dialyses in each set . exclusive use study : after the crossover study was completed , a second , twelve - week study was conducted using , the citrate a concentrate exclusively for 36 consecutive dialysis sessions . twenty - five patients were enrolled , twenty - two of whom completed the twelve - week study . three patients dropped out : one was transplanted , one had an extended hospitalization for unrelated reasons , and one moved out of the area . the average age of the patients was 55 . 5 ± 13 . 1 years , there were thirteen males and nine females . their average time on dialysis was 7 . 3 ± 4 . 7 years . causes of renal failure included diabetes mellitus in four , glomerulonephritis in seven , hypertension in three , and other diseases in eight patients . sixteen patients used fresenius f - 80 , one fresenius f - 60 , two gambro alwl20 , two fresenius f - 8 , and one baxter cahp210 dialyzers . with three exceptions , individual patients used the same model dialyzer throughout the study . pre - dialysis blood samples were obtained at the first dialysis , at four - week intervals , and at the last dialysis . post - dialysis blood samples were also obtained after the first and last dialysis . serum electrolytes , ionized calcium , creatinine , urea , proteins and citrate were measured , and pre - and post - dialysis urea and weight changes were used to calculate kt / v using the daugirdas 11 formula ( daugirdas , j . am . soc . nephrol . 4 : 1205 - 1213 ( 1993 )). crossover study : all the dialyses with citrate dialysate were uneventful , and no unusual events occurred . results of the blood analyses are shown in table 2 . changes in the concentration of various constituents were calculated by subtracting the post - dialysis concentration from the pre - dialysis concentration . the changes with citrate dialysate were compared to those with acetic acid dialysate . of sixteen serum constituents measured , the intra - dialytic changes in seven differed significantly with citric acid dialysate compared to acetic acid dialysate . post - dialysis average concentration of ionized calcium was subnormal , and that of citrate was above normal when using citrate dialysate ; post - dialysis magnesium and chloride concentrations were subnormal with both dialysates ; and post - dialysis total calcium , sodium , and protein levels were in the normal ranges with both dialysates . fig1 shows the intradialytic and one - hour post - dialysis concentrations of ionized calcium and citrate in fourteen paired treatments with citrate and acetic acid dialysates , both had normalized by one hour after dialysis with citrate dialysate . exclusive use study : no adverse events occurred during twelve weeks of dialysis using only the citrate dialysate . any trend in pre - dialysis blood chemistry was looked for , and comparing the delivered dose for the first and the last dialyses of the study . pre - dialysis blood concentrations of all the measured constituents were compared by repeated measured analysis . this analysis fitted growth curve models for the repeated measures , thus enabling an examination of - the time trends in response variables while adjusting and estimating the correlation of measures from the same patient . a common correlation coefficient for each variable was also obtained . this analysis revealed that changes in the concentrations of five variables were significant over the course of the study ( tables 3 and 4 ). in table 4 , to provide a formal analysis and summarization of the twelve - week study , information on the growth curve models was fitted for repeated measures to the data . see , jennrich and schluchter , m . d ., biometrics 42 : 805 - 820 ( 1986 ); and sas institute , sas / stat software changes and enhancements through release 6 . 11 , cary : sas institute , inc . ( 1996 ). this enabled an examination of the time trends in the response variables while adjusting and estimating the correlations of the repeated measures from the same patient . for each response variable , a linear growth curve model was fitted with a heterogeneous compound - symmetry covariance structure . such a model characterizes the mean and covariance structures of the repeated measures in terms of an overall linear trend and a common correlation coefficient . this analysis was performed using the proc mixed procedure in sas ( sas institute , sas / stat software changes and enhancements through release 6 . 11 , cary : sas institute , inc . ( 1996 ). in this study , and as shown in tables 3 and 4 , the concentrations of the other eleven constituents measured , including total and ionized calcium and sodium , remained stable and unchanged . the decrease in potassium and increase in ast ( got ) levels were minor , and remained well within the normal ranges . the most notable changes encountered were decreases in both serum magnesium and citrate , along with increase in bicarbonate concentrations . pre - dialysis average bicarbonate concentration improved from a subnormal level at the start to a normal level at the end of the study ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 ). at the start of the study , fourteen of twenty two patients had a pre - dialysis bicarbonate concentration of less than 23 meq / l ( lower limit of normal ); at the end of study bicarbonate level had normalized in all but seven patients ( p & lt ; 0 . 001 , chi - square ). dose of dialysis : every attempt was made to keep the dialysis treatment variables constant , but in three patients the dialyzer type was changed during the study . data from these three patients were excluded , and the urr and kt / v values for the remaining nineteen patients are shown in fig2 and 3 . the delivered dose of dialysis was significantly higher for the last dialysis compared to the first dialysis of the study . analysis of dialysis variables showed that blood flow , dialysis time and number of reuses for the processed dialyzers for these two treatments were comparable ( table 5 ), dialyzer type remained unchanged for each patient , and dialysate flow was constant at 500 ml / min . the new dialysate containing citric acid was well tolerated , and no untoward effects were seen during either study . the amount of citrate derived from citric acid was 2 . 4 meq / l , which is lower than the 4 meq / l of acetate typically derived from acetic acid with current dialysate . the blood citrate level was slightly above the upper limit of normal during and immediately after dialysis , falling to within the normal range by one hour after dialysis . this suggests the citric acid load from the dialysate was easily metabolized . during the course of the twelve - week study the pre - dialysis citrate concentration did not increase , showing that there was no accumulation of citrate over time . in fact , the trend was a statistically significant decrease in pre - dialysis citrate concentration during the study . the significant pre - to post - dialysis decline in total and ionized calcium levels during citrate dialysis ( table 2 ) presumably is due to binding with citrate , a well - known effect . this decline was more pronounced in patients using dialysate containing 2 . 5 meq / l of calcium compared with those on a 3 . 0 meq / l calcium bath . however , recovery of the calcium levels by one hour post - dialysis in the crossover study and by the next dialysis in the exclusive use study shows that calcium repletion from body stores and / or from the dissociation of calcium citrate complex is sufficient to maintain the serum calcium level within the normal range . the magnesium concentration in the dialysate of 0 . 75 meq / l resulted in a significant decline in post - dialysis serum magnesium levels with both dialysates . this decline was more pronounced with citrate dialysate , and throughout the twelve - week study the pre - dialysis magnesium level stayed low . magnesium has a strong affinity for citrate and easily complexes with it ( janssen et al ., blood purif . 12 : 308 - 316 ( 1994 )). the lower dialysate magnesium should have favored removal of the complexed molecule during dialysis , producing the decline in the serum magnesium . use of a higher level of magnesium in the dialysate (& gt ; 0 . 75 meq / l ) should prevent any undesired decrease in magnesium . alternatively , this effect could be helpful by reducing magnesium accumulation if magnesium - containing phosphate binders are used . the trend of an increase in pre - dialysis serum bicarbonate levels observed in this study is encouraging . persistent metabolic acidosis in dialysis patients has been associated with increased protein catabolism ( reaich et al ., am . j . physiol . 265 : e230 - e235 ( 1993 ), increased turnover of beta 2 microglobulin ( sonikian et al ., j . am . soc . nephrol . 7 : 350 - 356 ( 1996 ), bone metabolism problems ( lin et al ., asaio j . 40 : m440 - m444 ( 1994 ) and abnormal muscle functions ( guest et al ., j . am . soc . nephrol . 8 : 236a ( 1997 ) ( abstract ). correction of metabolic acidosis has been attempted either by increasing dialysate bicarbonate concentration ( ahmad et al ., trans . am . soc . art intern . organs 26 : 318 - 321 ( 1980 ) or by prescribing oral bicarbonate ( brady and hasbargen , am . j . kid . dis . 31 : 35 - 40 ( 1998 ), but both approaches have associated practical and clinical problems . citrate is metabolized in liver and muscle to produce bicarbonate , and patients getting massive blood transfusions are known to develop alkalosis as a result of the increased citrate load ( dzik and kirkley , trans . med . rev . 2 : 76 - 94 ( 1988 ). thus , citrate metabolism alone may explain the increase in serum bicarbonate level . however , increased intradialytic bicarbonate transfer from the dialysate to the blood might also be a factor as the result of a possible effect of citric acid on the dialyzer membrane ( see below ). the improvement in bicarbonate during the exclusive use study may have been a result of citrate metabolism , increased influx of bicarbonate during dialysis , or a combination of these two effects . the significant increase in delivered dose of dialysis seen at the end of the twelve - week study was not a result of any increase in blood or dialysate flows , dialysis time , or change in dialyzers — known factors influencing the dose . it is possible that the increased removal of urea ( increased dose ) may be attributable to the presence of citrate in the dialysate . we postulate that by binding , with calcium , dialysate citrate provides a local anticoagulant effect at the dialyzer membrane level . this effect may help to preserve membrane permeability and keep the capillary fibers patent . this could explain the observed increase in transfer of solutes such as urea and bicarbonate between dialysate and blood . the study was not designed to address this issue and so there is no conclusive evidence to support this hypothesis . however , if confirmed by further study , this effect of citrate on improving dialysis efficiency could benefit by making dialysis more efficient . in conclusion , these results show that a citrate dialysate is safe and can be used without associated technical or clinical problems . no modification of the dialysis machine is needed , and a citric acid concentrate can be substituted for the current acetic acid concentrate . these studies also demonstrate an increase in urea transfer with the citrate dialysate . if this dialysate can be shown to have similar effects on other molecules , then its use will increase dialyzer efficiency in the removal of uremic toxins . from the foregoing it will be appreciated that , although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration , various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
fig1 shows a card carrier blank utilized to form a gift card carrier 100 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention . more specifically , fig1 shows a bi - panel arrangement in which a first panel 110 and a second panel 120 are folded about a centerline 130 and glued shut to form a gift card carrier as described in further detail below . aspects of two additional alternative gift card carriers of the first embodiment are illustrated in fig2 and 3 , respectively . illustrative dimensions are included in fig1 for the gift card carrier 100 for use with a gift card which is the size of a standard credit card . a presently preferred material for carrier 100 is 12 point white paper having a nominal thickness of 0 . 012 ″. it will be recognized that other dimensions may be suitably employed for cards having other dimensions and that materials other than paper may be suitably employed . first panel 110 has a rectangular area 112 where a terms and condition pamphlet or other product literature insert 10 may be suitably attached with fugitive glue , for example , which allows the pamphlet or insert to be readily removed by a customer that purchases the gift card upon opening the carrier 100 . first panel 110 also includes a first smaller hangtag cutout 114 . second panel 120 has a first rectangular area 122 where a gift card 20 is suitably attached with fugitive glue , for example , allowing the gift card to be readily detached from the carrier once a customer has purchased the gift card and opened the carrier 100 . a second area 124 is a tolerance area within which the gift card may be acceptably mounted . in fig1 , card 20 is shown centered within the tolerance area 124 . a third area 126 defines a no glue region . third area 126 is larger than the acceptable card placement area 124 so that a no glue buffer surrounds the card 20 . second panel 120 also includes a second larger hangtag cutout 128 . additionally , the second panel 120 includes a semicircular slot 129 . in this embodiment , glue is adhered or otherwise applied around the edges of both panels 110 and 120 . in one approach , the glue is applied everywhere except the glue free zones with a glue applicator as part of the process of printing the card carrier with any text , such as the manufacturer &# 39 ; s name or logo , the card company , name , logo and the like , or any other printed text , advertising materials and the like that are desired to be printed on the carrier 100 . then , the gift card 20 is attached to the panel 120 , and the pamphlet or product literature insert 10 is attached to panel 110 . the panels are folded together about centerfold line 130 like a clamshell so that the cutouts 114 and 128 form a hangtag opening for hanging the gift card sealed in the carrier 100 for display . where glue applied during printing is utilized , heat and pressure are applied to activate the glue and to seal the panels 110 and 120 together the seal formed is preferably at least 0 . 5 ″ wide and even more preferably is approximately 0 . 625 ″ wide which is the case when glue is applied everywhere except the glue free zones . in a second approach , after the booklet and card are attached , hot melt glue is applied to one or both of the panels 110 and 120 in a bead or in dots with a pressure gun applicator . where hot melt glue is employed , the closed carrier is rolled between rollers as the glue cools and sets so that the glue is applied uniformly and a wide area seal is formed . in a first alternative of the first embodiment , the exterior of carrier 100 does not include any further external features though it will be recognized that as noted above a wide variety of printed material may be added as desired . fig2 shows back panel 140 of a second alternative carrier 200 after the panels 110 and 120 have been glued together . in the alternative shown , a barcode 245 is printed on the back panel 240 of the carrier 200 . this barcode 245 may be utilized as an activation reference code . additional bar codes not shown may be utilized as a sales reference code to be scanned by a bar code scanner in a known manner , for manufacturing tracking purposes , or the like . when the two panels 110 and 120 have been folded and glued together , it is seen from fig1 that the bottom edge of card 20 is 0 . 875 ″ above the bottom edge of carrier 100 . if the bottom edge of card 20 is placed at the bottom of the acceptable card placement area , it is still 0 . 750 ″ above the bottom edge of carrier 200 . it is further seen from fig1 that with the approach in which glue is applied during printing , glue can be applied in a relatively wide area 0 . 625 ″ wide all around the no glue region 126 . with the application of hotmelt glue a similarly broad swath of glue can surround the no glue region 126 . as further seen in fig2 , upon assembly of the carrier 100 , slot 129 results in an external opening tab 130 which can be pulled by a purchaser to begin to tear open the carrier 100 to get access to the gift card sealed inside . it also creates a vent which allows internal air to escape upon a change of temperature , pressure or the like without damaging the seal . finally , it also allows a simple visual confirmation that a card is contained in the carrier 100 . it will be recognized that alternative venting slots may be employed , such as a simple parenthesis shaped arc or arcs , or a diagonal cut or cuts . as a first example , if a shipment of gift cards is being transported by truck to phoenix on a hot summer day , the high temperature in the truck might cause the internal air to expand . if the package had an airtight seal , that seal or the packaging could be damaged . as a second example , if a gift card in a sealed carrier is purchased and sent by air as a christmas gift , the change in air pressure as the plane goes from near sea level to altitude would result in expansion of the interior air if the package was perfectly sealed , again possibly damaging the seal or the package . a third alternative gift card carrier 300 is illustrated in fig3 . in this alternative , the gift card carrier 300 is preferably formed from a blank like that of fig1 ; however , the back surface 340 of the assembled card 300 has a magstripe 345 rather than the barcode 345 shown in fig2 . although not shown , it will be recognized that a further alternative employs both a barcode or barcodes and a magstripe . it is presently preferred that the magstripe 345 of carrier 100 be readable by a standard magstripe reader designed for reading the magstripe on a standard credit card . such a credit card has a nominal thickness of 30 mils or 0 . 030 ″. as a result , the rollers of the standard credit card reader are spaced so that a card somewhat thicker or thinner than 0 . 030 inches can be read , but cards substantially thicker or thinner may be susceptible to jamming or fail to read as a result of the failure of the magnetic stripe to register with the read head . with card 20 having a nominal thickness of 30 mils and two layers of 12 point paper , the thickness of carrier 100 where the card is sandwiched is approximately 0 . 054 ″. however , the bottom 0 . 750 ″ at the bottom of carrier 100 where magstripe 345 is found is only approximately 0 . 024 ″ thick and can be fed through the rollers of a standard swipe reader . a further advantage of all three alternative carriers 100 , 200 and 300 of the first embodiment is that the thinness of the 12 point paper stock and the width of the glued area between the card 20 and the edges of carriers makes the resulting carriers highly tamper evident with respect to a type of fraud where someone intent on removing cards without detection takes a razor , knife , or the like and attempts to slit open the carrier on one of its edges . where a glue is selected so that it is harder to cut or as hard to cut as the paper and the paper is thin so that it does not provide a guide for the cutting edge , one intent on fraud cannot readily cut the carrier open without the tampering being evident by causing visual damage to the carrier . aspects of a second embodiment of a card carrier in accordance with the present invention are illustrated in fig4 . in fig4 , a top fold tablet card carrier 400 is illustrated . similar to the embodiment of fig1 , a first panel 410 includes a first area 412 reserved for a terms and conditions pamphlet or other product literature insert . no literature is shown in fig4 . first panel 410 also includes a first smaller hangtag cutout 414 . second panel 420 has a first area 422 reserved for attaching a gift card . no gift card is shown in fig4 . a second area 424 illustrates a larger tolerance area within which the gift card may be acceptably mounted . a third area 426 defines a no glue region . second panel 420 also includes a second larger hangtag cutout 428 . additionally , the second panel 420 includes a semicircular slot 429 . in this second embodiment , glue is applied around the edges of second panel 420 in either of the two ways described above in connection with fig1 . a gift card is attached to the panel 420 . a terms and condition pamphlet or other product literature insert is attached to panel 410 . glue may be preapplied during printing as discussed above and the panels are then folded together about top fold line 430 . the package is then sealed using a high pressure heat press that activates the glue as discussed above . alternatively , as also discussed above , hot melt glue may be applied and then after folding the panels together , the card carrier is rolled under pressure rollers to seal the package with a wide seal area . in a first alternative , the carrier 400 has no external barcode or magstripe . in a second alternative , the carrier 400 has a barcode as seen in fig2 and in a third alternative , the carrier 400 has a magstripe as seen in fig3 . fig5 shows a gift card carrier blank used to form a gift card carrier 500 in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention . more specifically , fig5 shows a bi - panel arrangement in which a first panel 510 and a second panel 520 are folded about a centerline 530 and glued shut to form a gift card carrier as described in further detail below . illustrative dimensions are included in fig5 for the gift card carrier 500 for use with a gift card which is the size of a standard credit card . a presently preferred material for carrier 500 is 8 point white paper having a nominal thickness of 0 . 008 ″ it will be recognized that other dimensions may be suitably employed for cards having other dimensions . first panel 510 has a rectangular area 512 where a teens and condition pamphlet or other product literature insert 10 is suitably attached with fugitive glue , for example , which allows the booklet to be readily removed by a customer that purchases the gift card upon opening carrier 500 . first panel 510 also includes a first smaller hangtag cutout 514 . in this embodiment , area 512 is also a no glue area and glue may be applied during printing outside this area or hot melt glue may be applied as discussed above . second panel 520 has a first area 522 where a gift card 20 is suitably attached with fugitive glue , for example , allowing the gift card to be readily detached from the carrier . a second area 524 illustrates a tolerance area within which the gift card may be acceptably mounted . a third area 526 defines a no glue region . third area 526 is larger than the acceptable card placement area 524 so that a no glue buffer surrounds the card 20 . second panel 520 also includes a second larger hangtag cutout 528 . additionally , the second panel 520 includes a three quarter inch flap 527 with a half inch magstripe 528 . as discussed further in connection with fig6 and 7 below , the flap 527 is folded over to the back of carrier 500 and glued to the back of second panel 520 . fig6 shows back 540 of the carrier 500 with the flap 527 in the process of being folded about fold line 529 . in a presently preferred embodiment , the back of panel 520 also includes a white area 525 for the printing of a barcode or other desired information . as seen in fig7 , the flap 527 has now been glued to the back of the panel 520 . since the flap has a thickness of 0 . 008 ″ and each panel has a thickness of 0 . 008 ″, the total thickness of the finished carrier 500 at the magstripe is 0 . 024 ″ so the magstripe can be read by a typical magstripe reader as discussed above . fig7 further illustrates a number of lines of perforations 531 , 533 , 535 and 537 . in a presently preferred embodiment , these perforations are cut by a disc with 12 teeth per inch . the cuts are 0 . 0150 ″ and ties are 0 . 0075 ″. the resulting perforations allow the customer purchasing the end product to tear it open after purchase to obtain access to the card 20 and literature 10 . someone intent on fraud cannot readily open the package without it being tamper evident . in this third embodiment , after folding and gluing bottom panel 527 to the back panel , glue is applied around the edges of second panels 510 and 520 . in one approach , the glue is applied everywhere except the glue free zones 512 and 526 as part of the process of printing the card carrier with any text , such as the manufacturer &# 39 ; s name or logo , the card company , name , logo and the like , or any other printed text , advertising materials and the like that are desired to be printed on the carrier 500 . in a second approach , hot melt glue is applied outside the glue free zones to one or both of the panels 510 and 520 in a bead or in dots with a pressure gun applicator . then , the gift card 20 is attached to the panel 520 . the product literature booklet 10 is attached to panel 510 . the panels are folded together about scored centerfold line 530 like a clamshell so that the cutouts 514 and 528 form a hangtag opening for hanging the gift card sealed in its carrier 500 for display . where printed glue is utilized , heat and pressure are applied to activate the glue and to seal the panels 510 and 520 together . where hot melt glue is employed , the closed carrier is rolled between rollers as the glue cools and sets . when the two panels 510 and 520 have been folded and glued together , it is seen from fig8 that the bottom edge of card 20 is more than 0 . 750 ″ above the bottom edge of carrier 500 . with the bottom edge of card 20 placed at the bottom of the acceptable card placement area , it is still at least 0 . 750 ″ above the bottom edge of carrier 500 . it is further seen from fig7 that with the printed glue approach , glue can be applied in a wide area 0 . 625 ″ wide all around the no glue regions 512 and 526 . with the application of hotmelt glue , a similarly broad swath of glue can surround these no glue regions . upon purchase of the carrier 500 , the perforations can be torn by a purchaser to tear open the carrier 500 to get access to the gift card sealed inside . it is presently preferred that the magstripe 528 of carrier 500 be readable by a standard magstripe reader utilized for reading the magstripe on a standard credit card . such a credit card has a nominal thickness of 30 mils or 0 . 030 ″. as a result , the rollers of the standard credit card reader are spaced so that a card somewhat thicker or thinner than 0 . 030 inches can be read , but cards substantially thicker or thinner may be susceptible to jamming or fail to read as a result of the failure of the magnetic stripe to register with the read head . with card 20 having a nominal thickness of 30 mils and two layers of 8 point paper , the thickness of carrier 500 where the card is sandwiched is approximately 0 . 046 ″. however , the bottom 0 . 750 ″ at the bottom of carrier 300 where magstripe 345 is found is 0 . 024 ″ thick and can be fed through the rollers of a standard swipe reader . a further advantage of the carrier 500 is that the thinness of the 8 point paper stock and the width of the glued area between the card 20 and the edges of the carrier makes the resulting carrier highly tamper evident with respect to a type of fraud where someone intent on stealing cards takes a razor , knife , or the like and attempts to slit open the carrier on one of its edges . where a glue is selected so that it is harder to cut or as hard to cut as the paper and the paper is thin so that it does not provide a guide for the cutting edge , one intent on fraud cannot readily cut the carrier open without the tampering being evident . while a presently preferred third embodiment is shown , it will be recognized that variations on this embodiment may be readily made by those of skill in the art . for example , with 6 point paper , inside front panel 510 can also have a foldover flap like the magstripe flap 527 but without a magstripe , so that the overall thickness is still 0 . 024 ″ a the bottom where the magstripe is to be passed through a magstripe reader . decorative edging or printing may be applied to the front panel flap so it is aesthetically pleasing to purchasers . fig8 a and 8b ( collectively fig8 ) show a fourth embodiment of a card carrier 800 in accordance with the present invention . in fig8 , a first panel 810 of 24 point white paper and a separate second panel 820 of 24 point white paper are shown . for standard credit card sized gift cards , the dimensions of these two panels will preferably be the same as those shown for panels 110 and 120 in fig1 , respectively . panel 810 has a first smaller hangtag cutout 814 . panel 820 has a second larger hangtag cutout 828 . as addressed above , it will be recognized that thinner paper may be employed in place of 24 point white paper and that an overall bottom thickness of 0 . 048 ″ will be too thick for reading with a standard magstripe reader with an approximately 30 mil reader head spacing . first panel 810 has a rectangular area 812 where a terms and conditions pamphlet or other product literature insert 10 may be suitably attached with fugitive glue , for example , which allows the booklet to be readily removed by a customer that purchases the gift card upon opening carrier 800 . second panel 820 has a first area 822 where gift card 20 is suitably attached with fugitive glue . in this fourth embodiment glue is adhered round the edges of either of the two panels 810 and 820 . the two panels are aligned together and the glue is activated as discussed above . fig9 a and 9b ( collectively fig9 ) illustrate aspects of a method 900 of making a tamper evident card in accordance with the present invention . in step 902 , a bi - panel is formed having a fold line with a first panel to one side of the fold line , the first panel having an area reserved for a product literature insert on an inside face and the second panel having an area reserved for a card located within a no glue region on an inside face . a wide glue area between the no glue area and the edges of the second panel is also established . in step 904 , the fold line is scored . in step 906 , glue is applied to the wide glue area . the wide glue area is preferably at least 0 . 5 ″ wide and for a standard credit card sized card may advantageously be 0 . 625 ″ wide . in step 908 , a gift card is glued to the area for a card with fugitive glue . in step 910 , a product literature insert is glued to the area for a product literature insert with fugitive glue . in step 912 , the bi - panel is folded about the fold line . in step 914 , the glue is activated to form a tamper evident seal which is at least 0 . 5 ″ wide . in an optional step 916 , a magnetic stripe is formed on a flap extending from a bottom edge of the second panel . in an optional step 918 , the flap is folded about a fold line and glued to the back of the second panel . in a further optional step 920 , a bar code or a magnetic stripe or both are formed on an outside face of either the first or second panel . while the present invention has been disclosed in the context of various aspects of presently preferred embodiments , it will be recognized that the invention may be suitably varied and applied to other environments consistent with the teachings above and the claims which follow . by way of example , while the present invention is described in connection with embodiments for standard credit card sized cards , it will be recognized that the present teachings may be adapted to other shapes and sizes of cards , such as key fob or key chain cards , smart cards , and the like . further , while the present invention is described in connection with embodiments in which paper is employed , it will be recognized that various other types of materials , such as plastics and the like , may be suitably employed so long as that material can be cut , folded and adhered consistent with the teachings herein . additionally , while presently preferred approaches to gluing panels together have been described , variations thereon will be readily adapted to the demands of a particular environment or context .	8
referring initially to fig1 and 2 , an insert card 10 is provided which is capable of absorbing a fragrance . preferably , the card 10 is made from 120 # blotting paper . the card can also be made from a non - woven , porous materials or synthetic carrier materials such as extruded polyethylene or molded polystyrene based materials that will hold fragrance and allow evaporative emittance of the fragrance . such materials include , for example tyveke ® sheeting available from e . i . dupont de nemours & amp ; co . ; tesline ®, microporous sheeting available from ppg industries , inc . of pittsburgh , pa . ; porex ®, porous plastic sheeting available from porex technologies corp . of fairburn , ga ., celwa paper pads , available from john h . willig d / b / a celwa products co . of new york , n . y . the card 10 has a first pair of opposed sides 12 and a second pair of opposed sides 14 . if the card 10 is square , the sides 12 and 14 are of the same length . on the other hand , if the card is rectangular , the sides 12 are long sides and the sides 14 are short sides . perforation lines 16 extend between the opposing sides 12 of the card 10 . each perforation is preferably about ¼ ″ long with 2 perforations per inch . the lines 16 , which are generally parallel to each other , are preferably spaced apart about ⅝ ″. the perforations are formed preferably by die - cutting , preferably with a flat bed die cutter . however , the perforations can also be formed using a rotary die - cutter . although shown as a rectangle , the insert can be die - cut shape to a desired shape , or have die - cut perorations so that the insert can be punched out from a blank in a desired shape . as can be seen in fig2 , the perforated lines 16 allow for the card 10 to be easily rolled or formed to a size in which it can be received within a tube of paper towels , toilette paper , or the like . for example , if the card 10 is to be inserted in a paper towel tube , the card 10 preferable is 9 ″× 5 ″. if the card 10 is to be inserted in a toilette paper tube , the card 10 is preferably 5 ″× 41 / 2 ″. the perforated lines also allow for the insert to be reduced in size by the consumer . thus , for example , larger sheets could be provided , which are then cut in half by the consumer . preferably , the card 10 is printed with graphics . the graphics can be ornamental or provide instructions for use of the cards . such graphics can be printed on the card 10 either before or after the perforations are formed . one method for printing graphics is by sheet fed lithographic offset . the insert can be provided as either scented or unscented . if provided as an unscented insert , the consumer can apply his or her own fragrance to the insert by either spraying the insert or dipping the insert in a desired fragrance ( i . e ., a perfume , cologne , etc .) if the insert is pre - scented , the fragrance can be applied either by roller or spray application . the fragrance formulation preferably comprises fragrance oil and a dpg diluent . the preferred fragrance load is approximately 2 . 0 grams per toilet tissue insert and 4 . 0 grams for paper towel inserts ( or about 0 . 09 gm / in2 ). the fragrance applied can include , or be comprised of microencapsulated fragrance oil . this will allows for improved shelf life of the scented insert and will provide a refreshing feature to the insert . the evaporation of the fragrance from the insert can be either enhanced or retarded . evaporation can be retarded by applying a second film of plastisizing agents after the fragrance has been applied to the insert . polymers , such as dipropyleneglycol ( dpg ), diethylphthylate ( dep ) or similar solvents , can also be added to the fragrance formulation to thicken the fragrance coating to achieve a heavier coating weight . this will also retard the rate of evaporation of the fragrance from the insert . on the other hand , evaporation enhancers , such as denatured alcohol ( 39c ) can be added to the fragrance formulation to increase the rate of evaporation of the fragrance from the insert . the cards 10 are formed as individual cards . preferably , they are packaged in a resealable pouch or bag . the preferred packaging is a three - side seal , pvdc coated polyester , pouch with resealable fold and a hanger hole for peg rack display . fig3 and 4 show how the scented insert 10 when folded along its lines 16 of perforations may be enclosed within a roll 20 of tissue . as can be seen , the insert or card 10 is received around the internal roller or spindle 22 about which the roll 20 rotates , and within the central tube of the roll 20 . in this location , the scented insert card 10 can provide for the emission of a pleasing fragrance . the same may also be applied , as for example , within a roll of paper towels , or the like . fig5 shows how an alternative example of usage of the scented insert card 10 can be located within the cavity of the spindle 22 , for holding a roll 20 of tissues , or other paper , and used for the same purpose of providing the release of a pleasing fragrance . fig6 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the insert card 10 is folded over upon itself and the first pair of opposed sides 12 are overlapped by a distance 30 and adhered to one another with an adhesive 31 ( fig9 ). in this manner the insert card 10 is provided to an end user in a flattened state . by pushing on the insert card 10 in the direction of arrows a , b the user can force the flattened card 10 into a hollow polygonal configuration similar to that described above with respect to fig2 and shown in fig7 . fig8 and 9 show a preferred manner in which the insert card 10 of the present invention is shipped and used . referring to fig8 , an outer packaging 32 is provided that envelopes the insert card 10 . the outer packaging 32 is preferably a substantially impervious odor and moisture barrier , such as dupont mylar ( pvdc coated polyester ), cellophane or other common packaging materials . ends 34 , 36 of the packaging 32 are sealed . optionally , drops of adhesive 38 attach the insert card 10 to the packaging material 32 . finally , perforations 40 parallel to each end 34 , 36 and on opposite sides of the insert card 10 are provided . referring to fig9 , the present invention in placed in use by tearing off the ends 34 , 36 ( fig8 ) of the outer packaging 32 along the perforations 40 . next , by squeezing on the insert card 10 in the direction of the arrows a , b , the insert card 10 is expanded into a generally polygonal body as shown in fig9 . next , a tissue roll spindle 22 is placed through the center of the generally polygonal insert card 10 . finally , a tissue paper roll 20 is placed around the outer packaging 32 and the roll 20 placed in service . in use , the insert card 10 releases fragrance between the insert card 10 and the outer packaging 32 and between the spindle 22 and the insert card 10 , as shown by arrows c , d . alternatively , the tissue spindle could be placed around the insert card 10 and it outer packaging 32 , as described with respect to fig5 without departing from the scope of the present invention . variations or modifications to the subject matter of this invention may occur to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the invention as described herein . such variations , or modifications , to this disclosure , are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention as provided and disclosed herein .	0
for a more detailed description of the present invention , the following examples are proved . however , the scope of the present invention is not limited to this . synthesis of epo mimetic peptide monomers is performed by a solid - phase peptide synthesis method . this peptide synthesis method has been reported in many literatures , see stewart , j . m ., and young , j . d ., solid phase peptide synthesis 2d edition , novabiochem peptide synthesis notes . the epo mimetic peptide derivatives provided by this invention may be performed by manual synthesis methods . the resin is rink amind resin . the α - amino of the amino acid derivatives are protected by fmoc ( fluorene - formyl carbonyl ). the thiol group of cysteine side chain , the amino group of glutamine side chain , and the imidazole group of histidine side chain are protected by trt ( trityl ). the guanidine group of the arginine side - chain is protected by pbf ( 2 , 2 , 4 , 6 , 7 - pentamethyldihydrobenzofuran - 5 - sulfonyl ). the indole group of tryptophan side chain , and the amino group of the lysine side chain , are protected by boc ( tert - butoxycarbonyl ). the hydroxyl group of the threonine side chain , the phenol group of the tyrosine side chain , and the hydroxyl group of the serine side chain are protected by tbu ( tert - butyl ). the carboxyl of the c - terminal of the peptide chain of the epo mimetic peptide derivative to be synthesized is attached to insoluble resin ( rink amind resin ) by covalent bonds . then amino acids attached to the solid phase carrier is used as the amino component to extend the polypeptide chain after removing amino protection groups by a 20 % piperidine dmf solution and reacting with excessive amino acid derivative . the operation is then repeated ( condensation → washing → deprotection → washing → the next round of condensation ) to achieve the desired synthetic peptide chain length . finally , the peptide chain is removed from the resin using a mixed solution of trifluoroacetic acid , water , ethylene mercaptan , 3 - isopropyl silane ( 92 . 5 : 2 . 5 : 2 . 5 : 2 . 5 ). after ether sedimentation , the crude epo mimetic monomers are obtained . the crude peptide monomer is separated and purified by a c18 reverse - phase preparative column . then an epo mimetic peptide derivative monomer peptide is obtained . the control of the reaction steps of condensation and deprotection employs a ninhydrin detection method , namely when the resin peptide chain has free amino groups , a blue color will appear after staining by the ninhydrin reagent . when there is no free amino group , no color reaction will be developed ( ninhydrin reagent itself being yellow ). therefore , after carrying out the condensation reaction and detecting by ninhydrin , if yellow color is present ( the color of ninhydrin reagent itself ), it means that this coupling step is completed and the deprotection operation can be carried out before coupling of the next amino acid . if a blue color is present , it means that there are still some free amino on the peptide chain . it needs further repeated coupling or changing the current condensing agent until the resin - peptide presents a yellow color after detection by ninhydrin . iminodiacetic acid diethyl ester ( 10 . 0 g , 52 . 8 mmol ) and boc - β - alanine ( 10 . 0 g , 52 . 8 mmol ) are dissolved in 100 ml of dichloromethane . dic ( 8 . 0 ml , 52 . 8 mmol ) is added into the solution . the reaction solution is stirred at room temperature overnight . the reaction solution is filtered . the filtrate is washed with 100 ml of saturated nahco 3 , 50 ml of a 0 . 5 n hcl solution , and 100 ml of saturated saline successively . the organic phase is isolated from the aqueous phase and dried with anhydrous mgso 4 . the organic phase is filtered and concentrated to provide a colorless oily substance lg - 1 - a ( 17 g ). lg - 1 - a ( 17 g ) is dissolved in 100 ml of a mixture of meoh and thf ( 1 : 1 ). then 25 ml of water , and 5 g of naoh ( 125 mmol ) are added into the solution . the solution is stirred at room temperature for 2 hours . then the ph value of the solution is adjusted to 1 with a 6 n hcl solution . the reaction solution is extracted with ethyl acetate four times . the organic phase is washed with saline , dried by anhydrous magnesium sulfate , and concentrated at a reduced pressure to produce a white semi - solid . the product is dissolved in 50 ml of dichloromethane . then 300 ml of n - hexane is added to the solution to produce a white paste . after concentrated at a reduced pressure , a white solid lg - 1 - b ( 14 g ) is obtained . the yield is about 90 %. lg - 1 - b ( 7 g , 23 mmol ) is dissolve in 80 ml of tetrahydrofuran . under stirring , n , n - methoxy - methyl - amine hydrochloride ( 4 . 6 g , 46 mmol ) and triethylamine ( 5 . 1 g , 51 mmol ), dic ( 4 . 4 g , 32 mmol ), and hobt ( 4 . 7 g , 32 mmol ) are added into the solution successively . the reaction mixture is stirred overnight at room temperature . then the reaction mixture is added into water and extracted by 350 ml of ethyl acetate . the organic phase is washed with 200 ml of 2 n hcl aqueous solution , 200 ml of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution , 100 ml of saturated saline successively . the organic phase is separated , dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate for 2 hours , and then filtrated . the filtrate becomes oily after concentration at reduced pressure . after column chromatography , the target product lg - 1 - c ( 4 . 2 g , yield : 70 %) is collected . lg - 1 - c ( 4 . 0 g , 10 . 2 mmol ) is dissolved in 60 ml of tetrahydrofuran . the solution is cooled down to 0 ° c . by an ice - salt bath . lialh 4 ( 340 mg , 8 . 9 mmol ) is added into the solution . after reacting at 0 ° c . for 30 minutes , 4 ml of water and 4 ml of 15 % naoh solution are added successively . the reaction solution is filtered . the filtrate is washed with tetrahydrofuran , concentrated , and purified by silica gel column chromatography to provide lg - 1 ( 1 . 63 g , 6 mmol , yield : 58 . 8 %). lg - 1 - b ( 4 g , 13 mmol ) is dissolved in 100 ml of n , n - dimethylformamide . hydroxysuccinimide ( 3 . 1 g , 21 mmol ), dic ( 4 ml , 26 mmol ), and dmap ( 4 - dimethylamino pyridine ) ( 12 mg , 0 . 08 mmol ) are added into the solution . after stirring overnight , the reaction solution is concentrated at reduced pressure . the residue is dissolved in 80 ml of ethyl acetate . the insoluble substances are filtered off . the organic phase is washed with 40 ml of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution , 40 ml of saturated saline , 40 ml of 0 . 5 n hcl solution , and 40 ml of saturated saline successively . the organic phase is separated and dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate . the organic phase is filtered . the filtrate is concentrated at reduced pressure . a white solid lg - 2 ( 4 . 4 g ) is obtained . yield is about 68 %. pentanone pimelic acid ( 7 . 0 g , 0 . 04 mol ) is dissolved in 100 ml of methanol . 5 % csco 3 in methanol is added into the solution under stirring . the ph of the reaction mixture is controlled at about 8 . 5 by the amount of csco 3 ( determined by high resolution ph test paper ). the mixture is stirred for 30 minutes after the addition is completed . then the reaction mixture is filtered . the filtrate becomes oily after vacuum concentration . the oily filtrate is dissolved in about 100 ml of dmso and the solution is warmed up to 60 ° c . benzyl bromide ( 14 g , 0 . 08 mol ) is added into the solution . after reacting for 8 hours , the reaction mixture is filtered . the solid is washed with a small amount of ether . 400 ml of ether is added into the mother liquor . then the mother liquor is washed with 200 ml of saturated saline . the organic phase is separated and dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate for 2 hours . then the organic phase is filtered . when the filtrate is concentrated at reduced pressure to ⅕ of its original volume , it is placed in − 20 ° c . freezer overnight to crystallize . the solid is filtered out and dried to provide a white solid lg - 3 - a ( 10 . 5 g , yield 74 %). lg - 3 - a ( 2 g , 0 . 0056 mol ) is dissolved in 20 ml of tetrahydrofuran . the internal temperature of the solution is maintained below − 10 ° c . nabh 4 ( 626 mg , 0 . 0168 mol ) is added into the solution under stirring . after 1 hour of reaction , 200 ml of chilled ether is added , followed by addition of 150 ml of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution to terminate the reaction . the solution is kept still to allow the organic phase separate from the aqueous phase . the organic phase is washed for one time with saturated saline , then dried with anhydrous na 2 so 4 for 2 hours , and filtered . the filtrate is concentrated at reduced pressure to produce lg - 3 - b ( 1 . 9 g , yield : 94 . 6 %). lg - 3 - b ( 3 . 2 g , 0 . 009 mol ) is dissolved in 50 ml of dichloromethane . triethylamine ( 4 . 34 g , 0 . 043 mol ) is added into the solution below 0 ° c . under stirring . triphosgene ( 1 . 33 g , 0 . 0045 mol ) is dissolved in 25 ml of dichloromethane . then the triphosgene solution is added into the lg - 3 - b solution dropwise . tert - butoxycarbonyl - ethylenediamine ( 2 . 8 g ) is added into the reaction mixture after 1 hour . after 3 hours of reaction , the reaction mixture is adjusted to neutral with glacial acetic acid . a precipitate is generated . the precipitate is filtered off . the filtrate is concentrated at reduced pressure and then dissolved in ether . then the solution is washed with water for three times and with saturated saline for one time . the organic phase is separated out , dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate for 2 hours and then filtrated . the filtrate is concentrated at reduced pressure to provide an oily substance . the oily substance is purified by silica gel column chromatography ( mobile phase : petroleum ether : ethyl acetate = 10 : 1 ). the target fragments are collected and combined . the combined fragments are concentrated to produce lg - 3 - c ( 1 . 5 g , yield 38 . 8 %) as a white solid . lg - 3 - c ( 13 g , 0 . 031 mol ) is dissolved in 8 ml of methanol . 200 mg 10 % pd — c is added under stirring . after 4 hours of reaction under h 2 at an atmospheric pressure , the activated carbon is filtered off the filtrate is concentrated to produce an oily substance lg - 3 - d ( 8 . 28 g , yield : 96 . 7 %). lg - 3 - d ( 5 g , 0 . 018 mol ) is dissolved in 10 ml of tetrahydrofuran . p - nitrophenol ( 4 . 7 g , 0 . 043 mol ) is added . then dic ( 4 . 2 g , 0 . 043 ) is added into the solution under stirring . the reaction is stirred overnight . the resulting precipitate is filtered out . the filter cake is washed with a small amount of ethyl acetate and dried under reduced pressure . the residue is dissolved in 100 ml of ethyl acetate . the resulting solution is washed with 50 ml saturated saline once . the organic phase is separated and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate for 2 hours . then the solution is filtered . the filtrate is concentrated at reduced pressure to produce an oily substance . the oily substance is purified by silica gel column chromatography ( eluant : hexane and ethyl acetate , ration from 20 : 1 to 10 : 1 ). the target fragments are combined and collected , and concentrated at reduced pressure to produce lg - 3 ( 3 . 5 g , yield : 32 %) as a white solid . lg - 3 - d ( 5 g , 0 . 018 mol ) is dissolved in 60 ml of tetrahydrofuran . n , n - methoxy - methyl - amine hydrochloride ( 3 . 51 g , 0 . 036 mol ) and triethylamine ( 4 . 0 g , 0 . 04 mol ) are added into the solution under stirring . then dic ( 3 . 4 g , 0 . 027 mol ) and hobt ( 3 . 65 g , 0 . 027 mol ) are added into the reaction mixture . the reaction mixture is stirred overnight at room temperature , added into 200 ml of water , and extracted with 200 ml of ethyl acetate twice . the combined organic phase is washed with 50 ml of 2 n hcl solution , 100 ml of saturated nahco 3 solution , and 100 ml of saturated saline successively . the combined organic phase is dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate for 2 hours , and filtered . the filtrate is concentrated at reduced pressure to produce an oily substance . the oily substance is purified by column chromatography ( eluant : hexane : ethyl acetate at 10 : 1 ). the target components are combined to produce a white solid lg - 4 - a ( 6 . 24 g , yield : 80 %). lg - 4 - a ( 4 . 0 g , 9 mmol ) is dissolved in 50 ml of tetrahydrofura . lialh 4 ( 300 mg , 7 . 9 mmol ) is added into the solution in an ice - salt bath at a temperature of below zero . the temperature of the reaction mixture is maintained at 0 ° c . for 30 minutes . then 0 . 3 ml of water , 0 . 9 ml of 15 % naoh solution , and 0 . 3 ml of water are added into the reaction mixture successively . a precipitate is generated . the precipitate is filtered out . the filter cake is washed with tetrahydrofuran once . the filtrate is combined and concentrated at reduced pressure . the residue is purified by column chromatography to produce lg - 4 ( 1 . 65 g , yield : 55 . 5 %). the peptide monomer of seq id no : 5 ( 9 g , synthesized in accordance with the method given in the examples ) is dissolved in 3000 ml of 20 % glacial acetic acid . then a 5 % iodine - methanol solution is added into the solution dropwise and slowly until the yellow color does not disappear . the reaction solution is directly subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the resulting residue is freeze - dried , 3 . 0 g of seq id no : 5 cyclic peptide is obtained ( yield : 15 . 6 %). the cyclic peptide of seq id no : 5 ( 3 . 0 g , 1 . 22 mmol ) is dissolved in 150 ml of n , n - dimethyl formamide . triethylamine ( 147 mg , 1 . 46 mmol ) and the functional small molecule ( lg - 3 ) ( 368 mg , 0 . 61 mmol ) are added into the solution . after the reaction is stirred at room temperature for 6 hours , part of the n , n - dimethylformamide is removed . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in a refrigerator for 2 hours and centrifuged . a white solid is obtained and dried under vacuum . then the white solid is dissolved in 50 ml of 20 % trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane solution . after the solution is stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes , part of the solvent is removed under reduced pressure . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in the refrigerator for 2 hours and then centrifuged . a white solid is obtained and dried by vacuum . the white solid is subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the resulting residue is freeze - dried , 1 . 0 g of hh - epo - 005 is obtained ( yield is about 33 %). the peptide monomer of seq id no : 6 ( 9 g , synthesized in accordance with the method given in the examples ) is added in 3000 ml of 20 % glacial acetic acid . then a 5 % iodine - methanol solution is added dropwise slowly until the yellow color does not disappear . the reaction solution is directly subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the resulting residue is freeze - dried , 3 . 0 g of seq id no : 6 cyclic peptide is obtained ( yield : 15 . 3 %). the cyclic peptide of seq id no : 6 ( 3 . 0 g , 1 . 22 mmol ) is dissolved in 150 ml of n , n - dimethyl formamide . triethylamine ( 147 mg , 1 . 46 mmol ) and the functional small molecule ( lg - 3 ) ( 368 mg , 0 . 61 mmol ) are added into the solution . after the reaction is stirred at room temperature for 6 hours , part of the dmf is removed . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in a refrigerator for 2 hours and then centrifuged . a white solid is obtained and dried under vacuum . then the white solid is dissolved in 50 ml of 20 % trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane solution . after the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes , part of the solvent is removed under reduced pressure . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in a refrigerator for 2 hours and then centrifuged . a white solid is obtained and dried under vacuum . the white solid is subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecyl silane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure . the residue is freeze - dried to provide 3 . 98 g of hh - epo - 006 at a yield of about 32 . 7 %. the peptide monomer of seq id no : 7 ( 9 g , synthesized in accordance with the method given in the examples ) is dissolved in 3000 ml of 20 % glacial acetic acid . then a 5 % iodine - methanol solution is added dropwise until the yellow color does not disappear . the reaction solution is directly subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the reside is freeze dried , 3 . 15 g of seq id no : 7 cyclic peptide is obtained ( yield : 16 . 4 %). the cyclic peptide of seq id no : 7 ( 3 . 0 g , 1 . 22 mmol ) is dissolved in 150 ml of n , n - dimethyl formamide . triethylamine ( 147 mg , 1 . 46 mmol ) and the functional small molecule ( lg - 3 ) ( 368 mg , 0 . 61 mmol ) are added into the solution . after the reaction is stirred at room temperature for 6 hours , part of the n , n - dimethylformamide is removed . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in a refrigerator for 2 hours and then centrifuged . a white solid is obtained and dried under vacuum . then this white solid is dissolved in 50 ml of 20 % trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane solution . after the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes , part of the solvent is removed under reduced pressure . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in a refrigerator for 2 hours and then centrifuged . a white solid is obtained and dried under vacuum . the white solid is subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the residue is freeze - dried , 1 . 0 g of hh - epo - 007 is obtained ( yield is about 33 %). the peptide monomer of seq id no : 8 ( 27 g , synthesized in accordance with the method given in the examples ) is dissolved in 3000 ml of 20 % glacial acetic acid . a 5 % iodine - methanol solution is added dropwise until the yellow color does not disappear . the reaction solution is directly subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the residue is freeze - dried , 9 . 3 g of seq id no : 8 is obtained ( yield : 15 . 7 %). the cyclic peptide of seq id no : 8 ( 3 . 0 g , 1 . 22 mmol ) is dissolved in 150 ml of n , n - dimethyl formamide . triethylamine ( 147 mg , 1 . 46 mmol ) and the functional small molecule ( lg - 3 ) ( 368 mg , 0 . 61 mmol ) are added into the solution . after the reaction is stirred at room temperature for 6 hours , part of the n , n - dimethylformamide is removed . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in a refrigerator for 2 hours and then centrifuged . a white solid is obtained by vacuum drying . then this white solid is dissolved in 50 ml of 20 % trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane solution . after the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes , part of the solvent is removed under reduced pressure . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in the refrigerator for 2 hours and then centrifuged . a white solid is obtained and dried under vacuum . the white solid is subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the residue is freeze - dried , 1 . 12 g of hh - epo - 008 is obtained ( yield is about 33 %). the cyclic peptide of seq id no : 8 ( 3 . 0 g , 1 . 22 mmol ) is dissolved in 150 ml of 20 mmol acetic acid buffer ( ph5 . 0 ). the functional small molecule ( lg - 4 ) ( 201 mg , 0 . 61 mmol ) and 10 ml of acetonitrile are added into the solution . after stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes , the reaction solution is subjected a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the residue is freeze - dried , 0 . 75 g of hh - epo - 008a is obtained ( yield : 25 %). the cyclic peptide seq id no : 8 ( 3 . 0 g , 1 . 22 mmol ) is dissolved in 150 ml of n , n - dimethyl formamide . triethylamine ( 147 mg , 1 . 46 mmol ) and the functional small molecule ( lg - 2 ) ( 322 mg , 0 . 61 mmol ) are added into the solution . after the reaction is stirred at room temperature for 6 hours , part of the n , n - dimethylformamide is removed . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in a refrigerator for 2 hours and then centrifuged . a white solid is obtained and dried under vacuum . then this white solid is dissolved in 50 ml of 20 % trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane solution . after the solution is stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes , part of the solvent is removed under reduced pressure . 200 ml of ether is added into the residue . the mixture is placed in the refrigerator for 2 hours and then centrifuged . a white solid is obtained and dried under vacuum . the white solid is subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecyl silane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the residue is freeze - dried , 1 . 3 g of hh - epo - 008 is obtained ( yield is about 43 %). the cyclic peptide seq id no : 8 ( 3 . 0 g , 1 . 22 mmol ) is dissolved in 150 ml of 20 mmol acetic acid buffer ( ph5 . 0 ). then the functional small molecule ( lg - 1 ) ( 165 mg , 0 . 61 mmol ) and 10 ml of acetonitrile are added . after stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes , the reaction solution is subjected to a preparative purification by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the resulting residue is freeze - dried , 0 . 8 g of hh - epo - 008c is obtained ( yield : 27 %). hh - epo - 008 ( 0 . 5 g , 0 . 98 mmol ) is dissolved in 100 ml of n , n - dimethyl formamide . triethylamine ( 39 . 6 mg , 0 . 196 mmol ) and mpeg 2 - osu ( 40k ) ( 3 . 8 g , 0 . 96 mmol ) are added into the solution . after stirred at room temperature for 6 hours , the reaction solution is poured directly into 600 ml of cold ether . a solid is precipitated . after placing in a refrigerator for 2 hours , the mixture is centrifuged and the resulting crude hh - epo - 018 is dried under vacuum . crude hh - epo - 018 is purified by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecyl silane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the resulting residue is freeze - dried , 1 . 8 g of hh - epo - 018 ( yield is about 47 %). hh - epo - 008 ( 0 . 5 g , 0 . 98 mmol ) is dissolved in 100 ml of n , n - dimethyl formamide . triethylamine ( 39 . 6 mg , 0 . 196 mmol ) and mpeg 2 - osu ( 40k ) ( 3 . 8 g , 0 . 96 mmol ) are added into the solution . the reaction is stirred at room temperature for 6 hours . the reaction solution is directly poured into 600 ml of cold ether . a solid is precipitated . after placing in the refrigerator for 2 hours , the mixture is centrifuged and the resulting crude hh - epo - 018 is dried under vacuum . crude hh - epo - 018 is purified by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecyl silane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 m . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the resulting residue is freeze - dried , 1 . 5 g of hh - epo - 018a is obtained ( yield is about 39 %). hh - epo - 008 ( 0 . 5 g , 0 . 98 mmol ) is dissolved in 100 ml of n , n - dimethyl formamide . triethylamine ( 39 . 6 mg , 0 . 196 mmol ) and mpeg 2 - osu ( 40k ) ( 3 . 8 g , 0 . 96 mmol ) are added into the solution . the reaction is stirred at room temperature for 6 hours and directly poured into 600 ml of cold ether . a solid is precipitated . after placing in a refrigerator for 2 hours , the mixture is centrifuged and the resulting crude hh - epo - 018 is dried under vacuum . crude hh - epo - 018 is purified by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecyl silane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the resulting residue is freeze - dried , 1 . 7 g of hh - epo - 018 is obtained ( yield is about 45 %). hh - epo - 008 ( 0 . 5 g , 0 . 98 mmol ) is dissolved in 100 ml of n , n - dimethyl formamide . triethylamine ( 39 . 6 mg , 0 . 196 mmol ) and mpeg 2 - osu ( 40k ) ( 3 . 8 g , 0 . 96 mmol ) are added into the solution . the reaction is stirred at room temperature for 6 hours . the reaction solution is poured directly into 600 ml of cold ether . a solid is precipitated . after placing in the refrigerator 2 hours , the mixture is centrifuged and the resulting crude hh - epo - 018 is dried under vacuum . crude hh - epo - 018 is purified by reversed - phase chromatography , using octadecylsilane bonded silica gel as column filler ( waters symmetryshield ™ rp18 , 3 . 5 μm , 4 . 6 * 100 mm ). the column temperature is 60 ° c . and the detection wavelength is 214 nm . water ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) and acetonitrile ( containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ) in different proportions are used as mobile phases . the target fractions are collected and combined . after most of the acetonitrile is distilled off under reduced pressure and the resulting residue is freeze - dried , 1 . 4 g of hh - epo - 018 is obtained ( yield is about 37 %). effects of epo mimetic peptide derivatives on mice purpose of the experiments the purpose of the experiments is to evaluate and compare the effects of epo mimetic peptide derivatives and the epo protein on erythropoiesis of mice . epo mimetic peptide derivatives including hh - epo - 001 , hh - epo - 002 , hh - epo - 003 , hh - epo - 004 , hh - epo - 005 , hh - epo - 006 , hh - epo - 007 , hh - epo - 008 , hh - epo - 015 , hh - epo - 016 , hh - epo - 017 and hh - epo - 018 are provided by jiangsu hansoh pharmaceutical co ., ltd . epo is purchased from shenyang sansheng pharmaceutical co ., ltd . kunming mice are purchased from the chinese academy of sciences shanghai experimental animal center , weighing 25 ˜ 30 g , ♀. the number of animals in each group is 10 . mice are injected subcutaneously with epo mimetic peptide derivatives and epo protein for three consecutive days . then the mice are killed , the whole blood is used to carry out peripheral blood cells and reticulocyte counts . blood cell count is performed using automatic blood cell counter counts . according to the current dosage regimen , both epo mimetic peptide derivatives and the epo protein can significantly promote the increase of mouse peripheral blood reticulocyte count , indicating that they stimulate erythropoiesis ( see table 1 ). epo mimetic peptide derivatives and the epo protein have no significant influence on mature red blood cells , blood cell hematocrit , hemoglobin content ( see table 2 ), and also have no significant influence on the peripheral white blood cell count ( see table 3 ). epo mimetic peptide hh - epo - 018 is provided by jiangsu hansoh pharmaceutical co ., ltd . epo is purchased from shenyang sansheng pharmaceutical co ., ltd . the samples are diluted in a saline containing 0 . 1 % bsa before they are used . macaques , weighing 5 . 5 ˜ 8 . 5 kg , male or female , are purchased from suzhou xishan zhongke laboratory animal center . macaques are grouped according to the basis of hemoglobin with each group having three macaques . hh - epo - 018 is intravenously injected once at a dose of 1 . 35 mg / kg ; epo is injected three times per week at a dose of 240 μg / kg . the administration is continued for five weeks . measure hematological indexes are measured 1 ˜ 2 times per week . single intravenous injection of hh - epo - 018 on macaques leads to an increase of peripheral blood hemoglobin , and an increase of blood cell hematocrit , indicating that hh - epo - 018 stimulate erythropoiesis . the stimulation peaks at 35 days after the administration , and then decreases slowly . the stimulatory effect of hemoglobin is about 33 %. as a positive control , epo also increases the peripheral blood hemoglobin content and blood cell hematocrit of macaque . the effect declines slowly after the administering is stopped . according to the current dosing regimens , the stimulation of hh - epo - 018 and epo on macaque hemoglobin generation is similar ( see fig1 and 2 ). to evaluate and compare the effects of epo mimetic peptide derivatives hh - epo - 015 , hh - epo - 018 , hh - epo - 018b and positive control af37702 on the mice hh - epo - 015 , hh - epo - 018 , and hh - epo - 018b , are provided by jiangsu hansoh pharmaceutical co ., ltd . af37702 is also epo mimetic peptide derivative , produced by affymax ( brand name : hematide ). the samples are diluted in a saline containing 0 . 1 % bsa . kunming mice are purchased from the chinese academy of sciences shanghai experimental animal center , weighing 25 ˜ 30 g , ♀. the number of animals in each group is 10 . after adaptation , animals are subcutaneously injected with hh - epo - 015 , hh - epo - 018 , hh - epo - 018b , and af37702 , respectively . the mice are scarified on the sixth day after the first dose . the whole blood is used to carry out peripheral blood cells and reticulocyte count . blood cell count is performed using an advia automatic blood cell counter . a single subcutaneous injection of hh - epo - 015 , hh - epo - 018 , hh - epo - 018b , and af37702 all elevate the mouse peripheral blood reticulocyte percentage and counts . the effects of hh - epo - 018b is relatively strong ; the effects of hh - epo - 018 and af37702 follow ; the effects of hh - epo - 015 is the weakest ; and the effects of hh - epo - 018 and af37702 are roughly equal ( see table 4 ). hh - epo - 015 , hh - epo - 018 , hh - epo - 018b and af37702 elevate the mouse peripheral blood cell hematocrit , hemoglobin content . their effects are roughly equal , but they all have no significant influence on the peripheral red blood cell count ( see table 5 ).	0
illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below . in the interest of clarity , not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification . it will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment , numerous implementation - specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers &# 39 ; specific goals , such as compliance with system - related and business - related constraints , which will vary from one implementation to another . moreover , it will be appreciated that such a development effort , even if complex and time - consuming , would be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure . the invention uses two or more direct digital synthesizers ( dds &# 39 ; s ), each producing a random or pseudo - random , time varying , fractional portion of the final desired frequency in such a way as to spread the spurious signal energy to minimize the impact on the system performance without degrading the desired signal . it is estimated that the peak spurious signals can be reduced 20 db or more by this method . fig1 illustrates one particular embodiment 100 of an apparatus constructed and operated in accordance with the present invention . the structure and operation of the apparatus 100 revolves around the dds &# 39 ; s 103 , 104 . the dds &# 39 ; s are , preferably , matched , although this is not necessary to the practice of the invention . any suitable dds known to the art may be employed . one particular embodiment employs a pair of ad9910 dds &# 39 ; s commercially available off the shelf from analog devices , inc ., who can be reached at one technology way , p . o . box 9106 , norwood , mass . 02062 - 9106 ; phone 1 - 800 - 262 - 5643 , or over the world wide web of the internet at www . analog . com . selected characteristics of the ad9910 provided by the vendor are set forth in table 1 below . fig2 is a block diagram of an ad9910 103 , as provided by the vendor and as would be employed in the apparatus of fig1 . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , each dds 103 , 104 will generate an analog output 121 , 122 whose frequency is determined by a binary , digital word 109 , 110 input to the memory of the dds . the input digital words 109 , 110 are sometimes called “ digital control signals ”. they may be generated by and received from digital oscillators ( not shown ) or any other technique well known to the art . the generation of digital control signals , such as the input digital words 109 , 110 , is well known in the art and any suitable technique may be employed . in the present invention , the input is split between the two dds &# 39 ; s 103 , 104 and dithered with a digital offset δ . thus , the first and second input digital words 109 , 110 are “ complementary ” in the sense that they represent two frequencies f 1 , f 2 of the analog output 121 , 122 that , when summed , equal the output frequency f out of the sum signal 112 . thus , if one wishes to achieve an output signal where f out = 100 mhz , one may chose the input digital words 109 , 110 so that f 1 = 80 mhz and f 2 = 20 mhz . the two input frequencies f 1 , f 2 represented by the input digital words 109 , 110 can have a ratio of eight or greater to allow easy filtering although this is not required . the present invention is , in theory , not limited by the magnitude f out . however , the present invention may predominantly be employed with frequencies from radio frequency through microwave , including very high frequency (“ vhf ”) and ultra high frequency (“ uhf ”). the digital offset δ can be determined , for example , by the pseudo - random number generator (“ prng ”) 106 . the digital offset δ can be a random function or can be a specialized set of numbers to provide a lower spurious signal level . those in the art will appreciate that pseudo - random number generators are also frequently referred to as “ random number generators ” because , for all practical purposes , the number is random . however , “ random number generators ” determine the seed in a deterministic fashion , and so are actually “ pseudo - random number generators ”. the random function by which the pseudo - random generator 106 is seeded is typically be tailored to doppler bin size and pulse repetition interval (“ pri ”). in the illustrated embodiment , the typical doppler bin size is 200 hz and the pri is several milliseconds . more particularly , the spurious signals of a conventional dds are a function of the output frequency , phase accumulator design , and number of bits in the digital - to - analog converter (“ dac ”). for a single dds , spurious signals are ‘ fixed ’ in frequency . in the present invention , the two input frequencies represented by the input digital words 109 , 110 are dithered equally and oppositely so that the desired sum signal 112 is generated without degradation : where δ is the digital offset by which the frequencies f 1 , f 2 are dithered . the spurious signals of f 1 , f 2 move in frequency ‘ space ’. the apparatus 100 includes an adder 115 and a subtractor 118 which actually dither the first and second input digital words 109 , 110 with the digital offset δ . the adder 115 adds the digital offset δ to the first digital input word 109 to create the first offset digital word 124 . the subtractor 118 subtracts the digital offset δ from the second input digital word 110 to create the second offset digital word 125 . thus , the prng 106 , adder 115 , and subtractor 118 comprise , in the illustrated embodiment , a means for equally and oppositely dithering the input digital words 109 , 110 . however , it is by way of example and illustration , but one means for doing so , and alternative embodiments may employ alternative means . it is the first and second offset digital words 124 , 125 from which the dds &# 39 ; s 103 , 104 generate the analog outputs 121 , 122 . the analog outputs 121 , 122 are then mixed ( or “ multiplied ”) by the mixer 127 to generate the sum signal 112 with the frequency f out . the illustrated embodiment also applies an optional bandpass filter 130 to the sum signal 112 to generate a filtered output 133 . however , alternative embodiments may forego this filtering or add additional processing and / or conditioning to the sum signal 112 prior to its use . turning now to fig3 , in operation , the apparatus 100 , shown in fig1 , performs a method 300 . the method begins with pseudo - randomly generating ( at 310 ) a digital offset δ and receiving ( at 320 ) a pair of complementary input digital words 109 , 110 . the digital offset δ is then subtracted ( at 330 ) the digital offset δ from a first one of the input digital words 110 and adding the digital offset δ to a second one of the input digital words 109 to create a pair of offset digital words 124 , 125 . the method 300 then direct digital synthesizes ( at 340 ) a pair of analog signals 121 , 122 from the offset digital words 124 , 125 . the analog signals 121 , 122 are then summed ( at 350 ). the present invention admits variation in implementation . for example , the present invention can be applied to the phase and amplitude adjustment port of the dds . indeed , all three of these options can be employed at the same time in some embodiments . another area admitting variation is the final form of a given implementation . for example , the apparatus 100 may be incorporated into a mixed application specific integrated circuit (“ asic ”) or a field programmable gate array (“ fpga ”) with an external dac or a standalone dds . the present invention therefore offers the ability to achieve better spurious performance at low cost . it can generate adjustable frequencies with low spurious signals with a circuit that has reduced complexity . the reduction of spurious levels is greater than for other methods . a large portion of this circuit is digital which also reduces variability and production costs . this concludes the detailed description . the particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only , as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein . furthermore , no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown , other than as described in the claims below . it is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention . accordingly , the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below .	6
it is to be understood that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments , or examples , for implementing different features of various embodiments . specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure . these are , of course , merely examples and are not intended to be limiting . in addition , the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and / or letters in the various examples . this repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed . fig1 , 2 depict beam trolley festoon system 100 for use in certain embodiments of the present disclosure . beam trolley festoon system 100 may include trolley beams or rails (“ beams ”) 2 , trolleys 120 , and cables 130 . in certain embodiments of the present disclosure , beam 2 may be an i - beam as understood in the art , upon which wheels 150 of trolleys 120 traverse cross - portion 140 of beam 2 . each trolley 120 may be positioned to couple to one or more cables 130 , such that when trolleys 120 are spaced close together , cables 130 “ festoon ” or hang between adjacent trolleys . one having ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will understand that cables 130 may include , for example and without limitation , electrical cables , data cables , hydraulic hoses , and / or low pressure fluid lines . as cables 130 are extended , trolleys 120 slide correspondingly along beams 2 . in some embodiments , each trolley 120 may be coupled to an adjacent trolley by spacing cables 122 . spacing cables 122 may be shorter than the length of cable 130 between the adjacent trolleys 120 . spacing cables 122 may serve to , as trolleys 120 are pulled apart , prevent the overextension or tensile overloading of cables 122 , and , for example , pull the adjacent trolley along beams 2 without tensile loading of cables 122 . in some embodiments , beams 2 of beam trolley festoon system 100 may be coupled to multiple pieces of wellsite equipment . by installing beams 2 on wellsite equipment which is to be transported to the wellsite , beam trolley festoon system 100 may be modularized and transported to and from a wellsite at the same time as the wellsite equipment and without additional transportation equipment . for example , fig3 depicts multiple beams 2 a - 2 c of beam trolley festoon system 100 each attached to a corresponding piece of wellsite equipment 1 a - 1 c . one having ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will understand that the wellsite equipment may instead be a well site equipment structure including , for example and without limitation , an equipment house , tank , mud pump skid , or substructure box framing without deviating from the scope of this disclosure . by positioning wellsite equipment 1 a - 1 c in the wellsite aligned end to end , each beam 2 a - 2 c of beam trolley festoon system 100 may be coupled end - to end to form a continuous length of beam along which trolleys 120 may slide . beams 2 a - 2 c do not need to be removed during rig - up or rig - down operations . as a result , there is no additional rig - up or rig - down downtime attributed to connecting the beams to equipment or disconnecting the beams from equipment . referring to fig2 , beam 2 may be hingedly coupled to structure 3 of wellsite equipment 1 via at least one articulating arm 20 . articulating arm 20 may be coupled to frame 3 via a hinge mechanism 10 . articulating arm 20 may be coupled to beam 2 by hinge mechanism 12 . hinge mechanisms 10 , 12 may be adapted to allow beam 2 to move between a retracted and an extended position by rotating horizontally . in the retracted position , beam 2 may be positioned near frame 3 , allowing , for example , wellsite equipment 1 and frame 3 to be trailered with minimal protrusion of beam 2 therefrom . in the extended position , as depicted in fig2 , beam 2 may be used as described above as a cable trolley beam . articulating arm 20 may be locked into either the extended or retracted positions by pinning mechanism 30 . pinning mechanism 30 may , for example , include pins positioned to retain hinge mechanism 10 in the extended or retracted position . one having ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will understand that any suitable mechanism may be substituted without deviating from the scope of this disclosure . for example , pinning mechanism 30 may include one or more detents positioned on hinge mechanism 10 to , for example , allow articulating arm 20 to remain in one or more positions including but not limited to the extended and the retracted positions . although described specifically with regard to cable trolleys , one having ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will understand that any trolley may be used on beam 2 of beam trolley festoon system 100 . for example , a trolley may be used to hoist and move pieces of rig equipment such as , for example and without limitation , cable spools from one place at the wellsite to another . the foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that a person of ordinary skill in the art may better understand the aspects of the present disclosure . such features may be replaced by any one of numerous equivalent alternatives , only some of which are disclosed herein . one of ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and / or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein . one of ordinary skill in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and that they may make various changes , substitutions , and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure .	7
fig1 shows a seismic source system 10 of the present invention in operation with a vessel 12 which contains a control system 14 , a pressurized air supply 16 and an electrical power supply 18 . the seismic source system 10 contains a supply termination assembly 20 with a tow adapter 110 , a hose bundle 22 , a storage reel 24 , a distribution termination assembly 26 with a manifold 28 , a source synchronizer 30 and an air gun subarray made up of a plurality of air gun stations 34 . the control system 14 , preferably a computer - based system , is located on the vessel although alternative configurations such as remote systems may be used . compressors normally are used as the source of pressurized air . fig2 a and 2b show the layers and a cross - sectional view , respectively , of the hose bundle 22 . an electrical cable 40 having a number of pairs of electrical conductors 42 wrapped in an insulation layer 44 is disposed within an armored air hose 47 . the multiple pairs of insulated electrical conductors 42 are used to transmit electrical power from the electrical power supply 18 located on the vessel 12 to the manifold 28 , the source synchronizer 30 and the air gun stations 34 and to transmit data signals to and from the control system 14 . the pairs of electrical conductors 42 are enclosed within the insulation layer 44 which is made of a material such as high density polyurethane to stabilize the electrical characteristics , such as capacitance and impedance , of the electrical system . the insulation layer 44 is designed to withstand high pressure and to have stable electrical characteristics . the insulation material is selected for its ability to withstand high pressure changes and for its ability to resist the erosion forces from the fast flowing air over the electrical cable 40 . the erosion forces are very strong at the inlet portion of the supply termination assembly 20 where the fast flowing air changes direction causing high turbulence . the air space 48 between the outside of the electrical cable 40 and the inside of the armored air hose 47 is made large enough to carry the volume of pressurized air needed to operate the air guns ( not shown ) in the air gun stations 34 . in the preferred embodiment , the armored air hose 47 is formed by encasing an air hose 46 with armor components 50 containing at least two layers of flexible , reinforcing material wound helically in opposing directions . by torque balancing the armor components 50 , the hose bundle 22 will resist twisting under varying longitudinal load conditions . the high - strength , low - density synthetic aramid fiber kevlar ( manufactured by dupont ) or another material with similar characteristics may be used to form the armor components 50 . a first layer of kevlar fibers 52 is helically wound around the air hose 46 and then encased with a first layer 54 of a material such as mylar tape to hold the kevlar fibers in place . a second layer of kevlar fibers 56 is then helically wound around the first layer of mylar tape 54 in a direction which is opposite to the winding direction of the first layer of kevlar fibers 52 . the second layer of kevlar fibers 56 is encased with a second layer of mylar tape 58 . the pairs of kevlar fiber layers wound in opposing directions provide the necessary torque balance by providing structural symmetry . more layers of protective components 50 can be used but should be applied such that structural balance is maintained . a protective jacket 60 is then applied around the final layer of mylar tape 58 . one method used to form the protective jacket 60 is to extrude a flexible , durable material such as high density polyurethane around the second layer of mylar tape 58 . a hose bundle 22 made as described above has been found to be sufficiently flexible and does not cause either excessive stresses when the hose bundle 22 is wound onto the storage reel 24 or excessive wear caused by stretch loads due to the movement through the water . by loosely disposing the electrical cable 40 within the armored air hose 47 with the only connections being located in the two termination assemblies 20 and 26 , minimal stress is placed on the electrical conductors 42 during storage on the storage reel 24 and during towing operations . if either the electrical cable 40 or the armored air hose 47 gets damaged , either can be replaced without the need to replace both . fig3 a shows a cross - sectional view of the supply termination assembly 20 which connects one end ( the receiving end ) of the hose bundle 22 to the control system 14 , the compressors 16 and the electrical power supply 18 . the distribution termination assembly 26 ( fig3 b ) has the components placed on the other end ( the distribution end ) of the hose bundle 22 in the reverse order and can be the mirror image of the supply termination assembly 20 utilizing the tow adapter 110 or using the manifold 28 as shown in fig3 b . the components of the supply and distribution termination assemblies 20 and 26 preferably are made of non - corrosive materials such as stainless steel . the method of installing the supply termination assembly 20 at the receiving end of the hose bundle 22 will now be described in detail while referring to fig3 a and fig4 which shows certain of the components of the supply termination assembly 20 in an exploded view . the protective jacket 60 , armor components 50 and air hose 46 are removed from one end of the hose bundle 22 to expose the electrical cable 40 and to provide enough length to connect the electrical cable 40 to the control system 14 and the electrical power supply 18 . an additional portion of the protective jacket 60 and the air hose 46 are then removed leaving the exposed armor components 50 overlapping the air hose 46 as shown in fig3 a . the exposed armor components 50 are temporarily taped back against the outside of the hose bundle 22 exposing the outside surface of the air hose 46 . the exposed electrical cable 40 is then slipped into a crimp apparatus 64 ( steel jacket ) fitted with o - rings 66a - d until the bottom end 72 of the crimp apparatus 64 is near the leading edge of the air hose 46 . o - rings 66a and 66b are located in internal grooves ( not shown ) with a shallow radius and o - ring 66c is positioned in an aperture ( not shown ) near the top of the crimp apparatus 64 . o - ring 66d is placed around the top portion of the crimp apparatus 64 so that it rests on a shoulder 70 of the crimp apparatus 64 . the crimp apparatus 64 is then crimped against the electrical cable 40 and o - rings 66a - b located in apertures inside the crimp apparatus 64 form a seal between the crimp apparatus 64 and the electrical cable 40 . the crimp apparatus 64 protects the electrical cable 40 from air turbulence in the area where pressurized air flows into the tow adapter 110 in the supply termination assembly 20 and enters the manifold 28 in the distribution termination assembly 26 . the air in the preferred embodiment is brought in at an angle of 90 degrees from the original flow of air but other angles can be used . polyethylene is a preferred material for the electrical cable 40 because of its minimal air drag . the end of the hose bundle 22 with the crimp apparatus 64 is then fed through an armor pot 74 until the top 78 of the armor pot 74 is below the start of the exposed armor components 50 . the armor pot 74 has an internal taper 82 such that the aperture in the bottom end 76 of the armor pot 74 is narrower than the aperture 80 in the top 78 of the armor pot 74 . the pull on the armor pot 74 will be from the top 78 and , therefore , a tight seal will be formed at the bottom end 76 . an o - ring ( not shown ) located in an aperture on the bottom end 76 of the interior wall of the armor pot 74 provides a seal between the armor pot 74 and the hose bundle 22 . a nipple 88 with outside threads 90 is attached to a ferrule 100 ( socket ) having inside threads 102 . the end of the hose bundle 22 containing the crimp apparatus 64 is then fed through the nipple 88 and the ferrule 100 until the bottom 92 of the nipple 88 is aligned with the start of the exposed armor components 50 . the exposed air hose 46 is slipped between the outside of the nipple 88 and the inside of the ferrule 100 . the end of the exposed portion of the air hose 46 fits against the inside top surface 104 of the ferrule 100 . the bottom end 72 of the crimp apparatus 64 will be disposed just inside the top of the nipple 88 . the exposed armor components 50 are then untaped and helically rewound around the outside threaded surface 106 of the ferrule 100 in the same direction as originally wound . the armor pot 74 is then pulled into place around the nipple 88 . epoxy is poured into an aperture 80 in the top 78 of the armor pot 74 filling the void between the armor components 50 , which were wound around the outer surface 106 of the ferrule 100 , and the inner surface of the armor pot 74 . the epoxy is selected for its ability to adhere to the material used for the armor components 50 . in the preferred embodiment , the epoxy adheres to kevlar fibers . after the epoxy dries , the tow adapter 110 is slipped onto the electrical cable 40 until the top 94 of the nipple 88 fits into a bottom groove 112 of the tow adapter 110 . an o - ring ( not shown ) in an aperture 96 in the top 94 of the nipple 88 forms a seal between the nipple 88 and the tow adapter 110 . the tow adapter 110 in the supply termination assembly 20 is located at the end towards the storage reel 24 on the vessel 12 . the tow adapter 110 or the manifold 28 in the distribution termination assembly 26 is located at the end towards the air gun stations 34 . the tow adapter 110 , the nipple 88 and the armor pot 74 are then positioned within the bottom half of a termination clamp 120 by forcing a tow adapter ridge 114 , a nipple ridge 98 and an armor pot ridge 84 into grooves 122 , 124 and 126 , respectively , in the bottom half of the termination clamp 120 . the grooves 122 , 124 and 126 are slightly smaller than the ridges 114 , 98 and 84 , respectively , to provide a watertight seal . the top half ( not shown ) of the termination clamp 120 is then positioned by forcing ridges 114 , 98 and 84 into similar grooves in the top half of the termination clamp 120 . the two halves of the termination clamp 120 are then bolted together using threaded bolts ( not shown ) in bolt holes 128 . the electrical conductors 42 in the electrical cable 40 are connected to the electrical power supply 18 and the control system 14 . the compressors 16 are connected to the hose bundle 22 through an air compressor hose 17 into an inlet port 116 in the tow adapter 110 . the above combination of elements provides a means within the supply termination assembly 20 for transferring the pressurized air from the inlet port 116 into the armored air hose 47 . as shown in fig3 b , the distribution termination assembly 26 is assembled on the other end of the hose bundle 22 in a manner similar to that used for the supply termination assembly 20 except that the components of the distribution termination assembly 26 are placed onto the hose bundle 22 in reverse order and the manifold 28 is used instead of a tow adapter 110 for the preferred embodiment . the electrical cable 40 extends through the manifold 28 and connects to the source synchronizer 30 . fig5 shows the underwater portion of the seismic source system 10 . the manifold 28 has one outlet port 130 for each air gun station 34 in the air gun subarray . an air gun station 34 can contain a single air gun ( not shown ) or multiple air guns ( not shown ) depending on the configuration of the system being used . pressurized air is distributed through the air outlet ports 130 into air outlet hoses 136 which are connected to individual air guns ( not shown ). the combination of the components of the distribution termination assembly 26 provide a means within the distribution termination assembly 26 for transferring the pressurized air from the armored air hose 47 to the outlet ports 130 . the electrical cable 40 extends through the manifold 28 ( fig3 b ) to supply electrical power to the source synchronizer 30 through a source synchronizer electrical cable 142 and to the air gun stations 34 through air gun station electrical cables 144 . electrical signals also are transmitted between the air gun stations 34 and the source synchronizer 30 through the air gun station electrical cables 144 . the source synchronizer 30 is used to activate all air guns in the air gun subarray 34 at the same time by transmitting electrical signals through the air gun station electrical cables 144 . by distributing pressurized air and electrical power and signals from the manifold 28 and the source synchronizer 30 , which are located underwater in close proximity to the air gun stations 34 , fewer pairs of electrical conductors 42 are required in the hose bundle 22 . the foregoing description of the invention is intended to be a description of a preferred embodiment . various changes in the details of the described apparatus may be made without departing from the scope of the invention .	6
although the disclosure relates to implementation in copper filled structures , it will be appreciated that the it is equally applicable to the formation of other metal filled structures . it will be further appreciated that the disclosed method is envisioned to be used multiple times in the manufacture of a multi - level semiconductor device and that the particular semiconductor manufacturing processes set forth herein are intended to exemplify the practice of the method . it will be also understood that the use of the term “ copper ” herein includes copper or alloys thereof . further , it will be appreciated that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to copper filled trenches , but may also be applied to the fabrication of semiconductor structures comprised of other metals , such as aluminum alloys , aluminum , tungsten , and the like . in one embodiment a method is disclosed for enhancing uniformity of the sheet resistance of copper trenches . advantages of the method are an increase by more than 50 % of within - wafer ( wiw ) copper sheet resistance uniformity as compared to previous methods . in its most general form , the method utilizes a measured sheet resistance pattern of a wafer to adjust the lithography after - develop - inspection ( adi ) extension exposure patterning to compensate for trench geometry variations identified by the measured sheet resistance pattern . referring to fig2 a - 2d an exemplary semiconductor layer structure is shown , in which a substrate 10 is provided with a planar metal layer 12 . an etch stop layer 14 may then be formed over the metal layer , followed by a dielectric layer 16 . as shown in fig2 b , trench 18 may then be formed by a conventional technique that may include patterning a photoresist layer 18 on the dielectric layer 16 . the patterned photoresist layer 18 is then used as a mask to transfer the pattern ( in this case a trench ) through the dielectric layer 16 and etch stop layer 14 with one or more plasma etch processes to form a trench 20 through the dielectric and etch stop layers , exposing the metal layer 12 ( fig2 c ). the trench 20 may then be filled with copper or other conductive material to form the desired conductive trench 22 . the copper may be deposited by an electroless plating or electroplating process known to those skilled in the art but may also be formed by a physical vapor deposition ( pvd ) or atomic layer deposition ( ald ) process . the conductive trench 22 may not necessarily have a planar upper surface after deposition , and thus one or more cmp steps may be used to planarize the top surface of the trench 22 and dielectric layer 16 . the resulting conductive trench 22 may have a critical dimension shown as “ cd .” it will be understood that multiple other trenches ( not shown ) will also be formed in the dielectric layer 16 during the same patterning and etch sequence . the other trenches may be arranged in patterns that range from isolated trenches to densely formed trenches . as part of the fabrication process , one or more inspection and / or metrology steps may be undertaken to ensure that resulting structures remain within desired tolerances . thus , after - develop inspection ( adi ) techniques can be implemented to ensure that the dimensions of the patterned photoresist layer 18 remain within tolerance , while after - etch inspection ( aei ) techniques may be used to ensure that the post - etch dimensions of various structures are within tolerances . referring now to fig3 , the general steps of the disclosed method will be described . at step 100 , lithography parameters are defined . this may include defining the specific shapes and dimensions of the patterned photoresist layer 18 that will be used to form trench 18 . at step 110 , trench lithography is performed , which may include pattern transfer and development of the photoresist layer 18 . at step 120 , the trench 20 may be formed through the dielectric layer 16 and the etch stop layer 14 using photoresist one or more anisotropic etch steps . as will be appreciated , only the portion of the dielectric layer and the etch stop layer left unprotected by the photoresist layer 18 will be etched . at step 130 , metal may be deposited in the trench 20 using electroplating or other appropriate technique . overfilling of the trench 20 typically occurs , and the overfill may be removed at step 140 using one or more cmp processes . cmp planarizes the top of the conductive trench 22 and the surrounding dielectric layer 16 . after the cmp step , a metrology step 150 is performed to measure the sheet resistance of the conductive trench 22 . it will be appreciated that this metrology step 160 will be performed at a number of different locations on the semiconductor wafer ( substrate 10 ) to result in a multiplicity of sheet resistance measurements . this step may be performed as part of a larger wafer acceptance testing ( wat ) procedure . often these measurement locations correspond to specific test sites disposed at different locations about the wafer . these test sites include the same or similar circuitry ( e . g ., trenches ) used to form the actual devices formed throughout the wafer . due to this identicality , the results from metrology performed on the test sites may be extrapolated to the rest of the devices on the wafer , to allow the machine or the user to determine whether the devices meet minimum acceptability criteria . the test sites may be positioned at any location about the wafer as desired . often they are positioned about the periphery of the wafer . in one embodiment , the critical dimensions “ cd ” of each of the conductive trenches 22 located on each of the test sites are determined by thin film metrology , metal metrology , sem , or with an optical measurement . these techniques are known to those skilled in the art and thus will not be described herein . at step 160 , the sheet resistance measurements from the different test locations are compared with each other to obtain a map of conductive trench sheet resistance uniformity within the wafer . based on the sheet resistivity uniformity map , a uniformity profile for the wafer run may be predicted . at step 170 , the sheet resistivity uniformity is compared to acceptable non - uniformity limits . if sheet resistance uniformity is within the prescribed limits , then the next wafer processed will be patterned , etched , metallized and planarized using the same recipe as was used for the present wafer . if , however , sheet resistance uniformity is not within the prescribed limits , then the results may be fed back to a controller at step 180 to adjust the lithography process to control the sheet resistance uniformity for the next wafer . in one embodiment , the control step 180 includes adjusting the lithography adi extension exposure energy to adjust the critical dimension “ cd ” of the trenches formed during the processing of subsequent wafers . for example , a high sheet resistance measurement may correspond to a smaller than desired cross - section (“ cd ”) of the conductive trench 22 . the correspondence between sheet resistance and “ cd ” may be determined using , for example , the following physical relationship between sheet resistance and trench cross sectional area : thus , the conversion from sheet resistance to trench cross - section may be performed , and then that information may be used to adjust the adi extension exposure energy to increase the “ cd ” of the conductive trenches 22 slightly for the subsequent wafer to place them within the desired range . likewise , low sheet resistance may correspond to a larger than desired “ cd ” for trench 22 . again , the adi extension exposure energy may be adjusted to compensate in the next subsequent wafer . the measurement and control process is described in more detail in reference to fig4 . in general , where measured sheet resistance uniformity is higher than desired ( again , corresponding to a smaller than desired “ cd ”), then the lithography adi extension exposure energy will be increased accordingly . conversely , where measured sheet resistance uniformity is lower than desired ( corresponding to a larger than desired “ cd ”), the lithography adi extension exposure energy is decreased accordingly . thus , in fig4 , at step 200 the rs ( sheet resistance ) controller may set an initial adi exposure energy for forming a desired trench mask . trench lithography may be performed at step 220 , followed by after develop inspection ( adi ) 240 to verify the dimensions of the applied photoresist trench mask . if the mask dimensions are within tolerance , trench etching is performed at step 260 , followed by after etch inspection ( aei ) at 280 . metallization and cmp steps ( not shown ) may then be performed as previously described . at step 300 , a sheet resistance uniformity may be determined . in one embodiment , a measurement is made of the individual sheet resistance values for each of the conductive trenches 22 associated with the plurality of test locations . these individual measurements can be performed using any of a variety of acceptable metrology techniques , as previously described . the individual measurements may then be used by the rsu controller at step 320 to create a sheet resistance uniformity map that identifies the mean sheet resistance of a wafer , a sheet resistance deviation for each measured test site on the wafer , and a sheet resistance range for the wafer . based on this uniformity map , a uniformity profile for the next wafer run can be predicted , and an optimum adi recipe can be generated for controlling final sheet resistance uniformity of the conductive trenches 22 throughout the next processed wafer . that is , exposure energy may be adjusted to adjust , as appropriate , adi . this adjustment may be achieved by applying the following control rules : if rsi / rs & gt ; 1 . 0 , then the adi set point = previous adi extension exposure energy set point + 1 nanometer ( nm ), if rsi / rs & lt ; 1 . 0 then the adi set point = previous adi extension exposure energy set point − 1 nm ; where in this manner , the lithography extension exposure energy can be adjusted to obtain a desired uniformity in sheet resistance across the entire wafer . it will be appreciated that since the method adjusts exposure energy by a small amount at a time , it may require more than one iteration to achieve a desired uniformity level throughout a wafer . referring to fig5 a and 5b , a pair of sheet resistance uniformity maps are shown . the map of fig5 a shows sheet resistance values of a single wafer to which the disclosed method has not been applied ( i . e ., the current best known method “ bkm ”). the map of fig5 b shows sheet resistance values for a wafer to which the disclosed method has been applied ( namely , for which lithography has been performed using adjusted extension exposure energy ). as can be seen , the 3 - sigma limit is lower for the fig5 b wafer as compared to the fig5 a wafer . fig6 shows a graph illustrating the improvement of within - wafer sheet resistance uniformity obtained by using the disclosed method as compared to prior techniques (“ bkm ”— best known method ). referring to fig7 , a system 340 is shown for enhanced control of sheet resistance uniformity in copper trench lines in semiconductor devices . an rs controller 360 is provided for setting an initial adi exposure energy for forming a desired trench mask on a wafer . the rs controller 360 may be in communication with the lithography unit 370 to form the mask according to the instructions from the rs controller . the lithography unit 370 may include an after develop inspection ( adi ) functionality , or a separate adi unit 380 may be provided . an etching chamber 390 may be provided for performing the trench etching , followed by an inspection station 400 for performing after etching inspection ( aei ). known metallization and cmp equipment ( not shown ) may be provided after the aei station to perform metallization and planarization of the etched trenches . a sheet resistance measurement station 410 may then be provided to measure sheet resistance for each of the metallized trenches at the plurality of test locations on the wafer as previously described . any of a variety of known metrology devices can be used at this station . the individual measurements may then be fed to the rsu controller 420 . the rsu controller 420 may have computing capacity to create a sheet resistance uniformity map from the data received from the sheet resistance measurement station 410 . the uniformity map may identify the mean sheet resistance of a wafer , a sheet resistance deviation for each measured test site on the wafer , and a sheet resistance range for the wafer . based on this uniformity map , a uniformity profile for the next wafer run can be predicted , and an optimum adi recipe can be generated for controlling final sheet resistance uniformity of the conductive trenches throughout the next processed wafer . thus , the rsu controller may be connected to the rs controller 360 to adjust exposure energy for lithographic processes performed on subsequent wafers to ensure that the trench dimensions ( and thus sheet resistance ) is maintained within a desired range . the method described herein may be automated by , for example , tangibly embodying a program of instructions upon a computer readable storage media , capable of being read by machine capable of executing the instructions . a general purpose computer is one example of such a machine . examples of appropriate storage media are well known in the art and would include such devices as a readable or writeable cd , flash memory chips ( e . g ., thumb drive ), various magnetic storage media , and the like . while the foregoing invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments , various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . accordingly , all such modifications and changes are considered to be within the scope and range of equivalents of the appended claims .	7
in the following figures , the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components . in the following description , various operating parameters and components are described for one constructed embodiment . these specific parameters and components are included as examples and are not meant to be limiting . referring to fig1 , a seat , typically for use in an automotive vehicle but capable of being used in aircraft and ships as well , is generally illustrated as 10 and is shown in perspective . the seat 10 includes a substantially horizontal seat base 12 and a substantially upright seat back 14 . the seat base is attached to the vehicle floor by a seat track assembly 16 as is known in the art . the seat back 14 has a first side 18 and a second side 20 . for purposes of the present invention , the first side 18 may be one or the other of the inboard side or the outboard side of the vehicle seat 10 while the second side 20 may be the other of the outboard side or the inboard side of the vehicle seat 10 . fixedly attached to the first side 18 of the vehicle seat 10 is a first side tether and clasp assembly 22 . a second side tether and clasp assembly 24 is fixedly attached to the second side 20 of the vehicle seat 10 is shown in fig2 . the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 may be used for direct attachment to the article being retained in the seat ( as shown in fig5 and 7 ) or may be used for being attached to one another for retaining the article ( as illustrated in fig3 and 6 ). as shown in fig2 , within the vehicle seat 10 is a seat frame 26 . the seat frame 26 partially shown in fig2 is only used for illustrative purposes , and it is to be understood that other seat frame configurations may be used as is known to those skilled in the art . the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 is either directly or indirectly fixed to the seat frame 26 . if indirectly fixed , as shown in fig2 , the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 is attached to a first side retractor 28 which is itself attached directly to the seat frame . the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 may also be directly or indirectly fixed to the frame 26 . as shown in fig2 , the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 is indirectly fixed to the seat frame 26 by way of a second side retractor 30 . as an alternative to the arrangement shown in fig2 in which the first side retractor 28 indirectly attaches the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 to the seat frame 26 and in which the second side retractor 30 attaches the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 to the seat frame 26 , it is possible that one or the other or both of the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 may be directly attached to the seat frame 26 by a known fastener such as a bolt . if , for example , the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 is attached to the seat frame 26 by the first side retractor 28 and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 is directly attached to the seat frame 26 by a fastener , then the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 may be withdrawn from the first side retractor 28 , wrapped around the article to be retained relative to the seat , and then attached to the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 . the illustration of fig2 is intended as being instructive and suggestive rather than being limiting . when not in use , the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 could be hidden from view by a cover arrangement . an example of such an arrangement is illustrated in fig1 through 7 in which a first side flap 31 and a second side flap 34 are provided . the free edge of each of the first side flap 31 and the second side flap 34 is releasably attachable to their respective sides of the seat back 14 by a release device such as a hook and loop fastener , as shown . specifically , the first side flap 31 includes a loop portion 32 while a hook portion 33 is attached to the side of the seat 10 at a place below the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 . the second side flap 34 includes a loop portion 35 while a hook portion 36 is attached to the side of the seat 10 at a place below the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 . it is to be understood that while a hook and loop fastener arrangement is illustrated for releasably closing the first side flap 31 and the second side flap 34 , other methods of attachment may be used , such as zippers or snaps . in addition , it is to be further understood that while closeable flaps are shown in the figures for concealing the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 , other methods of concealment such as placing the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 within a blind pocket with a closure device such as a zipper . in fig3 the first side flap 31 is shown in its closed position and the unused first side tether and clasp assembly is fully concealed therein . in fig6 through 11 the first side flap 31 is also shown in its closed position even though the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 is in use . in this way the flap may be used while the fastener arrangement of the present invention is also in use . the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 ( when visible ) each are illustrated as having clasps attached to their distal ends for attachment to each other or for attachment to the retained article . alternative attachments may be used as illustrated in fig4 through 6 . with respect to fig4 , a tether end 37 is illustrated having a snap fastener 38 a and a snap fastener base 38 b . the snap fastener 38 a is releasably attachable to the snap fastener base 38 b . with respect to fig5 , a tether end 37 ′ is illustrated having a loop portion 39 a and a hook portion 39 b . the loop portion 39 a is releasably attachable to the hook portion 39 b . with respect to fig6 , a tether end 37 ″ is illustrated as having a hook fastener 40 . the hook fastener 40 may be releasably attached to the d - ring of an article or to another hook fastener or other type of cooperative fastener . a variety of item - holding articles may be retained by the integrated tether system of the present invention . some of these articles are shown in fig7 through 13 . with reference fig7 , an article 41 in the form of a portable article for holding multiple items or a tote is illustrated as being retained in the seat 10 . an item having multiple compartments 42 , 42 ′, and 42 ″ is illustrated . the illustrated article 41 having multiple compartments is exemplary only and it is to be understood that other items may be used in lieu of or in addition to this article . any article that may be retained in the vehicle seat and which may be held to the vehicle seat by tethers may be substituted for the illustrated article 41 . as shown , the clasp of the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 and the clasp of the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 are connected with one another in the front of the article 41 . while the clasps of the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 are shown attached toward the front of the article 41 , one or the other of the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 or the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 may instead by extended around the article 41 and may be fastened to the other of the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 or the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 . for example , the length of the tether of the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 may be adjustable by means of either a retractor or an adjustable belt while the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 may be fixed such that the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 is wrapped substantially around the article 41 to connect with the fixed second side tether and clasp assembly 24 . as an alternative to the article 41 shown in fig7 , a retained article 44 in the form of a briefcase may be held in the seat 10 as shown in fig8 . as illustrated , the article 44 of fig8 is retained by the latch of the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 being attached to the shoulder belt - holding ring of the article 44 . the article 44 is also retained on its other side by the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 being attached to the other of the shoulder belt - holding ring attached to the other side of the article 44 . while the illustrated article 44 is a briefcase , this figure illustrates how any article having rings may be retained in the seat 10 according to the disclosed system . in fig9 a cargo net 45 is shown being retained in the seat 10 by the tether coupling method illustrated in fig4 . the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 is attached to a d - ring 46 fitted to the side of the retaining net 45 . the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 ( not shown ) would be attached to a d - ring ( also not shown ) fitted to the far side of the cargo net 45 . in fig1 a briefcase or briefcase - like article 47 is also shown being retained in the seat 10 by the tether coupling method illustrated in fig7 . as shown , the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 are extended around the article 47 and the clasps of each of these fasteners are coupled together at the front of the article 47 . with reference to fig1 , an alternate method of retaining an article , illustrated as article 50 in the form of a briefcase or a briefcase - like article , is shown . with the seat back 14 substantially folded down against the seat base 12 the article 50 is secured to the back side of the seat back 14 . as illustrated , the clasp of the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 is releasably attached to a shoulder belt ring 52 . not shown but to be understood is that the clasp of the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 is releasably attached to a similar ring positioned on the other side of the article 50 . it is to be understood that while a briefcase or briefcase - like article 50 is shown secured to the back side of the seat back 14 , other articles such as the multi - compartment article 40 of fig7 may be attached to the back side of the seat back 14 . any article having multiple rings may be so attached . in addition , an article may be retained to the back side of the seat back 14 by the extended tether method illustrated in fig7 and 10 and discussed in relation thereto . the use of retractors for adjusting the lengths of the tethers of the side fasteners has been discussed above . the lengths of the tethers of the side fasteners may also be adjusted by an alternative method which is shown in fig1 . with reference to that figure , a vehicle seat , generally illustrated as 10 ′, is illustrated . the seat 10 ′ includes a substantially horizontal seat base 12 ′ and a substantially upright seat back 14 ′. the seat base is attached to the vehicle floor by a seat track assembly 16 ′ as is known in the art . the seat back 14 ′ has a first side 18 ′ and a second side 20 ′. fixedly attached to the first side 18 ′ of the vehicle seat 10 ′ is a first side tether and clasp assembly 62 . a second side tether and clasp assembly 64 is fixedly attached to the second side 20 ′ of the vehicle seat 10 ′. the first side tether and clasp assembly 62 includes an adjustment buckle 66 and an adjustable loop portion 68 . the second side tether and clasp assembly 64 also includes an adjustment buckle 70 and an adjustable loop portion 68 . to adjust the length of the tether portion of the first side tether and clasp assembly 62 the adjustment buckle 66 is moved toward or away from the seat 10 ′ thereby respectively increasing or decreasing the size of the adjustable loop 68 , and thereby respectively shortening or elongating the overall length of the first side tether and clasp assembly 62 . in the same way to adjust the length of the tether portion of the first side tether and clasp assembly 64 the adjustment buckle 70 is moved toward or away from the seat 10 ′ thereby respectively increasing or decreasing the size of the adjustable loop 72 , and thereby respectively shortening or elongating the overall length of the second side tether and clasp assembly 64 . while two adjustable side fasteners are shown in fig1 , it is not mandatory that this be the case . as discussed above , length adjustability is only required in one or the other of the side fasteners . a further variation of a seat integrated tether system according to the disclosed invention is shown in fig1 . with reference thereto , a seat , generally illustrated as 10 ″, is presented . the seat 10 ″ includes a substantially horizontal seat base 12 ″ and a substantially upright seat back 14 ″. the seat base 12 ″ is attached to the vehicle floor by a seat track assembly 16 ″. the seat back 14 ″ has a first side 18 ″ and a second side 20 ″. the integrated tether system of the seat 10 ″ of fig1 includes a first side tether and clasp assembly 22 ′ and a second side tether and clasp assembly 24 ′. a d - ring 74 attached to the front of the seat base 12 ″ the first side tether and clasp assembly 22 ′ and the second side tether and clasp assembly 24 ′ are attached to the d - ring 74 , thereby retaining an article 76 ( in the form of the illustrated suitcase , for example ) in the seat 10 ″. the configurations discussed above with respect to fig1 through 13 illustrate a tether system for retaining one or more articles in a vehicle seat that is integral with that seat . while the integrated system is appropriate for new vehicles , it is also possible to retrofit existing seats with the tether system of the present invention whereby many of the same advantages associated with the integrated system can be achieved . specifically , and with respect to fig1 , a vehicle seat , generally illustrated as 10 ′″, is shown . the seat 10 ′″ includes a substantially horizontal seat base 12 ′″ and a substantially upright seat back 14 ′″. the seat base 12 ′″ is attached to the vehicle floor by a seat track assembly 16 ′″. the seat back 14 ′″ has a first side 18 ′″ and a second side 20 ′″. an accessory tether system 80 is attached to the back of the seat back 14 ′″. attachment of the tether system 80 may be made by permanent fixing to the vehicle seat 10 ′″ using conventional fasteners or may be attached by any of a variety of known adhesives . other attachment methods , such as hook - and - loop fasteners , may be used . the accessory tether system 80 includes a first side tether and clasp assembly 82 and a second side tether and clasp assembly 84 . as discussed above with respect to other variations of the tether system of the present invention , one or both of the first side tether and clasp assembly 82 or the second side tether and clasp assembly 84 may be fixedly attached to the accessory tether system 80 while the other ( or both ) of the fasteners may be adjustable by use of a retractor or by an adjustable tether such as that shown in fig1 and described in conjunction therewith . while the invention has been described in connection with one or more embodiments , it is to be understood that the specific mechanisms and techniques which have been described are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention , numerous modifications may be made to the methods and apparatus described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	1
referring to fig1 there is shown a bladder - type mattress 10 adapted for containing a fluid medium such as water or air . in the particular preferred embodiment disclosed in fig1 the mattress 10 is best suited to contain water for reasons hereinafter explained . referring to fig1 and fig2 together , the mattress is seen to comprise an upper surface member 12 and a lower surface member 14 . typically the surface members 12 , 14 are made of a pliant vinyl sheet material such as polyvinylchloride ( pvc ) substantially impervious to fluid leakage . the upper surface member 12 and lower surface 14 may be sealingly joined at a side margin 15 to define a fluid tight bladder . according to the invention there is provided within the bladder mattress 10 a plurality of panels 16 disposed interior to the mattress 10 at oblique angles between the upper surface member 12 and the lower surface member 14 . the purpose of the panels 16 is to suppress the motion of the mattress 10 . the panels 16 preferably comprise a pliant sheet material , such as pvc and are attached to the upper surface member 12 and to the lower surface member 14 . when the bladder mattress 10 is inflated , the panels 16 are tightly drawn between the upper surface member and the lower surface member . preferably , the panels 16 are bonded to the respective upper surface member 12 and lower surface member 14 along linear ribs 18 formed by the fusion of the sheet material of the panels 16 with the upper surface member and lower surface member 12 , 14 . the panels 16 are preferably formed of a single elongate sheet , and the ribs 18 are preferably disposed in a column array 20 such that the panels 16 define a periodic alternating zigzag pattern of panels 16 between the upper surface member 12 and the lower surface member 14 . according to the invention , therefore the ribs 18 and the panels 16 of the mattress 10 adapted to hold water or other liquid are disposed in an oblique angle pattern . specifically , the ribs 18 are disposed in at least a first column array 20 and second column array 22 , the second column array 22 being parallel to the first column array 20 , and the ribs of each of the column array 20 , 22 being parallel within the column array and oblique to the axes of the respective column array 20 , 22 . in the top plan view ( fig1 ) the ribs 18 define a herringbone or tractor tire pattern . viewed in side cross section ( fig2 ) the panels 16 present an oblique face . this disposition is adapted to alternately deflect liquid wave energy transversely incident to the axes of the column array 20 , 22 upwardly or downwardly and laterally . several column arrays 20 , 22 and also 24 and 26 are preferred in the liquid - filled mattress 10 . wide width mattresses , such as double , queen and king sizes typically have four to six columns . generally , at least two different angular dispositions of ribs 18 are preferred . it has been observed that at least two rows of ribs 18 disposed in columns with the sense of the ribs 18 of one column arranged substantially perpendicular to the sense of the ribs in another column produce optimal results . for example , liquid waves incident on one column of panels 16 are not only reflected and dispersed , they appear to be canceled and dissipated , and the resultant waves appear to be channeled to the second column where the panels 16 ( disposed with the sense of the ribs 18 arranged to be substantially perpendicular to incident waves ) further reflect , disperse , dissipate and cancel the wave energy of the liquid . it has thus been observed that waves are rapidly suppressed and a substantially stable liquid support bed is obtained in a mattress constructed according to the invention . a specific preferred embodiment of a queen - size mattress 10 comprises an upper surface member 12 , lower surface member 14 , four column arrays 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 disposed in parallel the length of the mattress and defining panels 16 zigzagging between the upper surface member 12 and lower surface member 14 with linear bonding ribs 18 disposed at approximately 45 degrees to the axes of the column arrays 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 and perpendicular to the ribs 18 of the adjacent column arrays . the column arrays 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 may be laterally separated from the lateral sides of the mattress 10 and from one another by approximately the width of the column array . each of the column arrays is on the order of 8 to 18 inches wide and preferably about 12 inches wide . the ribs 18 of one column array are also disposed to be linearly offset from the ribs 18 of the adjacent column arrays , as is illustrated in fig1 . each of the ribs 18 preferably has rounded or blunt end 28 at the extrema of the bond with the surface members 12 , 14 , as shown in fig3 . the ribs 18 are approximately 3 / 4 inch wide by about 8 to about 18 inches long . the panels therefore include loose side margins or flaps 30 , as shown in fig5 extending about 1 / 2 to about 2 inches beyond the extrema of the ribs 18 . these flaps 30 serve to disperse the tension load at the bond end as between the ribs 18 and the panels 16 to reduce the possibility of rip damage to the mattress material . the invention has now been described with reference to specific preferred embodiments . other embodiments will be apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art . for example , individual panels 16 may be bonded at oblique angles between the upper surface member 12 and the lower surface member 14 in random or other suitable patterns . in the embodiments herein disclosed , column arrays 20 are preferred because of the ease of bonding an elongate sheet of vinyl material between the upper and lower surface members . alternatively , the panels 16 may be rigid members attached to only one side , for example , the upper surface member 12 , or the panels 16 may be suspended on a support member such as a cord stretched between the lateral sides of the mattress 10 . it should be noted that pliant panels are generally preferred because rigid members can introduce nonuniformities into the surface characteristics of the mattress 10 . moreover , a pliant member can extend between the upper surface member and the lower surface member and be attached thereto to provide tension support resisting relative lateral motion of the upper surface member 12 and lower surface member 14 , particularly in the case of the air mattress 100 embodiment of fig3 and 4 . therefore , it is not intended that the invention be limited , except as indicated by the claims appended hereto .	0
referring first to fig1 , a device 10 for supporting a heart valve in a patient is shown . in the illustrated example , the left ventricle 12 of a patient &# 39 ; s heart is shown in cross section with a mitral valve 14 for supplying blood into the ventricle 12 . mitral valve 14 includes an annulus 16 generally lying in a plane and a plurality of native chordae tendonae or chords 18 , 20 respectively connected with a pair of valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b at one end and papillary muscles 24 , 26 at an opposite end . in a normally functioning heart , chords 18 , 20 support the valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b between open and closed positions to selectively allow and prevent blood flow into and out of left ventricle 12 . blood enters left ventricle 12 through mitral valve 14 and is expelled during the subsequent contraction of the heart muscle through aortic valve 28 . it will be appreciated that the present invention is applicable to heart valves other than the mitral valve in various of its aspects to be described below . device 10 more particularly includes a support member 30 configured for attachment to the heart valve annulus 16 and a post 32 extending from support member 30 and configured to extend away from the plane of annulus 16 . a connector which , in this embodiment , is in the form of at least one flexible tensile member , is coupled with post 32 and configured for attachment to at least one of the leaflets 22 a , 22 b . in this embodiment of the invention , post 32 is a hollow , j - shaped member having a longer section 32 a and a shorter curved section 32 b . also , post 32 may be hollow as shown with flexible tensile members 34 extending through the post and exiting at shorter section 32 b . flexible tensile members 34 may include suture needles for affixing the tensile members to the edges of the valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b as described below . other connectors suitable for directly or indirectly coupling post 32 or a post of different configuration to valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b may be utilized as well and some variations are described herein below . as shown in fig2 , flexible tensile members 34 may completely substitute for one set of chordae tendonae 18 ( fig1 ) or , as an alternative , one or more defective chords , such as a lengthened chord 18 a ( fig1 ), may be replaced with an artificial chord or flexible tensile member in accordance with the invention . as shown in fig2 , all of the native chords 18 of the patient have been removed and device 10 has been affixed by suturing ring - shaped support 30 to valve annulus 16 using stitches ( not shown ) and by affixing flexible tensile members or artificial chords 34 to leaflets 22 a , 22 b . flexible tensile members 34 may be affixed to mating edges of valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b by being stitched thereto as shown in fig3 using suitable pads or suture supports 40 , 42 . it will be appreciated that the remaining native chords and other artificial chords have been omitted in fig3 for clarity . a crimp member 44 is also shown in fig3 for fixing flexible tensile members 34 at the desired length . that is , after chords 34 have been affixed to valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b as shown in fig3 , the distance between the lower edges of leaflets 22 a , 22 b and section 32 b of post 32 may be adjusted to ensure effective coaptation or mating of the valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b . when this is achieved , crimp member 44 is crimped onto flexible tensile members 34 to retain flexible tensile members 34 at this distance and maintain the effective coaptation . ring - shaped support member 30 may be comprised of two integrated sections with one being a curved section 30 a and one being a straight section 30 b as is the case with certain conventional annuloplasty rings . fig4 and 6 illustrate the hollow nature of the support post and the use of a number of flexible tensile members or artificial chords 34 , depending on the patient &# 39 ; s needs . fig7 illustrates a device 50 constructed in accordance with one alternative embodiment . in this embodiment , a valve annulus support member 52 is again shown as a ring - shaped member and a post 54 extends away from ring - shaped support member 52 . post 54 includes at least one chord gripping member 56 comprised of a pair of jaws 56 a , 56 b . in this embodiment , a second chord gripping member 58 is shown also comprising a pair of jaws 58 a , 58 b . gripping member 56 is shown as gripping anterior native chords of the patient , while gripping member 58 is shown to grip posterior native chords of the patient . the purpose of device 10 is to retain the use of the patient &# 39 ; s native chords 18 , but to more fully restore their function . in cases in which a patient &# 39 ; s heart is ischemic , there may be stretched or lengthened chords , such as chord 18 a shown in fig1 . in this case , device 50 and , more particularly , gripping members 56 , 58 may be used to capture chords 18 and place them under suitable tension mimicking their natural , normal condition to provide full support to valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b . fig7 a illustrates an alternative embodiment similar to fig7 , but having a annulus support portion 52 ′ which is not ring - shaped , but nevertheless provides suitable support when attached to a valve annulus for supporting post 54 . it will be appreciated that , while this embodiment is especially suitable for use on a patient &# 39 ; s native chords , similar chord gripping members may be used to capture artificial chords , such as sutures or gortex fibers , connected with the valve leaflet edges as previously described . jaws 56 a , 56 b and 58 a , 58 b may be formed in any suitable manner and may operate between open and closed positions also in any suitable manner . fig8 - 14 illustrate several different illustrative examples of mechanisms for opening and closing the jaws of a gripping member suitable for use in the embodiments of fig7 and 7 a . fig8 illustrates a gripping member 70 comprised of jaws 72 , 74 connected with a post 76 by respective shape memory rods 78 , 80 . when electric current or heat is applied to rods 78 , 80 , jaws 72 , 74 move together into a clamped or closed position . in fig9 , gripping structure 90 is shown as comprising a pair of hinged jaws 92 , 94 operable by a cam member 96 and an actuating wire 98 contained within a post 100 . when wire 98 is pulled and fixed , cam member 96 will cam jaws 92 , 94 into closed or clamped positions on the patient &# 39 ; s native or artificial chords . fig1 illustrates a chord gripping member 110 comprised of first and second jaws 112 , 114 pivotally connected together by a series of links 116 and operable between open and closed positions by a wire 118 contained within a post 120 . when wire 118 is pulled in the direction of arrow 122 , and fixed , links 116 will move jaws 112 , 114 to the closed position . fig1 illustrates a chord gripping member 130 comprising a pair of jaws 132 , 134 hingedly connected together and contained within an actuating member 136 fixed within a post 138 . when wire 140 is pulled in the direction of arrow 142 , jaws 132 , 134 will be forced by actuating member 136 into their closed and clamped position . wire 140 may then be fixed in this position by any suitable means . fig1 illustrates another alternative gripping member 150 comprised of first and second jaws 152 , 154 hingedly connected together and pivotally secured to a hollow post 156 . a wire 158 is connected to the ends of jaws 152 , 154 and when pulled in the direction of arrow 160 jaws 152 , 154 will be actuated to their closed and clamped positions . again , wire 158 may be fixed in any suitable manner once gripping member 150 is in the closed and clamped position . fig1 illustrates a gripping member 170 comprised of a movable jaw 172 hingedly or flexibly connected with a post 174 and operable by a wire or movable actuating member 176 . an outer end of jaw 172 is retained against a cam surface 178 of actuating member 176 . when actuating member 176 is pulled in the direction of arrow 180 , jaw 172 will be forced to close against member 176 and clamp the native or artificial chords therebetween . actuating member 176 may be fixed in any suitable manner at this position . fig1 illustrates another alternative clamping member 190 comprised of a movable jaw 192 hingedly or flexibly connected with a post 194 and operable between open and closed positions by an actuating member or wire 196 which slides with respect to a stationary jaw 198 . movable jaw 192 has one end retained against a cam surface 200 . when actuating member or wire 196 is pulled in the direction of arrow 202 , jaw 192 will be forced to a closed and clamped position against jaw 198 by way of the camming action of surface 200 . wire or actuating member 196 may be fixed at this position by any suitable means . fig1 illustrates another alternative valve support 210 constructed in accordance with the invention . in this embodiment , valve support 210 may be used as a support for a replacement heart valve 212 , which may be formed from artificial or biological material . valve support device 210 more specifically comprises a pair of ring - shaped support members 214 , 216 with ring support member 214 being connected with the annulus of valve 212 . ring - shaped support member 216 is connected to support member 214 in spaced relation by a series of posts 218 , 220 , 222 , 224 . this structure supports a series of flexible tensile members , or artificial chords 226 , 228 , 230 , 232 connected to the edges of valve leaflets 234 , 236 in a suitable manner , such as in the manner described with respect to the first embodiment . fig1 illustrates another alternative valve support device 250 including a ring - shaped support member 252 configured to be connected with the annulus of a heart valve 254 and including a post 256 connected therewith . in this embodiment , post 256 includes a section 258 extending inwardly toward the center of heart valve 254 . this spaces post 256 away from any potentially harmful contact with the inner wall of the heart muscle . a series of flexible tensile members or artificial chords 260 , 262 , 264 , 266 extend outwardly from post 258 and include respective grippers 268 , 270 , 272 , 274 . grippers 268 , 270 , 272 , 274 may be used as alternatives to directly stitching these artificial chords to the valve leaflets . instead , these grippers may simply be clamped onto the edges of the valve leaflets to provide the same function as the attachment shown and described with respect to fig3 , for example . fig1 illustrates another alternative valve support device 280 comprised of a ring - shaped support member 282 fixed to a heart valve 284 in any suitable manner and including a post 286 . post 286 is preferably rigidly secured to ring - shaped support member 282 and extends through the center thereof so as to be configured to extend between the valve leaflets 288 , 290 . post 286 is connected with or integrally includes a chord supporting portion 292 at an opposite end and , as with the other embodiments , flexible tensile members or artificial chords 294 , 296 are connected between support portion 292 and valve leaflets 288 , 290 . fig1 illustrates an alternative valve support device 300 comprised of a ring - shaped support member 302 and preferably a pair of posts 304 , 306 . ring - shaped support member 302 is configured to be affixed to the annulus of a heart valve , as with various other embodiments of this invention , while posts 304 , 306 are configured to prevent outward billowing of the heart valve leaflets . for this purpose , posts 304 , 306 may be slightly curved , as shown , in an outward direction with respect to the heart valve beneath . fig1 illustrates a device for setting the distance between the annulus of the mitral heart valve and the patient &# 39 ; s papillary muscles . in particular , device 300 comprises a ring - shaped support member 302 configured to be sutured or otherwise affixed to the annulus of the heart valve and a pair of flexible tensile members 304 , 306 , which may be sutures , connected between the respective papillary muscles 308 , 310 of the patient and the ring - shaped support member 302 . in this embodiment , to facilitate connection with ring - shaped support member 302 , tensile members 304 , 306 are slidably retained on crimp members 312 , 314 while the length or distance between papillary muscles 308 , 310 and ring - shaped support member 302 is set . crimp members 312 , 314 may then be forced into respective holes 316 , 318 and thereby crimped to tensile members 304 , 306 to simultaneously affix crimp members 312 , 314 to ring - shaped support member 302 and to the corresponding tensile member 304 , 306 . fig2 illustrates an alternative device 300 ′ for setting the distance between a ring - shaped support member 302 ′ and the respective papillary muscles 308 , 310 . in fig2 , reference numerals with prime (′) marks indicate subject matter similar to the corresponding reference numerals in fig1 , while like numerals indicate like elements between these figures . device 300 ′ includes a ring - shaped support member 302 ′ configured to be connected to a heart valve annulus and including two connectors 320 , 322 that affix tensile members 304 , 306 to ring - shaped support members 302 ′ after ring - shaped support member 302 ′ has been affixed to a heart valve annulus , a surgeon stitches flexible tensile members 304 , 306 to papillary muscles 308 , 310 and after adjusting the distance properly between papillary muscles 308 , 310 and ring - shaped support member 302 ′, affixes tensile members 304 , 306 to connectors 320 , 322 . these connectors 320 , 322 may include slots 320 a , 322 a which allow flexible tensile members 304 , 306 to become wedged and retained therein . fig2 illustrates a heart valve 330 comprised of first and second leaflets 322 , 334 that engage one another at an area of coaptation 336 defining a selectively opened and closed portion of the valve . valve 330 has a malformation , however , in the form of a gap 338 that is typically the result of an ischemic condition which pulls one portion or leaflet of the valve away from the other . fig2 , 22a and 23 illustrate a valve support device 350 for correcting valve malformations such as that shown in fig2 . these devices are especially useful for treating ischemic conditions in which one side of the valve pulls away from another side resulting in imperfect coaptation of the valve leaflets . specifically , device 350 is in the form of a ring - shaped support member 352 having a selectively adjustable and lockable portion 354 . as shown best in fig2 , ring - shaped support member 352 may be reformed into the shape shown in phantom and retained in that shape . alternatively , device 350 may be formed with a permanent asymmetric shape about both axes x , y . as shown in fig2 , the ability to squeeze portion 354 of ring - shaped support member 352 together and retain portion 354 in that position will bring valve leaflets 332 , 334 together to close gap 338 . fig2 a illustrates one manner of allowing selectively adjustable and lockable positioning of ring - shaped support member 352 . in this regard , respective socket segments 354 a , 354 b , 354 c receive balls 356 therebetween and further receive a wire 358 which may be tensioned and locked in place with a set screw 360 by use of a tool 362 . when wire 358 and socketed segments 354 a - d and balls 356 are loosened , adjustability of section 354 is possible . once the adjustment in position is made , wire 358 is tensioned to bring the balls and sockets together and then lock in place using tool 362 . this retains the adjusted shape . fig2 illustrates another alternative device 370 for supporting a heart valve 372 . device 370 again comprises a valve support member 374 adapted to be connected with the valve annulus 376 , such as by suturing or other mechanical fastening means . a post 378 and flexible tensile members 380 are connected with support member 374 as described generally above to support valve leaflets 382 , 384 . in this embodiment , one portion 374 a of valve support member 374 may be bent out of the plane containing another portion 374 b and retained in that position to fix the valve in a desired position . any suitable manner of retaining the adjusted shape may be used , including the manner described with respect to fig2 a . alternatively , device 370 may be permanently formed with a nonplanar shape , such as the shape shown in fig2 . the modified shape shown in phantom in fig2 may also , be combined with the modified shape shown in fig2 for ring - shaped support member 374 . fig2 illustrates another alternative valve support device 390 incorporating a replacement heart valve 392 with the support structure including a post 394 and a plurality of flexible tensile members or sutures 396 extending from an end 394 a of post 394 and edges of three leaflets 398 , 400 , 402 associated with valve 392 . flexible tensile members 396 are preferably distributed evenly along the edges of leaflets 398 , 400 , 402 to support the leaflets during operation with proper coaptation or mating of the adjacent leaflet surfaces . flexible tensile members 396 also reduce stress on commisures 393 . fig2 illustrates a cross sectional view of a somewhat modified form 390 ′ of support device 390 having a catheter inserted between the valve leaflets 398 , 400 , 402 . in this embodiment , flexible tensile members 396 prevent leaflets 398 , 400 , 402 from opening and closing against catheter 410 with excessive force . this is in addition to stress reduction on commisures 393 . such force may be harmful to valve 392 . catheter 410 may be support within valve 392 by suitable struts or other support members 412 , 414 . fig2 illustrates another alternative device in the form of a ring - shaped valve support member 422 configured to be affixed to the annulus 424 of a heart valve . device 420 is used to set the distance between the ring - shaped support member 422 and the papillary muscles 425 , 427 of the patient . a pair of posts 426 , 428 extend generally in a radially inward direction from ring - shaped support member 422 and are directed through the center of the valve between leaflets 429 , 431 and down along the patient &# 39 ; s native chords 433 , 435 . posts 426 , 428 are affixed to the patient &# 39 ; s papillary muscles 425 , 427 at the desired location . this suitable fixes the location of chords 433 , 435 and allows the surgeon to use any of the other valve support devices contemplated by this invention to facilitate supporting the leaflets 429 , 431 for proper coaptation . once the appropriate valve support device or devices are in place to properly support leaflets 429 , 431 , device 420 , or at least posts 426 , 428 , may be removed . fig2 illustrates another alternative valve support device 440 comprised of a ring - shaped support member 442 configured for attachment to the annulus of a heart valve and a post 444 connected to support member 442 and including an annular or loop - shaped end 446 . as with previous embodiments of the invention , one or more flexible tensile members or artificial chords may be affixed to end portion 446 and connected at an opposite end to one or more valve leaflets ( not shown ). post 444 , and especially loop - shaped end portion 446 , provides a resilient structure for bearing against the internal wall of the heart muscle . at least end portion 446 can flex in a resilient fashion toward ring - shaped support member 442 as the heart muscle contracts and moves . this reduces the likelihood of injury to the heart muscle and provides an artificial chord support that more naturally mimics the operation of a papillary muscle . fig2 illustrates an alternative valve support device 440 ′, which may be configured similarly to valve support device 440 , except that post 444 is connected to ring - shaped support member 442 by an adjustable and lockable connection 450 . this allows adjustment in the direction or arrows 452 , 454 . after the appropriate adjustment is made , post 444 may be locked in the desired position with a set screw 456 tightened against ring - shaped support member 442 . a slot 450 a also allows post 444 to be completely removed from support member 442 . fig3 illustrates a valve support device 460 similar to device 440 , but having a support member 462 which is not ring - shaped and having a post 464 with first and second loop - shaped end portions 466 , 468 . one or more flexible tensile members 470 , 472 may be retained on post 464 and loop - shaped end portions 466 , 468 by suitable rings 474 , 476 allowing length adjustment of flexible tensile members 470 , 472 . flexible tensile members 470 , 472 may extend upwardly past support member 462 and may be tied thereto after length adjustment is made . fig3 illustrates a valve support device 480 comprising separate support members 482 , 484 affixed to opposite sides of a heart valve annulus 486 . a post 488 connects support members 482 , 484 together thereby affixing the position of these opposite portions of heart valve annulus 486 with respect to one another . this may be used to pull two valve leaflets 490 , 492 together . also , device 480 may be used to remodel the shape of annulus 486 . fig3 is a valve support device 500 constructed in a similar manner to support device 480 , but allowing further adjustability . specifically , first and second valve annulus support members 502 , 504 are respectively connected to opposite sides of a heart valve annulus 506 . at least one and preferably two telescopically adjustable posts 508 , 510 connect support members 502 , 504 together . in the configuration shown , one or both posts 508 , 510 may be adjusted in length depending on the particular malformation or abnormality of leaflets 512 , 514 . once adjusted to the appropriate length by the surgeon , telescopic posts 508 , 510 may be fixed at the desired length by any suitable means . fig3 illustrates another alternative valve support device 520 comprised of a ring - shaped support member 522 configured to be connected with a heart valve annulus 524 and a post 526 generally constructed with a j - shape as in certain previous embodiments . in this embodiment , however , post 526 connects directly with valve leaflets 528 , 530 by way one or more spiral coil connectors 532 , 534 extending outwardly from post 526 . as the surgeon pushes these wires 532 , 534 from post 526 , they will form the coiled shape shown in the figure and simultaneously be directed through leaflets 528 , 530 to connect these leaflets at a central location . fig3 a illustrates another valve support device 540 similar to device 520 but utilizing separate valve support members 542 , 544 in place of a ring - shaped support member and further including a centralized post structure 546 comprised of post members 546 a and 546 b . again , the surgeon will install this device by affixing support members 542 , 544 to the heart valve annulus 524 and then as coiled wire connectors 548 , 550 are pushed through post portion 546 b , they will simultaneously be coiled and directed through valve leaflets 552 , 554 to connect central portions thereof together . another embodiment of a valve support device 560 is shown in fig3 , 35 , 36 , 36 a , 37 and 38 . this embodiment relates to solving the difficulties of accurately attaching the chords 561 , 563 to support structure . in this embodiment , a post structure is shaped as a single wire frame 562 , or as another suitable member extending from one side of a valve support member 564 , such as an annuloplasty ring , to another side of the valve support member 564 . the wire frame or post extends through the valve , between the anterior leaflet 566 and the posterior leaflet 568 . the wire frame 562 is then secured to the posterior leaflet 568 by a suitable method such as the use of stitches 570 . this ensures that the posterior leaflet 568 will be in optimum position for closing . it will be appreciated that the annuloplasty ring 564 may instead be an artificial valve formed of biological material and / or other materials . as further shown in fig3 , it would also be possible to secure the anterior leaflet 566 to the posterior leaflet 568 at the center points of the leaflet edges , or elsewhere , to ensure that the leaflets come together . this may be accomplished with one or more stitches 572 as shown ( fig3 ), or by another method , and will reduce valve leakage . there is another advantage to the use of a post structure as generally described with respect to fig3 - 38 on a heart valve support member such as annuloplasty ring 564 , or on an artificial valve in addition to the frame or post 562 acting as a leaflet support member . oftentimes , mitral valve prolapse is caused by dilation of the left ventricle , that is , an outward bulging of heart wall 574 as shown in fig3 by arrow 575 . frame or post 562 will also help pull in the wall 574 of the left ventricle and thereby reshape a dilated heart as schematically shown by arrows 576 , 578 in fig3 . the chords 561 , 563 will pull on the papillary muscles 580 , 582 and this pulls the wall 574 of the heart inwards . while the present invention has been illustrated by a description of preferred embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in some detail , it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail . additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art . the various features and concepts of the invention may be used alone or in numerous combinations depending on the needs and preferences of the user . this has been a description of the present invention , along with the preferred methods of practicing the present invention as currently known . however , the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims , wherein	0
referring to fig1 a preferred embodiment of a stent according to the present invention is shown and generally designated by reference numeral 10 . the stent 10 comprises a coiled cord 50 of non - metallic material , preferably a polymer fiber or ply of multiple polymer fibers , wherein the polymer preferably comprises poly - l - lactic acid (“ plla ”). the use of plla to construct the stent 10 is advantageous because it is biodegradable . it degrades away gradually within the body , the chemical products of the degradation process being primarily carbon dioxide and water , which are harmless to the host patient . degradation occurs over a period of about six months to three years , mainly depending on the molecular weight of the polymer employed . plla is also advantageous because it can be impregnated with drugs or other chemical agents for local treatment of tissue at the stent implant site . byway of example , the stent 10 of fig1 is constructed with twelve coil rotations of a single - fiber cord , each rotation having one central lobe 20 and three peripheral lobes 30 . the twelve central lobes 20 form the backbone of the stent 10 . three longitudinal rods 40 are attached on the exterior surface of the central lobes 20 , preferably using a viscous plla - chloroform solution . the rods 40 may comprise the same single - fiber material as the coil of lobes 20 and 30 . alternatively , the coil of lobes 20 and 30 and the rods 40 may comprise a multiple - fiber ply material . for example , the coil of lobes 20 and 30 may be formed from a double - fiber ply material , and each of the three rods 40 may be formed from a triple - fiber ply material for added rigidity . also , by way of example , the length of inventive stent is 15 mm and the initial diameter is 1 . 9 mm . in this example , the final diameter , after balloon expansion , can reach 3 . 24 mm . the length of the stent can be increased by increasing the number of coil rotations . the peripheral and central lobe diameters determine the final diameter of the stent . to assure mechanical integrity , it is preferred that the coiled lobes 20 and 30 of the stent 10 be formed from a single cord that is continuous end - to - end . the mechanical strength of the stent 10 can easily be varied ( 1 ) by adjusting the coil density ; or ( 2 ) by adjusting the fiber ply . in practice , a stent with 15 coil rotations and a length of 15 mm will be stronger than a stent of the same length with 12 rotations . however , a stent in which the cord 50 is composed of a multiple - fiber ply will have higher resistance to radial compression . a double - fiber ply will have about twice the radial compression resistance of a single - fiber construction , and triple - fiber ply will have about three times the radial compression resistance of a single - fiber construction . additionally , the diameter of the stent 10 can be adjusted ( 1 ) by adjusting the diameter of central and peripheral lobes ; or ( 2 ) by adjusting the number of multiple peripheral lobes per central lobe . the stent diameter increases as the diameter of central and peripheral lobes increases , and vise versa . it will also be appreciated that more peripheral lobes with the same diameter results in a stent of larger diameter in its fully expanded state . the above - described design provides an excellent way to maximize the expandability of a polymeric stent . the major difference between metal and polymeric stent materials is that metal is more malleable and generally has a greater tensile strength . thus , a metal wire can be deformed without affecting mechanical strength . in contrast , a polymer fiber cord cannot retain its original mechanical strength following permanent deformation ( bending , for example ). despite the lower mechanical strength of polymeric materials relative to metals , the polymeric stent of the present invention has sufficient strength to retain its shape in the expanded state , thereby stabilizing the vessel or duct wall for the intended purposes as with a conventional metal stent . in accordance with an important concept of the invention , an extra length of cord is provided by the peripheral lobes to facilitate expansion from the furled state to the final large - diameter state . if the desired final length of the stent in the furled , multiple - lobe configuration is known , stents can be prepared using the exact same initial length of cord . after expansion , the final deployed length is achieved without damaging cord . it will be appreciated that this approach to stent design and fabrication provides a polymeric stent with excellent mechanical strength and flexibility for effective implantation . according to another important feature of the invention , the longitudinal rods 40 provide support for the flexible coiled cord 50 . furthermore , the longitudinal rods 40 maintain the axial length of the stent 10 constant as its radial dimension increases during expansion . solid wall tubular stents have the practical limitations that they are relatively inflexible , making it difficult for them to pass through sometimes tortuous vessel networks . this is because their relatively rigid cylindrical structure reduces the freedom to bend in all directions . in this invention , the integrity of the stent 10 is maintained by the longitudinal rods 40 , three in embodiment of fig1 preferably arranged at 120 ° intervals . therefore , the expandable stent 10 has the inherent flexibility of a coil design yet has sufficient rigidity for effective handling due to the presence of the longitudinal rods 40 . the advantages of this design compared with currently available clinical metal models will be readily apparent to the skilled practitioner . it should be mentioned that the number of longitudinal reinforcing rods can be selected based on the number of peripheral lobes that design considerations dictate . preferably , the longitudinally aligned groups of peripheral lobes are equal in number to the longitudinal reinforcing rods , which are alternately positioned so that each rod is midway between its two neighboring peripheral lobe groups . in fig1 the preferred arrangement is illustrated in which there are three longitudinal reinforcing rods 40 and three longitudinally aligned groups of peripheral lobes 30 . prototypes of the inventive stent have been constructed using a fixture and manually winding a fiber cord in a spiral fashion along the fixture . the fixture employed included a central cylindrical mandrel attached to a base at one end , and three cylindrical side posts attached to the base and extending along and parallel to the mandrel , the posts being circumferentially spaced around the mandrel at 120 ° intervals . the stent is constructed by attaching one end of the cord to the free end of the mandrel , then winding the cord around the mandrel , and successively looping the cord around the posts moving downward toward the base until twelve rotations of the mandrel have been completed . periodically during the winding process , each of three longitudinal rods 40 are attached to the central lobes 20 in the manner depicted in fig1 . upon completion , the stent is slidably removed from the mandrel and side posts . design of an automated system is contemplated for reducing the labor - intensive winding process used to make the prototype stents . the stent delivery and deployment system is based on conventional balloon catheter delivery systems used currently in clinical angioplasty . therefore , the stent of the present invention can be implanted in practice using much of the conventional clinical deployment techniques used with metal stents . fig2 a - d illustrate the procedure of stent expansion and the structure of an expanded stent . in fig2 a , the stent 10 is in its small - diameter furled state , which enables the stent 10 to readily travel through a vessel to a site where it is to be deployed . a balloon 60 , shown in phantom , is provided inside the stent 10 to effect expansion . in this end view , the symmetrical spacing of the three rods 40 with the three longitudinally aligned groups of peripheral lobes 30 can be envisioned more clearly when considered together with fig1 . in the small - diameter furled state , it will be seen that the central lobes 20 viewed from the end of the stent 10 are generally triangular in shape . thus , the term “ small - diameter ” is used herein to describe the relative size of the stent 10 in the original furled state , the “ diameter ” this context being the effective diameter of a circle or imaginary cylinder tangentially contacting the outer ends of the peripheral lobes 30 . in fig2 b , the stent 10 is starting to expand under the force of the expanding balloon 60 , as indicated by the arrows . for comparison , dashed lines are provided in fig2 b to show the configuration of the stent 10 in its original furled state as depicted in fig2 a . in fig2 c , the stent 10 is shown in its large - diameter , fully expanded state , in which the peripheral lobes 30 ( shown in fig2 a and 2b ) have disappeared , their cord lengths having merged into the central lobe 20 of each of the twelve coils . experimental data reveals that the stent 10 expands uniformly under increasing balloon pressure until it reaches its final diameter . the terms “ final diameter ” and “ large - diameter ” are used to describe the relative size of the stent 10 in its fully expanded state as depicted in fig2 c , the “ diameter ” being the effective diameter of a circle or imaginary cylinder tangentially contacting the outer edges of the longitudinal rods 40 . fig2 c is not drawn to an accurate relative scale compared to fig2 a . in practice , it has been found that sufficient cord length can be provided in the peripheral lobes 30 to cause the effective diameter of the stent 10 to approximately double in size going from the original furled state of fig2 a to the final fully expanded state of fig2 c . [ 0026 ] fig2 d shows the stent 10 with the balloon removed in its large - diameter state and also depicts the longitudinal rods 40 in their 120 ° spaced peripheral positions along the length of the stent 10 . the helical nature of the stent 10 in its fully expanded state is evident in fig2 d . though the central lobes 20 are derived from a single cord of polymeric material that generally defines a helix in the fully expanded state , each lobe 20 can be viewed as one 360 ° length of cord with a leading end and a trailing end spaced apart by one - twelfth ( in the case of a twelve - lobe stent ) of the length of the stent 10 . for example , to illustrate this concept , the first lobe 20 a at the right end of the stent 10 of fig2 d has a leading end 70 and a trailing end 80 . the trailing end 80 of the first lobe 20 a corresponds to the leading end of the second lobe 20 b . the pattern continues through the length of the stent 10 , each lobe &# 39 ; s trailing end corresponding to the next successive lobe &# 39 ; s leading end until the last lobe is reached , whose trailing end ( not shown in fig2 d ) is the free end of the cord 50 at the left end of the stent 10 . it will be appreciated from fig1 and 2a that the stent 10 in its original furled state has a more complex shape . from the example shown in fig2 a , it will be appreciated that each central lobe 20 has three peripheral lobes 30 , a leading one of which being defined by a portion of the cord 50 that adjoins the leading end of the corresponding central lobe 20 , a trailing one of which being defined by a portion of the cord 50 that adjoins the trailing end of the corresponding central lobe 20 , and the last of the three peripheral lobes 30 being defined by a portion of the cord 50 at an intermediate point of the corresponding central lobe 20 . the stent 10 of the present invention can be adapted to a broad range of inflation pressures from 3 to 10 atm ( a maximum pressure possibly even exceeding 10 atm ). experimental data has shown that , using a double - fiber ply stent , full expansion occurs at about 3 atm , and that the fully expanded diameter is stably maintained at inflation pressures of up to 10 atm . in the above - described example , the stent 10 has limited recoil about 4 % when in an unstressed condition . the collapsing pressure holds at least up to 16 psi ( i . e ., greater than 1 atm ), which is comparable to conventional metal stents . it will be appreciated that the preferred plla fibers preferably used for the stent fabrication can be loaded with a non - steroid type anti - inflammation agent , such as curcumin . the curcumin - loaded fibers significantly reduce inflammation at the stent implant site by reducing the adhesion of inflammatory cells . other drugs can be used with the expandable biodegradable polymer stent of the present invention . the impregnated drugs can be prepared in a way that controllably delivers the drug over a predetermined time period . [ 0030 ] fig3 a and 3b show an alternate embodiment of the inventive stent , generally designated by reference numeral 100 . the stent 100 has a furled state shown in fig3 a in which the fiber coils are tightly furled and central lobes 120 ( one shown ) are confined to a small diameter . there are three peripheral lobes per coil , which are designated by numerals 130 and , in this embodiment , are located inside the central lobes 120 . as in the previously - described embodiment of the stent 10 shown in fig1 there may be twelve coils , which are formed from a continuous cord and extend longitudinally to define the body of the stent 100 . each coil has a large central lobe 120 and three internally - disposed peripheral lobes 130 , shown in fig3 a . as in the previously described stent 10 , the stent 100 has longitudinally extending rods 140 that support the coil structure . when the stent 100 is expanded as shown in fig3 b , the peripheral lobes merge into a single large - diameter central lobe 120 for each of the twelve coils of the stent 100 . using this construction of internal peripheral lobes 130 , the ratio of the final expanded stent diameter to the initial furled stent diameter can be greater than a factor of two . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventive stent , in its disclosed embodiments or variations thereof , provides mechanical and therapeutic advantages over conventional stents . in addition , advantageous treatments will suggest themselves to the skilled practitioner considering the foregoing description of the invention . by virtue of the biodegradable polymeric nature of the inventive stent , the same vessel site can be retreated at a later time if needed , including staging procedures during growth of the patient . similarly , successive treatments of a tissue that is changing size can be facilitated with the disclosed stent . it should also be noted that the inventive stent can be implanted at a site of healthy tissue for diagnostic purposes or therapeutic treatment of adjacent tissue . although preferred embodiments have been described and illustrated , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	0
the following description will be referred to the accompanying drawings before described that must be understood as illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the invention , and non - limiting of the scope of the inventive concept . the common elements in the figures have the same numerical references in all of them . the present invention refers to a system that allows the assembling of individual floor modules to form a floor or platform that can be placed on the ground or another floor used as a base , so that a new surface is offered on which a user can freely walk or which can serve as a support base for a load . one of the immediate applications of the invention is in the construction of floors or platforms with electricity insulating properties to allow a person to accede to areas whose conditions , as the conductive water presence or other elements in the ground , could put it in risk of an electrical shock . for the accomplishment of the invention , it is considered that two elements are fundamental : a ) floor modules , and b ) union elements for the floor modules the construction material for both classes of modules can be a plastic resin such as abs or high density polyethene ( hdpe ), which allows to use the modules of the invention to assemble an electrically insulating floor or platform . the floor modules consist essentially of hollow prismatic pieces with low height , in the order of a few centimeters ; the prismatic body includes : a ) a first upper base , its outer face offering the useful surface for the support of load or people ; b ) vertical rectangular walls , towards underneath the upper base along its perimeter and forming the prismatic body ; and c ) a second base , opposed to the first upper base , which limits to a frame defined by the lower edges of the vertical walls . in reference to fig1 , the floor module ( 100 ) has a square - based prism shape , whose upper face ( 110 ), in a preferred embodiment , can have a non - slippery surface ( 120 ) which can be the textured surface of the manufacture material of the floor module ( 100 ) or a non - slippery material applied on the upper face ( 110 ). the floor module ( 100 ) have essentially rectangular vertical walls ( 140 ), as shown in fig2 ; at the interior of the floor module ( 100 ), illustrated in fig3 , a plurality of cylindrical elements is observed ( 160 ), ( 162 ), ( 164 ), ( 166 ), that project vertically , located close to the peripheral vertical walls ( 140 ), ( 142 ), ( 144 ) and ( 146 ) respectively , and preferably in the mean zone of each one of these walls . it is observed in the fig3 that the cylindrical bodies ( 160 ), ( 162 ), ( 164 ), ( 166 ), are formed by two sections , being one of them ( shown shaded ) of a diameter greater and the other ( without shaded , designated by ( 161 ), ( 163 ), ( 165 ) and ( 168 )) of a smaller diameter , located to the end of the bodies , this being appreciated better in the perspective view in fig4 for the elements ( 160 ) and ( 166 ), designating to the end zones with the references ( 161 ) and ( 167 ) respectively . inside the floor module ( 100 ) another cylindrical body ( 170 ) is located , preferably hollow , that extends vertically aligned with the central axis of the prism , from the inner surface of the useful face ( 110 ) towards the lower plane of the prism , protruding slightly as it is observed in the lateral view of fig2 , being “ a ” the measurement of this protruding as defined ahead , becoming a load post to directly transmit any weight on the useful surface ( 110 ) to the ground on which this individual module rests ( 100 ). the module ( 100 ) thus described could offer a perspective view like that in fig4 and 5 . in fig6 to 9 a preferred embodiment of the union elements ( 200 ) to coupling floor modules ( 100 ), is shown , being fig6 a perspective view over the upper plane , fig7 an upper view , fig8 a lower view and fig9 a front / rear view , showing that the union elements ( 200 ) consist essentially of a cross - shaped base whose arms have a “ u ”- shaped cross - section , having the open ends of the “ u ” closer to each other than in the base , to allow the entrance of the vertical faces of floor modules . two of the contiguous arms , show a zone close to the crossing between arms ( the center of the union element ) with a constant thickness ( 210 ), and one zone close to the end of these arms with a recess ( 212 ) in their surface , so that these walls approximately have a thickness of half of the thickness of the zone ( 210 ). the other two arms opposed to the first two , show a zone close to the crossing between arms ( the center of the union element ) with a constant thickness ( 220 ), and one zone close to the end of these arms with a recess ( 222 ) in the internal surface of the vertical faces , so that these walls have a thickness of approximately half of the thickness of the zone ( 220 ). the length of the recesses in the arms is the same , so that they correspond to each other and when inserting an arm with outer recess through the arms of an arm with inner recess , the thickness of the faces of both arms is equaled to the one of the zones without recess . the arms with inner recess have a pair of cylindrical posts ( 230 ), located on their outer surface and located to a distance from the center of the element of union equal to the half of the length of a face of a floor module ; these cylindrical posts are hollow and will serve as subjection elements of the corresponding floor module , as it is described ahead . the material of manufacture of the union elements ( 200 ) is a synthetic resin with insulating properties . in fig9 , details of the design of the union elements that are important for their function are shown . it is observed that the thickness of the walls and base of the union element ( 200 ), in the zones without recesses , has a measurement “ a ” that it is also the thickness of the combined walls when two union elements ( 200 ) are overlapped in its position of use when coupling two floor modules , and is this measurement “ a ” indeed the one that corresponds to the protrusion indicated in fig2 for the central cylindrical post ( 170 ) of the floor module , so that the same level in the complete useful surface is guaranteed , when each floor module is assembled with other modules . also it is appreciable in the fig9 that the base of the union element ( 200 ) is not completely straight in all their length , showing an angle “ b ” of inclination in both arms equal to angle “ b ” of inclination of the vertical walls of the arms with respect to the vertical ; if it is considered that the space between the vertical walls of the arms measured in the interior in the tie point with the base of the union element ( 200 ) is equal to the double of the thickness of the faces of the floor modules ( 100 ), when two faces of two floor modules are inserted ( 100 ) to coupling , the ends of the “ u ” of the arm that is used to maintain these floor modules united ( 100 ) are opened until the faces of the arm remain vertical and parallel each other , forcing then to the perpendicular arms to a horizontal position ; the “ memory ” of the material , nevertheless , produces that the arms of the union element exert a constant pressure on the interior of the faces of the floor modules ( 100 ) in their interior , assuring them in its site . for a better understanding of the way in which the union elements ( 200 ) operate , in fig1 is a detail of a cross - sectional of a floor module ( 100 ), throughout its central plane , so that it is clearly observed that the cylinder ( 160 ), taken as example for the other cylinders , it is placed closely to the inner surface of the vertical wall ( 140 ), this cylinder ( 160 ) forms a single body with the upper base ( 110 ) of the module ( 100 ), extending downwards until a distance such as the lower edge of this cylinder ( 160 ) coincides with the upper edge of the cylindrical and hollow subjection element ( 230 ) in the vertical wall of one of the arms with inner recess of the union element ( 200 ), as described ahead . the cylinder ( 160 ), as already it has been indicated , continues with a smaller diameter throughout the zone ( 161 ) that extends until reaching the level of the edge of the vertical face ( 140 ) of the floor module ( 100 ); this cylinder ( 161 ) has a diameter such as allows its sliding in the hollow of vertical posts ( 230 ) of one of the union elements . in the sectional view illustrated in fig1 a projection ( 150 ) in the cylinder ( 161 ) is observed , with a rounded section , as shown in the lower view of the floor module ( 100 ) in fig3 ; the function of this projection is to slightly extend ( the illustration shows this projection exaggerated ) the diameter of the cylinder ( 161 ), so that the pressure against the walls of the cylindrical subjection element ( 230 ) of the union element ( 200 ) is increased , especially in the direction towards the wall ( 140 ) of the floor module ( 100 ) also in order to increase the pressure that exerts the body of the subjection element ( 230 ) on the vertical wall of the arm of the union element ( 200 ) and as well against the walls of the floor modules ( 100 ) inserted in this arm . the union elements ( 200 ) have an overall height such that can be placed perfectly below the floor modules ( 100 ), so that , as it is schematically shown in fig1 , 12 and 13 , for the vertical cylindrical post ( 161 ), this one can slide fittingly to the interior of the hollow cylindrical element referred as ( 430 ) for the arm of a union element ( 400 ) ( by analogy with a union element ( 200 ), the constituent elements of other union elements ( 300 ) and ( 400 ) are designated with the same final digits , changing first digit “ 2 ” by “ 3 ” and “ 4 ”, respectively ), where the section ( 420 ) of this arm ( 400 ) “ surrounds ” to the zone with recess ( 312 ) in the end of the arm of a union element ( 300 ), where the outer recess ( 312 ) occupies the zone of the inner recess ( 420 ) of the arm of the union element ( 400 ) ( indicated in dotted lines ); the three bodies move in the sense indicated by the dotted arrows in fig1 to occupy the sites illustrated in fig1 . fig1 schematically illustrates the position of the diverse elements involved in the union of two floor modules ( 100 ) and ( 600 ), by means of the union elements ( 300 ) and ( 400 ) illustrated in fig1 and 12 . in fig1 to 14 a - c it is possible to appreciate that the subjection elements ( 430 ) not necessarily have the same height that the walls of the arms of the union elements ( 300 ) and ( 400 ) as shown previously for the union element ( 200 ), the walls can be as small as to allow the union of the bases of two floor modules , as shown in fig1 c , or to cover the space available inside the floor module ( 100 ), ( 600 ), so that they reach the lower face of the upper base that has the useful surface ( 110 ) ( and ( 610 ) by analogy ), as shown in fig1 and 14 b . on the other hand , fig1 a illustrates a medium height of the walls of the arms of the subjection element , as shown in the figures that refer the union element ( 200 ). the embodiment illustrated in fig1 and 14 b represents the preferred embodiment of the invention , since it offers the greater physical stability for the assembled set , diminishes to a minimum the possibility that a space between the vertical walls of two floor modules ( 100 ), ( 600 ) united by a union element ( 200 ) be opened , and they offer the greater possible trajectory for a possible current discharge from the useful surface towards the ground or vice versa , forming a labyrinth difficult to surpass by an electrical charge , and so it also maximizes the efficiency of the isolation and the protection to the user . in the illustrated preferred embodiment in sectional view in fig1 , it is observed that the walls of the zone with outer recess ( 312 ) become vertical and are parallel to each other , as they are the walls of the section with inner recess ( 422 ); it is observed also that the projections throughout the cylindrical elements of the floor module that are inserted in the fixation elements ( 430 ) are completely inserted and offer pressure on the walls of the subjection elements ( 430 ) and from here to the walls of the union elements ( 312 ) and ( 422 ) and so the vertical walls of the floor modules ( 100 ) and ( 600 ) are firmly fixed in position , so close to each other as allows the roughness of the material . in order to form an assemblable floor of the appropriate dimensions to cover the wished area , so many floor modules are united to each other as they are necessary , connecting pairs of floor modules using so many union elements of pairs of modules as it is required , as it is shown in fig1 for a rectangular section of assembled floor . observe that whenever it is had a new union element surrounding with his arm with inner recess to the outer recess of another already placed , the cylindrical elements are located on position to receive the cylinders of the floor module and their arms with outer recesses are ready for the following union element available ; also it is observed in this figure that once united the union elements to each other , a sustentation base is made for the set with an area of constant width right under the vertical walls of the floor modules , which represents a minimal area of contact with the floor on which the assembled will rest . it could be observed that the floor assembled obtained , rests on the ground and its stability with respect to the same will depend basically on the weight of the floor as a whole and of the load on the same . in this sense it is very useful that the floor module is hollow at its lower face , since this way the contact surface is diminished , increasing the possibility that the assembled floor adapts to the irregularities of the ground maintaining a high stability and lifting capacity . it should be observed that because the geometrical configuration of the modules and the union elements , all strength on the assemblable floor it is transmitted to the lower floor through the vertical walls , the prismatic body of the union elements and the central cylindrical load body , and so a high stability of the assemblable floor is obtained . it will be observed that the modules that conform the system of the present invention are not connected in a permanent way , reason why it is possible to disassembling all the set and to reuse the pieces to form a new floor . considering the previous , it will be evident for a person with knowledge in the technical field that some modifications to the basic configuration of these illustrated modalities can be necessary to satisfy particular requirements but it will have to be considered that these modifications will not take to the invention thus described beyond the scope of the following claims .	4
in the description which follows like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawing with the same reference numerals , respectively . the drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness . referring to the drawing figures , the motorized nutcracker of the present invention is illustrated and generally designated by the numeral 10 . the nutcracker 10 includes a generally planar horizontally extending support base 12 which is disposed on spaced apart legs 14 to define a space under the support base for receiving a cracked nut storage container 16 . the container 16 may be secured to the base 12 and formed as a slidable drawer or the like for movement relative to the base . the container 16 is normally disposed under an opening 18 in the base 12 through which cracked nuts are discharged from the mechanism of the nutcracker to be described hereinbelow . the base 12 supports a generally upstanding planar frame plate 20 which is adapted to support a motor and speed reduction gear drive unit 22 including an electric drive motor 24 and a speed reduction drive housing 26 in which a suitable reduction gear train , not shown , is disposed . an output shaft 28 extends from the housing 26 and through a suitable opening in the support plate 20 and is adapted to support and be drivably connected to a cam member 30 . the cam member 30 is configured to support a pair of opposed roller cams 32 which are supported in suitable bearing means , not shown , for rotation relative to the member 30 and are diametrally opposite each other with respect to an axis of rotation of the shaft 28 . referring to fig1 the nutcracker 10 includes a somewhat reciprocable or , technically , an oscillating jaw member 33 comprising a support arm 34 mounted on the frame plate 20 for pivotable movement about a pivot support pin 36 . the jaw support member 34 includes a cam surface 38 which is engageable by the roller cams 32 as the shaft 28 is rotated to effect oscillating movement of the jaw member 33 about the axis of the support pin 36 . the jaw member 33 includes a generally circular boss 40 which projects from the face of the member 33 opposite the cam surface 38 and includes a generally conical recess 42 . the cam member 30 is operable to oscillate the jaw member 33 about its pivot axis between a fully reclined position 80 ( fig2 ) and a fully extended position toward an opposing jaw member generally designated by the numeral 84 . in the arrangement of the nutcracker 10 the location of the shaft 28 axis relative to the pivot axis of the pin 36 and the radial spacing of the roller cams 32 relative to the shaft 28 axis is such that the jaw member 33 is always biased by gravity forces to remain in engagement with the cams 32 of the cam member even when the jaw member 33 is fully extended in a clockwise direction toward the jaw member 44 . moreover , the jaw member 33 may be moved manually relative to the cam member 30 toward the jaw member 44 to assist in preselecting the minimum spacing between these members during operation of the nutcracker . referring further to fig2 and fig3 the jaw member 44 includes a generally circular boss 46 having a conical recess 48 formed therein and generally opposite the recess 42 when the jaw member 33 is disposed directly opposite the jaw member 44 . the recess 48 is preferably formed to have an included angle of about 120 ° and a plurality of radially spaced ribs 50 which project from the surface of the recess and assist in maintaining a nut in position during the shell cracking process and also to effect penetration of the shell so that a generally uniform fracturing effort takes place circumferentially around the nutshell . the jaw member 44 includes a threaded screw portion 54 which extends through an internally threaded portion of a support member 56 forming part of the frame plate 20 and extending normal to the surface 21 of the frame plate . a manually graspable adjusting knob 58 is attached to the end of the threaded member 54 opposite the boss 46 whereby the jaw member 44 may be adjusted relative to the support member 56 and the cam actuated limit position of the jaw member 33 . the nutcracker 10 also includes a nut support member generally designated by the numeral 62 having a somewhat trough shaped nut support portion 64 and a crank arm 66 . the nut support member 62 is mounted on the support plate 56 for rotation relative thereto by a supporting pin 68 . an elongated handle portion 70 extends from the crank arm 66 for actuating the support member to pivot about the axis of the pin 68 whereby the trough portion may be moved in a counterclockwise direction , viewing fig2 to dump a nut supported thereon into the container 16 . the nut support member 62 is weighted to tend to move in a clockwise direction , viewing fig2 into the position illustrated wherein a stop surface 74 engages a cooperating surface 76 on the plate member 56 . the trough shaped portion 64 includes a recess 65 which is adapted to receive at least a portion of the bosses 40 and 46 , respectively so that a nut such as the walnut 75 , shown in fig2 when disposed on the trough portion 64 is engageable by the jaws formed by the bosses 40 and 46 to effect cracking of the shell of the nut as the jaw member 33 is brought into forcible engagement by rotation of the cam member 30 . the operation of the nutcracker 10 will now be described with reference to the drawing figures . the motor 24 is adapted to be connected to a source of electric power , not shown , and may be energized and deenergized by operation of a switch 86 , fig1 . the nutcracker may be used to crack various sizes of nuts but , of course , is operated most efficiently when preset for a particular size of nut in accordance with a graded batch or quantity . for example , if a nut of a selected size is to be cracked it is typically placed with its longitudinal axis , if present , running generally parallel to the longitudinal extent of the trough or recess 65 and supported on the support portion 64 . the jaw member 33 is then manually positioned in its limit position toward the jaw member 44 and engaged with the nut . suitable indicia on the surface 21 of the support plate 20 may be provided to indicate the clockwise limit position of the jaw member 33 with respect to its axis of rotation . the jaw member 44 is then adjusted by rotating the threaded member 54 until the boss 46 is in a position which would effect substantial cracking of the nut shell of the nut 75 , for example . the first nut of a batch may , in fact , be manually cracked by rotating the threaded member until the minimum distance between the jaw recesses 42 and 48 is such that the shell is suitably crushed . the motor 22 may then be energized with a nut 75 in the cracking position whereby the cams 32 will cause the jaw member 33 to oscillate toward and away from the jaw member 44 . the jaw member 33 rotates in a clockwise direction , viewing fig2 to crush the nutshell between the jaw members 33 and 34 . as the jaw member 33 oscillates away from the nut in a counterclockwise direction , viewing fig2 the handle 70 may be rotated to effect tipping of the nut support member 64 in a counterclockwise direction to dump the nut with its broken shell into the container 16 . force of gravity preferably operates on the support member 62 to return it to the working position illustrated by the solid lines in fig2 . if a nut is not sufficiently crushed during the first oscillation of the jaw member 33 toward the jaw member 44 , the position of the jaw member 44 may be rapidly adjusted by the operator of the nutcracker by rotating the knob 58 to effect movement of the threaded member 54 in one direction or another in accordance with the desired degree of cracking of the shell . accordingly , if a nut is placed in the trough portion 65 and during an oscillation of the jaw member 33 an insufficient cracking of the shell or an over cracking or crushing of the shell and the nutmeat occurs , the jaw member 44 may be repositioned conveniently without stopping the operation of the apparatus . in this regard , the speed of rotation of the cam support member 30 is on the order of six revolutions per minute which is suitably slow as to enable even an unskilled operator an opportunity to adjust the position of the jaw member 44 for the next oscillation cycle of the jaw member toward the jaw member 44 . a relatively unskilled operator may also easily adapt to placing a nut on the nut support portion 64 during the phase of the operating cycle of the jaw member 33 when it is furthest away from the nut support member and viewing the operation of the nutcracker as the jaw member 33 moves to forcibly crack or crush a shell between the jaw members 33 and 44 . once a sufficient number of nuts has been cracked to fill the container 16 , the container may be removed from under the frame 12 to sort the nutmeats from the broken shell pieces and carry out other processing thereof . the nutcracker 10 may be manufactured with conventional engineering materials for virtually all of the components including cast metals such as aluminum or a reinforced nylon plastic . the actuating mechanism described above , including the opposed jaw members 33 and 44 and the nut support member 64 , may be enclosed in a transparent plastic shield or barrier 90 having a top opening 92 above an inclined chute 94 , with a hinged cover 96 . the transparent barrier 90 across the front side adjacent the jaw member 33 and 44 permits the operator of the nutcracker to view the operation thereof , thus allowing the operator to adjust the jaw member 44 as needed when insufficient cracking of the shell or an overcracking or crushing of the shell and the nutmeat occurs . the transparent barrier 90 interlocks with the frame plate 20 in a conventional manner , and preferably is easily removable for cleaning . although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein those skilled in the art will recognize that various substitutions and modifications may be made to the specific embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as recited in the appended claims .	0
described herein are devices ( and methods ) for improving the gas exchange in the lung . in particular , methods and devices are described that serve to maintain collateral openings or channels through an airway wall so that air is able to pass directly out of the lung tissue and into the airways . this facilitates exchange of oxygen into the blood and decompresses hyper inflated lungs . by “ channel ” it is meant to include , but not be limited to , any opening , hole , slit , channel or passage created in the tissue wall ( e . g ., airway wall ). the channel may be created in tissue having a discrete wall thickness and the channel may extend all the way through the wall . also , a channel may extend through lung tissue which does not have well defined boundaries such as , for example , parenchymal tissue . the channels may be maintained by preventing or inhibiting tissue from growing into or otherwise blocking the channel . chemical , electrical , light , mechanical , or a combination of any two or more of these approaches may be performed to maintain the channel openings . for example , the channel walls may be treated with a bioactive agent which inhibits tissue growth . the bioactive agent may be delivered locally or systematically . also , the channels may be treated with rf energy , heat , electrical energy , or radiation to inhibit tissue overgrowth . these treatments may be performed once , periodically , or in response to the severity of the channel blockage . for example , the tissue blockage may be periodically removed with a laser or another tissue - removal tool . also , mechanical devices and instruments may be deployed in the channel to prevent tissue growth from blocking the channel . mechanical devices include without limitation conduits , valves , sponges , etc . these mechanical devices may be deployed permanently or temporarily . if deployed temporarily , the devices are preferably left in the channel for a sufficient amount of time such that the channel tissue heals coaxially around the device . fig1 a - 1c are simplified illustrations of various states of a natural airway and a blood gas interface found at a distal end of those airways . fig1 a shows a natural airway 100 which eventually branches to a blood gas interface 102 . although not shown , the airway comprises an internal layer of epithelial pseudostratified columnar or cuboidal cells . mucous secreting goblet cells are also found in this layer and cilia may be present on the free surface of the epithelial lining of the upper respiratory airways . supporting the epithelium is a loose fibrous , glandular , vascular lamina propria including mobile fibroblasts . deep in this connective tissue layer is supportive cartilage for the bronchi and smooth muscle for the bronchi and bronchioles . fig1 b illustrates an airway 100 and blood gas interface 102 in an individual having copd . the obstructions 104 impair the passage of gas between the airways 100 and the interface 102 . fig1 c illustrates a portion of an emphysematous lung where the blood gas interface 102 expands due to the loss of the interface walls 106 which have deteriorated due to a bio - chemical breakdown of the walls 106 . also depicted is a constriction 108 of the airway 100 . it is generally understood that there is usually a combination of the phenomena depicted in fig1 a - 1c . often , the states of the lung depicted in fig1 b and 1c may be found in the same lung . fig1 d illustrates airflow in a lung 118 when conduits 200 are placed in collateral channels 112 . as shown , collateral channels 112 ( located in an airway wall ) place lung tissue 116 in fluid communication with airways 100 allowing air to pass directly out of the airways 100 whereas constricted airways 108 may ordinarily prevent air from exiting the lung tissue 116 . while the invention is not limited to the number of collateral channels which may be created , it is to be understood that 1 or 2 channels may be placed per lobe of the lung and perhaps , 2 - 12 channels per individual patient . however , as stated above , the invention includes the creation of any number of collateral channels in the lung . this number may vary on a case by case basis . for instance , in some cases in an emphysematous lung , it may be desirable to place 3 or more collateral channels in one or more lobes of the lung . although fig1 d depicts a mechanical approach to maintaining channels in the airway walls , the channel openings may be maintained using a variety of approaches or combinations of approaches . as shown in fig2 a - 2g , the conduits described herein generally include a center section 208 and at least one extension member ( or finger ) 202 extending from each end of the center section . the extension members , as will be discussed in more detail below , are capable of deflecting or outwardly bending to secure the conduit in an opening created in an airway wall thereby maintaining the patency of the opening . the extension members may deflect such that opposing extension members may form a v , u or other type of shape when viewed from the side . additionally , the conduits shown in fig2 a - 2g include a center - control segment 235 , 256 which restricts or limits radial expansion of the center section . the center - control segments are adapted to straighten as the center section is radially expanded . once the center - control segments become straight or nearly straight , radial expansion of the conduit is prevented . in this manner , the radial expansion of the conduit may be self controlled . it is understood that the conduits discussed herein are not limited to those shown in the figures . instead , conduits of various configurations may be used as described herein . such conduits are described in the following patent application ser . no . 09 / 908 , 177 filed jul . 18 , 2001 ; pct / us03 / 12323 filed apr . 21 , 2003 ; ser . no . 09 / 947 , 144 filed sep . 4 , 2001 ; ser . no . 10 / 235 , 240 filed sep . 4 , 2002 ; and ser . no . 10 / 458 , 085 filed jun . 9 , 2003 the entirety of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the conduits described herein may have various states ( configurations or profiles ) including but not limited to ( 1 .) an undeployed state and ( 2 .) a deployed state . the undeployed state is the configuration of the conduit when it is not secured in an opening in an airway wall and , in particular , when its extension members ( or fingers ) are not outwardly deflected to engage the airway wall . fig2 a is a side view of a conduit 200 in an undeployed state . as shown in this figure , extension members 202 a , 202 b extend straight from the ends 210 , 212 respectively of center section 208 . the extension members shown in this example are parallel . however , the invention is not so limited and the extension members need not be parallel . the deployed state is the configuration of the conduit when it is secured in a channel created in an airway wall and , in particular , when its extension members are outwardly bent to engage the airway wall such that the conduit is fixed in the opening . an example of a conduit in its deployed configuration is shown in fig2 b and 2c . fig2 b is a side view of a conduit in its deployed state and fig2 c shows a front view of the conduit of fig2 b . as shown in fig2 a - 2d , the conduit includes a center section 208 having a short passageway . this center section may be a tubular - shaped open - frame ( or mesh ) structure having a plurality of ribs . also , as explained in more detail below , the center section may be a sheet of material . the axial length of the center section or passageway may be relatively short . in fig2 a - 2d , the passageway &# 39 ; s length is about equal to the width of a wire segment or rib . here , the center section serves as a bridge or junction for the extension members and it is not required to be long . the axial length of the passageway may therefore be less than 1 mm and even approach 0 mm . in one example , the length of the center section is less than twice the square root of a cross sectional area of the center section . however , the center section may also have passageways which have lengths greater than 1 mm . the overall length ( l ) of the conduit may be distinguished from the length of the center section because the overall length includes the lengths of the extension members . further , the overall length ( l ) is dependent on which state the conduit is in . the overall length of the conduit will typically be shorter when it is in a deployed state as shown in fig2 b than when it is in an undeployed state as shown in fig2 a . the overall length ( l ) for a deployed conduit may be less than 6 mm and perhaps , between 1 and 20 mm . fig2 c shows a front view of the conduit 200 shown in fig2 b . fig2 c shows the passageway having a hexagonal ( or circular ) cross section . the cross - section , however , is not so limited . the cross section may be circular , oval , rectangular , elliptical , or any other multi - faceted or curved shape . the inner diameter ( d 1 ) of the center section , when deployed , may range from 1 to 10 mm and perhaps , from 2 to 5 mm . moreover , in some variations , the cross - sectional area of the passageway , when deployed , may be between 0 . 2 mm 2 to 300 mm 2 and perhaps between 3 mm 2 and 20 mm 2 . the diameter of the center section , when deployed , thus may be significantly larger than the passageway &# 39 ; s axial length ( e . g ., a 3 mm diameter and an axial length of less than 1 mm ). this ratio of the center section length to diameter ( d 1 ) may range from about 0 : 10 to 10 : 1 , 0 . 1 : 6 to 2 : 1 and perhaps from 1 : 2 to 1 : 1 . the diameter of the center section , when deployed , may also be nearly equal to the overall length ( l ) of the conduit 200 . this overall length ( l ) to diameter ( d 1 ) ratio may range from 1 : 10 to 10 : 1 , 1 : 6 to 2 : 1 , and perhaps from 1 : 4 to 1 : 1 . however , the invention is not limited to any particular dimensions or ratio unless so indicated in the appended claims . rather , the conduit should have a center section such that it can maintain the patency of a collateral channel in an airway wall . the dimensions of the center section ( and the conduit as a whole ) may be chosen based on the tissue dimensions . when the channel is long in its axial length , for example , the length of the center section may likewise be long or identical to the channel &# 39 ; s length . as mentioned above , extending from the ends of the center section 208 are extension members 202 a , 202 b which , when the conduit is deployed , form angles a 1 , a 2 with a central axis of the passageway . when viewed from the side such as in fig2 b , opposing extension members may have a v , u , or other shape . the extension members 202 a , 202 b may thus outwardly rotate until they sandwich tissue ( not shown ) between opposing extension members . the angles a 1 , a 2 may vary and may range from , for example , 30 to 150 degrees , 45 to 135 degrees and perhaps from 30 to 90 degrees . opposing extension members may thus form angles a 1 and a 2 of less than 90 degrees when the conduit is deployed in a channel . for example , angles a 1 and a 2 may range from 30 to 60 degrees when the conduit is deployed . the conduits of the present invention are effective and may maintain a surgically created opening despite not substantially sandwiching tissue between opposing extension members as described above . additionally , it is not necessary for the conduits of the present invention to prevent air from flowing along the exterior of the conduit . that is , air may move into ( and through ) spaces between the exterior of the conduit and the interior wall of the tissue channel . thus , fluidly sealing the edges of the conduit to prevent side flow or leakage around the conduit is not crucial for the conduits to be effective . however , the conduits of the present invention are not so limited and may reduce or eliminate side flow by , for example , increasing the angles a 1 and a 2 and adding sealant around the exterior of the conduit . moreover , the angle a 1 may be different than angle a 2 . accordingly , the conduit may include proximal extension members which are parallel ( or not parallel ) to the distal extension members . additionally , the angle corresponding to each proximal extension member may be different or identical to that of another proximal extension member . likewise , the angle corresponding to each distal extension member may be different or identical to that of another distal extension member . the extension members may have a length between 1 and 20 mm and perhaps , between 2 and 6 mm . also , with reference to fig2 c , the outer diameter ( d 2 ) of a circle formed by the free ends of the extension members may range from 2 to 20 and perhaps , 3 to 10 mm . however , the invention is not limited to the dimensions disclosed above . furthermore , the length of the distal extension members may be different than the length of the proximal extension members . the length of the distal extension members may be , for example , longer than that of the proximal extension members . also , the lengths of each proximal extension member may be different or identical to that of the other proximal extension members . likewise , the lengths of each distal extension member may be different or identical to that of the other distal extension members . the number of extension members on each end of the center section may also vary . the number of extension members on each end may range from 2 - 10 and perhaps , 3 - 6 . also , the number of proximal extension members may differ from the number of distal extension members for a particular conduit . moreover , the extension members may be symmetrical or non - symmetrical about the center section . the proximal and distal extension members may also be arranged in an in - line pattern or an alternating pattern . the extension members or the center section may also contain barbs or other similar configurations to increase adhesion between the conduit and the tissue . the extension members may also have openings to permit tissue ingrowth for improved retention . the shape of the extension members may also vary . they may be open - framed and somewhat petal - shaped as shown in fig2 a - 2d . in these figures , the extension members 202 a , 202 b comprise wire segments or ribs that define openings or spaces between the members . however , the invention is not so limited and the extension members may have other shapes . the extension members may , for example , be solid or they may be filled . in another variation the conduit is constructed to have a delivery state . the delivery state is the configuration of the conduit when it is being delivered through a working channel of a bronchoscope , endoscope , airway or other delivery tool . the maximum outer diameter of the conduit in its delivery state must therefore be such that it may fit within the delivery tool , instrument , or airway . in one variation , the conduit is radially expandable such that it may be delivered in a smaller working channel of a scope while maximizing the diameter to which the conduit may expand upon deployment . for example , sizing a conduit for insertion into a bronchoscope having a 2 mm or larger working channel may be desirable . upon deployment , the conduit may be expanded to have an increased internal diameter ( e . g ., 3 mm .) however , the invention is not limited to such dimensions . it is contemplated that the conduits 200 may have center sections that are expanded into a larger profile from a reduced profile , or , the center sections may be restrained in a reduced profile , and upon release of the restraint , return to an expanded profile . additionally , the conduit need not have a smaller delivery state . in variations where the center section is not able to assume a second smaller delivery profile , a maximum diameter of the first or deployed profile will be sufficiently small such that the conduit may be placed and advanced within an airway or a working channel of a bronchoscope or endoscope . also , in cases where the conduit is self - expanding , the deployed shape may be identical to the shape of the conduit when the conduit is at rest or when it is completely unrestrained . additionally the conduit may be partially expanded in its proximal region in the delivery state , as shown in figure x . the partially expanded portion would still me sized small enough to fit within the working channel of the bronchoscope , but would be significantly larger ( e . g ., 0 . 5 - 2 mm ) larger that the distal portion of the conduit . this partial expansion allows for easy placement of the conduit by providing a physical stop for the conduit within the airway wall . after the conduit is placed the entire conduit can be expanded to its intended expanded shape . the partial expansion state can also be achieved by partially inflating the proximal section of the conduit with a separate balloon on the delivery device . another possible method is to design the conduit to preferentially expand the proximal section before the distal section , thereby partially expanding the conduit to create the size differential , placing the stent inside the airway wall with the aid of the stop , and then fully expanding the conduit . the conduit 200 shown in fig2 a - 2d also includes diametric - control segments , tethers , or leashes 235 to control and limit the expansion of the center section 208 when deployed . this center - control segment 235 typically is shaped such that when the conduit radially expands , the center - control segment bends until it is substantially straight or no longer slack . such a center - control segment 235 may be circular or annular shaped . however , its shape may vary widely and it may have , for example , an arcuate , semi - circular , v , or other type of shape which limits the expansion of the conduit . typically , one end of the center - control segment is attached or joined to the center section at one location ( e . g ., a first rib ) and the other end of the center - control segment is connected to the center section at a second location ( e . g ., a rib adjacent or opposite to the first rib ). however , the center - control segments may have other constructs . for example , the center - control segments may connect adjacent or non - adjacent center section members . further , each center - control segment may connect one or more ribs together . the center - control segments may further be doubled up or reinforced with ancillary control segments to provide added control over the expansion of the center section . the ancillary control segments may be different or identical to the primary control segments . fig2 b illustrates the conduit 200 in its deployed configuration . as discussed above , the center - control segments 235 may bend or otherwise deform until they maximize their length ( i . e ., become substantially straight ) such as the center - control segments 235 shown in fig2 b . however , as discussed above , the invention is not so limited and other types of center - control segments may be employed . as shown in fig2 e - 2g , control segments 252 may also be used to join and limit the expansion of the extension members 254 or the control segments may be placed elsewhere on the conduit to limit movement of certain features to a maximum dimension . by controlling the length of the control segments , the shape of the deployed conduit may be controlled . in the conduit shown in fig2 e - 2g , the conduit includes both center - control segments 256 and distal control segments 252 . the center - control segments are arcuate shaped and join adjacent rib sections of the center section and the distal - control segments are arcuate and join adjacent distal extension members . fig2 f illustrates the conduit in a deployed configuration and shows the various control members straightening as the extension members and center section deploy . the proximal extension members , however , are not restricted by a control member and consequently may be deflected to a greater degree than the distal extension members . accordingly , a conduit having control members connecting , for example , regions of the center section and having additional control segments connecting extension members , may precisely limit the maximum profile of a conduit when it is deployed . this is desirable where overexpansion of the conduit is hazardous . this also serves to control the deployed shape of the conduit by , for instance , forcing angle a 1 to differ from angle a 2 . using control segments in this manner can provide for cone - shaped conduits if the various types of control - segments have different lengths . for example , providing longer proximal - control segments than distal - control segments can make angle a 1 larger than angle a 2 . additionally , cylindrical - shaped conduits may be provided if the center - control segments and the extension - control segments are sized similarly such that angle a 1 equals angle a 2 . again , the control segments straighten as the conduit expands and the conduit is thus prevented from expanding past a predetermined amount . the control segments , as with other components of the conduit , may be added or mounted to the center section or alternatively , they may be integral with the center section . that is , the control segments may be part of the conduit rather than separately joined to the conduit with adhesives or welding , for example . the control segments may also be mounted exteriorly or interiorly to the members to be linked . additionally , sections of the conduit may be removed to allow areas of the conduit to deform more readily . these weakened areas provide another approach to control the final shape of the deployed conduit . details for creating and utilizing weakened sections to control the final shape of the deployed conduit may be found in u . s . patent ser . no . 09 / 947 , 144 filed on sep . 4 , 2001 . the conduit described herein may be manufactured by a variety of manufacturing processes including but not limited to laser cutting , chemical etching , punching , stamping , etc . for example , the conduit may be formed from a tube that is slit to form extension members and a center section between the members . one variation of the conduit may be constructed from a metal tube , such as stainless steel , 316l stainless steel , titanium , titanium alloy , nitinol , mp35n ( a nickel - cobalt - chromium - molybdenum alloy ), etc . also , the conduit may be formed from a rigid or elastomeric material that is formable into the configurations described herein . also , the conduit may be formed from a cylinder with the passageway being formed through the conduit . the conduit may also be formed from a sheet of material in which a specific pattern is cut . the cut sheet may then be rolled and formed into a tube . the materials used for the conduit can be those described above as well as a polymeric material , a biostable or implantable material , a material with rigid properties , a material with elastomeric properties , or a combination thereof . if the conduit is a polymeric elastic tube ( e . g . a thermoplastic elastomer ), the conduit may be extruded and cut to size , injection molded , or otherwise formed . additionally , the conduits described herein may be comprised of a shape memory alloy , a super - elastic alloy ( e . g ., a niti alloy ), a shape memory polymer , or a shape memory composite material . the conduit may be constructed to have a natural self - assuming deployed configuration , but is restrained in a pre - deployed configuration . as such , removal of the restraints ( e . g ., a sheath ) causes the conduit to assume the deployed configuration . a conduit of this type could be , but is not limited to being , comprised from an elastic polymeric material , or shape memory material such as a shape memory alloy . it is also contemplated that the conduit could comprise a shape memory alloy such that , upon reaching a particular temperature ( e . g ., 98 . 5 ° f . ), it assumes a deployed configuration . also , the conduit described herein may be formed of a plastically deformable material such that the conduit is expanded and plastically deforms into a deployed configuration . the conduit may be expanded into its expanded state by a variety of devices such as , for example , a balloon catheter . the conduit &# 39 ; s surface may be modified to affect tissue growth or adhesion . for example , an implant may comprise a smooth surface finish in the range of 0 . 1 micrometer to 0 . 01 micrometer . such a finish may serve to prevent the conduit from being ejected or occluded by tissue overgrowth . on the other hand , the surface may be roughened or porous . the conduit may also comprise various coatings and tissue barriers as discussed below . fig3 a illustrates another variation of a conduit 200 having a tissue barrier 240 . the tissue barrier 240 prevents tissue ingrowth from occluding the collateral channel or passage of the conduit 200 . the tissue barrier 240 may coaxially cover the center section from one end to the other or it may only cover one or more regions of the conduit 200 . the tissue barrier may completely or partially cover the conduit so long as the ends are at least partially open . moreover , the tissue barrier may only be placed on the center section of the conduit . the tissue barrier 240 may be located about an exterior of the conduit &# 39 ; s surface , about an interior of the conduit &# 39 ; s surface , or the tissue barrier 240 may be located within openings in the wall of the conduit &# 39 ; s surface . furthermore , in some variations of the invention , the center section 208 itself may provide an effective barrier to tissue ingrowth . the tissue barrier , of course , should not cover or block the entrance and exit of the passageway such that air is prevented from passing through the conduit &# 39 ; s passageway . however , in some constructs , the tissue barrier may partially block the entrance or exit of the passageway so long as air may continue to pass through the conduit &# 39 ; s passageway . the tissue barrier may be formed from a material , mesh , sleeve , or coating that is a polymer or an elastomer such as , for example , silicone , fluorosilicone , polyurethane , pet , ptfe , or expanded ptfe . other biocompatible materials will work , such as a thin foil of metal , etc . the coatings may be applied , for example , by either dip coating , molding , spin - coating , transfer molding or liquid injection molding . alternatively , the tissue barrier may be a tube of a material and the tube is placed either over and / or within the conduit . the tissue barrier may then be bonded , crimped , heated , melted , shrink fitted or fused to the conduit . the tissue barrier may also be tied to the conduit with a filament of , for example , a suture material . still other techniques for attaching the tissue barrier include : solvent swelling applications and extrusion processes ; wrapping a sheet of material about the conduit , or placing a tube of the material about the conduit and securing the tube to the conduit . the tissue barrier may be secured on the interior of the conduit by positioning a sheet or tube of material on the inside of the center section and securing the material therein . the tissue barrier may also be formed of a fine mesh with a porosity or treatment such that tissue may not penetrate the pores . for example , a chronoflex ™ dacron ® or teflon ® mesh having a pore size of 100 - 300 microns may be saturated with collagen or another biocompatible substance . this construct may form a suitable tissue barrier . the mesh may be coaxially attached to a frame such as the open frame structures disclosed above . still other suitable frames include a continuous spiral metallic or polymeric element . given the mesh &# 39 ; s radial strength or lack thereof , the use of a reinforcement element serves to prevent the implant from collapsing . also , as described below , other substances may be applied to the exterior surface of the conduit to control elution of various medicines . fig3 b and 3c respectively illustrate a side view and a front view of another conduit 300 having a partial tissue barrier coating . the conduit 300 includes a center section 310 , a plurality of extension members 320 , and a partial tissue barrier 330 . the conduit 300 is thus different than that shown in fig3 a in that the center section is longer and that the tissue barrier 330 only partially covers the extension members 320 . in particular , the center section 310 shown in fig3 b - 3c is cylindrical or tubular - shaped . this shape may be advantageous when a relatively long passageway is desired . also , it is to be understood that the overall ( or three dimensional ) shape of the center section , when deployed , is not limited to the shape shown here . rather , it may have various shapes such as , for example , rectangular , tubular , conical , hour - glass , hemi - toroidal , etc . additionally , the tissue barrier 330 covers only a first region 350 of the extension members and leaves a second region 340 of the extension members uncovered . the second or free region 340 of the extension members 320 is shown as being open - framed . however , the invention is not so limited . the second region of the extension members may be solid and it may include indentations , grooves , and recesses for tissue ingrowth . also , the extension members may include small holes for tissue ingrowth . for example , the second region of the extension members may have a dense array of small holes . in any event , the conduits described herein may include at least one region or surface which is susceptible to tissue ingrowth or is otherwise adherent to the tissue . accordingly , tissue ingrowth at the second region 340 of the extension members is facilitated while tissue growth into the passageway 325 is thwarted . as shown in fig3 d , tissue growth 360 into the uncovered region 340 further secures the extension members to the tissue wall 370 . free region 340 of the extension members may also include tissue growth substances such as epithelial growth factors or agents to encourage tissue ingrowth . accordingly , conduit 300 may be configured to engage the tissue wall 370 as well as to allow tissue to grow into predetermined regions of the conduit . the conduit shown in fig3 a also includes a visualization ring or marker 242 . the marker 242 is visually apparent during a procedure . the marker is observed as the conduit is placed in a collateral channel and , when the marker is even with the opening of the channel , the conduit may be deployed . in this manner , the visualization feature facilitates alignment and deployment of the conduits into collateral channels . the visualization ring or mark may be a biocompatible polymer and have a color such as white . also , the visualization feature may protrude from the center section or it may be an indentation ( s ). the visualization mark may also be a ring , groove or any other physical feature on the conduit . moreover , the visualization feature may be continuous or comprise discrete segments ( e . g ., dots or line segments ). the visualization feature may be made using a number of techniques . in one example , the mark is a ring formed of silicone and is white . the polymeric ring may be spun onto the tissue barrier . for example , a clear silicone barrier may be coated onto the conduit such that it coaxially covers the extension members and the center section as shown in fig3 a . next , a thin ring of white material such as a metal oxide suspended in clear silicone may be spun onto the silicone coating . finally , another coating of clear silicone may be applied to coat the white layer . the conduit thus may include upwards of 1 - 3 layers including a tissue barrier , a visualization mark layer , and a clear outer covering . the shape of the visualization mark is not limited to a thin ring . the visualization mark may be large , for example , and cover an entire half of the conduit as shown in fig3 b . the visualization mark may , for example , be a white coating disposed on the proximal or distal half of the conduit . the visualization mark thus may extend from an end of the extension members to the center section of the conduit . as explained in more detail below , when such a device is deposited into a channel created in lung tissue , the physician may observe when one - half of the conduit extends into the channel . this allows the physician to properly actuate or deploy the conduit to secure the conduit in the tissue wall . accordingly , the visualization member is made visually apparent for use with , for example , an endoscope . the visualization feature , however , may also be made of other vision - enhancing materials such as radio - opaque metals used in x - ray detection . it is also contemplated that other elements of the conduit can include visualization features such as but not limited to the extension members , tissue barrier , control segments , etc . in some variations of the invention , it was found that incorporation of a bioactive , as discussed herein , or other substance into the coating caused a coloration effect in the composition layer ( e . g ., the polymer turns white ). this coloration obscures the support member structure in the layer making it difficult to identify the edges and center of the support member or implant . as discussed herein , placement of the implant may depend upon positioning the center of the implant within the opening in tissue . if the support member structure is identifiable , then one is able to visually identify the center of the implant . when the composition colors obscures the support member or renders the implant otherwise opaque , it may become difficult to properly place the device . this may be especially true when the composition layer extends continuously over the support member . additionally , the coloration may render the visualization mark difficult to identify especially under direct visualization ( e . g ., using a scope ) in some cases it was undesirable to simply add additional substances on or in the composition layer for marking because such substances could possibly interfere with the implant &# 39 ; s ability to deliver the substance as desired . to address these issues , a variation of the invention includes a delivery device for delivering an expandable implant ( such as those described herein and in the cases referenced herein ), where the delivery device includes an expandable member having an expandable implant located about the expandable member . where the implant and the expandable member are of different visually identifiable colors or shades such that they distinction is easy to identify under endoscopic or bronchoscopic viewing . in one example , as shown in fig9 c , a balloon catheter has a colored sleeve 306 located about the balloon . the sleeve 306 comprises a visually identifiable color where selection of the colors should ease identification of the implant an endoscopic visualization system ( e . g ., blue or a similar color that is not naturally occurring within the body .) the implant is placed about the sleeve 306 where the proximal and distal areas of the implant would be identifiable by the difference in color . such a system allows a medical practitioner to place the implant 200 properly by using the boundary of the implant 200 to guide placement in the tissue wall . the sleeve 306 may be fashioned from any expandable material , such as a polymer . optionally , the sleeve 306 may also provide an elastic force to return the balloon to a reduced profile after expansion of the balloon . such a system allows for identification without affecting the properties of the implant . it should be noted that variations of the invention include coloring the balloon itself , or other expandable member , a color that meets the above criteria . in another variation , the visualization mark may comprise providing a contrast between the implant and a delivery catheter . in one example the implant is appears mostly white and while mounted on a contrasting color inflation balloon . in this example the implant would be placed over a blue deflated balloon catheter . the proximal and distal areas of the implant would be flanked by the deflated blue balloon , thus giving the appearance of a distinct distal and proximal end of the implant . this would allow a physician to place the implant properly by using the blue flanks as a guide for placing the central white portion in the tissue wall . similarly , a colored flexible sheath covering the balloon would also suffice . it is noted that while the visualization features described above are suitable for use with the implants described herein , the inventive features are not limited as such . the features may be incorporated into any system where placement of an implant under direct visualization requires clear identification of the implant regardless of whether the implant is opaque or colored . as discussed above , the bio - active substance or combination of bioactive substances is selected to assists in modifying the healing response as a result of the trauma to the lung tissue resulting from creation of the collateral channel . as noted above , the term lung tissue is intended to include the tissue lining the airway , the tissue beneath the lining , and the tissue within the lung but exterior to the airway ( e . g ., lung parenchyma .) the purpose of modifying the healing response is to further extend the patency of the channel or implant to increase the duration which trapped gasses may exit through the implant into the airways . the term antiproliferative agent is intended to include those bioactive substances that directly modify the healing response described herein . the bioactive substances are intended to interact with the tissue of the surgically created channels and in particular , lung tissue . these substances may interact with the tissue in a number of ways . they may , for example , 1 .) accelerate cell proliferation or wound healing to epithelialize or scar the walls of the surgically - created channel to maintain its patent shape or 2 .) the substances may inhibit or halt tissue growth when a channel is surgically created through an airway wall such that occlusion of the channel due to tissue overgrowth is prevented . additionally , other bioactive agents may inhibit wound healing such that the injury site ( e . g ., the channel or opening ) does not heal leaving the injury site open and / or inhibit infection ( e . g ., reduce bacteria ) such that excessive wound healing does not occur which may lead to excessive tissue growth at the channel thereby blocking the passageway . a variety of bioactive substances may be used alone or in combination with the devices described herein . examples of bioactive substances include , but are not limited to , antimetabolites , antithrobotics , anticoagulants , antiplatelet agents , thorombolytics , antiproliferatives , antinflammatories , agents that inhibit hyperplasia and in particular restenosis , smooth muscle cell inhibitors , growth factors , growth factor inhibitors , cell adhesion inhibitors , cell adhesion promoters and drugs that may enhance the formation of healthy neointimal tissue , including endothelial cell regeneration . the positive action may come from inhibiting particular cells ( e . g ., smooth muscle cells ) or tissue formation ( e . g ., fibromuscular tissue ) while encouraging different cell migration ( e . g ., endothelium , epithelium ) and tissue formation ( neointimal tissue ). still other bioactive agents include but are not limited to analgesics , anticonvulsives , anti - infectives ( e . g ., antibiotics , antimicrobials ), antineoplastics , h2 antagonists ( histamine 2 antagonists ), steroids , non - steroidal anti - inflammatories , hormones , immunomodulators , mast cell stabilizers , nucleoside analogues , respiratory agents , antihypertensives , antihistamines , ace inhibitors , cell growth factors , nerve growth factors , anti - angiogenic agents or angiogenesis inhibitors ( e . g ., endostatins or angiostatins ), tissue irritants ( e . g ., a compound comprising talc ), poisons ( e . g ., arsenic ), cytotoxic agents ( e . g ., a compound that can cause cell death ), various metals ( silver , aluminum , zinc , platinum , arsenic , etc . ), epithelial growth factors or a combination of any of the agents disclosed herein . examples of agents include pyrolitic carbon , titanium - nitride - oxide , taxanes , fibrinogen , collagen , thrombin , phosphorylcholine , heparin , rapamycin , radioactive 188re and 32p , silver nitrate , dactinomycin , sirolimus , everolimus , abt - 578 , tacrolimus , camptothecin , etoposide , vincristine , mitomycin , fluorouracil , or cell adhesion peptides . taxanes include , for example , paclitaxel , 10 - deacetyltaxol , 7 - epi - 10 - deacetyltaxol , 7 - xylosyl - 10 - deacetyltaxol , 7 - epi - taxol , cephalomannine , baccatin iii , baccatin v , 10 - deacetylbaccatin iii , 7 - epi - 10 - deacetylbaccatin iii , docetaxel . of course , bioactive materials having other functions can also be successfully delivered in accordance with the present invention . for example , an antiproliferative agent such as methotrexate will inhibit over - proliferation of smooth muscle cells and thus inhibit restenosis . the antiproliferative is desirably supplied for this purpose until the tissue has properly healed . additionally , localized delivery of an antiproliferative agent is also useful for the treatment of a variety of malignant conditions characterized by highly vascular growth . in such cases , an implant such as a implant could be placed in the surgically created channel to provide a means of delivering a relatively high dose of the antiproliferative agent directly to the target area . a vasodilator such as a calcium channel blocker or a nitrate may also be delivered to the target site . the agent may further be a curative , a pre - operative debulker reducing the size of the growth , or a palliative which eases the symptoms of the disease . for example , tamoxifen citrate , taxol ® or derivatives thereof . proscar ®, hytrin ®, or eulexin ® may be applied to the target site as described herein . variations of the invention may also include fibrinolytics such as tpa , streptokinase , or urokinase , etc . such fibrinolytics prevent or reduce the accumulation of fibrin within the opening . accumulation of fibrin in the opening may result from inflammation of the tissue . the fibrin may form a structure which makes it easier for tissue to grow into the opening using the fibrin structure as a framework . use of fibrinolytics , either topically , locally , or on the implant , serves to remove or hinder the network of fibrin from forming within the opening ( or implant ) and therefore aids in modifying the healing response . in the event that poisonous and toxic compounds are delivered , they should be controlled so that inadvertent death of tissue does not occur . the poisonous agent should be delivered locally or only be effective locally . one method for delivering the bioactive agent locally is to associate the bioactive agent with an implant . for example , the implants described herein may include a bioactive substance or medicine deposited onto the interior , the exterior , or both the interior and exterior surfaces of the implant . the bioactive substance may remain on the implant so that it does not leach . cells that grow into the surgically created channel contact the poison and die . alternatively , the bioactive agent may be configured to gradually elute as discussed below . when used in the lungs , the implant modifies the healing response of the lung tissue ( e . g ., at the site of newly created hole / channel ) for a sufficient time until the healing response of the lung tissue subsides or reduces such that the hole / channel becomes a persistent air path . for example , the implant and bioactive substance will modify the healing response for a sufficient time until the healing response is reduced and , from a visual observation , the body treats the opening essentially as a natural airway passage rather than as an injury to the airway wall . in one variation of the invention which modifies the healing response as describe above , the implant provides a steady release rate of bio - active substance as well as has a sufficient amount of available bio - active substance to modify the healing response of the lung tissue . as noted herein , the term lung tissue is intended to include the tissue lining the airway , the tissue beneath the lining , and the tissue within the lung but exterior to the airway ( e . g ., lung parenchyma .) such a delivery profile allows for a concentration gradient of drug to build in these tissues adjacent to the delivery site of the implant . it is believed that forming the concentration gradient affects the healing response of the lung tissue so that the implant does not become occluded as a result of the healing response . because the implant is often placed in the airway wall it is exposed to the healing process of the multiple tissues . providing a sufficient amount of bio - active substance allows for the formation of a concentration of the bio - active substance across these various tissues . in one variation of the invention it is believed that the fluids from these tissues enter into the composition layer of the device . the fluids then combine with the bio - active substances and migrate out of the composition layer to settle into the lung tissue . a concentration gradient forms when the drug ‘ saturates ’ local tissue and migrates beyond the saturated tissues . furthermore , by providing a sufficient delivery rate , the healing response may be affected or suppressed during the critical time immediately after the wounding caused by creation of the collateral channel when the healing response is greatest . to select a proper combination of drug and polymer , it is believed that the solubility parameter of the polymer must be matched with the bio - active substance to provide an acceptable slow elution rate from the polymer . next , the polymer itself must be selected to have the proper attributes , such as a proper diffusion coefficient ( to slow fluid entering and departing from the implant ), and proper mechanical expansion properties ( to allow for the significant expansion of the polymer to accommodate formation of the grommet shape .) the solubility parameter is defined as the square root of the cohesive energy of the molecules in a compound . the level of control that a polymer has over the elution of a drug is the difference between the solubility parameters of the polymer and the solubility parameter of the drug . to select a polymer with the approximate diffusion a polymer with a high internal density could be selected to be less permeable to a complex molecule such as paclitaxel . using a polymer with high internal density also accommodated the significant expansion required of the polymer to form the structure necessary to grommet about the airway wall . an example of the polymer selection is found below . it is also important to note that paclitaxel is a taxane that is regarded as a microtubule stabilizer . the benefits of a microtubule stabilizing substance for use in vascular drug eluting stents is discussed , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 616 , 608 to kinsella et al . this type of drug operates to enhance microtubule polymerization which inhibits cell replication by stabilizing microtubules in spindles which block cell division . in contrast to the vascular applications , the implant for use in the present invention may use microtubule stabilizing substances such as taxanes ( e . g ., paclitaxel ) as well as those microtubule destabilizing substances that are believed to promote microtubule disassembly in preventing cell replication . such destabilizing substances include , but are not limited to vincristine , vinblastine , podophylotoxin , estramustine , noscapine , griseofulvin , dicoumarol , a vinca alkaloid , and a combination thereof . additionally , the exterior surface of the implant may be treated via etching processes or with electrical charge to encourage binding of the bioactive substances to the implant . the exterior surface may also be roughened to enhance binding of the medicine to the surface as discussed in u . s . patent application publication no . 2002 / 0098278 . see also u . s . patent application publication nos . 2002 / 0071902 , 2002 / 0127327 and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 824 , 048 which discuss various techniques for coating medical implants . although the implant may comprise a frame or body with a bioactive matrix disposed or otherwise associated therewith , the invention is not so limited . in one variation , the support member is formed from a polymer and the composition is joined to the polymeric support member . alternatively , the bioactive substances may be placed directly onto the polymeric support member . various additional substances may be used incorporated into the device to reduce an adverse reaction resulting from possible contact with the implant and the airway wall . adverse reactions include , but are not limited to , granulation , swelling , and mucus overproduction . these substance may also be inhaled , injected , orally applied , topically applied , or carried by the implant . these substances may include anti - inflammatory , infection - fighting substances , steroids , mucalytics , enzymes , and wound healing - accelerating substances . examples of these substances include but are not limited to , acetylcysteine , albuterol sulfate , ipratropium bromide , dornase alfa , and corticosteroids . as noted above , conventional vascular drug eluting devices are not designed for exposure multiple tissue environments . moreover , those devices are placed in an environment where a constant flow of blood creates an environment requiring a different delivery mechanism and rate . as noted herein , experiments with conventional coronary drug eluting implants demonstrated that such devices were unsuitable . as discussed above , the use of low temperature devices , ( e . g ., mechanical devices , newer generation rf - type devices , etc .) to create the channel may result in less trauma to surrounding tissue and minimize the healing response of the tissue . fig4 a - 4c illustrates creation of the collateral channel and selecting a treatment site in the airway 100 . as will be discussed in more detail below , a single device may be used to select the site and create the channel . moreover , another variation of the invention includes using such a device to deploy the conduit at the target site . however , the invention also contemplates using separate devices to perform each step or a combination of steps . as shown in fig4 a , a device 602 is advanced , for example , via a bronchoscope 404 , into the airway 100 . a potential treatment site is then inspected to determine whether or not a blood vessel is in proximity to the site . naturally , if a blood vessel is detected , the surgeon has the option of selecting a different site . the device 602 may be a doppler ultrasound device , a thermal device , an imaging device , etc . fig4 b illustrates another variation of selecting a site for a channel . in this variation , a piercing member ( e . g ., a blade affixed to a shaft , a needle , cannula , sharpened tube or rod , etc .,) 604 is advanced into the airway wall . once the piercing member 604 is inserted into the airway wall , the surgeon may inspect the area for blood to determine whether the device punctured a blood vessel . after the opening is created the surgeon may also remove collect a biopsy of material behind the airway wall . if the opening is large enough as created by a balloon , as described herein , the surgeon may use forceps to visually obtain the sample . this may preferable to a blind method of obtaining biopsies , considering that the risk of bleeding may be reduced because the area has been scanned for blood vessels . the piercing member 604 may have a lumen and may be open at a distal end or closed . in those cases where the piercing member 604 is hollow and has an opening at or near the distal end , the surgeon may aspirate the site using the piercing member 604 to determine whether a blood vessel is present and / or penetrated . for example , flashback catheters contain chambers which will fill with blood upon the penetration of a vessel by the distal tip of the catheter . the piercing member may be incorporated to have a flashback chamber to detect the presence of blood flow from a penetrated vessel . using these approaches , a target site may not be selected until after a hole is made in the airway 100 wall . it should be noted that a piercing member may be of a diameter which results in closure of the puncture site upon removal of the piercing member . alternatively , the piercing member may be of a sufficient size or construction that the hole remains open upon removal of the piercing member . in any case , the piercing member or another device may be used to mark the site of the opening ( e . g ., via ink , dye , physical marker , via application of electrical energy , etc .) furthermore , the invention includes use of both a detecting device as described above in combination with a piercing member . for example , the site may be inspected by the detecting device prior to insertion of a piercing member . the piercing member lumen may also used to deliver therapeutic fluids to the lungs . for example , in case of bleeding after channel creation the physician may apply epinephrine or saline the lungs . alternatively the physician may use the piercing member to apply epinephrine to the airway wall prior to creation of the channel , to prevent bleeding . this may be done by injecting directly into the airway wall at or about the site of passage creation ; singly or in a surrounding pattern of multiple applications . the physician may also use the piercing member lumen to apply any of the bioactive agents discussed herein , before or after passage creation . because it may be desirable to reach remote airways within the lung , it may be necessary to fully articulate the scope 404 to access and inspect a desirable site . therefore , to inspect the site and create an opening , it may be desirable to maintain the scope 404 in a fixed position and simply advance / retract various components of the scope or devices in the scope . accordingly , a piercing member may be selected to have a length that will sufficiently pass through the airway wall , while being small enough that it will also pass through a fully articulated bronchoscope . furthermore , the piercing member may have sections of varying stiffness where a distal portion , ( that is sufficient stiff to penetrate the tissue ) may be of a length such that it is able to advance through a fully articulated bronchoscope . for example , the piercing member may comprised of a sharpened cannula which has a length from between 2 mm to 30 mm . the diameter may range between 16 ga to 25 ga or larger . the cannula may be affixed to a catheter having a relatively flexible proximal portion . in any case , the length of the piecing member 604 may vary as needed . the piercing member is not limited to a cannula , it may be of solid construction , such as a sharpened rod or wire . additionally the piercing member may be adapted with an elongate member , such as a wire , rod , or tube , which extends throughout the device . the purpose of the elongate member is to provide column strength to the piercing member and necessary bending resistance to the catheter , because it has been found that the device must have high column strength to effectively pierce the airway wall , otherwise the device will deflect and not create a passageway . the elongate member may be utilized to expose and retract the piercing member within the catheter , as the elongate member may extend throughout the device to a user interface . the elongate member and piercing member may also be constructed from one piece of material , thereby making them one part . alternatively the elongate member may be a separate part welded , bonded , mechanically attached , or a combination thereof , to the piercing member . however , it is understood , that the current invention is not limited to any particular length of the piercing member . furthermore , the piercing member may be comprised of a resilient polymer , a polymer with a reinforced structure ( e . g ., a braid , coil , etc . ), a super - elastic alloy , a metallic material with sufficient resilience , etc , such that it may navigate through a fully articulated bronchoscope yet return to its original profile upon exiting the working channel of the scope . in some variations of the invention , the piercing member of the device may be retractable within a lumen of an elongate shaft so as to prevent damage to the bronchoscope or to tissue as the device advances to the target site . additionally the piercing member may be retracted after the initial piercing of the airway wall , and blunt trauma may be used to further push the remaining portion of the catheter into the airway wall . this technique may help avoid additional bleeding and pneumothoraxes from an exposed piercing member . the catheter may be advanced to tortuous locations , therefore the device may incorporate low friction materials to make it easier to reach the treatment site . the materials may be selected from a group of low friction polymers , for example ptfe . low friction materials may also be applied as a coating onto the pierced member or elongate member , for example ptfe or titanium nitride . reducing the contact surface area between the members may also help to reduce friction . adding or removing material from the surfaces of members is one way to reduce contact surface area . for example attaching a closed coiled spring around the piercing member or elongate member , effectively reduces the surface area contacted between the elongate member and lumen because only the peaks of the coils contact the lumen . in additional variations of the invention , as shown in fig4 c , a balloon catheter may be configured with a piercing member 604 . in this variation the balloon 614 advances into the opening created by the piercing member ( in which case the piercing member either retracts into the catheter or advances with the catheter .) the balloon 614 would then deploy to dilate the opening for ease of later inserting a conduit . alternatively , a conduit may be located on the balloon itself and deployed on inflation of the balloon . examples of variations of such a balloon catheter may be found below . furthermore , the needle may be affixed to a tapered introducer type device which is able to dilate the opening . the piercing member 604 may also be used to deliver bioactive substances ( as described herein ) to the site of the opening . in such a case , the piercing member 604 may deliver the bioactive substance during creation of the opening ( e . g ., see fig4 b ) or after dilation of the opening ( see e . g ., fig4 c ). in another variation of the invention , the piercing member 604 may be have a multi - lumen cross - section with different lumens being reserved , for example , for inflating the balloon , aspirating the site for blood , drug delivery , and suction of mucous / fluids at the site . in any of the variations described herein , an obturator ( not shown ) may be used to fill a lumen during advancement of the piercing member into tissue so that the lumen does not become blocked with tissue or other debris . the obturator may be a guide - wire , polymeric column of material , etc . fig4 d illustrates a variation of a balloon catheter 606 having a piercing member 604 . in this variation , the balloon catheter 606 comprises two lumens 608 , 610 . one lumen 608 is fluidly coupled to the interior of the balloon 614 while the second lumen 610 extends through the piercing member 604 . it is understood that the device 606 may be configured to have any number of lumens as required . as discussed above , the piercing member 604 may either be fixedly attached to the distal end of the balloon catheter 606 . alternatively , the piercing member 604 may be retractable into the balloon catheter 606 so that it does not cause damage to lung parenchyma when the catheter 606 is inserted into the airway 100 wall . as illustrated , the balloon catheter 606 may have a tapered section 612 between the piercing member 604 and the balloon 614 to assist in insertion of the balloon 614 into the opening 112 . fig4 e illustrates an additional variation of a piercing member 604 according the present invention . as illustrated , the piercing member 604 may have a number of ports 616 ( e . g ., openings , holes , etc .). the ports 616 may allow for either aspiration of blood or delivery of bio - active substances as described herein . furthermore , although the piercing members 604 shown herein are configured with a beveled tip , it is contemplated that the tip may be any type of tip sufficient to penetrate the airway wall . for instance , the tip may be non - beveled with sharpened edges , the tip may be a trocar tipped needle , or any other available needle tip configuration . the piercing member 604 of fig4 e is also shown with an obturator placed therein . in this configuration , the obturator 618 blocks the lumen of the piercing member 604 at the distal end . moreover , as shown , a portion of the obturator 618 may be sized such that it is smaller than a lumen of the piercing member 604 to allow for delivery of substances or aspiration through the ports 616 . fig4 f illustrates yet another variation of a balloon catheter 606 having a piercing member 604 . in this variation , as indicated by the arrow , the piercing member 604 is capable of being retracted into the catheter 606 . the ability to retract the piercing member 604 into the catheter 606 reduces the possibility of the piercing member 604 causing damage to any lung tissue that is behind the airway wall . clearly , this variation combines the channel - making step with the conduit deployment step . also , as shown in the figure , the catheter 606 may have a conduit 202 placed over the balloon 614 . such a variation may create the opening or channel and then deploy the conduit 200 with a single device . fig4 g illustrates another variation of a balloon catheter 606 where the piercing member 604 is slidably located within the catheter 606 . in this variation , the catheter 606 contains an outer and inner sheaths 620 , 622 which define two lumens . the lumen defined by the inner sheath 622 extends to the distal end of the catheter 606 and may be used to deliver bioactive substances , for suction , or for irrigation . it is also contemplated that variations of the invention include a piercing member which is affixed to the catheter . alternatively , the piercing member could have a flexible body that extends through the catheter to a proximal hub which is able to be coupled to a vacuum source , a source of medication , etc . furthermore , either the piercing member and / or balloon catheter may be “ pre - loaded ” with a bioactive substance . such a feature allows improves the precision of amount of substance delivered to the desired site . as mentioned above , the piercing member 604 may be of a sufficient size or construction that the hole remains open upon removal of the piercing member . once variation of this as shown in fig4 h , where the device has a conical tip 658 with a lumen extending through out . a piercing member 604 is extendable past the distal tip to pierce the airway wall , after the initial opening is made , the rest of the device can be driven into the airway wall , gradually expanding the hole to a desirable diameter which allows the conduit to be subsequently placed . the makeup of airway tissue may require a considerable amount of force to create a channel with the piercing device . therefore , it will generally be easier to create a channel if the device has sufficient column strength to avoid bending of the device when applying a force at the proximal end of the device . additional variations of the invention may incorporate a nondistensible balloon to overcome the toughness of the airway tissue . nondistensible balloons are generally made up of relatively inelastic materials consisting of pet , nylons , polyurethanes , polyolefins , pvc , and other crosslinked polymers . the makeup of airway tissue may be very tough and resist radial expansions . therefore it will be generally easier to expand the channel in the airway wall using high pressure nondistensible balloons (& gt ; 6 atm ), which generally inflate in a uniform shape . nondistensible balloons will occupy a greater mass than distensible balloons because they in an inelastic predetermined form . too much balloon mass will have too large of a working diameter , which in turn will hinder entry into a channel . working diameter is the smallest effective diameter opening the uninflated nondistensible balloon can be inserted into . therefore it is desirable to have the uninflated nondistensible balloon to have a working diameter close to the diameter of the piercing device 604 . this can be attained by using a thin walled balloon , using a balloon with a small distal profile , by using a balloon with a distal end which is close in actual diameter to the diameter of the piercing member , or by using a balloon which folds into a low profile state , or a combination of these . as shown in fig4 i , a device of insufficient sharpness will “ tent ” the airway wall 450 . tenting occurs when a device is placed against an airway wall with significant force but with no puncturing of the airway wall . the airway wall will deflect and become displaced until the device is withdrawn . if the tissue becomes tented there remains a significant amount of potential energy placed by the device onto the airway wall . the potential energy may unexpectedly becomes realized , when the device eventually punctures the airway , which may cause the device to suddenly plunge into the parenchyma to an unintended depth . plunging may in turn cause unintended damage to the patient . a depth limiting feature 654 may overcome this problem . variations of the invention include a depth limiting feature that may prevent inadvertent advancement of the device when creating the channel . one example of this may be a circular tube 654 placed over the device and set at a fixed distance ( e . g . 10 mm ) from the distal tip of the piercing member , proximal to the balloon , as shown in fig4 j . if the device does tent and plunge into the airway wall the front face of the tube may halt the plunging effect by acting as a barrier . another example would be a secondary balloon , proximal to the channel expansion balloon , placed in a similar position to the circular tube as described above . another example would be a folding basket formed from the outer lumen of the device , or constructed from wire . as shown in fig4 k , variations of the invention may include a distal collar 650 on the distal portion of the piercing member 604 to precisely limit the maximum extension and retraction of the piercing member 604 . the distal collar 650 would be attached to the piercing member and travel between two set collar stops 652 which are attached to the lumen 656 the piercing member travels in . this feature has multiple benefits ; first , it has the safety setting a maximum distance for the piercing member to extend , around 2 - 3 mm has been found to be sufficient in most cases . thus , the maximum penetration of the piercing member 604 is limited which may prevent unintentional damage to the lung tissue . the collar 650 protects the bronchoscope by preventing deflection of the distal tip . deflection can take place when there is a significant amount of gap between the inner sheath 622 and the distal tip of the piercing member in the retracted mode . when the device is being maneuvered through a bronchoscope in a torturous configuration , the lumen 656 can deflect while the stiffer piercing member will not , and thus the piercing member may pierce through the deflected lumen 656 and subsequently into the bronchoscope . by setting a small gap ( e . g . & lt ; 1 mm ) this deflection may be eliminated , and the scope protected . the collar 650 also allows the piercing member to be reliably extended . it was found that when a similar feature was placed at the proximal section of the device the piercing member could not reliably be extended to a set distance beyond the distal tip . this is because when in a torturous configuration the outer sheath 620 of the device may have a tendency to stretch or compress . as a result the tubing may stretch to such a degree that when the piercing member is fully extended it still may not fully extend past the distal tip of the lumen 656 . by locating the collar 650 in the distal portion of the lumen 656 ( e . g . less than 2 inches from the distal tip ) the stretching or compression is minimized or eliminated . fig5 a - 5c illustrate a way to deploy a conduit in a channel . referring to fig5 a , a delivery device 400 is loaded with a conduit 200 . an access scope - type device 404 ( e . g ., an endoscope , a bronchoscope , or other device ) may optionally be used to place the delivery device 400 into a collateral channel 112 . a guide wire 402 may be used to place the delivery device 400 into the collateral channel 112 . the guide wire 402 may be a conventional guide - wire or it may simply be comprised of a super - elastic material . the use of a guide wire is optional as the invention contemplates placement of the conduit 200 using only the delivery device 400 . fig5 a also illustrates articulation ( or bending ) of the deliver device 400 to access the collateral channel 112 . however , the invention also contemplates articulation of the access device 404 . the access device 404 may be articulated such that the delivery device 400 may advance straight into the collateral channel 112 . accordingly , the delivery device 400 may exit straight from the access device 404 or it may be articulated into the opening . fig5 b illustrates deployment of the conduit 200 . in particular , balloon member 406 is shown in an expanded state resulting in ( 1 ) the conduit &# 39 ; s center section being radially expanded and ( 2 ) the conduit &# 39 ; s extension members being outwardly deflected such that opposing extension members sandwich portions of the tissue wall 422 . diametric - control members 424 are also shown in this figure . the diametric or center - control segments limit the center section &# 39 ; s radial expansion . in this manner , conduit 200 is securely placed in the channel to maintain a passageway through the airway wall 422 . fig5 c illustrates the deployed conduit 200 once the delivery device 400 is removed from the site . it should be noted that dilation of the collateral channel or opening 112 may be performed by mere insertion of the conduit 200 and / or delivery device 400 . it should be noted that deployment of conduits is not limited to that shown in fig5 a - 5c , instead , other means may be used to deploy the conduit . for example , spring - loaded or shape memory features may be actuated by mechanical or thermal release and unlocking methods . additionally , mechanical wedges , lever - type devices , scissors jack devices , open chest surgical placement and other techniques may be used to deploy the conduit . again , the conduit 200 may be comprised of an elastic or super - elastic material which is restrained in a reduced profile for deployment and expands to its deployed state upon mechanical actuator or release . in one additional variation of the invention , as shown in fig5 d , a conduit 201 may be deployed within a second structure such as a second conduit or stent . such an approach may be used to increase retention of the conduits within the channel as well as prevent closing of the channel . for example , an initial conduit 200 or stent may be deployed within the channel 112 . this first conduit or stent may have certain properties that make it more acceptable to implantation within the body without generating an aggressive tissue healing response . for instance , the stent may be a drug eluting stent , or the conduit may be constructed from a bio - compatible metal without any additional tissue barrier . once the initial stent or conduit is placed within the channel 112 a second conduit may be deployed within the first conduit . as shown in fig5 d , a first conduit 200 ( or stent ) is placed within the channel 112 . fig5 d illustrates a second conduit 201 advanced towards the first conduit 200 . fig5 e illustrates the second conduit 201 deployed within the first conduit 200 . the second conduit 201 may have additional properties that permit the channel to remain patent . for example , the second conduit 201 my have a tissue barrier as discussed above , or other construction that generates an aggressive healing response within the lung . therefore , the first conduit 200 , being more conducive to implantation , will serve to anchor both conduits 200 , 201 as the tissue either does not grow , or it grows around the outer conduit 200 . the second conduit , for example , may have a tissue barrier placed thereon . once the second conduit 201 is deployed within the first conduit 200 , the tissue barrier of the second conduit 201 will prevent tissue from growing through the stent structure . it should be noted that the structure of a conduit within a conduit may be incorporated into a single composite structure . in use , the conduit 200 is deployed with the distal side towards the parenchymal tissue 460 while the proximal side remains adjacent or in the airway 450 . of course , where the proximal and distal extension members are identical , the conduit may be deployed with either side towards the parenchymal tissue . fig6 a - 6b illustrate another example of deploying a conduit 500 in a channel 510 ( or opening ) created in a tissue wall 520 . referring to fig6 a , a delivery tool 530 carrying a deployable conduit 500 is inserted into the channel 510 . the delivery tool 530 is extended straight from an access catheter 540 such that the delivery tool forms an angle δ with the tissue wall 520 . it is to be understood that while the tissue wall of airway 522 is shown as being thin and well defined , the present invention may be utilized to maintain the patency of channels and openings which have less well defined boundaries . the delivery tool is further manipulated until the conduit is properly positioned which is determined by , for example , observing the position of a visualization mark 552 on the conduit relative to the opening of the channel 510 . fig6 b illustrates enlarging and securing the conduit in the channel using an expandable member or balloon 560 . the balloon 560 may be radially expanded using fluid ( gas or liquid ) pressure to deploy the conduit 500 . the balloon may have a cylindrical shape ( or another shape such as an hourglass shape ) when expanded to 1 .) expand the center section and 2 .) deflect the proximal and distal sections of the conduit such that the conduit is secured to the tissue wall 520 . during this deployment step , the tissue wall 520 may distort or bend to some degree but when the delivery tool is removed , the elasticity of the tissue tends to return the tissue wall to its initial shape . accordingly , the conduits disclosed herein may be deployed either perpendicular to ( or non - perpendicular to ) the tissue wall . fig7 a illustrates another variation of deploying a conduit 200 into an opening 112 . in some variations of the invention , prior to deployment of the conduit 200 , the channel 112 may have a diameter or size that may require an additional dilation or expansion of the channel 112 for proper deployment of the conduit 200 . for example , the channel 112 may be created by a piercing member , as described above , where the channel 112 nearly closes upon removal of the piercing member . however , the devices and method described herein are not limited to channels 112 of any particular size . the channels may in fact be larger than a diameter of the conduit 200 in its un - deployed state . in any case , after creation of the channel 112 the surgeon may advance a balloon catheter 630 containing a conduit 200 towards the site of the opening 112 . the variation of the balloon catheter 630 depicted in the figure also includes a guide body 632 . because the opening 112 may be difficult to locate , the guide body 632 may serve various functions to assist in locating the opening 112 and placing the conduit 200 . for example , as shown in fig7 a , the guide body 632 may have a rounded front surface . this allows probing of the catheter 630 against the airway 100 wall to more easily locate the opening 112 . the rounded surface of the guide body 632 will not drag on the airway tissue . as shown in fig7 b , once inserted into the opening 112 , the guide body 632 provides an additional function of temporarily anchoring the device 630 within the opening 112 . the ability to temporarily anchor the device 630 into the opening 112 may be desirable due to the natural tidal motion of the lung during breathing . the increased surface area of the guide body 632 requires increased resistance upon remove the guide body 632 from the opening 112 . such a feature lessens the occurrence of unintended removal of the device from the site as the lung tissue moves . as shown in fig7 b , after insertion into the airway 100 wall , a portion of the guide body 632 serves as a resistance surface to provide the temporary anchoring function . additional variations of the guide body 632 are shown below . fig8 a - 8f illustrate additional variations of guide bodies 632 for use with the present invention . as shown , the guide body 632 is located on the distal end of the balloon catheter 630 . the guide body 632 will have a front surface 634 that is preferably smooth such that it can easily be moved over the airway wall . proximal to the front surface 634 , the guide body 632 will have at least one resistance surface 636 which is defined as an area that causes increased resistance upon removal of the guide body 634 from the airway wall . as shown , the resistance surface 636 will be adjacent to an area of reduced diameter 638 to which allows the guide body 632 to nest within the opening 112 in the airway wall . the guide body 632 may have any number of shapes as shown in the figures . fig8 f illustrates another variation of a guide body 632 having a resistance surface 636 which comprises an area of increased surface roughness such that the surface will drag upon the airway wall or tissue surrounding the channel 112 . such a feature may be combined with the variations of the guide members provided above . the balloon catheters 630 of the present invention may include a dilating member between the guide body 632 and balloon 614 . in the variation shown in fig8 a , the dilating member comprises a tapered section . however , the invention is not limited as such . for example , the dilating member may comprise a second inflatable balloon , or other expanding device . the dilating members may also be retractable within the elongate shaft . fig9 a and 9b depict cross sections of examples of a balloon catheter 630 having a guide body 632 that includes a lumen 642 which terminates at a surface of the guide body 632 . the lumen 642 may be used for suction , irrigation , or deliver bio - active substances , etc . the catheter 630 may also have an additional lumens 646 , 646 , 648 as shown , for inflation of the balloon 614 and for additional suction 644 , and for communication with the guide body lumen 642 . as shown in fig8 b , the lumen may also be used to advance a piercing member 604 to the airway wall to create the channel 112 . any of the balloons described herein may be distensible balloons ( e . g ., they assume a predetermined shape upon expansion ) or elastic balloons ( e . g ., simply expand ). use of a distensible balloon permits control in dilating the opening 112 or placement of the conduit . all publications , patent applications , patents , and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety . to the extent there is a conflict in a meaning of a term , or otherwise , the present application will control . although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding , it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings of this invention that certain changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims . it is also contemplated that combinations of the above described embodiments / variations or combinations of the specific aspects of the above described embodiments / variations are within the scope of this disclosure . implants comprising stainless steel mesh frame fully encapsulated with a composition comprising silicone ( as described below ) and paclitaxel were implanted in several canine models . visual observation indicated that , on average , the passage through the implants of the present invention remained unobstructed and were associated with significantly reduced fibrotic and inflammatory responses , in canine models , at a considerably higher rate than an implant without any drug adjunct or coronary drug eluting stents ( as shown in fig1 ). the composition comprised approximately a 9 % paclitaxel to silicone ratio with approximately 400 micrograms of paclitaxel per implant . measurements found that approximately 30 % of the paclitaxel released after 60 days . in general , for implants with the paclitaxel / silicone composition , observations of chronic inflammation , epithelial metaplasia and fibrosis were all very mild . for paclitaxel as the bioactive substance , polymers with solubility parameters between 5 - 25 ( mpa )^ ½ were believed to provide sufficient elution rates . the polymer used in the example device has good diffusivity for lipophilic drug ( such as paclitaxel ) because the side methyl group on the silicone may be substituted with more lipophilic hydrocarbon molecules containing vinyl group or groups in addition polymerization by platinum catalyst . the composition for the example may be as follow : polymer part : polydimethylsiloxane , vinyldimethyl terminated , any viscosity ; and / or polydimethylsiloxane , vinylmonomethyl terminated , any viscosity . the cross - linker part : polydimethylsiloxane , any viscosity ; and or polymonomethylsiloxane , any viscosity . platinum catalyst part and / or cross - linker part : platinum ; and / or platinum - divinyltetramethyldisiloxane complex in xylene , 2 - 3 % pt ; and / or platinum - divinyltetramethyldisiloxane complex in vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane , 2 - 3 % pt ; and / or platinum - divinyltetramethyldisiloxane complex in vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane , ˜ 1 % pt ; platinum - cyclovinylmethylsiloxane complex , 2 - 3 % pt in cyclic vinyl methyl siloxane . these components may be combined in different ratios to make the polymer . the hydrocarbon side chain off the silicone back bone makes this polymer system unique and may result in a “ zero - order ”- like release profile . the amount of vinyl siloxane cross - linker may determine the rate of the drug release and diffusivity of the polymer to the drug . there are other types of polydimethylsiloxanes such as : trimethylsiloxy terminated polydimethylsiloxane in various viscosities , ( 48 - 96 %) dimethyl ( 4 - 52 %) diphenylsiloxane copolymer in various viscosities , dimethylsiloxane - ethylene oxide copolymer , dimethyl diphenylsiloxane copolymer , polymethylhydrosiloxane , trimethylsilyl terminated at various viscosities , ( 30 - 55 %) methyldro -( 45 - 70 %) dimethylsiloxane copolymer at various viscosities , polymethylphenylsiloxane , polydimethylsiloxane silanol terminated at various viscosities , polydimethylsiloxane aminopropyldimethyl terminated at various viscosities . for paclitaxel a release profile was found to be acceptable with a polymer system consisting of polydimethylsiloxane vinyl terminated at various viscosity and a range of platinum - mono , di , tri and / or tetramethyldisiloxane complex .	0
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 the 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 . fig1 is a view schematically illustrating a configuration of a daytime running light apparatus for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention , and fig2 is a graph illustrating an operational state of the daytime running light apparatus for a vehicle according to the various embodiments of the present invention . as illustrated in fig1 , the daytime running light apparatus for a vehicle includes a lamp 100 and a controller 200 . the lamp 100 is installed in a daytime running light ( drl ) for a vehicle , and receives information about a vehicle start , and determines whether to turn on the daytime running light . the controller 200 is connected with the lamp 100 , and controls a light amount of the daytime running light in accordance with illumination intensity or brightness at the periphery of the vehicle . the controller 200 may increase the light amount of the daytime running light in proportion to an increase in illumination intensity or brightness at the periphery of the vehicle . that is , because the light amount of the daytime running light in the related art needs to be fixed to 400 to 1200 candela ( cd ) in order to meet the regulations , the daytime running light may cause light blindness to a driver in an oncoming vehicle and a pedestrian at a location where the surrounding environment is dark . in more detail , if the light amount of the daytime running light , which is fixed to 400 to 1200 cd , is output in a state in which the surrounding environment of the vehicle is dark , the daytime running light appears to be relatively brighter than the surrounding environment , thereby causing light blindness to a driver in the oncoming vehicle and a pedestrian . in contrast , if the light amount of the daytime running light , which is fixed to 400 to 1200 cd , is output in a state in which the surrounding environment of the vehicle is bright , a difference between the daytime running light and the surrounding environment is small , and thus performance of allowing a driver in the oncoming vehicle to recognize the daytime running light deteriorates , such that the daytime running light cannot play its role . therefore , in various embodiments of the present invention , the light amount of the daytime running light may be changed by the controller 200 in accordance with the surrounding environment of the vehicle , and as a result , it is possible to achieve safe driving of a vehicle driver and minimize inconvenience for a driver in the oncoming vehicle and a pedestrian . here , the controller 200 according to various embodiments receives the degree of illumination intensity or brightness at the periphery of the vehicle from a photo sensor and a rain sensor which are installed in the vehicle in advance . therefore , in various embodiments , a separate device for obtaining information on illumination intensity and brightness at the periphery of the vehicle is not installed , but the peripheral illumination intensity and brightness may be sensed by means of the photo sensor and the rain sensor basically installed in the vehicle , thereby reducing manufacturing costs . meanwhile , a change in luminous intensity of the daytime running light according to illumination intensity outside the vehicle will be described below with reference to the graph illustrated in fig2 . first , when it is confirmed that the external illumination intensity , which is sensed and transmitted by the photo sensor and the rain sensor , is 3000 lux ( lx ) which is relatively dark ( based on a condition in which an auto - light of the vehicle is turned off ), the controller 200 controls the lamp 100 so as to output luminous intensity of the daytime running light , which is about 480 cd that is 120 % of a minimum value of a regulated light distribution of the daytime running light . the reason is to prevent light blindness from occurring to a driver in an oncoming vehicle and to a pedestrian by decreasing the light amount of the daytime running light in accordance with illumination intensity or brightness at the periphery of the vehicle when the surrounding environment of the vehicle is relatively dark . when it is confirmed that the illumination intensity and the brightness at the periphery of the vehicle are increased and thus the external illumination intensity , which is sensed and transmitted by the photo sensor and the rain sensor , is 100 , 000 lx , the controller 200 controls the lamp 100 so as to output luminous intensity of the daytime running light , which is about 960 cd that is 80 % of a maximum value of the regulated light distribution of the daytime running light . in this case , if the designed light amount of the daytime running light is adjusted to be small ( 400 to 700 cd ) only for preventing light blindness to a driver in the oncoming vehicle and a pedestrian , a difference between the daytime running light and the illumination intensity at the periphery of the vehicle is small at a position where the external illumination intensity is 100 , 000 lx as described above , and as a result , performance of allowing a driver in the oncoming vehicle to recognize the daytime running light may deteriorate , which may compromise the purpose of safe driving to be achieved by recognizing the daytime running light . consequently , in the various embodiments , the controller 200 controls the light amount of the daytime running light so that the light amount of the daytime running light is controlled in proportion to an increase in illumination intensity or brightness at the periphery of the vehicle , and accordingly , the luminous intensity of the daytime running light is increased , and as a result , it is possible to prevent light blindness to a driver in the oncoming vehicle and a pedestrian , which is caused by the daytime running light , by decreasing the light amount of the daytime running light at a relatively dark location , and it is possible to allow the driver to safely drive the vehicle by improving performance of recognizing the daytime running light by increasing the light amount of the daytime running light at a bright location . hereinafter , fig3 is a view illustrating a configuration of a daytime running light apparatus for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention , fig4 is a graph illustrating an operational state of the daytime running light apparatus for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention , and fig5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the daytime running light apparatus for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention . as illustrated in fig3 , the daytime running light apparatus for a vehicle includes the controller 200 which controls a light amount of the daytime running light in accordance with illumination intensity or brightness at the periphery of the vehicle . the controller 200 is provided with a bypass module 210 which checks whether a temperature reaches a limit temperature concerning damage to the interior of the lamp 100 when it is determined that the vehicle is at an intensely hot location , and selectively blocks the output of the lamp 100 . to this end , the controller 200 is connected to a global positioning system ( gps ) receiver 220 which provides position information of the vehicle . the bypass module 210 serves to prevent damage to the system which is caused by an increase in internal temperature , and an operation thereof will be described below in detail with reference to the graph and the flowchart illustrated in fig4 and 5 . first , when it is confirmed through the gps receiver 220 that the vehicle is positioned at an intensely hot location , for example , kuwait where a mid - day temperature is above 40 ° c ., the internal temperature of the system including the lamp 100 and the controller 200 is increased , due to a peripheral temperature , to a temperature equal to or higher than the predetermined limit temperature concerning damage to the system . in this case , it is checked whether the system internal temperature reaches approximately 95 ° c . of the predetermined damage limit temperature in accordance with the peripheral temperature due to the nature of location ( s 100 ), and when it is confirmed that the system internal temperature is lower than approximately 95 ° c ., the controller 200 controls the lamp 100 so that the daytime running light may be normally output ( s 200 ). in this case , if it is confirmed that the system internal temperature is equal to or higher than about 95 ° c . ( s 100 ), the controller 200 restricts the output of the lamp 100 by forcibly decreasing the luminous intensity of the daytime running light down to approximately 200 cd by using the bypass module 210 ( s 110 ), thereby minimizing the likelihood of damage to the system caused by a problem of heat resistance performance . thereafter , if the system internal temperature becomes about 95 ° c . or lower through the aforementioned processes ( s 120 ), the daytime running light is allowed to be normally output by the lamp 100 ( s 200 ). here , the bypass module 210 , which selectively blocks the output of the lamp 100 as described above , uses a bimetal which is bent opposite to a portion having a large coefficient of thermal expansion while the portion expands when a temperature is increased , and then returns to the original state when the temperature is decreased , thereby bypassing an electric circuit . the bypass module 210 allows only the minimum amount of electric power to be applied to the controller 200 , such that a system capacity is decreased to 50 % or less , thereby effectively decreasing the system internal temperature . in the various embodiments of fig3 - 5 , even though the illumination intensity outside the vehicle reaches about 100 , 000 lx , the daytime running light inevitably has low luminous intensity of about 200 cd in order to decrease the internal temperature of the system including the lamp 100 and the controller 200 , but it is possible to minimize the likelihood of damage to the system due to the internal temperature , and consequently to effectively protect the daytime running light system at an intensely hot location . in the various embodiments of fig3 - 5 , a state of the daytime running light according to the operation of the bypass module 210 may be displayed on an instrument panel in the vehicle , and thus , the driver may effectively recognize a turned - on state of the daytime running light . according to the present invention , since the light amount of the daytime running light is changed in accordance with illumination intensity or brightness at the periphery of the vehicle , it is possible to allow the driver to safely drive the vehicle by improving performance of recognizing the daytime running light , and it is possible to prevent light blindness to a driver in the oncoming vehicle and a pedestrian . in the present invention , the peripheral illumination intensity and brightness are sensed by the photo sensor and the rain sensor basically mounted in the vehicle , thereby reducing manufacturing costs . in the present invention , when the internal temperature of the system becomes the predetermined damage limit temperature or higher , the system capacity is decreased to 50 % or less by bypassing the electric circuit , thereby minimizing the likelihood of damage to the system caused by a problem of heat resistance performance . 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
the present invention satisfies the critical need for a high voltage electron gun for use with a detoxification vessel for remediation of vocs from hazardous or toxic waste . the electron gun is capable of efficiently conducting a relatively broad electron beam into the vessel without undesired energy loss . referring first to fig1 a schematic view of a flood beam electron gun 10 is illustrated . the electron gun 10 has a generally cylindrical shape , and is contained within two cylindrical housing segments 12 , 14 . each of the housing segments 12 , 14 are comprised of an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material , such as ceramic . an end of the electron gun 10 is enclosed by an end plate 16 that includes a plurality of electrically insulated feedthroughs 15 which provide for electrical connection to the electron gun , as will be described below . an opposite end of the electron gun is enclosed by a target grid 17 , that is in turn coupled to the detoxification vessel ( not shown ). an emitter structure 20 extends inwardly of the housing segment 12 along a central axis 21 of the electron gun 10 . the emitter structure 20 includes an electron emitting element 28 having a rounded or generally spherical emitting surface 32 . the electron emitting element 28 is physically suspended within the emitter structure 20 , and electrically insulated from the emitter structure , by use of an electrically insulated support ring 44 . a conical shaped beam of electrons 30 is emitted from the emitting surface 32 by thermionic emission in cooperation with a high voltage electric field defined between the emitting surface 32 and the target grid 17 . an emitter lead 23 is electrically connected to an electrical heater embedded below the emitting surface 32 , and extends outwardly through the electrical feedthrough 15 to an external voltage source . additional leads are also included ( not shown ) to electrically connect the emitting element 28 to an external bias voltage through another electrical feedthrough . a grid 48 generally matching the curvature of the emitting surface 32 can be included in front of the emitting surface to control the current level of the electron beam 30 that is emitted . the grid 48 is provided with a voltage positive or negative with respect to the voltage of the emitting surface 32 to accomplish this modification in the level of the emitted current . an intermediate electrode 50 is disposed between the housing segments 12 , 14 , and is provided with a voltage between that provided to the cathode emitting surface 32 and the target grid 17 . the intermediate electrode 50 has a first funnel - shaped inner surface 52 facing the emitting surface 32 , and a second funnelshaped inner surface 56 facing the target grid 17 . the inner surfaces 52 , 56 shape the electric field within the electron gun 10 to provide a converging lens for the beam 30 . as a result , the conical shaped beam 30 is converged into a parallel - directed beam . the parallel - directed beam can then be coupled through the target grid 17 and into the detoxification vessel perpendicularly to minimize energy loss , as will be further described below . referring now to fig2 and 3 , a first embodiment of the flood beam electron gun 10 is illustrated , with like numerals utilized to describe like elements of fig1 . as illustrated in fig2 the emitter structure 20 extends inwardly relative to the housing segment 12 through a central aperture 18 provided in the end plate 16 . the emitter structure 20 comprises a tapered end support 22 and a sleeve 24 . each of these elements 22 , 24 are physically and electrically coupled together and are comprised of an electrically and thermally conductive material , such as copper or molybdenum . fig3 illustrates the emitter structure 20 of fig1 and 2 in greater detail . as in fig1 the emitter structure 20 has a central electron emitting element 28 having a rounded emitting surface 32 . a heater element 34 comprising a heating coil potted within an alumina ceramic substructure is embedded within the electron emitting element 28 . as known in the art , an electrical current applied to the heater element 34 raises the temperature of the electron emitting element 28 until thermionic emission of electrons from the emitting surface 32 occurs . the electron emitting element 28 is suspended within the emitter structure 20 by a support cylinder 38 . an end of the support cylinder 38 adjacent to and circumscribing the emitting surface 32 provides a focusing electrode 35 . as known in the art , the focusing electrode 35 contributes to shaping of the electric field , and may have a voltage potential applied thereto that is equivalent to the potential at the emitting surface 32 . an insulating ring 44 is coupled between the support cylinder 38 and the sleeve 24 . the insulating ring 44 is comprised of an electrically insulating and thermally conductive material , such as alumina ceramic , and precludes electrical connection between the sleeve 24 and the emitting element 28 . the emitter structure 20 further includes a generally domeshaped grid support 46 and a centrally disposed control grid 48 . the grid support 46 is comprised of an electrically conductive material , such as molybdenum , and is physically and electrically connected to the sleeve 24 , such as by screws 47 . the control grid 48 is concentrically aligned with the cathode emitting surface 32 so the emitting surface and control grid are substantially parallel . the control grid 48 has a plurality of holes arranged in a particular pattern , which will be described in further detail below with respect to the target grid . the control grid 48 is unitarily comprised of an electrically conductive , thermally rugged material , such as molybdenum or copper zirconium . alternatively , the control grid 48 may be comprised of a fine mesh having a plurality of round , square or hexagonal - shaped holes from like materials . it is anticipated that the entire emitter structure 20 including the control grid 48 be removable from the electron gun 10 for ease of repair and / or maintenance . referring back to fig2 the flood beam electron gun 10 further includes an intermediate electrode 50 . the intermediate electrode 50 comprises a solid body portion 54 , a cylindrical portion 58 , a first inner surface 52 , and a second inner surface 56 . the solid body portion 54 is generally ring - shaped , and is comprised of an electrically and thermally conductive material , such as copper . the cylindrical portion 58 extends from the body portion 54 in the direction of the end plate 16 , and is concentric with the cylindrical housing segment 12 . the first inner surface 52 faces the cathode emitting surface 32 and is funnel - shaped with a taper converging in the direction of the target grid 17 . the second inner surface 56 faces downstream from the emitting surface 32 and is funnel - shaped with a taper converging in the direction of the emitting surface . the space defined radially inward from the first and second inner surfaces 52 , 56 provides an aperture through which the electron beam 30 passes . the target grid 17 is coupled to the housing segment 14 at an opposite end of the electron gun 10 from the end plate 16 . the target grid 17 comprises a broad flange portion 62 that permits attachment of the electron gun 10 to the detoxification vessel , and is comprised of an electrically and thermally conductive , mechanically rigid material , such as stainless steel or molybdenum or a laminate structure comprising one or more of these materials enclosing a copper sheet for higher effective heat transfer . one or more bolts 66 may be included to secure the flange portion 62 to the detoxification vessel . an intermediate flange 76 may also be utilized , which is disposed between the flange portion 62 and the detoxification vessel as illustrated in fig2 . the intermediate flange 76 may be secured to the flange portion 62 by the bolts 66 , and contributes to formation of a vacuum seal , as will be further described below . a plurality of holes 64 are provided through the target grid 17 in an axial direction thereof , as also illustrated in fig4 . the holes 64 are disposed in a pattern that is proportional to and larger than the pattern of holes in the control grid 48 . the holes 64 may be circular of a substantially uniform diameter , or may instead comprise differing diameters from the central portion of the grid to the outer periphery . a vacuum barrier 72 is coupled to a downstream side of the target grid 17 . the vacuum barrier 72 comprises a thin metal foil , such as titanium or beryllium , and provides a vacuum seal for the electron gun 10 . an o - ring seal 74 is disposed in a channel defined in the side of the target grid 17 which compresses between the vacuum barrier 72 and the intermediate flange 76 . the o - ring 74 may be comprised of metal to promote a solid bond with the foil vacuum barrier 72 , and may also be plated with gold material . the intermediate flange 76 is disposed at an opposite side of the vacuum barrier 72 from the o - ring 74 . the vacuum barrier 72 is secured in place between the intermediate flange 76 and the target grid 17 by use of the bolts 66 . alternatively , the vacuum barrier 72 may be brazed to the target grid 17 in order to seal the vacuum . further , a thin , finer mesh grid may be brazed or otherwise affixed to the upstream side of the target grid 17 for additional thermal and mechanical support of the vacuum barrier 72 . this optional fine mesh grid has a substantially smaller hole pattern than the target grid 17 , and it can be fabricated from molybdenum or copper zirconium by a known process , such as photoetching or electrical discharge machining . for mechanical strength and high grid transmissivity , square holes in this fine mesh grid are advantageous , although round holes tend to have a higher degree of resistance to foil tearing . the target grid 17 and vacuum barrier 72 are preferably circular in shape , as illustrated in fig4 in order to evenly distribute stress forces on the foil vacuum barrier . alternatively , the target grid 17 and vacuum barrier 72 may have a rectangular shape that would be more conducive to heat removal , since a heat exchanger or thermal couple could be attached to a side of the target grid in relatively close proximity to the holes 64 . further , it is possible to arrange the hole pattern in the control grid 48 and the target grid 17 to allow liquid cooling channels to progress across a surface of the target grid for additional cooling . in this case and in all cases above , it is assumed that the control and target grids are in azimuthal alignment with one another and that stray magnetic fields which may cause beam rotation are entirely negligible . the electron beam produced by the electron gun 10 is controlled and focused by an electric field defined within the electron gun by voltages applied to the emitting element 28 , the control grid 48 , and the intermediate electrode 50 . the target grid 17 is coupled to ground , and the absolute voltages applied to the emitting element 28 , the control grid 48 and the intermediate electrode 50 are thus referenced accordingly . the electric field within the electron gun 10 is illustrated in terms of voltage equipotential lines 60 . as known in the art , electrons of an electron beam tend to travel in a direction normal to the equipotential lines , and beam focusing is achieved by controlling the shape of the equipotential lines . in particular , the application of a highly negative potential to the electron emitting element 28 from a voltage source , such as in a range between approximately - 160 kilovolts and - 220 kilovolts , causes electrons that have been thermionically ejected from the emitting surface 32 to flow in an evenly distributed , conicalshaped beam 36 . application of a small negative potential to the control grid 48 with respect to the emitting surface 32 , such as approximately - 25 volts , causes the evenly distributed beam 36 to be separated into a beam array comprising a plurality of individual , spherically - directed beams 37 . since a negative potential is applied to the control grid 48 with respect to the emitting surface 32 , the control grid draws no current from the emitting surface , and as a result , the control grid dissipates no power . further , the control grid 48 reduces the field gradient level at the cathode emitting surface 32 so as to reduce the beam current to a level which would not melt the target grid 17 and / or the vacuum barrier foil 72 . an intermediate negative voltage potential is applied to the intermediate electrode 50 , such as in a range between approximately - 120 kilovolts and - 165 kilovolts with respect to ground potential . the intermediate electrode 50 operates as a converging lens to change the spherical flow of the electron beam to a parallel flow . moreover , the intermediate electrode 50 substantially reduces electric field gradient levels at the control grid 48 and emitter structure 20 , allowing the electron gun 10 to operate at higher voltage levels . the voltage level applied to the intermediate electrode 50 can be varied to change the diameter of the electron beam at the plane of the target grid 17 . the electrons of the parallel directed beam pass through the holes 64 of the target grid 17 and the vacuum barrier 72 into the detoxification vessel . since the hole pattern on the target grid 17 match the pattern on the control grid 48 , the individual beams pass through the target grid holes 64 without interception by the walls of the holes . by utilizing a thin foil material for the vacuum barrier 72 , energy loss of the electrons to the vacuum barrier is minimized . for example , a titanium vacuum barrier thickness of approximately 0 . 0006 inches would result in loss of roughly 13 kilovolts , which would allow a sufficiently high energy level to remain in the beam . the thickness of the vacuum barrier 72 can be varied to achieve other desired characteristics of the electron gun ; for example , a thicker foil would be more thermally rugged and better able to withstand mechanical stress , while alternatively , a thinner foil would allow greater transfer of electrons through the vacuum barrier . referring now to fig5 and 6 , an alternative embodiment of the flood beam electron gun is illustrated , with like numerals used to describe like elements of the flood beam electron gun of figs . 1 - 4 . the alternative embodiment of the flood beam electron gun differs from the previously disclosed embodiment with respect to the mounting of the emitter structure 20 . the sleeve 24 of the emitter structure 20 is coupled to a disk - shaped plate 83 that is suspended within the electron gun chamber by three standoff assemblies 90 oriented substantially 120 ° apart for mechanical support the plate 83 . each of the standoff assemblies 90 are comprised of a thermally conductive and electrically insulative material , such as alumina ceramic . the standoff assemblies 90 further may include one or a plurality of corrugations 94 that increase the outer surface area of the standoff assemblies so as to enable higher voltage standoff . a cone - shaped portion 92 of the standoff assemblies extend outwardly through apertures 91 defined in an end plate 84 of the electron gun . the standoff assemblies 90 may further include an electrical conductor 96 that extends axially through each standoff assembly thereof . the electrical conductor 96 enables electrical connection to the emitter structure 20 and control grid 48 , from external to the vacuum region of the electron gun . in fig5 the electrical conductor 96 couples to a lead 85 that is electrically connected to the heater element 34 . similarly , another one of the standoff assemblies 90 may carry an electrical conductor for connection to the emitting element 28 via the focusing electrode 35 . fig6 illustrates five such standoff assemblies 90 , with a space provided for an additional standoff assembly 90 &# 39 ;. the additional standoff assembly 90 &# 39 ; may enable the addition of another electrical element to the emitter structure 20 , such as a secondary control grid . the rearward portion of the electron gun is defined within a housing 82 that extends between a first end 81 that terminates at the end plate 84 and a second end 87 that couples to the intermediate electrode 50 . the housing 82 is comprised of an electrically conductive material , such as stainless steel or kovar , that is electrically connected to the intermediate electrode 50 . the housing 82 provides the function of the cylindrical portion 58 of fig2 in shaping the electric field defined between the emitting surface 32 and the target grid 17 . the flood beam gun 10 disclosed herein possesses a grid 48 making the device useful for applications that require bursts of free electrons . in operation , the grid 48 can be used to rapidly switch the beam current on and off by biasing it from its normal operating potential to a level sufficiently negative with respect to the emitting element 28 to suppress all emission from the emitting surface 32 . further , by operating the grid 48 at a potential which is more positive than the level cited heretofore , substantially more beam current can be drawn from the emitting surface 32 . thus , the use of the grid 48 as a beam control and modulation element enables operation of the device at high impulse current levels in concurrence with reduced pulse width or duty cycle ( to prevent overheating of the output grid and vacuum barrier ). such operation can be used for pulsed electronic bombardment of materials including semiconductors , the creation of plasmas as above , or excitation of gases in certain lasers such as eximer . similarly , by shaping the openings in the target grid 17 and including additional cooling channels within it as discussed heretofore , and modifying the thickness and material of the vacuum barrier 72 , it is possible for the flood beam gun 10 to function as a wide area high power x - ray source . having thus described a preferred embodiment of a flood beam electron gun , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain advantages of the within system have been achieved . it should also be appreciated that various modifications , adaptations , and alternative embodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention . the invention is further defined by the following claims .	7
while several embodiments will be described below , a combination of a feature in one embodiment with another in a different embodiment is understood to be within the scope of the present invention unless such combination leads to a contradiction . an agricultural tractor will be described as an example of the maintenance vehicle . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the agricultural tractor has a cab 1 formed of vertical frames 2 of a structural framework b constituting a framework , boarding and alighting side doors 3 , rear side windows 4 and a rear window 5 having transparent glass planes covering portions surrounded by the vertical frames 2 , an annular upper frame 6 extending over upper surfaces of the vertical frames 2 , and a roof 7 placed on the upper frame 6 . the cabin 1 defines a driving and control section 8 therein . the driving and control section 8 includes a steering wheel 11 attached to a steering column 10 disposed adjacent an engine hood 9 , and a driver &# 39 ; s seat 12 disposed rearwardly of the steering column 10 . the rearward end of the seating portion of the driver &# 39 ; s seat 12 means a rear end of the top surface where the driver sits . when the seat 12 has a seat pad portion and a separate seat back , the rearward end of the seating portion of the driver &# 39 ; s seat 12 may mean the rearward end of the seat pad portion . the roof 7 supports an air - conditioning unit a for air - conditioning the interior of the cab 1 . different forms of attaching the air - conditioning unit a will be described hereinafter . a first embodiment will be described first , in which , as shown in fig2 and 3 , the air - conditioning unit a is mounted above a rear end of the annular upper frame 6 extending over the upper surfaces of the vertical frames 2 constituting the structural framework b . a rear frame portion 6 b located in a rear position of a hood portion 7 of the annular upper frame 6 is called a transverse frame herein . the construction of the structural framework b for supporting the air - conditioning unit a will be described . as shown in fig2 , right and left vertical frames 2 are erected at connecting bend portions between fore and aft frame portions 6 a and rear frame portion 6 b acting as the transverse frame of the annular upper frame 6 , to serve also as window frames of the rear side windows 4 . a support frame 6 c is laid to extend between the two vertical frames 2 and at a height level a step lower than the rear frame portion 6 b . the air - conditioning unit a is placed in a state of being dropped on the upper surface of the support frame 6 c and between the neighboring vertical frames 2 supporting the support frame 6 c . the support frame 6 c is called herein an air - conditioning unit mounting portion . as shown in fig3 , a pair of right and left brackets 16 are attached in a fore and aft posture to the upper surface of the support frame 6 c . the air - conditioning unit a enclosed in a unit case 24 is placed on and fixed by bolts to the right and left brackets 16 . as shown in fig3 through 5 , the roof 7 includes an outer roof 13 and an inner roof 14 , each attached to and supported by the upper frame 6 . the inner roof 14 is an integral resin molding article , has a rearward half thereof above the driver &# 39 ; s seat 12 formed as a low ceiling portion bulging downward . the air - conditioning unit a is mounted in this low ceiling portion . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the outer roof 13 is laid on the upper surface of the upper frame 6 , and is in the form of a flat plate larger than the support surface . a seal ring 19 of rectangular section formed in the shape of a ring is attached to a downward - facing surface of the outer roof 13 . in the state of the outer roof 13 laid on the upper frame 6 , part of the section of the seal ring 19 contacts the upper surface of the upper frame 6 , to stop circulation of air to and from the exterior . as shown in fig3 through 5 , ambient air intake openings 13 b are formed in downward surfaces of sideways eaves portions 13 e of the outer roof 13 projecting from opposite sides of the upper frame 6 . an ambient air feed opening 13 c communicating with the above ambient air intake openings 13 b is formed in a position inwardly of the seal ring 19 . numeral 33 in the drawings denotes dust filters provided for the ambient air intake openings 13 b . air drawn in through the ambient air intake openings 13 b is guided forwardly of the vehicle body through a communicating path “ b ” acting as an ambient air feed duct formed in the double wall of the outer roof 13 , and is blown off from the ambient air feed opening 13 c formed forwardly of the communicating path “ b ” into a space “ a ” leading to the air - conditioning unit a described hereinafter . the internal structure of the inner roof 14 will be described . as shown in fig1 through 4 , the air - conditioning unit a includes an evaporator 20 , and a heater 21 disposed forwardly thereof . the evaporator 20 cooperates with a compressor , an expansion valve and a condenser to constitute a coolant circulation circuit . the heater 21 is connected through piping to a radiator 22 mounted in the engine hood 9 . a sirocco fan 23 is disposed at the right - hand side of the evaporator 20 for feeding the ambient air drawn in through the ambient air feed opening 13 c toward the evaporator 20 and heater 21 . as shown in fig3 , the ambient air introduced through the ambient air feed opening 13 c , is drawn and guided through the space “ a ” formed between the downward surface of the outer roof 13 and the inner roof 14 acting as a circulation path , to a guide bore 24 a of the sirocco fan 23 enclosed in the unit case 24 . as shown in fig3 and 4 , the evaporator 20 and sirocco fan 23 are surrounded by the unit case 24 . a rear air - conditioning duct 15 a continuous with the unit case 24 extends transversely for guiding conditioning air from the air - conditioning unit a , from opposite lateral ends of the evaporator 20 to the right and left sides . lateral air - conditioning ducts 15 b extend forward from opposite lateral ends of the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a for guiding the conditioning air forwardly of the vehicle body . the right and left air - conditioning ducts 15 b and 15 b will be described . as shown in fig3 through 5 , each of the right and left air - conditioning ducts 15 b has inwardly directed blow - off openings 15 b , and the rearward blow - off opening 15 b is located for directing an appropriate amount of cool air near the driver &# 39 ; s face . on the other hand , each lateral air - conditioning duct 15 b has blow - off openings 15 a arranged adjacent the forward thereof and directed forward and downward for blowing off the conditioning air toward a windshield 25 of the cab 1 , and a blow - off opening 15 d disposed rearwardly of the blow - off openings 15 a for blowing off defrost air toward the door glass . as shown in fig2 and 3 , branch ducts 15 c extend rearward from the opposite ends of the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a , and blow - off openings 15 c are formed at extension ends thereof for blowing off the conditioning air to the rear side windows 4 and rear window 5 . the above lateral air - conditioning ducts 15 b and the like are located in the inner roof 14 , and are mounted in low ceiling portions formed at opposite sides of the inner roof 14 as shown in fig5 . as shown in fig3 , the inner roof 14 includes a circulation opening 14 a disposed forwardly of the portion accommodating the air - conditioning unit a for drawing in air of the cab interior . a wall surface extends upward along the unit case 24 from an upper surface of a slope of a bottom inner roof 14 b defining the low ceiling portion , and the circulation opening 14 a is formed in a horizontal portion at the upper end of the vertical surface 14 c . the vertical surface 14 c of the top inner roof 14 a is called herein an interior air introducing duct . on the other hand , the ambient air feed opening 13 c and circulation opening 14 a are vertically opposed to each other , and a switching valve 17 is disposed therebetween to act as a valve mechanism for opening and closing the ambient air feed opening 13 c and circulation opening 14 a . thus , a switching is made between a state of drawing ambient air through the ambient air intake openings 13 b into the space “ a ” formed between the inner roof 14 and outer roof 13 , and a state of shutting off ambient air and circulating the air in the cab interior through the space “ a ”. the valve mechanism may be the slide type rather than the pivoting type . although not shown , the valve mechanism is operable by a switching lever erected to a level above and adjacent the driver &# 39 ; s seat 12 . as shown in fig3 , the inner roof 14 , which has the circulation opening 14 a for drawing in air of the cab interior , includes a rear top inner roof portion 14 a defining the circulation opening 14 a , and a forward inner roof portion 14 b located in the forward part of the cab 1 . the inner roof 14 has a fore and aft intermediate position thereof in tight contact with the outer roof 13 . the intermediate position in tight contact separates the rear inner roof portion 14 a and forward inner roof portion 14 b . a cd radio cassette recorder 29 or the like is mounted in a space of the forward inner roof portion 14 b having the above construction . the back pressure of the interior air taken in from the circulation opening 14 a does not directly act on the cd radio cassette recorder 29 or the like , so that the cd radio cassette recorder 29 or the like has a reduced chance of drawing in dust and the like . as shown in fig3 through 5 , the ambient air intake openings 13 b are arranged adjacent the air conditioning unit a . consequently , the communicating path b formed in the outer roof portion 13 and communicating with the ambient air intake openings 13 b may be shortened , and the sirocco fan 23 may have a reduced suction resistance . a support cover 18 extends rearwardly of the support frame 6 c for covering the air conditioning unit a . the rear window 5 is supported by the support frame 6 c and on the undersurface of the support cover 18 to be pivotable rearward about a transverse axis x . in a closed state , the rear window 5 does not protrude a large extent rearward , thereby to avoid interference with a linkage mechanism and the like supporting a tilling implement , though these components are not shown in the drawings . next , a second embodiment will be described , in which , as shown in fig6 , the air - conditioning unit a is mounted forwardly of the rear end of the annular upper frame 6 . as shown in fig6 and 7 , an outer roof 13 and an inner roof 14 are arranged to surround the air - conditioning unit a . an ambient air feed opening 13 c is formed in the outer roof 13 forwardly of the air - conditioning unit a , and an ambient air intake opening 13 b is formed in a downward surface of an eaves portion 13 a of the outer roof 13 projecting rearwardly for feeding ambient air to the ambient air feed opening 13 c . the inner roof 14 has a circulation opening 14 a opposed to the ambient air feed opening 13 c for drawing in air from the interior of the cab 1 . a switching valve 17 is disposed between the ambient air feed opening 13 c and circulation opening 14 a to act as a valve mechanism for opening and closing the ambient air feed opening 13 c and circulation opening 14 a . a switching may be made between a state of drawing ambient air through the ambient air intake opening 13 b into a space “ a ” formed between the inner roof 14 and outer roof 13 , and a state of shutting off ambient air and circulating the air in the cab interior through the space “ a ”. air taken into the space “ a ” is drawn into the sirocco fan 23 via a guide bore 24 a formed in the upper surface of the unit case 24 of the air - conditioning unit a . after being conditioned by the evaporator 20 and the like , the air is delivered to the air - conditioning ducts 15 a and 15 b . as shown in fig4 , the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a extends from opposite lateral ends of the evaporator 20 as described hereinbefore , and lateral air - conditioning ducts 15 b extend forward from opposite lateral ends of the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a for blowing off conditioning air into the cab as in the first embodiment . next , a mounting structure for the rear side windows 4 and rear window 5 will be described . fig7 shows the air - conditioning unit a disposed forwardly of the rear end of the annular upper frame 6 . in order to employ the construction for arranging the air - conditioning unit a forwardly of the rear end of the annular upper frame 6 , the rear end of the annular upper frame 6 is displaced rearwardly of the position of the rear window 5 . for this reason , rear pillars acting as the vertical frames 2 located at boundaries between the rear window 5 and rear side windows 4 are connected to the upper frame 6 through connecting frames 30 to increase connecting strength of the frames . the rear window 5 is supported , to be pivotable rearward to an open position , by pivot arms 32 pivotally connected to brackets 31 attached to the rear frame portion 6 b of the upper frame 6 . next , a third embodiment will be described , in which , as shown in fig8 , the air - conditioning unit a is mounted below a suspending frame portion 6 d formed on the rear frame portion 6 b acting as the transverse frame . the construction of the structural framework b for supporting the air - conditioning unit a will be described . as shown in fig8 and 9 , right and left vertical frames 2 are erected at connecting bend portions between fore and aft frame portions 6 a and rear frame portion 6 b of the annular upper frame 6 , to serve also as window frames of the rear side windows 4 . the suspending frame portion 6 d is laid to extend between the two vertical frames 2 and at a height level a step higher than the rear frame portion 6 b . the air - conditioning unit a is suspended in a state of being slipped under the lower surface of the suspending frame portion 6 d and between the neighboring vertical frames 2 supporting the suspending frame portion 6 d . the suspending frame portion 6 d is called herein an air - conditioning unit mounting portion . as shown in fig9 , a pair of right and left brackets 27 are attached in a fore and aft posture to the lower surface of the suspending frame portion 6 d . the air - conditioning unit a enclosed in a unit case 24 is fixed by bolts to the right and left brackets 27 . as shown in fig9 , an outer roof 13 and an inner roof 14 are arranged to surround the air - conditioning unit a . an ambient air feed opening 13 c is formed in the outer roof 13 forwardly of the air - conditioning unit a , and ambient air intake openings ( not shown ) are formed in eaves portions ( not shown ) of the outer roof 13 projecting laterally of the vehicle body for feeding ambient air to the ambient air feed opening 13 c . the inner roof 14 has a circulation opening 14 a opposed to the ambient air feed opening 13 c for drawing in air from the interior of the cab 1 . a switching valve 17 is disposed between the ambient air feed opening 13 c and circulation opening 14 a to act as a valve mechanism for opening and closing the ambient air feed opening 13 c and circulation opening 14 a . a switching may be made between a state of drawing ambient air through the ambient air intake opening 13 b into a space “ a ” formed between the inner roof 14 and outer roof 13 , and a state of shutting off ambient air and circulating the air in the cab interior through the space “ a ”. air taken into the space “ a ” is drawn into the sirocco fan 23 via a guide bore ( not shown ) formed in the upper surface of the unit case 24 of the air - conditioning unit a . after being conditioned by the evaporator 20 and the like , the air is delivered to the air - conditioning ducts 15 a and 15 b . as shown in fig4 , the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a extends from opposite lateral ends of the evaporator 20 as described hereinbefore , and lateral air - conditioning ducts 15 b extend forward from opposite lateral ends of the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a for blowing off conditioning air into the cab as in the second embodiment . as shown in fig9 , the rear window 5 is supported by the undersurface of a portion of the inner roof 14 projecting rearwardly of the vertical frames 2 . the rear window 5 does not protrude a large extent rearward , thereby to avoid interference with a linkage mechanism and the like supporting a tilling implement , though these components are not shown in the drawings . next , a fourth embodiment will be described , in which , as shown in fig1 , the air - conditioning unit a is mounted further rearwardly of the rear frame portion 6 b acting as the transverse frame . the construction of the structural framework b for supporting the air - conditioning unit a will be described . as shown in fig1 and 11 , right and left vertical frames 2 are erected at connecting bend portions between fore and aft frame portions 6 a and rear frame portion 6 b of the annular upper frame 6 , to serve also as window frames of the rear side windows 4 . as shown in fig1 , a pair of right and left brackets 27 are attached in a fore and aft posture to the lower surface of the rear frame portion 6 b . the air - conditioning unit a enclosed in the unit case 24 is fixed by bolts to the right and left brackets 27 . as shown in fig1 , a rear cover 28 is attached to the rear frame portion 6 b to surround the air - conditioning unit a attached to the rear frame portion 6 b . the outer roof 13 is supported by the rear frame portion 6 b , and the inner roof 14 is supported by the rear cover 28 . an ambient air feed opening 13 c is formed in the outer roof 13 , and ambient air intake openings ( not shown ) are formed in eaves portions ( not shown ) of the outer roof 13 projecting laterally of the vehicle body for feeding ambient air to the ambient air feed opening 13 c . the inner roof 14 has a circulation opening 14 a opposed to the ambient air feed opening 13 c for drawing in air from the interior of the cab 1 . a switching valve 17 is disposed between the ambient air feed opening 13 c and circulation opening 14 a to act as a valve mechanism for opening and closing the ambient air feed opening 13 c and circulation opening 14 a . the switching valve 17 switches between a state of drawing ambient air introduced through the ambient air intake opening 13 b , via a space between the inner roof 14 and outer roof 28 , into an inner space “ a ” of the rear cover 28 , and a state of shutting off ambient air and circulating the air in the cab interior through the inner space “ a ”. reference “ b ” in the drawing denotes an ambient intake guide , and 14 c denotes an interior air intake guide . air taken into the space “ a ” is drawn into the sirocco fan 23 via a guide bore 24 a formed in the upper surface of the unit case 24 of the air - conditioning unit a . after being conditioned by the evaporator 20 and the like , the air is delivered to the air - conditioning ducts 15 a and 15 b . as shown in fig4 , the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a is disposed forwardly of the evaporator 20 , and lateral air - conditioning ducts 15 b extend forward from opposite lateral ends of the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a for blowing off conditioning air into the cab as in the first to third embodiments . the rear window 5 is supported by an undersurface of a connection between the inner roof 14 and rear cover 28 . the rear window 5 does not protrude a large extent rearward , thereby to avoid interference with a linkage mechanism and the like supporting a tilling implement , though these components are not shown in the drawings . the following modified constructions should be understood as applicable to the first to fourth embodiments described hereinbefore . ( 1 ) a modified construction of the air - conditioning duct 15 will be described . a construction in which ducts 15 are arranged in the cab 1 and in a transversely middle position of the roof 7 will be described here . as shown in fig1 , an evaporator 20 and a sirocco fan 23 are surrounded by a unit case 24 . a rear air - conditioning duct 15 a continuous with the unit case 24 extends transversely for guiding conditioned air from the air - conditioning unit a , from opposite lateral ends of the evaporator 20 to the right and left sides . a central air - conditioning duct 15 e acting as a main air - conditioning duct extends forward from a transversely middle portion of the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a for guiding the conditioned air forwardly of the vehicle body . as shown in fig1 , the central air - conditioning duct 15 e include right and left intermediate branch air - conditioning ducts 15 f acting as branch air - conditioning ducts extending right and left from intermediate positions in the fore and aft direction , and front air - conditioning ducts 15 g extending to full extents right and left from positions forwardly of the intermediate branch air - conditioning ducts 15 f . each of the right and left intermediate branch air - conditioning ducts 15 f has blow - off openings 15 f formed therein . the blow - off openings 15 f are located to blow off an appropriate quantity of cool air to near the driver &# 39 ; s face . on the other hand , the front air - conditioning ducts 15 g have front blow - off openings 15 a formed therein for blowing off conditioning air forward and downward toward the windshield 25 of the cab 1 , and blow - off openings 15 d formed rearwardly of the front blow - off openings 15 a for blowing off defrost air toward the door glass panes . as shown in fig1 , branch ducts 15 c extend rearward from opposite lateral ends of the rear air - conditioning duct 15 a , and have blow - off openings 15 c formed therein for blowing conditioning air to the rear side windows 4 and rear window 5 . ( 2 ) a different modified construction of the air - conditioning duct 15 will be described . in this construction , the duct 15 is arranged in the cab 1 to cover the entire surface of the roof 7 . as shown in fig1 and 14 , an evaporator 20 and a sirocco fan 23 are surrounded by a unit case 24 . a full surface air - conditioning duct 15 h continuous with the unit case 24 extends forward from opposite lateral ends of the evaporator 20 for guiding conditioned air forward from the air - conditioning unit a . as shown in fig1 , the full surface air - conditioning duct 15 h has blow - off openings 15 f formed in intermediate positions in the fore and aft direction . the blow - off openings 15 f are located to blow off an appropriate quantity of cool air rearward to near the driver &# 39 ; s face . on the other hand , blow - off openings 15 a are formed in the cab 1 for blowing off conditioning air forward and downward toward the windshield 25 of the cab 1 . blow - off openings 15 d are formed rearwardly of the front blow - off openings 15 a for blowing off defrost air toward the door glass panes . as shown in fig1 , the full surface air - conditioning duct 15 h has blow - off openings 15 b formed therein for blowing conditioning air to the rear side windows 4 and rear window 5 . the air - conditioning duct 15 covering substantially the entire surface as described above has an advantage of allowing the blow - off openings to be formed in desired positions . as a structure for introduces external air into the full surface duct 15 h having such construction , as shown in fig1 and 14 , ambient air feed openings 13 b are formed in eaves portion 13 e of the outer roof 13 projecting laterally of the vehicle body . ( 3 ) although not shown , bellows - like connectors may be provided in the connections between the right and left air - conditioning ducts 15 b and 15 b and rear air - conditioning duct 15 a . then , the connecting state is stabilized by the elasticity of the duct itself and by absorbing manufacturing errors , for example . ( 4 ) as shown in fig1 , a hose 26 extends from the unit case 24 to discharge dew water from the evaporator 20 . the hose 26 extends out of the vehicle body through the interior of the vertical frame 2 present adjacent the unit case 24 . ( 5 ) a mode of using the upper frame 6 as air - conditioning ducts 15 will be described next . as shown in fig1 , an ambient air intake opening ( not shown ) is formed in a rearward eaves portion ( not shown ) of the outer roof 13 . air is taken in from a communicating path “ b ” of the outer roof 13 into a space “ a ” formed with the inner roof 14 , and introduced through a guide bore 24 a into the air - conditioning unit a . as shown in fig1 , ambient air and interior air introduced are sent out of an exit 24 a of the unit case 24 after being adjusted by the air - conditioning unit a . the exit 24 a communicates with the interior space of the upper frame 6 , so that the fore and aft frame portions 6 a of the upper frame 6 serve as the air - conditioning ducts 15 . thus , as shown in fig1 , air blow - off openings 6 a of conditioned air are formed in inner surfaces of the fore and aft frame portions 6 a . since the upper frame 6 is used also as air - conditioning ducts , there is no need to provide air - conditioning ducts separately . the mode of supporting the air - conditioning unit a is the same as in the first embodiment . ( 6 ) the following framework construction may be adopted for the cab 1 . as shown in fig1 ( a ), ( b ), right and left front struts 2 , supporting the windshield 25 , of the structural framework b project above the right and left , fore and aft frame portions 6 a of the upper frame 6 , and an upper front frame portion 6 e extending transversely and connecting upper ends of the front struts 2 is installed above the right and left , fore and aft frame portions 6 a . since these components are located above the right and left , fore and aft frame portions 6 a , the windshield 25 may be located in a correspondingly elevated position , to provide an excellent , enlarged field of view for the driver . as shown in fig1 ( a ), ( b ), right and left front struts 2 are curved so that upper end regions 2 a are located further rearward than lower regions of the front struts 2 . an upper front frame portion 6 e is placed to extend between the upper ends of the front struts 2 . the upper front frame portion 6 e and the right and left , fore and aft frame portions 6 a are set to the same height . with this construction , the upper front frame portion 6 e can be located further rearward than the lower regions of the front struts 2 . the driver can look up with an enlarged field of view , to be able to see an increased height . ( 7 ) the outer roof 13 may have eaves portions projecting laterally or fore and aft from the upper frame 6 , to prevent direct rays entering the cab having large glass surfaces . ( 8 ) the foregoing embodiments have been described as applying this invention to the agricultural tractor . the invention may be applied to other agricultural machines such as a combine or to construction equipment . ( 9 ) a lateral air - conditioning duct 15 b may be provided for only one of the right and left sides . ( 10 ) the ambient air intake opening 13 b may be provided only to one of the eaves portions 13 e . especially when it is provided on the left side ( i . e . the side the operator often gets in and out of the cabin ) of the roof ( 7 ), the filter in the ambient air intake opening 13 b may more easily be accessed for checking and maintenance . also , since the fan 23 is located on the right hand area of the roof 7 , the air flow speed can be increased due to funneling effect since the opening 13 b is located at a distance from the fan 23 , leading to an increased efficiency of the fan 23 .	1
referring now to the drawings , and particularly to fig1 thereof , there is shown cutting and joining apparatus 10 for cutting sections of predetermined shape and length from a first continuously moving web 12 and for associating the sections cut from the first moving web with a second moving web 14 . the illustrated arrangement will be described in the context of an angular cut across the first web , such as to cut a chevron - shaped section from the first continuously moving web , and associating successive sections cut from the first web in spaced relationship relative to each other and successively along the machine direction of a second continuously moving web . the first and second webs each move at a constant speed , but the second web moves at a faster speed than that of the first web . the second web can serve as a carrier web that carries a series of spaced elements with which the sections cut from the first web are to be associated . the illustrated apparatus can advantageously be utilized in the manufacture of disposable diapers . for example , chevron - shaped fastener components can be cut from the first moving web when it is a fastener component material , and the cut components can be transferred in spaced relationship , relative to each other , to a second moving web that is a liquid - impervious backsheet material . however , although disclosed in the context of disposable diaper manufacture , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the arrangement shown , as well as individual elements thereof , can be utilized in connection with many other different types of products in which pieces cut from one moving web are to be associated in some way with another moving element or another moving web . first moving web 12 , which travels at a first constant speed and which can be in the form of an overlay material , is fed to the cutting and joining apparatus 10 from a web supply source ( not shown ), such as an unwind stand . web 12 passes over a pair of spaced , parallel first and second idler rolls 16 , 18 to a third idler roll 20 . between second and third idler rolls 18 , 20 there is shown a glue applicator 22 that can optionally be provided in order to apply a layer of glue , or , alternatively , a predetermined glue pattern , to the adjacent surface of web 12 . after passing over third idler roll 20 , web 12 engages and passes over the outer surface of a web deflector 24 . web deflector 24 is carried on a rotatable shaft 26 , and it has a cross - sectional area the centroid of which is offset from the axis of rotation of shaft 26 . the dashed circle 28 surrounding the axis of shaft 26 describes the circular pathway swept by the radially - outermost surface of web deflector 24 . after passing over a portion of the outer surface of web deflector 24 , first web 12 progresses over a guide bar 30 and then comes into contact with the outer cylindrical surface of an anvil roll 32 that is adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of a similarly - sized cutter roll 34 . anvil roll 32 has a pair of diametrically - oppositely - disposed peripheral anvils 36 , 38 , and cutter roll 34 has a corresponding number of diametrically - oppositely - disposed peripheral cutting knives 40 , 42 that are so positioned on the periphery of cutter roll 34 as to periodically engage respective ones of anvils 36 , 38 as cutter roll 34 and anvil roll 32 rotate together in the directions shown by the arrows in fig1 . guide bar 30 that is positioned between web deflector 24 and anvil roll 32 is connected with a source of pressurized air ( not shown ) in order to lightly lift the moving first web 12 away from the surface of guide bar 30 and to support moving web 12 without significant frictional drag as the web passes toward anvil roll 32 . in that regard , guide bar 30 serves to maintain moving web 12 in a predetermined position immediately upstream of anvil roll 32 and also to provide a web guide surface to prevent relatively flexible webs from being diverted downwardly , as viewed in fig1 away from the desired path of web travel , after a forward portion of the web material has been cut , as will hereinafter be described . cutting knives 40 , 42 carried by cutter roll 34 serve to cut sections 44 of predetermined size and shape from first web 12 , after which anvil roll 32 carries cut sections 44 to a nip defined between the periphery of anvil roll 32 and the periphery of a transfer roll 46 that is in contacting peripheral engagement therewith . transfer roll 46 receives second moving web 14 from a source ( not shown ), such as an unwind stand , or the like . second moving web 14 travels at a second constant speed and passes from transfer roll 46 to a downstream processing station ( not shown ) at which additional operations and manipulations can be performed on web 14 . as shown in fig1 second moving web 14 receives cut sections 44 that are pressed against se ¢ cond moving web 14 between anvil roll 32 and transfer roll 46 , and that adhere to second moving web 14 by virtue of the glue that had been applied to the outwardly facing surface of first moving web 12 by glue applicator 22 . as also apparent from fig1 the several cut sections 44 are positioned on second moving web 14 in spaced relationship , at a predetermined spacing along the machine direction of second moving web 14 . the illustrated arrangement is particularly adapted to enable cuts to be made in first moving web 12 that extend at an acute angle to the machine direction of that web . for example , and as shown in fig2 when cutting knives 40 , 42 , carried by cutter roll 34 , are chevron - shaped , they can provide chevron - shaped cut sections 44 . alternatively , cutting knives 40 , 42 can be of bowed , curved form , or of any other form wherein the cut that is made includes a component of the cut that extends for some predetermined distance along the machine direction of the web . the cutting process occurs progressively as anvil roll 32 rotates with web 12 carried on the peripheral surface of roll 32 , as opposed to an instantaneous transverse cut at a right angle to the machine direction movement of the web . referring once again to fig1 anvil roll 32 has a plurality of peripherally - disposed apertures ( not shown ) that extend across and around the cylindrical outer surface of the roll . the apertures at predetermined portions of the anvil roll periphery are in communication with a source of vacuum ( not shown ) through a suitable vacuum manifold ( not shown ). the vacuum manifold can be placed in contact with an apertured end wall of anvil roll 32 to provide a communication path between the source of vacuum and the peripherally - distributed apertures . apertured rolls having an apertured end wall and corresponding manifolds that provide pressurized air or vacuum to peripherally - distributed apertures in such a roll while it is rotating are known and will therefore not be further described herein . anvil roll 32 includes a holding zone 50 that extends over a predetermined peripheral area of the roll , such as the peripheral area subtended by the angle α , which can be 90 ° as shown in fig1 . angle α can be another angle than 90 °, based upon the relative positions of anvil roll 32 , cutter roll 34 , and transfer roll 46 , to maintain cut sections 44 on the peripheral surface of anvil roll 32 after the second cut that defines the machine - direction length of cut section 44 , until the cut section is transferred to second web 14 . holding zone 50 can be a high vacuum zone that serves to relatively tightly hold cut sections 44 to the surface of anvil roll 32 after the sections have been severed from first moving web 12 . thus , rotating anvil roll 32 carries cut sections 44 from the nip defined between cutter roll 34 and anvil roll 32 to the nip defined between transfer roll 46 and anvil roll 32 . a web slip zone 52 is provided on anvil roll 32 immediately upstream of holding zone 50 . web slip zone 52 is defined by a predetermined peripheral area of anvil roll 32 , such as the peripheral area subtended by the angle θ , and provides a zone that is in communication with a source of low vacuum to lightly hold web 12 against the surface of anvil roll 32 . web slip zone 52 allows the leading edge of web 12 to slip relative to the moving peripheral surface of anvil roll 32 at a time before a cut is made in the web . the angle θ defining web slip zone 52 can be an angle of approximately 30 °, although that angle can be any desired angle and can be selected based upon the relative sizes and relative dispositions of the elements of the apparatus that are upstream of anvil roll 32 . as will be more fully described hereinafter , the rotation of web deflector 24 , which rotates in the same direction as anvil roll 32 and at a constant angular speed , causes the speed of web 12 , as it leaves the web deflector , to undergo cyclic acceleration and deceleration , depending upon the angular position of web deflector 24 relative to anvil roll 32 . in the arrangement illustrated in fig1 the diameter of imaginary circle 28 described by the radially - outermost surface of web deflector 24 , as the deflector is rotated about the axis of shaft 26 , is equal to the radius of anvil roll 32 , to enable two cuts at an appropriate spacing to be made in web 12 in order to provide a cut segment 44 having the desired machine - direction length . in that regard , the angle φ shown in fig1 subtends an arc on web deflector 24 having a machine - direction length that corresponds with the machine - direction lengths of each of transversely - disposed cutting knives 40 , 42 carried by cutter roll 34 . the external peripheral configuration of web deflector 24 is shown in enlarged form in cross section in fig3 . in the configuration as shown , the upper left portion of the deflector cross section includes a first constant radius zone 54 subtended by angle φ , which can range from about 2 ° to about 35 °. the surface length of first constant radius zone 54 corresponds with the machine - direction - length component of a single cut to be made in web 12 . thus , the peripheral distance along the surface of web deflector 24 defined by first contact zone 54 corresponds with the machine direction length of the cut to be made in web 12 . during the time that a cut is made in web 12 , the linear speed of that portion of the web that is in contact with anvil roll 32 matches the linear speed of the periphery of the anvil roll , so that the cut can be cleanly made . proceeding in a clockwise direction from first constant radius zone 54 , relative to the axis of rotation of the deflector , the next succeeding portion of the deflector surface is a curvilinear intermediate section that resembles a spiral or a volute and serves to define a web storage zone 56 . the storage zone subtends an angle that ranges from about 30 ° to about 220 °. incoming web 12 is progressively deflected away from the axis of rotation of web deflector 24 and away from anvil roll 32 by web storage zone 56 until a succeeding cut is intended to be made in web 12 . after web storage zone 56 , there is provided a second constant radius zone 58 on web deflector 24 . within second constant radius zone 58 the speed at which the web section is received matches the constant infeed speed of the upstream portion of web 12 . the second constant radius zone subtends an arc that is the same angle φ as that of the first constant radius zone . proceeding clockwise from second constant radius zone 58 and terminating at first constant radius zone 54 is a rectilinear intermediate section that defines a null zone 60 that subtends an angle that can range from about 45 ° to about 87 °. within null zone 60 the leading edge portion of web 12 decelerates , relative to the surface of anvil roll 32 , in preparation for the subsequent web storage and the ensuing next cut cycle . the relative positions of the various elements of the apparatus shown in fig1 during various portions of an operating cycle are shown progressively in fig4 through 11 for successive incremental increases in the degree of rotation of anvil roll 32 , cutter roll 34 , and web deflector 24 . in the positions of the respective components of the apparatus as they are shown in fig4 several cut sections 44 have been transferred to continuously moving second web 14 . additionally , the leading edge 62 of first web 12 , which is defined by the second cut that formed the trailing edge of the immediately preceding cut section 44 , has passed the twelve o &# 39 ; clock position on anvil roll 32 as the forward portion of first web 12 travels at the same linear speed as the surface speed of the anvil roll . in the positions shown in fig4 the cutter is just beginning the second cut into the forward portion of first web 12 to form what will be the next cut section . during that time web deflector 24 is rotating to allow the forward portion of first web 12 to proceed at a linear speed that matches the peripheral surface speed of anvil roll 32 . as anvil roll 32 and cutter roll 34 continue to rotate through an angle of about 20 °, web deflector 24 rotates through an angle twice that size , of about 40 °, to the position shown in fig5 . in the relative positions of the several components of the apparatus as shown in fig5 the second cut has been completed in first web 12 to form the next cut section 64 . the cut was effected during the time the forward portion of first web 12 moves at the same speed as the surface speed of the anvil roll . cut section 64 is maintained on the peripheral surface of anvil roll 32 in holding zone 50 by the vacuum that is applied to an end wall of anvil roll 32 . at the completion of the second cut , web deflector 24 has rotated to a point at which the matching of the linear speeds of the forward portion of first web 12 and that of the periphery of anvil roll 32 terminates . after a second cut is completed to define a complete cut section 44 , anvil roll 32 and cutter roll 34 each continue to rotate to the positions shown in fig6 which are approximately 25 ° of rotation beyond their positions as shown in fig5 . when the rolls are in the fig6 position , cutting knife 40 has separated from associated anvil 36 , and cut section 64 has been retained in holding zone 50 of anvil roll 32 as the anvil roll surface revolves toward transfer roll 46 . in the meantime , web deflector 24 has continued its rotation as the leading edge of first web 12 has moved beyond the twelve o &# 39 ; clock position relative to anvil roll 32 by virtue of the reduced outward deflection of web 12 by web deflector 24 . as also is apparent from fig6 first web 12 begins to come into contact with web storage zone 56 of web deflector 24 . additional rotation of web deflector 24 serves to cause the approaching portion of first web 12 to be pushed radially outwardly , relative to web deflector 24 , and in a direction away from anvil roll 32 , as is shown more clearly in the progressive views of fig7 through 10 . referring now to fig7 and 8 , cut segment 64 is carried by anvil roll 32 into the nip defined between anvil roll 32 and transfer roll 46 , to begin the gradual transfer of cut segment 64 from anvil roll 32 to the facing surface of second web 14 . during the time interval within which cut segment 64 is undergoing transfer to second web 14 , the speed of the new leading edge 66 at the forward portion of first web 12 diminishes and the forward portion of first web 12 slips relative to the peripheral surface of anvil roll 32 as the anvil roll continues to rotate at a constant rotational speed . the slippage occurs because of the progressively increasing radius of web deflector 24 within web storage zone 56 , which pushes the approaching portion of first web 12 in a direction away from anvil roll 32 as first web 12 continues its movement , resulting in new leading edge 66 at the forward portion of first web 12 being substantially stationary relative to the axis of rotation of anvil roll 32 as the anvil roll continues to rotate . the forward portion of first web 12 is lightly held against the moving peripheral surface of anvil roll 32 by a low vacuum level communicated to anvil roll 32 and applied at the roll surface at web slip zone 52 . during that time the downstream portion of first web 12 between web deflector 24 and anvil roll 32 is maintained at a constant angle relative to anvil roll 32 by virtue of guide bar 30 . in fig9 the respective components have continued their rotation and cut segment 64 has been completely transferred to second web 14 . at the same time , new leading edge 66 of first web 12 continues to slip on the peripheral surface of anvil roll 32 as additional first web material is , in essence , taken up or stored by the increasing radius of web deflector 24 as it rotates around its axis to the position shown in fig1 . at that point the deflection of first web 12 away from anvil roll 32 has been completed , and first web 12 begins to come into contact with first constant radius zone 54 of web deflector 24 . fig1 shows the components after they have rotated through an additional increment . anvil roll 32 and cutter roll 34 are shown in their respective positions shortly before a successive cut at the forward portion of first web 12 is commenced to define the next cut section . the forward portion of first web 12 continues to slip on the peripheral surface of anvil roll 32 , at a gradually diminishing relative speed , as cutting knife 42 carried by cutter roll 34 approaches anvil 38 carried by anvil roll 32 . new leading edge 66 of first web 12 begins to accelerate to a linear speed that matches the peripheral speed of anvil roll 32 until the components of the apparatus again reach their respective positions as shown in fig4 to begin the next cutting cycle . as will be appreciated , the disclosed apparatus permits a cut to be continuously made as the anvil roll rotates , so that the cut is made in a progressive manner , rather than instantaneously across the overlay material web , as in the prior art devices . further , it will also be apparent that the respective rotating elements of the apparatus rotate continuously and at a constant speed , thereby avoiding the need for sudden decelerations and accelerations of the rolls , with the consequent stresses and increased wear that such operations engender . moreover , the web deflector 24 , as shown in fig1 - 11 , having a continuous outer surface , can be particularly adapted for use of the device in connection with web materials having a relatively moderate modulus of elasticity . such web materials should be capable of accepting the tensile loads that are applied to the first moving web during the course of the rotational movement of web deflector 24 as it deflects first web 12 away from anvil roll 32 during the web take - up portion of the operating cycle , and without significant elongation . the web deflector in accordance with the present invention is also adaptable for use in connection with web materials that have a relatively low modulus of elasticity . for example , relatively delicate webs of material , such as tissue , certain non - woven fibrous webs or other types of extensible materials , can also be utilized in an apparatus that includes a web deflector in accordance with the present invention . when such low modulus materials are utilized as the first web material it is desirable to reduce the level of surface friction between the first web material and the web deflector , to avoid excessive elongation of the web during the web - take - up phase of the operating cycle . thus , it is desirable to minimize the surface - friction - induced tension applied to the first web to avoid permanent elongation of the web , which could result in cut segments having different or irregular cut lengths . one way in which surface friction between the web deflector and first web 12 can be minimized is by providing a web deflector 67 as shown in fig1 . web deflector 67 has a peripheral surface that itself moves , and at substantially the same linear speed as that of the forwardmost portion of web 12 such a moving web deflector surface can be provided by a driven , endless belt 68 that extends across the width of web deflector 67 and that defines the web deflector outer peripheral surface . the belt is driven to move at substantially the same linear speed as that of first web 12 , and it can be supported on a plurality of elongated rollers 70 through 74 . rollers 70 through 74 can be driven by gears from drive shaft 26 a or by a suitable belt drive system similar to that described hereinafter in connection with the roller drive system described hereinafter and shown in fig1 and 14 . as an alternative to the use of an endless moving belt to define the peripheral surface of the web deflector , a series of rotatable , elongated rollers can be provided . in that regard , the radially outermost peripheral edges of each of the rollers are respective points that define the cross - sectional shape of the periphery of web deflector 80 as shown in fig1 and 14 . fig1 is a view parallel to the machine axis taken through web deflector 80 that includes a plurality of rollers 82 through 90 that are each rotatably supported in bearings carried in a pair of spaced end housings 92 , 94 . a pair of spaced , parallel support bars 96 , 98 extend between end housings 92 , 94 to interconnect them and to provide a supporting framework for the respective rollers . within each of end housings 92 , 94 , driven rollers 84 , 86 , 88 , and 90 each include respective end - mounted drive pulleys 100 , 102 that are secured to the outermost ends of the respective rollers , each of the drive pulleys having a groove or recess to receive a drive belt 104 . belt 104 passes over the respective pulleys 100 , 102 and is driven from pulleys 100 , 102 carried on drive shaft 26 a driven from a suitable power source ( not shown ) by a belt or the like that drives a main drive pulley 106 . the sizes of the respective pulleys are selected to provide a driven roller peripheral speed that causes the respective driven rollers to rotate at speeds such that their respective surface speeds correspond substantially with the linear speed of movement of first web 12 , thereby minimizing friction between the moving web and the deflector and avoiding undesired elongation of a delicate or easily extensible material web . and although shown and described as a belt drive , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other drive arrangement can also be utilized , such as a chain drive , a gear drive , or the like . in addition to the belt approach shown in fig1 and the driven roller approach shown in fig1 and 14 , the friction between first web 12 and the surface of the web deflector can alternatively be minimized by providing a web deflector 108 that provides a peripheral air lubrication film , as shown in fig1 through 18 . deflector 108 can have a continuous outer peripheral surface 110 that is contacted by first web 12 and that includes a plurality of apertures 112 through which pressurized air can pass to form a thin film of air on outer surface 110 to minimize direct frictional contact between first web 12 and peripheral surface 110 of deflector 108 . as best seen in fig1 , outer surface 110 of web deflector 108 is positioned between a pair of opposed end plates 114 , 116 . deflector 108 includes a series of longitudinally - extending air distributor passageways 118 that communicate with one or more longitudinally - extending rows each including a plurality of apertures 112 that extend radially through peripheral surface 110 of deflector 108 . end plates 114 , 116 include a plurality of circularly - disposed , spaced openings 120 that communicate with respective ones of air distributors 118 . positioned adjacent end plates 114 , 116 are a pair of air manifolds 122 , 124 that communicate with a source of pressurized air ( not shown ) through respective air inlet conduits 126 , 128 . web deflector 108 includes stub shafts 130 at each end that are rotatably carried in a respective end journal 132 . pressurized air is provided to air manifolds 122 , 124 and flows into passageways 118 within the interior of web deflector 108 . the pressurized air exits through apertures 112 and thereby provides a peripheral air film that serves as an air bearing against which a fragile first web 12 can move to minimize friction between the web and the deflector surface and to minimize possible undesirable elongation of the low modulus first web material . although particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described , it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention . it is therefore intended to be encompassed within the appended claims all such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention .	8
the term “ fiber ” as used herein refers to a fundamental component used in the assembly of yarns and fabrics . generally , a fiber is a component which has a length dimension which is much greater than its diameter or width . this term includes ribbon , strip , staple , and other forms of chopped , cut or discontinuous fiber and the like having a regular or irregular cross section . “ fiber ” also includes a plurality of any one of the above or a combination of the above . as used herein , the term “ high performance fiber ” means that class of synthetic or natural non - glass fibers having high values of tenacity greater than 10 g / denier , such that they lend themselves for applications where high abrasion and / or cut resistance is important . typically , high performance fibers have a very high degree of molecular orientation and crystallinity in the final fiber structure . the term “ filament ” as used herein refers to a fiber of indefinite or extreme length such as found naturally in silk . this term also refers to manufactured fibers produced by , among other things , extrusion processes . individual filaments making up a fiber may have any one of a variety of cross sections to include round , serrated or crenular , bean - shaped or others . the term “ yarn ” as used herein refers to a continuous strand of textile fibers , filaments or material in a form suitable for knitting , weaving , or otherwise intertwining to form a textile fabric . yarn can occur in a variety of forms to include a spun yarn consisting of staple fibers usually bound together by twist ; a multi filament yarn consisting of many continuous filaments or strands ; or a mono filament yarn which consist of a single strand . the term “ air interlacing ” as used herein refers to subjecting multiple strands of yarn to an air jet to combine the strands and thus form a single , intermittently commingled strand . this treatment is sometimes referred to as “ air tacking .” this term is not used to refer to the process of “ intermingling ” or “ entangling ” which is understood in the art to refer to a method of air compacting a multifilament yarn to facilitate its further processing , particularly in weaving processes . a yarn strand that has been intermingled typically is not combined with another yarn . rather , the individual multifilament strands are entangled with each other within the confines of the single strand . this air compacting is used as a substitute for yarn sizing and as a means to provide improved pick resistance . this term also does not refer to well known air texturizing performed to increase the bulk of single yarn or multiple yarn strands . methods of air interlacing in composite yarns and suitable apparatus therefore are described in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 349 , 531 ; 6 , 341 , 483 ; and 6 , 212 , 914 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . the term “ composite yarn ” refers to a yarn prepared from two or more yarns , which can be the same or different . composite yarn can occur in a variety of forms wherein the two or more yarns are in differing orientations relative to one another . the two or more yarns can , for example , be parallel , wrapped one around the other ( s ), twisted together , or combinations of any or all of these , as well as other orientations , depending on the properties of the composite yarn desired . examples of such composite yarns are provided in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 777 , 789 ; 5 , 177 , 948 ; 5 , 628 , 172 ; 5 , 845 , 476 ; 6 , 351 , 932 ; 6 , 363 , 703 and 6 , 367 , 290 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . the term “ composite fabric ” is used herein to indicate a fabric prepared from two or more different types of yarn or composite yarn . the fabric construction can be any type , including but not limited to , woven , knitted , non - woven , etc . the two or more different types of yarn or composite yarn include , but are not limited to , those made from natural fibers , synthetic fibers and combinations thereof . the term “ composite article ” is used herein to indicate a final article that comprises at least two different types of materials . the composite article can be prepared from a composite fabric , or can be prepared from a conventional fabric containing only one type of yarn , but is put together using a yarn or sewing thread made of a different material . alternatively , the conventional fabric can be sewn together using a composite yarn as the sewing thread . composite articles can be any form , including but not limited to , gloves , aprons , socks , filters , shirts , pants , undergarments , one - piece jumpsuits , etc . all of these types of articles , as well as other permutations that are readily evident to those of skill in the art , are included in the present invention definition of “ composite article ”. the present invention relates to a method for providing antimicrobial properties to a composite yarn , composite fabric or composite article . the method comprises immersion of the composite yarn , fabric or article in an aqueous solution / emulsion / dispersion of an organic antimicrobial agent , draining excess water from the yarn , fabric or article , followed by drying the composite yarn , fabric or article using a heater , preferably at a temperature of from 50 - 100 ° c . preferably the heater has forced blowing hot air at the desired temperature to assist in carrying off the moisture being liberated from the treated product . alternatively , the heater can operate under reduced pressure if desired , to further lower the temperature and remove moisture being liberated . as antimicrobial agent for use in the present invention , one can use any conventional organic ( i . e . non - silver ion containing ) antimicrobial agent . preferably , the antimicrobial agent is a silicone based quaternary ammonium salt , more preferably a copolymer ( which may or may not include partially or fully hydrolyzed forms ) of a long chain ( c 12 - c 20 ) alkyldimethylaminotrihydroxysilylpropyl ammonium halide and a chloroalkyltrihydroxysilane . particularly preferred for use as the antimicrobial agent is a copolymer ( which may or may not include partially or fully hydrolyzed forms ) of octadecylaminodimethyltrihydroxysilylpropyl ammonium chloride and chloropropyltrihydroxysilane . suitable such antimicrobials include , but are not limited to , the bioshield line of antimicrobial agents available from novabiogenetics , inc ., antimicrobials such as those used to prepare the biokryl products from acordis , or the antimicrobial agents from aegis environments such as aem 5700 antimicrobial , aem 5772 antimicrobial and aegis antimicrobial . the antimicrobial agent is used as an aqueous solution / emulsion / dispersion ( depending on the solubility of the agent itself ). when necessary for the creation of an emulsion or dispersion , any conventional emulsifier or dispersant can be used , so long as it can be readily washed away from the surface of the yarn , fabric or article using water and a detergent . preferably the antimicrobial agent is present in the antimicrobial agent bath in an amount of from 0 . 1 - 2 % by weight , more preferably from 0 . 1 - 1 % by weight , most preferably from 0 . 3 - 0 . 7 % by weight . if the antimicrobial agent is received from the supplier at a higher percentage that desired , the agent can be diluted as needed to provide the desired strength of solution / emulsion / dispersion . for providing antimicrobial properties to a composite yarn , the present process can be used with the composite yarn at any stage after assembly of the yarn . if used in a continuous type process ( within the context of the present invention a continuous type process includes both truly continuous processes and semi - continuous processes in which there are periodic stops for product type changes , other line modifications or for any other reason ), the application of the antimicrobial liquid can be performed after assembly but prior to take up on a yarn package or bobbin . the application in such a continuous process can be done by immersion through a bath , followed by drying using an in - line dryer . drying can alternatively be performed in such a continuous process by use of a heated drying roll around which the composite yarn is wrapped . drying time can be adjusted based upon the size of the drying roll and the number of wraps of yarn around the roll . in a batch type process , the composite yarn is assembled , taken up on a bobbin , then the entire composite yarn package ( yarn wound around the bobbin ) is immersed in the antimicrobial agent bath . after immersion for a period of time sufficient to provide complete penetration of the antimicrobial agent liquid throughout the bobbin ( preferably from 5 - 60 seconds ), the package is removed from the bath , excess water drained , and the package placed in a heater at the drying temperature . for providing antimicrobial properties to a composite fabric , the present process can likewise be used at any stage after formation of the fabric , either in a continuous type process or in a batch type process . as in the composite yarn case , the continuous type process for a composite fabric can be performed by applying the antimicrobial liquid after formation of the fabric ( i . e . after weaving , knitting or forming the non - woven web ), but prior to take up of the fabric on a roll . the application of the antimicrobial agent can be done by immersion through a bath , followed by drying the fabric using an in - line dryer . as in the composite yarn case , the composite fabric can also be rendered antimicrobial in a batch type process by immersion of an entire roll of the fabric , draining of the excess water , and placing the roll in a heater at the drying temperature . in a preferred embodiment of the present process , the process is used on a composite article to provide antimicrobial properties . this embodiment is most preferred in that it can be readily accomplished by the consumer using a conventional household washer and dryer . in this embodiment , the antimicrobial agent is added to the washer before or during the wash cycle . after washing , the treated composite article is placed in the household dryer and dried at a temperature of approximately 70 - 90 ° c . the resulting composite article has antimicrobial properties which will last for at least 20 wash cycles , more preferably for at least 40 wash cycles , most preferably up to 50 wash cycles without the need for replenishment . the present process can be used on any articles , including those made from synthetic fibers or yarns , those made from natural fibers or yarns , leather products , and articles that contain any or all of these . suitable articles include any article of clothing or protective wear , such as shoes , socks , gloves , as well as filtering media . a further preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for recycling of the spent liquid containing the antimicrobial agent , for use on other composite yarns , composite fabrics or composite articles . conventionally , when manufacturers prepare antimicrobial products by immersion of a product ( as opposed to incorporation into the internal structure of the product components themselves ), the spent antimicrobial agent containing liquid is disposed of after a single use . applicants have found that by recycling the spent antimicrobial agent containing liquid , multiple repetitions of the process can be performed without the need to replenish the level of antimicrobial agent . even then , all that is needed is to add enough antimicrobial agent to the liquid to bring the amount of agent up to the desired level . one major advantage in this method is the cost savings that result from the recycling of the antibacterial agent solution . this makes the treatment less expensive than most products used in the field today . another advantage is that the treated products are washable with other basic wash items , towels and underwear etc . normal bleach and detergents are also no problem and do not detract from the antibacterial properties of the product . quite the contrary , the use of bleach can actually be advantageous as mentioned below . once the present process has been performed on a composite yarn , fabric or article , the antimicrobial properties are robust and survive through multiple wash / dry cycles ( as noted above ). these properties can also be replenished or reactivated by washing or treating the used yarn , fabric or article in a hypochlorite containing bleach solution , such as the conventional sodium hypochlorite . while the process of the present invention can be performed at any bath ph , it is preferred that the ph be slightly basic , more preferably ≧ 8 , most preferably ≧ 9 . at these higher ph &# 39 ; s the resulting treated product has greater durability of the antimicrobial properties . the present process provides the ability to readily treat yarns , fabrics and articles made from more than one type of material and impart antimicrobial properties to the entire product , regardless of its composition . further , the present process does not require the use of pressurized equipment , as is often conventionally done when attempting to infiltrate an entire bobbin of yarn or roll of fabric . the present process is readily performed on finished articles by the consumer , or on assembled composite yarns or composite fabrics by the yarn or fabric manufacturer , with relative ease and with little added cost . even better is the ability to recycle the antimicrobial agent bath used in the process for added cost savings . further , by using organic antimicrobial agents ( instead of silver ion based antimicrobials ) and the lower drying temperatures of the present process , the resulting antimicrobial products do not experience the discoloration that occurs with silver based antimicrobials , or that can occur due to heat degradation of other antimicrobial agents . obviously , additional modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein .	3
an outline of the present invention will now be described referring to fig3 . in a prescaler 60 embodying the present invention , as shown in fig3 a pulse signal f vco is input via a buffer circuit 23 to a pair of staged , synchronous flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 which constitute a counter section y 1 . the number of transistors driven by the buffer circuit 23 is less than that of the conventional prescaler . this reduces the power dissipation of the buffer circuit 23 . according to the present invention , a series of staged flip - flop circuits ffl1 to ff ( n - 1 ), comprise an extender section y 2 . comprised to the prior art prescaler 50 , the number of flip - flops in the extender section y 2 is increased by the reduced number of stages of the flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 of the counter section y 1 . however , the operational frequency of the flip - flop circuits of the extender section y 2 is one half of the operational frequency of the flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 of the counter section y 1 . the reduction in operational frequency decreases the power dissipation of the prescaler . the prescaler 60 further comprises a switching circuit 24 connected between the counter section y 1 and the extender section y 2 . the switching circuit 24 uses a current source common to the flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 of the counter section y 1 . accordingly , it is unnecessary to provide a separate current source for the switching circuit 24 , which contributes to reducing the number of current sources of the prescaler 60 as well as reducing the power dissipation thereof . a first preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig4 through 9 . as shown in fig4 an oscillator 10 sends a specific frequency based on the oscillation of a quartz oscillator to a reference frequency divider 12 as a reference clock signal ck . the reference frequency divider 12 , which is constituted by a counter circuit , frequency - divides the reference clock signal ck based on the frequency - dividing ratio preset in a shift register 13 , and sends a reference signal fr to a phase comparator 14 . the phase comparator 14 receives a comparison signal fp from a comparative frequency divider 15 , and sends pulse signals φr and φp according to the frequency difference and phase difference between the reference signal fr and the comparison signal fp to a charge pump 16 . the charge pump 16 sends an output signal scp to a low - pass filter ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; lpf &# 34 ;) 17 based on the pulse signals φr and φp from the phase comparator 14 . the output signal scp includes a dc component and a pulse component . the dc component of the signal scp corresponds to the frequency difference between the pulse signals φr and φp , and the pulse component varies based on the phase difference between the pulse signals φr and φp . the lpf 17 sends an output signal slpf having its high - frequency component removed to a voltage controlled oscillator ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; vco &# 34 ;) 18 to smooth the output signal scp of the charge pump 16 . the vco 18 sends a pulse signal f vco , whose frequency corresponds to the voltage value of the signal slpf from the lpf 17 , to an external circuit ( not shown ) and the comparative frequency divider 15 . the comparative frequency divider 15 , which is of a pulse swallow type , includes a prescaler 19 , a main counter 20 , a swallow counter 21 and a controller 22 . the pulse signal f vco from the vco 18 is input to the prescaler 19 of the comparative frequency divider 15 . the prescaler 19 divides the frequency of the pulse signal f vco by a value m or m + 1 , and sends a resultant , frequency - divided signal p out to the main counter 20 and the swallow counter 21 . the main counter 20 frequency - divides the frequency - divided signal p out from the prescaler 19 by ` n ` based on a frequency - dividing ratio set in the shift register 13 , and sends a resultant , frequency - divided signal as a comparison signal fp to the phase comparator 14 . the frequency - divided signal from the main counter 20 is also input to the controller 22 . every time the main counter frequency - divides the frequency - divided signal p out by n , the controller 22 sends an enable signal to the swallow counter 21 . the swallow counter 21 further frequency - divides the frequency - divided signal p out from the prescaler 19 , and sends a resultant , frequency - divided signal fs to the controller 22 . based on the frequency - divided signal fs from the swallow counter 21 , the controller 22 sends a module control signal md of , for example , an h level to the prescaler 19 . based on the h - level module control signal md , the prescaler 19 outputs the signal p out which is the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by m . on the other hand , the controller 22 outputs the module control signal md of , for example , an l level until the swallow counter 21 counts ` a ` pulses . based on the l - level module control signal md , the prescaler 19 outputs the signal p out which is the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by m + 1 . in the above - described pll circuit , therefore , every time the main counter frequency - divides the frequency - divided signal p out by n , the swallow counter 21 counts the frequency - divided signal p out from the prescaler 19 . the specific structure of the prescaler 19 will now be discussed referring to fig5 . the prescaler 19 includes individual flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 , which receive the pulse signal f vco from the vco 18 , via a buffer circuit 23 , as a clock signal ck . the flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 constitute a counter section y 1 . a first nor gate 24a receives a signal q from the flip - flop circuit ff1 and a signal from a second nor gate 24b , and provides the flip - flop circuit ff1 with its data d input . a flip - flop circuit ff1 sends its output signal q as the clock signal ck to the flip - flop circuit ffl1 . the flip - flop circuit ffl1 feeds its output signal xq back to its data d input . a flip - flop circuit ffl2 receives the signal q from the flip - flop circuit ffl1 at its clock input as the clock signal ck , and feeds its output signal xq back to its data d input . a flip - flop circuit ffl3 receives the signal q from the flip - flop circuit ffl2 at its clock input , as the clock signal ck , and feeds its output signal xq back to its data d input . the flip - flop circuit ffl3 outputs an output signal q as the frequency - divided signal p out . the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 constitute an extender section y 2 . the flip - flop circuit ff2 receives the signal xq from the flip - flop circuit ff1 at its data d input . the nor gate 24b receives the signal xq from the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the output signals q from the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 . the nor gate 24b also receives the module control signal md from the controller 22 . the nor gates 24b and 24a constitute a switching circuit . as shown in fig6 the flip - flop circuit ff1 and the first nor gate 24a comprise a plurality of npn - type bipolar transistors ( hereinafter simply referred to as &# 34 ; transistors &# 34 ;) and resistors . transistors t r1 and t r2 have collectors ( node n1 ) connected to a supply voltage v dd via a resistor r1 . transistors t r3 and t r4 have collectors ( node n2 ) connected to the supply voltage v dd via a resistor r2 . the transistor t r1 has a base which receives a signal from the nor gate 24b ( output signal q0 shown in fig7 which will be discussed later ). the transistor t r4 has a base which receives a reference voltage signal v ref . the reference voltage signal v ref is a constant voltage signal of an intermediate level between the levels of the signals q from the flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 ( output signals q1 in this case ). the transistor t r2 has a base connected to the node n2 . the transistor t r3 has a base connected to the node n1 . transistors t r5 and t r6 have bases which receive the clock signals ck ( complementary clock signals xck and ck in this case ). based on the input clock signal ck , the transistor t r5 alternately enables the transistors t r1 and t r4 . based on the input clock signal xck , the transistor t r6 alternately enables the transistors t r2 and t r3 . the transistors t r5 and t r6 are connected to ground gnd via a transistor t r7 and a resistor r3 . the transistor t r7 has a base which receives a chip select signal v cs . the transistor t r7 enables the transistors t r5 and t r6 based on the input chip select signal v cs . transistors t r11 and t r12 have collectors ( node n3 ) connected to the supply voltage v dd via a resistor r4 . transistors t r13 and t r14 have collectors ( node n4 ) connected to the supply voltage v dd via a resistor r5 . the flip - flop circuit ff1 outputs the output signal xq ( xq1 ) from the node n3 , and the output signal q ( q1 ) from the node n4 . the flip - flop circuit ff2 receives the signal xq1 as its data d input . the transistor t r11 has a base connected to the node n1 , while the transistor t r14 has a base connected to the node n2 . the transistor t r12 has a base connected to the node n4 , while the transistor t r13 has a base connected to the node n3 . transistors t r15 and t r16 have bases which receive the clock signals ck and the complementary clock signal xck , respectively . based on the input clock signal ck , the transistor t r15 alternately enables the transistors t r11 and t r14 . based on the input clock signal xck , the transistor t r16 alternately enables the transistors t r12 and t r13 . the transistors t r15 and t r16 are connected to ground gnd via a transistor t r17 and a resistor r6 . the transistor t r17 enables the transistors t r15 and t r16 based on the chip select signal v cs input to its base . the transistor t r1 and a transistor tr0 form the nor gate 24a which is preferably an ecl ( emitter coupled logic ) circuit . the transistor tr0 has a base which receives the signal q ( q1 ). the first nor gate 24a outputs a signal from the node n1 . a transistor t r21 constitutes an emitter follower . the transistor t r21 receives the signal xq1 from the node n3 at its base and sends an amplified signal xq2 out of the flip - flop circuit ff1 . likewise , a transistor t r22 constitutes an emitter follower . the transistor t r22 receives the signal q1 from the node n4 at its base and sends an amplified signal q2 out of the flip - flop circuit ff1 . the flip - flop circuit ffl1 receives the signals q2 and xq2 as the clock signals ck ( complementary clock signals ck and xck ). when the clock signal ck goes high ( h level ) from low ( l level ), the first nor gate 24a outputs its output signal ( the potential at the node n1 ) as the output signal q ( q1 , q2 ) of the flip - flop circuit ff1 from the node n4 . the inverted signal of the signal from the first nor gate 24a is sent out from the node n3 as the output signal xq ( xq1 , xq2 ). in this manner , the flip - flop circuit ff1 outputs the signal q ( q1 , q2 ) and the first nor gate 24a outputs a signal as shown in fig9 . as shown in fig7 the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the second nor gate 24b likewise comprise a plurality of npn transistors and resistors . the following will discuss the differences between the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the flip - flop circuit ff1 . the flip - flop circuit ff2 has no transistor tr0 . the transistor t r1 has a base which receives the signal xq ( xq1 ) from the flip - flop circuit ff1 . the transistor t r12 has a base which receives the reference voltage signal v ref . the second nor gate 24b comprises a plurality of transistors trn which constitute an ecl circuit . the second nor gate 24b is connected to the node n4 . one of the transistors trn receives the module control signal md at its base and three of the transistors trn respectively receive the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 ( output signals q1 shown in fig8 which will be discussed later ) at their bases . the second nor gate 24b sends its output signal q0 from the node n4 . the output signal q0 is input to the base of the transistor t r1 of the first nor gate 24a shown in fig6 . in the flip - flop circuit ff2 and nor gate 24b , when any one of the signals xq ( xq1 ) from the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the signals q ( q1 ) from the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 is at an h level , the second nor gate 24b outputs an l - level signal ( q0 ). when all of the signal xq ( xq1 ) from the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the signals q ( q1 ) from the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 have l levels , on the other hand , the second nor gate 24b outputs an h - level signal ( q0 ). in this manner , the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the second nor gate 24b respectively output the signal ( q0 ) and the signal xq , as shown in fig9 . as shown in fig8 the flip - flop circuit ffl1 comprises a plurality of transistors and resistors . the flip - flop circuits ffl2 and ffl3 have the same structure as the flip - flop circuit ffl1 accordingly detailed descriptions thereof are not for understanding the present invention . the following will discuss the structure of the flip - flop circuit ffl1 , mainly centered on the differences between the flip - flop circuit ffl1 and the flip - flop circuit ff1 . the flip - flop circuit ffl1 does not use the transistor tr0 of the flip - flop circuit ff1 . the transistor t r1 has a base connected to the node n3 . that is , the output signal xq ( xq1 ) of the flip - flop circuit ffl1 is input to the transistor t r1 . the transistor t r11 has a base connected to the node n2 , and the transistor t r14 has a base connected to the node n1 . the transistor t r21 constitutes an emitter follower . the transistor t r21 receives the signal xq1 from the node n3 and sends an amplified signal xq2 out of the flip - flop circuit ffl1 . the flip - flop circuit ffl1 receives the signals q2 and xq2 from the flip - flop circuit ff1 as the clock signals ck and xck . the flip - flop circuit ffl2 receives the signals xq2 from the flip - flop circuit ffl1 as the complementary clock signal xck , and receives the externally supplied reference voltage signal as the clock signal ck . the flip - flop circuit ffl3 receives the signals xq2 from the flip - flop circuit ffl2 as the complementary clock signal xck , and receives the externally supplied reference voltage signal as the clock signal ck . in the flip - flop circuit ffl1 , a signal obtained by frequency - dividing the clock signal ck by two is output from the node n4 as the output signal q ( q1 ) of the flip - flop circuit ffl1 , and the signal which is also the clock signal ck frequency - divided by two is output since the output signal xq2 . that is , as the clock signal ck input to the flip - flop circuit ffl1 is the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff1 ( the output signal q2 or xq2 in this case ), a signal which is the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff1 frequency - divided by two is acquired . in the flip - flop circuit ffl3 , a signal which is the clock signal ck frequency - divided by two is output from the node n4 as the output signal q ( q1 ). in other words , as the clock signal ck input to the flip - flop circuit ffl2 is the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ffl1 ( the output signal xq2 in this case ), a signal which is the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ffl1 frequency - divided by two is acquired . in the flip - flop circuit ffl3 , a signal which is the clock signal ck frequency - divided by two is output from the node n4 as the output signal q ( q1 ), and the signal which is also the clock signal ck frequency - divided by two is output as the output signal xq2 . in other words , as the clock signal ck input to the flip - flop circuit ffl3 is the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ffl2 ( the output signal xq2 in this case ), a signal which is the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ffl2 frequency - divided by two is acquired . in this manner , the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 , as shown in fig9 are obtained . the operation of the prescaler 19 according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to fig9 . when the pulse signal f vco from the vco 18 is input to the prescaler 19 , the flip - flop circuit ff1 outputs the signal q which is the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by two . the flip - flop circuit ffl1 outputs the signal q which is the signal q from the flip - flop circuit ff1 frequency - divided by two , ( i . e ., the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by four ). the flip - flop circuit ffl2 outputs the signal q which is the signal q from the flip - flop circuit ffl1 frequency - divided by two , ( i . e ., the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by eight ). the flip - flop circuit ffl3 outputs the signal q which is the signal q from the flip - flop circuit ffl2 frequency - divided by two , ( i . e ., the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by sixteen ). the flip - flop circuit ff2 outputs an signal xq which is the inverted signal of the signal q from the flip - flop circuit ff1 delayed by one period of the pulse signal f vco . when the module control signal md is at the l level , the output signal of the second nor gate 24b is determined by the output signal xq of the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 . in other words , any one of the output signal xq of the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 is set to the h level since the prescaler 19 has started counting the pulse signal f vco and until the prescaler 19 counts fifteen pulses of the pulse signal f vco . this fixes the output signal of the second nor gate 24b to the l level . when the prescaler 19 counts fifteen pulses of the pulse signal f vco , the output signal xq of the flip - flop circuit ff1 and the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 are all set to the l level . this sets the output signal of the second nor gate 24b to the h level . when the output signal of the second nor gate 24b is set to the h level , the first nor gate 24a outputs an l - level signal . then , the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff1 rises with a delay of one period of the pulse signal f vco from the rising of the output signal of the first nor gate 24a ( i . e ., the rising of the output signal xq of the flip - flop circuit ff2 ). in response to the rising of the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff1 , the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 go high , and a new counting operation is initiated . through the above operation , when the module control signal md is at the l level , the prescaler 19 outputs the frequency - divided signal p out which is equal to the pulse signal f vco divided by m + 1 ( m = 16 ). with the module control signal md being at the h level , the output signal of the second nor gate 24b is fixed at the l level , disabling the operation of the flip - flop circuit ff2 . then , the flip - flop circuit ff1 functions the normally and outputs the signal q which is the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by two . when the module control signal md is at the h level , therefore , the prescaler 19 outputs the frequency - divided signal p out which is equal to the pulse signal f vco divided by m ( m = 16 ). ( 1 ) the pulse signal f vco input via the buffer circuit 23 is input as the clock signal ck to the two - staged flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 , comprised of bipolar transistors . that is , the buffer circuit 23 drives the transistors t r5 , t r6 , t r15 and t r16 . thus , the number of transistors driven by the buffer circuit 23 is less than that in the prior art shown in fig1 which has three - staged flip - flop circuits ff1 - ff3 . the reduced number of transistors reduce the power dissipation of the prescaler 19 , and decreases the circuit area of the prescaler 19 . while the extender section y 2 comprises the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 , which are greater in number by one stage than those of the prior art , the counter section y 1 comprises the flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 which are smaller in number by one stage than those of the prior art . therefore , the operational frequency of the flip - flop circuits of the extender section y 2 is reduced to a half of the operational frequency of the flip - flop circuits of the counter section y 1 . this reduction in operational frequency also decreases the power dissipation of the prescaler 19 . such reduced power dissipation of the prescaler 19 contributes to reducing the power dissipation of the comparative frequency divider 15 equipped with the prescaler 19 , and thus to reducing the power dissipation of the pll circuit equipped with the comparative frequency divider 15 . ( 2 ) the first nor gate 24a operates using the same current source ( supply voltage v dd ) which operates the flip - flop circuit ff1 . the second nor gate 24b operates using the same current source ( supply voltage v dd ) as the flip - flop circuit ff2 . therefore , the first and second nor gates 24a and 24b share the current sources ( the supply voltage v dd ) of the flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 and so not require a special current source of their own . this design reduces the number of current sources in use , which contributes to lessening the power dissipation of the prescaler 19 . a second embodiment of a prescaler 29 in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 and 11 . to avoid the redundant description , like or same reference numerals are given to those components which are the same as the corresponding components of the first embodiment . the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in the structure of the prescaler 19 of the pll circuit shown in fig4 . accordingly , the following description will be centered on the prescaler 29 . as in the first preferred embodiment , the flip - flop circuits ff1 , ff2 and ffl1 - ffl3 in the prescaler 29 of the second embodiment comprise of bipolar transistors . in the second embodiment , the second nor gate 24b is connected between the flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 . that is , the xq output of flip - flop circuit ff1 is provide to the second nor gate 24b . the second nor gate 24b is connected to the data d input of the flip - flop circuit ff2 . the flip - flop circuit ff2 provides the first nor gate 24a with its output signal q . the flip - flop circuit ff2 does not output the signal xq in the second embodiment . the operation of the prescaler 29 will be discussed below with reference to fig1 . when the pulse signal f vco from the vco is input to the prescaler 29 , the flip - flop circuit ff1 outputs the signal q which is the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by two . the flip - flop circuit ffl1 outputs the signal q which is the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff1 frequency - divided by two ( i . e ., the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by four ). the flip - flop circuit ffl2 outputs the signal q which is the output signal q from the flip - flop circuit ffl1 frequency - divided by two ( i . e ., the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by eight ). the flip - flop circuit ffl3 outputs the signal q which is the output signal q from the flip - flop circuit ffl2 frequency - divided by two ( i . e ., the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by sixteen ). when the module control signal md is at the l level , the output signal of the second nor gate 24b is determined by the output signal xq of the flip - flop circuit ff1 and the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 . in other words , any one of the output signal xq of the flip - flop circuit ff1 and the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 is set to the h level since the prescaler 19 has started counting the pulse signal f vco and until it counts fourteen pulses of the pulse signal f vco . this fixes the output signal of the second nor gate 24b to the l level and thus , the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff2 is fixed to the l level . when the prescaler 19 counts fourteen pulses of the pulse signal f vco , all of the output signal xq of the flip - flop circuit ff1 and the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 are set to the l level . this sets the output signal of the second nor gate 24b to the h level . consequently , when the flip - flop circuit ff2 is clocked , it receives the h level input , then outputs the signal q , which is the h - level output signal of the second nor gate 24b delayed by one period of the pulse signal f vco . when the output signal of the flip - flop circuit ff2 is set to the h level , the first nor gate 24a outputs an l - level signal . then , the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff1 rises with a delay of one period of the pulse signal f vco from the rising of the output signal of the first nor gate 24a ( the falling of the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff2 ). in response to the rising of the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff1 , the output signals q of the flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 go high , and a new counting operation is initiated . through the above operation , when the module control signal md is at the l level , the prescaler 19 outputs the frequency - divided signal p out which is equal to the pulse signal f vco divided by m + 1 ( m = 16 ). with the module control signal md being at the h level , the output signal of the second nor gate 24b is fixed at the l level . this disables the operation of the flip - flop circuit ff2 , setting its output signal q to the l level . as a result , the flip - flop circuit ff1 performs the normal operation and outputs the signal q which is the pulse signal f vco frequency - divided by two . when the module control signal md is at the h level , the prescaler 19 outputs the frequency - divided signal p out which is equal to the pulse signal divided f vco by m ( m = 16 ). as apparent from the above , the prescaler 29 of the second embodiment perform the same frequency - dividing operation as that of the first embodiment , and thus has the same advantages as the first embodiment . a third embodiment of a prescaler 39 according to the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 through 14 . the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in the structure of the prescaler 39 of the pll circuit illustrated in fig4 . accordingly the following discussion will mainly discuss the structure of the prescaler 39 . like the previous embodiments , the flip - flop circuits ff1 , ff2 and ffl1 - ffl3 in the prescaler 39 of the third embodiment comprise bipolar transistors . in the first embodiment , the flip - flop circuit ffl1 receives the signal q from the flip - flop circuit ff1 as its clock signal ck . by contrast , the flip - flop circuit ffl1 in the third embodiment receives the signal xq from the flip - flop circuit ff2 as the clock signal ck . referring now to fig1 and 14 , the specific structures of the individual circuits of the prescaler 39 will be discussed . fig1 shows the flip - flop circuit ff1 and the first nor gate 24a . fig1 shows the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the second nor gate 24b . the flip - flop circuits ffl1 , ffl2 and ffl3 ) have the same structure as shown in fig8 . as shown in fig1 , the flip - flop circuit ff1 and the first nor gate 24a include a plurality of transistors and resistors . however , the flip - flop circuit ff1 and the first nor gate 24a in the third embodiment , unlike those shown in fig6 do not use the transistors t r21 and t r22 respectively connected to the nodes n3 and n4 . in the thus constituted flip - flop circuit ff1 and first nor gate 24a , when the clock signal ck rises to the h level from the l level , the output signal of the first nor gate 24a ( the potential at the node n1 ) is output as the output signal q ( q1 ) of the flip - flop circuit ff1 from the node n4 . the inverted signal of the signal from the first nor gate 24a is sent out from the node n3 as the output signal xq ( xq1 ). the output signal q ( q1 ) of the flip - flop circuit ff1 and the output signal of the first nor gate 24a , as shown in fig9 are acquired in this manner . as shown in fig1 , the flip - flop circuit ff2 and second nor gate 24b likewise comprise a plurality of transistors and resistors . the flip - flop circuit ff2 outputs the output signals q1 and xq1 from the nodes n1 and n2 , respectively . the difference from the flip - flop circuit ff2 and second nor gate 24b shown in fig7 is that the output signal xq1 output from the node n2 causes the transistor t r21 , which is an emitter follower , to operate and the signal xq1 is sent out of the flip - flop circuit ff2 as an amplified output signal xq2 . likewise , the output signal q1 output from the node n1 causes the transistor t r22 , which is an emitter follower , to operate and is the signal q1 sent out of the flip - flop circuit ff2 as an amplified output signal q2 . the amplified output signals q2 and xq2 are input to the flip - flop circuit ffl1 as the clock signals ck and xck . in the prescaler 39 , the output signal xq of the flip - flop circuit ff2 and the output signal q of the flip - flop circuit ff1 vary similarly , so that the prescaler 39 operates in the same manner as the first prescaler 19 of the embodiment , shown in fig9 . the prescaler 39 performs the same frequency - dividing operation as that of the prescaler 19 , and thus has the same advantages as the first embodiment . it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . particularly , it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in the following forms . the extender section y 2 comprises the three - stage flip - flop circuits ffl1 - ffl3 in each of the embodiments . however , the number of stages may be changed to properly alter the frequency - dividing ratio . the first and second nor gates 24a and 24b share the current sources ( the supply voltage v dd ) which drive the flip - flop circuits ff1 and ff2 in each embodiment described above . however , separate power sources may be provided for the nor gates 24a and 24b . the nor gates 24a and 24b comprise the switching circuit in each of the embodiments . however , the switching circuit may comprise by other logic circuits as long as the frequency - dividing operation is accomplished . therefore , the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein , but may be modified within the scope and equivalence of the appended claims .	7
now the present invention will be explained in detail by an embodiment thereof shown in the attached drawings . in the following there will be shown a case of molding a biconvex lens from a spherical glass blank , composed of heavy crown glass sk12 , having specified values of thermal characteristic temperatures as shown in table 1 . the molded convex lens has , for example , a shape and dimensions as shown in fig7 . table 1______________________________________ strain anneal transition yield softening point point point temp . pointname stp ap tg at sp______________________________________viscosity 14 . 5 13 12 - 13 11 7 . 65log ηtemp . (° c .) 503 534 550 588 672______________________________________ the yield point is defined as follows : when a specimen of glass bar ( for example , length of 50 mm diameter of 4 mm ) fully annealed is heated uniformly at constant rate of 4 ° c ./ min . under loading of 50 g thereto in axial direction , the elongation and temperature are accurately measured , thereby obtaining a glass thermal expansion curve . in the thermal expansion curve , there is an inflexion point that the specimen apparently stops elongating and then starts contracting due to deformation caused by softening of the glass with elevating of the temperature . this inflexion point where glass is apparently changed from the expansion to the contraction , is called the yield point . mold member s shown in fig1 a to 1e are contained in a casing ( not shown ), into which nitrogen is introduced after evacuation for example to a pressure of 1 × 10 - 2 torr . an upper mold member 2 and a lower mold member 3 are heated close to 620 ° c . ( corresponding to a glass viscosity of 10 9 . 7 ( poise ) for example by a heater ( not shown ) provided in a cylindrical mold 4 surrounding the molds . when the mold members 2 , 3 are heated to the above - mentioned temperature , the glass material 1 which is preliminarily heated ( for example to 620 ° c .) in advance in the same casing , is taken up for example by a suction hand 9 and is placed on a molding face 3a of the lower mold member 3 through an aperture provided in the cylindrical mold 4 ( fig1 a ). the cylindrical mold 4 is mounted on a base member 5 . then , the upper mold member 2 is lowered by operation means 6 such as a ram , thereby effecting press molding . the glass material 1 may be heated to 620 ° c . ( corresponding to a glass viscosity of 10 9 . 7 poise ) in advance as explained above , and then loaded between the mold members 2 , 3 , but it may be heated to the temperature after loading . the descent of the upper mold member 2 is continued until a stopper portion provided at the upper end of the mold 2 member comes into contact with the upper face 4a of the cylindrical mold 4 , and , in the course of the descent , the shapes of molding faces 2a , 3a of the mold members 2 , 3 are transferred to the surface of the glass material 1 , whereby it is molded into a predetermined product ( fig1 b ). the employed pressing load is 320 kgf , and the thickness of the molded article 7 is determined by the contacting level between the stopper portion and the upper face 4a of the cylindrical mold 4 . then , the heater is deactivated , and the cooling is executed by introducing , for example , nitrogen into cooling paths ( not shown ) provided in the mold members 2 , 3 . when the molded article ( optical element ) 7 reaches 580 ° c . ( corresponding to a glass viscosity of 10 11 poise ; molding pressure being zero ), the molded article 7 is interposed from both sides thereof by fixing means 8 provided with spring mechanisms , and the upper mold member 2 is elevated to separate the article 7 from the molding face 2a . then , the fixing means 8 is slightly elevated to separate the molded article 7 from the molding face 3a of the lower mold member 3 ( fig1 c ). subsequently , the fixing means 8 is returned to the original level , thereby placing the molded article 7 on the molding face 3a , then the upper mold member 2 is lowered to the original state ( fig1 b ), and the fixing means 8 is retracted from the mold to the outside ( fig1 d ). the above - mentioned operations are executed promptly ( with a temperature descent of about 5 ° c .). after the mold members are closed ( with zero pressure ), the upper and lower mold members 2 , 3 and the molded article 7 are cooled to a temperature below the transition point of glass , for example , to 480 ° c . during this cooling operation , the molded article 7 is prevented from deformation caused by the dead weight thereof , by the function of the molding faces 2a , 3a of the mold members 2 , 3 , thereby maintaining the desired shape . the thermal stress and strain generated in the glass material before the mold members are opened , due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient from the mold members , are eliminated by the viscoelasticity of the glass material . the variations in temperature , molding pressure and stress generated in the glass material in the molding method of the present invention can be represented by a chart shown in fig5 . in fig5 a broken line indicates the variation in stress in the conventional method , in which the opening of the mold members in the course of cooling step as the present invention , is not conducted . a point t 1 indicates the start of cooling , while a point t 2 indicates the timing of temporary mold releasing , and a point t 3 indicates the timing of removing the molded article from the mold members . fig6 a to 6d schematically show the state of thermal stress generated in the glass material . since the thermal contraction b of the glass material is larger than the thermal contraction a of the mold members 2 , 3 ( fig6 a ), a stress corresponding to the difference of the contractions is generated in a direction opposite to the illustrated arrows ( fig6 b ). this is presumably due to generation , on the molding faces of the mold members at the press molding , of an adhesion state such as molecular bonding between the mold surface and the glass surface in physical sense . if the cooling is continued in this state and the mold members 2 , 3 are opened at the end of cooling as in the conventional molding method , the internal stress is released at once as shown in fig6 c upon releasing of the glass from the mold , whereby a deformation is induced in the glass material ( arrows indicating forces generated by the release of stress ). in the molding method of the present invention , however , in the course of cooling after press molding , the mold members 2 , 3 are opened to separate the glass material from the molding faces of the mold members and to eliminate the adhesion state between the molding faces and the glass material in the press molding at a temperature range of the glass material corresponding to a glass viscosity of 10 10 to 10 12 poise , preferably at a glass temperature corresponding to a glass viscosity of 10 11 poise , thereby relaxing the internal stress of glass generated in the cooling process up to this point and releasing the thermal stress accumulated thus far . consequently , when the mold members are closed again in order to maintain the molded state of glass and the molded glass is cooled in this state to the taking - out temperature , there is no longer generated the thermal stress in this process . this is presumably due to a fact that , once the molded glass surface is separated from the molding faces , the aforementioned molecular bond state is not established even when the mold members 2 , 3 are closed again and the molecules of the atmosphere enter between the surfaces , thereby preventing re - establishment of such molecular bond state and enabling mutual sliding movement of the surfaces . then , the mold members are again opened at a predetermined taking - out temperature ( where the molded glass is not deformed by the dead weight thereof ), for example , 480 ° c . ( corresponding to a glass viscosity of 10 13 poise or less ), and the completed molded article 7 without thermal stress or strain can be removed by the suction hand 9 ( fig1 e ). in this operation , the suction hand is maintained at about 400 ° c ., in order not to give thermal shock to the molded article 7 and in consideration of the subsequent temperature loss of the molded article to the taking - out ( removing ) operation . the optical element actually molded in the above - explained molding apparatus showed a satisfactory surfacial precision of 1 / 4 newton &# 39 ; s rings or less , both in the astigmatism and in the contour map of the surface . another embodiment shown in fig2 employs flint glass f8 for molding a concave optical element . in this case , after the glass blank is placed on the lower mold member 3 &# 39 ; for molding concave lens , it is positioned at the center of the mold member by means of the aforementioned fixing means 8 between lower member 3 &# 39 ; and upper member 2 &# 39 ;, for molding concave lens 7 &# 39 ;. other operations and the obtained results are similar to those in the foregoing embodiment both the formation of the concave lens 7 &# 39 ;. the concave element has a shape and dimensions as shown in fig8 . in the foregoing embodiments , the optical element may have convex or concave optically functional faces . the operation of separating the upper and lower mold members from the glass material is preferably conducted in prompt manner ( for example within about 4 seconds ). fig3 and 4 show comparison of the radii of curvature of the desired optical element ( having a convex face with r = 51 mm and a concave face with r = 9 mm ) and those of the molding faces of the mold members , when the molding method of the present invention is executed . the radii of curvature of the mold members are determined in consideration of the difference in thermal expansion coefficient , between the mold members and the molded product . in the following there will be explained a simulation of the thermal stress generated in the glass material in the course of cooling , utilizing a general - purpose structure analyzing software &# 34 ; marc &# 34 ;, supplied by japan marc co ., ltd . the physical properties of glass and mold members , shown in tables 1 and 2 , are entered as the reference data . the temperature dependences of the thermal expansion coefficients of glass and mold members are as shown in fig9 . table 2______________________________________physical moldproperty unit glass members______________________________________thermal w / m · k 1 . 34 71 . 2conductivityspecific heat kj / kg · k 0 . 967 0 . 265density kg / m . sup . 3 3 . 19 × 10 . sup . 3 1 . 47 × 10 . sup . 3poisson &# 39 ; s ratio 0 . 25 0 . 22expansion /° c . . sup . 9 . 0 × 10 . sup .- 6 . sup . 3 . 78 × 10 . sup .- 6coefficient values being at room temperature ( temperature dependence shown in fig9 being taken into consideration ) elastic modulus kg / m . sup . 2 6 . 22 × 10 . sup . 10 ( mold ) viscoelasticity data on viscoelastic properties of glass______________________________________ the viscoelastic properties of glass shown in table 2 can be determined in the following manner . at first a glass specimen in a viscoelastic temperature range is subjected to a bending test in which the specimen maintained at a constant temperature is subjected to a constant load in three - point support , and the deflection of the specimen is measured , and the creep compliance is calculated from the following equation . this calculation is repeated at slightly different temperatures , thereby determining a creep curve : since the glass in the viscoelastic temperature region has simple thermo - rheological properties , the creep compliance curves at different temperatures can be normalized to a master curve by a displacement in lateral direction ( in time axis ). the relationship between temperature and time in this case can be represented by a time - temperature shift factor . the time - temperature shift factor for the glass in this case can be approximated by two straight lines ( arrhenius &# 39 ; equation ), and the temperature of the crossing point thereof is somewhat lower than the glass transition point . the relaxing elastic coefficient ( corresponding to the elastic coefficient in an elastomer ) can be represented as a function of temperature and time , because of the influence of decrease of stress relaxation . however , since the glass has a simple behavior in thermo - rheological properties , there can be obtained a master curve , as in the case of the creep compliance . ( in general , the master curve of the relaxing elastic coefficient can be approximated by the reciprocal of the creep compliance .) the behavior of a viscoelastic substance , which is simple in the thermo - rheological properties , such as glass , can be represented by the following hysteresis integration in the linear viscoelastic theory , by determining the relaxing elastic coefficient e r ( t , to ) at a temperature and a time from the master curve of the relaxing elastic coefficient and the time - temperature shift factor : ## equ1 ## wherein τ is time of analysis , σ ( t ) is stress , and ε ( t ) is strain . therefore , in order to add the viscoelastic properties to the numerical analysis , it becomes necessary to represent the master curve of the relaxing elastic coefficient and the time - temperature shift factor in numerical equations . since the time - temperature shift factor can be approximated by the arrhenius &# 39 ; equation as explained above , it can be analyzed by the analyzing software marc of japan marc co ., ltd ., with the data inputs of the equations of straight lines and the crossing point thereof . also , the master curve of the relaxing elastic coefficient can be approximated by the following prony development : ## equ2 ## wherein t &# 39 ; n is conversion time of n - th order , and e r n is relaxing elastic coefficient of n - th order . as a result of such simulation , in the method of the present invention in which a temporary mold separation is conducted in the course of cooling , the thermal stress generated in the glass is almost zero after said mold separation as indicated by a monitor display shown in fig1 , whereas the internal thermal stress in the conventional method is gradually accumulated until the molded article is taken out from the molds as shown in fig1 , thus inducing a significant strain . as detailedly explained in the foregoing , the present invention is featured by opening the mold members thereby releasing the glass material from the molding faces of the mold members in the course of cooling after the press molding , then closing the mold members again in order to maintain the molded state of the glass material , and cooling said glass material in this state until the taking - out temperature . it is thus rendered possible to obtain an excellent effect of maintaining the optically functional faces of the final molded article in a highly precise desired state of molding , without leaving unnecessary thermal stress or strain in the course of cooling .	2
referring to fig6 the magnetic head comprises a composite core which has two halves 10 and is reinforced with nonmagnetic material such as glass members 13 and 16 . the core halves are made of an alloy , and have slits 19 formed on their respective sides . the two halves 10 are secured by glass deposition at their confronting surfaces , and a head gap 8 is formed between them . the transverse length of the head gap is equal to the track width of a magnetic tape . the reinforcing glass members 13 are disposed on both surfaces , covering the joint between the two core halves . the reinforcing glass members 16 are disposed within the slits 19 of the individual core halves . a winding opening 14 is formed in one of the halves and extends through the reinforcing glass members 13 and 16 . a groove 17 is formed in each core half , and the reinforcing glass members 13 and 16 are joined to each other through the groove . fig7 shows the steps involved in producing the magnetic head of fig6 . in step ( 1 ) an alloy material is cut to form a core block . in step ( 2 ) a plurality of head gap defining grooves , spaced apart by the track width tw , and the groove 17 are formed in the core block , and thereafter the reinforcing glass member 13 is deposited in such grooves . in the step ( 2a ) a plurality of slits 19 are formed in the core block , whereafter the reinforcing glass member 16 is deposited in the slits . fig8 shows an enlarged view of the core block having the grooves and the slits 19 cut therein . in step ( 3 ) the winding opening 14 is formed in the core block and the head gap surface of the block is polished . in step ( 4 ) a layer of sio 2 gap material is sputtered onto the head gap surface . in step ( 5 ) two core blocks are secured together by glass deposition or the like , and in step ( 6 ) the joined blocks are cut to form a plurality of head chips or assemblies , as shown in fig6 at the proper azimuth angle . the shadowed portions depict the cut off areas . in step ( 7 ) the head chip is fixed to a circuit board , its tape abutting face is polished , and a coil is wound through the opening 14 . by forming the slits 19 in the core as described above , it is possible to utilize the conventional process for producing a ferrite core as shown in fig4 and 5 , and at the same time , a reduction of the core thickness is realized . therefore , the flanking sub cores 2 as shown in fig3 are not required . in equation ( 1 ) the eddy current loss is also reduced because the thickness h of the core has a lower value , which overcomes the disadvantage of alloy cores having a low specific resistance ρ . in order to record a high density signal on magnetic tape , an azimuth recording technique is effective . namely , the primary plane of the core and the direction of the gap defining central leg of the core are disposed at an acute angle to each other as shown in fig9 and 10 , for example . accordingly , if the slits 19 are formed parallel to the angled cut lines as shown in fig8 the appropriate azimuth angle is achieved which minimizes the thickness of the core . to further minimize the core thickness at the bottoms of the slits , they are advantageously formed with v - shaped bottoms as shown in fig9 rather than with flat bottoms as shown in fig1 . on the other hand , if productivity and cost are more important than high frequency characteristics , the slits can be formed parallel to the central core leg as shown in fig1 , which further illustrates the use of a plurality of adjacent slits . in order to mechanically strengthen the core given the different thermal expansion coefficients between the alloy and the reinforcing glass material and their poor chemical affinity , the groove 17 is formed as shown in fig1 such that the four reinforcing glass portions 13 , 16 are fused or linked together within the groove . accordingly , it is possible to achieve adequate mechanical strength without depending on the chemical bonding intensity between the core alloy material and the nonmagnetic glass material .	6
an embodiment of the present invention is now described in detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a circuit diagram of a noise filter circuit according to the present invention . the noise filter circuit includes : a first signal input terminal 1 ; a noise removing circuit 7 for receiving a signal inputted from the first signal input terminal 1 through an esd / cdm protection circuit 2 and a low - pass filter 3 ; a clock input terminal 11 ; a second delay circuit 12 for delaying a signal inputted from the clock input terminal 11 ; a second signal input terminal 8 ; a third delay circuit 9 for delaying a signal inputted from the second signal input terminal 8 ; an or gate circuit 10 for receiving a signal inputted from the noise removing circuit 7 and a signal from the third delay circuit 9 ; and a flip - flop 13 for receiving a signal inputted from the or gate circuit 10 and a clock from the second delay circuit 12 . the noise removing circuit 7 includes , for example : an inverter circuit 4 for inverting a signal inputted from the low - pass filter 3 ; a first delay circuit 5 for delaying a signal inputted from the inverter circuit 4 ; and a nor gate circuit 6 for receiving a signal inputted from the inverter circuit 4 and a signal inputted from the first delay circuit 5 . alternatively , as illustrated in fig2 , the noise removing circuit 7 may include : the first delay circuit 5 for delaying a signal inputted from the low - pass filter 3 ; and an and gate circuit 16 for receiving a signal inputted from the low - pass filter 3 and a signal inputted from the first delay circuit 5 . the low - pass filter 3 is , for example , formed of a circuit illustrated in fig5 . the low - pass filter 3 removes a high frequency noise component from the signal inputted from the first signal input terminal 1 . the noise removing circuit 7 removes a noise pulse having a width that is smaller than a delay time of the delay circuit 5 . the flip - flop 13 in a subsequent stage outputs the signal in synchronization with a clock delayed by the second delay circuit 12 . the noise filter circuit according to the present invention is described in the following with reference to a timing chart of fig3 . first , considered is a case where a noise and a normal pulse signal illustrated as input data 1 are inputted to the first signal input terminal 1 . the signal of the input data 1 passes through the inverter circuit 4 to be branched into two signals , one of the two signals is directly inputted to the nor gate circuit 6 ; and the other of the two signals is inputted to the nor gate circuit 6 through the delay circuit 5 . the signal outputted from the nor gate circuit 6 is a signal from which a noise pulse having a width that is smaller than the delay time of the delay circuit 5 is removed ( output of the or gate 10 ). to be more specific , the output signal of the or gate 10 is a signal having a width that is smaller than that of the signal waveform of the input data 1 by the delay time of the delay circuit 5 , and having the same phase as that of the signal waveform of the input data 1 . as for a noise pulse having a width that is equal to or larger than the delay time of the delay circuit 5 , a noise pulse having a width that is smaller by the delay time is outputted to the subsequent stage . a signal from the or gate circuit 10 is inputted to the flip - flop 13 . the flip - flop 13 is a circuit structured to maintain the input data when a clock rises , until the next leading edge . when a pulse signal having a width of one clock is inputted through the flip - flop , a leading edge of a clock signal is usually set to the center of the input signal pulse so as to output a pulse with stability . a portion of the width of a normal signal pulse which has passed through the noise removing circuit 7 is eliminated from a leading edge side by the amount of the delay time . therefore , a clock signal to be inputted to the flip - flop 13 is required to be delayed by using the second delay circuit 12 , with consideration given to the eliminated pulse width . in this case , the delay time of the clock signal may be set according to the following equation : ( the delay time of the clock signal )=( the delay time of the noise removing circuit )/ 2 ( 1 ) when delays other than the delay time of the noise removing circuit ( delays due to the low - pass filter , wiring resistance , and parasitic capacitance ) are taken into consideration , the delay time of the clock signal may be set according to the following equation : ( the delay time of the clock signal )=( the delay time of the noise removing circuit )/ 2 +( the total of the other delay times ) 2 ) in this way , a noise which could not be removed by the noise removing circuit 7 is removed , and a normal signal pulse is outputted with stability in synchronization with the delayed clock signal . next , considered is a case where a normal signal pulse ( a pulse signal illustrated by the dotted line ) illustrated as input data 2 is inputted from the second signal input terminal 8 . the normal signal pulse is inputted directly to the flip - flop without being passed through the noise removing circuit 7 . accordingly , by delaying the signal pulse by the same time period as that of a clock signal , by using the third delay circuit 9 ( to obtain a pulse signal illustrated by a dotted line in the output of the or gate 10 ), a synchronized signal can be outputted from the flip - flop with stability . further , due to a structure where a clock signal to be inputted from the clock input terminal 11 as a clock to be used in logics other than the flip - flop 13 is directly inputted without being passed through a delay circuit , internal logics other than the flip - flop operate in synchronization with a clock signal inputted from the clock input terminal 11 . that is , the internal logics other than the flip - flop 13 operate in synchronization with a clock signal inputted from the outside , which makes it possible to prevent unnecessary noises from being generated due to out - of - phase clock signals as compared with a case of using a clock that is purposely delayed inside . fig4 illustrates an exemplary circuit diagram of a delay circuit used in the noise filter circuit according to this embodiment . due to a structure where the capacitance of each capacitor 21 or the channel resistance of a transistor in each inverter 22 in the stages preceding to the capacitors ( based on the gate length and the gate width ) can be made variable by trimming or optional switching of polysilicon / aluminum , the delay time can be adjusted as desired . further , the noise filter circuit according to this embodiment includes the esd / cdm protection circuit provided at the first signal input terminal 1 or the second signal input terminal 8 , which prevents problems from being caused when sudden surge is inputted from the terminals or when electric charge accumulates in a node of the input terminals that are in a floating state . further , the noise filter circuit according to this embodiment has a configuration where the low - pass filter 3 is replaced with a schmitt trigger circuit or a schmitt trigger circuit is additionally provided in a stage subsequent to the low - pass filter 3 to thereby prevent chattering when a signal pulse of the first signal input terminal 1 rises or falls .	7
an embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the drawings . in fig1 numeral 1 denotes the entirety of a camera - integral vtr . the camera - integral vtr 1 has a lens 11 on its front end , through which an image of an object is introduced . the camera - integral vtr 1 also has formed , in its front end portion , a microphone 12 through which external sounds are introduced . the microphone 12 supports a remote control front detector 13 at its front end for detecting infrared rays from a remote controller 2 . a remote control rear detector 14 is provided on the back face of a handle 15 . the camera - integral vtr 1 has a cassette holder at one side . the cassette holder 16 has a cover and releasably holds a tape cassette ( not shown ). the tape cassette is of a type with the tape width of 1 / 4 inch . the tape cassette may be one called mic ( memory in cassette ) having a built - in memory . an operation panel is located above the cassette holder 16 , on which record , play , rewind , fast - forward , and other keys are provided . the camera - integral vtr 1 has a view finder 18 and a battery holder 19 in its back end portions . the battery holder 19 has a cover 20 as shown in fig2 . when the cover 20 is opened , a battery entrance 21 is exposed , and one or more batteries ( not shown ) are inserted through the battery entrance 21 . provided near the battery entrance 21 are a menu key 22 , cursor up key 23 , cursor down key 24 and an execute key 25 . the camera - integral vtr 1 can be controlled by a remote controller . fig3 shows the remote controller 2 on which prepared are a rewind key 31 , play key 32 , fast - forward key 33 , forward frame feed key 34 , backward frame feed key 35 , stop key 36 , and so forth . also prepared are a temporary stop key 37 , slow play key 38 and one or more keys for play at a modified speed , such as double - speed play key 39 . further provided are keys for camera work , such as start - stop key 43 , zoom keys 44 , 45 ; a photo key 46 for taking a still image ; a print key 47 for printing out the image ; a zero set memory key 48 for resetting a position counter ; an image display key 49 ; and a data code key 50 permitting a user to obtain information on the camera , such as the day and the time of record , during reproduction of an image . the remote controller 2 has an id function to limit its remote control operation only to a predetermined particular appliance . a switch 51 is used to preset the id function . when the switch 51 is set at &# 34 ; vtr4 &# 34 ;, the remote controller 2 is allowed to remote - control any appliances of the same type like a typical remote controller . when the switch 51 is set at &# 34 ; id &# 34 ;, its remote control is effective only for a particular appliance in record . when the switch 51 is set at &# 34 ; hold &# 34 ;, its remote control is inactive . for registration of id , the cover 20 of the battery holder 19 of the camera - integral vtr 1 is opened so that the menu key 22 can be manipulated . when the menu key 22 is pressed , a menu concerning &# 34 ; remote control &# 34 ; appears in the view finder 18 as shown in fig4 . &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; makes vtr 1 to reject control by any remote controller . &# 34 ; vtr4 &# 34 ; permits vtr 1 to accept normal remote control by remote controllers of the associated type . &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; v permits vtr 1 to be controlled only by a remote controller exclusively associated by id . without registration of id , vtr 1 rejects remote control by such remote controllers . &# 34 ; id register &# 34 ; is a key used to register id . upon actual registration of id , the cursor up key 23 and the cursor down key 24 are pressed to set the set menu at &# 34 ; id register &# 34 ;. while the set menu exhibits &# 34 ; id register &# 34 ;, the switch 51 of the remote controller 2 is set at &# 34 ; id &# 34 ;, and the stop key 36 of the remote controller 2 is pressed as shown in fig5 . the remote controller 2 has assigned a unique id before shipment , and pressing the stop key 36 causes the id to be registered in the camera - integral vtr 1 . to cancel the registration mode without actually registering the id , the user may press the execute key 25 , menu key 22 , cursor up key 23 or cursor down key 24 . if the execute key 25 , or the menu key 22 , is pressed , the set menu is reset to &# 34 ; id &# 34 ;. after registration of the id is completed , the set menu is reset to &# 34 ; id &# 34 ;. after the switch 51 of the remote controller 2 is set at &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; while the set menu exhibits &# 34 ; id &# 34 ;, the camera - integral vtr 1 rejects remote control through other remote controllers other than that with registration of the id . completion of id registration may be noticed to the user by a beep . as explained above , since the remote controller 2 according to the invention has already assigned a unique id before shipment , setting of id in the system can be done by registering the id of the remote controller 2 in the camera - integral vtr 1 alone . that is , it is not necessary to registering the id both in the camera - integral vtr 1 and in the remote controller 2 . the stop key 36 of the remote controller 2 , which is pressed for registering id , has no use in operation of the camera . even if the stop key 36 affects other appliances of other systems , the affection is limited only to stopping the appliances , and no serious problem occurs . since the set menu is automatically reset to &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; together with the notice by a beep sound upon completion of id registration , the user can start operation of the remote controller using the id function immediately after completion of id registration . fig7 shows a block diagram of the camera - integral vtr 1 . during a record operation , light from an object is introduced through the lens 61 . the light passes through an iris 62 and forms an image on a photodetector of a ccd imaging device 63 which photoelectrically converts the image . output from the ccd imaging device 63 is supplied to an a / d converter 65 through an agc circuit 64 , and the image signal is converted into a digital form there . output of the a / d converter 65 is supplied to a camera signal processing circuit 66 . the camera signal processing circuit 66 produces a component color vide signal from the image signal by signal processing such as gamma correction and aperture correction . output of the camera signal processing circuit 66 is supplied to both a compress / expand circuit 67 and a d / a converter 68 . output from the d / a converter 68 is supplied to the view finder 69 on which the image can be monitored . the video signal from the camera signal processing circuit 66 is compressed by dct conversion and length - variable coding in the compress / expand circuit 67 . output of the compress / expand circuit 67 is supplied to an encoder / decoder circuit 70 and encoded into an error correction code . output of the encoder / decoder circuit 70 is supplied to a channel coder 71 which modulates the data to be recorded . output of the channel coder 71 is supplied to a head 73 , and the digital video signal is recorded on a magnetic tape 74 by the head 73 . during reproduction , the signal recorded on the magnetic tape 74 is reproduced by the head 73 and supplied to the channel coder 71 . the channel coder 71 demodulates the reproduced data and supplies its output to the encoder / decoder circuit 70 . output from the encoder / decoder circuit 70 after error correction processing is supplied to the compress / expand circuit 67 and expanded into the original video signal . output of the compress / expand circuit 67 is supplied to the d / a converter 68 and output through an output terminal 75 . a system controller 76 controls the entirety of the camera - integral vtr 1 . the system controller 76 receives instructions through entry keys 77 and an output from a photodetector 78 which receives an infrared ray signal from the remote controller 2 . output of the system controller 76 is supplied to a character generator 80 that produces a display signal . the display signal is superposed on the signal sent to the view finder 69 . thus , various kinds of information can be displayed on the view finder . the system controller 76 includes id memory 79 for storing the id as explained above . the id memory 79 is non - volatile memory so that the registered id is not lost by removal of power . fig8 is a block diagram of the remote controller 2 . the remote controller 2 has a microcomputer 81 which receives instructions through entry keys 82 . an id generator circuit 83 is connected to the microcomputer 81 . the unique id is assigned to the id generator circuit 83 before shipment of the remote controller 2 . the id is a 14 - bit code selected from different 2 14 kinds of codes . the id generator circuit 83 may be either memory or dip switches . the micro computer 81 makes a command signal and supplies it to a light emitter 85 through a driver 84 . the light emitter 85 send the command signal in form of an infrared ray signal . the command signal from the remote controller 2 is output in 15 bits including a category code and a command , as shown in fig9 when the switch 51 is set at &# 34 ; vtr4 &# 34 ;. the block of 15 bits determines an operation by one command . when the switch 51 is set at &# 34 ; id &# 34 ;, id1 through id3 each comprising five bits are added to 15 bits including the category code and the command . as explained above , the id includes 14 bits . id1 through id3 of these three blocks make 15 bits . one - bit parity is added to the id , and the resulting id of 15 bits including the parity is involved in three blocks of id1 through id3 . three blocks each comprising 15 bits determine an operation by one command . fig1 is a flow chart of the process for id registration . the set menu is set at &# 34 ; id register &# 34 ; by instructions through the menu key 22 , cursor up key 23 and cursor down key of the camera - integral vtr 1 ( step s1 ). after &# 34 ; id register &# 34 ; is selected from the set menu , the switch 51 of the remote controller 2 is set at &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; ( step s2 ), and the stop key 36 of the remote controller 2 is pressed ( step s3 ). as a result , the process for registration goes on , and the unique id assigned to the id generator circuit 83 of the remote controller 2 before shipment is stored in id memory 79 in the camera - integral vtr 1 ( step s4 ). when the process for registration is completed by finally detecting whether registration of id has been completed ( step s5 ), the set menu is reset at &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; ( step s6 ). if the beep means is set on ( step s7 ), completion of registration is noticed by a beep sound ( step s8 ) fig1 is a flow chart of the process for remote control using the id function . the switch 51 of the remote controller 2 is set at &# 34 ; id &# 34 ;, and a desired key of the remote controller 2 is pressed ( step s11 ). if the set menu of the camera - integral vtr is set at &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; ( step s12 ), it is confirmed whether the id sent from the remote controller 2 coincides with the id stored in the id memory 79 ( step s13 ). if so , the command is accepted ( step s14 ). if not , the command is neglected ( step s15 ). having described a specific preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment , and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims .	6
fig1 illustrates one embodiment of an automated capacity provisioning system for a computer system 100 . the provisioning system includes a recommendation tool 300 , a provisioning tool 160 , a data collection tool 170 , and a data repository 180 . in general , computer system 100 can be a network system , an enterprise system , or the like and can include various system components , such as workstations , computer servers , applications , storage devices , network connections , and other conventional components . for the sake of illustration , computer system 100 is schematically illustrated in fig1 as having a controller 110 relative to a plurality of servers 112 and applications 114 . controller 110 can comprise one or more servers or other computing devices and can execute one or more of recommendation tool 300 , provisioning tool 160 , and data collection tool 170 . as discussed below , recommendation tool 300 automatically provides provisioning policies 304 to automatically manage and provision the computer system 100 . in general , recommendation tool 300 can be a standalone software tool implemented and deployed as a web service capable of operating in conjunction with other tools . in addition , recommendation tool 300 can function automatically , implying that it does not rely on user intervention via a user interface . preferably , an application programming interface ( api ) allows recommendation tool 300 to use scripts and command line instructions to automate the run - time operation of the tool . provisioning tool 160 receives the provisioning policies 304 from recommendation tool 300 and automatically provisions the computer system 100 accordingly . provisioning tool 160 is capable of physically and / or logically provisioning system components into nodes of a physical or virtual system . for a virtual system , provisioning tool 160 can add a virtual layer to the computer system 100 using virtualization features . as will be appreciated , provisioning the computer system 100 as a virtual system requires that the system hardware ( e . g ., servers , applications , etc .) have sufficient processing power to support a specified number of virtual partitions ( not shown ). in addition , each virtual partition requires its own or shared operating system and applications that run on the operating system . the data collection tool 170 collects performance data about system components from data collectors 172 distributed throughout computer system 100 . for example , the data collectors 172 can be monitoring agents to collect performance data about processing nodes ( e . g ., servers 112 ) and provide the collected performance data to the data collection tool 170 . in turn , a data repository 180 stores the collected data for use by recommendation tool 300 . data repository 180 can be any database , data source , or file system known in the art for storing the collected data . ultimately , recommendation tool 300 in conjunction with the provisioning tool 160 and data collection tool 170 manages the computer system &# 39 ; s capacity using an automated capacity provisioning process , such as discussed below with reference to fig2 a . as shown in automated process 200 of fig2 a , data collectors 172 collect performance data of computer system 100 , and data collection tool ( 170 ) stores the performance data in data repository 180 ( block 205 ). the performance data can include various metrics known and used in the art . as an example , bmc ® performance manager or bmc ® performance assurance suite for servers can be used to collect performance data and store it in a database or a file system . other data collection tools can also be used , as long as the data is stored or can be retrieved in a predefined common format , such as csv , ascii , xml , or through a predefined api ( application programming interface ). with the performance data collected , recommendation tool 300 analyzes the collected data and generates a system operational profile 302 ( block 210 ). in one embodiment , operational profile 302 can characterize resource usage of computer system 100 or partitions thereof over one or more time periods . in alternative embodiments , operational profile 302 can characterize service levels in computer system 100 . such service levels can represent response times of servers when subjected to given workloads or can represent the ability of servers to process given workloads or throughputs . in creating operational profile 302 , recommendation tool 300 may focus on the collected data from system components , such as server processors and cpus , and on fixed attachments , such as cache , memory , and onboard disks , as well as service level information above . during the normal course of operation , recommendation tool 300 also receives a set of service level objectives ( slos ) 102 ( block 215 ). the slos 102 can come from any conventional source in computer system ( 100 ), such as from controller 110 . in addition , the slos 102 can be received or obtained from a workload manager , computing device , or other source having management and compliance information for one or more service level objectives ( slo ) or service level agreements ( sla ). as is known in the art , an sla defines static and dynamic attributes that the system &# 39 ; s services must satisfy between a consumer and a provider . the slas dynamic attributes relate to variables that may change in real - time and may depend on how the services are actually performing . some examples of attributes include response times for transactions , expected time to finish tasks , sla violation rates of a service , reliability of a service , availability of a service , etc . as is also known in the art , an slo defines specific attributes of a given service associated with an sla . based on the operational profile 302 and the received slos 102 , recommendation tool 300 generates a set of provisioning policies 304 for use in provisioning the computer system &# 39 ; s resources ( block 220 ). depending on the implementation , these provisioning policies 304 can be used to directly provision the computer system 100 or can be used at times when certain total workloads are expected , when such workloads are encountered in practice , or when certain performance characteristics are encountered . preferably , the generated provisioning policies 304 factor in performance of the system components over a period of time that is long enough to account for variances in business cycles . in general , the generated provisioning policies 304 define plans of action for guiding provisioning decisions to produce desired outcomes . the plans of action can be characterized as one or more statements , a set or collection of rules , and / or a set of “ if . . . then , . . . else . . . ” predicates . for example , a given sla may state that business application response time must be less than 1 second 95 % of the time . to achieve this , analysis of the historical performance data is used to identify resource usage patterns for ( near future ) resource provisioning and allocation . furthermore , the analysis can be used to generate provisioning policies 304 as a developed set of rules or the like to implement desired outcomes based on predictive analysis and what - if scenarios . the policies 304 can then be used to provision the computer system &# 39 ; s resources in terms of what , how , and when available servers 112 and / or other resources are needed to support applications 114 associated with the various slos 102 . to generate policies , recommendation tool 300 can use time - dependent information , utilization levels , response times , transaction arrival rates , and other resource usage information . additionally , recommendation tool 300 can use trending analysis , predictive analysis , what - if scenarios , and user input to the resource usage information to generate the policies . for example , recommendation tool 300 can use trending analysis of predicted resource requirements to generate policies that match current / past application performance . moreover , to generate policies , recommendation tool 300 can perform predictive analysis on application performance requirements and can use “ what - if ” scenarios and user input . as it operates , recommendation tool 300 can continually and automatically generate the policies ( and modify existing policies ) based on the historical and current information that has been collected and analyzed . in turn , the generated policies can provide different levels of reactivity and proactivity for provisioning computer system 100 . for example , one type of policy can correlate time - dependent information ( such as historical resource utilization ) and needed servers and can state , for example , “ every monday at 7 : 55 am allocate x servers .” another type of policy can correlate utilization and needed servers and can state , for example , “ if the average utilization of the servers is more than x % then allocate y additional servers with performance rating z .” yet another type of policy can correlate response time and needed servers and can state , for example , “ if and when average response time for transactions is measured over x minutes to be more than y seconds and existing server utilization is more than z %, then immediately allocate n additional servers then and there .” another type of policy can correlate arrival rate and needed servers and can state , for example , “ as soon as transaction arrival rate exceeds x transactions per minute for more than y minutes , allocate z additional servers . once generated , provisioning policies 304 can be used for look up by provisioning tool 160 when determining provisioning actions to perform to computer system 100 . alternatively , recommendation tool 300 can send the policy rules as provisioning decisions to provisioning tool 160 to be acted on directly . in the end , provisioning policies 304 may result in an indication of candidate servers 112 and other resources that can be repurposed or that can be physically or virtually consolidated to handle various applications and tasks . besides focusing on servers 112 , recommendation tool 300 may also take into consideration other features of a computer system 100 , such as network connections and detached storage devices to ensure overall system performance . using the generated provisioning policies 304 , provisioning tool 160 dynamically provisions a proper number of servers 112 of a certain computing power ( or other resources ) when needed so that the provisioned result ensures that the requirements of the received slos 102 are met ( block 225 ). as an example , the run book automation software from realops or a product similar to the previously available bmc ® virtualizer for capacity on demand product can be used for dynamic provisioning based on the generated provisioning policies . alternatively , provisioning mechanisms in vmware ® can be used . as shown in fig2 a , the automated process 200 of blocks 205 through 225 can be implemented as an ongoing process so that collecting and analyzing performance data ( including resource utilization , workload , and service levels ), generating policies 304 , and executing those policies 304 can be repeated as needed . the process 200 can also monitor and modify its performance as it continues . in this way , the process 200 can update policies 304 and validate slos 102 on a continuous basis . if the probability of meeting a given slo 102 is below a certain level , for example , a policy 304 generated at block 220 may need to be updated using more recently collected performance data from data repository 180 . alternatively , the attributes defined by an slo 102 may need to be modified . in the end , the frequency with which provisioning policies 304 are updated may depend on the rate of change in resource demands and may also depend on updates to slos 102 by users and business applications . by using performance data for long - term capacity provisioning , the process 200 may be less manually intensive and , as a result , require less specific performance modeling and capacity planning efforts than prior art provisioning techniques . moreover , because the process 200 is automated in real - time , provisioning policies 304 can be quickly updated based on feedback of how applications 114 perform against the attributes of the slos 102 . further details related to the automated system and process are shown in fig2 b . as schematically shown by a graph , performance data 250 collected and stored in data repository ( 180 ) can include historical as well as real - time cpu utilization data for each of the various servers ( 112 ) of the computer system ( 100 ) and may have been collected for weeks or months from computer system ( 100 ). as discussed previously , recommendation tool ( 300 ) analyzes this performance data 250 and generates an operational profile . in embodiments discussed previously , the operational profile can characterize service levels in computer system ( 100 ) in a certain configuration and having a certain capacity , such as response times of servers when subjected to given workloads or the ability of servers to process given workloads or throughputs . in the present embodiment , operational profile characterizes resource usage of computer system ( 100 ) over time so that it can be termed a resource usage profile , such as schematically shown by graph 260 . this resource usage profile 260 captures workload - oriented information related to resource usage and history of computer system ( 100 ) that can be used in its capacity management . in this example , resource usage profile 260 encompasses a one - week interval ( 7 days × 24 hours ) with data points for each hour so that the profile 260 has 168 data points . alternatively , resource usage profile 260 can encompass one or more one - week intervals , two - week intervals , monthly intervals , particular business seasons , or any other desirable time periods . based on the operational profile 260 , recommendation tool ( 300 ) automatically generates several current and scheduled provisioning policies ( 304 ). details of how recommendation tool ( 300 ) automatically generates various provisioning policies ( 304 ) are discussed later . in general , the generated policies ( 304 ) can include a collection of rules for provisioning computer system ( 100 ), and recommendation tool 300 can use trending analysis , predictive analysis , what - if scenarios , and user input to generate the policy rules from the information in the operational profile 260 . moreover , the generated policies ( 304 ) can be based on time - dependent information , utilization levels , response times , transaction arrival rates , and other information . once generated , provisioning tool ( 160 ) can automatically use the provisioning policies ( 304 ) to provision the system components ( e . g ., servers 112 ) of computer system ( 100 ). in addition to straight automation , the automated provisioning system can include a user interface having a summary screen 270 to display generated provisioning policies 272 for user intervention and control . in the present example , each policy 272 can have a name , a start ( date , time , etc . ), and a recurrence interval ( e . g ., every number of days or months with or without a particular end date ). using summary screen 270 , users can manually change , add , and delete the automatically generated provisioning policies 272 as desired . in addition , an additional screen 275 can allow a user to set up dynamic rules for adjusting the load balancing associated with a given provisioning policy 272 . as shown in this additional screen 275 , a user can indicate a priority for a service ( e . g ., loadgenerator ) and can assign a range of servers to that service . then , the user can assign dynamic rules to the service . as one example , an assigned dynamic rule may stop one server of the service if the cpu utilization falls below 30 % for 15 - min . or add one server to the service if the cpu utilization exceeds 60 % for 20 - min . other types of rules discussed herein could also be assigned . after generating provisioning policies 272 , a controller or computing device 280 executing provisioning tool ( 160 ) implements provisioning policies 272 among partitioned servers 284 in the computer system &# 39 ; s virtual environment 282 so that servers 284 can efficiently handle various slos . controller 280 , in turn , monitors results from implementing provisioning policies 272 by collecting additional performance data that is subsequently used to create a current resource usage profile 250 . in this way , the entire process can be repeated to account for new loads , changes in resources , workloads , new service level objectives , etc . fig3 illustrates additional features of recommendation tool 300 , which will be discussed with reference to notations in table 1 below . as indicated , table 1 includes notations for arrival rate and mean ( average ) response time at the server level ( e . g ., server i ) and for the entire system . in a steady state environment for a non - saturated system , throughput essentially equals arrival . based on the context , either the term “ response time ” or “ service time ” may be used . as used herein , response time can be defined for one or more of transactions , workloads , job , tasks , applications , threads , etc ., and service time can also be defined for one or more of transactions , workloads , job , tasks , applications , threads , etc . as shown in further detail in fig3 , recommendation tool 300 includes an assessment module 400 , a policy generating module 500 , and a migrating module 600 . briefly , assessment module 400 analyzes performance data collected by data collection tool ( 170 ) and generates a system resource usage profile 402 , such as discussed previously . in turn , policy generating module 500 uses resource usage profile 402 and received slo information to generate provisioning policies 304 discussed previously that provisioning tool ( 160 ) can then directly execute or look up to provision servers ( 112 ) of computer system ( 100 ). independently , migrating module 600 also receives a copy of provisioning policies 304 and estimates a number of homogenous servers ( 112 ) needed to support the applications ( 114 ) currently running on heterogeneous servers ( 112 ) before migration . each of these modules 400 , 500 , and 600 are discussed individually in more detail with reference to fig4 through 6 . currently , however , discussion focuses on the overall operational details of recommendation tool 300 . during operation , recommendation tool 300 obtains input data 310 that includes the number n of available servers ( 112 ) of the computer system ( 100 ). for each available server i = 1 , 2 , . . . , n , the input data 310 also includes the server &# 39 ; s performance rating p i and the performance rating type , the server &# 39 ; s slo value ( slo i ) and the slo type ( e . g ., utilization or mean response time ), and the server &# 39 ; s current measured utilization u i . the performance rating p i can be characterized by any commonly used performance rating system . based upon the input data 310 , recommendation tool 300 produces output data 380 that determines ( a ) the number n of servers ( 112 ) required to meet the slos ( 102 ), ( b ) the recommended arrival rate of transactions or service requests to each of the servers ( 112 ) used for load balancing , and ( c ) whether the overall service goal can be achieved ( and provide a best possible solution if the service goal cannot be achieved ). in general , output data 380 represents analytical information that provisioning tool ( 160 ) can use to perform “ bounded scale - out ” provisioning in the virtual environment of computer system ( 100 ). the solution is bounded or limited in the sense that the virtual environment actually has a maximum number of physical servers ( n ) of given processing power more particularly , output data 380 indicates how many servers ( 112 ) need to be active to drive a load balancer ( 162 ) of provisioning tool ( 160 ) to achieve the slos for applications ( 114 ) running in the virtual system . as shown , in one embodiment , output data 380 includes a number n of required servers ( i = 1 , 2 , . . . , n ) from available servers ( 112 ) and an indication whether the requisite processing goal can be achieved ( e . g . where “ 0 ” means not achievable and “ 1 ” means achievable ). for each required server ( i = 1 , 2 , . . . , n ), the output data 380 also includes a recommended arrival rate λ i and a potential service level ( psl i ) at the given server . the arrival rate , λ i , defines the recommended rate of arrival of transactions or service requests to a given server . by definition , the arrival rate , λ i , is greater than 0 and less or equal to 1 and is characterized by calculations performed by recommendation tool 300 can be based on various statistical assumptions . using assumptions associated with an m / m / 1 type queuing system , recommendation tool 300 can use the following set of computations to generate the illustrative output data 380 . for a given server processing power , p i ( i = 1 , 2 , . . . , n ), the optimal arrival rate of transactions made to a given server i can be defined by : if the load is heavy , i . e ., the total arrival rate to be distributed among servers λ → p /( s i p i ), then the arrival rate to each server ( 112 ) should approach the service rate of the server ; under this transaction distribution , each server 112 &# 39 ; s utilization can be characterized as : if the slo type is a utilization value , then recommendation tool 300 tries to find a solution such that the utilization of a given server is less than or equal to the value of its slo ( i . e ., u i ≦ slo i ) for all active n servers . if the slo type is a mean response time , recommendation tool 300 tries to find a solution such that the mean response time at a given server is less than or equal to the value of its slo ( i . e ., r i ≦ slo i ) for all active n servers . consequently , the mean response time r at server i can be computed as : in this case , the average response time r to the virtual system is characterized as : if not all the slos can be achieved , then recommendation tool 300 will provide the best possible load balancing to distribute transactions based on the various recommended arrival rates λ i of the available servers ( i = 1 , 2 , . . . , n ). fig4 shows features of recommendation tool &# 39 ; s assessment module 400 . as noted previously , assessment module 400 analyzes performance data and generates an operational profile , such as a resource usage profile discussed previously . to do this , assessment module 400 receives input 410 , performs calculations on the input 410 with a statistical analysis algorithm 420 , and provides output 480 to be used for later processing by policy generating module 500 . in its operation , assessment module 400 analyzes one node of computer system ( 100 ) ( e . g ., one server 112 ) at a time and can handle information for multiple nodes at a time through multiple calls . alternatively , assessment module 400 can be designed to handle simultaneous analysis for multiple nodes of computer system ( 100 ). for a given node ( i . e ., server ) and in one embodiment , the input 410 includes node name , performance rating type , performance rating ( i . e ., processing power ) ( p ), utilization service level objective ( slo ), number of desired time intervals to be assessed ( t ′), and cpu utilization data for t ′ intervals x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x t . for each interval of the time period ( e . g ., each hour of the 7 × 24 period ), statistical analysis algorithm 420 computes the following statistical values : a measured average utilization ( x m ), a weighted average utilization for the hour ( x ), a weighted average normalized utilization for the hour ( wanu ), a minimum utilization for the hour ( x min ), a maximum utilization for the hour ( x max ), a coefficient of variation of cpu utilization for the hour ( c ), and a probability of exceeding the slo for the hour ( p slo ). these statistical values over the current time period of interest forms the resource usage profile discussed previously that is used to generate provisioning policies . details of the calculations performed by assessment module 400 are as follows . for the t data points in the current time period , assessment module 400 computes a weighted average for the data points that places more emphasis on more recent data . to do this , it is assumed that the importance of a particular interval is an importance factor α times more important than the previous interval so that weights w i for the t data points are assigned in the following fashion ; in addition to the weights w i , the assessment module 400 computes the measured average utilization ( x m ) for the t data points , x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x t , as follows : x _ m = 1 t ⁢ ∑ t = 1 t ⁢ ⁢ x t ( 6 ) using the measured average utilization ( x m ) and the weights w i , assessment module 400 computes the weighted average utilization for the hour ( x ) as follows : x _ = ∑ t = 1 t ⁢ ⁢ w t ⁢ x t ( 7 ) from this , the weighted average normalized utilization for the hour ( wanu ) is calculated as follows : as a corollary , the minimum utilization for the hour ( x min ) is calculated as follows : x min = min ( x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x t ) ( 9 ) as well , the maximum utilization for the hour ( x max ) is calculated as follows : x min = max ( x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x t ) ( 10 ) the coefficient of variation of cpu utilization for the hour ( c ) is calculated as follows : σ = 1 n ⁢ ( ∑ i = 1 t ⁢ ⁢ x i 2 ) 2 - x _ 2 ( 11 ) c = σ / x _ , the probability of exceeding the slo for the hour ( p slo ) is calculated as follows : after statistical analysis algorithm 420 computes the above statistical values , assessment module 400 generates output data 480 for each server that includes the node name ( e . g . server ), performance rating type , performance rating ( p ), and the above computed statistical values representing the resource usage profile of computer system ( 100 ). this output data 480 is then made available to policy generating module ( 500 ) as described below . in fig5 a , illustrative policy generating module 500 includes a capacity module 510 , a predictive module 520 , and a what - if module 530 , although other implementations may have only one such module or any combination thereof . policy generating module 500 receives input 502 and generates one or more policies 504 for provisioning computer system . as mentioned previously , the policies 504 can be characterized as a collection of rules to be looked up by provisioning tool ( 160 ) when making provisioning decisions or can be characterized as provisioning decisions or commands sent to provisioning tool ( 160 ) to act on directly . capacity module 510 receives attributes defined in slos , server information , and historical information pertaining to resource utilization ( e . g ., the resource usage profile from assessment module ) as its input 502 . using analysis described in more detail with reference to fig5 b , capacity module 510 then generates policies 514 to match resources to the application demand “ just - in - time ”. as detailed below , predictive module 520 and what - if module 530 generate policies based on a combination of information pertaining to resources , workloads , service levels , and time . for example , the time information can be any given time interval , the workload information can be an average arrival rate of x transactions or jobs , the resource information can be the number of allocated servers , and the service level information can be average response times or throughput . what - if module 530 can further produce different combinations of workloads and resources to determine what the resulting performance would be in each of the different combinations and whether the system will be saturated or not . illustrative predictive module 520 receives various types of information as its input 502 such as an operational profile characterizing server utilization , actual workloads , actual service levels , and time - related information . predictive module 520 applies historical trending and predictive analysis to the input information and generates policies 524 that can then match current / past application performance based on predicted resource requirements . therefore , predictive module 520 can use a form of curve matching analysis based on forecasted demand ( i . e . expected workload ). in other words , predictive module 520 can predict that at a given time a given number of x more servers may be needed , where this prediction is partly based on what workload the system may be required to handle at that time or based on the expected utilization at the time . in one example , information about server utilization can be provided by the operational profile from assessment module , and module 520 can generate a policy 524 indicating that high utilization levels will drive allocation of more servers based on analysis of server utilization information . in another example , information about actual workloads can characterize what an application is attempting to do and can indicate , for example , transaction throughput ( e . g ., how many transactions arrived each second or minute ) or job throughput ( e . g ., how many batch jobs were submitted per day ). based on an analysis of such workload information , module 520 can generate a policy 524 indicating that high workload requests will drive resource allocation before servers are utilized or before service levels deteriorate . in general , high workload requests are the same as a high workload arrival rate , which is the throughput in a steady state , non - saturated system . in yet another example , information about actual service levels can indicate what was the response time for the transactions , how long it took to process batch jobs , what was the throughput , was the system able to execute all the workload , etc . in addition , service level agreements and objectives ( slas and slos ) can define such information as response time , throughput , and utilization . based on an analysis of such service level information , module 520 can generate a policy 524 indicating that certain levels of near - poor service will drive certain resource allocation . finally , the time - related information can indicate when the information pertaining to server utilization , workload , and service level occurred . based on an analysis of this time - related information , module 520 can generate a policy 524 indicating that resources will be pre - allocated at certain times . what - if module 530 receives information as its input 502 similar to that received by predictive module 520 , and what - if module 530 applies historical trending and predictive analysis to that information . however , what - if module 530 further applies what - if scenarios in its analysis to generate policies . in this way , what - if module 530 can allow users to vary input of demand to produce what - if scenarios so the module 530 can then generate policies 534 that match resource requirements to the demand input by the user . in one example , what - if module 530 accepts as user input a list of workload scenarios and desired service levels . the input may indicate , for example , that a response time of 1 second is expected at 100 transactions per second and that a response time of 2 seconds is expected at 1000 transactions per second . after analyzing the characteristics of the application , what - if module 530 runs a series of what - if scenarios to discover the desired amount of resources . in other words , in a scenario for 100 transactions per second , the module 530 may predict what would be the response time if 2 servers , 4 servers , 8 servers , 10 servers , and 20 servers were used . after analysis , what - if module 530 then determines the smallest number of servers required to meet the desired service objective at the given workload level . in turn , this determined information is used to generate a policy 534 that can state a predicate , such as “ if transaction rate is 100 transactions per second for application having stated characteristics is encountered , then provision x servers with y processing power .” even if these conditions are not met , the generated policy 534 is still created to handle such an eventuality in a particular business scenario . if and when the eventuality does occur in the future , then the provisioning tool can implement the generated policy 534 , and there would be no need to first experience and then detect poor performance . as shown in fig5 , illustrative capacity module 510 receives input data 552 , performs operations of the provisioning algorithm 560 , and generates output data 554 to be used to provision the servers ( 112 ) of the computer system ( 100 ). in the illustrated embodiment , the input data 552 includes a performance rating type , performance ratings of nm servers available for provisioning ( p 1 , p 2 , . . . , p m ), service level objectives of each of the m servers ( slo 1 , slo 2 , . . . , slo m ), and a headroom value added for the required servers ( h ). in addition , input data 552 includes weighted average normalized unitization values ( wanu ( i , j )) from assessment module ( 400 ; fig4 ) for each hour i of the time period ( e . g ., 7 × 24 ) and for each server j . this information essentially corresponds to the current historical performance data in the resource usage profile of the computer system ( 100 ). using the input data 552 , capacity module 510 begins operations of provisioning algorithm 560 by calculating server requirements for every hour of the 7 × 24 time period ( block 562 ). for example , for each hour i of the 7 × 24 time period , capacity module 510 calculates a weighted average normalized unitization total ( wanut ) using the weighted average normalized unitization values ( wanu ( i , j )) as follows : wanut ⁡ ( i ) = ∑ j = 1 m ⁢ ⁢ wanu ⁡ ( i , j ) ≡ a ⁡ [ 0 ] ( 15 ) from this total , capacity module 510 determines the number of servers needed for a given hour ( m ′( i )) as follows a ⁡ [ m ′ ⁡ ( i ) ] ≡ wanut ⁡ ( i ) - ∑ k = 1 m ′ ⁡ ( i ) ⁢ ⁢ slo k ⁢ p k - h ≤ 0 , ( 16 ) where h is the headroom added for the required servers . in the above calculation , a [ m ′( i )− 1 ]& gt ; 0 . if desirable , the headroom value h can also be particularized as h ( k ) to include system overhead for a given server k . with the above calculations , illustrative capacity module 510 calculates a list of 168 numbers , denoted as m ′( 1 ), m ′( 2 ), . . . , m ′( 168 ). this list represents server requirements for every hour of the 7 × 24 time period ( i . e ., 168 data points ). preferably , capacity module 510 determines server demands based a “ sensitivity ” variable and divides the list of server demands into a plurality of segments so that the sensitivity variable can control how frequently policies should be updated to reflect the demands on servers ( block 564 ). moreover , capacity module 510 preferably consolidates the list of server demands by combining together those adjacent segments having identical server demands ( block 566 ). in other words , capacity module 510 does not need to set a policy for every segment if two adjacent segments have the same server demand . in such a case , the later identical demand could be removed from the list , and such consolidation can continue until capacity module 510 obtains a list without identical adjacent server demands . after obtaining the consolidated list of server demands , capacity module 510 sets policies for each listed server demand ( block 568 ). to do this , capacity module 510 computes transaction weights w k to supply to load balancer ( 162 ; fig1 ) of provisioning tool ( 160 ) to control the arrival rate of transactions to the servers ( 112 ). based on the processing power p k of a given server k , the slo for that server slo k , and the total server requirements , the transaction weight w k for a given server k is calculated as follows : w k = p k ⁢ slo k ∑ i = 1 m ⁢ ⁢ p i ⁢ slo i . ( 17 ) the transaction weights we are generated as output data 554 of one or more server provisioning policies that specify the number of servers needed at hour h . based on the provisioning policies , provisioning tool &# 39 ; s load balancer ( 162 ) then distributes arriving transactions to a given server k using the calculated transaction weight w k for that given server . fig6 shows features of migrating module 600 in fig3 . as noted previously , migrating module 600 determines how to migrate operation of servers ( 112 ) between partitions of the computer system ( 100 ) by estimating the number of homogeneous servers ( 112 ) needed to support applications ( 114 ) currently running on heterogeneous servers ( 112 ) before migration . illustrative migrating module 600 receives input data 610 including a performance rating type , a total number of available servers to be consolidated or migrated ( n ), and performance ratings of the n available servers to be migrated ( p 1 , p 2 , . . . , p n ). in addition to information on available servers , the input data 610 includes information on currently consolidated servers , including a performance rating ( p ) of the consolidated servers , a number of virtual partitions ( vn ) over the consolidated servers , a utilization service level objective ( slo ) of the consolidated servers , a utilization overhead ( h ) introduced for each required server with a performance rating , and a utilization overhead ( h ) introduced for each virtual partition . moreover , input data 610 includes information from assessment module ( 400 ; fig4 ), including a maximum utilization u ( i , j ) for each hour i of the 7 × 24 time period and each available server j . using input data 610 , migrating module 600 performs a migrating algorithm 620 to determine how to migrate or consolidate available servers . first , migrating algorithm 620 calculates a maximum normalized unitization total ( mnut ) for all of the available servers n over the 7 × 24 time period ( block 622 ). the calculation is as follows : migrating module 600 then determines whether the server overhead is grater than the partition overhead by determining if h + h × vn & gt ; slo ( decision 624 ). if there is too much overhead , migrating module 600 sends out an error message , such as “ the overheads are greater than the utilization slo ” ( block 626 ). if there is not too much overhead , migrating module 600 determines the number ( n ) of required servers with performance rating p ( block 628 ) using the calculation : migrating module 600 produces output data 680 that includes the performance rating type , the performance rating ( p ), the maximum normalized utilization total ( mnut ), and the number ( n ) of required servers with performance rating p . this output 680 can then be used by the provisioning tool ( 160 ) to migrate the various servers ( 112 ) among the virtual partitions . the foregoing description of preferred and other embodiments is not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the inventive concepts conceived of by the applicants . for example , the various modules disclosed herein can comprise one or more software tools executable on one or more independent computing devices operatively coupled to the computer system . in exchange for disclosing the inventive concepts contained herein , the applicants desire all patent rights afforded by the appended claims . therefore , it is intended that the appended claims include all modifications and alterations to the full extent that they come within the scope of the following claims or the equivalents thereof .	7
this invention is applicable to various types of mobile phones including but not restricted to ground based ( e . g ., gsm , 3g ) mobile phones , satellite based mobile phones and personal digital assistant ( pda ) based mobile phones . referring now to fig1 , there is illustrated solution 1 of a system for providing critical health care service . the system includes a mobile phone device which is represented by the numeral 100 . device 100 comprises a location measurement means 102 that determines the location of device 100 and thereby the patient 1000 . the location measurement means 102 determines the gps location of device 100 and thereby the patient 1000 using wireless satellite communication means 106 ; alternatively , the location measurement means 102 can determine the location of device 100 and patient 1000 using wireless ground communication means 104 ( e . g ., ericsson &# 39 ; s mobile positioning system with gsm or 3g ). the signal indicative of the location measurement can be converted to alphanumeric data . device 100 comprises wireless satellite communication means 106 and / or wireless ground communication means 104 . wireless satellite communication means 106 can communicate via satellite to get gps location and send a message with location data and device 100 identification data using messaging ( e . g ., sms ). the location data can always be sent via satellite or where ground wireless communication network is not available . wireless ground communication means 104 can communicate via ground wireless network ( e . g ., gsm or 3g ) to get location data ( e . g ., using ericsson &# 39 ; s network based mobile positioning system ) and send location data and device 100 identification data using messaging ( e . g ., sms ). wireless ground communication means 104 will be used to determine location of device 100 and patient 1000 if the wireless network provides this capability . device 100 comprises a means , such as the central processor 108 for tagging the alphanumeric device 100 identification data ( e . g ., mobile phone device 100 number ) with the signal indicative of the location measurement of device 100 and patient 1000 . the mobile phone device identification data and location of patient 1000 could all be alphanumeric in nature . device 100 identification data and location data is sent immediately to service provider system 200 . device 100 comprises a storage means ( this could be the sim card or some other means ) to store the allowed emergency numbers , the service provider system 200 messaging number and the device 100 identification data . service provider system 200 comprises of wireless ground communication means 104 and / or wireless satellite communication means 106 to automatically communicate with devices 100 , 102 and 304 through messages . the means 104 and 106 are well known in the art . service provider system 200 receives location data and mobile phone device identification data from device 100 . service provider system 200 sends patient critical health data ( this includes but is not limited to patient name / location , patient &# 39 ; s home hospital , ambulance request and patient &# 39 ; s critical health record ) to device 402 ( this mobile phone device is well known in the art ). service provider also sends data ( this includes but is not limited to patient name / location , file number and level of criticality ) to the patient &# 39 ; s home doctor via device 304 ( this mobile phone device is well known in the art ). service provider system 200 comprises a wired communication means 202 to automatically communicate with storage means 302 to retrieve patient &# 39 ; s critical health record from the patient &# 39 ; s home hospital system 300 based on mobile phone device 100 identification data . service provider system 200 sends a fax and / or email with the patient &# 39 ; s critical health record to the fax receiver means 406 and email receiver means 404 in the hospital nearest 400 to the patient 1000 current location . the wired communication means 202 may also be used to retrieve geographic data . the means 202 are well known in the art . service provider system 200 comprises a central processor 204 for tagging means to tag the message for the patient &# 39 ; s home doctor in the home hospital system 300 with his contact details . the tagging means also tags the critical health record for the nearest hospital system 400 with the contact addresses of mobile receiving means and / or fax receiver means and / or email receiver means of the nearest hospital system in claim 400 . service provider system 200 comprises a geographic and health data retrieval means 206 . the geographic data pertains to the fax , email and messaging numbers for the hospital system geographically nearest 400 to the patient 1000 current location ( this could be retrieved , for example , from a geographical information system — gis for hospitals in the city of patient &# 39 ; s current location ). the geographical data is automatically retrieved . the geographical and health data retrieval means is also used by the service provider system 200 to retrieve patient 1000 critical health data ( this includes but is not limited to patient name , home hospital , home doctor , home doctor contact number , file number , critical medical information , drug allergies , temporary conditions like pregnancy ) from storage means 302 in home hospital system 300 . service provider system 200 also comprises a storage means 208 to store location data of hospital , and contact addresses of mobile receiver means 304 , fax receiver means 406 and email receiver means 404 of nearest hospital system 400 . referring now to fig2 , there is illustrated solution 2 of a system for providing critical health care service . here we will describe the differences with fig1 . the main difference is that the patient 1000 critical health record is stored in the mobile phone device itself . mobile phone device 500 differs from mobile phone device 100 in that it comprises storage means 510 which differs from storage means 110 . storage means 510 stores the allowed emergency numbers , the service provider 600 messaging number and the mobile phone device 500 identification data as does the storage means 110 . in addition it also stores the critical health record ( this includes but is not limited to patient name , home hospital , home doctor , home doctor contact number , file number , critical medical information , drug allergies , temporary conditions like pregnancy ) of patient 1000 . an example of such a storage means is a java or smart sim card . the central processor 108 could be the processor on such a java / smart sim card . the mobile phone device 100 comprises a tagging means 508 ( this differs from tagging means 108 in fig1 ) for tagging the alphanumeric mobile phone device 500 identification data with the signal indicative of the location measurement of said mobile phone device and patient 1000 . this tagging means tags the message for the patient &# 39 ; s home doctor in the home hospital system 700 with his contact details . the tagging means also tags the critical health record for the nearest hospital system 800 with the hotline mobile receiver means 402 and / or email receiver means 404 of the nearest hospital system 800 . service provider system 600 differs from service provider system 200 in that geographic and health data retrieval means 206 is replaced with geographic data retrieval means 606 . the latter only retrieves geographic data that is sent to mobile phone device 500 and patient 1000 . the service provider system 600 comprises a storage means 608 ( this differs from storage means 208 in fig1 ) that stores location data of hospital , and contact addresses of mobile receiver means and email receiver means of nearest hospital system in claim 9 ; the service provider systems comprises a tagging means 604 ( this differs from tagging means 204 in fig1 ) to tag identification data of the mobile phone device 500 to the contact address of hotline mobile receiver means 402 and / or email receiver means 404 of the nearest hospital system 800 . furthermore , mobile phone device 500 communicates directly with mobile phone device 402 and email receiver means 404 in the nearest hospital system 800 . there is no fax message sent . the mobile phone device 500 also communicates directly with mobile phone device 304 of the patient &# 39 ; s home doctor in the home hospital system 700 . there is no need to retrieve the patient &# 39 ; s critical health record from the home hospital system 700 . referring now to fig3 , there is illustrated solution 3 of a system for providing critical health care service . here we will describe the differences with fig2 . the main difference is that the patient 1000 critical health record is stored in a rd id tag 1002 that is located on the patient 1000 . mobile phone device 900 differs from mobile phone device 100 in that it comprises storage means 110 as in mobile phone device 100 in fig1 . storage means 110 in fig3 stores the allowed emergency numbers , the service provider 600 messaging number and the mobile phone device 900 identification data . the critical health record ( this includes but is not limited to patient name , home hospital , home doctor , home doctor contact number , file number , critical medical information , drug allergies , temporary conditions like pregnancy ) of patient 1000 is stored in the rf id tag 1002 on patient 1000 . the rf id reader means 912 automatically reads the critical health record from the rf id tag 1002 when the appropriate emergency number ( e . g ., 911 ) is dialed .	0
the compounds of this invention are useful as immunomodulators . immunomodulatory activity has been demonstrated for 3 -( o - methylaminobenzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydrophthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one , 3 -( o - benzylaminobenzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydrophthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one , and 3 -( o - aminobenzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydrophthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one . r 1 is h , c 1 - c 4 lower alkyl ( i . e ., lower alkyl group of having one to four carbon atoms ), c 3 - c 7 cycloalkyl , c 6 - c 14 aryl , c 6 - c 14 substituted aryl ( including benzyl ), or c 4 - c 13 heteroaryl , and r 2 is h , c 1 - c 4 lower alkyl , c 1 - c 8 alkoxy , oh , nh 2 or no 2 . the reaction may be summarized as follows : ## str5 ## where r 1 and r 2 are defined as above . the above reaction is typically accomplished by reacting an n - substituted isatoic anhydride ( compound i ; prepared from isatoic anhydride by procedures described in g . e . hardtmann et al , j . of heterocyclic chemistry , vol . 12 , p 565 - 572 ( 1975 )) with an equivalent amount of 3 , 4 - dihydrophthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one ( compound ii ) in an aprotic solvent such as toluene or xylene at elevated temperatures , preferably in the range from 100 ° c . to 145 ° c . the above reaction can also be performed in a polar solvent , such as dimethyl formamide , in which case a range of 70 ° c . to 90 ° c . is preferred . depending on the solvent and the nature of compounds i and ii , the time of the reaction is varied from 4 to 24 hours . the preferred reaction time is 16 hours . the product , 3 -( substituted aminobenzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydrophthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one ( compound iii ), forms a precipitate when the mixture is cooled to room temperature . the preceipitate may be washed with the aprotic solvent at room temperature . two grams of the catalyst , 10 % pd / c , is added to a suspension of 7 . 2 g of 3 -( o - benzoylaminobenzyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydrophthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one in 1 liter of ethanol and the mixture is hydrogenated in a paar apparatus for 16 hours . the catalyst is filtered off and the filtrate is evaporated to afford the product , 3 -( o - aminobenzoyl )- l3 , 4 - dihydro - phthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one , as a colorless solid . recrystallization from ethanol affords the product as a colorless powder . to 3 . 3 g ( 0 . 022 ml ) of 3 , 4 - dihydro - phthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one dissolved in 100 ml of xylene was added 3 . 9 g ( 0 . 022 mol ) of n - methylisatoic anhydride and the solution was stirred and heated at reflux under n 2 for 16 hours . the mixture was then cooled to room temperature ( about 25 ° c .) whereupon a heavy precipitate formed . the 3 -( o - methylaminobenzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - phthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one was collected as a solid , washed well with xylene to give an off - white powder , mp 199 °- 202 ° c . anal . calcd . for c 16 h 15 n 3 o 2 : c , 68 . 31 ; h , 5 . 37 ; n , 14 . 93 . found : c , 68 . 27 ; h , 5 . 35 ; n , 14 . 75 . immunoregulatory activity of the compound , 3 -( o - methylaminobenzoyl - 3 , 4 - dihydro - phthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one , was assessed by the kennedy plaque assay [ j . c . kennedy et al , immunol ., 20 , 253 ( 1971 )]. in the assay , the change in the number of plaques is a direct correlate of the number of antibody secreting cells in the test animal &# 39 ; s spleen . the results obtained were : ______________________________________dose of the percent change incompound ( mg / kg ) the number of plaques______________________________________1 . 56 - 326 . 25 - 4525 - 35______________________________________ 3 , 4 - dihydrophthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one was reacted with n - benzylisatoic anhydride according to the general procedure above to produce 3 -( o - benzylaminobenzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydrophthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one as a colorless solid , mp 206 °- 208 ° c . anal . calc . for c 22 h 19 n 3 o 2 : c , 73 . 93 ; h , 5 . 36 ; n , 11 . 76 . found : c , 73 . 91 ; h , 5 . 34 ; n , 11 . 63 . immunoregulatory activity of the compound , 3 -( o - benzylaminobenzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - phthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one was assessed by the kennedy plaque assay referred to in example 1 . the results obtained were : ______________________________________dose of the percent change incompound ( mg / kg ) the number of plaques______________________________________6 . 25 + 3025 - 32______________________________________ to 7 . 2 g of 3 -( o - benzylaminobenzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydrophthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one suspended in 1 liter of etoh was added 2 g of 10 % pd / c and the mixture was hydrogenated in a paar apparatus for 16 hours . the catalyst was filtered off and the filtrate evaporated to afford 5 . 0 g of a colorless solid . recrystallization from aqueous etoh afforded 3 -( o - amino - benzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - phthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one as a colorless powder in 62 % yield ; mp 156 °- 157 ° c . anal . calc . for c 15 h 13 n 3 o 2 : c , 67 . 40 ; h , 4 . 90 ; n , 15 . 72 . found : c , 67 . 22 ; h , 4 . 90 ; n , 15 . 67 . immunoregulatory activity of the compound , 3 -( o - aminobenzoyl )- 3 , 4 - dihydro - phthalazin - 1 ( 2h )- one was assessed by the kennedy plaque assay referred to in example 1 . the results obtained were : ______________________________________dose of the percent change incompound ( mg / kg ) the number of plaques______________________________________1 . 56 - 1825 + 10______________________________________ by following the procedure of example 1 , using the following n - substituted isatoic anhydrides in place of n - methylisatoic anhydride : the above list is not intended to limit the scope of the invention but is included for illustrative purposes only .	2
referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views . fig1 illustrates an example of a terminal device 1 , which shows one aspect of an exemplary antenna arrangement . terminal device 1 includes a circuit board 10 , which may include communication processing circuitry described in later paragraphs . the circuit board 10 includes an edge part corresponding to an electric power feeding circuit 11 for an antenna 30 . the antenna 30 includes a first element 31 and a second element 32 , which are formed on an elongated circuit board substrate 20 . elements included in the antenna 30 are electrically connected via conductors , such as copper . the substrate 20 may be connected to the circuit board 10 in such a manner that it “ floats ” on the substrate 20 surface . the height at which the substrate 20 floats from the circuit board 10 corresponds to the length of a third element 33 , which will be described in further detail in later paragraphs . as a non - limiting example of the multi - band characteristics associated with the antenna 30 , a low frequency band of the antenna 30 may perform transmission and reception at 900 mhz , and a high frequency band of the antenna 30 may perform transmission and reception at 2 ghz . however , it should be appreciated that the present disclosure may easily be adapted such that other frequency bands are used . for illustration purposes , fig2 illustrates a top - view perspective of the terminal device 1 , and fig3 illustrates a disassembled view of the circuit board 10 and the substrate 20 . next , fig4 illustrates a perspective view showing detail of the antenna 30 . referring to fig4 , the three axes dx , dy , and dz illustrate an orientation of the various elements in the figure . the exemplary antenna 30 may include the first element 31 , the second element 32 , and the third element 33 . the first element 31 may have an elongated structure extending along a first axis ( e . g ., the dx axis ) while bending from a connection point 31 a to connect with the second element 32 such that the structure of the second element 32 may be enclosed within the first element 31 . a connection point 33 a of the end of the third element 33 of the antenna 30 may be connected to the electric power feeding circuit 11 of the circuit board 10 . the first element 31 may comprise multiple linear electrically conductive sub - elements , including components 31 b , 31 c , 31 d , and 31 e . each component 31 b , 31 c , 31 d , and 31 e are shown in fig4 being connected at right angles ; however , other arrangements may easily be used , and this configuration is not limiting . the component 31 b includes the connection point 31 a and is extended along the longitudinal direction ( dx ) on a surface 21 of the antenna substrate 20 . the component 31 c is connected to the component 31 b , and extends in the width direction ( dy ) on the surface 21 of the antenna substrate 20 . the component 31 c and the connected component 31 d are arranged on a side surface 23 of the antenna substrate 20 . the component 31 d and the connected component 31 e are arranged on the surface 21 of the antenna substrate 20 . the second element 32 may be l - shaped , where components 32 a and 32 b are connected at a right angle . as mentioned above and illustrated in fig4 , the second element 32 may be arranged such that the components of the first element 31 are positioned around the second element 32 . a tip of the component 31 e is separated from a tip of the component 32 b . the third element 33 may be connected to the second element 32 . the third element 33 may be a shape that extends along a side surface 22 of the antenna substrate 20 from a lower surface of the antenna 30 . an upright tip of the third element 33 corresponds to the connection point 33 a , which connects with the electric power feeding circuit 11 . length l3 shown in fig4 shows the length of the third element 33 . the definition of length l3 of the third element 33 is discussed in further detail in later paragraphs . for illustration purposes , fig5 shows the exemplary antenna 30 from an alternate perspective . next , fig6 illustrates a block diagram of the exemplary terminal device 1 . terminal device 1 may , e . g ., be a mobile phone , a smart phone , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a tablet computer , or the like . referring to fig6 , the terminal device 1 may be equipped with the antenna 30 , which may connect to a controller 102 via the electric power feeding circuit 11 and a communication processing circuit 101 . the terminal device 1 may also include an operating portion 103 , a memory 104 , a display 105 , a speaker 106 , a microphone 107 , and a voice processing section 108 . the communication processing circuit 101 processes voice and data signals transmitted to / from the antenna 30 . the processing of the communication processing circuit 101 may include modulating and demodulating signals supplied to / from the antenna 30 . as a non - limiting example , the communication processing circuit 101 may utilize 900 mhz and 2 ghz frequency bands in the processing , and may transmit / receive signals via radio and / or wireless paths to other devices and / or base stations . for example , the terminal device 1 may communicates according to the long term evolution ( lte ) specification . the controller 102 is comprised , e . g ., of a central processing unit ( cpu ), which may include one or more processors that are programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory 104 when performing the various features of the terminal device 1 . the operating portion 103 may include various interface elements for performing input on the terminal device 1 . for example , the operating portion 103 may interface with external buttons and / or a touch screen , where detected inputs on these interface elements may generate an operation signal , which the operating portion 103 and / or the controller 102 may utilize for further processing . the memory 104 may consist of a read only memory ( rom ), a random access memory ( ram ), or combination thereof . for example , data that needs to be stored / memorized for later use may be stored in rom , while ram may be used as working memory , e . g ., in the case where the controller 102 performs control processing . the display 105 may be a liquid crystal panel , an organic electro luminescence ( el ) panel , or the like . the display 105 may perform display features regarding , e . g ., transmission or receipt of voice and data signals . for example , the display 105 may display information regarding a telephone call , a web page , a text message , images , or the like . the speaker 106 and the microphone 107 are connected to the voice processing section 108 . the speech - processing part 108 may perform a modulation process to audio data received by the communication processing circuit 101 , and supply it to the speaker 106 . moreover , the speech - processing part 108 may modulate voice signals acquired with the microphone 107 to generate audio data for transmission via the communication processing circuit 101 . next , fig7 illustrates exemplary dimensional features of the antenna 30 . it should be appreciated that the features discussed with regard to fig7 are merely provided for illustration purposes ; however these features are not limiting , and other dimensional features may easily be incorporated in a multi - band antenna of the present disclosure . referring to fig7 , the length from the connection point 31 a of the first element 31 to the component 31 e at a tip of the first element 31 is set to l1 . the length of the second element 32 is set to l2 . the length l2 of the second element 32 corresponds to the length from where the connection point 31 a meets the element 32 a , to a tip of the component 32 b . the length of the component 32 b of the second element 32 is set to la . the space between the component 32 b of the second element 32 and the component 31 b of the first element 31 is set to x . the space between the component 32 b of the second element 32 and the component 31 d of the first element 31 is set to y . here , λ gx is the effective wavelength of the first anti - resonance frequency f x , and y is defined in meters . where c is the speed of light in a vacuum , and ∈ r is a dielectric constant of a medium . although the elements 31 and 32 are arranged on the medium of a dielectric material , since a single surface of the medium is open , there are few wavelength shortening effects . therefore , based on a simulator result , ∈ r is set to a value at which 1 /√{ square root over (∈ r )}= 0 . 85 , which yields : therefore , with first anti - resonance frequency f x = 1 . 4 ghz , the resultant spacing length y becomes y & gt ; 1 . 8 mm using the above - defined inequality . length l1 of the first element 31 should satisfy the conditions of following inequality : where λ g1 is the effective wavelength ( in meters ) corresponding to a minimum frequency f 1 of a countermeasure frequency band , and n is a positive integer or 0 . length l2 of the second element 32 should satisfy the conditions of following inequality : an adjustment of the impedance of the minimum frequency simplifies the derivation of length l3 of the third element 33 . specifically , length l3 is made to satisfy : the point to which an adjustment of the impedance is preferred is the point at which the first element 31 is connected . if the second element 32 is short enough with respect to the wavelength of the low frequency band ( e . g ., 900 mhz ), the antenna 30 including elements 31 , 32 , and 33 that satisfies such conditions may exhibit the same behavior as the case of only a single element . it should be noted that although the definition of the spacing length x is not shown , the length may be made to correspond to spacing length y . in order to demonstrate the high performance characteristics of an antenna according to the present disclosure , such as antenna 30 , features of an antenna without the second element 32 are first shown in fig8 a and 8b , and features of the antenna 30 with the second element 32 included are shown in fig9 a and 9b . first , fig8 a shows current phasors i1 and i2 of an antenna comprising only the first element 31 . the perspective of fig8 a corresponds to the direction of arrow a in fig4 , which also shows the first element 31 . the current phasor i1 is generated by the component 31 d . the current phasor i2 is generated by the component 31 b . current phasors i1 and i2 are the same direction . fig8 b shows magnetic field vectors h1 and h2 of the antenna comprising only the first element 31 ( i . e ., resultant magnetic field vectors from current vectors i1 and i2 of fig8 a ). the perspective of fig8 b corresponds to the direction of arrow b of fig4 , which also shows the first element 31 . the direction of arrow b is a direction which is slightly inclined with respect to the surface 21 of the antenna substrate 20 . as shown in fig8 b , partial h0 is mutually negated due to the direction of generated magnetic field vectors h1 and h2 . next , fig9 a shows current phasors i1 , i2 , and i3 of the antenna 30 , which includes both first element 31 and the second element 32 . fig9 a shows the antenna 30 from a perspective corresponding to arrow a of fig4 . the current phasor i1 is generated by the component 31 d of the first element 31 . the current phasor i2 is generated by the component 31 b of the first element 31 . the current phasor i3 is generated by the component 32 b of the second element 32 . current phasors i1 and i2 are in the opposite direction of the current phasor i3 . fig9 b shows magnetic field vectors h1 , h2 , and h3 of the antenna ( i . e ., resultant magnetic field vectors from current vectors i1 , i2 , and i3 of fig9 a ). fig9 b shows the antenna 30 from a perspective corresponding to arrow b of fig4 . as evident in fig9 b , magnetic field vectors h1 and h3 overlap between the component 31 d and the component 32 b , and the magnetic field vector h2 and the magnetic field vector h3 overlap between the component 32 b and the component 31 b . due to the direction of the overlapping vectors , the overlapping magnetic field vectors may be added . as a result of this overlap , the magnitude of electric current amount of current phasors i1 , i2 , i3 becomes large . in particular , the current phasor i3 corresponding to the overlapped magnetic field vector h3 is predominant in this example . additionally , the first element 31 and the second element 32 are electromagnetically coupled , and the extent of the coupling is controlled by spacing lengths x and y ( fig7 ), and the magnitude of the electric current i3 ( fig9 a ) of the second element 32 . the resonant frequency in this case occurs when the electric current amount 13 becomes the highest , and when length l2 of the second element 32 is in the λg / 4 vicinity . the direction of each magnetic field vector can also be changed by adjusting the electric current i3 , spacing lengths x and y , and the length l2 of the second element 32 . in this case , magnetic field directivity begins to change with a frequency in the λg / 4 vicinity . for this reason , appropriate element sizing should be chosen while confirming sar of the antenna 30 . spacing y may especially experience a first anti - resonance frequency ( e . g ., 1400 - 1700 mhz ), and since the wavelength shortening effect can be present , it is possible to show an element long . therefore , what is necessary is to decide on the conditions satisfied while also confirming the characteristic that the wavelength shortening effect is acquired . next , fig1 a - d illustrate exemplary sar simulations for an antenna without the second element 32 ( see , e . g ., fig1 a ), and fig1 a - d illustrate exemplary sar simulations for an antenna that includes the second element 32 ( see , e . g ., fig1 a ). these simulations were performed according the following conditions . lengths l1 and l2 are respectively matched with the minimum frequency band ( 900 mhz ) and an lte countermeasure band ( 2500 - 2570 mhz ), and λ g1 is computed . λ g ⁢ ⁢ 1 = ⁢ c / f 1 * 1 / ɛ ⁢ ⁢ r = ⁢ ( 300 * 10 8 ) / ( 2500 * 10 6 ) * 1 / ɛ ⁢ ⁢ r = ⁢ 120 * 1 / ɛ ⁢ ⁢ r here , c is the speed of light in a vacuum , f 1 is a minimum frequency of the countermeasure band , ∈ r is a dielectric constant of a medium , and λ g1 is calculated in millimeters . although the first element 31 and the second element 32 are arranged on the surface of the antenna substrate 20 , which is a dielectric material , since a single surface is open , there are few wavelength shortening effects present . therefore , based on a simulator result , ∈ r is set to a value at which 1 /√{ square root over (∈ r )}= 0 . 85 , which yields : as mentioned earlier , the directivity shown in fig1 a - d is an example where only the first element 31 is present in the antenna . the directivity of this antenna is characteristically emitted from the + y - axis to the + z - axis . fig1 b shows antenna directivity in a case with a frequency of 2 . 55 ghz . the maximum directivity value in this case is 2 . 5 dbi . fig1 c and 10d show an s parameter ( s11 ) of the antenna with only the first element 31 , where s11 is defined by the following formula : fig1 c is a smith chart showing impedance from 0 . 5 ghz to 3 . 0 ghz , with a normalization impedance of 50 ohms . fig1 d shows vswr for the frequency range of fig1 c , where the vswr value of 1 is illustrated ( ideal state ), as well as states with much higher loss levels , which is undesirable . as shown in fig1 d , a first anti - resonance frequency exists at 1500 mhz , with the vswr value quite high at 11 or more . next , fig1 a - d provide corresponding illustrations to fig1 a - d for the case where the antenna 30 has both the first element 31 and the second element 32 . the exemplary illustrations of fig1 a - d assume the following parameters : fig1 b shows the antenna directivity from fig1 a in a case with a frequency of 2 . 55 ghz . the maximum directivity value in this case is 3 . 5 dbi . fig1 c and 11d show the s parameter ( s 11 ) of the antenna . fig1 c is a smith chart showing impedance from 0 . 5 ghz to 3 . 0 ghz , with a normalization impedance of 50 ohms . fig1 d shows vswr for the frequency range of fig1 c . as illustrated in fig1 d , the directivity at the 2 . 5 ghz frequency band , which is the frequency band that needs countermeasures against sar , is changing a lot so that it may turn out that the directivity of fig1 b is comparable with the directivity of fig1 b . moreover , as shown in fig1 d , a first anti - resonance frequency exists at 1200 mhz , and vswr ( s ) are typically 3 or less and at low values . thus , under this condition , favorable directional characteristics are acquired , and the antenna 30 has a high performance improvement in the frequency band of 1500 mhz . fig1 a and 12b illustrate antenna 30 directivity characteristics in a case with the following parameters : the directivity in this case is shown in fig1 a , and fig1 b shows corresponding vswr for the frequency range of fig1 a . as illustrated in these figures , directivity and vswr are changing from the example of fig1 a - d , which illustrates the effect changing the above parameters has on antenna performance . in the example of fig1 a and 12b , directivity is getting worse relative to the example of fig1 a - d . moreover , vswr at 2550 mhz has deteriorated to approximately 4 or 5 . fig1 a and 13b illustrate antenna 30 directivity characteristics in a case with the following parameters : the directivity in this case is shown in fig1 a , and fig1 b shows corresponding vswr for the frequency range of fig1 a . as illustrated in these figures , directivity is not optimal under these conditions , and vswr at 2550 mhz is also high . next , fig1 a and 14b show impedance characteristics ( rb and jb ) of an antenna having only the first element 31 ( i . e ., no second element 32 ), and impedance characteristics of an antenna having both the first element 31 and the second element 32 ( ra and ja ). fig1 a and 14b assume the following parameters : fig1 a shows the real portion of impedance characteristics ra and rb , and fig1 b shows the imaginary portion of impedance characteristics ja and jb . as shown in these figures , in the case of the antenna with only the first element 31 ( i . e ., impedance rb and jb ), a first anti - resonance condition exists at 1250 mhz , and this high impedance state continues to the 1600 mhz vicinity . on the other hand , in the case of the antenna which has the second element 32 ( i . e ., impedance ra and ja ), the first anti - resonance has moved to 1100 mhz . although the high impedance state continues to the 1300 mhz vicinity , the impedance is comparatively low at greater than 1400 mhz relative to the case with only the first element 31 . next , fig1 shows radiation efficiency α11 of an antenna having both the first element 31 and the second element 32 , such as the antenna 30 , and the radiation efficiency α12 of and antenna having only the first element 31 . the exemplary radiation efficiency characteristics shown in fig1 assume power is supplied to the antenna under perfect adjustment conditions . as shown in the figure , the radiation efficiency α11 is significantly improved compared with the radiation efficiency α12 in the 1 . 4 ghz vicinity . moreover , the antenna having the second element 32 exhibits a gentler change in reactance in the 1 . 4 ghz vicinity , and its change of real impedance is also relatively gentle . thus , these exemplary graphs show that the bandwidth increase of the direction of the antenna that has the second element 32 is carried out . next , fig1 illustrates radiation efficiency in a condition with 50 ohms in impedance without a matching circuit , and when transmission power is supplied to an antenna . in this case , the radiation efficiency α21 in the case of the antenna that has both the first element 31 and the second element 32 ( e . g ., antenna 30 ) has been significantly improved in the 1 . 4 ghz vicinity compared with the radiation efficiency α22 , which does not have the second element 32 . next , fig1 a and 17b illustrate directivity features for an antenna without the second element 32 , and fig1 a and 18b illustrate directivity features for an antenna that includes the second element 32 ( e . g ., antenna 30 ). these figures assume the following parameters : fig1 a - b and 18 a - b respectively illustrate directivity features of the same antenna , but fig1 / 18 b shifts the axes dy and dz relative to fig1 / 18 a . as seen in the exemplary graphs of fig1 a and 18b , the inclusion of the second element 32 results in increased directivity dispersion along the various axes . next , fig1 shows exemplary sar measurements in tabular form for the case in which the antenna does not include the second element 32 , as well as the case in which the second element 32 is included , such as in the antenna 30 . calculated values are shown for both cases when the antenna is positioned 10 mm and 15 mm from a human body . as shown in the table , for both distances , sar is significantly reduced when the second element 32 is included in the antenna . next , fig2 a through 20n illustrate exemplary modifications for a second element , such as the second element 32 of fig4 , which can be used in an antenna for balancing increased bandwidth with sar countermeasures . it should be noted that the exemplary second element configurations are merely examples presented for illustration purposes , and other configurations could easily be implemented within the scope of the present disclosure . referring first to fig2 a , an exemplary second element 210 is shown with a component 211 and a component 212 connecting in an l - shape . additionally , the component 212 includes an opening part 213 , which may be provided in substantially the entire elongated length of the component 212 . next , fig2 b shows an exemplary second element 220 . the second element 220 includes a component 221 connected with a component 222 to form an l - shape . additionally , the component 222 includes an opening part 223 , which is provided at a front end of the component 222 . next , fig2 c shows an exemplary second element 230 . the second element 230 includes a component 231 connected with a component 232 to form an l - shape . additionally , the component 232 includes an opening part 233 , which is provided in the component 232 in the vicinity of a connection portion ( i . e ., an adjacent edge ) of the component 231 . next , fig2 d shows an exemplary second element 240 . the second element 240 includes a component 241 connected with a component 242 to form an l - shape . additionally , the component 242 includes an inclination part 243 at a front tip of the component 242 . next , fig2 e shows an exemplary second element 250 . the second element 250 includes a component 251 , a component 252 , a component 253 , and a component 254 , which may be respectively connected at right angles . next , fig2 f shows an exemplary second element 260 . the second element 260 includes a component 261 connected with a component 262 to form an l - shape . additionally , the component 262 has a thin component 263 and thin component 264 , which bifurcate the component 262 at a front tip . next , fig2 g shows an exemplary second element 270 . the second element 270 includes a component 271 connected with a component 272 to form an l - shape . the second element 270 is similar to the second element 210 of fig2 a , but the component 272 is wider than the component 212 . additionally , the component 272 is equipped with an opening part 273 , which may be provided in substantially the entire elongated length of the component 272 , and may be centered or offset in a width direction of the component 272 . next , fig2 h shows an exemplary second element 280 . the second element 280 includes a component 281 connected with a component 282 to form an l - shape . the second element is similar to the second element 210 of fig2 a , but with an opening part 283 in the component 282 that is narrower than the opening part 213 . next , fig2 i shows an exemplary second element 290 . the second element 290 includes a component 291 , a component 292 , the component 293 , a component 294 , and a component 295 . the component 291 and the component 292 are connected to form an l - shape . the component 293 is connected at a front tip of the component 292 . the component 294 has a length that is shorter than the component 292 , and the component 294 is connected at a front tip of the component 293 . moreover , the component 295 is connected to an edge of the component 291 such that a front tip of the component 294 opposes a front tip of the component 295 . next , fig2 j shows an exemplary second element 300 . the second element 300 includes a component 301 , a component 302 , a component 303 , a component 304 , and a component 305 . the component 301 and the component 302 are connected to form an l - shape . the component 303 is connected at a front tip of the component 302 . the component 304 is connected to an edge of the component 301 . the component 305 is connected at the front tip of the component 304 . the component 305 may curve from the front tip of the component 304 in a direction corresponding to , or opposing , the component 303 . next , fig2 k shows an exemplary second element 310 . the second element 310 includes a component 311 connected with a component 312 to form an l - shape . additionally , the second element 310 includes a component 313 and a component 314 , which are arranged substantially in parallel with the component 312 . the component 313 and the component 314 are connected to an edge of the component 311 . next , fig2 l shows an exemplary second element 320 . the second element 320 includes a component 321 connected with a component 322 to form an l - shape . additionally , the second element 310 includes a component 323 is arranged substantially in parallel with the component 322 . the component 323 is connected to an edge of the component 321 , and the component 323 is shorter than the component 322 . fig2 m shows an exemplary second element 330 . the second element 330 includes a component 331 connected with a component 332 to form an l - shape . additionally , the second element 330 includes a component 333 arranged substantially in parallel with the component 332 . the component 333 is connected to an edge of the component 331 , and the component 333 is shorter and wider than the component 332 . fig2 n shows an exemplary second element 340 . the second element 340 includes a component 341 connected with a component 342 to form an l - shape . additionally , the second element 330 includes a component 343 connected at a front tip of the component 342 . as stated previously , the second elements 210 - 340 described above with respect to fig2 a to 20n , or any combination of elements thereof , may be utilized as a second element when forming a multi - band antenna of the present disclosure , such as the antenna 30 of fig4 . next , fig2 a to 21c illustrate exemplary modifications for a first element , such as the first element 31 of fig4 , which can be used in an antenna for balancing increased bandwidth with sar countermeasures . it should be noted that the exemplary first element configurations are merely examples presented for illustration purposes , and other configurations could easily be implemented within the scope of the present disclosure . turning first to fig2 a , an exemplary first element 410 includes components 411 , 412 , 413 , 414 , 415 , 416 , 417 , and 418 . an end 411 a of the component 411 may be connected to a second element ( e . g ., the second element 32 ). components 411 through 418 , in order , may be connected at right angles ( i . e ., the component 411 connects to the component 412 , the component 412 connects to the component 413 , etc .). fig2 b illustrates an exemplary first element 420 , which includes components 421 , 422 , 423 , 424 , 425 , and 426 . an end 421 a of the component 421 may be connected to a second element ( e . g ., the second element 32 ). the component 423 and the component 424 are connected along an edge of the component 422 . further , the components 423 and 424 are arranged substantially in parallel with the components 421 and 425 . fig2 c illustrates an exemplary first element 430 , which includes components 431 , 432 , 433 , 434 , and 435 . an end 431 a of the component 431 may be connected to a second element ( e . g ., the second element 32 ). the component 433 is connected along an edge of the component 432 . further , the component 433 is arranged in parallel with the components 431 and 434 . fig2 d illustrates an exemplary first element 1000 , which includes components 1001 , 1002 , 1003 , 1004 , 1005 , 1006 , 1007 , 1008 , and 1009 . an end 1001 a of the component 1001 may be connected to a second element ( e . g ., the second element 32 ). components 1001 through 1009 , in order , may be connected at right angles ( i . e ., the component 1001 connects to the component 1002 and 1003 , the component 1002 connects to the component 1008 , the component 1003 connects to the component 1009 , etc .). fig2 e illustrates an exemplary first element 1100 , which includes components 1101 , 1102 , 1103 , 1104 , 1105 , 1106 , and 1107 . an end 1101 a of the component 1101 may be connected to a second element ( e . g ., the second element 32 ). the component 1102 and the component 1103 are each connected along an edge of the components 1104 and 1105 , respectively . fig2 f illustrates an exemplary first element 1200 , which includes components 1201 , 1202 , 1203 , 1204 , 1205 , 1206 , 1207 , 1208 , 1209 , and 1210 . an end 1201 a of the component 1201 may be connected to a second element ( e . g ., the second element 32 ). the component 1210 is connected along an edge of the component 1204 . further , the component 1210 is arranged in parallel with the components 1202 , 1203 , 1206 , and , 1207 . fig2 g illustrates an exemplary first element 1300 , which includes components 1301 , 1302 , 1303 , 1304 , 1305 , 1306 , 1307 , and 1308 . an end 1301 a of the component 1301 may be connected to a second element ( e . g ., the second element 32 ). the component 1306 is connected along an edge of the component 1304 . further , the component 1306 is arranged in parallel with the components 1302 , 1303 , and 1307 . fig2 h illustrates an exemplary first element 1400 , which includes components 1401 , 1402 , 1403 , 1404 , 1405 , 1406 , 1407 , 1408 , 1409 , 1410 , and 1411 . an end 1401 a of the component 1401 may be connected to a second element ( e . g ., the second element 32 ). the components 1410 and 1411 are connected along an edge of the component 1404 . further , the components 1410 and 1411 are arranged in parallel with the components 1402 , 1403 , 1406 , and 1407 . fig2 i illustrates an exemplary first element 1500 , which includes components 1501 , 1502 , 1503 , 504 , 1505 , 1506 , 1507 , 1508 , and 1509 . an end 1501 a of the component 1501 may be connected to a second element ( e . g ., the second element 32 ). the component 1508 and 1509 are connected along an edge of the component 1504 . further , the component 1508 and 1509 are arranged in parallel with the components 1502 , 1503 , and 1506 . next , fig2 and 23 illustrate exemplary configurations of the antenna 30 of fig4 using alternate configurations of first and second elements , such as those described above for fig2 a through 21c . as a non - limiting example , fig2 shows the antenna 30 of fig4 modified with the first element 430 of fig2 c . fig2 shows a top - view perspective of fig2 , where it can be seen that the component 32 b of the second element 32 , and the component 433 of the first element 430 , are separated by a predetermined clearance gap , and the two components overlap a common plane . referring to fig2 , a length s is set to the elongated length of the component 433 , a width w is set to the width between the an edge of component 430 and an edge of component 433 , and a width q is set to the width between an edge of the component 434 and an edge of the component 433 . next , fig2 illustrates an exemplary current phasor diagram of the antenna shown in fig2 . here , the current phasor of the component 433 is set to i3a , and the current phasor of the component 32 b of the second element 32 is set to i3b . in this example , the direction of the current phasor i3a and i3b is the same . for this reason , as shown in fig2 , an in - phase coupling c is generated by the component 433 and the component 32 b . the current phasors i3a and i3b become large when the inductance l and capacitance c formed by the spacing of the two elements resonates . in addition , current phasors i1 and i2 have opposing phases relative to the current phasors i3a and i3b . generally there exists the following relationship between the resonant frequency f c , the inductance l , and the capacitance c ( equation a ): here , since the denominator of equation a will become large by the increased capacitance c when the structure of fig2 is used , the resonant frequency f c becomes small . that is , it becomes possible to move the resonant frequency f 1 to a low frequency while keeping the length of the second element set . thus , an arrangement such as that shown in fig2 contributes to size reduction of a corresponding antenna . fig2 illustrates magnetic field vectors h1 , h2 , and h3 generated in the antenna shown in fig2 ( i . e ., the magnetic field vectors resultant from the current phasors of fig2 ). as shown in fig2 , the magnetic field vector h1 and the magnetic field vector h3 overlap , and the magnetic field vector h2 and the magnetic field vector h3 overlap . as a result of these overlaps , the overlapping magnetic field vectors may be added . next , fig2 a - d illustrate antenna directivity characteristics for an exemplary case in which the first element of fig2 does not include the component 433 , and fig2 a - d illustrate antenna directivity characteristics for an exemplary case in which the first element of fig2 does include the component 433 . referring to fig2 a - d , the figures assume the following parameters : the directivity of the antenna shown in fig2 a is illustrated in fig2 b for a frequency of 1 . 95 ghz . the maximum directivity value in this case is 3 . 9 dbi . fig2 c and 26d show s parameter ( s11 ) of the antenna in fig2 a . in particular , fig2 c is a smith chart that shows impedance from 0 . 5 ghz to 3 . 0 ghz , and fig2 d illustrates vswr for a corresponding frequency range . as shown in fig2 d , a first anti - resonance frequency exists at 1500 mhz for this exemplary case , and vswr is a value quite high at 11 or more . turning to fig2 a - 27d , the directivity characteristics shown in illustrate the case of an antenna with the component 433 ( e . g ., fig2 a ). the example of fig2 a - 27d assumes the following parameters : the directivity characteristics of the antenna shown in fig2 a are illustrated in fig2 b for a case with a frequency of 1 . 95 ghz . the maximum directivity value in this case is 4 . 3 dbi . fig2 c and 27d show s parameter ( s11 ) of the antenna in fig2 a . in particular , fig2 c is a smith chart which shows the impedance from 0 . 5 ghz to 3 . 0 ghz , and fig2 d shows vswr for a corresponding frequency range . as evidenced in comparing fig2 b and 27b , the presence or absence of the component 433 in the antenna &# 39 ; s first element may result in large changes in directivity . moreover , as shown in fig2 d , vswr improves relative to the case of fig2 d at the 1 . 5 ghz resonance frequency vicinity , with values below 4 . thus , the exemplary illustrations of fig2 a - 27d show that the directivity of an antenna can be changed by adding the component 433 to a first element , while providing wide bandwidth properties for the antenna . for further illustration purposes , fig2 a and 28b illustrate a second case where the component 433 is included in an antenna &# 39 ; s first element , as in fig2 a . this second non - limiting example assumes the following parameters : the directivity in this case is shown in fig2 a , and fig2 b illustrates vswr for the 0 . 5 ghz to 3 . 0 ghz frequency range . a comparison of fig2 b and 27d illustrates the impact of changing the length s of the component 433 . for further illustration purposes , fig2 a and 29b illustrate a third case where the component 433 is included in an antenna &# 39 ; s first element , as in fig2 a . this third non - limiting example assumes the following parameters : the directivity in this case is shown in fig2 a , and fig2 b illustrates vswr for the 0 . 5 ghz to 3 . 0 ghz frequency range . a comparison of fig2 b and 27d illustrates the impact of changing widths q and w on antenna performance . next , fig3 a and 30b show real and imaginary impedance characteristics ( r21 and j21 , respectively ) of an antenna without the component 433 on the first element ( e . g ., antenna 30 shown in fig4 ), and real and imaginary impedance characteristics ( r22 and j22 , respectively ) of an antenna with the component 433 included on the first element , such as in fig2 . the parameters of the antenna for this example are as follows : as shown in the exemplary figures , an antenna without the component 433 exhibits a first anti - resonance frequency at the 1000 mhz vicinity , with a high impedance state continuing to the 1300 mhz vicinity ; however , the impedance is comparatively low at 1400 mhz or more . moreover , reactance becomes zero at a point near the 2500 mhz vicinity . on the other hand , in the case in which the antenna has the first element 430 with the component 433 , together with the second element 32 , the first anti - resonance frequency has moved to the 960 - mhz vicinity . although the high impedance state continues to 1300 mhz vicinity in this case , impedance is comparatively low at 1400 mhz or more . further , the point at which reactance becomes zero moves to the 2040 mhz vicinity . in addition , the change in the real portion other than the first anti - resonance frequency is gentle irrespective of the presence or absence of the component 433 . thus , when the component 433 is present , the frequency f c at which a reactance component becomes zero is lower relative to the case where the component 433 is not present . next , fig3 provides an exemplary graph illustrating radiation efficiency α31 of an antenna without the component 433 ( e . g ., antenna 30 of fig4 ), and radiation efficiency α32 of an antenna with the component 433 ( e . g ., antenna 30 of fig2 ). fig3 assumes transmission power is supplied to the antennas in a perfect adjustment condition . referring to the graph , although a decline in radiation efficiency α32 is shown at the 2 . 05 ghz vicinity , the decrease is small and therefore , this condition is satisfactory . in the low frequency region , although the efficiency at 950 mhz is falling , this can be improved by shortening the length of the first element . since a fall in efficiency is not seen at the first anti - resonance frequency vicinity , the antenna is operating in a wide bandwidth condition . fig3 shows a corresponding radiation efficiency graph as in fig3 , but with a normalization impedance of 50 ohms . under these alternate conditions , fig3 illustrates radiation efficiency α41 of an antenna without the component 433 ( e . g ., antenna 30 of fig4 ), and radiation efficiency α42 of an antenna with the component 433 ( e . g ., antenna 30 of fig2 ). fig3 a - b and 34 a - b illustrate directivity for the cases shown in fig3 a and 30b . specifically , fig3 a and 33b illustrate directivity in the case where no component 433 exists on the first element , and fig3 a and 34b illustrate directivity in the case where the component 433 is included on the first element . fig3 b illustrates the graph of fig3 a with the y - axis and z - axis shifted to the opposite side . likewise , fig3 b illustrates the graph of fig3 a with the y - axis and z - axis shifted to the opposite side . next , fig3 a and 35b show real and imaginary impedance characteristics ( r41 and j41 , respectively ) of an antenna with a second element and the component 433 included on the first element ( e . g ., antenna 30 shown in fig4 ); real and imaginary impedance characteristics ( r42 and j42 , respectively ) of an antenna with a first element including component 433 , but no second element ; and real and imaginary impedance characteristics ( r43 and j43 , respectively ) of an antenna with a second element and a first element that does not include the component 433 . fig3 a illustrates the real portion of impedance for each case , and fig3 b illustrates the imaginary portion of impedance for each case . in addition , these figures assume the second element is similar to the second element 320 in which components 322 and 323 are extended from component 321 in parallel , such as in fig2 l . however , in contrast to fig2 l , fig3 a and 35b assume components 322 and 323 are the same length . moreover , for the case with the antenna of impedance characteristics r41 and j41 , the component 433 of the first element 430 is arranged between the components 322 and 323 . referring to the graphs , there is no frequency at which the reactance component j42 becomes zero for the antenna without a second element . the frequencies at which the reactance component j43 for the antenna without the component 433 becomes zero are 2450 mhz , 2780 mhz , 2880 mhz , and 2930 mhz . the frequencies at which the reactance component j41 for the antenna with the component 433 included becomes zero are 2030 mhz , 2440 mhz , 2630 mhz , 2690 mhz . thus , as evident in the graphs , the presence and position of the component 433 is shown to change the frequency at which reactance becomes zero . next , fig3 provides an exemplary graph illustrating radiation efficiency α51 of an antenna without the second element , of the three cases shown in fig3 a and 35b ; and radiation efficiency α52 of an antenna with the component 433 included on the first element , of the three cases shown in fig3 a and 35b . referring to the graphs , although efficiency is shown to decline somewhat at the 2 . 05 ghz vicinity for α52 , the decline is small and therefore , the result is satisfactory . moreover , in the low frequency region , although the efficiency at 950 mhz is falling , this can be improved by shortening the length of the first element . since a fall in efficiency is not seen at the first anti - resonance frequency vicinity , the antenna is operating in a wide bandwidth condition . fig3 shows a corresponding radiation efficiency graph as in fig3 , but with a normalization impedance of 50 ohms . under these alternate conditions , fig3 illustrates radiation efficiency α61 of the antenna without the second element , and radiation efficiency α62 of an antenna with the second element and the component 433 included on the first element . fig3 a - b and 39 a - b illustrate directivity for two cases shown in fig3 a and 35b . specifically , fig3 a and 38b illustrate directivity in the case where the antenna does not include a second element ; and fig3 a and 39b illustrate directivity in the case where the antenna includes the second element , and the component 433 is included on the first element . fig3 a and 39a show directivity at 2 . 15 ghz , and fig3 b and 39b show directivity at 2 . 55 ghz . thus , as evidenced by these directivity illustrations , directivity can be changed on the two frequencies based on the presence and location of the second element and the component 433 . next , fig4 a and 40b show real and imaginary impedance characteristics of the antenna 30 shown in fig4 ( r51 and j51 ), and the antenna of fig4 modified with the second element 320 shown in fig2 l ( r52 and j52 ). in the second exemplary case , the components 322 and 323 are different lengths , as in fig2 l , and the component 323 of the second element 320 is assumed to be shorter . referring to the graphs , the reactance component j51 becomes zero at 2470 - 2820 mhz , and the reactance component j52 becomes zero at 2470 mhz , 2800 mhz , 3400 mhz , 3500 mhz . that is , the frequency at which the reactance component becomes zero has increased to 2470 mhz under these conditions . fig4 a - b and 42 a - b illustrate directivity for two cases shown in fig4 a and 40b . specifically , fig4 a and 41b illustrate directivity in the case of antenna 30 from fig4 ; and fig4 a and 42b illustrate directivity in the case where the antenna 30 is modified by using the second element 320 of fig2 l . fig4 a and 42a show directivity at 2 . 55 ghz , and fig4 b and 42b show directivity at 3 . 35 ghz . thus , as evidenced by these directivity illustrations , directivity can be changed on the two frequencies based on the configuration of the second element . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the present disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . for example , advantageous results may be achieved if components in the present disclosure were combined in a different manner , or if the components were replaced or supplemented by other components . the functions , processes , and algorithms described herein may be performed in hardware or software executed by hardware , including computer processors and / or programmable circuits configured to execute program code and / or computer instructions to execute the functions , processes and algorithms described herein . additionally , some implementations may be performed on modules or hardware not identical to those described . accordingly , other implementations are within the scope that may be claimed . the functions and features described herein may also be executed by various distributed components of a system . for example , one or more processors may execute these system functions , wherein the processors are distributed across multiple components communicating in a network . the distributed components may include one or more client and / or server machines , in addition to various human interface and / or communication devices ( e . g ., display monitors , smart phones , tablets , personal digital assistants ( pdas )). the network may be a private network , such as a lan or wan , or may be a public network , such as the internet . input to the system may be received via direct user input and / or received remotely either in real - time or as a batch process . it must be noted that , as used in the specification and the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise .	7
fig1 diagrammatically illustrates a system according to a first embodiment of the invention that makes it possible for a mobile terminal to obtain additional information linked to a display present on an advertising display panel . the modules shown in the figure are functional units , which may or may not correspond to physically distinguishable units . for example , these modules , or some of them , can be regrouped into a single component , or constitute functions of the same software . a contrario , some modules can possibly be composed of separate physical entities . the system comprises a display panel 10 to which is fastened a display 11 that presents a product or a service to consumers . the display panel 10 further comprises an identification element 12 that supplies to a mobile terminal 20 identification data that make it possible to identify the display panel 10 . the identification element 12 of the display panel 10 can be presented by any means that makes it possible for it to be seen directly by the consumer . it can be printed directly on the body of the panel 10 , or displayed by a variable display screen using lcd technology , plasma , leds or electronic ink , for example . the identification element 12 can be presented in the form of a code , an image , or text , for example . in this embodiment , the data that are representative of the identification element 12 are a photograph of the identification element 12 . the system further comprises an operations center 30 in which storage means 31 are provided , these storage means 31 containing data that are representative of the different identification elements 12 of the panels 10 as well as the geographic position of each panel 10 and the identifier of the display or the displays presented on the associated panel 10 . the operator of the display panels is responsible for updating the storage means of the operations center 30 when display panels are added , display panels are removed or display panels are modified . the operations center 30 is linked by a network r such as a private internet network , for example , to at least one service center 40 in which means for storage and broadcasting of the additional information related to the display of the display panel 10 are provided . the operations center 30 further comprises automatic means for receiving 32 identification elements 12 of the panels 10 and automatic means for sending 33 the identifier of the display or of the displays 11 presented on the display panel 10 and of the geographic position of the display panel 10 from the identification element 12 . automatic means 42 for receiving data , representative of the identification element 12 , transmitted by the mobile terminal 20 , and processing means 43 to extract the identification element from the representative data received , automatic means for sending 44 the extracted identification elements to the operations center 30 , automatic means for sending 45 the additional information to the mobile terminal 20 , automatic means for receiving 46 the identifier of the display or of the displays and the geographic position of a display panel 10 , means for customizing 47 the additional information from the identifier of the display or displays 11 and the geographic position received by the receiving means . the storage means of the service center 40 or of the operations center 30 can be a server containing a database that incorporates the information described . the server can implement a service for interrogating this database using a “ web service .” advantageously , it will be possible to use the wxml language to describe this service , which will be implemented by exchanging xml files in the soap format between the service center 40 and the operations center 30 . the mobile terminal 20 can be a portable telephone , a pda , a portable computer , etc ., comprising means for capturing information such as a keyboard 21 or a tactile interface of a screen 22 and calculating means , and means for sending and receiving data , in particular for sending data that are representative of the identification element , by the connection to a public telecommunication network r ′ such as a 3g gsm network , for example . the mobile terminal 20 is designed to receive and to show the additional information on the screen 22 from the data received from the service center or service centers 40 . reference is now made to fig2 in which the exchanges of data between the different entities of the system illustrated in fig1 are illustrated to communicate additional information to a user of the mobile terminal 20 about a product or services presented on a display 11 placed in a display panel 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention . the user of the terminal 20 passes in front of the display panel 10 on which the display 11 is presented . the display 11 presents information about a product in which the user is interested and on the subject of which he wishes to have additional information , such as , for example , the price of the product , the nearby stores that sell this product , etc . in a first step of the method , the user of the mobile terminal 20 places himself in the vicinity of the display panel 10 to retrieve identification data that make it possible to identify the display panel 10 . during a step s 1 of acquiring identification data , the identification data representative of the identification element 12 of the display panel 10 are retrieved from the display panel 10 in the form of a photograph of the identification element 12 by means of an image capture . it is possible , in a variant , to have in the mobile terminal a memory so as to keep the identification data there once captured by the mobile terminal , so that the user can transmit the identification data to the operations center so as to access the additional information , even if he is far from the display panel , for example if he was moving while passing in front of the display panel . a step s 2 follows of transmission of identification data from the mobile terminal 20 directly to the service center 40 by a public telecommunication network r ′. after receiving the identification data , in a data analysis step s 3 , the representative data are processed so as to extract from them the identification element 12 of the display panel 10 . then , in a step s 4 , the extracted identification element 12 is sent from the service center 40 to the operations center 30 . of course , in a variant , the analysis of the representative data for extracting the identification element from them can take place in the operations center 30 . in a step s 5 , the operations center 30 uses the identification element 12 to identify the display panel 10 and to obtain geographic coordinates of the display panel 10 . during a step s 6 , the operations center 30 transmits to the service center 40 the identifier of the display 11 ( or of the displays ) of the display panel that corresponds to the identification element 12 and the geographic coordinates of the display panel 10 that correspond to the identification element 12 . in a step s 7 , the service center 40 retrieves additional data related to the display 11 presented on the identified display panel 10 and related to the geographic location of the display panel . a step s 8 follows of dialogue between the mobile terminal 20 and the service center 40 that supplies to the consumer additional information about the product or services presented on the identified display 11 , as well as information specific to the geographic location of the display panel 10 . the consumer can use the mobile terminal 20 to receive the additional information by internet network . to link up with the internet network , a wi - fi technology optionally incorporated in the mobile terminal can be used if an access point is within its range , or a 3g modem incorporated in the mobile terminal or incorporated in a usb key connected to the mobile terminal . the service center can be implemented using a web server . if the identification element 12 of the panel 10 is y , the display panel 10 can incorporate a comment of the type “ to learn more about it , go to http :// www . abcdef . com / y .” the site www . abcdef . com can right away contain the specific information or perform an automatic redirection to a site containing the information specific to the product or service advertised on the display 11 , while transmitting the geographic coordinates of the identified panel 10 . embodiments of the invention relate to a method and a device supplying a consultation service of additional information to a consumer located in front of a display panel making it possible for him to obtain quickly and simply additional information about the product or services presented on this panel . in short , when the consumer accesses the service center 40 by a public network r ′, the display panel 10 on which he has seen a display 11 is identified . the service center 40 can interrogate the operations center 30 and retrieve the geographic location of the display panel ( and therefore of the consumer ) as well as the display present on the display panel thanks to the identification element of the display panel and to the information stored in the storage means of the operations center . thus , the information presented to the consumer is consistent with the display viewed as well as its geographic location . of course , the invention is not limited to the examples of embodiment represented and described above , from which other designs and other forms of embodiment will be able to be foreseen , without thereby going outside of the scope of the invention . in variants , for example , the identification element will be able to be deduced from the geolocation of the mobile terminal 10 . in this case , the geolocational data obtained , for example by means of a geolocational module installed on the terminal , can be transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 to the service center 40 . in other variants , the service center or service centers 40 and the operations center 30 can , in certain cases , constitute a one and only center and or a sole server . in this case , the broadcasting and receiving means from one center to the other and vice versa are not necessary , and the service center has access directly to the location and display data of the panels . in other variants , the network r , which makes the link between the operations center and the service center , can be the same network r ′, which makes the link between the mobile terminal and the service center . this network can be an internet network , for example . in some embodiments , data representative of the identification element that make it possible to extract the identification element can be processed so as to extract the identification element either at the level of the portable electronic device , or at the level of the service center or centers , or at the level of the operations center . in variants of the invention , the data representative of the identification element can be a string of characters entered by the user on the keyboard of his portable telephone or of his computer . in other embodiments , identification data of the panel can be transmitted from the panel to the terminal by a wireless link , such as a radio link or an infrared link , for example . in some embodiments , the identification element of the panel can comprise a short narrative indicating to the consumer the process of accessing the information related to the display . if the service is based on the video telephony on the 3g networks , the consumer will use his 3g mobile telephone to receive the additional information . if the telephone number of the service is x and the identifier of the panel is y , the identification element of the display panel can consist of the comment “ for more information , call x in visio and type y .” since the number x is the same for all of the panels , a short number with four digits , for example , will be able to be used advantageously for x to speed up the access to the service .	6
a full appreciation of the present invention will be obtained by reference to fig1 a , and 2b of the drawings . referring to fig1 a plurality of panels 10 are shown . for example , a typical panel would be panel 10a shown in fig1 . panel 10b is still another panel . a &# 34 ; panel &# 34 ; is defined as being a closed - boundaried image . in the example shown in fig1 each of the panels are defined by an outline which represents a pentagon figure . note that each of the panels shown in fig1 encompasses a different fill pattern . for example , panel 10a encompasses a cross - hatching fill pattern 10a1 . the panel 10b encompasses a double cross - hatch fill pattern 10b1 . some of the graphics display terminals of the prior art were capable of predesignating a fill pattern , and of drawing a closed boundary on the crt ( cathode ray tube ) display , the predesignated fill pattern being drawn or written within the closed boundaried image . however , with the advent of a zoom capability for graphics display terminals , a problem arose during the zoom function when performing a zoom operation on a closed panel having a fill pattern encompassed therein . when the zoom operation was performed on said panel , a magnified panel outline would appear on the crt screen . the panel - fill capability of the prior art terminals could not determine which area , on both sides of the magnified panel outline , represented the area inside the panel and which area represented the area outside the panel . referring to fig2 a and 2b , the method of the present invention for determining which area is inside the magnified panel outline and which area is outside the magnified panel outline is illustrated . referring to fig2 a , a panel outline 12 is shown having a fill pattern 14 disposed inside the panel . a frame box 16 is shown encompassing a portion of the panel 12 , for the purpose of subjecting said portion of said panel 12 to the zoom operation . a cross - hair cursor 16a inside the frame box 16 is indicative of the center of the box 16 . in fig2 b , said portion of said panel is shown after undergoing the zoom operation . in fig2 b , a lower left pixel 18 is shown in the lower left hand corner of frame box 16 . if it is known , for example , that this lower left pixel 18 is inside the panel outline 12 , it is possible to determine whether any other pixel in the frame box 16 is inside or outside the panel outline 12 . still referring to fig2 b , assuming that it is known that the lower left pixel 18 is inside the panel outline 12 , if one were to scan from left to right , bottom to top , starting with the lower left pixel 18 , the area between pixel 18 and outline 2 must be inside the panel outline 12 . after the outline 12 is crossed during the scan , the area between the outline 12 and the lower right pixel must be outside the panel outline . on the return from right to left of the frame box 16 , the outline is crossed once again , such that the area between outline 12 and the left side of frame box 12 is designated as being inside the panel outline 12 . this scan technique continues from left to right , return from right to left , scanning from bottom to top of frame box 16 until the point 20 is encountered . the area between point 20 and outline 12 is still designated as being inside the panel outline 12 . continuing along this scan line , once the panel outline is crossed , the area between one portion of outline 12 and the next subsequent portion of outline 12 is designated as being outside the panel outline . when the panel outline is again crossed , along this scan line , the area between the outline 12 and the next subsequent outline portion 12 is inside the panel . when the panel outline is again crossed , along this scan line , the area between outline 12 and the right portion of frame box 16 is designated as being outside the panel . the return from right to left , along this scan line , is accomplished in the same manner as hereinbefore described , until point 20 is again encountered . the scan moves up one pixel width to the next pixel above point 20 . when this occurs , the area between the left side of frame box 16 and the outline 12 is designated as being outside , not inside , the panel . once point 20 , on the left side of frame box 16 , is encountered , and passed , during the scan from bottom to top of frame box 16 , the inside - outside status of the panel changes , in this case , from an &# 34 ; inside the panel &# 34 ; status , to an &# 34 ; outside the panel &# 34 ; status . the scan from left to right and return , is accomplished , and the inside - outside status of the pixels along the scan line is determined in exactly the same manner as hereinbefore described , only the starting status at the left portion of frame box 16 is an &# 34 ; outside the panel &# 34 ; status . scan lines appear in fig2 b , and above each of the scan lines , an &# 34 ; i &# 34 ; or an &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; appears , indicating whether the pixels along the scan line are &# 34 ; inside the panel &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; outside the panel &# 34 ;, respectively . the text presented hereinabove assumed that the status of the lower left pixel 18 was known to be &# 34 ; inside the panel &# 34 ;. how this fact was initially determined is presented in the paragraphs to follow . referring to fig2 a , a filled panel is shown , having outline 12 , and a fill pattern 14 disposed therein , the panel being disposed in a universal space u . a horizontal line 22 connects the lower left pixel 18 , within frame box 16 , to a left - most point outside the universal space u , such as --∞. starting from the left most outline of the universal space u , and proceeding from left to right along the line 22 , the area between the left - most outline of the universal space u and the outline 12 of the panel is considered to be outside the panel . when the outline 12 is first encountered and crossed , along line 22 , the area between the first crossing 24 and the second crossing 26 of outline 12 is considered to be inside the panel . the area between the second 26 and a third 28 crossing is considered to be outside the panel . therefore , the area between the third crossing 28 and pixel 18 is considered to be inside the panel outline 12 . consequently , pixel 18 must be inside the panel outline 12 . the above paragraphs have described , with reference to fig2 a and 2b , that it is possible to perform a zoom operation on a filled panel image and to determine which area , on both sides of the panel outline , is considered to be inside the panel outline , and which area is considered to be outside the panel outline . when the panel image undergoes the zoom operation , the outline of the panel is magnified by a certain factor . at this point , the areas inside the panel outline are determined . then , the fill pattern is supplied to those areas which were designated as being inside the magnified panel outline . a detailed description of the zoom capability mentioned hereinabove for the graphics display terminal of the present invention is provided in a co - pending application entitled &# 34 ; true zoom of a displayed image &# 34 ; filed on apr . 12 , 1982 , by the same inventor as the present application and was assigned a ser . no . of 367 , 829 is hereby incorporated by reference . referring to fig3 a system block diagram of the graphics display terminal of the present invention is illustrated . the keyboard 30 , and the host computer 32 are connected to a processor 34 . the processor 34 includes a microprocessor and a rom connected thereto . the keyboard 30 and the host computer 32 are connected to the microprocessor . an intel 8086 can be used to perform the function of the microprocessor . the firmware is stored in the rom . the microprocessor is connected to a processor bus . a memory 36 is also connected to the processor bus and stores a series of bits therein , referred to as a surface information index , associated with another capability of the graphics display terminal of the present invention . this other capability of the graphics display terminal of the present invention , inclusive of the concept behind the surface information index , is discussed in another co - pending application entitled &# 34 ; method and apparatus for displaying images &# 34 ;, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention , this co - pending application having been filed in the name of paula mossaides on apr . 12 , 1982 , and assigned a ser . no . of 367 , 659 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . a video display memory 38 is connected to the processor bus and stores therein the pixel data which is ultimately used for controlling the image brightness during the raster scan . a vector generator 40 is connected to the processor bus and generates the pixel data in response to instructions from the microprocessor in the processor 34 , the pixel data being stored in the video display memory 38 . a video timing and control circuit 42 is also connected to the processor bus and coordinates the readout of the pixel data stored in the video display memory 38 with the generation of the horizontal and vertical sync signals , generated by a deflection circuit 44 . the video display memory 38 is also connected to a color map memory 46 , the color map memory 46 being connected to the crt via a d - a converter 48 . when the pixel data , for each pixel on the crt , is read out from the video display memory 38 by the video timing and control circuit 42 , it is used as an index ( or address ) to a table stored in the color map memory 46 . a corresponding brightness index is located in the table , corresponding to the pixel data , for each pixel , located therein , and is converted to an analog voltage in the d - a converter 48 . the analog voltage drives an electron gun and determines the brightness of the image displayed at that particular pixel . the detailed concepts behind the construction of the color map memory , and the associated brightness indices stored therein , are discussed in the copending application entitled &# 34 ; method and apparatus for displaying images &# 34 ;, filed on apr . 12 , 1982 , and assigned a ser . no . of 367 , 659 , the disclosure of which has already been incorporated by reference hereinabove . a further detail of the video display memory 38 is shown in fig4 of the drawings of the present application . in fig4 the video display memory 38 comprises a plurality of alu control circuits 38a and a plurality of bit planes connected thereto . each of the alu control circuits are nothing more than a register capable of being set to a 1 or a 0 in response to a high or a low input signal , respectively . if a bit in an alu register is set to 1 , an output signal is developed therefrom . the output terminals of the alu control circuit 38a are connected to a corresponding plurality of bit planes . each of the bit planes comprise a certain number of ram / data logic circuits 38b , a ram control circuit 38c , and a shift register 38d . in the example shown in fig4 there are twenty ( 20 ) ram / data logic circuits 38b in each bit plane . each line on the crt is subdivided into a plurality of groups of pixels , each group including twenty ( 20 ) pixels , corresponding to the twenty ( 20 ) ram / data logic circuits 38b . four bit planes are illustrated in the fig3 circuit embodiment . each ram control circuit 38c , associated with each bit plane , is connected , on one end , to a ram / data logic circuit 38b . each ram control circuits 38c is connected , on the other end , to the video timing and control circuit 42 of fig3 and is therefore responsive to the output signals generated therefrom . the outputs of each of the ram / data logic circuits 38b in each bit plane are connected to a shift register 38d . in response to instructions from the video timing and control circuit 42 , the ram control circuits 38c read out the pixel data from their corresponding ram / data logic circuits 38b , the pixel data being stored in their corresponding shift registers 38d . since there are four bit planes illustrated in the fig3 circuit embodiment , there are four respective ram control circuits 38c , four sets of ram / data logic circuits 38b connected to the ram control circuits 38c , each set including 20 ram / data logic circuits , and four respective shift register circuits 38d connected to the output of the four respective sets of ram / data logic circuits 38b . the output of each of the shift registers 38d is connected to the color map memory 46 of fig3 . the output of the color map memory 46 is connected to a d - a converter 48 , which is , in turn , connected to the electron guns of the cathode ray tube ( crt ). pixel data is supplied to each of the bit planes from the vector generator 40 , of fig3 which receives its information from the processor 34 . processor 34 receives its instructions from the keyboard 30 or the host computer 32 . the surface information index 50 shown in fig4 is a combination of bits which are stored in memory 36 of fig3 . this combination of bits is created in response to actuation of certain keys on keyboard 30 wherein certain ones of the bit planes shown in fig4 are selected to constitute a &# 34 ; surface &# 34 ;. a bit plane is selected as part of the &# 34 ; surface &# 34 ; in response to a binary digit &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; present in the corresponding digit position of the surface information index 50 . in the example shown in fig4 the first two bit planes are selected to constitute a &# 34 ; surface &# 34 ;, the last two bit planes not being selected to constitute the &# 34 ; surface &# 34 ;. each &# 34 ; surface &# 34 ; is responsible for generating an image on the cathode ray tube . if two &# 34 ; surfaces &# 34 ; are selected , two images will be displayed on the crt , each image capable of being displayed independently of one another or superimposed upon one another to create a composite image . the details surrounding the selection of the appropriate &# 34 ; surfaces &# 34 ;, and the generation of their images in response thereto , on the crt , are discussed in the above - mentioned co - pending application entitled &# 34 ; method and apparatus for displaying images &# 34 ;, filed on apr . 12 , 1982 , and assigned a ser . no . of 367 , 659 , the disclosure of which has already been incorporated by reference hereinabove . the host computer 32 , in the keyboard 30 , send instructions to the processor 34 which describe the original panel image , having the fill pattern disposed therein . the processor stores these instructions and thereby the original filled panel image , in memory 36 . the memory 36 represents the universal space &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; shown in fig2 a of the drawings , and the panel outline shown in fig2 a represents the instructions stored in memory 36 . in operation , and referring to fig3 . in response to instructions from the host computer , and in accordance with the firmware stored in the rom of the processor 34 , the processor 34 retrieves the instructions from memory 36 ( which describe the panel image ), and issues certain commands therefrom , which are directed to the vector generator 40 . the vector generator 40 , in response thereto , develops certain output signals representing digital data to be stored in the video display memory 38 , this digital data , stored in the video display memory 38 , constituting the pixel representation of the original filled panel image . once this digital data is stored in the video display memory 38 , the video timing and control circuit 42 develops certain output signals , which are directed to the ram control circuit 38c , in fig4 for reading the pixel data from the video display memory 38 . the video timing and control circuit 42 coordinates the read - out of this pixel data from the video display memory 38 with the development of the horizontal and vertical sync signals from the deflection circuit 44 . referring to fig4 a further functional description of the operation of the present invention is described , particularly with reference to the construction of the video display memory 38 of fig3 . the digital data developed by the vector generator 40 is stored in the ram / data logic circuits 38b . as discussed hereinabove , if the first two bit planes are designated as being a &# 34 ; surface &# 34 ;, an image is displayed on the crt associated with these bit planes . if the last two bit planes are separately designated as constituting another &# 34 ; surface &# 34 ;, two images may be independently displayed on the crt , or superimposed upon one another to produce a composite image . the details of the generation of these multiple images are discussed in the co - pending application mentioned hereinabove entitled &# 34 ; method and apparatus for displaying images &# 34 ;, filed on apr . 12 , 1982 , and assigned a ser . no . of 367 , 659 , already incorporated by reference . the video timing and control circuit 42 of fig3 directs the ram control circuit 38c to read the digital data ( i . e ., the pixel data ) out from the corresponding ram / data logic circuits 38b . the digital data from each bit plane is read therefrom , simultaneously , in parallel fashion and stored in its corresponding shift register 38d . in the example of fig4 the digital data stored in the first two bit planes is read from the corresponding two sets of ram / data logic circuits 38b , the digital data being stored in the corresponding two shift registers 38d . the digital data in the shift registers 38d is sequentially shifted out therefrom in serial fashion , and located as an index ( i . e ., an address ) to a table stored in the color map memory 46 . a brightness index is located in the color map memory 46 , corresponding to the digital data shifted out from the corresponding two shift registers 38d , the brightness index determining the brightness of the image displayed on the crt . the brightness index is converted into an analog voltage via the d - a converter 48 , the analog voltage energizing electron guns for determining the brightness of the image displayed on the crt at the particular pixel point . the resultant image displayed on the crt is the original filled panel image , for example , the picture of the panels shown in fig1 of the drawings . if , in response to an actuation of a &# 34 ; zoom &# 34 ; key on the keyboard 30 , the operator desires to perform the zoom operation , a frame box ( not shown in the drawings ) will appear on the crt screen . the frame box will be stored in memory 36 in the form of further instructions stored therein . these instructions originated from the keyboard 30 where the operator actuated the &# 34 ; zoom &# 34 ; key . the processor 34 , in response to actuation of the &# 34 ; zoom &# 34 ; key on the keyboard 30 , will retrieve the further instructions from memory 36 , and , in response thereto , will instruct the vector generator 40 to generate the appropriate digital data for storage in the video display memory 38 , for further generation of the frame box on the crt . by operating the thumb wheels on the keyboard 30 , the length and width dimensions of the frame box can be altered accordingly . by operating the thumb wheels to shorten the dimensions of the frame box , the processor 34 , instructs the vector generator 40 to supply the appropriate digital data to the video display memory 38 for storage therein . this appropriate digital data now reflects the shortened frame box , along its length and width dimension thereof . the digital data stored in the video display memory 38 , which reflects the shortened frame box , along the length and width dimension thereof , is used as an index to a table stored in the color map memory 46 . the table in the color map memory 46 includes a plurality of brightness indices which determine the brightness of the display on the crt . the digital data from the video display memory 38 is used as the index to the table in the color map memory 46 to locate the corresponding brightness index . the brightness index is converted to an analog voltage via a d - a converter 48 , the analog voltage determining the brightness of the displayed image on the crt . the frame box will then appear on the crt as part of the &# 34 ; displayed image &# 34 ;, in addition to the original filled panel image . when the operator actuates the &# 34 ; pan &# 34 ; key on the keyboard 30 , the length and width dimensions of the frame box are set . the frame box 16 shown in fig2 a will appear on the crt screen . actuation of the &# 34 ; pan &# 34 ; key on the keyboard will also position a cross - hair cursor 16a in the center of the frame box 16 , thus resulting in the frame box 16 shown in fig2 a . the generation of the frame box 16 shown in fig2 a , along with its cross - hair cursor 16a , is accomplished in the same manner as described hereinbefore . the memory 36 stores the frame box 16 therein , in the universal space &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; ( of fig2 a ), in the form of instructions stored therein . the processor 34 , in response to actuations of the keys on the keyboard 30 , will retrieve these instructions from the memory 36 , and will instruct the vector generator 40 to generate the appropriate digital data for storage in the video display memory 38 in response thereto . the digital data stored in the video display memory 38 is used as an index to a table in the color map memory 46 , for further determination of the brightness indices corresponding thereto . as mentioned hereinbefore , the brightness indices determine the brightness of the image displayed on the crt . the located brightness indices are converted to an analog voltage via a d - a converter 48 , the analog voltage energizing one or more electron guns to generate the image on the crt and to determine the brightness of said image . in response to actuation of the &# 34 ; view &# 34 ; key on the keyboard 30 , the filled panel image shown in the frame box 16 of fig2 a undergoes a zoom operation . the image is magnified by a particular factor , the magnified image being shown in fig2 b . referring to fig3 of the drawings , when the &# 34 ; view &# 34 ; key on the keyboard 30 is actuated , the firmware stored in the rom of processor 34 , associated with the terminals zoom capability , accomplishes the magnification of the image being input thereto from the host computer . the processor 34 instructs the vector generator 40 to develop the appropriate digital data for storage in the video display memory 38 , this appropriate digital data stored therein representing the expanded outline 12 of the filled panel shown in fig2 a . since the firmware accomplishes the magnification of the image prior to instructing the vector generator to develop the appropriate digital data for storage in the video display memory 38 , the width of the lines , which comprise the expanded outline 12 is approximately equal to the width of the lines which comprise the outline of the filled panel image . fig2 b illustrates the expanded outline 12 , which is represented by the digital data stored in the video display memory 38 . as mentioned hereinabove , the panel outline 12 of fig2 a is expanded by virtue of the firmware stored in the processor 34 , associated with the terminals zoom capability . this digital data , stored in the video display memory 38 , is again used as an index to the table in the color map memory 46 for further determination of their associated brightness indices . these associated brightness indices are converted into an analog voltage via the d - a converter 48 , the analog voltage determining the brightness of the image displayed on the crt . however , in addition , when the &# 34 ; view &# 34 ; key is actuated , the firmware stored in the processor 34 , associated with the terminals &# 34 ; panel - fill &# 34 ; capability , is responsible for determining which areas , on both sides of the panel outline , are inside the panel , and for completing the fill - pattern in those areas which are inside the panel outline . the filled zoomed panel image shown in fig2 b of the drawings , is the result . note that all of the internal areas are completely filled with their corresponding fill - patterns . this function is accomplished by the firmware in the rom of processor 34 , in conjunction with the circuitry shown in fig3 and 4 of the drawings , in the manner hereinbefore described in the above paragraphs with reference to fig2 a and 2b , wherein the lower left pixel 18 in the frame box 16 of fig2 a is determined to be inside or outside the panel outline 12 , and , knowing the status of this pixel , the zoomed outline in the frame box 16 in fig2 b is scanned by the firmware in the rom of processor 34 from left to right , bottom to top , the inside / outside status changing when the image outline 12 is crossed during the scan . referring to fig4 a further functional description of the operation of the video display memory 38 in the circuitry of fig3 will be provided hereinbelow . as stated in the above paragraphs , the processor 34 performs the function of expanding the outline of the panel image , determining which areas on both sides of the outline are inside or outside the outline , and completing the fill - pattern in those areas which are inside the panel outline prior to generation of instructions therefrom which are directed to the vector generator 40 . the vector generator 40 generates the binary , digital data , the pixel data , for storage in the video display memory 38 . in fig4 the video display memory 38 includes the ram control circuits 38c , their associated ram / data logic circuits 38b , and their corresponding shift registers 38d . the alu control circuits 38a , shown in fig4 energize one or more of the bit planes shown in fig4 each bit plane comprising one shift register 38d , one set of twenty ( 20 ) ram / data logic circuits 20b , and one ram control circuit 38c . as shown in fig4 the first two bit planes are enabled in response to the energization thereof by their corresponding alu control circuits 38a . an alu control circuit energizes its corresponding bit plane in response to a binary digit &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; present in the surface information index 50 . this surface information index is discussed in the pending application entitled &# 34 ; method and apparatus for displaying images ,&# 34 ; already incorporated by reference hereinabove . if the first two bit planes shown in fig4 are enabled , the vector generator 40 will store binary data in each of these first two bit planes representative of the zoomed , filled panel image of fig2 b . since the last two bit planes shown in fig4 are not enabled , binary data will not be stored in these bit planes . the binary data , stored in the first two bit planes of fig4 is stored in the corresponding sets of ram / data logic circuits 38b . once the binary data is stored therein , the video timing and control circuit 42 causes the ram control circuit 38c , associated with these bit planes , to read the corresponding binary data therefrom in parallel fashion , for storage in their corresponding two shift registers 38d . the corresponding shift registers 38d , sequentially in serial fashion , shift the binary data out therefrom , the shifted data being used as an index to a table stored in the color map memory 46 . for each shifted piece of binary data , shifted out from the shift register 38d , a corresponding brightness index is associated therewith . the corresponding brightness index is converted to an analog voltage via the d - a converter 48 , the analog voltage energizing one or more electron guns and is responsible for generation of the brightness of the image at the pixel point on the crt . a further detailed discussion of the construction and operation of the ram / data logic circuits 38b is presented in the copending application mentioned hereinabove , entitled &# 34 ; method and apparatus for displaying images &# 34 ;, filed on apr . 12 , 1982 , and assigned a ser . no . of 367 , 659 , already incorporated by reference . the firmware , stored in the rom of processor 34 , is characterized by an algorithm . the algorithm includes two parts : the first part represents the zoom algorithm and the panel fill algorithm ; the second part represents definitions of the undefined terms present in the algorithm of the first part . appendix a , attached hereto , provides the definitions of the undefined terms present in the algorithm of the first part . appendix b2 provides the panel - fill algorithm . ## spc1 ## ## spc2 ## ## spc3 ## ## spc4 ## ## spc5 ## ## spc6 ## ## spc7 ## ## spc8 ## ## spc9 ## ## spc10 ## ## spc11 ## ## spc12 ## ## spc13 ## the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims .	6
a variety of embodiments are described and relate in some embodiments to methods of dispersing sulfonated polythiophenes in a non - aqueous solvent . one skilled in the art can employ the below description in the practice of these embodiments . conjugated polymers are known and include polythiophenes , polypyrroles , polyanilines , and the like . polythiophenes include derivatived polythiophenes . polythiophenes can be regioregular or non - regioregular . polythiophenes can be homopolymers or copolymers including block copolymers and block copolymers comprising non - polythiophene segments . the substituent on the polythiophene can provide solubility and can include heteroatoms such as , for example , oxygen . in particular , sulfonated polythiophenes in aqueous suspensions of the present application may be prepared as described in , for example , pct publication wo 2008 / 073149 to seshadri et al . ( assignee : plextronics ), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . one embodiment provides a composition comprising : a water soluble or water dispersible regioregular polythiophene comprising ( i ) at least one organic substituent , and ( ii ) at least one sulfonate substituent comprising sulfonate sulfur bonding directly to the polythiophene backbone . a variety of organic substituents on the polythiophene can be used . for example , the polythiophene can have substituents which are polyether or alkyleneoxy . the substituent can be bonded to the polythiophene chain by oxygen and can comprise one , two , three , four , or five oxygen atoms , by way of example . in one embodiment of the present application , the sulfonated polythiophene comprises a sulfonated poly ( 3 -( alkoxy ) thiophene ). in another embodiment , the sulfonated polythiophene comprises a regioregular sulfonated poly ( 3 -( alkoxy ) thiophene ). in another embodiment , the sulfonated polythiophene comprises regioregular sulfonated poly ( 3 -( methoxyethoxyethoxy ) thiophene ). methods of the present application may be used with aqueous suspensions of sulfonated polythiophene of various solid percentages . in embodiments of the present application , the aqueous dispersion can comprise about 0 . 1 wt . % to about 20 wt . % of the sulfonated polythiophene , or about 0 . 1 wt . % to about 8 wt . % of the sulfonated polythiophene , or suitably comprises about 0 . 25 wt . % to about 4 wt . % of the sulfonated polythiophene , or desirably comprises about 0 . 5 wt . % to about 1 wt . % of the sulfonated polythiophene . in one embodiment , the compositions are substantially or totally free of pedot ( polyethylenedioxythiophene ) and pedot : pss ( pss is polystyrene sulfonate ). see , for example , use of these terms in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 632 , 472 . for example , the amount of pedot or pedot : pss can be less than 1 wt . %, or less than 0 . 1 wt . %, or less than 0 . 01 wt . %. in one embodiment , the sulfonated polythiophene is doped , and in another embodiment , it is not doped . in one embodiment , it is substantially or totally free of a polymeric dopant like pss ( polystyrene sulfonate ). in one embodiment , only one polymer is used in the aqueous dispersion . polymer complexes comprising multiple polymers are not used . solvents and solvents for polymers are generally known . see , for example , march &# 39 ; s advanced organic chemistry , reactions , mechanisms , and structure , 6 th ed ; see also billmeyer , textbook of polymer science , 3 rd ed ., 1984 ; handbook of organic conductive molecules and polymers , ed . h . s . nalwa , 1997 . non - aqueous solvents of the present application may include non - aqueous solvents suitable for use with the sulfonated polythiophenes and the matrix polymer with which the sulfonated polythiophene is combined . in some embodiments , a solvent can form an azeotrope with water . non - aqueous solvent is a term known in the art . see , for example , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 223 , 357 . suitable non - aqueous solvents can include polar , aprotic solvents such as , for example , methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone (“ nmp ”), dimethyl sulfoxide (“ dmso ”), dimethylformamide (“ dmf ”), dimethylacetamide ( dmac ), pyridine and its derivatives , n - substituted pyrroles , pyrrolidines , piperidines , morpholines including methyl , ethyl , formyl , and acetyl derivativzed . other examples of non - aqueous solvents include tetrahydrofuran (“ thf ”), 1 - methoxy - 2 - propanol acetate (“ pma ”), chloroform , a glycol , a glycol ether , or mixtures thereof . other examples include ethoxy triglycol or methoxytriglycol . amine compounds can be used including primary , secondary , and tertiary amines , as well as amine compounds with two or more amino groups . they can , for example , neutralize the acid . some examples of amines that can be used for neutralization of the acid include : hexadecyltrimethylammonium hydroxide [ ch 3 ( ch 2 ) 15 ( ch 3 ) 3 n + oh − ], n - tetrabutylammonium hydroxide [( n - c 4 h 9 ) 4 noh ], tetraethylammonium hydroxide [( c 2 h 5 ) 4 noh ], tetramethylammonium hydroxide [( ch 3 ) 4 noh ], tetrakis ( decyl ) ammonium hydroxide [( n - c 10 h 21 ) 4 noh ], dimethylethanol amine [( ch 3 ) 2 nch 2 ch 2 oh ], triethanol amine n ( ch 2 ch 2 oh ) 3 ], n - tert - butyldiethanol amine [ t - c 4 h 9 n ( ch 2 ch 2 oh ) 2 ]. other examples include alkylamines such as , for example , ethyl amine [ c 2 h 5 nh 2 ], n - butylamine [ c 4 h 9 nh 2 ], t - butyl amine [ c 4 h 9 nh 2 ], n - hexy amine [ c 6 h 13 nh 2 ], n - decylamine [ c 10 h 21 nh 2 ], diethylamine [( c 2 h 5 ) 2 nh ], di ( n - propylamine ) [( n - c 3 h 9 ) 2 nh ], di ( iso - propyl amine ) [( i - c 3 h 9 ) 2 nh ], trimethyl amine [( ch 3 ) 3 n ], triethylamine [( c 2 h 5 ) 3 n ], tri ( n - butylamine ), tetramethyl ethylenediamine [( ch 3 ) 2 nch 2 ch 2 n ( ch 3 ) 2 ], dimethyl ethylenediamine [ ch 3 nhch 2 ch 2 nhch 3 ], ethylenediamine [ h 2 nch 2 ch 2 nh 2 ], bis ( hexamethylene ) triamine [ h 2 n ( ch 2 ) 6 nh ( ch 2 ) 6 nh 2 ], n , n ′, n ″- trimethylbis ( hexamethylene ) triamine [ ch 3 hn ( ch 2 ) 6 nh ( ch 2 ) 6 nhch 3 ]. in addition , primary , secondary and tertiary alchohols , such as methanol , ethanol , propanol ( n - and i -), butanol ( n -, i -, t -), pentanol can be used . in addition , other examples include homologous series of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol , glycerol and its ethers , ethylene / propylene glycol monoethers ( cellosolves , ethylene glycol monoethers , e . g ., methyl cellosolve , ethyl cellosolve , butyl cellosolve , hexyl cellosolve , ( carbitols , these are ethylene glycol monoethers , e . g ., methyl cellosolve , ethyl cellosolve , butyl cellosolve , hexyl cellosolve ( see , http :// www . dow . com / oxysolvents / prod / index . htm for more examples ). the cellosolve and carbitols can work effectively in conjunction with other polar solvents such as nmp , dmf , dmac , dmso , pyridine , ethylene / propylene glycol and its higher homologs , glycerol , and the like . other examples include glycol ethers ( e . g . cellosolve , butyl cellosolve , carbitol , butyl carbitol , and the like ) and glycols ( e . g . ethylene glycol , diethylene glycol , propylene glycol , propane diols , butanediols and the like ). water can be also present in various quantities including , for example , use as a minority solvent 0 . 1 wt . % to 49 wt . %, or 0 . 5 wt . % to 40 wt . %, or 1 wt . % to 33 wt . %, or 1 wt . % to 5 wt . %. the boiling point of the solvent can be adapted to be functionally useful to remove water and avoid decomposition of the organic materials . for example , boiling point at 760 mm hg can be , for example , 150 ° c . to 240 ° c ., or 180 ° c . to 220 ° c . also , mixtures and combinations of solvents can be used . for example , combinations of above solvents can be used in varying proportions to improve one or more properties such as , for example , film formability , jettability for ink jet applications , as thixotropic solvents for printing techniques such as screen printing , gravure or slot - die coating , wettability of substrates . additionally , solvents can be used as the primary solvent or in smaller quantities as processing aids , resistivity modifiers , viscosity modifiers , surface tension modifiers , drying enhancers , and for tuning band gap . described herein are methods of dispersing sulfonated polythiophenes in non - aqueous solvents . solvent exchange can be carried out , and the term “ solvent exchange ” is known in the art . see , for example , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 852 , 250 . one embodiment of the present application provides a method comprising : i ) providing at least one sulfonated polythiophene in an aqueous dispersion , ii ) adding a non - aqueous solvent to the dispersion to provide a mixture , wherein the sulfonated polythiophene remains dispersed in the mixture , and iii ) removing water from the mixture . in some embodiments , the sulfonated polythiophene of step i ) can comprise , for example , a sulfonated poly ( 3 -( alkoxy ) thiophene ), a sulfonated poly ( 3 -( methoxyethoxyethoxy ) thiophene ), a regioregular sulfonated poly ( 3 -( alkoxy ) thiophene ), or a regioregular sulfonated poly ( 3 -( methoxyethoxyethoxy ) thiophene ). in some embodiments , the aqueous dispersion of step i ) can comprise , for example , about 0 . 1 wt . % to about 20 wt . % of the sulfonated polythiophene , about 0 . 1 wt . % to about 8 wt . % of the sulfonated polythiophene , about 0 . 25 wt . % to about 4 wt . % of the sulfonated polythiophene , or about 0 . 5 wt . % to about 1 wt . % of the sulfonated polythiophene . in some embodiments , the non - aqueous solvent of step ii ) can comprise an aprotic solvent , which can comprise an organic or inorganic solvent . in some embodiments , the non - aqueous solvent can comprise solvents such as nmp , dmso , dmf , thf , pma , chloroform , or mixtures thereof . the non - aqueous solvent of step ii ) can be added to the aqueous dispersion in an amount that is about , for example , 30 wt . % to about 140 wt . % of the aqueous dispersion , about 60 wt . % to about 130 wt . % of the aqueous dispersion , or about 80 wt . % to about 120 wt . % of the aqueous dispersion . the range can be , for example , about 30 wt . % to about 40 wt . %. the water removal step iii ) may be accomplished by a method known to one skilled in the art . for example , the water can be removed from the mixture by evaporation . the removal of water by evaporation can occur at pressures below atmospheric pressure . for example , evaporation can occur at pressures of at most about 500 mm hg , at most about 100 mmhg , at most about 50 mmhg , at most about 25 mmhg , at most about 10 mmhg , at most about 5 mmhg , or at pressures below 5 mmhg . the pressure can be , for example , 5 - 10 mmhg ( torr ). the removal of water by evaporation can commonly occur at temperatures above ambient temperature due to heating of the mixture . for example , the mixture may be heated to at least about 30 ° c ., at least about 40 ° c ., at least about 50 ° c ., at least about 60 ° c ., at least about 70 ° c ., at least about 80 ° c ., at least about at least about 90 °, or at least about 100 ° c . in some embodiments , it may be desirable to begin the evaporation with the mixture heated to a temperature , for example , at least about 30 ° c ., at least about 40 ° c ., at least about 50 ° c ., at least about 60 ° c ., at least about 70 ° c ., at least about 80 ° c ., or at least about at least about 90 ° c . and after some period of time , for example , at least about 30 minutes , at least about an hour , or at least about 2 hours , raise the temperature of the mixture by at least about 5 ° c ., at least about 1 ° c .°, or at least about 15 c .°. the removal of water by evaporation can also occur due to both reduced pressure and heating of the mixture during step iii ). pressures and temperatures suitable for combination in embodiments of the present application are described above . in one embodiment , temperature for water removal is kept to 80 ° c . or less , or 70 ° or less , or 60 ° c . or less . after performing the method as described above , water in the sulfonated polythiophene in the aqueous dispersion from step i ) can commonly be reduced by , for example , about 10 % to 60 %, or , for example , at least 60 % by weight , at least 70 % by weight , at least 80 % by weight , at least 90 % by weight , at least 95 % by weight , at least 98 % by weight , at least 99 % by weight , or by more than 99 % by weight . in some embodiments of the present application , it may be desirable to perform a further step iv ) in the method of the present application , where step iv ) comprises repeating steps ii ) and iii ) of the method at least once . the non - aqueous solvent added in step iv ) can be added to the mixture in an amount that is about 0 . 1 wt . % to about 100 wt . % of the mixture , about 1 wt . % to about 70 wt . % of the mixture , about 5 wt . % to about 50 wt . % of the mixture , about 10 wt . % to about 40 wt . % of the mixture , or about 15 wt . % to about 35 wt . % of the mixture . after performing the method of the present application , including step iv ) as described above , water in the sulfonated polythiophene in the aqueous dispersion from step i ) can commonly be reduced by at least 70 % by weight , at least 80 % by weight , at least 90 % by weight , at least 95 % by weight , at least 98 % by weight , at least 99 % by weight , or by more than 99 % by weight . in another embodiment , solvent exchange can be carried out by re - dispersing or re - dissolving the solid polymer in a non - aqueous solvent ( for example n - methylpyrrolidinone ). in addition , the formulations also can comprise other protic solvents such as optionally substituted amines ( 1 °, 2 °, 3 °), optionally substituted ammonium hydroxides , water , optionally substituted alcohols , glycols or glycerols , optionally substituted ketones . in another embodiment , the solid sulfonated polythiophene can be obtained by freeze - drying of the polymer or by precipitating into an appropriate non - solvent . the sulfonated polythiophene can be prepared using sulfonating agents such as , for example , acetyl sulfate , pyridine - sulfur trioxide complex , concentrated sulfuric acid in non - aqueous solvents followed by precipitation into alcohols , for example . in addition to this , the solubility or redispersibilty in the above mentioned solvents could also be controlled by tailoring the molecular weight and / or polydispersity index of the polythiophene and / or the sulfonic acid percentage in the polymer . furthermore , the regio - regularity of the polymer can also be reduced to increase the solvent and sulfonated polymer interaction . control of the above polymer characteristics ( viz ., molecular weight , polydispersity , sulfonation percentage ) can help in controlling the film properties such as transparency , conductivity , mobility . matrix materials , including polymers , oligomers , and small molecule compounds , are known in the art including planarizing agents . the matrix material and polymer can be soluble in the solvent systems described herein . it can be an organic polymer . it can comprise a carbon backbone with organic side groups . examples include polar aprotic polymers . other examples include polyether ketones , polyether sulfones , polyimides , polyamides , polyesters , polysulfones , polyarylamides , polystyrenics , and polyacrylates , and the like including derivatives thereof . hole transporting polymers and lower molecular weight compounds can be used including arylamine compounds . in some embodiments , matrix material or polymer of the present application may not include polar functional groups , such as — oh or — so 3 h . desirably , the matrix material or polymer may comprise , for example , n , n , n ′, n ′- tetraphenyl - 4 , 4 ′- diaminobiphenyl (“ tpd ”), polyethersulfone (“ pes ”), n , n ′- bis -( 1 - naphthyl )- n , n ′- diphenyl - 1 , 1 ′- biphenyl - 4 , 4 ′- diamine (“ npb ”), poly ( 2 - vinyl naphthalene ) (“ p2vn ”), poly ( n - vinylcarbazole ) (“ pvk ”), or mixtures thereof . commonly the matrix polymers described above can be dispersed in a non - aqueous solvent , such as , for example nmp , dmso , dmf , thf , pma , chloroform , or mixtures thereof , at a concentration of about 1 wt . % to about 10 wt . %, about 1 . 5 wt . % to about 8 wt . %, about 2 wt . % to about 6 wt . %, or about 2 . 5 wt . % to about 4 . 5 wt . %. examples of matrix polymers can be found in , for example , pct publication wo 2006 / 086 , 480 published aug . 17 , 2006 , as well as u . s . provisional applications 61 / 108 , 844 filed oct . 27 , 2008 ; 61 / 108 , 851 filed oct . 27 , 2008 ; and 61 / 115 , 877 filed nov . 18 , 2008 , as well as u . s . regular application ser . nos . 12 / 395 , 327 filed feb . 27 , 2009 ; and 12 / 399 , 006 filed mar . 5 , 2009 ; and 12 / 422 , 159 filed apr . 10 , 2009 . see also , pct publication wo 2008 / 073149 including matrix polymers , oligomers , materials , and components . ink compositions can be formed , and solvent can be removed from these ink compositions to yield coatings and layers , fully or partially dried . coated substrates can be provided including conducting and non - conducting substrates , and substrates comprising metals , glasses , polymers , composites , ceramics , and other solid materials . for example , sulfonated polythiophenes , dispersed in a non - aqueous solvent by the methods described above , may be combined with the matrix polymers described above , to form a composition that can be used , for example , to fabricate layers such as , for example , a hole transport , a hole collection , or a hole injection layer (“ hil ”) of an organic electronic devices such as an oled or opv . in particular , the sulfonated polythiophenes dispersed in a non - aqueous solvent can be added with stirring to a matrix polymer or mixture of matrix polymers , also dispersed in a non - aqueous solvent or mixture of non - aqueous solvents , to form , for example , an hil composition . for an ink composition , the conjugated polymer can comprise , for example , 0 . 5 wt . % to 40 wt . % of the ink composition . for example , the sulfonated polythiophene can comprise about 0 . 4 wt . % to 99 wt . %, or 0 . 4 wt . % to 40 wt . %, or comprise about 1 wt . % to about 30 wt . % of solids in the composition , 5 wt . % to about 25 wt . % of solids in the composition , or about 10 wt . % to about 20 wt . % of solids in the composition . in an additional embodiment , the polymer can be freeze - dried to a dry solid and redispersed in a solvent system of choice . materials prepared as described herein can be used in a variety of electronic devices including , for example , oleds , pleds , smoleds , ofets , transparent electrodes , electrochromic windows including active layers , hole extraction layers in opvs , hole injection layers and hole transport layers in oleds . inks can be patterned and printed by methods known in the art including , for example , spin coating and ink jet printing . oleds are described in , for example , organic light - emitting materials and devices , ed . li and meng , 2007 . opvs are described in , for example , organic photovoltaics , mechanisms , materials , and devices , ed . sun and sarciftci , 2005 . other applications include , for example , metal - metal oxide capacitors , polymer - polymer capacitors , seed - layers for printed circuitry ( e . g ., wherein metals are deposited electrochemically on printed lines of the conducting polymer ). further description is also provided by way of the following non - limiting working examples . 25 g of 0 . 74 wt . % aqueous sulfonated poly ( 3 -( methoxyethoxyethoxy ) thiophene - 2 , 5 - diyl ) (“ p3meet - s ”) were placed in a 100 ml round - bottom flask to which 25 g of anhydrous n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone (“ nmp ”) were added . approximately 25 g of solvent were evaporated under reduced pressure in a rotary evaporator at 60 ° c ., followed by addition of another 10 g of nmp to the round - bottom flask . further evaporation under reduced pressure at 60 ° c . resulted in 34 . 14 g of 0 . 54 wt . % p3meet - s dispersion in nmp . 10 . 125 g of a 2 . 00 wt . % n , n , n ′, n ′- tetraphenyl - 4 , 4 ′- diaminobiphenyl (“ tpd ”) in nmp stock solution were placed in a vessel , and an additional 0 . 708 g of anhydrous nmp was added to the vessel . while stirring the tpd solution vigorously , 4 . 157 g of 0 . 54 wt . % p3meet - s dispersion in nmp were added . no precipitation was observed . 7 . 788 g of a 2 . 00 wt . % tpd in nmp stock solution were placed in a vessel , and an additional 0 . 001 g of anhydrous nmp was added to the vessel . while stirring the tpd solution vigorously , 7 . 211 g of 0 . 54 wt . % p3meet - s dispersion in nmp were added . 119 . 79 g of 0 . 74 wt . % aqueous p3meet - s were placed in a 500 ml round - bottom flask to which 100 . 39 g of nmp were added . solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure at 60 ° c . for one hour , followed by further evaporation under reduced pressure at 70 ° c . for 15 minutes . the resulting solution was a 0 . 65 wt . % p3meet - s dispersion in nmp . the formulations used for each working example 5 - 9 are listed in table 1 below . the procedure for each working example 5 - 9 was as follows : quantities of 3 . 5 wt . % polyethersulfone (“ pes ”) in nmp stock solution and / or 3 . 5 wt . % n , n ′- bis -( 1 - naphthyl )- n , n ′- diphenyl - 1 , 1 ′- biphenyl - 4 , 4 ′- diamine (“ npb ”) were placed in a vessel to which an additional 1 . 582 g of anhydrous nmp were added . while stirring the pes / npb solution vigorously , 13 . 846 g of 0 . 65 wt . % p3meet - s dispersion in nmp were added . precipitation was not observed . 109 . 73 g of 0 . 74 wt . % aqueous p3meet - s were placed in a 500 ml round - bottom flask to which 119 . 79 g of dimethyl sulfoxide (“ dmso ”) were added . solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure at 60 ° c . for about one hour , followed by further evaporation under reduced pressure at about 70 - 75 ° c . for 1 . 5 hours . the viscous liquid was transferred to a separate container . the round - bottom flask was rinsed with 13 . 63 g of dmso and the rinse dmso was also transferred to the container holding the viscous liquid . the resulting solution was a 0 . 62 wt . % p3meet - s dispersion in dmso . the material was filtered through a 2 . 7 micron glass filter without clogging or precipitation . 36 g of 0 . 74 wt . % aqueous p3meet - s were placed in a 250 ml round - bottom flask to which 36 g of dimethylformamide (“ dmf ”) were added . solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure ( about 10 mmhg ) at 55 ° c . until 37 g of solvent had been removed . 10 g of dmf were added to the round - bottom flask , followed by further evaporation under reduced pressure ( about 10 mmhg ) at 55 ° c . until 10 g of solvent was removed . another 10 g of dmf were added to the round - bottom flask , followed by further evaporation under reduced pressure ( about 10 mmhg ) at 55 ° c . until 1 g of solvent was removed . the resulting dispersion was filtered through a glass fiber mesh in a 60 ml syringe to yield a 0 . 6 wt . % p3meet - s dispersion in dmf . 189 g of 0 . 74 wt . % aqueous p3meet - s were placed in a 1 l round - bottom flask to which 189 g of dimethylformamide ( dmf ) were added . solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure ( about 10 mmhg ) at 55 ° c . until 218 g of solvent had been removed . 50 g of dmf in two lots of 20 and 30 g were added to the round - bottom flask , followed by further evaporation under reduced pressure ( about 10 mmhg ) at 55 ° c . until 10 g of solvent were removed . the resulting 200 g dispersion was diluted with 30 g of dmf to yield a 0 . 6 wt . % p3meet - s dispersion in dmf . the dispersion was stirred for 15 minutes at room temperature . the formulations used for each working example 13 - 18 are listed in table 2 below . the procedure for each working example 13 - 18 was as follows : 7 . 286 g of 3 . 5 wt . % of a matrix polymer , i . e ., polyethersulfone (“ pes ”), poly (- vinyl naphthalene ) (“ p2vn ”), or poly ( n - vinylcarbazole ) (“ pvk ”) in dmf , were placed in a vessel . with the exception of example 18 , an additional quantity of dmf and / or nmp was added to the vessel . while stirring the matrix polymer solution vigorously , 7 . 500 g of a 0 . 60 wt . % p3meet - s dispersion in dmf were added . precipitation was not observed . with an objective to increase ink viscosity , 148 g p3meet - s solution (“ solution a ”) was mixed with 148 g ethoxy triglycol . the mixture was added into a flask attached to a rotary evaporator ( buchi rotavapor r200 ). solvent was removed at 70 ° c . for about an hour . the remaining solution comprising p3meet - s was collected ( 147 g ) to provide a solution having 0 . 882 wt . % solids . a substantially similar procedure was used with methoxy triglycol ( 1 . 333 wt . % solids ). the “ solution a ” comprised 0 . 665 % by wt . of p3meet and 99 . 335 % of water .	2
hereinafter , exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . unless there is a special definition or mention , terms indicating a direction used in the present description are based on a state illustrated in the drawing . further , the same reference numeral designates the same member throughout each exemplary embodiment . in the meantime , for convenience of the description , a thickness or a size of each constituent element illustrated in the drawings may be exaggerated , and it does not mean that the constituent element needs to be actually configured with a corresponding size or a ratio between the elements . a fabric bonding structure will be described with reference to fig1 to 2 . fig1 is a rear view schematically illustrating clothes having a bonding structure , and fig2 is a cut perspective view illustrating a region r 1 of the clothes illustrated in fig1 . clothes may adopt a bonding structure for bonding inner and outer fabrics by various manners as necessary . for example , as illustrated in fig1 , for a top filled with a lagging material inside thereof , an outer fabric 10 a according to an exterior appearance may be provided with a plurality of bonding parts p 1 , which is directly bonded to an inner fabric or is bonded to the inner fabric through a separate bonding member . particularly , a jacket , such as a goose down jacket , filled with lagging fillings may be provided with the bonding parts p 1 for preventing the fillings from being concentrated to a lower side due to gravity or from being agglomerated at one side during a washing process , and dividing a region filled with the fillings into a plurality of regions so as to implement an uniform thermal keeping property . referring to fig2 , predetermined spaces are formed between the outer fabric 10 a and an inner fabric 10 b so as to be filled with the fillings , and the bonding parts p 1 for dividing the spaces are formed . the bonding part p 1 may be implemented by a manner of forming a sewing line in a predetermined region p 3 , or forming an adhesive layer 21 inside the bonding part p 1 . however , when the sewing line is formed , the filling filled inside the spaces between the outer fabric 10 a and the inner fabric 10 b may be discharged to the outside through small holes of the sewing line . when a thick thread for bonding is used for sufficient bonding force , needle holes of the sewing line are increased , so that the discharge of the fillings to the outside may become more severe . as a method of overcoming a disadvantage of the sewing line , an adhesive may be used . however , when the adhesive is used , separation force between the outer fabric 10 a and the inner fabric 10 b is concentrated to a region p 2 in which a bonding part according to a cross - section view begins , so that the bonding part 21 may be easily damaged during a long - term degradation process of the adhesive or a separation process of the outer fabric 10 a and the inner fabric 10 b by a temporal impact . the long - term or short - term degradation of the bonding force may be equally generated even when the sewing line is formed or the sewing line and the adhesive layer are simultaneously formed . the present invention relates to a fabric bonding structure capable of preventing bonding force from deteriorating and preventing fillings from being discharged to the outside , and inner and outer fabrics 10 a and 10 b are bonded by using a separate bonding member 20 inside a bonding part p 1 . the bonding member will be described with reference to fig3 to 6 . fig3 to 6 are schematic diagrams sequentially illustrating a manufacturing process of the bonding member according to an exemplary embodiment . the bonding member 200 according to the present exemplary embodiment may be formed of a mesh member shaped like a strap having a predetermined length . referring to fig3 , the mesh member is formed to have a length corresponding to a length by which the inner and outer fabrics are desired to be divided , and may be symmetrically formed based on a center axis c - c ′ in a longitudinal direction of the mesh member . in the meantime , as the bonding member 20 , a fabric having a shape , in which at least a partial region is cut , as well as the mesh member , may be used . next , as illustrated in fig4 , a folding line f is formed by folding both ends of the bonding member 20 in the center axis ( c - c ′) direction . in this case , both ends of the bonding member 20 based on the folding line f are referred to attachment surfaces 21 . next , as illustrated in fig5 , a sewing line s is formed in a longitudinal direction along a center of the attachment surface 21 . subsequently , when the attachment surfaces 21 are unfolded based on the sewing lines s , the bonding member 20 has a shape of h as illustrated in fig6 . in this case , the attachment surfaces 21 face upward and downward , respectively , and a division surface 24 connecting the attachment surface 21 and the sewing line s is provided . in this case , the respective elements , such as the attachment surfaces 21 , the folding lines f , and the sewing lines s , of the bonding member 20 may be symmetrically formed based on the center axis c - c ′ in the longitudinal direction . the attachment surfaces 21 , the folding lines f , and the sewing lines s are symmetrically formed as described above , thereby preventing a phenomenon , in which a final processed fabric article is distorted in an attachment surface portion . the attachment surfaces 21 are bonded to the aforementioned inner and outer fabrics , respectively , and the division surface 24 divides the space between the inner and outer fabrics to prevent a phenomenon in which the filling and the like lean to one side . a connection relation of the bonding member will be described with reference to fig7 to 8 . fig7 and 8 are schematic diagrams illustrating a case where a space between fabrics is divided by using the bonding member according to the exemplary embodiment . in particular , as illustrated in fig7 , the attachment surfaces 21 of the bonding member are disposed to face the inner fabric 10 b and the outer fabric 10 a and then are attached to the inner fabric 10 b and the outer fabric 10 a . in this case , the attachment surfaces 21 may be attached to the inner fabric 10 b and the outer fabric 10 a by applying an adhesive 27 onto the attachment surfaces 21 . when the bonding member is completely attached , the upper attachment surface 21 is fixed to the outer fabric 10 a and the lower attachment surface 21 is fixed to the inner fabric 10 b . in this case , the division surface 24 divides the internal space between the inner fabric 10 a and the outer fabric 10 b into a first space s 1 and a second space s 2 . as described above , each of the first space s 1 and the second space s 2 divided by the division surface 24 may be filled with fillings for keeping warmth and the like . in this case , hair of mammals , hair of birds , cotton , and synthetic resin cotton or a combination thereof may be used as the fillings . a fabric bonding structure according to another exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to fig6 and 9 . fig9 is a cut perspective view schematically illustrating a state of a processed fabric article according to another exemplary embodiment . first , referring to fig6 , when excessive tensile force is applied to the upper and lower attachment surfaces 21 , force may be concentrated to the sewing line s . the bonding member may further include a reinforcing member for preventing fracture of the bonding member 20 when an excessive tensile load is concentrated to the sewing line s . as illustrated in fig9 , the reinforcing member 30 may be formed of a fabric having a predetermined length . the reinforcing member 30 may be formed of a mesh fabric , similar to the bonding member , but is not limited thereto , and may be formed of various fabrics . the reinforcing member 30 is formed in a strap shape having a relatively smaller width than that of the bonding member . both sides of the reinforcing member 30 are attached to the attachment surface 21 and the division surface 24 of the bonding member , respectively . the pair of reinforcing members 30 may be provided and attached to the upper and lower attachment surfaces 21 . in this case , the reinforcing member 30 may be attached to the other side of the folding line . in embodiments of the present invention , it is possible to isolate fillings filled inside a fabric from the outside even without forming a sewing line , and bonding force at a bonding portion is excellent compared to a method of forming a sewing line or a bonding method using an adhesive in the related art , it is possible to prevent undesired discharge of the fillings , and ventilation performance between inner spaces filled with the fillings is excellent and thus restoration force of an entire processed fabric article is excellent . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention described above may be implemented into other specific forms without departing from the technical spirit thereof or essential characteristics . thus , it is to be appreciated that embodiments described above are intended to be illustrative in every sense , and not restrictive . the scope of the present invention is represented by the claims to be described below rather than the detailed description , and it should be interpreted that all the changes or modified forms , which are derived from the meaning of the scope of the claims , the scope of the claims , and the equivalents thereto , are included in the scope of the present invention .	1
hereinafter , the preferred embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail with reference to the drawings . although the present invention can be applied to various electronic components which are to be soldered , the preferred embodiments explained hereinafter refer to a laminated ceramic capacitor as one example of electronic components . for example , the present invention may be applied to thermistors , resistors , resonators , filters or the like having bodies made of dielectric ceramic , piezoelectric ceramic , semiconductor ceramic , magnetic ceramic and insulating ceramic . in addition , the present invention is suitably applied to chip type electronic components , but may be applied to other types of electronic components . fig2 shows a laminated ceramic capacitor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the laminated ceramic capacitor comprises a laminated ceramic body 3 , a pair of foundation metal films 4 a which comprise ag and are provided on the laminated body 3 and a pair of tin alloy plating films 4 d on the foundation metal films 4 a . the foundation metal film 4 a and the tin alloy plating film 4 d constitute an external electrode 4 . the laminated ceramic body 3 includes dielectric layers 1 and internal electrodes 2 alternately stacked with each other , and the internal electrodes 2 are alternately connected to the foundation metal films 4 a provided on opposite sides , respectively , whereby internal electrodes 2 are electrically connected to the pair of external electrodes 4 . one of the important features of the laminated ceramic capacitor 10 is that the laminated ceramic capacitor 10 need not include a separate ni electrode between the foundation metal film 4 a and the tin alloy plating film 4 d . this is attributed to the novel tin alloy plating film 4 d which is free from lead and has an excellent silver corroding - resistance property and an whisker - resistance property as well as a wettability property . since it is not necessary to form a ni electrode before forming the tin alloy plating film 4 d , there arises no contamination of the tin alloy plating bath . as a result , no cleaning process is necessary before forming the tin alloy plating film 4 d . the life time of the tin alloy plating bath also can be prolonged . accordingly , the production cost can be reduced and the through put can be increased . hereinafter , a production method of the laminated ceramic capacitor will be explained . first , a laminated ceramic body 3 was prepared , as shown in fig1 . specifically , ceramic green sheets which comprises a barium titanate as a main component were prepared . after a conductive paste for internal electrodes which comprises ag — pd alloy was screen - printed on the surfaces of the ceramic green sheets , a plurality of the ceramic green sheets were stacked and pressed onto each other to form a laminated body . the laminated body was then cut along the stacked direction into chips , each of which has cutting sections exposing the printed conductive pastes in the form of discrete layers . the chips are heated at 1300 ° c . for an hour , thereby obtaining laminated ceramic bodies . a pair of external electrodes 4 which are electrically connected to the internal electrodes were formed on both end faces of the laminated ceramic body . the external electrode includes a baked ag electrode as a foundation metal film 4 a . subsequently , the plating baths shown in table 1 were prepared . the current density and ratio of sn and additive metal were determined for each plating bath so that the plating film obtained from each plating bath has a predetermined additive metal content by adjusting the tin - salt concentration in the sn — bi bath , sn — ni bath , sn — zn bath and sn — co bath , the silver - salt concentration in the sn — ag bath and the lead - salt concentration in sn — pb bath . therefore , sn metal alloy plating films 4 d were formed on the ag foundation metal layers 4 a of the laminated ceramic capacitors 10 by using these plating baths . consequently , laminated ceramic capacitors 10 including the ag foundation metal film 4 a and sn alloy plating films 4 d on the ag foundation metal film 4 a and denoted as sample numbers 1 to 33 were obtained . subsequently , samples 1 to 33 of the obtained ceramic capacitors were subjected to the following three tests . it is noted that the content ratio of additive metals in the sn alloy plating films are limited to about 20 wt % or less as the sn alloy plating film becomes brittle in the case the content ratios of the additive metals is greater than about 20 wt %. in a test of wettability in solder , samples 1 to 33 were immersed in a solder fusion tank for 2 seconds . thereafter , the area covered by solder was measured for each sample . the solders used for this test were as follows : in a test of silver corroding - resistance , samples 1 to 33 were immersed in a solder fusion tank at 270 ° c . for 30 seconds . thereafter , the area in which ag does not corrode by solder but has remained was measured . the solder used in this test was solder 1 ) mentioned above . in a test of whiskers - resistance , samples 1 to 33 were immersed in thermostat tank at 50 ° c . for 60 days . thereafter , the center section excluding the peripheral area of 5 mm from the end of the plating area was observed by metallographical microscope . table 2 shows the test results obtained from samples 1 to 33 . in the test of wettability of solder , when the areas covered by solder are 85 % or more and less than 90 %, 90 % or more and less than 95 %, and 95 % or more , the results are identified as fair , good and excellent and indicated by the letters “ c ”, “ b ”, and “ a ”, respectively . there were no samples in which the area covered by solder is less than 85 %. in the test of silver corroding - resistance , when the areas in which ag is not corroded by solder but has remained are 50 % or more and less than 75 %, 75 % or more and less than 90 %, and 90 % or more , the results are identified as fair , good and excellent and indicated by the letters “ c ”, “ b ”, and “ a ”, respectively . there were no samples in which the remained area is less than 75 %. in the test of whiskers - resistance , when the whiskers are generated in the same degree as those generated in a sn plating film , the result was judged as poor and indicated by the letter “ d ”. when the generation of whiskers is fewer than sn plating film but the generation of whiskers was recognized , the result was judged as fair and indicated by the letter “ c ”. when the generation of whiskers is hardly recognized , the result is judged as good and indicated by the letter “ b ”. when no generation of whiskers was recognized , the result was judged as excellent and indicated by the letter “ a ”. for a comprehensive evaluation , the letters “ a ” and “ b ” mean excellent and good , respectively . the letter “ c ” means practically fair . in the test for wettability of solder , the sn — bi alloy plating films and the sn — ag alloy plating films show good results regardless of the content ratio of bi or ag and the kinds of solder or flux . however , the sn — ag alloy plating film containing ag at about 20 wt % shows fair wettability to the non - halogen type flux . the sn — bi alloy plating films tend to be brittle as the bi content increases . the sn — ni alloy plating film and the sn — co alloy plating film show a tendency to decrease in wettability with increasing content of ni or co and have fair wettability to the non - halogen type flux at 5 wt % content . when the content exceeded 10 wt %, the sn — ni alloy plating film and the sn — co alloy plating film show fair wettability against even the halogen type flux . the sn — zn alloy plating films show a tendency to decrease in wettability with increasing content of zn and have a fair wettability to the non - halogen type flux at 10 wt % content . in the test for silver corroding - resistance , the sn — bi alloy , sn — ag alloy and sn — zn alloy plating films do not show practically any silver corroding - resistance at a content ratio of 0 . 5 wt %, but exhibit good resistance at the content ratio of 1 wt %. the silver corroding - resistance becomes remarkable at the content ratio of 5 wt % or more . the sn — ni alloy and sn — co alloy plating films show good silver corroding - resistance at the content ratio of 0 . 5 wt % and the silver corroding - resistance becomes remarkable at the content ratio of 1 wt % or more . in the test for whisker - resistance , the sn — bi alloy sn — ag alloy , and sn — zn alloy plating films do not show practical whisker - resistance at a content ratio of 0 . 5 wt %, but exhibit good resistance at a content ratio of 1 wt %. the whisker - resistance becomes remarkable at the content ratio of 5 wt % or more . the sn — ni alloy and sn — co alloy plating films shows no generation of whiskers at a content ratio of 1 wt %. in view of the aforementioned test results , a preferable composition for each sn alloy plating film is found as follows . first , it is generally preferable that the content ratio of bi , ni , ag , zn or co in the sn alloy plating films according to the present invention is within the range of about 0 . 5 wt % to 20 wt % in view of the results of the silver corroding - resistance test and the whiskers - resistance test . more specifically , it is preferable that the content ratio of bi in the sn — bi alloy plating film is within the range of about 0 . 5 wt % to 20 wt % with respect to 100 wt % of sn — bi alloy plating film . the content ratio is more preferably within the range of about 1 wt % to 20 wt % and further preferably within the range of about 5 wt % to 20 wt %. it is preferable that the content ratio of ni in the sn — ni alloy plating film is within the range of about 0 . 5 wt % to 20 wt % with respect to 100 wt % of sn — ni alloy plating film . the content ratio is more preferably within the range of about 0 . 5 wt % to 10 wt % and further preferably within the range of about 1 wt % to 2 wt %. it is preferable that the content ratio of ag in the sn — ag alloy plating film is within the range of about 0 . 5 wt % to 20 wt % with respect to 100 wt % of sn — ag alloy plating film . the content ratio is more preferably within the range of about 1 wt % to 20 wt % and further preferably within the range of about 5 wt % to 10 wt %. it is preferable that the content ratio of zn in the sn — zn alloy plating film is within the range of about 0 . 5 wt % to 20 wt % with respect to 100 wt % of sn — zn alloy plating film . the content ratio is more preferably within the range of about 1 wt % to 20 wt % and further preferably within the range of about 5 wt % to 8 wt %. it is preferable that the content ratio of co in the sn — co alloy plating film is within the range of about 0 . 5 wt % to 20 wt % with respect to 100 wt % of sn — co alloy plating film . the content ratio is more preferably within the range of about 0 . 5 wt % to 10 wt % and further preferably within the range of about 1 wt % to 2 wt %. it has confirmed by the inventors of the present invention that the same plating characteristics as those explained above are obtained form the plating baths in which other reagents comprising sn , bi , ni , ag , zo or co and other additive reagents than those used in the above - explained embodiments are contained . therefore , a plating bath having a composition other than those in the embodiments exemplified may be used as long as the plating bath gives the sn alloy plating films having the aforementioned content ratios . although in the aforementioned embodiments , the sn alloy plating films are formed on baked ag electrode , the sn alloy plating films may be formed on baked cu electrodes . in this case , the sn alloy plating films also shows the excellent wettability to solder and the whiskers - resistance . while preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed , various modes of carrying out the principles disclosed herein are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims . therefore , it is understood that the scope of the invention is not to be limited except as otherwise set forth in the claims .	7
hereinafter , an exemplary embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the invention will be explained in detail with reference to drawings . the image forming apparatus according to the invention is configured by an electrophotographic printer , for example , and prints print data requested for printing on a print medium by using plural color material . the printer copes with a multi - color printing and mounts thereon a transfer mechanism for transferring respective color material of c ( cyan ), m ( magenta ), y ( yellow ) and k ( black ) on the print medium . color material other than these color material is generated by mixing the respective color material with a predetermined ratio . for example , the color material “ green ” is generated by mixing cyan and yellow with a ratio of 1 : 1 , whilst the color material of gray or black is generated by mixing all the color material . the color material generated by mixing the plural color material in this manner is called a process color , and in particular , black generated from the process colors is called a process black . the print output using the process colors is realized by the superimposed printing by mixing the color material other than black , that is , cyan , magenta and yellow ( these color material is collectively called “ cmy colors ”. fig1 is an example of a diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention and the image forming apparatus configured by applying an image forming control program . in the first exemplary embodiment , a code information portion such as a bar code or a two - dimensional bar code is drawn by using color material ( cyan , magenta , yellow ) other than black in a state where black can not be used , for example , in a state of the shortage of the remaining amount of the color material or in a failure state . hereinafter , the explanation will be made as to a bar code as an example of the code information portion . the bar code is code information formed by continued plural of parallel ruled lines having different thicknesses as shown in fig5 a . in fig1 , print subject data generated by an application installed in a client pc 10 as a print requestor is transmitted to a print driver also installed therein . the print subject data generated by the application is configured by r ( red ), g ( green ) and b ( blue ). the print driver generates print data of the pdl ( page description language ) format capable of being processed at a printer 100 based on the print subject data and transmits the print data to the designated printer 100 . the print data generated by the printer driver includes mode information as well as image information as the print data . the mode information is information representing whether or not a bar code is added to the print data . in fig1 , the print data configured by the mode information and the image information is shown by dotted lines . the printer 100 is configured by a main control portion 101 , a pdl analysis portion 102 , a bit map conversion portion 103 , a bar code retrieval portion 104 , a bar code color replacement portion 105 , a color conversion process portion 106 , a tone correction portion 107 , a mode information determination portion 108 , a color conversion data / tone correction table selection portion 109 , a color conversion data / tone correction table store portion 110 , a video signal generation portion 111 , a half tone process portion 112 , a pulse width control portion 113 , an output portion 114 , an image generation portion 115 , an image forming portion 116 , an engine control portion 117 , a mode information comparison portion 118 and a process parameter setting portion 119 . the main control portion 101 receives the print data transmitted from the client pc 10 via a communication interface ( not shown ). the main control portion 101 is also called as a controller and performs a print control for enabling the print output based on the print request . of the print subject data received by the main control portion 101 , the image information is received by the pdl analysis portion 102 and the mode information is received by the mode information determination portion 108 . the mode information determination portion 108 determines based on the mode information whether or not a mode is a bar code output mode representing that the print data contains a bar code and notifies the determination result representing the bar code output mode or not to the color conversion data / tone correction table selection portion 109 . when the color conversion data / tone correction table selection portion 109 receives the determination result representing the bar code output mode , the selection portion selects color conversion data and a tone correction table used for the print output of the bar code to be stored in the color conversion data / tone correction table store portion 110 . in contrast , the pdl analysis portion 102 analyzes the print data of the pdl format . the pdl analysis portion 102 includes the bit map conversion portion 103 , the bar code retrieval portion 104 and the bar code color replacement portion 105 . the bit map conversion portion 103 subjects the print data of the pdl format to a rasterizing processing to thereby convert into the print data of the bit map format . the print data thus converted into the bit map format by the portion 103 is transmitted to the bar code retrieval portion 104 and the color conversion process portion 106 . the bar code retrieval portion 104 retrieves the bar code from the print data of the bit map format , and when the bar code is retrieved , the retrieval portion transmits information representing that the print data contains the bar code and position information representing the position of the bar code within the print data to the bar code color replacement portion 105 . when the bar code is not retrieved , the retrieval portion also transmits information representing that the bar code is not retrieved to the bar code color replacement portion 105 . when the print data contains a single bar code or plural bar codes , each of the bar codes can be processed based on the position information . when the bar code color replacement portion 105 receives the position information , the replacement portion performs the replacement processing of the color for drawing the bar code located at the position represented by the position information , that is , replaces the color drawing the bar code by cyan or the process black formed by mixing the cmy colors . in particular , when the bar code is required to be visually recognized by a color similar to black , the color drawing the bar code is replaced not by cyan but by the process black . fig4 is a diagram showing the absorption spectrum of toner ink used as general color material , in which an abscissa represents the wavelength [ nm ] and an ordinate represents a reflection factor [%]. a bar code reader generally reads the wavelength in a range of 620 nm to 680 nm of a red wavelength region . concerning the reflection factors shown by the absorption spectra of the respective toners having the wavelength range of 620 nm to 680 nm shown in fig4 , each of yellow ( y ) and magenta ( m ) has a high reflection factor in a range of almost “ 70 % to 90 %”, whilst each of cyan ( c ) and black ( k ) has a low reflection factor in a range of almost “ 5 %”. that is , when a bar code is printed on a print medium ( print sheet ) of white having a high reflection factor by using yellow ( y ) or magenta ( m ) having a high reflection factor , the bar code reader can not recognize the bar code with a high probability ( can not read the bar code ). in contrast , when a bar code is printed on a print medium print sheet ) of white having a high reflection factor by using cyan ( c ) or black ( k ) having a low reflection factor , the bar code reader can recognize the bar code with a high probability due to the difference of the reflection factor . since the printer shown in fig1 can not use the color material of black ( k ), the bar code color replacement portion 105 replaces the color used for printing by cyan ( c ) or the process black . the process black replaced by the bar code color replacement portion 105 is generated by mixing yellow ( y ) and magenta ( m ) each having the high reflection factor with cyan ( c ) having the low reflection factor . when the bar code color replacement portion 105 is notified from the bar code retrieval portion 104 that a bar code is not retrieved , the replacement portion transfers this notification to the color conversion process portion 106 . when the bar code color replacement portion 105 replaces the color for printing a bar code by cyan or the process black , the replacement bar code color replacement portion 105 notifies the color information after the replacement to the color conversion process portion 106 . when the color conversion process portion 106 receives the print data of the bit map format received from the bit map conversion portion 103 of the pdl analysis portion 102 and the color information notified from the bar code color replacement portion 105 , this process portion performs the color conversion by using the color conversion data selected by the color conversion data / tone correction table selection portion 109 . the color conversion process portion 106 performs the color conversion processing in a manner that the color of the bar code contained in the print data is converted into the color ( cyan or the process black ) based on the color information and the color of a portion other than the bar code is converted into the cmy colors from the color of r ( red ), g ( green ) and b ( blue ) ( hereinafter called “ rgb colors ” designated by the application . when the color conversion process portion 106 is notified from the bar code color replacement portion 105 that a bar code is not retrieved , this process portion converts the color of the entirety of the print data into the cmy colors from the rgb colors . the color conversion process portion 106 thus performed the color conversion processing transmits the print data thus subjected to the conversion processing into the cmy colors to the tone correction portion 107 . the tone correction portion 107 performs tone correction by using the tone correction table selected by the color conversion data / tone correction table selection portion 109 . in the tone correction , when the gamma characteristics of cyan is distorted as shown in fig6 a and the color balance is deteriorated , the gamma correction is performed by using the gamma correction table formed by the gamma correction curve shown in fig6 a , whereby the ideal gamma characteristics shown in fig6 a can be obtained . further , the optimum tone characteristics can be obtained by performing the gamma correction shown in fig6 b , 6 c and 6 d also with respect to the process black . when the tone correction is performed in this manner , the tone correction portion 107 transmits the print data to the video signal generation portion 111 . the video signal generation portion 111 generates a video signal of the print data for printing the color material on a print medium such as a print sheet . the video signal generation portion 111 is configured by the half tone process portion 112 and the pulse width control portion 113 . the half tone process portion 112 receives the print data transmitted from the tone correction portion 107 . the half tone process portion 112 performs a half tone processing for representing the intermediate color of the print data after the tone correction and transmits the print data subjected to the half tone processing to the pulse width control portion 113 . the pulse width control portion 113 controls the pulse width for each pixel in order to reproduce the cmy colors converted by the color conversion processing . then , the video signal generation portion 111 transmits the print data to the output portion 114 . the output portion 114 is an engine portion for printing out the print data on a print medium such as a print sheet and is configured by the image generation portion 115 and the image forming portion 116 . the output portion 114 configured by the image generation portion 115 and the image forming portion 116 performs the processing based on parameter setting information from the engine control portion 117 . the engine control portion 117 is configured by the mode information comparison portion 118 and the process parameter setting portion 119 . the mode information comparison portion 118 checks whether or not the mode information of the print data requested for printing is a bar code output mode , and notifies that the mode information is the bar code output mode to the process parameter setting portion 119 when the mode information is the bar code output mode . the process parameter setting portion 119 transmits the parameter setting information , designating the superimposing order of the color material at the time of printing the bar code , to the image generation portion 115 and the image forming portion 116 of the output portion 114 . the image generation portion 115 of the output portion 114 generates an image based on the print data transmitted from the video signal generation portion 111 and the parameter setting information received from the process parameter setting portion 119 . then , the image forming portion 116 forms an image ( outputs a printed image ) of the print data based on the image generated from the image generation portion 115 . in the image forming process for an image based on the parameter setting information performed by the image forming portion 116 , the explanation will be made as to the printing process of the bar code using the process black . when the color after the color conversion for printing out the bar code is the process black , such a processing is performed in which only cyan constituting the process black is reduced . this processing is configured by a processing of reducing the print data by about one pixel , or a processing of reducing a used amount ( exposed light amount ) of the respective colors of the cmy colors used for the process black , or a processing of changing the bias condition in which electric charge in opposite to that of the color material of the respective colors is applied . as shown in fig7 , the process black formed by three colors cmy is generated by sandwiching cyan ( c ) with a low reflection factor between magenta ( m ) and yellow ( y ), that is , by superimposing cyan as an intermediate layer of the three layer structure . fig7 is diagrams showing a color mixing processing of the process black formed by three colors cmy . this processing is particularly useful for a printer of 4 cycle type . fig7 a and 7b show an example where the process black is generated by sequentially superimposing color material placed on a photo receptor drum on an intermediate transfer belt . that is , the process black is generated by superimposing the three colors in the order of magenta ( m ), cyan ( c ) and yellow ( y ) or in the order of yellow ( y ), cyan ( c ) and magenta ( m ). as shown in fig7 b , in the case of superimposing all the colors cmy , even when the color material of magenta or yellow superimposed at the uppermost position disperses , the influence of such the phenomenon can be suppressed to the minimum as to cyan ( c ) with the low reflection factor located at the intermediate layer . fig7 c and 7d are diagrams illustrating that the intermediate transfer belt on which the three colors cmy are superimposed as shown in fig7 d is further rotated and the superimposed colors are transferred on a print sheet . when the process black generated by superimposing cyan as the intermediate layer as shown in fig7 c is transferred to a print sheet as shown in fig7 d , even when the transfer failure occurs at the color material of magenta or yellow disposed at the uppermost position , the influence of such the failure can be suppressed to the minimum as to cyan ( c ) located at the intermediate layer . when the bar code is printed by the process black or cyan in this manner , the bar code has the reflection factor shown in fig5 d . fig5 a is a diagram showing an example of the bar code used in the above case and fig5 b is an enlarged diagram of a part of the bar code shown in fig5 a . fig5 c , 5 d and 5 e are diagrams respectively showing the reflection factors of the parts of the bar code shown in fig5 b in the enlarged manner . fig5 c is a diagram showing the profile of ideal reflection factors , fig5 d is a diagram showing the profile of the reflection factors of the bar code printed by using the process black or cyan , and fig5 e is a diagram showing the profile of the reflection factors of the bar code printed by using yellow , or magenta or the mixture of yellow and magenta . the profile of the ideal reflection factors shown in fig5 c represents a waveform based on the sizes of the respective parts of the bar code . according to the profile of the reflection factors of the bar code printed by using the process black or cyan shown in fig5 d , since the reflection factor of the bar code differs largely from the reflection factor of the portion other than the bar code , the bar code can be recognized . in contrast , according to the profile of the reflection factors of the bar code printed by using yellow or magenta or the mixed color of yellow and magenta shown in fig5 e , since the difference between the reflection factor of the bar code and the reflection factor of the portion other than the bar code is quite small , the bar code can not be recognized . fig2 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the client pc for issuing the print request to the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention . in fig2 , when the print - out of the print subject data generated by the predetermined application installed in the client pc is operated , the print data of the pdl format is generated based on the print subject data ( 201 ). succeedingly , it is determined whether or not a user selects the bar code output mode by operating the print - out ( 202 ). when the bar code output mode is selected ( yes in 202 ), the mode information of the print data of the pdl format is set to the bar code output mode ( 203 ). when the bar code output mode is not selected ( no in 202 ), nothing is set as the mode information . the print data is transmitted to the printer ( 204 ). fig3 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention . in fig3 , the processing is started when the print data is received from the client pc , and it is determined whether or not the bar code output mode is set as the mode information of the print data thus received ( 301 ). when the bar code output mode is set ( yes in 301 ), the process condition in the print output at the time of outputting a printed image is set for the bar code printing ( 309 ), and the print data is subjected to the rasterizing processing to thereby generate a bit map image ( 302 ). further , the color conversion data for setting the color used for printing the bar code is selected ( 310 ). succeedingly , a bar code image representing a bar code is retrieved by using the bit map image thus generated by the rasterizing processing ( 303 ). when the bar code image is retrieved , the color for printing the bar code of the bar code image is replaced by cyan or the process black ( 304 ). then , the print data of the bit map image formed by the rgb colors is subjected to the color conversion processing by using the selected color conversion data so as to be converted into the cmy colors ( 305 ). when the color conversion processing is performed , the tone correction is performed ( 306 ). further , the print data of the bit map image is subjected to a halftone processing ( 307 ) and a pulse width control processing ( 308 ). the print data of the bit map image having been subjected to these processings is further subjected to the image forming processing for outputting a printed image based on the process condition set for the bar code printing ( 314 ). fig8 is an example of a diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention and the image forming apparatus configured by applying the image forming control program . in the second exemplary embodiment , a bar code is printed by color material different from color material used for printing other print data other than the bar code . in fig8 , print subject data generated by the application installed in the client pc 200 as the print requestor is transmitted to the print driver also installed therein . the print subject data generated by the application is configured by r ( red ), g ( green ) and b ( blue ). the print driver generates print data of the pdl ( page description language ) format capable of being processed at the printer 100 based on the print subject data and transmits the print data to the designated printer 100 . the print data generated from the printer driver includes mode information as well as image information as the print data . the mode information includes the information representing whether or not a bar code is added to the print data . when this information represents that a bar code is added to the print data , the mode information further includes information representing whether the mode is “ a character priority mode ” for printing out characters constituting the print data in preference to the bar code or “ a picture priority mode ” for printing out a picture constituting the print data in preference to the bar code . in the character priority mode , the color material used at the time of printing the character information other than the bar code is set to have a higher priority than the color material for printing the bar code , and the bar code is printed out by using color material other than the color material used for printing out the character information other than the bar code . in the picture priority mode , the color material used at the time of printing the picture information other than the bar code is set to have a higher priority than the color material for printing the bar code , and the bar code is printed out by using color material other than the color material used for printing out the character information other than the bar code . the printer 100 is configured by the main control portion 101 , the pdl analysis portion 102 , the bit map conversion portion 103 , the bar code retrieval portion 104 , the bar code color replacement portion 105 , the color conversion process portion 106 , the portion 107 , the mode information determination portion 108 , the color conversion data / tone correction table selection portion 109 , the color conversion data / tone correction table store portion 110 , the video signal generation portion 111 , the half tone process portion 112 , the pulse width control portion 113 , the output portion 114 , the image generation portion 115 , the image forming portion 116 , the engine control portion 117 , the mode information comparison portion 118 , the process parameter setting portion 119 , a character object retrieval portion 801 and a black object color replacement portion 802 . the main control portion 101 receives the print data transmitted from the client pc 10 via the communication interface ( not shown ). the main control portion 101 is also called as the controller and performs the print control for enabling the print output based on the print request . the image information of the print data received by the main control portion 101 is received by the pdl analysis portion 102 and the mode information is received by the mode information determination portion 108 . the mode information determination portion 108 determines based on the mode information whether or not a mode is the bar code output mode representing that the print data contains a bar code , and when it is determined to be the bar code output mode , further determines whether or not the character priority mode or the picture priority mode is designated . these determination results are notified to the color conversion data / tone correction table selection portion 109 . when the color conversion data / tone correction table selection portion 109 receives the determination result representing the bar code output mode and representing that the character priority mode or the picture priority mode is designated , the selection portion selects color conversion data and the tone correction table used for the print output of the bar code to be stored in the color conversion data / tone correction table store portion 110 . in contrast , the pdl analysis portion 102 analyzes the print data of the pdl format . the pdl analysis portion 102 includes the bit map conversion portion 103 , the bar code retrieval portion 104 , the bar code color replacement portion 105 , the character object retrieval portion 801 and the black object color replacement portion 802 . the bit map conversion portion 103 subjects the print data of the pdl format to the rasterizing processing to thereby convert into the print data of the bit map format . the print data thus converted into the bit map format by the portion 103 is transmitted to the bar code retrieval portion 104 , the character object retrieval portion 801 and the color conversion process portion 106 . the print data of the bit map format is transmitted to the character object retrieval portion 801 when the character priority mode is designated , whilst transmitted to the color conversion process portion 106 when the picture priority mode is designated . the bar code retrieval portion 104 retrieves the bar code from the print data of the bit map format , and when the bar code is retrieved , the retrieval portion transmits information representing that the print data contains the bar code and position information representing the position of the bar code within the print data to the bar code color replacement portion 105 . when the bar code is not retrieved , the retrieval portion also transmits information representing that the bar code is not retrieved to the bar code color replacement portion 105 . when the print data contains a single bar code or plural bar codes , each of the bar codes can be processed based on the position information . when the bar code color replacement portion 105 receives the position information , the replacement portion performs the replacement processing of the color for drawing the bar code located at the position represented by the position information . in the color replacement processing , when the “ character priority mode ” is selected as the mode information , color material different from the color material used for printing out the characters is selected . for example , when the characters are designated so as to be printed by black , cyan or the process black formed by superimposing the color material including cyan is selected as the color material for printing the bar code . in contrast , when the “ picture priority mode ” is selected as the mode information , black of a single color is selected as the color material for printing the bar code . when the bar code color replacement portion 105 is notified from the bar code retrieval portion 104 that a bar code is not retrieved , the replacement portion transfers this notification to the color conversion process portion 106 . when the bar code color replacement portion 105 determines the color material for printing a bar code and replaces the color for printing the bar code , the replacement bar code color replacement portion 105 notifies the color information after the replacement to the color conversion process portion 106 . next , when the character priority mode is designated , the character object retrieval portion 801 receives the print data and retrieves character objects from the print data . in this retrieval processing , the image information constituting the print data is separated for each object to thereby retrieve the character objects . when the retrieval processing is performed , then the character object color replacement portion 802 performs the replacement of color for printing the character objects . normally , a single color of black is selected . of course , the character object color replacement portion 802 may perform the processing in cooperation with the bar code color replacement portion 105 so as to select different colors therebetween . the color information after the replacement performed by the character object color replacement portion 802 is transmitted to the color conversion process portion 106 . the color conversion process portion 106 receives the print data from the bit map conversion portion 103 . when the character priority mode is designated , this process portion receives the color information for printing the character objects from the character object color replacement portion 802 and also receives the color information for printing a bar code from the bar code color replacement portion 105 . the color conversion process portion 106 performs the color conversion processing of converting the rgb colors of the print data into the cmy colors , based on the received color information , by using the selected color conversion data and the selected tone correction table used for printing out the bar code by the color conversion data / tone correction table selection portion 109 . the process black is generated by using the cmy colors in the case where the character priority mode is selected , the color information for printing characters is a single color of black and the color information for printing the bar code is the process black . in contrast , full colors using the cmy colors are employed in the case where the picture priority mode is selected , the color information for printing a picture is full colors and the color information for printing the bar code is a single color of black . the print data having been subjected to the color conversion processing in this manner is transmitted to the tone correction portion 107 and subjected to the tone correction by the tone correction portion 107 as shown in the first exemplary embodiment . when the tone correction is performed in this manner , the tone correction portion 107 transmits the print data to the video signal generation portion 111 . the video signal generation portion 111 generates the video signal of the print data for printing the color material on a print medium such as a print sheet . the video signal generation portion 111 is configured by the half tone process portion 112 and the pulse width control portion 113 . the half tone process portion 112 receives the print data transmitted from the tone correction portion 107 . the half tone process portion 112 performs the half tone processing for representing the intermediate color of the print data after the tone correction and transmits the print data subjected to the halftone processing to the pulse width control portion 113 . the pulse width control portion 113 controls the pulse width for each pixel in order to reproduce the cmy colors converted by the color conversion processing . then , the video signal generation portion 111 transmits the print data to the output portion 114 . the output portion 114 is the engine portion for printing out the print data on a print medium such as a print sheet and is configured by the image generation portion 115 and the image forming portion 116 . the output portion 114 configured by the image generation portion 115 and the image forming portion 116 performs the processing based on the parameter setting information from the engine control portion 117 . the engine control portion 117 is configured by the mode information comparison portion 118 and the process parameter setting portion 119 . the mode information comparison portion 118 checks whether or not the mode information of the print data requested for printing is the bar code output mode , and notifies that the mode information is the bar code output mode to the process parameter setting portion 119 when the mode information is the bar code output mode . the process parameter setting portion 119 transmits the parameter setting information , designating the superimposing order of the color material at the time of printing the bar code , to the image generation portion 115 and the image forming portion 116 of the output portion 114 . the image generation portion 115 of the output portion 114 generates an image based on the print data transmitted from the video signal generation portion 111 and the parameter setting information received from the process parameter setting portion 119 . then , the image forming portion 116 forms an image ( outputs a printed image ) of the print data based on the image generated from the image generation portion 115 . fig9 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the client pc for issuing the print request to the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention . in fig9 , when the print - out of the print subject data generated by the predetermined application installed in the client pc is operated , the print data of the pdl format is generated based on the print subject data ( 901 ). succeedingly , it is determined whether or not a user selects the bar code output mode by operating the print - out ( 902 ). when the bar code output mode is selected ( yes in 902 ), it is determined whether or not the character priority mode or the picture priority mode is designated ( 903 ). when the character priority mode or the picture priority mode is designated ( yes in 903 ), the bar code output mode and one of the character priority mode and the picture priority mode are set as the mode information of the print data of the pdl format ( 904 ). when the mode information is set to the print data , the print data including the mode information is transmitted to the printer ( image forming apparatus ) ( 905 ). in contrast , when the bar code output mode is not selected ( no in 902 ) or when none of the character priority mode and the picture priority mode are set although the bar code output mode is set ( no in 903 ), the print data of the pdl format thus generated is transmitted to the printer ( 905 ). fig1 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention . in fig1 , the processing is started when the print data is received from the client pc , and it is determined whether or not the bar code output mode is set as the mode information of the print data thus received ( 1001 ). when the bar code output mode is not set ( no in 1001 ), the processing returns to a position b shown in fig3 . in contrast , when the bar code output mode is set ( yes in 1001 ), succeedingly it is determined whether or not one of the character priority mode or the picture priority mode is set as the mode information ( 1002 ). when none of these priority modes are set ( no in 1002 ), the processing returns to a position a shown in fig3 . when one of these priority modes is set ( yes in 1002 ), the process condition at the time of printing out is set for the bar code printing ( 1011 ) and the print data is subjected to the rasterizing processing to generate a bit map image ( 1003 ). further , the color conversion data setting the color for printing the bar code is selected ( 1012 ). succeedingly , by using the bit map image thus generated by the rasterizing processing , a character object is retrieved in the case of the character priority mode , whilst an image ( picture ) object is retrieved in the case of the picture priority mode ( 1004 ). then , a bar code is retrieved from the bit map image obtained by the rasterizing processing ( 1005 ). when the bar code is retrieved , the color material of the bar code is replaced by color material different from that of the characters and the picture designated by the respective priority modes ( 1006 ). for example , when the characters are designated to be printed by a single color of black in the character priority mode , the color of the bar code is replaced by one of cyan , magenta , yellow and the process black . in contrast , when an image ( picture ) is designated to be printed by full colors in the picture priority mode , the color of the bar code is replaced by the single color of black . the color ( s ) after the replacement is converted into the cmy colors ( 1007 ) and subjected to the tone correction ( 1008 ). in the tone correction , since the gamma correction is performed as explained above , the optimum tone property can be obtained . further , the print data of the bit map image is subjected to the half tone processing ( 1009 ) and the pulse width control processing ( 1010 ). then , the print data of the bit map image thus having been subjected to these processings is subjected to the image forming processing for printing out based on the process condition set for the bar code printing ( 1013 ). the invention may be configured by an image control system for performing the aforesaid processings in a manner that the aforesaid operations are executed on the image control system having a communication function or that a computer installs therein a program from a recording medium ( cd - rom , dvd - rom etc .) storing the program for constituting the aforesaid respective means and executes the program . the computer constituting the image control system is coupled to a cpu ( central processing unit ), a rom ( read only memory ), a ram random access memory ) and a hard disc drive via a system bus . the cpu performs the processings by using the ram as a work area in accordance with the program stored in the rom or the hard disc drive . the medium for providing the program may be a communication medium ( a medium for holding the program temporarily or flexibly like a communication line or a communication system ). for example , the program may be noticed on an electronic bulletin board ( bbs : bulletin board service ) of the communication network and distributed via the communication line . the invention is explained above , and is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings and may be implemented in a manner of being suitably modified within a range not changing the gist thereof . the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . obviously , many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art . the exemplary embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications , thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various exemplary embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents .	6
referring to the drawings , fig1 illustrates a conventional prior art armature needle valve assembly 10 , comprising a needle 12 and an armature 14 . the needle 12 is swaged to the armature 14 by any conventional means , such as by inserting the needle 12 into the reduced diameter portion 16 of armature 14 , and then crimping portion 16 to secure the needle 12 . fig2 is a another prior art armature needle valve assembly 18 having improved linearity , notable by the increased axial length of armature 20 . armature 20 is again secured to needle 22 at reduced diameter portion 24 of the armature 20 . referring now to fig3 there is an unitary armature needle valve assembly 26 , constructed in accordance with the present invention . in fig3 there is a three piece construction to the armature needle valve assembly 26 . the needle 28 is attached to the magnetic armature 30 using a plastic connecting means 32 . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the plastic connecting means 32 is formed from a molded poly - phenylene sulfide ( also known as ryton ™ or pps ) to secure the armature 30 to the needle 28 . as can be seen in fig3 the plastic connecting means 32 preferably tapers in diameter from the armature 30 to the needle 28 . the armature 30 and the needle 28 are very similar in size to the armature 14 and needle 12 of fig1 . typically the needle is formed from 440 stainless steel that becomes slightly magnetic due to heat treating the stainless steel to make it hard . the armature is 430 stainless steel and is magnetic . the technique of the present invention for joining the armature 30 and the needle 28 offers a number of advantages over the armature needle valve assemblies 10 and 18 of fig1 and 2 . for example , the weight of a conventional armature needle valve assembly , such as is illustrated in fig1 is approximately 1 . 70 grams ; the weight of an &# 34 ; improved linearity &# 34 ; armature needle valve assembly , such as is illustrated in fig2 is approximately 1 . 86 grams ; and the weight of the armature needle valve assembly constructed according to the present invention , incorporating the plastic connecting means 32 , as is illustrated in fig3 is only approximately 1 . 23 grams , which being lighter offers a significant improvement to opening time speed of the injector in which it is used . in prior art armature needle valve assemblies 10 and 18 , fuel passages 15 and 21 must be machined into the armatures 14 and 20 . in performing this operation small burrs are generated which , during the life of the injector , separate and fall into the seat of the injector , causing the injector to leak . extra care in manufacturing , along with additional processes , are required to remove the burrs . with the plastic connecting means 32 molding the armature 30 and the needle 28 together according to the present invention , the fuel passages 34 are molded into the plastic connecting means 32 thereby eliminating potential contaminates . since an armature needle valve assembly 26 will cycle billions of times during its life , a cycle being defined as preset stroke travel with the tip 29 of the needle 28 or the armature impact face 36 striking a valve seat or a metal stop , such as a stator , it is important that the stroke travel not get longer or shorter during cycling . to achieve this , the plastic connecting means 32 fills a retention groove on the inner diameter of the armature , and the plastic connection means flows into the existing conventional grooves 38 on the needle 28 . the retention groove , not shown , is similar to a keyway on the inner diameter of the armature 30 . this gives the plastic connection means 32 an area to grip the needle 28 and the armature 30 to form an unitary structure . the plastic also fills a ledge 40 of the armature 30 , which adds to its rigidity . the ledge may be formed by counter boring the armature in a armature needle valve assembly , the impact face 36 of the armature 30 serves two purposes . the first is as an impact face distributing the impact load ; and the second is as a surface in the magnetic circuit . the impact face 36 fig3 retains both of these features , as it was not reduced in size from the corresponding impact faces in fig1 and 2 . the armature needle valve assembly 26 , according to the present invention , offers an elimination of several manufacturing processes . one , the current armature needle valve assembly 10 or 18 must have the armature ground before plating , whereas the armature needle valve assembly 26 can use a non - ground armature 28 , reducing cost . also , the current armature needle valve assembly has the assembly chrome plated , necessitating an expensive masking operation . the armature needle valve 26 can have the armature 30 plated as a component , again reducing cost . additionally , the current design 10 or 18 has an extended tip 16 or 24 on the armature 14 or 20 for swaging , which must be machined from bar stock , requiring material and cycle time on the screw machine . the plastic connection means 32 reduces the material for the extended tip 16 or 24 by 100 % and also reduces the manufacturing cycle time of the screw machines . the rigidity of the plastic armature needle valve assembly 26 is focused around four support gussets 42 that support the impact load . the gussets 42 are molded at the same time the plastic connection means secures the armature 30 to the needle 28 . in addition at least one passageway 34 is molded in place to provide a passageway through the armature 30 and the plastic connecting means 32 for the flow of fuel . in fig3 and 4 , there are illustrated more than one passageways . the gussets 42 insure that the impact faces strike the armature needle valve squarely , eliminating any caming action by the impact faces . finally , needle &# 34 ; bounce &# 34 ; on opening events and closing events can be reduced by the plastic connecting means 32 functioning as an absorption means or damping means . it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the technique of the present invention can be applied to many existing injectors , and is not limited in application to those armature needle valve assemblies illustrated herein . having described the invention in detail and by reference to the preferred embodiment thereof , it will be apparent that other modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims .	5
with reference to fig1 , there is shown a pressure gradient sealing system 10 as it may be installed on an oil rig top drive 12 . embodiment 20 for a sealing system in accordance with the present invention as shown in fig2 a generally includes a rear sealing system cartridge housing 22 , a sealing assembly guide bushing 24 , a rear fixed seal housing 26 , a rear fixed seal 28 ; a front fixed seal housing 30 and a front fixed seal 32 , the fixed seal 28 being disposed proximate an atmosphere pressure end of the system 20 . a rear grease pack 34 is provided along with a rear seal 36 abutting a floating pressure reducing piston 38 . a front sealing cartridge housing 40 is provided along with a front piston seal 42 for the floating pressure reducing piston 38 . a front grease pack 44 is disposed between the front seal 42 and a floating pressure - balanced excluder seal 46 . as will be described hereinafter in greater detail the system 20 also includes a plurality of static system o - rings 48 and all of the seals utilized canted coil springs 49 and seals 28 , 32 include metal retaining rings 51 . a cartridge assembly canted coil spring 50 is shown along with a threaded ring 52 , a tightening washer 54 , locking ring 56 , and locking bolt 58 . a front pressure port 60 is provided and interconnected with the front grease pack 44 along with a middle pressure port 62 and an rear pressure port 64 interconnected with the rear grease pack 34 . the threaded ring 52 is coupled into a wash pipe tube 66 via threads 68 , the tube 66 having drilling mud ( not shown ) flowing inside at high pressure . drilling mud is usually a mixture of clay chemicals and water or oil and thus is an abrasive slurry . the sealing system in accordance with the present invention has several functions in order to accomplish extended seal life . 1 . first , the seal system 20 isolates the harsh abrasive media by utilizing the floating pressure - balanced excluder seal 46 . the subsequent seals 28 , 32 , 42 in the system 20 are exposed only to the grease pack 34 , 44 fluid , which is a design benefit because this provides lower friction and longer seal life . 2 . the fluid sealing system effectively reduces the pressure across one or more sequential sealing zones in a state of force - equilibrium , therefore each seal experiences a lower pv and increasing the life of the sealing system . this is accomplished by the floating pressure reducing piston 38 having a smaller area on the energizing end . the pressure transferred is lower in direct proportion to the projected area differential of each end of the pistons 38 . 3 . the seals 28 , 32 support the remaining pressure differential with a tandem seal combination . this redundant seal provided added life to the sealing system . 4 . the seals 28 , 32 are mounted with metal retaining rings 51 to help prevent rotation in the housings 26 , 30 , and to prevent od shrinkage upon after a high temperature cycle . 5 . all the seals utilize a filled polymer or ptfe material , which has lower friction , and can withstand higher temperatures that typical elastomers . 6 . the polymer seals are energized with the canted coil spring technology to better energize the seals to close the seal gap after seal wear occurs , to ensure proper energizing with the media pressure . 7 . in order to provide the user a prediction of the seal condition , a transducer / sensor 67 in the grease packs 34 , 44 , from the front to the rear , monitors for pressure and temperature . under normal operation , the pressure will have a predicted pressure differential as described in paragraph 2 ) above . failures of the portions of the seal system will be detected with the monitoring equipment ( not shown ). 8 . a guide bushing 24 at the rear helps hold the assembly concentric with the rotary tube 66 , and also provides a method for pushing out the replaceable seal cartridge housing 22 . 9 . a canted coil spring 50 provides a positive retention of the seal system cartridge housing 22 into a seal housing 30 . 10 . o - rings 48 provide static sealing on the seal cartridge od to prevent flow - around leakage . with reference to fig2 b , there is shown the pressure gradient sealing system 20 with many of the character references not shown in order to more clearly illustrate the pressures areas and forces . high pressure p 1 pushes the floating extruder seal 46 until equilibrium is achieved with pressure p 2 in the grease pack 44 . pressure p 2 in the grease pack 44 produces a force f 1 on a surface area a 1 of the pressure reducing piston 38 which produces a force f 2 over area a 2 of an appropriate end of the pressure reducing piston 38 , which provides a reduced pressure p 3 on the rear grease pack 34 . the pressure p 3 activates the seal 32 at the reduced pressure p 3 thereby providing lower pv and longer seal life . a pressure transducer / temperature sensor 67 ( fig2 a ) is interconnected with the pressure ports 60 , 64 for determining a pressure differential therebetween which , in turn , provides incipient seal failure detection as hereinafter discussed in greater detail . with reference to fig3 a and 3 b , there is shown a pressure gradient rotary sealing system 100 with two pressure reduction stages . the threaded ring 52 is coupled into a wash pipe tube 66 via threads 68 , the tube 66 having drilling mud ( not shown ) flowing inside at high pressure . in this embodiment 100 , a rear sealing cartridge assembly housing 102 is provided along with a guide bushing 104 , a rear fixed seal housing 106 , a rear fixed seal 108 , a front fixed seal housing 110 , and a front fixed seal 112 . a grease pack 114 is disposed between the front seal 112 and a rear seal 116 for a rear floating pressure reducing piston 118 . a front seal 120 for the piston 118 abuts a middle grease pack 122 which , in turn , abuts a rear seal 124 for a front pressure reducing piston 126 . a cartridge housing 128 for the floating rear piston 118 , and the front piston 126 is provided along with a front seal 130 separated from a front floating excluder seal 132 by a front grease pack 134 . as in the embodiment 100 , a plurality of static system o - rings 136 are provided . a cartridge assembly retaining canted coil spring 140 is provided along with a locking ring 142 and locking bolt 144 . a center vent 146 for the front floating piston 126 is provided along with a center vent port 148 for the floating piston 118 . a pressure port 150 for the rear grease pack 114 is provided along with a pressure port 152 for the middle grease pack 122 and a pressure port 154 communicates with the front grease pack 134 . a tightening washer 156 is provided along with a pressure transducer 158 , which is in communication with the pressure ports 150 , 152 , and 154 for determining pressure differential useful for determining seal life . fig3 b shows the pressures , areas and forces for the pressure gradient rotary sealing system 100 with two - pressure - reducing stages . the pressure p 1 pushes the floating extruder seal 46 to provide the pressure p 2 in the front grease pack 134 . pressure on the grease pack p 2 then produces a force f 1 on a surface area a 1 of the first pressure reducing piston 126 . the force acting over the area a 2 produces a reduced pressure p 3 , f 2 which is the force acting over the area a 2 producing a reduced pressure p 3 in the middle grease pack 122 . pressure p 3 on the middle grease pack 122 produces a force f 3 on surface area a 3 of the second pressure reducing piston 118 . f 4 is the force acting over the area a 4 producing a further reduced pressure p 4 in the rear grease pack 114 . a pressure p 4 thereafter activates the seal 112 with the further reduced pressure with resulting lower pv and longer seal life . with reference to fig4 a , there is shown an alternative embodiment 200 of the pressure - gradient sealing system in accordance with the present invention utilizing a one or more side mounted pressure producing pistons 202 . more particularly , in this embodiment 200 , a rear seal cartridge system housing 204 is provided along with a sealing system guide bushing 206 / 244 , a rear seal support housing 208 along with a rear fixed seal 210 . a rear grease pack 212 is disposed between the rear fixed seal 210 and a center seal fixed - support housing 214 which abuts a center fixed seal 216 adjoining a front grease pack 218 which , in turn is disposed between a wash tube 220 and a sealing system cartridge housing 222 . also shown is a front floating extruder seal 224 along with a plurality of static o - rings 226 . also shown in the fig4 a is a wash pipe attachment retaining threaded ring 228 , a tightening washer 230 , a tension ring 232 , and retention - ring bolts 234 . associated with the side mounted pressure reducing piston 202 is a rear cylinder plug 236 and a front cylinder plug 238 , a rear cover seal 240 , and a front cover seal 242 . disposed between the guide bushing 206 and rear seal housing 208 is a spacer washer 204 . a front pressure port 246 and a rear pressure port 248 are provided and interconnected with a pressure transducer 250 . also shown in fig4 a is a cartridge assembly retaining canted coil spring 252 , and a vent port 254 disposed during a center 256 of the side mounted piston 202 . fig4 b shows pressures areas and forces for the sealing system 200 with the side mounted pressure producing piston 202 . a pressure p 1 on the excluder seal 224 pushes the seal 224 to produce an equilibrium pressure p 2 in the front grease pack 218 , i . e . p 1 = p 2 . this pressure p 2 is translated through the front pressure port 246 to a pressure p 3 ( p 3 = p 2 ) against an area a 1 of the piston 202 creating a force f 1 through a change in diameter of the piston 202 . the force f 2 acting over the area a 2 on the piston 202 , produces a reduced pressure p 4 which translates through the port 248 to a pressure p 5 , which is equal to pressure p 4 , on the grease pack 212 producing the reduce pressure p 5 on the rear seal 210 thus providing longer seal life . with the reference now to fig5 a , there is shown yet another embodiment 300 of a pressure - gradient rotary sealing system in accordance with the present invention utilizing an annular ring pressure - reducing piston 302 for a wash pipe attachment 304 having a wash tube 306 . as shown in fig5 a , the system 300 includes a seal system housing 346 , a rear guide bushing 308 , spacer washer 310 , a rear seal housing 312 and a rear fixed seal 314 abutting a rear grease pack 316 which , in turn , abuts a center seal fixed port housing 318 and a center fixed seal 320 . a front grease pack 322 is disposed between the fixed seal 320 and a front floating excluder seal 324 . as with previous embodiments 20 , 100 and 200 , the system includes a plurality of o - rings 326 . also , a sealing system cartridge retention canted coil spring 328 is provided along with a tightening washer 330 , retaining ring 332 , and retaining bolts 334 . a pressure port 336 is interconnected with the front grease pack 322 , which is supported by a housing 338 . a front seal 340 , and a rear seal 342 are provided for the annular ring piston 302 and a rear pressure port 344 is provided for the rear grease pack 316 , the port 344 being formed in a rear housing attached to a cylinder cap 348 by bolt 350 . a vent 352 is provided for the piston 302 and both ports 336 , 344 are interconnected with a pressure transducer 354 . fig5 b shows the pressures , areas , and forces for the pressure gradient rotary sealing system 300 shown in fig5 a . pressure p 1 pushes the excluder seal 324 to produce the pressure p 2 in the front grease pack 322 with p 1 = p 2 . the pressure p 2 translated through the port 336 so that p 2 = p 3 . this produces a force f 1 on the area a 1 of the annular reducing piston 302 which then produces a force f 2 acting on area a 2 of the piston 302 to produce a reduced pressure p 4 which is forwarded to the rear grease pack 316 and seal 314 through the port 344 , producing a pressure p 5 in the grease pack p 5 = p 4 . this reduced pressure p 5 provides for a longer seal life as hereinabove discussed . the pressure differentials is measured by a pressure transducer 346 similar to the embodiments hereinbefore described . the purpose of the sealing system invention in accordance with the present invention is to provide a longer and more predictable seal - life solution to prevent fluid - media leakage through an interface between the sealing system 20 , 100 , 200 , 300 and a wash pipe . the configuration illustrated in fig2 a sealing system includes of a two - piece housing . the pieces are held together during assembly by the retention canted - coil spring 50 , fig2 . five o - rings 48 , fig2 a are used to block any leakage around the static periphery . the system 20 is mounted in place by the locking ring 56 and four locking bolts 58 tightening washer 54 which are used to prevent any distortion when the unit is assembled . the floating excluder seal 46 prevents any media from entering the sealing system . grease packs 34 , 44 are used to lubricate the seals 32 , 42 and to transfer the pressures as herein described earlier . media pressure will push the floating excluder seal 46 against the grease pack 44 producing pressure , p 1 shown in fig2 b . pressure p 1 acting against area a 1 will produce a force f 1 as shown in fig2 b . the piston is a pressure - reduction piston that will move until forces f 1 and f 2 shown in fig2 b are in equilibrium . the front piston seal 42 exerts pressure p 2 shown in fig2 b against the front of the pressure - reducing piston 38 . the pressure - reducing piston will move until forces f 1 and f 2 shown in fig2 b are in equilibrium . f 1 is equal to p 1 × a 1 . p 2 is equal to f 2 divided by a 2 . since a 1 is less than a 2 , p 2 will be less that p 1 . the ratio between p 1 and p 2 is directly proportional to the ratio between a 1 and a 2 . a 50 % ratio between a 1 and a 2 will provide a 50 % reduction in pressure from p 1 to p 2 resulting in a 50 % reduction in pv for seal 32 . pressures p 1 and p 2 are measured by the pressure transducer 67 that is connected to the pressure ports 62 , 64 . note that the pressure - reducing piston 38 can move in either direction until the forces are in equilibrium . under normal operations the pressure differential will remain constant . as the seals wear , grease will be extruded from the grease pack until the grease pack 34 volume approaches zero . as that happens the pressure differential will decrease indicating seal wear and a reduced seal life expectancy as the seal lubricate is extruded . therefore this pressure differential value can be monitored and used as a tool to predict seal life . with reference to fig3 a and 3 b , the pressure gradient pressure reduction system 100 can have multiple pressure reduction stages for further reductions in pv values . for example , fig3 a shows a system 100 with two pressure reduction stages produced by pressure - reducing pistons 118 , 126 . system pressures , areas , and forces are shown in fig3 b . the excluder seal 132 is a floating seal , so the pressure , p 1 shown in fig3 b will be the same on both sides of the excluder seal 132 . due to the difference in area from the front to the rear of the pressure - reduction pistons 118 , 126 , pressure p 2 will be less than p 1 , and p 3 will be less than p 2 . with reference to fig4 a and 4 b , a pressure reducing system 200 utilizes a side - mounted pressure - reducing piston 202 , or multiple pistons 202 , that can be spaced around a periphery of the system 200 . here the pressure - reduction piston , or pistons 202 have front areas , a 1 as shown in fig4 b that are less than the rear area , a 2 of the piston or pistons . the piston will move until the forces , f 1 and f 2 are in equilibrium . the pressure , p 5 will be less than the pressure p 2 thus reducing the seal pv for seal 216 , 210 of fig4 a . fig5 a shows a pressure gradient rotary seal system 300 with an annular ring pressure - reduction piston 302 . here again , the area difference between the front and the rear of the piston - seal will reduce the pressure p 4 and p 5 shown in fig5 b . the use of the annular ring - floating piston permits an increase in the volume of the grease pack without increasing the length of the sealing system . it should be appreciated that a plurality of side mounted or annular pressure reducing pistons may be employed in accordance with the present invention . with reference to fig6 sealing system 398 includes a wash pipe assembly 401 , and the externally mounted pressure compensation cylinder 400 with piston 404 . these assemblies are interconnected to a non - rotating top nut assembly 410 with fluid lines 405 and 406 . the wash pipe assembly 401 is made up of the major components comprising of the rotating wash pipe 403 , a rotating lower seal nut assembly 402 , and the multi - piece non - rotating top - nut assembly 410 . the positional support for the rotating wash pipe 403 is provided by soft metal bushings 431 and 421 mounting inside the non - rotating top nut assembly 408 . the top nut assembly 408 is held together during assembly by a retention canted - coil spring 418 . o - rings 417 , 419 , 422 , and 430 are used to block any leakage around the static periphery . the top nut assembly 408 is mounted in place by the locking ring 410 and locking bolts 413 in a top ring nut 412 and a tightening washer 411 , which is used to prevent any distortion when the unit is assembled . tightening the top ring nut 412 with its large thread upon assembly pulls together tightly all of the following top nut internal components . the locking bolts 413 , the locking ring 410 , the tightening washer 411 , the top nut assembly 408 , the rear wash pipe guide bushing 431 , a rear seal carrier 429 , a center seal carrier 425 , the center wash pipe guide bushing 421 and a front seal carrier 414 . this all is pulled tight to seal with a static o - ring 415 against the counter surface face . the three dynamic seals in the system are the floating excluder seal 416 , the center pressure seal 423 , and the rear pressure seal 427 . note that the pressure 1 p 1 a , 1 p 1 b and 1 p 1 c are all equivalent when the system is in pressure equilibrium . henceforth , these pressures can be referred to as specifically 1 p 1 a , 1 p 1 b , and 1 p 1 c or generally as ip 1 . likewise , the pressure 1 p 2 a , 1 p 2 b , and 1 p 2 c are all equivalent when the system is in pressure equilibrium . henceforth , these pressures can be referred to as specifically 1 p 2 a , 1 p 2 b , and 1 p 2 c or generally as 1 p 2 . since the pressure 1 p 2 b is half of pressure 1 p 1 b as described earlier , therefore seal 423 and seal 427 will only experience half the overall system pressure differential and therefore the seal system life will be significantly increased . in operation , the front floating excluder seal 416 , prevents any media from entering the sealing system . grease packs 420 and 426 are used to lubricate the seals , and to transfer the pressures as described earlier . the media pressure 1 p 1 a will push the front floating excluder seal 416 against the grease pack 420 producing pressure , 1 p 1 b shown in fig6 . pressure 1 p 1 b transfers through port 409 and line 405 to external cyliner 400 creating pressure 1 p 1 c . pressure 1 p 1 c acts against area 1 a 1 to produce a force 1 f 1 as shown in fig6 . the pressure reducing piston 404 will move until forces 1 f 1 and 1 f 2 shown in fig6 are in equilibrium . force 1 f 1 is equal to pressure 1 p 1 × area 1 a 1 . pressure 1 p 2 is equal to force 1 f 2 divided by area 1 a 2 . since area 1 a 1 is less than area 1 a 2 , pressure 1 p 2 will be less that pressure 1 p 1 . the ratio between pressures 1 p 1 and 1 p 2 is directly proportional to the ratio between the area 1 a 1 and 1 a 2 . a 50 % ratio between 1 a 1 and 1 a 2 will provide a 50 % reduction in pressure from 1 p 1 and 1 p 2 resulting in a 50 % reduction in pv for seals 423 and 427 . pressures 1 p 1 and 1 p 2 can be measured by a pressure transducer , can also be connected to the pressure ports 407 and 409 for monitoring the system status and condition . further , the pressure differential across each pressure seal 423 and 427 is now reduced to half , therefore decreasing the seal pv value and increasing significantly the expected seal life . note that he pressure - reduction piston 404 can move in either direction until the forces are in equilibrium . under normal operations , the pressure differential between 1 p 1 and 1 p 2 will remain constant . as the seals wear , grease will be extruded from the grease pack 420 or 426 until the either grease pack volume approaches zero . the piston 404 will compensate for such grease loss and maintain the 1 p 1 / 1 p 2 pressure ration until it reaches the end of stroke . as this happens the pressure differential 1 p 1 to 1 p 2 will decrease indicating seal wear and a reduced seal system life expectancy as the seal lubricants and grease packs are depleted . therefore , this pressure - differential value can be monitored and used as a tool to predict seal life . a piston shaft 440 visibly displays the parts of the piston head which provides a status of pressure balance and enabling determination system status , i . e . as to when the system 398 will need service . although there has been hereinabove described a specific pressure gradient rotary sealing system in accordance with the present invention for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which the invention may be used to advantage , it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto . that is , the present invention may suitably comprise , consist of , or consist essentially of the recited elements . further , the invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein . accordingly , any and all modifications , variations or equivalent arrangements which may occur to those skilled in the art , should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims .	5
fig1 a illustrates a system 100 for generating fuel offerings according to an embodiment of the fuel offering generator . system 100 comprises a market parameter generator 408 coupled for real - time monitoring of data related to a fuel market 410 . real - time market data refers to data reflecting current market conditions as trading in the market takes place . examples of real - time market data provided to real - time market parameter generator 108 include wholesale over - the - counter fuel options market data , wholesale fuel options over - the - counter forward market and futures market data , and spot prices for retail fuel as well as spot prices for wholesale fuel . in an alternative embodiment , a market parameter generator may be configured to periodically and / or intermittently query current values for market parameters . a market history analyzer 115 is coupled to receive and / or record observable real - time market data and / or historical records of market data related to market 110 . the market history analyzer may record and store observed market data and / or historical market data accumulated historically and received by the market history analyzer . in that manner , market history analyzer 115 develops data related to the historical performance of the market . in one embodiment of the fuel offering generator , market data includes retail gas spot prices and wholesale gas spot prices . a product matrix generator 125 is coupled to the market parameter generator 108 and to the market history analyzer 115 . product matrix generator 125 is configured to the behavior of market 110 . product matrix generator 125 operates on the parameters it receives from real - time market parameter generator 108 and market history analyzer 115 in accordance with a stochastic model of the dynamics of the market 110 . in one implementation , the product matrix generator 125 may consider some of the market variables and / or other input parameters in fig4 a and discussed below . product matrix generator 125 may solve a stochastic differential equation to provide a commodity volatility model based on the input parameters . in one embodiment , the matrix generator 125 is configured to solve stochastic differential equations for market models using parameters provided by real - time market parameter generator 108 and market history analyzer 115 . among other parameters provided by real - time market parameter generator 108 and market history analyzer 115 , parameters reflecting retail fuel sales activity may be collected and provided to real - time market parameter generator 108 and market history analyzer 115 in embodiments of the fuel offering generator . for example , in one embodiment of the fuel offering generator , the matrix generator 125 is configured to process spot price spread information provided by real - time market parameter generator 108 . the spot price spread information is related to a difference between a retail fuel spot price and a wholesale fuel spot price . matrix generator 125 processes the spot price spread information in accordance with a stochastic model . in embodiments of the fuel offering generator , the matrix generator 125 is further configured to process retail fuel forward curve parameters in accordance with a stochastic model . the retail forward curve parameters may be provided by the market history analyzer 115 . in another embodiment of the fuel offering generator , the matrix generator 125 may further solve alternative market models that are adapted and / or deemed suitable for use in embodiments of the fuel offering generator . in one embodiment of the fuel offering generator , the matrix generator 125 receives market parameters from real - time market parameter generator 108 and from market history analyzer 115 . product matrix generator 125 processes and analyzes the information to provide a solution for the adapted stochastic differential equation . product matrix generator 125 may be coupled to price information generator 130 and configured to provide the solution thereto . based upon the solution it receives from product matrix generator 125 , price information generator 130 may provide data representing a product price at an output in one implementation . in an embodiment of the fuel offering generator , the price information generator 130 may also provide data representing price sensitivity at an output . in one implementation , the price sensitivity may indicate price sensitivity not only with respect to wholesale fuel markets but also with respect to retail fuel prices , and / or with respect to other input variables received from real - time market parameter generator 408 , market history analyzer 405 , and / or product modeler 420 . in one embodiment , the system 100 further comprises a product modeler 120 . product modeler 120 is coupled to at least one computer system 102 . in some embodiments of the fuel offering generator , the product modeler 120 is coupled to two computer systems 102 and 104 . in embodiments of the fuel offering generator at least one of computer systems 102 and 104 comprises a fuel offering purchaser computer . in some embodiments the fuel offering purchaser computer may be coupled to product modeler 120 via a communications network , such as the internet . a fuel purchaser may enter information related to a fuel product , such as a fuel offering , using the fuel offering purchaser computer . the fuel offering purchaser computer transmits the information to product modeler 120 . in one implementation , the product modeler 120 may use the information from the fuel offering purchaser to determine features of a financial product to be modeled by product modeler 120 . in one embodiment , the fuel offering generator 100 comprises at least one distributor computer system 104 . distributor computer system 104 is coupled to product modeler 120 and may enable a distributor to define characteristics of a financial product comprising fuel offerings to be offered to a consumer . in that embodiment a distributor inputs data to distributor computer 104 . distributor computer 104 provides the data to product modeler 120 . product modeler 120 models the financial product in accordance with the characteristics provided by distributor computer system 104 . product modeler 120 is coupled to product matrix generator 125 . based upon inputs from at least one of a fuel purchaser computer 102 and a distributor computer 104 product modeler 120 generates data representing features of a financial product . system 100 determines the price of the financial product based upon product data provided by product modeler 120 , real - time market parameters provided by real - time market parameter generator and on historical market data provided by market history analyzer 115 . in one embodiment of the fuel offering generator , the matrix generator 125 is coupled to a consumer behavior modeler 170 . consumer behavior modeler 170 receives data representing purchaser ( e . g ., consumer ) behavior with respect to fuel offering execution and / or purchase , ownership , exercising , and / or the like . based upon the behavior data consumer behavior modeler 170 provides purchaser and / or consumer behavior parameters to matrix generator 125 . in that embodiment , matrix generator 125 considers the purchaser and / or consumer behavior in calculating price for a financial product . fig1 b describes one embodiment of a fuel offering generator 101 . in one implementation of the fuel offering generator , a fuel offering comprises a product related to future purchases of fuel in a retail fuel market . both the retail and the wholesale fuel markets are observed 103 . observable wholesale fuel market parameters include wholesale fuel over - the - counter ( otc ) options information , wholesale gas over - the - counter ( otc ) forward market data in a wholesale fuel market . fuel market data including retail fuel spot price information is obtained 103 . market parameters related to current market conditions are generated based on the observed fuel market condition 111 . at least one generated market parameter related to current market conditions is wholesale - retail spot price spread in one implementation . other generated market parameters may include a wholesale implied volatility and a wholesale forward curve . in one embodiment of the invention parameters related to current market conditions are sampled and stored to provide historical data describing past market behavior 113 . one sampled and stored parameter used in one implementation to provide historical data is retail fuel market spot price . thus historical data related to retail fuel spot price is acquired . historical data , such as data related to retail fuel spot price , may be analyzed 119 . the analysis may , in one implementation , consider retail fuel market information . the data is used to estimate parameters of models for fuel market behavior 121 . examples of generated fuel market behavior parameters may include retail implied volatility , wholesale mean reversion , retail forward curve and retail mean reversion . the indicators of fuel market behavior and the parameters related to current market conditions are analyzed 123 . in one embodiment of the fuel offering generator , the analyzing step is carried out by stochastic modeling . price information for the fuel offering is generated 143 . in one embodiment of the fuel offering generator , price sensitivity information related to the fuel offering is generated 144 . in further embodiments of the invention purchaser and / or consumer behavior may be observed 141 . data related to purchaser and / or consumer behavior is obtained based on the observations . in one embodiment of the invention purchaser and / or consumer behavior data is analyzed 142 as considered in an analyzing step 123 as a factor in generating price information 143 . with reference now to fig2 , there are shown and described a top level information flow of a process for creating and managing the execution of fuel offerings to one or more purchasers , according to one embodiment . fig2 is seen to include three principal parties including a provider 202 of fuel offerings , a distributor 204 of fuel offerings and at least one purchaser 206 of fuel offerings . it will be understood that in certain embodiments , the provider 202 and distributor 204 may be considered as a single entity from the perspective of the purchaser 206 . it will also be understood that while fig2 illustrates a single purchaser 206 , for ease of explanation , the single purchaser 206 is representative of a marketplace of potential purchasers 206 of the fuel offering . at block b 1 , a request is made by the distributor 204 , directed to the provider 202 , to structure and / or generate one or more fuel offerings . in some embodiments , the request may include some number of product factors and / or parameters , for example , ( i ) the type of fuel to offered , ( ii ) the quantity of fuel to be offered , ( iii ) usage per period limitations , ( iv ) tenor , ( v ) geography , and / or ( vi ) strike price . of course , in other embodiments , other combinations and / or additional factors and / or parameters may alternatively or additionally be provided . at block c 1 , the provider 206 structures a selection of fuel offerings , responsive to the distributor 204 request . the selection of fuel offerings may , in one embodiment , include associated premiums based on the parameters provided by the distributor 204 . in certain embodiments , the selection of fuel offerings may constitute a single fuel offering or a range of fuel offerings , as shown in table 1 below . depending on the embodiment , a fuel offering may be characterized its type ( e . g ., fuel type , such as regular unleaded gasoline , premium unleaded gasoline , diesel , bio - diesel , ethanol , hydrogen and / or the like ), strike price , tenor or term ( e . g ., 3 months , 6 months , 1 year , etc . ), calculated premium and / or the like . table i , illustrates , by way of non - limiting example , an exemplary range of fuel offerings which may be constructed by the provider 206 , responsive to a distributor 204 request . with continued reference to fig2 , at block c 2 , the range of fuel offerings , such as those shown in table 1 , are presented to the distributor 204 for his or her approval and / or selection . at block b 2 , the distributor 204 , may select one or more fuel offerings and make said offering ( s ) available to purchasers 202 . in one embodiment , it is contemplated that the fuel offering ( s ) may be made widely available over to a large population of potential purchasers over an electronic network , such as the internet . in the case where the distributor 204 does not select one or more fuel offerings , the process may return to block c 1 and the fuel offerings may be re - structured in an appropriate manner . at block b 3 , the distributor 204 may pay the provider 206 an upfront strike price plus premium and / or service markup , or otherwise paying only a premium and / or service markup . at block c 3 , the provider 206 may protect its fuel offering investment by employing hedging strategies , such as , for example , utilizing forward contracts , futures , wholesale fuel options and / or the like in appropriate combination ( s ). in some embodiments , the provider 206 may alternatively elect not to employ any hedging strategies . at block a 1 , a purchaser 202 may access the distributor 204 ( e . g ., via a web - site ) to purchase one or more fuel offerings being marketed by the distributor 204 . for example , with reference again to table i , a purchaser 202 may elect to purchase the first listed fuel offering ( see row 1 of table i ), at block a 2 , the purchaser 202 , in possession of the fuel offering shown above , may exercise the fuel offering to purchase fuel ( in this case , diesel fuel ) up to the stipulated quantity , during the indicated tenor , and at the indicated strike price . additional details of the transaction may be dependent upon the model being utilized by the distributor 204 ( e . g ., based on a national average price or a pump price ). for example , in some embodiments , when a purchaser 202 purchases fuel , the distributor 204 may pay the difference between the strike price ($ 2 . 50 ), and either the pump price at the point of purchase or a national average price on the date of purchase . in one embodiment , the fuel offering is priced to include the strike price plus the premium , so that upon exercising the fuel offering ( i . e ., buying gas ), the purchaser 202 pays out no money , and the fuel retailer is paid by the distributor 204 . as a further example , in accordance with one implementation of the pump price model , if the pump price is $ 3 . 00 and the fuel offering strike price is $ 2 . 50 , the purchaser 202 effectively pays $ 0 . 10 less than the pump price , considering a premium payment of $ 0 . 40 , which is advantageous to the purchaser 202 . at block b 4 , in response to the purchaser 202 purchasing fuel at block a 2 within the construct of the fuel offering , the distributor 204 pays the fuel retailer ( e . g ., gas station ) at the point of purchase the cost of the gasoline based on the pump price on the date of purchase . in an alternative embodiment wherein the purchaser has only paid a premium and not a strike price to the distributor up front , the distributor may only pay based on the difference between the pump price and the fuel offering strike price to the gas station . at block b 5 , the distributor collects feedback data on each fuel offering exercise and / or purchase , such as the one described at block a 2 and said data is provided to the provider 206 to enable refinement of future fuel offerings . the collected data may include the prices at which purchasers are exercising fuel offerings ( e . g ., purchasing fuel ) relative to the corresponding fuel offerings strike prices , the quantities involved and / or other indicia . at block c 4 , the provider pays the distributor the cost of the gasoline for which the distributor has paid the gas station . in an alternative embodiment , the provider may only pay the difference between the cost of the gasoline and the cost calculated based on the fuel offering strike price . fig3 a - b show aspects of financial structure model operation in particular embodiments of fuel offering generator operation . in fig3 a , a combined logic and data flow diagram is shown illustrating one implementation of the financial structure model . a pricing module 301 receives as inputs fuel market information 303 , historical analysis 305 , and offering parameters 310 . details surrounding the nature of these inputs , including examples thereof , and of pricing module operation , will be discussed in greater detail in the context of offering pricing below . the pricing module yields as output at least one offering price and / or price matrix 320 , that may be comprised of one or more offerings with associated strike price , premium , tenor , terms , service markup , restrictions , constraints , discounts , and / or the like . the pricing module may also yield as output at least one set of sensitivity data characterizing the sensitivity of price matrix elements to input parameters . for example , the sensitivity data may delineate , among other things , the sensitivity of the premium of a given offering or set of offerings to fuel market factors , such as retail gasoline spot prices . sensitivity may be represented , in one implementation , by the first derivative of the output variable ( e . g ., offering price , premium , strike price , etc .) with respect to an input variable ( e . g ., market factors , historical factors , offering parameters ). the provider determines at 330 whether the price matrix 320 is satisfactory based on a set of price matrix satisfaction criteria , which may include a consideration of the reasonableness of premium value and strike price combinations . price matrix satisfaction criteria may also be based in part on accumulated purchaser ( e . g ., consumer ) marketing research data 333 , such as data describing which offerings , premium and strike price combinations , etc . are most attractive to purchasers , which types of offerings are least likely to be exercised , and / or the like . if the price matrix 320 output by the pricing module 301 is not satisfactory based on the satisfaction criteria , then the offering parameters 310 may be adjusted in order to improve the alignment of the pricing matrix with the satisfaction criteria in the next iteration . if , on the other hand , the pricing matrix does meet a minimum standard of satisfaction , then the corresponding offerings are made available in a purchaser market , such as a consumer market 335 . purchasers may execute purchases of offerings 340 and , subsequently , exercise the offerings 345 to receive pay - outs consistent with offering terms . in one implementation , the provider itself may price offerings , make them available to a purchaser market , execute purchaser offering purchases , and honor purchaser offering exercises . in another implementation , the provider may price offerings and make them available to an intermediary distributor entity , who may provide them to a purchaser market and interface with purchasers for offer purchases and exercises . additional details surrounding provider - distributor - purchaser interactions in the context of offering exercise delays are discussed below . data related to offering executions and exercises ( e . g ., offering popularity , exercise rates , and / or the like ) may be monitored by the provider and incorporated into a purchaser marketing research data set that may be sampled in subsequent selection of offering parameters . for example , the provider may observe that all 3 - month tenor , regular octane gasoline offerings having a strike price of $ 2 . 90 / gallon and up sell considerably more poorly than other offerings regardless of the premium charged . subsequent offering generations may , consequently , exclude these offering parameters and / or terms altogether . offering exercise information may also be fed back into the pricing module through historical analysis variables that may alter the strike price and / or premium of particular offering rather than changing the presence or absence of offering parameters altogether . for example , the provider may observe that the profits derived from 12 - month tenor , regular octane gasoline offerings having a strike price of $ 2 . 00 / gallon are greater than expected because purchasers who exercise these particular offerings tend to behave sub - optimally . consequently , the system may incorporate that knowledge to charge a lower premium for these particular offerings that may attract more purchasers to these types of offerings and potentially increase the profits derived from them even more . data related to execution 340 and exercise 345 of offerings may also be incorporated , along with sensitivity data 325 , into provider hedging strategies and / or practices 350 . in an effort to offset , mitigate , and / or eliminate some amount of risk associated with the sale of offerings , the provider may elect to select , purchase , and / or manage a portfolio of hedging instruments . a provider devised hedging portfolio may be comprised of a variety of different types of holdings in various implementations that may include but are not limited to equities , debts , derivatives , synthetics , notes , stocks , preferred shares , bonds , debentures , options , futures , swaps , rights , warrants , commodities , currencies , long and / or short positions , etfs , and / or other assets or investment interests . in one implementation , a provider devised hedging portfolio may be comprised of forward contracts and / or futures of exchange or over - the - counter ( otc ) traded wholesale fuel options , gasoline options , and / or the like . sensitivity data 325 provides information describing the degree to which a particular input variable ( e . g ., a market parameter ) affects the strike price and / or premium of an offering . counteracting the risk associated with an offering may , therefore , be accomplished by seeking instruments whose sensitivity to input variables is similar in magnitude but opposite in direction to offering sensitivities . observed offering execution and exercise practices and / or trends of purchasers may further affect provider hedging strategies and / or practices . for example , an observation of sub - optimal exercise of offerings by purchasers may indicate to a provider that a smaller purchase of hedging instruments will suffice to offset the risk associated with the offerings . in the extreme case , wherein the offerings are never exercised under any circumstances , the provider would have no need for hedging instruments at all . further details surrounding hedging strategies and / or practices in the context of purchaser aggregation and scale are discussed below . fig3 b shows logic flow in an implementation of the financial structure model in one embodiment of fuel offering generator operation . a provider collects financial structure model inputs 360 , such as market factors , average and / or specific fuel prices , price and / or market factor geographic distributions , historical price data and / or market factors , offering parameters ( e . g ., strike price , premium , tenor , restrictions , discounts , incentives , and / or the like ), purchaser and / or consumer behavior considerations , hedging strategy considerations , and / or the like and stores them in a variables table at 365 . based at least in part on financial structure model inputs , the provider may determine a price matrix 370 . model inputs , outputs , and price matrix determination logic will be discussed in greater detail below . in one implementation , a price matrix may be comprised of a collection of offerings with varying terms , strike prices , premiums , incentives , restrictions , and / or the like . in one implementation , the provider and / or the distributor may further append a service markup to the strike price and / or premium to yield an offering price and / or collection of offering prices within a consumer price matrix . the provider may send 375 a price matrix , consumer price matrix , and / or some portion thereof 376 to purchasers for consideration and , for any purchasers who request to purchase offerings , the provider may subsequently receive notices of offering purchases 380 and execute offerings . these executed offerings may be sorted 383 and subsequently aggregated 385 into a plurality of similarity classes based on some desired criteria , such as purchaser location , selected offering parameters and / or terms , purchaser characteristics and / or demographics , purchaser behavior and / or history , and / or the like . a sensitivity and / or risk analysis 388 may be performed on the similarity classes in order to determine sensitivity of offering prices to various input parameters ( such as described above ) and risk characteristics that may be considered in a hedging strategy for subsequent hedging of provider risks and / or obligations . in addition , the provider may optionally perform correlation analysis 390 on similarity classes , similarity class sensitivities , and / or similarity class risks in order to determine which , if any , similarity classes exhibit similar sensitivity and / or risk characteristics and / or correlations . similarity classes with correlated sensitivity and / or risk behaviors may then be aggregated to simplify and / or expedite provider hedging strategies . the provider may subsequently implement hedging strategies and / or accumulate a hedging portfolio 395 . in one implementation , provider hedging strategies may be based in part on execution of purchaser offering purchases , purchaser offering exercises , and / or other purchaser behaviors ( e . g ., purchaser irrationality , and / or the like ) at different scales of purchaser granularity . in one implementation , provider hedging strategies may be based in part on individual purchaser offering purchases and / or exercises . for example , a large institutional purchaser ( e . g ., a trucking company ) may purchase a large enough offering and / or quantity of smaller offerings to motivate a provider to develop a hedge strategy based solely on the single purchaser purchase and / or behavior . in another implementation , provider hedging strategies may be based in part on aggregated purchaser offering purchases and / or exercises . for example , in this implementation , a purchaser &# 39 ; s offering purchase of a small quantity of gasoline may not affect the provider &# 39 ; s hedging strategy and / or portfolio . instead , the provider may enter a record of the offering purchase into a purchase repository for temporary storage and / or aggregation with other fuel offerings . the provider may then periodically analyze purchase repository contents in order to determine when there is an aggregation of purchaser offering purchases that is sufficiently large and / or significant to warrant consideration in the provider hedging strategy and / or modification of the provider devised hedging portfolio . aggregation of purchaser offering purchases may be made in a variety of different ways within various implementations . in one implementation , purchaser offering purchases may be aggregated based on time of purchase . in another implementation , purchaser offering purchases may be aggregated based on purchaser characteristics ( e . g ., demographics , location , purchaser behavior profile , and / or the like ). in another implementation , purchaser offering purchases may be aggregated based on the nature of purchasers ( e . g ., individual purchasers , small business purchasers , large business purchasers , government / institutional purchasers , and / or the like ). in another implementation , purchaser offering purchases may be aggregated based on the risk characteristics associated with purchasers and / or purchaser characteristics . in addition to storing execution of purchaser offering purchases for aggregation , a provider may additionally or alternatively store exercise of purchaser offerings for aggregation and subsequent consideration in hedging strategies . the provider may monitor and / or track purchaser offerings to determine if offerings are exercised 3100 . if a purchaser has exercised a purchased offering , then the provider may query the circumstances of the purchase exercise and pay - out the provider &# 39 ; s obligation under the terms of the offering in light of those circumstances 3105 . circumstances may include location , time , fuel price ( e . g ., the average price of gasoline in a region wherein the offering was exercised , a regional or national average fuel price , and / or the like ), status of purchaser owned offering and / or offering restrictions at the time of purchase ( e . g ., whether the purchaser has exceeded a monthly cap , whether the purchaser is in a restricted region , and / or the like ), and / or the like . in one implementation , the provider may determine the purchaser owned offering &# 39 ; s strike price and a reference fuel price at the time of offering exercise and , if the strike price is less than the reference fuel price , determine the difference between those prices , multiply that difference by the volume of gas on which the offering is being exercised , and implement any additional discounts , penalties , or restrictions in order to determine the payout amount . in one implementation , the reference fuel price is a regional average fuel price . in another implementation , the reference fuel price is a national average fuel price . the provider may also collect and / or analyze purchaser behavior characteristics 3110 . the provider may recollect and / or update financial structure model inputs at 3115 . the provider may also store collected and / or analyzed purchaser behavior characteristics in a purchaser table 3120 . in alternative implementations , a provider may interface with purchasers through an intermediary distributor entity . in such an implementation , the provider at 375 and / or 376 may send a pricing matrix or portion thereof to the distributor , who may then optionally select elements of the price matrix and / or add a service markup to create a consumer price matrix for subsequent presentation to purchasers . purchasers who wish to purchase offerings may request offerings from the distributor and offer payment based on the corresponding entries in the consumer price matrix . the distributor , in turn , may relay purchase requests to the provider 380 and / or purchase offerings from the provider , and relay those offerings back to the purchasers . when a purchaser exercises an offering 3100 , the distributor may pay - out to the purchaser to regain ownership of the offering and immediately submit an exercise notice to the provider to receive pay - out therefrom . alternatively , a distributor may pay - out obligations to purchasers when offerings are exercised by those purchasers , retake ownership of those offerings , and yet retain ownership until some later time at which an exercise notice is submitted to the provider . such a delay may allow the distributor to take advantage of subsequent market changes ( e . g ., increases in fuel prices ) that are foregone by suboptimal exercise of offerings by purchasers . such delay between purchaser and distributor offering exercise and / or suboptimal exercise by either purchaser or distributor may be considered by the provider in pricing matrix generation and / or hedging strategies . fig4 a - b show operation of financial structure pricing and price - pump model operation in respective embodiments of fuel offering generator operation . fig4 a shows processing flow for pricing of offerings in one embodiment of fuel offering generator operation . a collection of module inputs 401 may comprise current fuel market information 403 , historical fuel market information and / or analysis 405 , and observable 410 and non - observable 415 parameters derived therefrom . some examples of possible current fuel market information 403 may include current wholesale gasoline otc options market data , current wholesale gasoline otc forward market and futures market data , current retail gasoline spot prices , and / or the like . some examples of possible historical market information and / or analysis 405 may include historical wholesale gasoline otc options market data , historical wholesale gasoline otc forward market and futures market data , historical retail gasoline spot prices , historical wholesale gasoline spot prices , correlations between historical retail and wholesale gasoline prices , and / or the like . some examples of observable parameters 410 that may be derived from current fuel market information may include wholesale gasoline implied volatilities , wholesale gasoline forward curves , spread of retail over wholesale spot prices , and / or the like . some examples of non - observable parameters 415 that may be derived from historical fuel market information and / or analysis may include retail gasoline implied volatilities , wholesale gasoline mean reversion parameters , retail gasoline mean reversion parameters , retail gasoline forward curves , and / or the like . in one implementation , the pricing module may also admit as inputs a collection of purchaser historical data . purchaser historical data may be comprised of records of purchaser execution and / or exercise of offerings . in particular , the system may monitor purchaser execution and / or exercise of offerings with specific attention to particular purchaser behavior flags . in one implementation , a purchaser behavior flag may comprise consistent solicitation of and / or exercising of offerings at more expensive than average fuel retailers . in another implementation , a purchaser behavior flag may comprise consistent solicitation of and / or exercising of offering at cheaper than average fuel retailers . in another implementation , a purchaser behavior flag may comprise too optimal a pattern of offering exercising . in another implementation , a purchaser behavior flag may comprise too suboptimal a pattern of offering exercising . in another implementation , a purchaser behavior flag may comprise strong time dependence of purchaser exercising of offerings . if the number of observed purchaser behavior flags exceeds a threshold minimum value , a purchaser behavior history variable admitted as input to the pricing module may be adjusted so as to cause the pricing module to yield an adjusted pricing matrix intended to correct and / or direct future purchaser behavior . in addition to the aforementioned factors and variables , the pricing module may admit a collection of offering parameters that may specify offering terms presented to a purchaser . some examples of possible offering parameters may include strike price , premium , tenor , constraints , restrictions , incentives , discounts , fuel type , geographic location , and / or the like . in one implementation , a pricing module operator ( e . g ., provider ) may set values for some offering parameters and receive others as outputs from the pricing generator . for example , a particular desired strike price , tenor , set of restrictions , fuel type , and location may be input to the pricing module , and a premium received as an output from the module . alternatively , a particular desired premium , tenor , set of restrictions , fuel type , and location may be input to the pricing module , and a strike price received as an output from the module . the particular mode of operation , including selection of offering parameter inputs and outputs , may be varied within different implementations depending on the particular goals and / or requirements of particular applications of the system . values for a selected group of module inputs 401 may be fed into the pricing module 301 for processing . inputs are incorporated into an offering pricing model 425 such as , in one implementation , a commodity volatility model incorporated into a stochastic differential equation describing commodity value . an example of such a model is provided in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 065 , 475 entitled , “ modeling option price dynamics ,” filed on oct . 31 , 2000 , which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference . u . s . pat . no . 7 , 980 , 960 entitled , “ system and method for providing a fuel purchase incentive ,” filed on mar . 28 , 2001 , and u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 853 , 196 entitled “ system and method for providing a fuel purchase incentive with the sale of a vehicle ,” filed may 11 , 2001 , are each incorporated in their entirety by reference . solving a stochastic differential equation to extract output offering parameters may be accomplished by a variety of techniques in different embodiments , such as but not limited to grid pricing , monte carlo simulation , analytic formulas , and / or the like . in one implementation , the xml for module inputs may take the following form : the pricing module 301 subsequently outputs sensitivity data 435 and price data 440 . price data 440 may , as discussed above , be comprised of different offering parameters depending on the requirements and consequent module inputs within a particular implementation . thus , the price data 440 output may include , but is not limited to , strike price , premium , tenor , restrictions , usage constraints , incentives , fuel type constraints , geographic constraints , and / or the like . sensitivity data 435 , as discussed above , describes the extent to which price data 440 may vary as module inputs 401 are varied . in one implementation , sensitivity data may be comprised of the first derivative of a price data variable with respect to one or more module input variables . in one implementation , the xml for module outputs may take the following form : the pricing module output described by the above xml includes a single strike price within the price_data / strikeprice field . in an alternative implementation , a provider may determine price_data for a variety of module input values in order to yield an array of price_data with different corresponding offering parameters . such an array of price data with corresponding offering parameters may be incorporated into a pricing matrix . in one implementation , the xml for a three - offering pricing matrix may take the following form : fig4 b shows logic flow for determination of offering pricing within a pump - price model context in one embodiment of fuel offering generator operation . although geography is not necessarily central to the price structure itself , it is relevant , and greater detail about the may be found in fig1 - 11 . in this embodiment , the strike price associated with an offering is compared with the price charged by the particular fuel retailer at which an offering is exercised in assessing the extent of pay - out obliged to an exercising purchaser . for example , in a non - prepay embodiment wherein a purchaser has only paid a premium upfront , if a purchaser exercises an offering based on a strike price of $ 2 . 20 for a gallon of gasoline at a retailer that charges $ 2 . 40 / gallon , the purchaser may be refunded $ 0 . 20 / gallon by the provider , while the same offering exercised at a retailer charging $ 2 . 55 would yield $ 0 . 35 / gallon if exercised . in an alternative , prepay embodiment wherein a purchaser has paid both strike price and premium up front , the provider would directly pay the gas station the cost of the fuel based on either the $ 2 . 40 or $ 2 . 55 pump prices . due in part to the pump - specific sensitivity of this model , a number of additional restrictions and / or structural considerations , such as management of geographic price variations and undesirable purchaser behavior , may be implemented to facilitate desired generator operation and will be described in greater detail below . these factors may , in one implementation , be incorporated into determination of up - front pricing ( e . g ., premiums ) for fuel offerings . they may also , or in an alternative implementation , be considered as part of fuel offering redemption structure as discussed below and in fig1 - 12 and 14 - 21 . owing to the dependence of pump - price model payout on the price at the pump itself , considerations of variability between pump prices in different geographic regions must be incorporated . the generator develops a single - price zone ( spz ) map at 445 , wherein an spz is defined as a region and / or collection of retailers defined by a single , uniform pricing assignment . for example , a purchaser may exercise an offering with the same strike price at a given premium at all retailers belonging to the same spz . spz map determination is described in greater detail below in fig1 - 11 . the spz map defines spz boundaries and may guide the accumulation of historical pump price distribution data for a given spz 450 . historical purchaser bias data may also be accumulated for a given spz 455 . purchase bias data may , in one implementation , describe the extent to which purchasers tend to exercise offerings at retailers that are biased to one side or the other of the average of retailers within the spz . for example , a large purchaser bias may indicate that purchasers tend to exercise their offerings disproportionately often at expensive fuel retailers . the spz map and accumulated data may be employed to determine and / or collect further factors relevant to pricing within the pump - price model 460 . these factors may include the size of purchaser bias with an spz , volatility of that bias , convexity of that bias , and the existence of a no - arbitrage condition . convexity of bias in this context may , in one implementation , be construed to describe the extent to which there is a difference in the average pay - out amount between those offerings based on the difference between strike price and an average retailer pump price and those offerings based on the difference between a strike price and a pump price at which the offering is exercised . volatility of bias reflects the extent to which the distribution of prices within an spz may vary over time and the effect of such variation on deviations of purchaser behavior from average expectations . the no - arbitrage condition in this context may , in one implementation , be construed to describe the avoidance of a situation where a purchaser can buy an offering and immediately exercise to make riskless profit . these and other factors discussed may affect the cost of offerings and , consequently , be considered in either the up - front pricing ( e . g ., premium ) of offerings , or in the devising of incentives , restrictions , discounts , and penalties . a financial structure pricing determination is performed at 465 , similar to those described above in the context of the financial structure pricing model above , and the output premium and / or strike price is adjusted by an amount determined by the factors in 460 to yield a pump - price pricing 470 . an example of a premium adjustment made as part of the price - pump model may be to determine the average pump price within an spz , compute the total payout for an offering exercised at all retailers charging higher than that average , divide by the total number of retailers , and add this quantity ( the convexity of bias , in one implementation ) directly to the premium . another example of a premium adjustment made as part of the price - pump model may be to determine the standard deviation of average retailer pump prices within an spz over some period of time and add that deviation , or some fraction thereof , to the premium . further premium and / or strike price adjustments may be implemented within different embodiments of the fuel offering generator . based on the spz map developed in 445 , the generator may determine current and / or historical variability of basis ( i . e ., difference ) between spz premiums and / or strike prices for a given collection of spzs , such as a collection that is incorporated as part of a purchaser offering . based on that information , the generator may yield strike price and / or premium adjustments and / or a premium adjustment table , as described in greater detail in fig1 - 14 . the adjustment of premium price based on geographic considerations and / or the generation of a premium adjustment table may be relevant , in one implementation , to only those fuel offerings that cover fuel purchases made in multiple spzs . fig5 illustrates an aspect of purchase and fuel offering exercise for one embodiment of the fuel offering generator . prior to discussing process fig5 in detail , it is instructive to first review , in a broad sense , the purchaser &# 39 ; s perspective of fuel offering generator . the purchaser may be an entity who desires to purchase fuel offering to mitigate fuel costs over some period of time . in accordance with this goal , a number of fuel offerings may be made available for purchase by the distributor . a fuel offering may include specific details regarding the terms and conditions , as shown in the below example . the example fuel offering has a tenor of three months , during which the purchaser may exercise the fuel offering on up to 30 k gallons of diesel fuel at a strike price of $ 2 . 50 . the premium may , in some embodiments , represents the measure of risk associated with the fuel offering , i . e ., higher premiums may correlate to higher risk fuel offerings . by purchasing the fuel offering shown above , the purchaser mitigates the risk of fuel costing in excess of $ 2 . 90 ( strike + premium ) over the three month tenor . that is , by purchasing the fuel offering , the purchaser pays $ 0 . 40 for the ability or right to purchase fuel for $ 2 . 50 , up to the stipulated number of gallons ( e . g ., 30 k ). in some embodiments , an offer price of $ 2 . 90 ( strike + premium ) may represent the purchaser &# 39 ; s effective purchase price for any purchase made within the 3 month period for up to 30 k gallons of fuel if the cost of fuel over that three month period exceeds the offer price . as is apparent to the astute reader , exercising the fuel offering does not clearly provide economic benefit to the purchaser for prevailing pump prices and / or national average prices below $ 2 . 90 , though it may still be beneficial to the purchaser to exercise the offering between $ 2 . 50 and $ 2 . 90 because the premium is , at that point , a sunk cost . as shown in fig5 , the purchaser purchases a fuel offering with a particular strike price for certain fuel volume ( n ) 505 . at some point subsequent to the purchase of the fuel offering , the purchaser may decide to purchase x gallons of fuel 510 . in so doing , the purchaser may elect to exercise the offering on the fuel purchase of x gallons or not 515 , generally depending upon the pump price of fuel at the time of purchase . in the case where the cost of fuel is less than the strike price , it does not make economic sense for the purchaser to exercise the offering , for reasons described above , and in such a situation , the purchaser may simply pay the prevailing pump price 525 . alternatively , in the case where the cost of fuel is greater than the strike price , particularly where the cost of fuel is greater than the strike price + premium , it may make economic sense to exercise the fuel offering 520 , though the purchaser may not necessarily exercise the fuel offering ( e . g ., if the purchaser expects the cost of fuel to be even higher the next day ). in some embodiments , the fuel offering may be automatically exercised whenever the cost of fuel is greater than the strike , or alternatively , the strike + premium . in another embodiment , the fuel offering is not exercised automatically . if the purchaser decides to exercise the fuel offering 515 , the purchaser profile ( e . g ., a data file that includes information regard the purchaser &# 39 ; s fuel offering ( s )) or like information source regarding the fuel offering may be queried to determine the unused fuel volume ( r ) remaining for the fuel offering 520 . a determination is then made as to whether the remaining volume ( r ) is equal to or greater than purchase volume ( x ) 530 . if not , then the purchaser pays the prevailing pump rate 525 for the full purchase . in another embodiment the purchaser may be able to exercise the fuel offering for a partial amount of the full purchase ( i . e ., for the remaining volume ). otherwise , a determination is made regarding whether the prevailing pump price ( or other price , such as the national average price , as indicated by the implementation ) is greater than the strike price 540 . if so , the purchaser &# 39 ; s account is credited with the difference ( d ) between the strike price and the pump price , multiplied by the number of gallons ( x ) purchased 545 . otherwise , in the case where the prevailing pump price is determined to be less than the strike price 540 , the purchaser pays the prevailing pump price 550 . fig5 b provides an example strike vs . exercise graph for one embodiment of the fuel offering generator . the strike 552 is the strike price ( e . g ., $ 1 . 50 ) of the fuel offering and the exercise boundary 553 represents the price over which exercise of the fuel offering is approximately economically optimal over the tenor ( e . g ., 6 months ) of the offering . the exercise boundary 553 is initially the strike 552 plus an initial boundary and decreases to the strike at the end of the tenor of the offering . in some embodiments , the optimal initial boundary is found by maximizing the average pay - out across a range of initial boundaries , and the resulting exercise behavior ( e . g ., economically optimal exercise ) used to model purchaser behavior , including average pay - out . fig5 c and 5d provide further illustrate payout aspects for some embodiments . fig5 c provides a flow diagram for an embodiment in which the purchaser prepays the strike price ( e . g ., pays the premium plus the strike ) to the provider 561 and / or distributor at the time of purchasing the fuel offering . when the purchaser subsequently makes a fuel purchase 562 , there is a determination of whether the pump price is greater than the strike price 563 , and if not , the purchaser is charged the pump price 564 . if the pump price is greater than the strike price 563 ( or another threshold price as determined by the implementation ), in one embodiment , the purchaser &# 39 ; s fuel offering ( s ) is ( are ) exercised and purchaser &# 39 ; s profile is updated 565 , and the provider ( and / or distributor ) pays out the pump price 566 ( e . g ., to the fuel retailer ). in another embodiment , if the pump price is greater than the strike price 563 ( or like threshold price ), the purchaser may be notified and queried to determine if they wish to exercise their offering ( s ) 567 with the purchaser &# 39 ; s response 568 determining the next action ( 564 / 565 ). fig5 d provides a flow diagram for an embodiment in which the purchaser pays the premium to the provider 571 and / or distributor at the time of purchasing the fuel offering . when the purchaser subsequently makes a fuel purchase 572 , there is a determination of whether the pump price is greater than the strike price 573 , and if not , the purchaser is charged the pump price 574 . if the pump price is greater than the strike price 573 ( or another threshold price as determined by the implementation ), in one embodiment , the purchaser &# 39 ; s fuel offering ( s ) is ( are ) exercised and purchaser &# 39 ; s profile is updated 575 , the purchaser is charged the strike price 576 ( e . g ., pays the strike price to the fuel retailer ) and the provider ( and / or distributor ) pays out the difference between the strike and the pump price 577 ( e . g ., to the fuel retailer ). in another embodiment , if the pump price is greater than the strike price 573 ( or like threshold price ), the purchaser may be notified and queried to determine if they wish to exercise their offering ( s ) 578 and the purchaser &# 39 ; s response 579 decides the next action ( 574 / 575 ). fig6 illustrates an aspect of enforcing minimum usage of fuel offerings in an embodiment of the fuel offering generator . prior to discussing fig6 in detail , it is instructive to first briefly review the structure and purpose of imposing minimum fuel usage consumption . in some embodiments , a fuel offering sold to a purchaser may include a restriction directed to the manner in which the fuel offering is exercised over the specified tenor . as one example , consider an example fuel offering with the terms below . the exemplary terms of the illustrative fuel offering indicate a tenor of three months , during which the purchaser may purchase up to 30 k gallons of fuel at a strike price of $ 2 . 50 . to preclude the consumption of 30 k gallons all the end , or in disproportionate amounts over the three month tenor , it is contemplated that some embodiments may impose a minimum monthly usage requirement . in this manner , more predictable exercise of fuel offerings may be achieved . of course , in other embodiments , the restriction period may be of a longer or shorter duration ( e . g ., quarterly minimum usage , weekly minimum usage ) in accordance with the fuel offering tenor , and may be allocated in a variable fashion . referring now to fig6 , in one embodiment , enforcing a monthly minimum usage begins with a determination regarding whether the end of the current calendar date coincides with the end of the month 605 or some other stipulated period . the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile is queried to determine the monthly fixed volume ( f ), which represents the amount that the purchaser must use per month 610 . the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile is queried a second time to retrieve the total quantity of fuel already consumed by the purchaser for the current month , ( u ) 615 . a determination is then made regarding whether the total quantity of fuel already consumed in the current month ( u ) is greater than the fixed volume ( f ) 620 . if so , the process terminates because it is determined that the purchaser has already purchased in excess of the fixed volume ( f ) for the current month . otherwise , a calculation is performed to compute the difference ( d ) between the fixed volume ( f ) and the total quantity of fuel already consumed ( u ) 625 . a further evaluation is performed to determine the amount to be credited to the purchaser &# 39 ; s account for the unused portion . the further calculation determines an amount to be credited ( v ) corresponding to the value of ( d ) minus any fees ( e . g ., due to failure to meet fixed volume requirements ), multiplied by the strike price 630 . this amount ( v ) may then be credited back to the purchaser &# 39 ; s account 635 . for example , in one embodiment , if a purchaser purchases a fuel offering for a quantity of 500 gallons of gasoline over a tenor of 10 months , the fuel offering may specify a minimum monthly usage of 50 gallons , i . e ., f = 50 . in this exemplary case , if the purchaser uses less than 50 gallons in the first month ( e . g ., 20 gallons ), then the balance , 30 gallons ( i . e ., the unused portion ), is deducted from the purchaser &# 39 ; s total available volume , leaving 450 gallons at the start of the second month . in one embodiment , in the event of a prepay , the strike price for the deducted ( i . e ., unused ) gallons may be returned to the purchaser , while in another embodiment the prepayed strike for the deducted gallons are not returned to the purchaser . alternatively , if the purchaser uses an amount in excess of 50 in a particular month ( e . g ., 70 gallons ), then no action is required in that the purchaser has met his or her minimum usage requirement for the month . with reference now to fig7 , there is shown a process for enforcing periodic ( e . g ., monthly ) maximum fuel usage restrictions on fuel offerings . prior to discussing process in detail , it is instructive to first briefly review the structure and purpose of monthly fuel usage restrictions . in general , a fuel offering sold to a purchaser may include a restriction directed to the manner in which the fuel is consumed over the tenor of the offering . as one example , consider the following exemplary fuel offering — the exemplary illustrative offering has a tenor of three months , during which the purchaser may consume up to 30 k gallons of fuel with a strike price of $ 2 . 50 / gallon . to preclude the consumption of 30 k gallons all at once , or in grossly disproportionate amounts over the three month tenor , it is contemplated to impose a monthly cap ( i . e ., monthly maximum usage restriction ). in this manner , more predictable consumption and / or exercising of offerings may be achieved . of course , in other embodiments , the restriction period may be of a longer or shorter duration ( e . g ., quarterly cap , weekly cap ) in accordance with offering tenor . referring again to fig7 , the process for enforcing a monthly cap restriction begins with a purchaser 220 attempting to exercise an offering on a quantity of fuel ( e . g ., “ n ” gallons ) 701 . in response , the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile is queried to determine a cap ( e . g ., monthly cap ) amount specified as offering parameters within an offering owned by the purchaser . the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile may also be queried to retrieve a total quantity of fuel , “ m ”, previously consumed by the purchaser for the current month 703 . a determination is then made as to whether the sum of the fuel already consumed “ m ” by the purchaser in the current month plus the amount of fuel “ n ” on which the purchaser seeks to exercise his or her offering ( s ) is less than or equal to the monthly cap restriction 705 . if so , the purchaser is permitted to exercise on “ n ” gallons of fuel 707 . otherwise , a determination is made of the remaining amount of fuel that may be allocated to the purchaser to stay within the limitations of the imposed monthly cap 709 . the remaining amount which may be allocated is an amount “ b ”, less than the requested amount “ n ”, which may be determined by subtracting the amount of fuel already consumed in the month “ m ” from the monthly cap . the purchaser may , in one implementation , be issued a notice indicating that the purchaser &# 39 ; s remaining allowable monthly allocation is “ b ” gallons 711 . the purchaser may be offered the choice to proceed or not with the exercise of his or her offering on “ b ” gallons 713 . in the case where the purchaser elects not to proceed with exercising the offering , the purchaser may be charged the pump price 715 . otherwise , in the case where the purchaser elects to proceed , the purchaser is permitted to exercise his or her offering on “ b ” gallons 717 and the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile is updated to reflect the exercise of the offering 719 . in an alternative embodiment , the purchaser may be automatically charged the pump price if the exercise puts the purchaser over the cap for the period . in various embodiments , maximal usage restrictions may be implemented on a periodic , quasi - periodic , or non - periodic basis . for example , usage caps may be implemented and / or varied yearly , seasonally , monthly , weekly , daily , hourly , based on fiscal quarters , based on holiday travel patterns , based on expected high - traffic time periods , and / or the like . in one embodiment , the usage cap per period may be uniform over the tenor of the offerings owned by a purchaser , such as being set to the total quantity of fuel covered by the offerings divided by the number of periods covered by the offering tenor . in another embodiment , the usage cap per period may vary from period to period . with reference now to fig8 , there is shown a process for enforcing a cap payout restriction on fuel offerings in one embodiment . prior to discussing the process in detail , it is instructive to first briefly review the structure and purpose of cap payout restrictions . in general , a fuel offering sold to a purchaser may include a restriction directed to limiting the difference paid between the strike price and some reference price ( e . g ., pump price , national average price , spot price , and / or the like ) in order to minimize provider and / or distributor exposure and / or liability . as one example , consider the following exemplary fuel offering — the exemplary illustrative offering has a tenor of three months , during which the purchaser may consume up to 30 k gallons of fuel with a strike price of $ 2 . 50 / gallon . to preclude the purchaser from exercising the offering on purchases where the pump price or national average price is far in excess of the strike price , it is contemplated to impose a cap restriction on the payout . in other words , a payout cap may be established such that when the purchaser exercises his or her offering , the amount paid cannot exceed the payout cap . in this manner , a higher degree of certainty is guaranteed regarding payouts . more particularly , the payout is assured not to exceed the payout cap . for example , if a purchaser seeks to exercise an offering with a strike price of $ 2 . 50 / gallon on fuel with a reference price of $ 3 . 50 / gallon , and the payout cap is set to $ 0 . 50 / gallon , the purchaser will may only redeem $ 0 . 50 / gallon rather than the $ 1 . 00 / gallon he or she would receive in the absence of the payout cap . in an alternative embodiment , it is contemplated that the payout cap may be configured as a price cap , whereby any reference price exceeding the price cap on which a purchaser seeks to exercise an offering may be replaced by the price cap for the purpose of determining payout obligations . in a non - prepay example , if a purchaser seeks to exercise an offering with a strike price of $ 2 . 50 / gallon on fuel with a reference price of $ 3 . 50 / gallon , and the price cap is set to $ 3 . 00 / gallon , the purchaser will may only redeem $ 0 . 50 / gallon rather than the $ 1 . 00 / gallon he or she would receive in the absence of the price cap . in yet another embodiment , a payout and / or price cap may be expressed as some function of the premium and / or strike price ( e . g ., a percentage of the strike price ). referring now to fig8 in an implementation employing a payout cap , a provider and / or distributor may receive a notice of purchaser exercise of an offering on some quantity of fuel 805 . the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile may be queried to seek and / or extract a specified payout cap amount , “ k ” 810 . a determination is made 815 as to whether such a cap exists in the purchaser profile and , if not , then a basic payout amount is formulated 820 without consideration of a payout cap . otherwise , the generator queries a reference price corresponding to the offering being exercised . in one implementation , the generator may determine whether the offering is subject to a pump - price reference price ( e . g ., the price of the retailer at which the fuel is purchased ) or a financial structure reference price ( e . g ., a regional average price , a national average price , and / or the like ) 825 . in the former case , the reference price , z , may be set to the pump price 835 , and in the latter case , z may be set to a national average price . a strike price , s , corresponding to the offering being exercised may be queried from a purchaser profile 840 , and a determination made of the difference , d , between s and z 845 . if that difference does not exceed the payout cap , k , then a basic payout is prepared 855 without consideration of a payout cap . otherwise , the payout reimbursement to the purchaser &# 39 ; s account may be made based on the volume of fuel on which the offering is exercised subject to the payout restriction k . in an alternative embodiment wherein a price cap is specified rather than a payout cap , the comparison at 850 would be between the price cap and the reference price , z , and the payout amount at 860 would be based on the difference between the price cap and the strike price . in various embodiments , price and / or payout caps may be implemented on a periodic , quasi - periodic , or non - periodic basis . for example , price and / or payout caps may be implemented and / or varied yearly , seasonally , monthly , weekly , daily , hourly , based on fiscal quarters , based on holiday travel patterns , based on expected high - traffic time periods , and / or the like . in one embodiment , price and / or payout caps per period may vary from period to period . in another embodiment , multiple different price and / or payout caps may be specified for different circumstances , including different locations , regions , spzs , retailers , purchasers , distributors , providers , times , periods of time , and / or the like . fig9 illustrates one aspect of structural constraints in an embodiment of fuel offering generator . specifically , fig9 provides details for implementing and / or enforcing a structural constraint on the amount ( or percentage ) of gas volume that may be reimbursed upon exercising a fuel offering for a particular fuel purchase of a volume ( n ). in general , a fuel offering sold to a purchaser may include a restriction directed to the amount or percentage volume of a fuel purchase considered eligible for reimbursement upon exercising the fuel offering during its tenor . as one example , consider the following exemplary fuel offering terms — the exemplary illustrative fuel offering has a tenor of three months , during which the purchaser may exercise the fuel offering on up to 30 k gallons of fuel at a strike price of $ 2 . 50 . to discourage the purchaser from exercising the fuel offering at an fuel retailer that is relatively more expensive that other fuel retailers ( e . g ., a gas station that sells at $ 3 . 20 when most other stations sell at $ 3 . 00 ), some embodiments may impose a structural constraint that limits and / or specifies the amount ( or percentage ) of a fuel purchase on which a purchaser may exercise the fuel offering . as shown in fig9 , enforcing a structural constraint pertaining to the amount ( or percentage ) of a fuel purchase that may be reimbursed upon exercising a fuel offering for a specified purchase volume of gas ( n ) begins with a purchaser attempting to exercise a fuel offering on a purchase of ( n ) gallons of fuel 905 . in response to the purchaser &# 39 ; s attempt to exercise the offering on ( n ) gallons , the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile may be queried to retrieve associated structural constraint ( s ), defined herein as ( q ) 910 . in the embodiment of fig9 , this constraint defines a percentage multiplier to be applied to the purchase volume ( n ) to ascertain a reimbursable volume of fuel ( r ), as will be described . a determination is made regarding whether the query of the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile yields the structural constraint , that is , does the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile include the structural constraint , i . e ., variable ( q ). if not , the purchaser may exercise the offering on ( n ) gallons of fuel at the basic payout rate 920 . otherwise , a determination is made regarding the amount of fuel ( r ) that is considered to be reimbursable , in this case , a percentage of the total purchase amount ( n ) on which the purchaser desires to exercise the offering on 925 . for some embodiments , the determination may be a computation comprising multiplication of the ( n ) gallons of total fuel purchase by the constraint parameter ( q ) to yield a reimbursable volume of fuel ( r ). reimbursement is then made to the purchaser &# 39 ; s account based on the volume ( r ) 930 , i . e ., the fuel offering is exercised on ( r ) and not the total purchase ( n ). in some embodiments , the purchaser may be notified of the restricted reimbursement 935 . depending on the embodiment , structural constraints may be implemented on a fixed amount per purchase and / or be distributed over the tenor of a fuel offering in a periodic , quasi - periodic , or non - periodic manner . in one embodiment , the fuel offering generator may utilize single price zones ( spzs ) in determining a price matrix , strike price and / or premium of a fuel offering . spzs may define , for example , a geographic area and / or other grouping , such as certain station groups , station brands and / or the like , in which a fuel offering may be exercised ( i . e ., where the fuel offering purchaser may get his or her selected amount of fuel at the single , preset price ). in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , the fuel offering generator may generate an spz map 1005 . in certain embodiments , a fuel offering may be restricted to only one spz . in another embodiment , the exercise of the fuel offering may be restricted to multiple , pre - selected spz ( s ), i . e ., the purchaser selects one or more spzs when purchasing the fuel offering , and can only exercise the fuel offering within the identified spz ( s ). in an alternative embodiment , the purchaser may be allowed to exercise the fuel offering outside of the single or multiple pre - selected spz ( s ), but doing so may be associated with an additional fee / penalty . based on the spz map ( and associated price matrix data ), the fuel offering generator may create pricing structures and / or strike adjustments for multi - spz purchasers 1010 . alternatively , or additionally , the fuel offering generator may determine fees / penalties for exercising fuel offerings outside of the pre - selected spz ( s ) 1011 . in one embodiment , the pricing structures , strike adjustments and / or fees / penalties are fixed at purchase ( e . g ., a purchaser buys a fuel offering for spz 1 and locks in an adjustment of $ 0 . 25 per gallon for spz 2 for purchases , if any , in spz 2 ). in another embodiment , the pricing structures , strike adjustments and / or fees / penalties may be floating and / or variable until the time of exercise . the fuel offering generator may also manage purchasers &# 39 ; utilization of spzs 1015 , including managing purchasers &# 39 ; pricing structures , strike adjustments and / or fees / penalties . fig1 provides additional detail regarding spz mapping and management for an embodiment of the fuel offering generator . upon receiving a request to determine spzs 1101 , the fuel offering generator may determine if the spzs are to be set to existing geographic boundaries 1105 . if the spzs are to be set to existing geographic boundaries 1105 , the fuel offering generator determines what scale ( e . g ., city , county , metropolitan area , state and / or region ) for setting the boundaries is appropriate 1110 . in one embodiment , the size of the spz may be particularly relevant in pricing associated fuel offerings , for example , the fuel offering for a large spz may be relatively expensive due to adverse selection and / or moral hazard issues due to a larger distribution and / or geographic area . similarly , in one embodiment , the fuel offering generator may determine spzs to minimize excluding or “ shutting out ” potential purchasers , for example , purchasers in upstate new york may prefer a fuel offering in which geographic spz determination is based on county , rather than state . the fuel offering generator may also account for other issues in determining spzs , such as the smaller the spz , the more restrictive the fuel offering and / or the more complicated the adjustments needed to use the fuel offering products across spzs . based on such information , the fuel offering generator may then set the boundaries of the spzs to the appropriate existing geographic boundaries 1115 . while some embodiments may set spzs according to one scale , other embodiments may combine scales in constructing spzs ( e . g ., one spz &# 39 ; s boundary may be set to a city , while another spz &# 39 ; s boundary is set to a state ). the fuel offering generator may then determine the price matrix for each spz 1145 and store the price matrices in a spz table 1150 . if the spzs are not to be set to existing geographic boundaries 1105 , the fuel offering generator collects 1120 and stores 1125 a geographic distribution of pricing variables . the fuel offering generator may then perform a similarity analysis on the geographically distributed pricing variables 1130 and , as described previously , determine the scale or granularity with which the spz divisions will be set 1135 . the fuel offering generator may then assign spzs according to the similarity analysis and / or determined granularity 1140 . in a further embodiment , the assigned geographic boundaries may include , but are not limited to , existing geographic boundaries . the fuel offering generator then determines the price matrix for each spz 1145 and stores the price matrices in an spz table 1150 . fig1 provides additional detail regarding the spz pricing aspect of an embodiment of fuel offering generator . a purchaser interacts with the fuel offering generator and specifies desired terms for a fuel offering 1205 . the purchaser then specifies one or more spzs in which they want the ability to exercise the fuel offering 1210 . the fuel offering generator then determines is the purchaser has specified multiple spzs 1215 , and if not , serves the fuel offering pricing based for the desired terms and selected spz 1220 . in one embodiment , if the purchaser has specified multiple spzs 1215 , the fuel offering generator identifies the most expensive spz of the multiple spzs based on the desired terms 1225 and derives an adjustment table ( e . g ., a strike adjustment table ) for the other specified spzs 1230 . in other embodiments , the fuel offering generator may derive an adjustment table for a purchaser &# 39 ; s primary spz ( e . g ., the purchaser &# 39 ; s default location , most traveled location , and / or the like ), with credits for exercising fuel offerings in relatively cheaper spzs and debits or penalties for exercising in relatively more expensive spzs . the fuel offering generator may then serve the fuel offering pricing based on the most expensive selected spz and the derived adjustment table for the purchaser &# 39 ; s desired terms 1235 . moving momentarily back to the topic of restrictions and constraints , in some embodiments , the fuel offering generator may provide fuel offerings that in which there is a withdrawal expiry , i . e ., a certain amount or percentage of the initial amount ( e . g ., initial volume amount of the fuel offering ) that must be exercised before a specified time or else be subject to expiration . for example , the specifications of a certain fuel offering may include a particular strike price , a total volume of 1200 gallons , a term of one year , and requirement that the purchaser must exercise at least 8 . 33 % ( i . e ., purchase at least 100 gallons ) each month or else lose the difference . in one embodiment , the withdrawal expiry is set uniformly , for example , if the term of the fuel offering is one year , and the length of a sub - period is one month , 8 . 33 % of the initial total of the fuel offering must be exercised by the end of each month or be subject to expiration , while in another embodiment , the withdrawal expiry could be non - uniform . fig1 a illustrates the available exercise volume per month for a fuel offering with a term of one year , an initial exercisable volume of 1200 gallons , and a withdrawal expiry of 8 . 33 % ( 100 gallons ) per month . as can be seen in the figure , the purchaser may exercise any or all of the 1200 gallons in the first month , but only a maximum of 100 gallons by the last month . in one implementation , the required exercise could be based on a cumulative amount , for example , in the situation described above , if a purchaser exercised 20 % in the first month and only 1 % in the second month , no part of the fuel offering would be subject to expiration ( i . e ., 20 %+ 1 % is greater than 8 . 33 %+ 8 . 33 %). alternatively , in another implementation , the withdrawal expiry could be periodic , so that either a certain percentage of the initial or remaining amount must be exercised each period or be subject to expiration . in one embodiment , the purchaser may exercise the entire remaining ( i . e ., non - expired ) amount of the fuel offering , while in another embodiment , the fuel offering may also be subject to usage caps . fig1 b provides additional detail for the withdrawal expiry aspect of one embodiment of the fuel offering generator . after generation of the fuel offering , the fuel offering generator checks whether it is the end of the specified sub - period 1305 , and if it is not , cycles / waits 1335 and re - checks 1305 . if it is the end of the specified sub - period 1305 , the fuel offering generator queries the purchaser profile for the specified sub - period expiry volume 1310 and the purchaser &# 39 ; s sub - period exercise volume 1315 . if the purchaser &# 39 ; s sub - period exercise volume is greater than or equal to the specified sub - period expiry volume 1320 , then no part of the purchaser &# 39 ; s fuel offering expires and the fuel offering generator waits for the end of the next period 1335 . however , if the purchaser &# 39 ; s sub - period exercise volume is less the specified sub - period expiry volume 1320 , then the fuel offering generator determines the difference between the sub - period expiry volume and the sub - period exercise volume 1325 and expires that amount from the purchaser &# 39 ; s fuel offering , updates the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile 1330 , and waits for the end of the next sub - period 1335 . in one embodiment , if the purchaser prepaid the strike price , the strike price for the expired amount may be returned ( but not the premium ). alternatively , some embodiments do not return the prepaid strike price . returning to the topic of geography , fig1 provides an overview of one aspect of the multi - spz fuel offering exercise in an embodiment of the fuel offering generator . the fuel offering generator receives purchaser exercise information for a fuel offering 1405 , for example , in one implementation , via an electronic credit transaction . the fuel offering generator may then determine or extract from the exercise information the location information ( e . g ., address of the gas station ) where the purchaser exercised the fuel offering 1410 , and matches the location to the corresponding spz 1415 . if the spz corresponding to the exercise location information is also the most expensive spz of the purchaser &# 39 ; s specified spzs 1420 , then the transaction is completed 1425 . if the spz is not the most expensive spz of the purchaser &# 39 ; s specified spzs 1420 , the fuel offering generator extracts the appropriate discount from the adjustment table 1430 and credits the purchaser &# 39 ; s account 1435 . in a further embodiment , an adjustment table may also include penalties that could be charged to a purchaser for exercising the fuel offering outside of a pre - selected spz ( if allowed by the fuel offering generator ). in one embodiment , the adjustment table is a strike adjustment table indicating the refund or rebate the purchaser would receive if they exercised the fuel offering in one of the selected spzs which was not the most expensive spz . for example , if a purchaser selects a fuel offering with two spzs , manhattan and pittsburgh , and the manhattan spz is the most expensive , the purchaser would pay for fuel offering based on the manhattan indicated price . however , if the strike adjustment table indicated an adjustment of $ 0 . 10 for pittsburgh , and the purchaser exercised the fuel offering in pittsburgh , the purchaser may receive a corresponding credit or rebate for exercising the fuel offering in the less expensive spz . fig1 through 18 illustrate the process flow for one aspect of purchaser behavior management in an embodiment of the fuel offering generator . as shown in fig1 , the fuel offering generator may collect relative pump price usage data for a purchaser 1505 ( for example , the pump price at which the purchaser exercises one or more fuel offerings relative to the pump price at which other purchasers with like characteristics , such as location and / or similar fuel offerings , exercise fuel offerings ). alternatively , or additionally , other purchaser behavior data such as the relative time - from - purchase - to - exercise of fuel offerings , suboptimal exercise traits ( e . g ., whether the purchaser typically exercises the fuel offering suboptimally , and if so , if said exercise is pre - optimal and / or post - optimal ), and / or the like , as well as purchaser characteristics ( e . g ., demographic information ) may also be collected . depending on the implementation , the above data may be collected periodically and / or continuously . in some embodiments , the collected data for multiple purchasers may be amassed and marketing and behavior analyses performed to identify relevant trends and characteristics of purchasers , including data regarding adverse selection ( e . g ., within a particular spz , if there is more interest in fuel offerings among purchaser &# 39 ; s who typically pay higher prices ) and / or moral hazard information ( e . g ., if purchaser &# 39 ; s start frequenting more expensive fuel retailers after purchase of fuel offerings ). the fuel offering generator may utilize the collected data to characterize a purchaser , and the characterization may be based on the purchaser &# 39 ; s current information and / or aggregate information . if the characterization is based on aggregate information 1510 , the fuel offering generator determines an aggregate purchaser behavior profile 1515 , while if the characterization is based on current purchaser information 1510 , the fuel offering generator determines a current purchaser behavior profile 1520 . based on the purchaser behavior profile , the purchaser may be grouped , rated and / or otherwise identified , where such identification is used in optimizing subsequent interactions with the purchaser . for example , as shown in the figure , in one embodiment , the purchaser may be identified as preferred , undesirable , or indifferent 1525 . in one implementation , the grouping may reflect the relative value the purchaser represents ( e . g ., profitable , unprofitable , or break - even , respectively ). the identification may be stored in the purchasers profile 1530 , and in some embodiments , the purchaser may be notified of their associated status and / or associated incentives or penalties ( as described below in fig1 , 17 and 18 ). as shown in fig1 , in one embodiment , if the purchaser is preferred , the fuel offering generator may determine if the purchaser &# 39 ; s length of stay ( i . e ., the time the purchaser has had a relationship with the fuel offering generator and / or associated entities ) is greater than a certain threshold 1640 , the fuel offering generator may associate a length of stay incentive package ( such as discounts , rebates , and / or the like ) with the purchaser &# 39 ; s account and / or profile 1645 . if the purchaser &# 39 ; s length of stay is not greater than a certain threshold 1640 , the fuel offering generator may associate another style of incentive package with the purchaser &# 39 ; s account and / or profile 1650 . depending on the purchaser characteristics , rewards or incentives may be directed to retain purchasers , encourage increased use and / or acquisition of fuel offerings , and / or otherwise encourage or modify future purchaser behavior . similarly , fig1 shows purchaser incentive structures 1780 , 1785 , 1790 related to those shown in fig1 ( 1640 , 1645 , 1650 , respectively ), and further illustrates an embodiment in which the fuel offering generator determines if the purchaser is in a high variance zone 1770 ( e . g ., purchaser could be exercising fuel offerings at relatively expensive gas stations , but is not doing so as indicated by their preferred status ), and if so , associating a supplemental bonus incentive package with the purchaser &# 39 ; s account and / or profile 1775 ( e . g ., a package that reinforces / rewards positive purchaser behavior ). alternatively , if the purchaser is undesirable 1525 , in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , the fuel offering generator may determine if the purchaser represents aggregate undesirability 1855 ( e . g ., the purchaser has been undesirable for a significant portion of the relationship between the purchaser with the fuel offering generator and / or associated entities ), and if so , may terminate the purchaser &# 39 ; s account and / or not provide the purchaser with additional fuel offerings . if the fuel offering generator determines the purchaser does not have aggregate undesirability 1855 , a penalty package ( or an incentive package that directs the purchaser towards preferred behaviors ) may be associated with the purchaser &# 39 ; s profile and / or account 1865 . fig1 illustrates the process flow for one aspect of purchaser behavior management in one embodiment of the fuel offering generator . the fuel offering generator may sample an spz pump price distribution 1905 in order to extract therefrom one or more statistical quantities characterizing fuel retailers within the spz . in one implementation , the generator samples pump prices across all retailers within an spz , while in another implementation the generator samples pump prices from some representative subset of fuel retailers within the spz . in still another embodiment , the generator may sample pump prices across a subset of retailers in the spz that excludes one or more non - participating fuel retailers from consideration . the generator may determine a measure of pump price spread ( σ ) 1910 , such as a standard deviation , variance , and / or the like . a determination is made 1915 as to whether this pump price spread measure exceeds a pre - established threshold , and if not , then the process of fig1 completes with no further action . otherwise , if the pump price spread measure exceeds the threshold 1915 , then fuel retailers in the spz may be segmented into a plurality of price groups based on the relation of their pump prices to the average pump price 1920 . for example , fuel retailers may be segmented and / or grouped based on the number of standard deviations away from the mean pump price that their pump prices fall . in one implementation , a fuel retailer &# 39 ; s current pump price is considered , while in another implementation the fuel retailer &# 39 ; s pump price averaged over some period of time is considered . in some embodiments , the segmentation information may be used by the fuel offering generator as an input in determining a price matrix and / or in constructing an appropriate hedging strategy . based on this segmentation , the generator may incentivize or penalize purchaser solicitation of particular fuel retailers 1925 . in some embodiments , incentives and / or penalties may be provided and / or assessed immediately ( i . e ., communicated to purchaser &# 39 ; s to directly influence behavior ), while in a further embodiment , such incentives and / or penalties may take the form of modified premiums , price adjustments and / or restrictions associated with subsequent fuel offerings . fig2 illustrates an aspect of fuel retailer incentivizing for some embodiments of the fuel offering generator . the fuel offering generator samples spz pump price distribution 2005 for one or more statistical quantities characterizing fuel retailers within the spz , in one embodiment in the process as described in fig1 . the fuel offering generator may determine a measure of pump price spread ( σ ) 2010 , such as a standard deviation , variance , and / or the like , and a determination is made 2015 as to whether this pump price spread measure exceeds a pre - established threshold , and if not , then the process of fig2 completes with no further action . otherwise , if the pump price spread measure exceeds the threshold 2015 , the fuel offering generator segments fuel retailers in the spz into a plurality of price groups based on the relation of their pump prices to the average pump price 2020 , similar to fig1 above . the fuel offering generator then determines the fuel offering utilization within and / or across the price groups 2025 and identifies if , for a particular price group and / or specific fuel retailer ( s ) within the price group , there is minimum utilization by purchasers 2030 ( i . e ., most purchasers are not exercising their fuel offering ( s ) s at the fuel retailers within the price group ). in some embodiments , information regarding fuel offering utilization within and / or across the price groups may be used by the fuel offering generator as an input in determining a price matrix and / or in constructing an appropriate hedging strategy . if there is not minimum utilization 2030 , in particular , if there is not minimum utilization of the more expensive fuel retailers by purchasers , the fuel offering generator does not continue the process of fig2 , and in a further embodiment , the fuel offering generator may reassess associated pricing , incentives , penalties , premiums , price adjustments and / or restrictions , for example , as described in fig1 . if there is minimum utilization of a price group and / or particular fuel retailer ( s ) by purchasers 2030 , as shown in fig2 , the fuel offering generator may determine the group mobility premium 2135 . in one embodiment , the group mobility premium represents the value that inclusion in another price group ( and the associated increase in purchaser solicitation ) represents to the fuel retailer ( s ), while in another embodiment the group mobility premium represents the cost of allowing and / or not disincentivizing purchaser solicitation of the fuel retailer ( s ). in yet another embodiment , the group mobility premium represents the value that purchasers place on having access to the particular price group and / or fuel retailer ( s ). the group mobility premium may , in some embodiments , by utilized by the fuel offering generator as an input in determining a price matrix and / or in constructing an appropriate hedging strategy . in one embodiment , the fuel offering generator and / or associated entities may utilize the group mobility premium in offering or negotiating group mobility ( e . g ., the removal of restrictions and / or penalties to allow fuel retailers access to purchasers ) with one or more fuel retailers . this may be particular attractive to fuel retailers with relatively high pump prices ( such as premium gas stations or conveniently located retailers ) in that it allows for segmentation of customers and / or de facto price discrimination . for example , in one embodiment , a gas station could continue to charge a relatively high pump price to typical customers , while also gaining access to the solicitation of purchasers . if the fuel retailer accepts the offer and associated group mobility premium 2145 , the fuel offering generator adjusts the fuel retailer &# 39 ; s position within the price groups 2150 . in one embodiment the group mobility premium could be paid by the fuel retailer to the fuel offering generator ( and / or associated entities ) as a one time and / or periodic fee . in another embodiment , the group mobility premium could consist of and / or further include a revenue and / or risk sharing agreement , with pricing adjustment and / or payments from the fuel retailer to the fuel offering generator ( and / or associated entities ) and / or vice versa . in yet another embodiment , said pricing adjustments and / or payments could be made from the fuel retailer and / or fuel offering generator ( and / or associated entities ) to the purchaser , as necessary . in some embodiments , the group mobility premium and associated arrangements may be used by the fuel offering generator as an input in determining a price matrix and / or in constructing an appropriate hedging strategy . fig2 of the present disclosure illustrates inventive aspects of an fuel offering generator controller 2201 in a block diagram . in this embodiment , the fuel offering generator controller 2201 may serve to aggregate , process , store , search , serve , identify , instruct , generate , match , and / or facilitate comparative interactions with information , and / or other related data . typically , users , which may be people and / or other systems , engage information technology systems ( e . g ., commonly computers ) to facilitate information processing . in turn , computers employ processors to process information ; such processors are often referred to as central processing units ( cpu ). a common form of processor is referred to as a microprocessor . cpus use communicative signals to enable various operations . such communicative signals may be stored and / or transmitted in batches as program and / or data components facilitate desired operations . these stored instruction code signals may engage the cpu circuit components to perform desired operations . a common type of program is a computer operating system , which , commonly , is executed by cpu on a computer ; the operating system enables and facilitates users to access and operate computer information technology and resources . common resources employed in information technology systems include : input and output mechanisms through which data may pass into and out of a computer ; memory storage into which data may be saved ; and processors by which information may be processed . often information technology systems are used to collect data for later retrieval , analysis , and manipulation , commonly , which is facilitated through a database program . information technology systems provide interfaces that allow users to access and operate various system components . in one embodiment , the fuel offering generator system controller 2201 may be connected to and / or communicate with entities such as , but not limited to : one or more users from user input devices 2211 ; peripheral devices 2212 ; a cryptographic processor device 2228 ; and / or a communications network 2213 . networks are commonly thought to comprise the interconnection and interoperation of clients , servers , and intermediary nodes in a graph topology . it should be noted that the term “ server ” as used throughout this disclosure refers generally to a computer , other device , program , or combination thereof that processes and responds to the requests of remote users across a communications network . servers serve their information to requesting “ clients .” the term “ client ” as used herein refers generally to a computer , other device , program , or combination thereof that is capable of processing and making requests and obtaining and processing any responses from servers across a communications network . a computer , other device , program , or combination thereof that facilitates , processes information and requests , and / or furthers the passage of information from a source user to a destination user is commonly referred to as a “ node .” networks are generally thought to facilitate the transfer of information from source points to destinations . a node specifically tasked with furthering the passage of information from a source to a destination is commonly called a “ router .” there are many forms of networks such as local area networks ( lans ), pico networks , wide area networks ( wans ), wireless networks ( wlans ), etc . for example , the internet is generally accepted as being an interconnection of a multitude of networks whereby remote clients and servers may access and interoperate with one another . the fuel offering generator system controller 2201 may be based on common computer systems that may comprise , but are not limited to , components such as : a computer systemization 2202 connected to memory 2229 . a computer systemization 2202 may comprise a clock 2230 , central processing unit ( cpu ) 2203 , a read only memory ( rom ) 2206 , a random access memory ( ram ) 2205 , and / or an interface bus 2207 , and most frequently , although not necessarily , are all interconnected and / or communicating through a system bus 2204 . optionally , the computer systemization may be connected to an internal power source 2286 . optionally , a cryptographic processor 2226 may be connected to the system bus . the system clock typically has a crystal oscillator and provides a base signal . the clock is typically coupled to the system bus and various clock multipliers that will increase or decrease the base operating frequency for other components interconnected in the computer systemization . the clock and various components in a computer systemization drive signals embodying information throughout the system . such transmission and reception of signals embodying information throughout a computer systemization may be commonly referred to as communications . these communicative signals may further be transmitted , received , and the cause of return and / or reply signal communications beyond the instant computer systemization to : communications networks , input devices , other computer systemizations , peripheral devices , and / or the like . of course , any of the above components may be connected directly to one another , connected to the cpu , and / or organized in numerous variations employed as exemplified by various computer systems . the cpu comprises at least one high - speed data processor adequate to execute program components for executing user and / or system - generated requests . the cpu may be a microprocessor such as amd &# 39 ; s athlon , duron and / or opteron ; ibm and / or motorola &# 39 ; s powerpc ; ibm &# 39 ; s and sony &# 39 ; s cell processor ; intel &# 39 ; s celeron , itanium , pentium , xeon , and / or xscale ; and / or the like processor ( s ). the cpu interacts with memory through signal passing through conductive conduits to execute stored signal program code according to conventional data processing techniques . such signal passing facilitates communication within the fuel offering generator system controller and beyond through various interfaces . should processing requirements dictate a greater amount speed , parallel , mainframe and / or super - computer architectures may similarly be employed . alternatively , should deployment requirements dictate greater portability , smaller personal digital assistants ( pdas ) may be employed . the power source 2286 may be of any standard form for powering small electronic circuit board devices such as the following power cells : alkaline , lithium hydride , lithium ion , lithium polymer , nickel cadmium , solar cells , and / or the like . other types of ac or dc power sources may be used as well . in the case of solar cells , in one embodiment , the case provides an aperture through which the solar cell may capture photonic energy . the power cell 2286 is connected to at least one of the interconnected subsequent components of the fuel offering generator system thereby providing an electric current to all subsequent components . in one example , the power source 2286 is connected to the system bus component 2204 . in an alternative embodiment , an outside power source 2286 is provided through a connection across the i / o 2208 interface . for example , a usb and / or ieee 1394 connection carries both data and power across the connection and is therefore a suitable source of power . interface bus ( ses ) 2207 may accept , connect , and / or communicate to a number of interface adapters , conventionally although not necessarily in the form of adapter cards , such as but not limited to : input output interfaces ( i / o ) 2208 , storage interfaces 2209 , network interfaces 2210 , and / or the like . optionally , cryptographic processor interfaces 2227 similarly may be connected to the interface bus . the interface bus provides for the communications of interface adapters with one another as well as with other components of the computer systemization . interface adapters are adapted for a compatible interface bus . interface adapters conventionally connect to the interface bus via a slot architecture . conventional slot architectures may be employed , such as , but not limited to : accelerated graphics port ( agp ), card bus , ( extended ) industry standard architecture (( e ) isa ), micro channel architecture ( mca ), nubus , peripheral component interconnect ( extended ) ( pci ( x )), pci express , personal computer memory card international association ( pcmcia ), and / or the like . storage interfaces 2209 may accept , communicate , and / or connect to a number of storage devices such as , but not limited to : storage devices 2214 , removable disc devices , and / or the like . storage interfaces may employ connection protocols such as , but not limited to : ( ultra ) ( serial ) advanced technology attachment ( packet interface ) (( ultra ) ( serial ) ata ( pi )), ( enhanced ) integrated drive electronics (( e ) ide ), institute of electrical and electronics engineers ( ieee ) 1394 , fiber channel , small computer systems interface ( scsi ), universal serial bus ( usb ), and / or the like . network interfaces 2210 may accept , communicate , and / or connect to a communications network 2213 . through a communications network 113 , the fuel offering generator system controller is accessible through remote clients 2233 b ( e . g ., computers with web browsers ) by users 2233 a . network interfaces may employ connection protocols such as , but not limited to : direct connect , ethernet ( thick , thin , twisted pair 10 / 100 / 1000 base t , and / or the like ), token ring , wireless connection such as ieee 802 . 11a - x , and / or the like . a communications network may be any one and / or the combination of the following : a direct interconnection ; the internet ; a local area network ( lan ); a metropolitan area network ( man ); an operating missions as nodes on the internet ( omni ); a secured custom connection ; a wide area network ( wan ); a wireless network ( e . g ., employing protocols such as , but not limited to a wireless application protocol ( wap ), i - mode , and / or the like ); and / or the like . a network interface may be regarded as a specialized form of an input output interface . further , multiple network interfaces 2210 may be used to engage with various communications network types 2213 . for example , multiple network interfaces may be employed to allow for the communication over broadcast , multicast , and / or unicast networks . input output interfaces ( i / o ) 2208 may accept , communicate , and / or connect to user input devices 2211 , peripheral devices 2212 , cryptographic processor devices 2228 , and / or the like . i / o may employ connection protocols such as , but not limited to : apple desktop bus ( adb ); apple desktop connector ( adc ); audio : analog , digital , monaural , rca , stereo , and / or the like ; ieee 1394a - b ; infrared ; joystick ; keyboard ; midi ; optical ; pc at ; ps / 2 ; parallel ; radio ; serial ; usb ; video interface : bnc , coaxial , composite , digital , digital visual interface ( dvi ), rca , rf antennae , s - video , vga , and / or the like ; wireless ; and / or the like . a common output device is a television set 145 , which accepts signals from a video interface . also , a video display , which typically comprises a cathode ray tube ( crt ) or liquid crystal display ( lcd ) based monitor with an interface ( e . g ., dvi circuitry and cable ) that accepts signals from a video interface , may be used . the video interface composites information generated by a computer systemization and generates video signals based on the composited information in a video memory frame . typically , the video interface provides the composited video information through a video connection interface that accepts a video display interface ( e . g ., an rca composite video connector accepting an rca composite video cable ; a dvi connector accepting a dvi display cable , etc .). user input devices 2211 may be card readers , dongles , finger print readers , gloves , graphics tablets , joysticks , keyboards , mouse ( mice ), remote controls , retina readers , trackballs , trackpads , and / or the like . peripheral devices 2212 may be connected and / or communicate to i / o and / or other facilities of the like such as network interfaces , storage interfaces , and / or the like . peripheral devices may be audio devices , cameras , dongles ( e . g ., for copy protection , ensuring secure transactions with a digital signature , and / or the like ), external processors ( for added functionality ), goggles , microphones , monitors , network interfaces , printers , scanners , storage devices , video devices , video sources , visors , and / or the like . it should be noted that although user input devices and peripheral devices may be employed , the fuel offering generator system controller may be embodied as an embedded , dedicated , and / or monitor - less ( i . e ., headless ) device , wherein access would be provided over a network interface connection . cryptographic units such as , but not limited to , microcontrollers , processors 2226 , interfaces 2227 , and / or devices 2228 may be attached , and / or communicate with the fuel offering generator system controller . a mc68hc16 microcontroller , commonly manufactured by motorola inc ., may be used for and / or within cryptographic units . equivalent microcontrollers and / or processors may also be used . the mc68hc16 microcontroller utilizes a 16 - bit multiply - and - accumulate instruction in the 16 mhz configuration and requires less than one second to perform a 512 - bit rsa private key operation . cryptographic units support the authentication of communications from interacting agents , as well as allowing for anonymous transactions . cryptographic units may also be configured as part of cpu . other commercially available specialized cryptographic processors include vlsi technology &# 39 ; s 33 mhz 6868 or semaphore communications &# 39 ; 40 mhz roadrunner 184 . generally , any mechanization and / or embodiment allowing a processor to affect the storage and / or retrieval of information is regarded as memory 2229 . however , memory is a fungible technology and resource , thus , any number of memory embodiments may be employed in lieu of or in concert with one another . it is to be understood that the fuel offering generator system controller and / or a computer systemization may employ various forms of memory 2229 . for example , a computer systemization may be configured wherein the functionality of on - chip cpu memory ( e . g ., registers ), ram , rom , and any other storage devices are provided by a paper punch tape or paper punch card mechanism ; of course such an embodiment would result in an extremely slow rate of operation . in a typical configuration , memory 2229 will include rom 2206 , ram 2205 , and a storage device 2214 . a storage device 2214 may be any conventional computer system storage . storage devices may include a drum ; a ( fixed and / or removable ) magnetic disk drive ; a magneto - optical drive ; an optical drive ( i . e ., cd rom / ram / recordable ( r ), rewritable ( rw ), dvd r / rw , etc . ); an array of devices ( e . g ., redundant array of independent disks ( raid )); and / or other devices of the like . thus , a computer systemization generally requires and makes use of memory . the memory 2229 may contain a collection of program and / or database components and / or data such as , but not limited to : operating system component ( s ) 2215 ( operating system ); information server component ( s ) 2216 ( information server ); user interface component ( s ) 2217 ( user interface ); web browser component ( s ) 2218 ( web browser ); database ( s ) 2219 ; mail server component ( s ) 2221 ; mail client component ( s ) 2222 ; cryptographic server component ( s ) 2220 ( cryptographic server ); the fuel offering generator system component ( s ) 2235 ; and / or the like ( i . e ., collectively a component collection ). these components may be stored and accessed from the storage devices and / or from storage devices accessible through an interface bus . although non - conventional program components such as those in the component collection , typically , are stored in a local storage device 2214 , they may also be loaded and / or stored in memory such as : peripheral devices , ram , remote storage facilities through a communications network , rom , various forms of memory , and / or the like . the operating system component 2215 is an executable program component facilitating the operation of the fuel offering generator system controller . typically , the operating system facilitates access of i / o , network interfaces , peripheral devices , storage devices , and / or the like . the operating system may be a highly fault tolerant , scalable , and secure system such as apple macintosh os x ( server ), at & amp ; t plan 9 , be os , linux , unix , and / or the like operating systems . however , more limited and / or less secure operating systems also may be employed such as apple macintosh os , microsoft dos , microsoft windows 2000 / 2003 / 3 . 1 / 95 / 98 / ce / millenium / ntnista / xp ( server ), palm os , and / or the like . an operating system may communicate to and / or with other components in a component collection , including itself , and / or the like . most frequently , the operating system communicates with other program components , user interfaces , and / or the like . for example , the operating system may contain , communicate , generate , obtain , and / or provide program component , system , user , and / or data communications , requests , and / or responses . the operating system , once executed by the cpu , may enable the interaction with communications networks , data , i / o , peripheral devices , program components , memory , user input devices , and / or the like . the operating system may provide communications protocols that allow the fuel offering generator system controller to communicate with other entities through a communications network 2213 . various communication protocols may be used by the fuel offering generator system controller as a subcarrier transport mechanism for interaction , such as , but not limited to : multicast , tcp / ip , udp , unicast , and / or the like . an information server component 2216 is a stored program component that is executed by a cpu . the information server may be a conventional internet information server such as , but not limited to apache software foundation &# 39 ; s apache , microsoft &# 39 ; s internet information server , and / or the . the information server may allow for the execution of program components through facilities such as active server page ( asp ), activex , ( ansi ) ( objective -) c (++), c #, common gateway interface ( cgi ) scripts , java , javascript , practical extraction report language ( perl ), python , webobjects , and / or the like . the information server may support secure communications protocols such as , but not limited to , file transfer protocol ( ftp ); hypertext transfer protocol ( http ); secure hypertext transfer protocol ( https ), secure socket layer ( ssl ), and / or the like . the information server provides results in the form of web pages to web browsers , and allows for the manipulated generation of the web pages through interaction with other program components . after a domain name system ( dns ) resolution portion of an http request is resolved to a particular information server , the information server resolves requests for information at specified locations on the fuel offering generator system controller based on the remainder of the http request . for example , a request such as http :// 123 . 124 . 125 . 126 / myinformation . html might have the ip portion of the request “ 123 . 124 . 125 . 126 ” resolved by a dns server to an information server at that ip address ; that information server might in turn further parse the http request for the “/ myinformation . html ” portion of the request and resolve it to a location in memory containing the information “ myinformation . html .” additionally , other information serving protocols may be employed across various ports , e . g ., ftp communications across port 21 , and / or the like . an information server may communicate to and / or with other components in a component collection , including itself , and / or facilities of the like . most frequently , the information server communicates with the fuel offering generator system database 2219 , operating systems , other program components , user interfaces , web browsers , and / or the like . access to the fuel offering generator system database may be achieved through a number of database bridge mechanisms such as through scripting languages as enumerated below ( e . g ., cgi ) and through inter - application communication channels as enumerated below ( e . g ., corba , webobjects , etc .). any data requests through a web browser are parsed through the bridge mechanism into appropriate grammars as required by the fuel offering generator system . in one embodiment , the information server would provide a web form accessible by a web browser . entries made into supplied fields in the web form are tagged as having been entered into the particular fields , and parsed as such . the entered terms are then passed along with the field tags , which act to instruct the parser to generate queries directed to appropriate tables and / or fields . in one embodiment , the parser may generate queries in standard sql by instantiating a search string with the proper join / select commands based on the tagged text entries , wherein the resulting command is provided over the bridge mechanism to the fuel offering generator system as a query . upon generating query results from the query , the results are passed over the bridge mechanism , and may be parsed for formatting and generation of a new results web page by the bridge mechanism . such a new results web page is then provided to the information server , which may supply it to the requesting web browser . also , an information server may contain , communicate , generate , obtain , and / or provide program component , system , user , and / or data communications , requests , and / or responses . the function of computer interfaces in some respects is similar to automobile operation interfaces . automobile operation interface elements such as steering wheels , gearshifts , and speedometers facilitate the access , operation , and display of automobile resources , functionality , and status . computer interaction interface elements such as check boxes , cursors , menus , scrollers , and windows ( collectively and commonly referred to as widgets ) similarly facilitate the access , operation , and display of data and computer hardware and operating system resources , functionality , and status . operation interfaces are commonly called user interfaces . graphical user interfaces ( guis ) such as the apple macintosh operating system &# 39 ; s aqua , microsoft &# 39 ; s windows xp , or unix &# 39 ; s x - windows provide a baseline and means of accessing and displaying information graphically to users . a user interface component 2217 is a stored program component that is executed by a cpu . the user interface may be a conventional graphic user interface as provided by , with , and / or atop operating systems and / or operating environments such as apple macintosh os , e . g ., aqua , gnustep , microsoft windows ( nt / xp ), unix x windows ( kde , gnome , and / or the like ), mythtv , and / or the like . the user interface may allow for the display , execution , interaction , manipulation , and / or operation of program components and / or system facilities through textual and / or graphical facilities . the user interface provides a facility through which users may affect , interact , and / or operate a computer system . a user interface may communicate to and / or with other components in a component collection , including itself , and / or facilities of the like . most frequently , the user interface communicates with operating systems , other program components , and / or the like . the user interface may contain , communicate , generate , obtain , and / or provide program component , system , user , and / or data communications , requests , and / or responses . a web browser component 2218 is a stored program component that is executed by a cpu . the web browser may be a conventional hypertext viewing application such as microsoft internet explorer or netscape navigator . secure web browsing may be supplied with 128 bit ( or greater ) encryption by way of https , ssl , and / or the like . some web browsers allow for the execution of program components through facilities such as java , javascript , activex , and / or the like . web browsers and like information access tools may be integrated into pdas , cellular telephones , and / or other mobile devices . a web browser may communicate to and / or with other components in a component collection , including itself , and / or facilities of the like . most frequently , the web browser communicates with information servers , operating systems , integrated program components ( e . g ., plug - ins ), and / or the like ; e . g ., it may contain , communicate , generate , obtain , and / or provide program component , system , user , and / or data communications , requests , and / or responses . of course , in place of a web browser and information server , a combined application may be developed to perform similar functions of both . the combined application would similarly affect the obtaining and the provision of information to users , user agents , and / or the like from the fuel offering generator system enabled nodes . the combined application may be nugatory on systems employing standard web browsers . a mail server component 2221 is a stored program component that is executed by a cpu 2203 . the mail server may be a conventional internet mail server such as , but not limited to sendmail , microsoft exchange , and / or the . the mail server may allow for the execution of program components through facilities such as asp , activex , ( ansi ) ( objective -) c (++), cgi scripts , java , javascript , perl , pipes , python , webobjects , and / or the like . the mail server may support communications protocols such as , but not limited to : internet message access protocol ( imap ), microsoft exchange , post office protocol ( pop3 ), simple mail transfer protocol ( smtp ), and / or the like . the mail server can route , forward , and process incoming and outgoing mail messages that have been sent , relayed and / or otherwise traversing through and / or to the fuel offering generator system . access to the fuel offering generator system mail may be achieved through a number of apis offered by the individual web server components and / or the operating system . also , a mail server may contain , communicate , generate , obtain , and / or provide program component , system , user , and / or data communications , requests , information , and / or responses . a mail client component 2222 is a stored program component that is executed by a cpu 2203 . the mail client may be a conventional mail viewing application such as apple mail , microsoft entourage , microsoft outlook , microsoft outlook express , mozilla thunderbird , and / or the like . mail clients may support a number of transfer protocols , such as : imap , microsoft exchange , pop3 , smtp , and / or the like . a mail client may communicate to and / or with other components in a component collection , including itself , and / or facilities of the like . most frequently , the mail client communicates with mail servers , operating systems , other mail clients , and / or the like ; e . g ., it may contain , communicate , generate , obtain , and / or provide program component , system , user , and / or data communications , requests , information , and / or responses . generally , the mail client provides a facility to compose and transmit electronic mail messages . a cryptographic server component 2220 is a stored program component that is executed by a cpu 2203 , cryptographic processor 2226 , cryptographic processor interface 2227 , cryptographic processor device 2228 , and / or the like . cryptographic processor interfaces will allow for expedition of encryption and / or decryption requests by the cryptographic component ; however , the cryptographic component , alternatively , may run on a conventional cpu . the cryptographic component allows for the encryption and / or decryption of provided data . the cryptographic component allows for both symmetric and asymmetric ( e . g ., pretty good protection ( pgp )) encryption and / or decryption . the cryptographic component may employ cryptographic techniques such as , but not limited to : digital certificates ( e . g ., x . 509 authentication framework ), digital signatures , dual signatures , enveloping , password access protection , public key management , and / or the like . the cryptographic component will facilitate numerous ( encryption and / or decryption ) security protocols such as , but not limited to : checksum , data encryption standard ( des ), elliptical curve encryption ( ecc ), international data encryption algorithm ( idea ), message digest 5 ( md5 , which is a one way hash function ), passwords , rivest cipher ( rc5 ), rijndael , rsa ( which is an internet encryption and authentication system that uses an algorithm developed in 1977 by ron rivest , adi shamir , and leonard adleman ), secure hash algorithm ( sha ), secure socket layer ( ssl ), secure hypertext transfer protocol ( https ), and / or the like . employing such encryption security protocols , the fuel offering generator system may encrypt all incoming and / or outgoing communications and may serve as node within a virtual private network ( vpn ) with a wider communications network . the cryptographic component facilitates the process of “ security authorization ” whereby access to a resource is inhibited by a security protocol wherein the cryptographic component effects authorized access to the secured resource . in addition , the cryptographic component may provide unique identifiers of content , e . g ., employing and md5 hash to obtain a unique signature for an digital audio file . a cryptographic component may communicate to and / or with other components in a component collection , including itself , and / or facilities of the like . the cryptographic component supports encryption schemes allowing for the secure transmission of information across a communications network to enable the fuel offering generator system component to engage in secure transactions if so desired . the cryptographic component facilitates the secure accessing of resources on the fuel offering generator system and facilitates the access of secured resources on remote systems ; i . e ., it may act as a client and / or server of secured resources . most frequently , the cryptographic component communicates with information servers , operating systems , other program components , and / or the like . the cryptographic component may contain , communicate , generate , obtain , and / or provide program component , system , user , and / or data communications , requests , and / or responses . the fuel offering generator database component 2219 may be embodied in a database and its stored data . the database is a stored program component , which is executed by the cpu ; the stored program component portion configuring the cpu to process the stored data . the database may be a conventional , fault tolerant , relational , scalable , secure database such as oracle or sybase . relational databases are an extension of a flat file . relational databases consist of a series of related tables . the tables are interconnected via a key field . use of the key field allows the combination of the tables by indexing against the key field ; i . e ., the key fields act as dimensional pivot points for combining information from various tables . relationships generally identify links maintained between tables by matching primary keys . primary keys represent fields that uniquely identify the rows of a table in a relational database . more precisely , they uniquely identify rows of a table on the “ one ” side of a one - to - many relationship . alternatively , the fuel offering generator database may be implemented using various standard data - structures , such as an array , hash , ( linked ) list , struct , structured text file ( e . g ., xml ), table , and / or the like . such data - structures may be stored in memory and / or in ( structured ) files . in another alternative , an object - oriented database may be used , such as frontier , objectstore , poet , zope , and / or the like . object databases can include a number of object collections that are grouped and / or linked together by common attributes ; they may be related to other object collections by some common attributes . object - oriented databases perform similarly to relational databases with the exception that objects are not just pieces of data but may have other types of functionality encapsulated within a given object . if the fuel offering generator database is implemented as a data - structure , the use of the fuel offering generator database 2219 may be integrated into another component such as the fuel offering generator component 2235 . also , the database may be implemented as a mix of data structures , objects , and relational structures . databases may be consolidated and / or distributed in countless variations through standard data processing techniques . portions of databases , e . g ., tables , may be exported and / or imported and thus decentralized and / or integrated . in one embodiment , the database component 2219 includes several tables 2219 a - i . a purchaser table 2219 a includes fields such as , but not limited to : a user name , email address , address , profile , user_id , and / or the like . a provider table 2219 b includes fields such as , but not limited to : a provider name , email address , address , profile , provider_id , and / or the like . a fuel vendor table 2219 c includes fields such as , but not limited to : a fuel vendor name , address , vendor_id , and / or the like . a purchaser usage table 2219 d includes fields such as , but not limited to : purchaser_id , provider_id , distributor_id , vendor_id , transaction_id , fuel used , date , fuel purchase price , and / or the like . a market usage table 2219 e includes fields such as , but not limited to : date , volume , fuel price , and / or the like . a market price table 2219 f includes fields such as , but not limited to : financial instrument_id , price , and / or the like . a distributor table 2219 g includes fields such as , but not limited to : a distributor name , email address , address , profile , distributor_id , and / or the like . a single price zone table 2219 h includes fields such as , but not limited to : spz_id , region zipcode , region bounding ( longitude , latitude ), region radius , and / or the like . a variables table 2219 i includes fields such as , but not limited to : current fuel market variables , historical fuel market variables , price matrices , consumer price matrices , sensitivity data , purchaser behavior data , and / or the like . in one embodiment , the fuel offering generator system database may interact with other database systems . for example , employing a distributed database system , queries and data access by fuel offering generator system component may treat the combination of the fuel offering generator system database , an integrated data security layer database as a single database entity . in one embodiment , user programs may contain various user interface primitives , which may serve to update the fuel offering generator system . also , various accounts may require custom database tables depending upon the environments and the types of clients the fuel offering generator system may need to serve . it should be noted that any unique fields may be designated as a key field throughout . in an alternative embodiment , these tables have been decentralized into their own databases and their respective database controllers ( i . e ., individual database controllers for each of the above tables ). employing standard data processing techniques , one may further distribute the databases over several computer systemizations and / or storage devices . similarly , configurations of the decentralized database controllers may be varied by consolidating and / or distributing the various database components 2219 a - e . the fuel offering generator system may be configured to keep track of various settings , inputs , and parameters via database controllers . the fuel offering generator system database may communicate to and / or with other components in a component collection , including itself , and / or facilities of the like . most frequently , the fuel offering generator system database communicates with the fuel offering generator system component , other program components , and / or the like . the database may contain , retain , and provide information regarding other nodes and data . the fuel offering generator component 2235 is a stored program component that is executed by a cpu . the fuel offering generator component affects accessing , obtaining and the provision of information , services , transactions , and / or the like across various communications networks . as such , the fuel offering generator component enables one to access , calculate , engage , exchange , generate , identify , instruct , match , process , search , serve , store , and / or facilitate transactions to promote fuel offerings to customers . in one embodiment , the fuel offering generator component incorporates any and / or all combinations of the aspects of the fuel offering generator that were discussed in the previous figures . the fuel offering generator system component enabling access of information between nodes may be developed by employing standard development tools such as , but not limited to : ( ansi ) ( objective -) c (++), apache components , binary executables , database adapters , java , javascript , mapping tools , procedural and object oriented development tools , perl , python , shell scripts , sql commands , web application server extensions , webobjects , and / or the like . in one embodiment , the fuel offering generator system server employs a cryptographic server to encrypt and decrypt communications . the fuel offering generator system component may communicate to and / or with other components in a component collection , including itself , and / or facilities of the like . most frequently , the fuel offering generator system component communicates with the fuel offering generator system database , operating systems , other program components , and / or the like . the fuel offering generator system may contain , communicate , generate , obtain , and / or provide program component , system , user , and / or data communications , requests , and / or responses . the structure and / or operation of any of the fuel offering generator system node controller components may be combined , consolidated , and / or distributed in any number of ways to facilitate development and / or deployment . similarly , the component collection may be combined in any number of ways to facilitate deployment and / or development . to accomplish this , one may integrate the components into a common code base or in a facility that can dynamically load the components on demand in an integrated fashion . the component collection may be consolidated and / or distributed in countless variations through standard data processing and / or development techniques . multiple instances of any one of the program components in the program component collection may be instantiated on a single node , and / or across numerous nodes to improve performance through load - balancing and / or data - processing techniques . furthermore , single instances may also be distributed across multiple controllers and / or storage devices ; e . g ., databases . all program component instances and controllers working in concert may do so through standard data processing communication techniques . the configuration of the fuel offering generator system controller will depend on the context of system deployment . factors such as , but not limited to , the budget , capacity , location , and / or use of the underlying hardware resources may affect deployment requirements and configuration . regardless of if the configuration results in more consolidated and / or integrated program components , results in a more distributed series of program components , and / or results in some combination between a consolidated and distributed configuration , data may be communicated , obtained , and / or provided . instances of components consolidated into a common code base from the program component collection may communicate , obtain , and / or provide data . this may be accomplished through intra - application data processing communication techniques such as , but not limited to : data referencing ( e . g ., pointers ), internal messaging , object instance variable communication , shared memory space , variable passing , and / or the like . if component collection components are discrete , separate , and / or external to one another , then communicating , obtaining , and / or providing data with and / or to other component components may be accomplished through inter - application data processing communication techniques such as , but not limited to : application program interfaces ( api ) information passage ; ( distributed ) component object model (( d ) com ), ( distributed ) object linking and embedding (( d ) ole ), and / or the like ), common object request broker architecture ( corba ), process pipes , shared files , and / or the like . messages sent between discrete component components for inter - application communication or within memory spaces of a singular component for intra - application communication may be facilitated through the creation and parsing of a grammar . a grammar may be developed by using standard development tools such as lex , yacc , xml , and / or the like , which allow for grammar generation and parsing functionality , which in turn may form the basis of communication messages within and between components . again , the configuration will depend upon the context of system deployment . the entirety of this disclosure ( including the cover page , title , headings , field , background , summary , brief description of the drawings , detailed description , claims , abstract , figures , and otherwise ) shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed inventions may be practiced . the advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only , and are not exhaustive and / or exclusive . they are presented only to assist in understanding and teach the claimed principles . it should be understood that they are not representative of all claimed inventions . as such , certain aspects of the disclosure have not been discussed herein . that alternate embodiments may not have been presented for a specific portion of the invention or that further undescribed alternate embodiments may be available for a portion is not to be considered a disclaimer of those alternate embodiments . it will be appreciated that many of those undescribed embodiments incorporate the same principles of the invention and others are equivalent . thus , it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and functional , logical , organizational , structural and / or topological modifications may be made without departing from the scope and / or spirit of the disclosure . as such , all examples and / or embodiments are deemed to be non - limiting throughout this disclosure . also , no inference should be drawn regarding those embodiments discussed herein relative to those not discussed herein other than it is as such for purposes of reducing space and repetition . for instance , it is to be understood that the logical and / or topological structure of any combination of any program components ( a component collection ), other components and / or any present feature sets as described in the figures and / or throughout are not limited to a fixed operating order and / or arrangement , but rather , any disclosed order is exemplary and all equivalents , regardless of order , are contemplated by the disclosure . furthermore , it is to be understood that such features are not limited to serial execution , but rather , any number of threads , processes , services , servers , and / or the like that may execute asynchronously , concurrently , in parallel , simultaneously , synchronously , and / or the like are contemplated by the disclosure . as such , some of these features may be mutually contradictory , in that they cannot be simultaneously present in a single embodiment . similarly , some features are applicable to one aspect of the invention , and inapplicable to others . in addition , the disclosure includes other inventions not presently claimed . applicant reserves all rights in those presently unclaimed inventions including the right to claim such inventions , file additional applications , continuations , continuations in part , divisions , and / or the like thereof . as such , it should be understood that advantages , embodiments , examples , functional , features , logical , organizational , structural , topological , and / or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims .	6
an airship is described which combines the best of rigid airships without a large sacrifice of weight . the airship is provided with a lightweight yet rigid frame , and withstands dimpling quite well . it is scalable , thus suitable for small or large implementations . referring to fig1 an embodiment of the basic airship 10 is shown . an outer skin 24 is tensioned around a framework of flexible members 12 . the ends of the flexible members 12 are held proximately to one another at each end 14 and 16 by a hub ( not shown ) which may be of any suitable material ( hard or flexible ) so as to be able to hold the ends of the flexible members in position . centrally , there is tensioning means for drawing the two ends 14 and 16 toward one another causing the flexible members 12 to bend and bow outwardly , tensioning the skin and forming a generally cigar shaped hollow air bag . tensioning means may be provided by any method which provides for drawing the two ends together in an adjustable manner . for example , a cable and turnbuckle arrangement could be used , or a belt and buckle arrangement , or a winch and cable system . the tensioning means may combine rigid and flexible portions . propulsion means 20 are attached in this embodiment to reinforced hard points outside of the skin 24 , such as on the tail and rudder 22 or nose , or to one or more flexible members 12 or to a gondola 18 for passengers and freight . control surfaces such as a rudder or elevators may be provided on fins 22 . a non - rigid airship is only able to mount propulsion means on the gondola . mounting the propulsion means 20 is facilitated by a mount having suitable framing and strength to hold the propulsion means . this may require some additional internal structure to hold the mounts . the propulsion means 20 may be one or more of well known propulsion systems , including human powered propellers and propellers mounted on internal combustion engines , external combustion engines ( such as a stirling engine ) or electric motors or even nuclear engines . in a preferred embodiment , the propulsion means 20 may be directionally controlled so as to provide not only forward and rearward motion , but also additional lift or down heading . for airships which obtain all or a portion of their lift from hot air , waste heat from the propulsion means 20 may be collected and directed inwardly to provide additional lift . the propulsion means may be mounted so as to allow the direction of thrust to be changed and enhance the steering capability of the airship . the flexible members 12 may be of any suitable stiff material which does not permanently deform when bent , and when bent , provides a springing action to return to its original shape . the flexible members may be one piece or made from several separate pieces which join at the ends to form a single long member . such materials include wood , metals such as steel or aluminum , or composites such as glass fiber and carbon fiber plastic composites . the flexible members may have an elliptical cross section ( including , in the limiting case , circular ), or may be any other convenient shape . in a preferred embodiment , the flexible members are held in position about the perimeter of the skin by being inserted into sleeves inside and attached to or part of the skin . this keeps the flexible members properly distributed about the perimeter of the skin . the sleeves are configured so that the flexible members 12 may be removed when the airship is to be stowed , allowing the skin to be folded . experimentation has shown that the proper outwardly bowed shape of the flexible members 12 under tension can more easily be accomplished if the skin is at least partially inflated with gas , such as by a fan , prior to tensioning the flexible members 12 . when partially filled with air , the skin helps to cause the flexible members 12 to assume the correct shape and direction of bend under tension . the skin 24 may be of any suitable fabric , preferably one which is airtight ( or helium tight ) and may be made from laminates . it is desirable that the skin 24 be resistant to bending or stretching under load , and stiff enough to reduce fabric flutter at higher speeds , which can cause drag . referring to fig2 a , an end view of the airship 10 is shown . in this embodiment , the propulsion means 20 are mounted on either side of the airship 10 at reinforced hard points on the skin . in fig2 b the propulsion means 20 is shown mounted on the gondola 18 . fig2 c shows the propulsion means 20 mounted on the tail of the airship 10 . other numbers and positions of propulsion means 20 may be utilized beneficially , depending upon size of the airship and application . combinations of different propulsion means 20 and locations may also be employed . while an airship is most often conceived to look something like a horizontal cigar , this need not always be the case . the cigar shape may be oriented vertically , as shown in fig3 . in this embodiment , the airship 10 is similar to a balloon , yet has propulsion means 20 . it may also be fitted with a rudder 23 to provide additional steering capability . the skin 24 is may be open so as to be able to gather heat from a heating means ( not shown ) to provide additional lift . the heating means may be any of a variety of means well known in the art , including but not limited to propane or other flammable gas burners or oil or gasoline or other flammable liquid burners . experience has shown propane burners to be particularly suitable . the means may be external or internal ( eliminating the necessity of an opening ), although internal flammable means will require a source of fresh air supplied by ducting or similar means . external flammable heating means would require ducting , a heat exchanger of some type , or an opening in the airship skin to allow the heat to be transmitted to the internal volume of air . the lift does not have to be provided by a single bladder of gas or hot air : it may combine different gasses for a variety of desired results , such as stability , and lowered fuel consumption . as shown in fig4 an airship 10 is shown in a cutaway view so as to be able to view the interior . for clarity , the flexible members 12 are not shown . this particular embodiment shown has two gas bladders 40 and 42 which may be filled with a convenient lighter - than - air gas such as helium to provide a substantial portion of the lift . the balance of the internal portion of the skin 24 contains heated air , heated using heating means 30 . lift is then readily adjustable by regulating the amount of heat or cooling of the hot air contained within the skin 24 . a load sling 41 supports the gondolas 18 . when not in use , the tension may be lessened and the flexible members 12 allowed to straighten out and may optionally be removed , allowing the airship hull to be rolled , folded or otherwise compacted into a relatively small space . with tension applied , a horizontally oriented airship 10 may be improved , as shown in fig5 by fitting the airship 10 with a stiff end cap 52 to obtain an improved aspect ratio and to reduce drag . a variety of schemes may be employed to support cargo and passenger space . for example , as is shown in fig6 a , a pair of gondolas 18 may be supported by load cables 82 supported by load curtains 80 . the load curtains 80 attach along skin , and come to points at the point of attachment with the load cables 82 . fig6 b shows the load curtain suspension from a rear perspective , not showing the tail or flexible members 12 for clarity . other means and combinations of means well - known in the art may be employed to suspend the loads . if the load curtains 80 and load cables 82 are removable , or are made from a suitably flexible material , they need not interfere with the stowage of the skin with the flexible members removed . fig6 c shows a gondola support structure using both a load curtain 80 with load cables 82 , but attached to an upper load sling 86 which is in turn attached at each end of the airship . a lower load sling 88 distributes lift from each end of the airship ( thence to the upper load sling 86 and load curtain 80 ) to a pair of gondolas 18 . fig7 shows a diagram of forces acting upon an airship 10 according to the principles of the invention . payloads 70 apply a downward force 72 . the lifting force 74 from the gases within the skin exactly counterbalance the downward forces 72 when at a steady altitude . the lifting force 74 is transferred along the skin 24 at 76 , and the downward force is applied to the skin at 78 . the flexible members ( not shown ) apply an end - to - end force 80 which is counterbalanced by the tensioning means ( not shown in fig6 ). in one embodiment of a small airship according to the principles of the present invention , the gondola 18 is detachable from the skin , and the propulsion means 20 is mounted on the gondola . in this configuration , the airship hull can be readily folded and stored , and the gondola and propulsion means stored separately , taking up a minimum of storage space . modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention , which is not to be limited except by the following claims .	1
the example system , represented schematically in fig1 , is composed of at least one local unit ( 1 , 1 ′) and a social enabler server , central unit 2 , local or remote to the previous one . the local unit ( 1 , 1 ′) has the following function : an identity capture function that uses standard cellular mechanisms ( similar to the ones in existing bts and bsc / rnc ). it broadcasts system information with a certain lac ( location area code ), forcing the mobile phones ( 3 , 3 ′) of the same network within its reach area , the coverage area ( 4 , 4 ′), to send a location update message . it captures then the identity ( e . g . imsi ) of those phones ( 3 , 3 ′) and sends back a location update reject message to avoid further disturbing the phones ( during a certain period chosen by the operator or until they are switched off ). the identity capture function sends 10 the captured identity to the central unit 2 . the radiation pattern of the antenna system can be modified to shape the coverage area ( 4 , 4 ′) convenient to the particular use case . the identity capture function can use all the radio technologies of a mobile operator in case there are several technologies active ( e . g . gsm and umts ). the central unit 2 , typically in the network and involving the participation of one or several mobile operators ( 6 , 6 ′), one or several community - based service providers or social network servers ( 5 , 5 ′) ( e . g . social networking , geo - gaming , geo - messaging within a group ) and optionally an aggregator ( i . e . a specific party that would behave as broker or dealer between the multiple parties ). the central unit 2 collects the captured identities from different local units ( 1 , 1 ′). this collector function could perform the remote management of the local units as well ( e . g . triggering alerts when the local units are down , changing their operating parameters , etc .). besides , it could support a multi - operator scenario , aggregating the captures obtained from local units ( 1 , 1 ′) radiating in the spectrum of different mobile operators of that country or region . a task or function of this central unit 2 is the identity management , in order to associate and convert the captured imsi identity ( a cellular identity corresponding to lower layers , similarly to ethernet mac address in ip networks or bluetooth mac in bluetooth networks ) into a valid identity in the community - based services ( e . g . facebook account , secondlife account , e - mail account , sip uri or a hashed token known by the social networks service ). this would require databases , with the proper provision , query and authentication mechanisms . the telephony identity ( msisdn , i . e . phone number ) obtained via request 12 to the corresponding mobile operator ( 6 , 6 ′), which will consult its hlr , may or not may be used in this function . if used , as it is likely to happen in most of the cases , it could serve as an intermediate means to convert imsi to a valid on - line identity of a community - based service or as a means to send messages to the social members via the cellular channel ( sms , mms , wap push ). if not used , it would require the direct translation of imsis to the community - based identity . this could be feasible if every user provisions his own imsi in the social network systems ( e . g . when signing up )— having previously obtained that imsi value via a sim card reader and specific software . once the identity conversion is completed , the central unit 2 triggers 11 the proximity - based events to the associated community - based services , which normally will have made a previous request 9 to the central unit 2 to join the service it provides . the protocol used for requests and event reporting will typically be a web service using lightweight http - based protocols , in order to ease the task of the web developers . the proximity - based events is composed of the identity plus the location and time where and when it was obtained . the actions performed by the community - based services ( i . e . what they do with the triggers ) is beyond the scope of this disclosure , and would vary depending on the application . for instance , a geocaching service could send to the user detected in the local unit an e - mail containing the clue to solve the next challenge and find the next place ; a chatting service based on a location ( e . g . club venue , pub ) could indicate to the active members that a new user has entered the location , etc . the channel for the communication back to the user could be the internet , through the online identity , or the cellular network ( e . g . sms , mms , phone call ), though the msisdn if known . the function for capturing cellular identities ( identity capture function ) must always include a unit local to the venue ( e . g . street , public place ) for radio transmissions and besides may have part of its functionality located remotely in the network . this function replicates a standard cellular mechanism for the dialogue with mobile phones within its reach . in particular , this local unit broadcasts specific system information as if it was a bts ( base station ) and forces a location update message by all mobile phones within its reach belonging to its cellular network . then , the function captures the identity of those phones , such as the imsi , and rejects the location update attempts , hence not disturbing the mobile phones further . this behaviour is based on well - known standard cellular procedures for gsm and umts and the local unit 1 can be built based on existing picocell or femtocell technology with a very low cost ( e . g . below 200 euros ). location update procedures are described in detail in etsi 123 909 v4 . 0 . 0 ( 2001 march )— a technical report from the european telecommunications standards institute ( etsi )— and 3gpp ts 23 . 012 , from the 3rd generation partnership project , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . additional example details of this identity capture function are described here : the identity capture function ( composed of the local unit plus optionally some intelligence in network systems ) implements a small subset of the functionality of a bts , bsc / rnc and msc / sgsn , in particular the one described below . the local unit 1 transmits and receives in the licensed spectrum of a mobile network operator . this local unit 1 broadcasts system information in the radio interface towards the mobile phones using the standard procedures and channels for that purpose . as part of its cell global identity , this unit broadcasts a lac ( location area code ) that is different from any lac of the real cells of the mobile network in the surroundings ( e . g . the operator can book special location area codes for the road usage charging service ). due to the standard behaviour in any mobile phone , when a phone detects for the first time this location area code because it enters under coverage of the unit , the mobile phone will initiate a location update dialogue with the unit . the identity capture function ( local unit and / or network systems ) will respond to that dialogue and , again following standard procedures , will force the phone to provide its imsi number ( note that even if the phone answers first with the timsi number , which is a temporal identity , the function can still request the phone to provide the imsi number ). once obtained the imsi number , the function will finish the dialog sending a location updating reject message to the phone with a rejection cause that will make the phone not trying again a location update dialog with the function during a known timer ( e . g . 2 hours ) or as long as the phone keeps switched on ( depending on the chosen rejection cause ). this means that the mobile phone will ignore the radio transmissions of the local unit from this moment on and will not try to connect with it even it is still under the coverage of the unit , unless the period expires or the phone is switched off and switched on again within that coverage . finally , for every mobile phone captured , this function will send the imsi number to the central unit 2 , typically via user plane ( i . e . ip connection ). the coverage area ( 4 , 4 ′) of the local unit ( 1 , 1 ′) can be typically configured based on two aspects specific to the local unit : first , the transmission power , which determines the reach ; second , the features of the antenna system ( e . g . radiation pattern , gain , downtilt ), which determine the shape of the coverage . in addition , the system information parameters that the regular cells in the mobile network are broadcasting to all mobile phones can be also relevant to determine the coverage of the local unit . all aspects can be statically or dynamically modified to shape a particular area that is convenient to the communities and social networks scenario , e . g . university campus , stage in a music festival . the operating parameters of the unit ( e . g . location area code , transmitting power , antenna system ) could be configured locally or remotely via a typical remote operation & amp ; maintenance system ( e . g . based on ip protocols ). as mentioned before , this function for capturing identities could be entirely local ( i . e . all the procedure replicating bts , bsc / rnc and msc / sgsn can be managed by the local unit , acting standalone ) or can be a combination of local unit plus network equipment ( some parts or the procedure done locally and others remotely ). in any case , a local unit is always required for radio transmissions . the local unit can be fixed ( e . g . installed in a street light ) or mobile ( e . g . installed in a bicycle or in a car that takes part of a hunting game ). in case of a multi - operator scenario , some parts of the unit should be duplicated per operator whereas others can be shared ( e . g . antenna system ). in terms of physical equipment , in a typical installation there would be local units located at the areas where people have to be detected and one or several central units at the network .	7
the zoom lens shown in fig1 operates in such a manner that when varying the magnification from the wide angle side to the telephoto side , the first lens group i and the second lens group ii are moved axially forward while decreasing the separation between them . such a zoom lens has the minimum total length at the wide angle end , and the maximum at the telephoto end . upon consideration of good portability of the camera , it is desirable to further reduce the minimum total length . equations for the total length l w of the lens and for the back focal distance s w may be expressed as follows : ## equ1 ## where e w is the interval between the principal points of the first and second lens groups in the wide angle end , and φ w is the refractive power of the entire system in the wide angle end . substituting s w in the equation for l w gives ## equ2 ## where φ 1 is the refractive power of the first lens group . considering that the value of the refractive power in the wide angle end , i . e . φ w , is constant , it follows from equation ( a ) that the larger the refractive power φ 1 and the smaller the principal point interval e w , the shorter the total length l w of the lens becomes . meanwhile , equations for the refractive powers φ w and φ t in the wide angle and telephoto ends respectively may be expressed as follows : where φ 2 is the refractive power of the second lens group . here , values for the refractive powers φ w and φ t are initially given , and a value for the principal point interval e t is unequivocally chosen such that the first and second lens groups , when in the telephoto end , lies as near to each other as possible , without causing mechanical interference with each other , as is advantageous in minimizing the size of the zoom lens . therefore , the equations ( b ) and ( c ) represent relationships among the refractive powers φ 1 and φ 2 and the principal point interval e w . if one of the refractive powers φ 1 and φ 2 and the principal point interval e w is given a certain value , equations ( b ) and ( c ) turn out to be simultaneous equations of the secondary degree from which a refractive power distribution from the zoom lens can be found . increasing the refractive power φ 1 of the first lens group while decreasing the interval e w between the principal points of the first and second lens groups can shorten the total length l w of the lens in the wide angle end . when the refractive power φ 1 is greatly increased , however , the refractive power φ 2 of the second lens group also takes a large value . the result is that the petzval sum increases to the negative direction , so that curvature of field becomes over - corrected , there is a loss of flatness of the image surface , and coma is produced in the intermediate zone of the image frame . good aberration correction thus becomes difficult . also , when the principal point interval e w is greatly decreased , the refractive powers φ 1 and φ 2 must be increased in the positive and negative senses , respectively . otherwise , the prescribed zoom ratio cannot be obtained . this results in similar phenomena to those described above . for this reason , in order to achieve good correction of aberrations throughout the entire zooming range , it is preferred that the above - decribed principle of construction of the first and second lens groups is set forth by the following conditions : the technical significance of each of the inequalities of condition is explained below . either when the refractive power φ 1 of the first lens group exceeds the upper limit of inequalities of condition ( i ), or when the refractive power φ 2 of the second lens group exceeds the lower limit of inequalities of condition ( ii ), despite achieving a short total length of the lens , over - correction of curvature of field results and the coma in the intermediate zone of the image frame is increased as mentioned above . it is very difficult to suitably correct these aberrations . conversely , either when the refractive power φ 1 exceeds the lower limit of inequalities of condition ( i ), or when the refractive power φ 2 exceeds the upper limit of inequalities of condition ( ii ), the total length of the lens becomes long , and , what is worse , the second lens group interferes with the image surface , making it difficult to provide an usable photographic lens . when the interval e w between the principal points of the first and second lens groups in the wide angle end exceeds the upper limit of inequalities of condition ( iii ), the second lens group interferes with the image surface so that , similarly to the above , an usable photographic lens is difficult to achieve . when the lower limit is exceeded , the refractive powers φ 1 and φ 2 of the first and second lens groups must be increased in the positive and negative senses , respectively , to obtain the prescribed zoom ratio . as a result , the curvature of field is over - corrected , and the coma in the intermediate zone of the image frame is also increased . moreover , it is difficult to suitably correct these aberrations . though the objects of the invention are accomplished by satisfying the above - stated various conditions , in order to achieve an improvement of stabilization of , in particular , chromatic aberrations throughout the zooming range so that all the aberrations are corrected in good balance , it is preferred that the second lens group satisfies the following conditions : wherein r a is the radius of curvature of the front surface of the first lens , and ν a and ν b are the abbe numbers of the glasses of the first and second lenses , respectively . inequalities of condition ( 1 ) maintain the astigmatism and coma stable throughout the zooming range and suitably correct distortion in the wide angle positions . when the upper limit of inequalities of condition ( 1 ) is exceeded , the refractive power of that lens surface is too strong in the negative sense . therefore , the distortion increases in the positive direction in the wide angle positions , and the astigmatism varies in a direction to be under - corrected during zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end . upward coma also increases . when the lower limit of the inequalities of condition ( 1 ) is exceeded , the negative refractive power of the lens surface is too weak . therefore , though good correction of aberrations is achieved in the wide angle positions , when zooming to the telephoto end , the astigmatism varies greatly and is over - corrected . downward coma also is produced . inequalities of conditions ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) are particularly to minimize variation of the lateral chromatic aberration with zooming . as in the zoom lens disclosed in the above - mentioned japanese laid - open patent application no . sho 57 - 201213 , if a concave lens of negative refractive power is arranged in a nearest position of the second lens group to the image surface , the color dispersion of this concave lens in some cases causes the lateral chromatic aberration for rays of short wavelength , for example , g - line of 436 nm , to vary from under - correction to over - correction during zooming from the wide angle to the telephoto end . in the present invention , therefore , the nearest position to the image surface in the second lens group is taken by a lens of positive power made of a glass of relatively high dispersion ( small abbe number ) as the second lens of the second lens group , and a first lens of the second lens group on the object side of the second lens is made of a glass of relatively low dispersion ( large abbe number ), thereby giving an advantage of achieving good stability of chromatic aberration throughout the zooming range . when either the upper limit of condition ( 2 ), or the lower limit of condition ( 3 ) is exceeded , the range of variation of lateral chromatic aberration with zooming is reduced , but the range of variation of longitudinal chromatic aberration increases , causing the imagery in the paraxial zone of the image frame to lower objectionably . when either the lower limit of the inequalities of condition ( 2 ) or the upper limit of the inequalities of condition ( 3 ) is exceeded , the lateral chromatic aberration varies in a direction to be over - corrected objectionably during zooming to the telephoto end . thus , a small size zoom lens corrected for the image aberrations in good balance with good stability of chromatic aberration correction throughout the entire zooming range can be realized . nonetheless , for improving particularly the flatness of the image surface over the entire area of the image frame and further improving the imaging performance , the front surface of the first lens of the second lens group is made an aspherical surface of such form that as the radial distance increases , the negative refractive power increases . the use of this aspherical surface makes it possible to minimize the variation of curvature of field and astigmatism to be under - corrected in a region from the intermediate point to the telephoto end in the zooming range . in the present invention , focusing is preferably carried out by axially moving the lens system as a whole , because the variation of the aberrations can be limited to a minimum . however , either the first or the second lens group only may be moved with an advantage of simplifying the structure of the lens mounting mechanism . though examples of the invention to be described will be illustrated as comprising two lens groups , a third lens group iii may be arranged in rear of the second lens group ii to remain stationary during zooming , as depicted in fig1 , for the purpose of obtaining further assistance in good correction of aberrations . this third lens group iii may be otherwise arranged to be movable for focusing . it is also possible to use a focusing lens group of positive refractive power arranged in front of the first lens group to be stationary during zooming . in the following examples of the invention , ri is the radius of curvature of the i - th lens surface counting from the front , di is the i - th lens thickness or air separation counting from the front , and ni and νi are respectively the refractive index and abbe number of the glass of the i - th lens element counting from the front . in example 3 , the asterisk () indicates the aspherical lens surface which is defined by the following equation for departure x from the osculating spherical surface having the radius of curvature r in the x - axis parallel to the optical axis , with the direction in which light advances being taken as positive and the y - axis perpendicular to the x - axis , ## equ3 ## where a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 and a 5 are the aspherical coefficients . if the third lens in the first lens group is in the form of a doublet of negative and positive lenses cemented together as in examples 2 and 3 , an effect of maintaining the chromatic aberrations , particularly the longitudinal chromatic aberration , stable throughout the zooming range is produced , with an advantage that the stabilized lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberrations are well balanced with each other . as has been described above , according to the present invention , a zoom lens which enables a remarkable reduction in the total length while still achieving good stability of aberrations and particularly chromatic aberrations for high grade imaging performance is realized . ______________________________________f = 40 - 60 fno = 1 : 4 . 5 - 5 . 6 2ω = 56 . 8 ° - 39 . 7 ° ______________________________________r1 = 26 . 53 d1 = 1 . 48 n1 = 1 . 75500 υ1 = 52 . 3r2 = 231 . 72 d2 = 1 . 20r3 = - 18 . 35 d3 = 4 . 98 n2 = 1 . 74950 υ2 = 35 . 3r4 = 51 . 56 d4 = 0 . 79r5 = - 1885 . 34 d5 = 1 . 74 n3 = 1 . 69680 υ3 = 55 . 5r6 = - 28 . 31 d6 = 0 . 15r7 = 362 . 79 d7 = 3 . 62 n4 = 1 . 69680 υ4 = 55 . 5r8 = - 21 . 28 d8 = variabler9 = - 19 . 98 d9 = 1 . 00 n5 = 1 . 77250 υ5 = 49 . 6r10 = - 451 . 43 d10 = 2 . 61r11 = - 97 . 15 d11 = 5 . 34 n6 = 1 . 64328 υ6 = 47 . 9r12 = - 42 . 06______________________________________ f d8______________________________________ 40 24 . 24 50 18 . 24 60 14 . 24______________________________________ . 0 . 1 = 1 . 333 . 0 . w . 0 . 2 = -. 0 . w ew = 0 . 5 /. 0 . w ra = - 0 . 5 /. 0 . w υa = 49 . 6 υb = 47 . 9______________________________________ ______________________________________f = 40 - 60 fno = 1 : 4 . 5 - 1 : 5 . 6 2ω = 56 . 8 ° - 39 . 7 ° ______________________________________r1 = 22 . 86 d1 = 1 . 54 n1 = 1 . 77250 υ1 = 49 . 6r2 = 60 . 85 d2 = 1 . 30r3 = - 17 . 48 d3 = 2 . 44 n2 = 1 . 79952 υ2 = 42 . 2r4 = 47 . 49 d4 = 0 . 40r5 = 201 . 94 d5 = 3 . 51 n3 = 1 . 77250 υ3 = 49 . 6r6 = - 23 . 90 d6 = 0 . 15r7 = 265 . 24 d7 = 1 . 00 n4 = 1 . 67270 υ4 = 32 . 1r8 = 36 . 32 d8 = 3 . 40 n5 = 1 . 60311 υ5 = 60 . 7r9 = - 20 . 66 d9 = variabler10 = - 23 . 17 d10 = 1 . 00 n6 = 1 . 65160 υ6 = 58 . 6r11 = 249 . 48 d11 = 1 . 05r12 = - 148 . 32 d12 = 4 . 50 n7 = 1 . 71700 υ7 = 47 . 9r13 = - 57 . 40______________________________________ f d9______________________________________ 40 26 . 42 50 19 . 01 60 14 . 07______________________________________ . 0 . 1 = 1 . 25 . 0 . w . 0 . 2 = - 0 . 863 . 0 . w ew = 0 . 646 /. 0 . w ra = - 0 . 579 /. 0 . w υa = 58 . 6 υb = 47 . 9______________________________________ ______________________________________f = 40 - 60 fno = 1 : 4 . 5 - 1 : 5 . 6 2ω = 56 . 8 ° - 39 . 7 ° ______________________________________r1 = 31 . 82 d1 = 1 . 79 n1 = 1 . 77250 υ1 = 49 . 6r2 = - 403 . 16 d2 = 0 . 84r3 = - 18 . 59 d3 = 4 . 29 n2 = 1 . 79952 υ2 = 42 . 2r4 = 42 . 51 d4 = 1 . 04r5 = - 332 . 93 d5 = 1 . 55 n3 = 1 . 77250 υ3 = 49 . 6r6 = - 28 . 21 d6 = 0 . 15r7 = 109 . 47 d7 = 1 . 00 n4 = 1 . 67270 υ4 = 32 . 1r8 = 33 . 28 d8 = 4 . 44 n5 = 1 . 60311 υ5 = 60 . 7r9 = - 18 . 91 d9 = variable r10 = - 26 . 71 d10 = 1 . 00 n6 = 1 . 75500 υ6 = 52 . 3r11 = 96 . 39 d11 = 0 . 59r12 = 219 . 29 d12 = 4 . 19 n7 = 1 . 66892 υ7 = 45 . 0r13 = - 105 . 10______________________________________ f d9______________________________________ 40 27 . 19 50 21 . 02 60 16 . 91______________________________________ . 0 . 1 = 1 . 25 . 0 . w r10 : aspherical surface . 0 . 2 = - 1 . 037 . 0 . w a1 = 0ew = 0 . 665 /. 0 . w a2 = - 1 . 775 × 10 . sup .- 6ra = - 0 . 668 /. 0 . w a3 = 3 . 859 × 10 . sup .- 9υa = 52 . 3 a4 = 6 . 606 × 10 . sup .- 13υb = 45 a5 = - 4 . 289 × 10 . sup .- 13______________________________________ ______________________________________f = 40 - 60 fno = 1 : 5 . 6 2ω = 56 . 8 ° - 39 . 7 ° ______________________________________r1 = 20 . 56 d1 = 3 . 22 n1 = 1 . 75500 υ1 = 52 . 3r2 = - 334 . 58 d2 = 0 . 86r3 = - 28 . 34 d3 = 5 . 00 n2 = 1 . 74950 υ2 = 35 . 3r4 = 22 . 66 d4 = 3 . 21r5 = 39 . 21 d5 = 2 . 10 n3 = 1 . 69680 υ3 = 55 . 5r6 = - 20 . 37 d6 = variabler7 = - 15 . 53 d7 = 1 . 00 n4 = 1 . 77250 υ4 = 49 . 6r8 = - 424 . 70 d8 = 0 . 43r9 = - 140 . 28 d9 = 6 . 78 n5 = 1 . 64328 υ5 = 47 . 9r10 = - 29 . 44______________________________________ f d6______________________________________ 40 21 . 20 50 15 . 20 60 11 . 20______________________________________ . 0 . 1 = 1 . 333 . 0 . w . 0 . 2 = -. 0 . w ew = 0 . 5 /. 0 . w ra = - 0 . 388 /. 0 . w υa = 49 . 6 υb = 47 . 9______________________________________	6
referring to fig1 a an overview of a single satellite and associated ground stations of the present invention are shown . satellite 10 is stationed in a geosynchronous orbit thereby allowing the satellite to be stationary relative to a geographic location on the equator of the earth . the satellite communicates with earth station 12 which has a large diameter antenna designed to maximize efficiency of satellite communications . connected to antenna 12 is a zone toll switch 14 which meters the usage of the satellite link and is the switch through which communications are made to various local public switched telephone networks , overlay networks , and private networks . the various local access switches 16 , 18 , and 20 are connected to the zone toll switch 14 and provide the access to various individuals and organizations in the local access area . earth station 12 may , for example and without limitation , communicate with earth station 22 that also comprises a relatively large diameter earth station antenna , again maximizing the efficiency and use by the earth station of satellite power . earth station 22 is further connected to another zone toll switch 24 also connected generally to another public switched telephone network zone . once again access of local customers is through a series of local access switches 26 , 28 , and 30 . referring to fig1 b the satellite field - of - view areas of the three satellites of the present invention and their orbital locations are shown . in general concept , and without limitation , the present invention requires three satellites for virtually worldwide coverage . the satellites are stationed each in a geosynchronous orbit over ground locations at the equator at 16 degrees west , 77 degrees east , and 167 degrees east longitude . referring to fig1 c the public switched telephone network backbone service is shown . in general concept , and without limitation , four earth stations 32 , 34 , 36 , and 38 are shown . again each earth station has a relatively large diameter antenna to maximize the efficiency of communications with the satellites of the present invention . again each earth station has an associated zone toll switch 40 , 42 , 44 , and 46 . further , trunk switches 48 , 50 , 52 and 54 are directly connected to each earth station antenna and provide the basis for switching and communications being sent and received over that segment of the digital trunking network . the system of the present invention can also interact with the existing terrestrial backbone 56 thereby providing alternative communication means to the existing terrestrial backbone . communications can thus be carried over the backbone 56 where appropriate or over the high - capacity digital satellite trunking network of the present invention . a transit switch 58 is also provided to allow communications with pstn zones 60 and 62 which may be outside the zone of coverage of the present invention , that is , in regions not covered by the satellite footprint . referring to fig1 d , other dedicated services which can be serviced by the present invention are shown . satellite earth stations 64 , 66 , 68 , and 70 interact with the satellite of the present invention to provide the high - capacity digital satellite trunking network . earth station 70 is linked in via its associated trunk switch 72 to various other gateways 74 . these gateways provide access to other private communications networks 76 . transit hub 78 provides access to various other local destinations 80 via associated transit and termination units 82 . these other domestic destinations 80 may be outside the satellite footprint or simply not be directly connected to an individual earth station of the present invention . earth station 68 is connected via its associated trunk switch 84 to a terrestrial fiber - optic or copper transport network 86 . individual private voice 88 , a private network 90 , or private data access 92 may be connected to this terrestrial network 86 . this flexible connection to terrestrial fiber - optic or copper transport networks can be duplicated at any other ground station location . accordingly , a second terrestrial network 94 may also have private voice 96 , private network 98 , private data 99 , connected to it . thus , the present invention allows data , private networks or any other communications to be connected across broad geographic areas to other terrestrial fiber - optic copper or copper transport networks . referring to fig1 e a typical configuration at any given communication region of the present invention is shown . this is the type of installation that is associated with a ground station in communication with a satellite of the present invention . earth station 150 , with its large diameter antenna is connected to a trunks switch multiplexer 152 . this multiplexer allows communications from a variety of different sources to be multiplexed and transmitted over the earth station to maximize utilization of bandwidth . a private network 168 may be directly connected to the trunk switch multiplexer . it should be noted that in this specific example no protocol conversion is needed between the private network or end - user and the trunk switch multiplexer . however , the system of the present invention is capable of protocol conversion in situations where communications are originating from other countries , or other regions that simply use different protocols . for example , communications via toll switches 162 , 164 , and 166 may occur from a given pstn zone 160 . these communications are transmitted through a zone switch 158 to the earth station or over the terrestrial backbone . if the protocol is not the same , protocol converter 154 converts the incoming communications having a different protocol . thereafter signals in communications are connected to the trunk switch multiplexer and are transmitted over the high - capacity digital satellite trunking network of the present invention . each regional earth station also incorporates a redundant call logger 156 which allows the transmission of billing information regarding utilization of the network to the hub station . this billing information is also transmitted at various times , and on a non - interference basis with communications being transmitted over the network . referring to fig1 a signal flow diagram of the satellite transponders in one embodiment is illustrated . two independently steerable satellite antennas 101 , 103 are provided which can be boresighted to provide different earth footprints . the received signal from each satellite antenna is amplified by a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 105 , 107 prior to signal combination in a hybrid signal combiner 109 . the combined signal is then filtered 110 and input to a wideband receiver 111 where the uplink frequency is shifted or translated to the downlink frequency . the translated frequency is then split by a hybrid signal splitter 113 into two signal paths before each is amplified by a high power amplifier ( hpa ) 115 , 117 . each signal is then filtered 119 , 121 and passed to the corresponding satellite antenna 101 , 103 for re - transmission on the corresponding downlink frequency . referring to fig2 an example of frequency allocation for one embodiment is illustrated . two 80 mhz uplink frequency bands 201 , 203 are shown , with a 64 mhz separation frequency band 205 . two 80 mhz downlink frequency bands 207 , 209 are also shown , with a corresponding 64 mhz separation frequency band 211 . the downlink frequency for antenna 101 , in fig1 is the lower 80 mhz band 207 ( approximately 12 . 512 to 12 . 592 ghz ) while the downlink frequency for antenna 103 is the upper 80 mhz band 209 ( approximately 12 . 656 to 12 . 736 ghz ). referring now to fig3 examples of satellite antenna footprints for different transponders are illustrated . the footprint for one antenna ( 101 in fig1 ) covers one geographic area 301 , while the footprint of the other antenna ( 103 in fig1 ) covers another geographic area 303 . using this embodiment of the present invention , a first user , located within satellite antenna footprint 301 , can communicate with a second user also located in satellite antenna footprint 301 . alternatively , a first user , located within satellite antenna footprint 301 , can communicate with a third user located in satellite antenna footprint 303 . referring now to fig4 examples of the uplink and downlink signals are shown for users who are both in satellite antenna footprint 301 ( fig3 ) of satellite antenna 101 ( fig1 ). here , the uplink signal is in the lower of the two 80 mhz bands 201 ( approximately 14 . 744 to 14 . 824 ghz ) and the downlink signal is also in the lower of the two 80 mhz bands 207 ( approximately 12 . 512 to 12 . 592 ghz ). referring to fig5 examples of the uplink and downlink signals are shown for users who are in different satellite antenna footprints . in this example , the transmitting user is in the satellite antenna footprint 301 ( fig3 ) of antenna 101 ( fig1 ), while the receiving user is in the satellite antenna footprint 303 ( fig3 ) of antenna 103 ( fig1 ). here , the uplink signal is in the upper of the two 80 mhz band 203 ( approximately 14 . 888 to 14 . 968 ghz ) and the downlink signal is in the upper of the two 80 mhz bands 209 ( approximately 12 . 656 to 12 . 736 ghz ). referring back to fig1 and 2 , in this embodiment , both antennas ( 101 , 103 in fig1 ) and lnas ( 105 , 107 in fig1 ) have sufficient bandwidth to pass both 80 mhz bands ( 201 , 203 in fig2 ) in addition to a 64 mhz band separation ( 205 in fig2 ) into the hybrid signal combiner ( 109 in fig1 ). this approximately 224 mhz bandwidth output of the hybrid signal combiner ( 109 in fig1 ) is processed by a wideband receiver ( 111 in fig1 ), which performs a frequency translation from the uplink to downlink frequency . the translated frequency output of the wideband receiver is then split into two 80 mhz downlink signals ( 207 , 209 in fig2 ) before amplification by two hpa &# 39 ; s ( 115 , 117 in fig1 ) and transmission through the two antennas ( 101 , 103 in fig1 ). in this example , one transponder downlink antenna ( 101 in fig1 ) uses the lower frequency band ( 207 in fig2 ) of the two 80 mhz bands , and the other transponder downlink antenna ( 103 in fig1 ) uses the upper frequency band ( 209 in fig2 ) of the two 80 mhz bands . both transponders are thus able to receive both 80 mhz bands ( 201 , 203 in fig2 ). completing the example , a transmitting user in the satellite antenna footprint of one transponder ( 301 in fig3 ) who wants to communicate with another receiving user also in the satellite antenna footprint of the same transponder ( 301 in fig3 ) will uplink in the lower frequency band ( 201 in fig4 ) of the two 80 mhz uplink bands . when the uplink frequency is translated to the downlink frequency , the downlink frequency will also be in the lower frequency band ( 207 in fig2 & amp ; 4 ) of the two 80 mhz downlink bands . alternatively , a transmitting user in the satellite antenna footprint of the first transponder ( 301 in fig3 ) who wants to communicate with a second receiving user who is in the satellite antenna footprint of the second transponder ( 303 in fig3 ) will uplink in the upper frequency band ( 203 in fig2 & amp ; 5 ) of the two 80 mhz uplink bands . when the uplink frequency is translated to the downlink frequency , the downlink frequency will now be in the upper frequency band ( 209 in fig2 & amp ; 5 ) of the two 80 mhz downlink bands . this will have the same effect as “ cross - strapping ” the two transponders would have in the traditional method of operation but without electrically tying the two transponders together . referring now to fig6 the signal flow of another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated . this arrangement uses the transponder pair of the first embodiment 600 and adds another transponder pair 602 and further allows users to cross signals between the transponder pairs 604 . in this configuration , a multiplexer , imux 601 , 603 is interposed in the signal path between the antenna 103 , 605 and the low noise amplifiers 107 , 607 . the imux provides an alternative signal path that allows signals to be crossed between the transponder pairs 600 , 602 . after frequency splitting by the imux 601 , 603 , the signal path is similar to the first embodiment . specifically , the signal is amplified by an lna 609 , 611 , followed by a receiver 613 , 615 which translates the uplink frequency to the downlink frequency . the frequency translated signals are then amplified by an hpa 617 , 619 prior to another multiplex operation omux 621 , 623 and final transmission by the respective antennas 103 , 605 . an example frequency allocation that corresponds to this other embodiment is illustrated in fig7 . in addition to the technique of the first embodiment , using an orthogonal polarization , the uplink antenna ( 103 in fig6 ) is able to receive and pass two 80 mhz bands 701 , 703 , with a 64 mhz separation band 705 . these two 80 mhz bands are received and translated to the downlink frequencies 707 , 709 as in . the first embodiment . however , the bandwidth that is passed through the uplink antenna ( 103 in fig6 ) to the imux ( 601 , 603 in fig6 ) also includes a 34 mhz band 711 in addition to a 10 mhz frequency separation band 713 . in this example , this 268 mhz wideband signal ( 34 + 10 + 80 + 64 + 80 mhz ) is divided by the imux ( 601 , 603 in fig6 ) into two signal paths . one signal path , the upper 224 mhz , is handled as in the first embodiment . the other signal path , the lower 34 mhz 711 , is crossed to the other transponder pair ( 602 in fig6 ). this 34 mhz signal 711 ( 14 . 700 to 14 . 734 ghz ) is processed by the lna ( 611 in fig6 ) and the frequency is translated to the downlink frequency by a receiver ( 615 in fig6 ). in the example , the 34 mhz uplink frequency 711 is translated to the 34 mhz downlink frequency 715 ( 11 . 057 to 11 . 091 ghz ) before it is amplified by the hpa ( 617 in fig6 ) and multiplexed with other signals by the omux ( 621 in fig6 ) and finally transmitted through the antenna ( 605 in fig6 ). the signal flow for transmission from the satellite antenna footprint of satellite antenna 605 to the satellite antenna footprint of satellite antenna 103 is similar to that from satellite antenna 103 to satellite antenna 605 . however , the example frequency allocation is different . referring to fig7 the uplink frequency 717 ( approximately 15 . 216 to 15 . 247 ghz ) and the downlink frequency 719 ( approximately 12 . 769 to 12 . 803 ghz ) are 34 mhz wide . for a transmitting user in the satellite antenna footprint of satellite antenna 605 who wants to transmit to a receiving user in the satellite antenna footprint of satellite antenna 625 , the uplink frequency will be 721 ( approximately 15 . 130 to 15 . 180 ghz ) and the downlink frequency will be 723 ( approximately 10 . 977 to 11 . 027 ghz ). a transmitting user in the satellite antenna footprint of satellite antenna 625 who wants to transmit to a receiving user in the satellite antenna footprint of satellite antenna 605 , the uplink frequency will be 725 ( approximately 15 . 271 to 15 . 321 ghz ) and the downlink frequency 727 ( approximately 11 . 121 to 11 . 171 ghz ). referring again to fig1 the hardware to accomplish the present invention must have certain capabilities . the independently steerable satellite antenna 101 , 103 , must each have sufficient pointing accuracy to track and maintain boresight at sufficient gain to provide the required performance . the low noise amplifier 105 , 107 must have a flat response across the desired spectrum with sufficient gain to provide the required performance . the hybrid signal combiner 109 must be capable of receiving two signal sources and suitably combining them into a single composite signal ( without adverse noise , attenuation or artifacts ) sufficient - to provide the required performance . the filter 110 must have suitable cut - off and selectivity to provide the required performance . the wideband receiver 111 must be capable of translating the input signal frequency to the desired output signal frequency with sufficient gain to provide the required performance . the hybrid signal splitter 113 must be capable of dividing a single signal with specified bandwidth into multiple signals of specified bandwidth without adverse attenuation or artifact . the high power amplifiers 115 , 117 must be capable of amplification across the input frequency spectrum with flat response . finally , the filters 119 , 121 must have suitable cut - off and selectivity to provide the required performance . referring again to fig6 the hardware to accomplish the other embodiment of the present invention must have certain capabilities . the additional independently steerable satellite antenna 625 , 605 , must each have sufficient pointing accuracy to track and maintain boresight at sufficient gain to provide the required performance . the input multiplexer , imux 601 , 603 which is interposed in the signal path after the antenna 103 , 605 must have sufficient bandwidth to provide the required performance . the low noise amplifier 107 , 607 , 609 and 611 must have a flat response across the desired spectrum with sufficient gain to provide the required performance . the wideband receiver 613 , 615 must be capable of translating the input signal frequency to the desired output signal frequency with sufficient gain to provide the required performance . the high power amplifiers 617 , 619 must be capable of amplification across the input frequency spectrum with flat response . finally , the output multiplexer , omux 612 , 623 must have bandwidth to provide the required performance . an embodiment of the present invention is an optimized integrated high capacity digital satellite trunking network comprising a satellite comprising power and bandwidth , and having a plurality of transponders , a plurality of earth stations , the plurality of transponders and the plurality of earth stations constituting a communications network , means at each earth terminal for transmitting an uplink signal on an uplink frequency to one of the plurality of transponders on the satellite , and means at each earth terminal for receiving a downlink signal on a downlink frequency from one of the plurality of transponders . in this embodiment , each transponder translates an uplink signal to a downlink signal . the uplink signal may be translated to any downlink signal through use of a particular uplink frequency without modification or reconfiguration of the transponder means . in this embodiment , the full bandwidth and power of the satellite is used for the communications network . in an alternate embodiment , the optimized integrated high capacity digital satellite trunking network further comprises an uplink signal having a first center frequency and a downlink signal having a second center frequency such that the second center frequency is approximately 2 . 232 . ghz less than the first uplink single center frequency . in yet another embodiment , the optimized integrated high capacity digital satellite trunking network further comprises a signal combiner means on the satellite , a wideband receiver means on the satellite having a receiver bandwidth operating on the output of the signal combiner means , and a signal splitter on the satellite operating on the output of the wideband receiver means . in this embodiment , more than one of the uplink signals with the second center frequency are combined by the signal combiner means to create a hybrid signal with the second center frequency . the bandwidth of the wideband receiver means is at least as wide as the receiver bandwidth , and the signal splitter means converts the output signal of the wideband receiver means having the second center frequency to more than one downlink signal of the first bandwidth . another embodiment of the present invention is a method for providing an optimized integrated high capacity digital satellite trunking network comprising transmitting an uplink signal from a first of a plurality of earth stations on an uplink frequency to one of a plurality of transponders on a satellite having power and bandwidth characteristics , the plurality of earth stations and the plurality of satellite transponders constituting a communications network . the method further comprises receiving a downlink signal at a second of a plurality of earth stations on a downlink frequency from one of the plurality of transponders on the satellite and translating the uplink signal to the downlink signal using at least one of the plurality of satellite transponders . using the method of this embodiment , the uplink signal may be translated to the downlink signal through use of a particular uplink frequency without modification or reconfiguration of the transponders . additionally , the communications network uses the full power and bandwidth of the satellite . in an alternate embodiment , the method for providing an optimized integrated high capacity digital satellite trunking network further comprises translating the uplink signal having a first center frequency to the downlink signal having a second center frequency wherein the first center frequency is approximately a positive integer multiple , other than one , of the second center frequency . in another embodiment of the present invention , in the method for providing an optimized integrated high capacity digital satellite trunking network , translating the uplink signal to the downlink signal comprises combining more than one uplink signal with a signal combiner means on the satellite , receiving the output of the signal combiner with a wideband receiver means , and splitting the output of the wideband receiver into more than one signal . in this embodiment , the uplink signals have a first center frequency and are combined to create a hybrid signal with the same first center frequency and the bandwidth of the wideband receiver is at least as wide as the first center frequency . further , splitting the output of the wideband receiver means creates more than one downlink signal of a second center frequency which is less than the first center frequency . another embodiment of the present invention is an optimized integrated high capacity digital satellite trunking network comprising a first plurality of ground stations optimized to transmit communications in a first bandwidth , at least one communications satellite optimized to receive the communications from the plurality of ground stations in the first bandwidth , at least one communications satellite further transmitting the communications from the first plurality of ground stations in a second bandwidth and a second plurality of ground stations optimized to receive communications from the at least one communications satellite in the second bandwidth . the first plurality of ground stations , the second plurality of ground stations and the at least one communications satellite comprise a communications network . in this embodiment , the at least one communications satellite receives communications in only the first bandwidth and transmits communications in only the second bandwidth for optimizing power utilization of the at least one communications satellite . the communication network uses the full power and bandwidth of the at least one communications satellite . in an alternative embodiment , the at least one communications satellite comprises three communications satellites in geostationary orbit . by way of illustration and not as a limitation , the three communications satellites are respectively located at about 16 degrees west longitude , at about 77 degrees east longitude , and at about 167 degrees east longitude . an optimized integrated high capacity digital satellite trunking network has been described . those skilled in the art will appreciate that minor variations may be made to the system described without departing from the scope of the invention as disclosed .	7
the feed screw which is coated with a wear resistant alloy in accordance with the invention may be any suitable steel with a high strength , low alloy steel , such as aisi 4140 steel being preferred . the feed screw may , if necessary , be cleaned , which may be accomplished in any suitable manner such as by chemical solvents , such as methyl ethyl ketone or acetone , followed by grit blasting using a g - 16 grit size aluminum oxide media to remove any surface contaminants or oxidation . during the cleaning , the inventors have discovered that it is imperative that particular attention be paid to all radii , i . e ., any curved portion of the screw ( see fig1 and 2 ), as these are the areas that have historically shown problems with a lack of bonding between the substrate and the coating alloy . the feed screw is then heated by any suitable means , such as an electrically heated oven . it is imperative that whatever form of heating apparatus used , the apparatus have highly accurate controls so that all heating and cooling cycles can be monitored and controlled to such a degree that all temperature phase transformations of the substrate material are regulated to achieve the desired results . the heating apparatus must be long enough to accommodate the entire length of the feed screw . the feed screw is heated to a temperature about 100 degrees f . below the mf phase transformation ( martensite finish ) temperature of the steel substrate of the feed screw . a temperature in the range of about 350 degrees f . to about 400 degrees f . is preferred . once the screw has reached a temperature within this range , it should be allowed to soak at that temperature for about one hour to assure a complete cross - sectional heating of the screw . a suitable commercially made heating apparatus that would meet all of the process requirements could not be located so an oven was fabricated for the invention . while the oven was meant to accommodate screws ranging in length from 1 &# 39 ; to 24 &# 39 ; it was discovered that any air space greater than 4 &# 39 ; would prolong the heating cycle and make the control of the cooling cycle very difficult , based on that knowledge the ovens were fabricated so that they could be expanded in size rather than having one full length oven . controls for the oven were purchased from fenwal controls of ashland , mass . and modified so that they would accept data from a thermocouple placed at every 10 &# 34 ; of screw length . data gathered from those thermocouples would then trigger the elements in that 10 &# 34 ; zone to either heat or cool to maintain the desired temperature . in addition , the controls monitor and maintain the prescribed heat loss in the ramping down of the temperature . these controls are accurate to +- 1 % of temperature and will not overrun a setpoint by more than 5 % of temperature . the alloy which will be coated on the feed screw is heated to remove moisture therefrom . the alloy may be heated in a stainless steel tumbler using any suitable heating method such as induction heating to raise the temperature of the alloy to a range of about 250 degrees f . to about 300 degrees f . this heating must be closely controlled . the alloy may be any suitable nickel - based alloy containing carbides within the matrix of the alloy . the suitability of the alloy is determined by its finished compatibility with the inlaid lining of the mating barrel . several factors enter into the compatibility : modulus of elasticity , wear ratio , hardness , ultimate yield strength , and linear thermal coefficient of expansion . a suitable composite alloy is the below substantially non - ferrous , carbide - containing alloy material comprising the following ingredients fused together in about the proportions set forth below : ______________________________________ingredient weight percent______________________________________carbides 30 - 45 ( si , w , cr , al , etc ) nickel 22 - 61cobalt up to 37chromium up to 12boron 1 . 3 to 3 . 0silicon 0 . 7 to 3 . 3iron up to 3 . 3manganese up to 1 . 0carbon up to 0 . 6______________________________________ these types of alloys are known as inlay coatings for extruder barrels or injection molding machine cylinders , as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 836 , 341 , 4 , 863 , 661 and 5 , 019 , 459 , which are herein incorporated by reference . the screw is removed from the oven and may be placed in any suitable machine tool , such as between the centers of a lathe bed , for coating with the alloy . the alloy must be maintained at the temperature described above , and therefore only enough heated alloy is loaded into a powder hopper on any suitable spray apparatus to perform one pass or application of alloy to the screw . the remaining alloy is retained in the tumbler to maintain its temperature . the screw is then sprayed in several passes as it rotates in the lathe bed . the spray hopper is loaded after each pass , and the screw temperature constantly monitored between passes and not allowed to drop below the critical temperature discussed above . should the temperature of the feed screw drop , the screw should be reheated . to achieve a proper mechanical bond , a spray unit using a velocity of 2 , 400 ft / sec . or above must be used to spray the alloy onto all the wear surfaces of the feed screw . each pass must be completed in one application of the alloy to the feed screw , i . e ., without interruption of the spraying . upon completion of the spraying process , the screw is returned to the oven , which is maintained at a temperature of about 400 degrees f . so that the coated feed screw does not experience thermal shock that might cause cracks or a loss of bonding between the alloy and the substrate . the temperature of the feed screw in the oven is them ramped up to a temperature within the range of about 975 degrees f . to about 1025 degrees f . this takes between about one and about two hours . the coated feed screw is then allowed to soak at that temperature for about one to about six hours . it will be appreciated that the ramping times , soaking times , and temperatures discussed in this application are dependent upon the mass and substrate material of the particular screw being coated . as the mass of the feed screw increases , its rate of heat loss increases exponentially . this heat loss through conduction and radiation determines the time frame for both the ramping and soaking of temperatures . while mass determines the time frames , the substrate material determines the temperature at which it is soaked . with certain materials , temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees f . would cause it to enter a temperature phase that might cause distortion or loss of temper while in other substrate materials a lesser temperature might be insufficient to guarantee a satisfactory mechanical bond and jeopardize the fusing process . these considerations allow us to insure a thoroughly heated screw that will be at the corrected temperature for the fusing process . the appropriate ramping time , soaking time and temperature will be apparent to one skilled in the art . the feed screw is then removed from the oven after is has been thoroughly heated and again placed in any suitable machine tool such as the centers of the lathe bed mentioned above , for fusing of the alloy to the screw . any suitable means , such as an oxygen / acetylene open flame torch may be used for this purpose . an infrared pyrometer or other suitable device must be mounted on the tool holder of the lathe to monitor the temperature of the feed screw . the flame of the torch is brought into contact with the surface of the screw , and the pyrometer is focused on that area of contact . when the pyrometer registers a surface temperature of between about 1975 degrees f . and about 2050 degrees f ., the screw may be rotated and the torch moved down the full length of the screw . the temperature parameter for the fusing process is dependent upon the flow temperature of the master alloy and the melting temperature of the substrate material . once the master alloy starts to flow , it causes a capillary wetting action of the base material thereby achieving a metallurgical interface ( coalescence ) between the two . in some cases , because of thermal differences , a master alloy and a substrate material may not be compatible . once the fusing temperature has been determined , it is accurately monitored during the entire process lest areas of non interface occur . the torch travel speed and the screw rotation speed are adjusted so as to maintain a surface temperature sufficient to metallurgically fuse the alloy to the feed screw &# 39 ; s substrate material . speeds of between 0 . 5 and 3 rpm . for the screw rotation are suitable , and a travel speed for the torch of between 1 ipm and 4 ipm covers the range of screw sizes . it being understood , however , that torch travel speed and screw rotation speed are based solely on pyrometric temperature readings and other speeds will be apparent to one skilled in the art . the accuracy of the pyrometer will contribute greatly to the success of the fusing as in certain instances a variance of 25 degrees f . is enough to either cause a failure to coalesce or cause the master alloy to sag and run off the substrate . upon completion of the fusing process , the coated feed screw is again heated . the feed screw is placed into the oven discussed above or other suitable device which is preheated to the m50 ( 50 % martensite transformation ) temperature of the screw substrate , a temperature of about 465 degrees f . to about 750 degrees f . is preferred . the temperature of the feed screw is then ramped up to a minimum of about 100 degrees f . above the ms ( martensite start ) temperature of the screw substrate . a temperature range of about 850 degrees f . to about 900 degrees f . is typical . the screw is then allowed to soak at that temperature for about two to about four hours and then the screw &# 39 ; s temperature is ramped down to about 100 degrees f . below the mf ( martensite finish ) temperature of the screw substrate . the temperature of the feed screw is preferably ramped down to about 400 degrees f . this ramping down should be controlled so that it does not occur at a rate of heat loss greater than about 125 degrees f . per hour . once the screw has arrived at a temperature of about 400 degrees f ., it may be allowed to cool in the oven at its own rate of heat loss until it reaches ambient temperature . again , it will be appreciated that the thermal cycles described are solely based on the screw substrate material and mass and will vary depending upon the same . in some cases , a screw of substantial size ( 6 &# 34 ; diameter × 16 feet in length ) may have a btu loss so significant that is must have its temperature reduction controlled until it has reached ambient rather than allowing it to self cool , while in other cases a substrate material may not be heat effected and not require the finite temperature controls prescribed above . the following examples illustrate the method in accordance with the invention for preparing a steel feed screw having a crack - free coating of wear resistant nickel - based alloy thereon . a master alloy having the following composition was used to coat an aisi 4140 steel feed screw : 45 % carbides , 7 % chromium , 3 . 4 % carbon , 0 . 2 % iron , 1 . 3 % boron , 2 . 2 % silicon , 40 . 9 % nickel . this master alloy was prepared in a - 270 / d mesh size . the feed screw was preground so that the outside diameter was 0 . 020 of an inch over a finished diameter of 2 . 743 inches . at the same time other dimensions ( flite width , root diameter , radii , etc .) were milled so that they were 0 . 020 to 0 . 025 undersized . the screw was preheated to a temperature of 400 degrees f . while the alloy was heated to 250 degrees f . the alloy was sprayed at 2 , 650 ft / sec . onto the screw and placed into an oven already at 400 degrees f . the screw was heated to 985 degrees f . and allowed to soak for three hours . the screw was then fused at 2050 degrees f . and returned to an oven preheated to 465 degrees f . then ramped up to 850 degrees f . and soaked for four hours , cooled at 100 degrees f . per hour till 375 degrees f . and then allowed to cool at its own rate . the screw was then o . d . ground to 2 . 743 inches × 69 . 67 inches long with a flite width of 0 . 270 inches . the overlay was 60 rc while the screw &# 39 ; s base material was 28 - 32 rc . three coupons were then cut from the screw root surface . these coupons were 1 inch square by 3 inches long . these coupons were subject to a three point bend test until they fractured . in each case a strain of 11 . 1 % was required to initiate the fracture . in each case , while the overlay fractured , it did not propagate into the basestrate ( see fig3 ) and the bond between overlay and basestrate did not fail . ( an 11 . 1 % strain equates to 15 , 873 psi . in stress .) the substrate fracture only ran adjacent to the interface . a screw of aisi 4140 was prepared as in example 1 but the master overlay was on the following composition : 40 % carbides , 0 . 52 % carbon , 9 . 7 % chromium , 2 . 6 % iron , 1 . 9 % boron , 2 . 4 % silicon , 42 . 88 % nickel . the overlay was 58 to 63 rc . the basestrate was 30 rc . again , a three point bend test was performed on three coupons and a strain of 10 . 3 % was required to fracture the overlay ; but again the fracture did not extend into the basestrate or cause a failure in the bond between the overlay and the basestrate . a 10 . 3 % strain equates to 14 , 729 psi stress . a screw of nitriding steel # 135 modified was coated using the same alloy as in example 1 . the overlay hardness was 61 - 63 rc while the base material was 30 to 35 rc . the screw was preheated to 350 degrees f . before spraying , then after spraying returned to a 350 degrees f . oven and heated to 975 degrees f . and soaked for three hours . after fusing , the screw was placed in a 350 degree f . oven and ramped up in temperature to 800 degrees f . and slow cooled after a four hour soak . the overlay fractured at 14 , 036 psi . but again , only the alloy fractured . although the present invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof , many other variations and modification will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . it is preferred therefore , that the present invention not be limited by the specific disclosure herein , but only by the appended claims .	8
fig1 is a front elevational view of a circular knitting machine in accordance with the present invention . the circular knitting machine includes a knitting unit 3 mounted on a knitting bed 2 supported by legs 1 . legs 1 include cross members 11 extending along the bottom . a winding unit 4 ( fig3 ) and drive mechanism 5 are positioned below the knitting unit . the drive mechanism 5 includes a motor 6 having a motor converter 8 with a digital panel 7 for displaying operating characteristics of the motor 6 . an ac invertor motor control panel 9 ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; aci motor control panel &# 34 ;) and automatic doffer control panel 10 are located below mechanism 5 . gates 12 , 13 are secured between legs 1 . upper gate 12 can be opened and closed manually . lower gate 13 includes a window 80 that can be automatically opened and closed for removing the cylindrically wound fabric positioned on winding unit 4 . a rotatable ring gear 14 is contained in the knitting bed as , shown in fig3 . the knitting machine frame includes two opposed winding frame arms 16 , 17 that rotate synchronously with the ring gear 14 via two connecting rods 15 connected at the bottom of the gearing 14 . the winding frame arms 16 , 17 are formed integrally with each other and are fixed on the bottom frame 17 &# 39 ;. one of the frame arms 16 is semi - circular in shape to allow the fabric wound into a cylindrical package to be removed in a horizontal direction relative to the machine ( fig1 ). as seen in fig3 during knitting the knitted fabric 18 is delivered from the knitting unit 4 by at least two lines of delivery rolls 19 , 20 , and then wound on the winding roll 21 . a proximity switch ksi positioned on the bottom of bed 2 detects the knitting machine speed by counting the number of revolutions per unit time . the drive mechanism 5 of winding unit 4 will now be described in greater detail . referring to fig3 and 4 , winding unit 4 rotates and drives the delivery rolls 19 , 20 through a power transmission mechanism connected to the frame arms 16 , 17 . the power transmission mechanism includes a first bevel gear mechanism 22 that rotates as the winding unit 4 rotates . the mechanism includes a first belt 23 , a variable speed pulley 24 , and a worm 25 that rotates the delivery roll 19 . a spur gear 16 rotates the delivery roll 20 , and a belt 17 rotates the winding roll 21 . winding roll 21 is shown in greater detail in fig5 - 7 and 21 - 24 . winding roll 21 is rotatably supported at one end by a bearing fitted into the frame arm 17 . the other end of the winding roll is free . during winding of knitted fabric , the free end of the winding roll is in contact with the tip of a turning lever 28 ( fig8 ). as will be described later in detail , the turning lever 28 is released from the winding roll 21 when the fabric wound on the winding roll is removed . as shown in fig5 the winding roll 21 is of rectangular cross - sectional shape . the roll includes rectangular channel members 21a and 21b which divide the surface of the roll into two half sections and which surround a rectangular elongated shaft 34 . short stub shafts 29 , 30 project from opposite ends of shaft 34 , and a bearing 31 is mounted on the outer side of the short stub shaft 29 . a spring 33 is positioned between a mounting collar 32 and the periphery of the bearing 31 . as shown in fig5 and 21 , guide slots 34a provided at two spaced locations in shaft 34 are inclined toward the upper right side of the shaft . other guide slots 34b are provided in and inclined to the lower right side of the opposite face of shaft 34 . small channel members 21e , 21f are secured on the inside of the channel members 21a and 21b . the small channel member 21e has inclined guide holes 21h communicating with horizontal guide holes 21j . small channel members 21f has inclined holes 21k communicating with horizontal guide holes 21g . pins 34c extend through the elongate shaft 34 and extend into the aforesaid horizontal and inclined holes . combs 35 are positioned along the winding roll 21 , preferably at four spaced locations along its length . combs 35 normally project from the roll , catch the end portion of the fabric suspended from the knitting unit , and cause the fabric to remain secured to the winding roll 21 . when the fabric is being doffed from the winding roll 21 , combs 35 are retracted into the winding roll 21 by the same relative movement of the roll components that decreases the diameter of the winding roll . as seen in fig2 , guide slots 34a , 34b engage pins 35a secured to each comb 35 . each comb 35 is guided by a guide plate 21c secured on each of the channel members 21a , 21b . the channel members 21a , 21b include holes 21n into which the comb 35 extends during the normal winding operation of the winding roll 21 . when the channel members 21a , 21b are moved in the direction of the illustrated arrow in fig5 and 23 , in opposition to the force supplied by spring 33 , combs 35 are withdrawn from the surface of the winding roll along the inclining guide holes 34a , 34b . the retraction of combs 35 and the diameter reduction motion of the winding roll 21 take place simultaneously in one integral operation . the side of the fabric wound on the winding roll 21 closest to the side of the winding roll 21 attached to the frame arm 17 is in close proximity to doffing plate 49 of doffing mechanism 47 . when the doffing plate 49 pushes , by means of the doffing mechanism 47 , the rolled fabric axially in the direction of the arrow in fig5 and 23 , pin 34c , which fixedly projects from the elongate shaft 34 , is guided along the inclining guide holes 21h and 21k ( fig2 and 23 ). this movement draws the channel members 21a and 21b together and thus reduces the diameter of roll 21 . simultaneously , the pin 35a fixed to the combs 35 is guided along the inclining guide slots 34a and 34b of shaft 34 ( fig2 ). this movement retracts combs 35 . thus , the motion of the doffing plate 49 against the fabric in opposition to the force of spring 33 causes both retraction of the combs 35 and change in diameter of the winding roll 21 . the knitted fabric is easily removed from winding roll 21 in the direction of the roll axis when the roll diameter is reduced and the combs 35 are retracted . after the fabric wound on the winding roll 21 is removed , the winding roll 21 is restored to its normal diameter with combs 35 extended by the force exerted by the spring 33 . winding roll 21 is then again ready for winding of the knitted fabric . the doffing mechanism 47 then returns the winding roll to its normal position as described in detail below . referring now to fig8 the turning lever 28 supporting the free end of the winding roll 21 is illustrated in greater detail , together with the lever locking mechanism 37 which locks and unlocks the turning lever . lever 28 is mounted on the frame by a pin 36 positioned in a recess formed on the frame arm 16 . the forward portion of the turning lever 28 includes a cut - away , concave portion 28a , which supports the free end of the winding roll 21 . the other end of the turning lever 28 includes an inclined portion 28b . a spring 28c between the winding frame arm 16 and lever 28 biases the lever . the locking mechanism 37 is positioned on the lower end of the lever arm 28 . mechanism 37 includes a cam 38 on which the turning lever 28 abuts . a collar 40 aids in supporting the cam 38 and a gear motor 39 , which is operatively connected to cam 38 . cam 38 is positioned at 90 degrees relative to a sensor plate 41 . when cam 38 is rotated vertically , and turned into a position as shown by the double - dash line , knitted fabric is in position to be doffed . cam 38 and collar 40 are positioned in a support box 42 . two proximity switches ks11 and ks12 ( fig9 ) are positioned in the support box . the support box is mounted to a base plate . fig1 shows a side view of the fabric guide mechanism 43 . the fabric guide mechanism is positioned above the frame arms 16 , 17 , and includes a fabric guide plate 44 and spring 45 for pressing the guide plate 44 onto the knitted fabric . the fabric guide plate 44 is rotatably fixed to arms 46 horizontally extending from the frame arms 16 , 17 . guide plate 44 presses against the leading end of the knitted fabric at the start of winding , while pressing and stabilizing the wound fabric as the roll of knitted fabric diametrically enlarges . the guide plate 44 moves arcuately while touching the knitted fabric in opposition to the biasing force of the spring 45 as the diameter of the wound knitted fabric roll increases . referring now to fig1 , 13 , and 25 , the fabric doffing mechanism 47 includes a vertically oriented doffing plate 49 which presses the side of the knitted wound fabric on the winding roll 21 . doffing plate 49 is integrally attached to a movable block 50 . movable block 50 has a female screw channel 50c that receives the screw 51 which moves the movable block 50 , and also has two guide bar channels 50d and 50e . screw 51 is driven by motor 52 and meshes with the female screw channel 50c in the movable block 50 to provide the motive force to move the block . two guide bars 53 in parallel with screw 51 are connected to support frame members 54 . movable block 50 is displaceable between support frame members 54 . as seen in fig1 , a sprocket wheel 55 is secured onto one end of screw 51 beyond the outer side of the support frame 54 . the sprocket wheel is driven by a motor 52 via another sprocket wheel 56 and a chain mechanism . motor 52 is connected to a motor support frame 57 positioned on the side of the support frame 54 . as shown in fig1 and 25 , a channel configured cover 58 and angle members 59 are connected to the sides of support frame members 54 at upper and lower portions . both side ends of the cover 58 and angle members 59 are shielded , such as by resilient rubber plates 60 , positioned above and below the entrance to prevent fibers from entering . arms 50a on both sides of the movable block 50 extend upwardly beyond the rubber plate 60 . a vertical plate 50b is connected to the arms 50a . doffing plate 49 is connected to vertical plate 50b . the top forward end of the doffing plate 49 extends adjacent winding roll 21 and alongside a roll of the wound fabric ( fig4 ). a sensor plate 50c is connected to the side end portion of the movable block . a proximity switch ks13 detects the positional base point of the movable block 50 . a proximity switch ks14 for detecting the most extended use displacement of the block 50 is located opposite the sensor plate 50c . the fabric cutting mechanism 48 of the present invention is shown in fig4 , 12 and 13 . the mechanism is positioned outside the fabric doffing mechanism 47 , and includes a circular cutter member 62b , and a cutter displacement and driving mechanism 62 that includes a motor 62a on which the circular cutter 62b is fixed ( fig4 and 11 ). the circular cutter 62b includes a cover 63 for protecting the cutter and personnel . the member 63 is supported on a bent , upright stand 64 close to the knitted fabric . stand 64 is supported on the cutter displacement and driving portion 62 , which includes a movable member 65 ( fig1 ), transmission wire belt mechanism 66 ( fig1 ), rail member 69 and a motor 67 for moving these components . fig1 and 13 also show a mounting support block 68 connected to the upper side of the bottom portion of the movable member 65 and integral therewith . the block 68 has rollers 70 at both of its sides so that the rail member 69 is displaceable . a power supply brush 71 is connected to the cutter portion , and a motor 67 is drivably connected to rail member 69 . wheels 73 , 74 on rail member 69 are interconnected by a pulley belt or wire 75 . pulley wheels 73 , 74 are connected to the motor 67 and rail member 69 . rotation of pulley wheel 73 drives pulley wheel 74 and displaces the mounting support block 68 connected to the pulley wire 75 , as well as the movable block 65 . a sensor plate 65c is connected to the side end of the movable member 65 . a proximity switch ks3 ( fig1 ) detects the positional base point of the movable member 65 . a proximity switch ks4 detects the terminal point of displacement of the member opposite the sensor plate 65c . fig1 shows in plan a proximity switch ks2 for stopping the winding roll and detecting the knitted fabric . proximity switch ks2 allows stopping of the winding roll at a fixed position . the proximity switch is connected to the side of the box 82 at a position in close proximity to the winding unit 4 . a sensor plate 83 is connected to the bottom of the winding unit 45 . a micro switch ks17 is contained in a containment box secured to the base plate . referring now to fig1 and 17 , details of the gate opening and closing mechanism 76 are illustrated . the gate opening and closing mechanism 76 includes a transmission motor 78 and a window portion 80 . below window portion 80 are pulley wheels 77 and a pulley wire 78 that extends between and around the pulley wheels . motor 78 drives one of the pulley wheels 77 . a transparent slide 81 is connected to the pulley wire . the slide 81 moves as the pulley wire moves right and left . the slide 81 is larger in size than the window portion 80 and is supported by guide rollers 82 positioned on right and left corners . the dash line drawn in the window portion of fig1 indicates a knitted fabric wound on the winding roll 21 . the fabric is doffed to a position shown in fig2 across from the window portion 80 when pushed by the doffing mechanism 47 . afterward , the doffed fabric is conveyed by a cart , belt conveyor or the like ( not shown ) to a position for subsequent processing . a sensor plate is integrally fixed to the lower end of the slide 81 . on the plate , proximity switches ks7 and ks8 ( fig1 ) are fixed for detecting the positional base point of the plate 83 and the terminal point of displacement . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating the signal transmission route for controlling the automatic winding and doffing mechanism 47 . referring to the drawing , a console of the digital panel mechanism 7 comprises a 10 - key pad into which preset values and motor speed control values for the knitting machine are input . the digital panel includes function keys , monitors and trouble shooting lamps . a central processing unit ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; cpu &# 34 ;) ( not shown ) performs processing in accordance with the pre - input sequence control program . the cpu is positioned in the digital panel 7 . the digital panel is connected to the aci motor control panel 9 and doffer control panel 10 . aci control panel 9 and auto doffer control panel 10 are connected to each other . the aci motor control panel 9 is connected to the motor m of the knitting machine for controlling the machine . the auto doffer control panel 10 has the following components connected thereto : 1 ) proximity switches ks7 ( base point ) and ks8 ( terminal point ) for confirming positions of the gate opening and closing ; 2 ) gate opening - closing motor m1 ; 3 ) proximity switches ks3 ( base point ) and ks4 ( terminal point ) for confirming a position of the fabric cutting device 48 ; 4 ) fabric cutter displacing motor m2 and cutter motor m3 ; 5 ) proximity switches ks13 ( base point ) and ks14 ( terminal point ) for confirming a position of the fabric doffing device ; 6 ) motor m4 for displacing the fabric doffing device ; 7 ) proximity switches ks11 ( base point ) and ks12 ( terminal point ) to confirm a locking - unlocking position for locking and unlocking the winding roll ; 8 ) motor 5 for locking and unlocking the winding roll ; and 9 ) proximity switch ks2 for confirming stop of the winding unit at a fixed position . these mechanisms and components transmit signals detected thereby to the auto doffer control panel . when the mechanisms connected to the auto doffer control panel 10 are operational , corresponding signals indicating that the doffer is in operation are transmitted to the digital panel device 7 . when operational trouble occurs in the mechanisms connected to the auto doffer control panel 10 and in the yarn feeding system , signals enabling the doffer to halt ( wait ) operation are transmitted from the digital panel device 7 to mechanisms connected to the auto doffer control panel 10 . the aci motor control panel 9 transmits to the auto doffer control panel 10 signals obtained from mechanisms connected to the auto doffer control panel 10 , indicating that the knitting machine is rotating . signals from proximity switch ks1 indicating the speed and number of revolutions of the knitting machine are transmitted to the cpu of the digital panel device 7 . the output side of the cpu is connected to motor m of the knitting machine through the act motor control panel 9 . signals from proximity switch ks1 control the speed of motor m of the knitting machine , for example , three steps as normal , medium , and low modes , with the rom incorporated into the aci motor control panel 9 and programmed beforehand . proximity switch ks1 is connected to the auto doffer control panel 10 through the digital panel device 7 . when the number of detected revolutions of the knitting machine reaches a preset value , stop signals are transmitted to the aci motor control panel through the digital panel device 7 . the stop signals transmitted to the aci motor control panel 9 are transmitted as retardation signals to the motor m connected to the output side of the aci motor control panel 9 to stop the knitting machine at a fixed position after driving at low speed . when the knitting machine is stopped , proximity switch ks2 detects the fixed stop position of the winding unit . fixed position stop signals are transmitted to the auto doffer control panel 10 . the fixed position stop signals of the winding unit 4 transmitted to the auto doffer control panel 10 are in turn transmitted to a mechanism connected to the output side of the panel 10 and then further transmitted to the mechanism after completion of an operation of one mechanism performed in the order of desired operations . a microswitch ks17 , for confirming that the fabric is wound on the winding roll 21 , is connected to the digital panel 7 . the switch ks17 operates when winding of the fabric on the winding roll 21 fails . at that time stop signals are transmitted to the digital panel 7 to stop the motor m connected through the aci motor control panel 9 , as well as the other mechanisms connected to the auto doffer control panel 10 . an operation panel 84 enables full automatic operation and allows a series of mechanisms to automatically operate , and operate in semi - automatic operation , as well as to allow each mechanism to operate independently from the others when improper operation is caused , and manual operation is fixed to the auto doffer control panel 10 . a detailed description of operations of the automatic fabric winding mechanism of this invention on the circular knitting machine will now be made with reference to a flow chart shown in fig1 . the reference numbers n100 to n200 represent steps in the flow chart . when the knitting machine is started , a preset counter of the digital panel 7 begins counting , and the proximity switch ks1 inputs the signals indicative of the number of revolutions of the knitting machine into the cpu of the digital panel 7 . an accumulated value of the number of revolutions is calculated for comparison with a sequence process algorithm inputted beforehand ( n step 100 ). in the n step 101 , the number of revolutions of the knitting machine is compared with a preset value to determine if the number of revolutions has reached that value . when the number of revolutions reaches the preset value , the motor is retarded according to an instruction of the motor control panel , placing the knitting machine in the low speed driving mode ( n 102 ). when the number of revolutions is under the preset value , the knitting machine continues operating . in the n step 103 , the winding unit has reached the fixed stop position . proximity switch ks2 determines the fixed stop position . in the n step 104 , if the winding unit reaches the fixed position , the knitting machine is stopped . if the winding unit has not reached the fixed position , the machine is driven at low speed until the unit reaches the fixed position . in the n step 105 , the switch ks18 compares the diameter of the fabric package with a standard value of , e . g ., 200 mm . if the diameter of the fabric package is more than 200 mm , the operation is shifted to the n step 106 in which the proximity switch ks2 determines when the fabric package is in the fixed position . when the diameter is less than 200 mm , the operation is checked with the semi - auto mode . if the winding unit is not in the fixed position , error is implied , and the operator performs checking . in the n step 107 , when the winding unit is stopped in the fixed position , the gear motor 5 of the lever locking and unlocking mechanism 37 is driven . this causes cam 38 , which is fitted onto the shaft of the gear motor 5 , to turn by 90 ° in the vertical direction and abut the turning lever 28 , for turning the lever and releasing the free end of the winding roll 21 . in the n step 108 , the proximity switch ks12 determines the position in which the turning lever 28 turns for locking and unlocking the winding roll 21 . when the turning lever 28 has been turned to the fixed position , the operation is shifted to the n step 109 and the geared motor m5 is stopped . driving of the geared motor m5 continues if the turning lever 28 has not turned to the fixed position . after the geared motor m5 has stopped , operations in the n step 110 through 113 for opening the lower gate 13 , and the n step 114 through 117 for driving the cutter motor 62 of the fabric cutting device 48 and the cutter displacing motor 52 , proceed simultaneously . in the n step 110 , determinations are made as to whether the proximity switch ks2 for stopping the winding unit 4 at the fixed position is operative and the switch ks12 for locking - unlocking the winding roll is operative . when the proximity switch k2 for stopping the winding unit 4 at the fixed position , and the ks12 switch for locking - unlocking the winding roll 21 , are operative , the motor m1 for opening and closing the gate 13 opens gate 13 ( n step 111 ). a contrary result implies error and the operator performs checking . in the n step 112 , the proximity switch ks8 determines whether the gate 13 has been opened . if the gate has been opened , the operation is shifted to the n step 113 in which the gate opening - closing motor m1 is stopped . if the gate has not been opened , the gate opening - closing motor m1 continues rotating until the gate is opened . in the n step 114 , determinations are made as to whether the proximity switch ks2 for stopping the winding unit 4 at the fixed position is operable , and whether the ks12 switch for locking - unlocking the winding roll 21 is operable . when the proximity switches ks2 ( fixed position stopping of the winding unit 4 ) and ks12 switch ( for locking - unlocking the winding roll 21 ) are determined operable , the cutter motor m3 and cutter displacing motor m2 are enabled . if the switches are not operable , error is implied and the operator checks for error . in the n step 116 , a determination as to whether the fabric cutting mechanism 48 has reached the terminal point is made . in the n step 117 , if the fabric cutting mechanism 48 has reached the terminus , the cutter displacing motor m2 stops ; otherwise , the cutter displacing motor m2 continues operation . in the n step 118 the cutter displacing motor m2 rotates in the reverse direction to return the cutter to the initial base position ( n step 119 ) if the proximity switch ks2 for the fixed position stop of the winding unit 4 and the ks12 switch for locking - unlocking of the winding roll 21 are determined to be in operation : otherwise , error is implied and the operator performs checking . in the n step 120 , if the cutter has returned to its initial base position , the cutter displacing motor m2 is stopped ( n step 121 ); otherwise , the cutter displacing motor m2 continues operation . in the n step 119 , when the proximity switch ks2 for the fixed position stop of the winding unit 4 and the switch ks12 for opening and closing the gate 13 are in operation , the step is shifted to the n 123 step in which the motor for doffing the fabric is driven to push the fabric on the winding roll 21 outside of the machine so that the fabric may be doffed . in the n step 124 , if the fabric doffing position 47 is at the terminal position , the fabric doffing motor m4 is stopped ( n step 125 ); otherwise , the fabric doffing motor m4 is stopped . in the n step 126 , if the winding unit is in the fixed , stop position , and the gate 13 is opened for the fixed position stop of the winding unit 4 , the fabric doffing motor is rotated in the reverse direction and the fabric doffing mechanism 47 returns to the initial base position ( n step 127 ); otherwise , error is implied and the operator performs checking . in the n step 128 , if the fabric doffing mechanism 47 has returned to the initial base position as determined by the switch ks13 , the motor for the fabric doffing device 17 is stopped ( n 129 ); otherwise , driving of the motor for the fabric doffing device 47 continues . in the n step 130 , the switch ks13 determines whether the motor m4 for fabric doffing has terminated . if that motor is off , the motor m1 for opening and closing gate 12 is rotated in the reverse direction so that the gate 12 is displaced to the initial closure position ; otherwise , error is implied and the operator performs checking . in the n step 132 , if the gate has been closed , the motor m1 for opening and closing the gate 13 is stopped . in the n step 134 , if the doffing device 47 and cutter are in fixed stop positions as determined by the switch ks13 ( confirming the base point of the mechanism 47 ) and ks3 ( confirming the base point of the cutter ), the motor m5 for actuating a locking - unlocking cam 38 for the winding roll 21 is rotated in the reverse direction and the winding roll 21 is turned and locked by the turning lever 28 ( n step 135 ); otherwise , error is implied and the operator performs checking . in the n step 136 , the fabric retention confirming switch ks11 determines whether the turning lever 28 for locking - unlocking of the winding roll locks the winding roll . in the n step 137 , if the turning lever 28 is retaining the winding roll , other mechanisms and components are sensed to determine whether they are stopped : the driving part for displacing the cutter ; the closure of the gate 13 ; the locking of the winding roll by the locking - unlocking cam 38 ; and whether the fabric doffing device is stopped or performed in base positions . if the above mechanisms are stopped , the knitting machine is started again ; otherwise , error is implied , and the operator performs checking . the invention provides the benefits and advantage of relieving the knitting machine operator of heavy labor normally associated with conveyance of the knitted fabric roll , and enhances knitting machine operation . the foregoing embodiments are to be considered illustrative , rather than restrictive of the invention and those modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are to be included therein .	3
in view of the present circumstances mentioned above , the present inventors have made extensive studies to find an effective curing agent or a curing method for fat necrosis which can take the place of adlay , and paid their attention to the compound of the above - mentioned general formula . this compound is already known as a curative for liver disorders of men and animals from u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 080 , 467 , 4 , 080 , 466 , 4 , 022 , 907 , and 4 , 118 , 506 , as a germicide for agricultural and horticultural use from japanese patent application kokoku ( post - exam . publn .) nos . 34 , 883 / 76 and 34 , 126 / 72 , and as a livestock feed composition from u . s . pat . no . 4 , 564 , 627 . the curing agent for liver disorders mentioned above shows pharmacologically ( 1 ) a liver protein synthesis promoting action and ( 2 ) a liver fibrosis suppressing action , and is used as a preventing or curing agent for various liver disorders including adiposis hepatica , hepatocirrhosis , toxic hepatic disorder , and congestion of blood . it is believed that its effect lies in transferring the fat present in the liver to other tissues thereby to reduce the amount of fat in the liver . as to the use as the livestock feed composition , its object is to reduce the fat present in the abdominal cavity thereby to prevent the lowering of meat utilization efficiency ( carcass efficiency ) which would be caused by the cattle growing corpulent as the result of accumulation of excess fat in the visceral cavity . thus , it has been believed that such fat present in excess in the liver or the abdominal cavity is utterly different from the morbidly denatured fat formed in the mass of fat necrosis described below , and hence reducing the fat accumulated in excess under such normal conditions has no relation with removing the morbidly denatured fat of mass thereby to cure morbid animals and recover their health . accordingly , it was utterly unexpected that the compound having the above - mentioned general formula of this invention should be effective for the present disease . thus , in fat necrosis , according to microscopic inspection of the cells thereof , lively historytic cells are present on the outside thereof , these cells enclose the fat cells of the inside , the fat cells have been necrosed nearly completely and the central portion thereof give an indistinct image on dyeing , and saturated solid fat is observed inside the fat cells . according to an example of analysis of the fat , the ratio of unsaturated fatty acid to saturated fatty acid is 0 . 691 on the average , which shows , as compared with the value of 0 . 987 of the fat in a normal part , that the proportion of saturated fatty acid is larger in the necrosed part . accordingly , in view of such a state of extinction of mass tissue in fat necrosis and the marked difference of its fat composition from normal ones , it was utterly unanticipated that the compound of the present invention should act effectively on the disease . in the meantime , the present inventors have made comparative tests between curing agents using the compound employed in this invention in combination with adlay , plant sterol , or vitamin e , most commonly employed hitherto , and those using the compound of this invention alone , with the object of improving the efficacy of prior art drugs . the tests were conducted in an attempt to develop a curing agent that is more effective for the mass by combined use of the two types of drugs , and the compound of this invention itself was used as an adjuvant and was not expected to play the principal role in curing the mass . unexpectedly , it has been found that the compound of this invention is in itself markedly effective in improving the condition of mass and / or curing the mass when used alone . thus , it has been found that the compound of this invention has a marked effect in curing the denatured fat of the lesion of mass . specific example of the various compounds usable in this invention are shown in table 1 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________compoundno . a n r r . sup . 1 m . p . or b . p . ld . sub . 50 , mouse__________________________________________________________________________1 ch . sub . 2 0 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 m . p 104 - 105 ° c . & gt ; 5 , 000 mg / kg2 ch . sub . 2 0 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 m . p 37 - 39 ° c . & gt ; 5 , 000 mg / kg ## str7 ## 0 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 m . p 170 - 171 ° c . & gt ; 5 , 000 mg / kg4 chch 0 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 m . p 55 - 57 ° c . 3 , 120 mg / kg5 chch 0 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 m . p 113 ° c . 4 , 900 mg / kg6 ch . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 0 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 m . p 54 . 5 - 55 ° c . 1 , 350 mg / kg7 ch . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 1 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 m . p 78 - 83 ° c . & gt ; 6 , 000 mg / kg8 ## str8 ## 0 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 i - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 m . p 73 - 74 ° c . & gt ; 6 , 590 mg / kg__________________________________________________________________________ the compounds shown in table 1 have very low toxicity to warm - blooded animals , and are classified as substances of low toxicity in regulations for the control of deleterious or poisonous substances in various nations . accordingly , they can usually be used , in oral administration , in the range of 0 . 01 to 100 mg per 1 kg of body weight . when mixed into livestock feed etc ., they can be used in the range of concentration of 10 to 2000 ppm in the feed . for the purpose of curing the present disease in domestic cattle , the dosage is preferably increased or decreased in accordance with the body weight , centering around 25 g per day per animal . the curing agent of this invention may be administered in any desired form including tablets , injections , particles , granules , and powders . although oral administration is generally convenient , this invention is not limited thereto . some embodiments of this invention will be described below in comparison with examples of cure by means of the prior art . cure test i comprised treating test animals by oral administration mainly of soy sterol , which is a byproduct of soybean oil production and contains 20 % of plant sterol and 4 % of vitamin e , and partly of a combination thereof with adlay . the animals tested were nine head of cattle at the age of 3 to 8 years suffering from fat necrosis ( body weight : 400 to 520 kg ) and were divided into three groups of a , b and c each consisting of 3 animals . to the a group were administered 50 g of soy sterol and 30 g of pulverized adlay , to the b group 150 g of soy sterol , and to the c group 200 g of soy sterol , respectively per day per animal continuously for 175 days from sept . 9 , 1982 to feb . 21 , 1983 . during the period , rectum inspection for confirmation of necrosis lump was conducted 6 times ( before administration and on the 37th , 70th , 97th , 144th and 174th day ), and also phospholipid ( pl ), triglyceride ( tg ) etc . in serum were determined . the results of determination for respective test items are shown in fig1 and 2 . cure test ii was conducted by treating 4 head of cattle suffering from fat necrosis ( body weight : 450 to 530 kg ) by oral administration , in the same manner as in cure test i , mainly of the compound no . 6 of table 1 , namely isoprothiolane . cattle no . 1 was given for 91 days starting from oct . 29 , 1983 , and cattle nos . 2 , 3 and 4 were given for 48 days starting from june 21 , 1984 , respectively 25 g of isoprothiolane per day per animal , cattle no . 4 alone being additionally given 100 g of adlay . the test items were approximately the same as in cure test i . cattle no . 1 was subjected to 8 times in total ( before administration and on the 8th , 12nd , 19th , 26th , 57th , 72nd , and 91st day ) of blood sample collection and 6 times ( before administration and on the 18th , 48th , 57th , 72nd , and 91st day ) of rectum inspection . cattle nos . 2 , 3 and 4 were subjected to 3 times ( before administration and on the 18th and 48th day ) of the inspection . tables 2 and 3 give schematical representation of the state of necrosis lumps before administration and those in the course of curing treatment , showing respectively the size of necrosis lumps and the development of wrinkles and constrictions . in test i , in which the size of necrosis lumps of tested cattle before administration varied widely from a diameter of 3 cm to a case wherein the color was strictured and the necrosis lump could not be confirmed , the reduction of size of necrosis lumps could be observed from the 37th day after administration in an early case , and begun in 70 days after administration even in a late case . in mild cases wherein the necrosis lump was small , the reduction of size proceeded smoothly , sometimes leading to complete cure and stoppage of administration . in serious cases , however , the necrosis lumps reduced their size to a certain extent but not further thereafter . further , though depending on the conditions of the necrosis lumps of treated cattle , groups b and c , wherein the amount of soy sterol administered was larger , showed a tendency to reduce the size of necrosis lumps faster , among groups a , b and c . in test ii , the necrosis lumps began to reduce their size approximately after 18 days from administration in each of fat necrosis cattle . in cattle no . 1 , the necrosis lump became almost unperceivable by touch in 91 days . also in 3 other head of cattle , the necrosis lumps reduced their size respectively . thus , the above - mentioned compound no . 6 showed a curative effect of faster size reduction of necrosis lumps after initiation of administration as compared with the control tests of groups a , b and c . tables 2 and 3 are shown below . table 2__________________________________________________________________________cure test i : progress of cure__________________________________________________________________________test animal site and size of necrosis change of necrosis part during cure ( day ) * 1group no . before administration ( unit : cm ) 0 37 70 97 144 174__________________________________________________________________________ 1 upper part of rectum θ6 - 7 complete curea 2 upper part of rectum θ8 , θ18 3 upper part of uterus θ25 nt . sup . * 2 4 lower part of right kidney θ20 complete cure stoppage of administrationb 5 inner part of rectum θ3 6 upper part of rectum θ15 7 circumference of left kidney θ40c 8 strictured rectum 9 slightly strictured recturm__________________________________________________________________________ * 1 state of diameter & gt ; 5 5 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 30 & gt ; 30 strictured necrosis cm rectum lump wrinkle constriction development : development : * 2 nt = not tested table 3__________________________________________________________________________cure test ii : progress of cureanimalsite and size of necrosis change of necrosis part during cure ( day )* 3no . before administration ( unit : cm ) 0 18 48 57 72 91__________________________________________________________________________1 slightly strictured rectum2 lower part of rectum θ8 × 3 × 3lower left part of θ3 × 3 × 3rectum test finished3 lower part of rectum θ8 × 7 × 24 lower part of rectum θ15 × 5 × 5θ3 × 3 × 3__________________________________________________________________________ * 3 see the footnote for table 2 .	0
referring to the drawings , a curing mold 10 of preferably cylindrical shape is provided . the mold 10 includes inner 12 and outer 14 cylindrical assemblies that are essentially concentric . the outer assembly 14 includes a supporting outer cylinder 16 . upper 18 and lower 20 end rings are attached to each end of the outer cylindar 16 . the lower end ring forms a base for the mold . each end ring is made of two separate concentric rings , 22 - 24 , 26 - 28 that are held together by fasteners 30 . the rings define upper 32 and lower 34 annular grooves . the upper ring 18 is coaxial with the lower ring 20 . together , the rings 18 and 20 define a guide which concentrically aligns and receives the inner assembly 12 . a heavy rubber type diaphragm 36 or bladder of cylindrical shape is mounted between the upper 18 and lower 20 end rings . the bladder 36 extends into the upper 32 and lower 34 annular grooves and seals with the end rings . the bladder 36 , end rings 18 and 20 and outer cylinder 16 define a sealed low - pressure heat chamber 38 of variable volume . a conduit 40 is attached to the outer cylinder 16 over an aperture 42 . the conduit 40 directs heat and pressure to the low - pressure chamber 38 from an external source . preferably , a second conduit 44 is attached to the outer cylinder 16 over a second aperture 46 , the purpose of which will be later explained . the inner assembly 12 is similar to the outer assembly in many respects . the inner assembly 12 includes a supporting inner cylinder 48 . upper 50 and lower 52 coaxial end rings are attached to each end of the inner cylinder 48 . each inner ring includes two separate concentric rings , 54 - 56 , 58 - 60 , that are held together by fasteners 62 . the concentric rings define upper and lower annular grooves 64 and 66 . a heavy rubber type inner diaphragm 68 or bladder of cylindrical shape is mounted between the upper 50 and lower 52 end rings . the bladder 68 extends into the annular grooves 64 and 66 and is held in place by the fasteners 62 . the inner bladder 68 , end rings 50 and 52 and inner cylinder 48 define a sealed high - pressure heat chamber 70 of variable volume . upper 72 and lower 74 end caps slip over the upper 50 and lower 52 end rings respectively . the end caps are secured to the assembly by means of a bar 76 which attaches to the lower end cap 74 and extends through the upper end cap 72 . the bar 76 has a hole or slot 78 near the upper end cap , through which is fitted a wedge or drift pin 80 . the wedging action of the drift pin tensions the bar 76 and holds the end caps 72 and 74 firmly in place . the outside diameters of the end caps 72 and 74 are slightly less than the inside diameter of outer concentric rings 18 and 20 . the close diameters of the end caps 72 and 74 and outer end rings 18 and 20 facilitate concentric alignment between the inner 12 and outer 14 assemblies . the inner cylinder 48 is provided with a hole 82 for receiving one end of a conduit 84 . the conduit 84 directs heat and pressure to the high - pressure chamber from an external supply source . preferably , a second hole 86 is located in the inner cylinder 48 for receiving an end of a second conduit 88 . power transmission belts to be cured with apparatus of the invention are first built up in the usual manner as a belt sleeve . the belt sleeve typically includes a first rubber layer , a spirally wound tensile cord , and a second rubber layer . the axial length of the belt sleeve should be slightly less than the axial distance between the upper and lower end caps . the inside diameter of the belt sleeve should be slightly larger than the outside diameter of the upper ring 54 of the inner assembly 12 . the pitch diameter of the tensile cord varies approximately five percent in an uncured belt sleeve because of normal manufacturing tolerances . the variation results from allowable tolerances for a belt building drum , mold and the thickness of the rubber layers . prior art methods of curing belt sleeves accommodate the tolerance build - up by shrinking or stretching the tensile cord to either a larger or smaller pitch diameter . this invention is primarily directed toward curing belts having essentially non - extensible tensile cords such as metal , nomex and especially fiber glass . fiber glass is essentially non - extensible and it is severely weakened if subjected to compressive forces . to cure a belt sleeve in accordance with the invention , the inner assembly 12 is first removed from the mold . the drift pin 78 is removed which permits dismantling of the upper end cap 72 . a belt sleeve or body 90 may then be positioned over the inner diaphragm or bladder 68 . the upper end cap 72 and drift pin 78 are replaced and the inner assembly 12 is repositioned in the mold . heat and pressure are directed to the high pressure chamber by means of the inner conduit 84 . preferably , the heat and pressure source is steam . normally , steam at 170 psig and 375 ° fahrenheit is supplied for average size belt sleeves . steam condensate is removed from the high pressure chamber 38 by means of the second conduit 88 . the pressure expands the inner diaphragm 68 and exerts outward radial pressure against the belt sleeve 90 . the belt sleeve or body inward 92 of the tensile reinforcement 94 is compressed which tensions the tensile reinforcement or cords 94 . further expansion of the inner - bladder 68 is restrained by the tensile reinforcement 94 . here , it should be noted that inner - diaphragm 68 adjusts to the free pitch circumference of the tensile renforcement 94 to accommodate dimensional variations as induced in manufacturing the uncured belt sleeve 90 . outward radial pressure on the belt sleeve 90 compresses the inner rubber layer 92 and tensions the reinforcement 94 . compressive forces are not transmitted to the outside rubber layer 96 at this time because of the non - extensibility of the tensile or cord reinforcement 94 . the portion of the belt sleeve outward 96 of the tensile reinforcement 94 must be compressed to insure proper adhesion with the tensile reinforcement 94 . after a time delay of approximately one - half minute , steam at 140 psig and 360 ° fahrenheit is directed through the outer conduit 40 to the low pressure chamber 38 . the time delay insures a positive pressure differential between the inner 70 and outer 38 chambers during the pressure transients . the pressure contracts the outer diaphragm 36 radially inward which in turn compresses the outer rubber layer 96 radially inward against tensile reinforcement 94 . steam condensate is removed from the low - pressure chamber by means of the second conduit 46 . thus , a differential pressure of approximately 30 pounds per square inch is maintained radially outward across the belt sleeve to insure positive tensioning of the cord reinforcement 94 during curing of the rubber layers . when the curing cycle is completed , heat and pressure to the low - pressure chamber 38 is terminated . after a time delay , heat and pressure to the high - pressure chamber 70 is terminated . the pressure delay sequence is desirable when manufacturing belts with fiber glass tensile cords because it insures a positive pressure differential for tensioning the cords during the pressure decay transient . the cured belt sleeve is then removed from the mold for cutting into separate power transmission belts of desired cross section . the time required to cure a belt sleeve is dependent upon the type of rubber material being cured , the mass of the rubber material and the curing temperature . in general , the curing cycle is completed when the mass of material has been heated between 15 and 90 minutes . when considering the time required to cure the belt sleeve , the heat transfer characteristics of the bladders 36 and 68 must be considered . heat must be transferred across the bladders 36 and 68 to the belt sleeve . characteristically , the elastomeric bladders cannot conduct heat as rapidly as a metal . a time delay factor to transfer heat across the bladders must be added to the cure cycle . it has been found that it takes approximately 10 minutes to transfer the necessary heat across an elastomeric bladder 0 . 28 inch thick . the upper 72 and lower 74 end caps being of metal have a higher heat capacity than the bladders . under some plant manufacturing conditions , for example , low surrounding temperatures , the end caps may drain heat near the belt sleeve ends faster than heat can be supplied across the bladders . in such a situation , the ends of the belt sleeve would not be usable as they would be under - cured . optionally , the entire mold may be placed in an autoclave and the autoclave may then be heated . the pressure within the autoclave must be maintained at a level lower than the pressure of the high 70 and low 38 pressure chambers . otherwise , a proper pressure differential could not be maintained across the belt sleeve . for comparative purposes , belts having generally non - extensible reinforcements were constructed and cured by standard methods and by the method in accordance with the invention . belts made by the older method of shell mold curing displayed different failure patterns . belts made with only the portion of the rubber layer radially inward of the tensile reinforcement under pressure during the curing cycle failed early . belts having a fiber glass reinforcement which were subjected to even slight compressive forces also failed early . care was taken to construct an uncured belt sleeve to exacting tolerances for curing in a typical shell mold . in shell mold curing , one side of the belt sleeve is in contact with a metallic cylindrical surface and the other side is in contact with an elastomeric bladder . the belt sleeve was built for a &# 34 ; glove &# 34 ; fit into the shell mold in effort to insure that some compression would be maintained on the belt sleeve on either side of the reinforcement . in an accelerated test , belts of the shell mold cure technique displayed a mean operating life of 173 hours . belts of the same type were built and cured in accordance with the method of the invention . under the same accelerated test , belts of the invention displayed a mean operating life of 308 hours or in other words , an improvement of 78 percent . it is readily seen that belts made by the method of the invention are superior to those belts of the same construction , but which were cured by other methods . the superior belt is a product of the method of the invention and not due to the physical details of belt construction . the above method and apparatus may also be used for curing power transmission belts having an extensible reinforcement although the invention has been primarily described in relation to belts having non - extensible tensile cords . the foregoing detailed description was made for purpose of illustration only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is to be determined from the appended claims .	8
deformable intraocular lens — means an intraocular lens made of an elastic material capable of being folded , rolled or compressed to fit through a relatively small incision ( e . g . 2 . 5 to 3 . 0 mm ) made in the eye . for example , typical deformable intraocular lens are made of silicone elastomer , acrylic elastomer , or collagen - based polymer ( e . g . collamer made by staar surgical of monrovia , calif .). frosted surface — means a roughened surface that reduces the transmission of light therethrough . lay — means the direction of the predominant surface pattern , ordinarily determined by the production method used . matte surface — means a dull surface that scatters reflected light in all directions . measured profile — means a representation of the profiled obtained by instrumental or other means . measured surface — means a representation of the surface obtained by instrumental or other means . nominal profile — means a profile of the nominal surface ; it is the intended profile ( exclusive of any intended roughness profile ). nominal surface — means the intended surface contour ( exclusive of any intended surface roughness ), the shape and extent of which is usually shown and dimensioned on a drawing or descriptive specification . peak — means the point of maximum height on that portion of a profile that lies above the centerline and between two intersections of the profile with the centerline . roughness — means the finer irregularities of surface texture , usually including those irregularities which result from the inherent action of the production process . these are considered to include traverse feed marks and other irregularities within the limits of the roughness sampling length . roughness sampling length — means the sampling length within which the roughness average is determined . this length is chosen , or specified , to separate the profile irregularities which are designated as roughness from those irregularities designated as waviness . roughness spacing — means the average spacing between adjacent peaks of the measured profile within the roughness sampling length . sampling length — means the nominal spacing within which a surface characteristic is determined . spacing — means the distance between specified points on the profile measured parallel to the nominal profile . surface texture — means the repetitive of random deviations from the nominal surface which form the three - dimensional topography of the surface . surface texture includes roughness , waviness , lay and flaws . valley — means the point of maximum depth on that portion of a profile that lies below the centerline and between two intersections of the profile with the centerline . waviness — means the more widely spaced component of surface texture . unless otherwise noted , waviness is to include all irregularities whose spacing is greater than the roughness sampling length and less than the waviness sampling length . waviness may result from such factors as machine or work deflections , vibration , chatter , heat - treatment or warping strains . roughness may be considered as being superposed on a ‘ wavy ’ surface . waviness spacing — means the average spacing between adjacent peaks of the measured profile within the waviness sampling length . a plate - type deformable intraocular lens 10 according to the present invention is shown in fig1 . the deformable intraocular lens 10 comprises a lens portion 12 and haptic portion 14 including haptic portions 14 a and 14 b . the haptic portions 14 a and 14 b are provided with frosted surface portions 16 a and 16 b , respectively . as shown in fig2 and 3 , both sides of the haptic portions 14 a and 14 b are provided with frosted surface portions 16 a and 16 b , respectively . another embodiment of a deformable intraocular lens 20 according to the present invention is shown in fig6 . the intraocular lens 20 includes a lens portion 22 and haptic portion 24 , including haptic portions 24 a and 24 b . the haptic portions 24 a and 24 b are provided with colored or tinted portions 26 a and 26 b , respectively . the colored portions 24 a and 24 b can be made by coloring , dying , painting , masking , coating , tinting or other suitable process of applying a coloring material to the interior and / or surface of the haptic portion . the coloring material can be added to the lens material ( e . g . before or during formation of the lens ), or used to treat the lens material e . g . dying surface , coating surface , modifying surface or interior with radiation after formation of the lens ). the coloring material can be of a type to leave the haptic material transparent with coloring ( e . g . tinting ), or can be of a type to make the haptic material opaque ( e . g . color pigment or dye ). a further embodiment of a deformable intraocular lens 30 according to the present invention is shown in fig8 . the intraocular lens 30 includes a lens portion 32 and haptic portion 34 , including haptic portions 34 a and 34 b . the haptic portions 34 a and 34 b are provided with both frosted and colored ( or tinted ) portions 36 a and 36 b , respectively . the term dh refers to the diameter of the holes through the haptic portions 34 a and 34 b and the term dl refers to the diameter of the lens 30 . the frosted and / or textured surface portions of the haptics are provided by forming or making portions of the haptic having a particular surface roughness . specifically , the roughness of a surface is based on the dimensional aspects of gaps and protrusions in the surface of the haptics . the surface roughness can be further characterized by the mean value of the width of the gaps , the mean value of the thickness of the protrusions , the mean value of the depth of the gaps , and the mean value of the spacing between the gaps . this manner of characterizing surface roughness in the context of an intraocular lens is set forth in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 405 , 385 to heimke et al . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 405 , 385 is fully incorporated by reference herein . the desired extent of frosting of the frosted surface portions of the haptic portions in the iols according to the present invention is to preferably provide a mean value of the width of the gaps of from 8 - 128 microns , a mean value of thickness of the protrusions of from 8 - 128 microns , a mean value of the depth of the gaps of 8 - 128 microns , and a mean value of spacing between gaps in a range of 8 - 128 microns . these parameters will be referred to in general as the mean surface roughness . the mean surfaces roughness is the average of the mean values of width of the gaps , mean value of thickness of the protrusions , and mean value of the depth of the gaps . more preferably , the mean value of width of the gaps is from 16 - 64 microns , the mean value of the thickness of the protrusions is from 16 - 64 microns , the mean value of the depth of the gaps is 16 - 64 microns , and the mean value of the spacing between gaps is 16 - 64 microns . the most preferred surface roughness is characterized by a mean value of width of the gaps of 32 microns , a mean value of the thickness of the protrusions of 32 microns , the mean value of the depths of the gaps of 32 microns , and the mean value of the spacing between the gaps of 32 microns . a one - piece plate - type deformable intraocular lens according to the present invention was made by the following technique , and is shown in fig1 and 11 . the deformable iol shown in fig1 was made by injection molding standard silicon polymer material in a metal mold , followed by tumble polishing . the metal mold was prepared by electro discharge machining ( edm ) to cut the mold cavity . the lens portion and inner portions of the haptics were then highly polished to finalize the mold while the portions to mold the frosted haptic portions were left roughened . the lens was then molded by conventional molding techniques for manufacturing the silicon deformable intraocular lens .	0
the drawings illustrate two embodiments of the bio - reactor chamber system with a continuous backwash filter . fig1 is an exploded view of the bio - reactor chamber system which is part of a continuous cell growth system which contains various other component parts which provide oxygenated fresh medium with the proper mix of nutrients . the bio - reactor chamber of the component system is the vessel in which the cells are cultured . fig2 is a cross - sectional view of the bio - reactor 10 . bio - reactor chamber system 10 has a generally cylindrical short beaker type container 12 . the center bottom of the container is attached to a tubular adapter assembly 14 . concentric inlet tube 16 and outlet tube 18 are provided inside tubular adapter 14 with the inlet tube 16 as the central tube extending through the interior bottom of container 12 . outlet tube 18 is a concentric tube which surrounds inlet tube 16 . adapter assembly 14 is provided with a port 20 which communicates with outlet tube 18 . outlet adapter 22 communicates with port 20 . cross arm structure 24 is disposed in the bottom of the container 12 with the central intersection of the cross arms in the center of the bottom of container 12 . the cross arms extend radially from the intersection to the inside perimeter of container 12 . the cross arms consist of two hollow pairs of arms lying in the same plane in the bottom of container 12 . inlet cross arm 26 is a hollow construction and extends radially from the intersection of the cross arm sructure 24 from the center of the container . a circular opening is provided in the bottom center of inlet arm 26 through which the inlet tube 16 extends with a very close tolerance providing a bearing surface and seal . outlet cross arm 28 is hollow and the outlet arms lie in the same plane as inlet cross arm 26 at a 90 degree angle to the inlet cross arms . outlet cross arm 28 contains 2 central semicircular openings 30 and 31 in the bottom center of the arm . openings 30 and 31 are concentric to and surround inlet tube 16 and adjoin outlet tube 18 at the bottom of container 12 . concentric cavity 32 is formed around inlet tube 16 which communicates with hollow outlet arm 28 through semi - circular openings 30 and 31 . fig7 is a detail of the hollow cross arm structure 24 turned upside down to view the opening 15 which receives the inlet tube 16 . also shown are the semi - circular openings 30 and 31 which communicate with the outlet arm 28 to cavity 32 . there is no communication between inlet tube 16 extending through opening 15 in the cross arms and the receiving inlet cross arm 26 with the concentric cavity 32 and outlet cross arm 28 . inlet cross arm 26 is provided with orifices 34 and 36 on opposite sides of the radially extending arm 26 as shown in fig7 . as fluid medium under pressure enters inlet tube 16 and flows into inlet cross arm 26 , it is forced out of orifices 34 and 36 causing a rotation of the cross arm structure 24 . fig3 and fig7 show the cross arm structure with the inlet cross arm 26 and orifices 34 and 36 . the flow of the media is shown out of the orifices 34 and 36 imparting the rotation on cross arm structure 24 . the outlet cross arm 28 contains orifices 38a , 38b , 40a and 40b on the trailing side of the outlet cross arms opposite to the rotational direction caused by the jet action of the emission of fluid medium causing the cross arm structure 24 to rotate . the depleted media goes into orifices 38a , 38b , 40a and 40b . a spacer ring 42 is shown placed concentric to the bottom interior perimeter of the container 12 and extends the height of the cross arm structure 24 . the cross arm structure 24 is fitted with a very close tolerance to spacer ring 42 which allows for rotation of the cross arms 26 and 28 within the spacer ring but does not provide for any more clearance than necessary for the rotation of the cross arms . a circular filter 44 is bonded to a spider 46 and is disposed just above the cross arm structure 24 in the container 12 . the filter can be made of any material compatible with nutrient solution and is typically a fine mesh screen of nylon . the filter is bonded to the spider framework 46 which provides a flexible but secure attachment for the filter . spider 46 has a spherical bearing surface 50 in the center of the framework which contacts the intersection of inlet cross arm 26 and outlet cross arm 28 . the spider 46 bonded to filter 44 is held in place over cross arm structure 24 by a circular retaining ring 48 secured in an interior groove 49 in the side wall of container 12 . container 12 is provided with lid 54 which is tightly secured with screws 58 , 59 , 60 and 61 which are shown in fig1 . lid 54 also has a circular sealing ring 56 which contacts lip 57 of container 12 to assure a tight fit . fig1 also shows fill and vent ports 62 and 64 which are typically provided in bio - reactor chambers . during the operation of the bio - reactor fresh medium is pumped through inlet tube 16 into hollow inlet cross arm 26 , out of the orifices 34 and 36 on cross arms causing the cross arm structure 24 to rotate on the bottom of container 12 from the jet action of the fluid passing through the orifices 34 and 36 on inlet arm 26 . fig2 shows the ingress of the media through the inlet tube 16 . the passage of the media into the outlet arm 28 , through openings 30 and 31 to cavity 32 and out of the side outlet adapter 22 is shown in fig2 . fig4 is a cross - section of the inlet cross arm 26 further showing the path of the media . the media flows through inlet tube 16 into the hollow cross arm and out orifices 34 and 36 causing rotation of the cross arm structure . only orifice 34 is shown in fig4 . the media then is forced through the filter 44 into container 12 . during the operation the container 12 is sealed . the medium jetting out of rotating cross arm structure 24 is forced through filter 44 into the main chamber of the bio - reactor where the cultured cells are located . the pores in the filter 44 are sized such that the cells on the microcarriers or otherwise will not pass through the filter 44 . as the cross arm 24 rotates from the jet action , the filter 44 is continuously backwashed of any cells which may have settled on the filter . the jet action disperses the cells in the nutrient medium without internal mechanical action in the main chamber of the bio - reactor . size of the orifices 34 and 36 can be adjusted for optimum rotational rate to minimize the build - up of cells on the filter , for delivery of medium and proper jet action to maintain an optimum suspension of the cells . as the medium is being pumped into the bio - reactor which is sealed , medium within the reactor or the depleted medium must be displaced . outlet orifices 38a , 38b , 40a and 40b on outlet arm 28 provide for passage of the depleted medium . the depleted medium is forced through filter 44 , through outlet orifices 38a , 38b , 40a or 40b into the hollow portion of outlet cross arm 28 , through concentric outlet cavities 30 and 31 and outlet tube 18 to outlet adapter 22 . the depleted medium can be replenished , oxygenated and re - used in the bio - reactor . the size of the outlet orifices can also be optimized to achieve the best results given the size of the container and amount of medium which is pumped through the system . fig5 and 6 show an alternative embodiment . the container 100 is generally cylindrical with additional height as compared to the embodiment shown in fig1 , 3 , and 4 . container 100 is fitted with a tubular adapter 102 with inlet tube 104 and outlet tube 106 which is concentric with inner tube 104 . adapter 102 is provided with outlet port 108 which is connected to an outlet adapter 110 . this arrangement is virtually identical to the other embodiment . the cross arm structure 112 is composed of a hollow inlet cross arm 114 and hollow outlet cross arm 116 . the inlet cross arm 114 and outlet cross arm 116 are hollow , u - shaped in structure and intersect at right angles to each other . the cross arms 114 and 116 intersect at the bottom of the middle of container 100 and extend radially to the perimeter of container 100 and from the perimeter of the container extend up the side of the container to the top edge . inlet tube 104 extends through the bottom of container 100 into a circular opening to the center of the bottom of hollow inlet cross arm 114 . the inlet tube 104 provides a bearing surface and a seal for the center of inlet arm 114 . inlet arm 114 is provided with orifices 120a , 120b , 120c , 122a , 122b , and 122c . the orifices on inlet arm 114 are generally spaced on the bottom and sides of the structure . outlet cross arm 116 is provided with a circular opening on its bottom surface which surrounds inlet tube 104 . the opening on the bottom of outlet arm 116 connected to the upper perimeters of outlet tube 106 which extends to the plane of the bottom of container 100 . a concentric cavity 126 formed in the adapter 102 below container 100 by the outlet tube 106 surrounding the inlet tube 104 . outlet cross arm 116 is provided with orifices 128a , 128b , 128c , 130a , 130b and 130c on the trailing edge of the outlet cross arm 116 . the filter 132 in the alternative embodiment is bonded to a birdcage spider assembly 134 . the filter 132 is generally cylindrical with a circular portion closing the bottom of the cylinder . the filter 132 is generally in the shape of the interior of container 100 and is held against the u - shaped cross arm assembly by the birdcage spider 134 . spider 134 is composed of multiple u - shaped cross arms as shown in fig5 with cross arms connecting the u - shaped sections . container 100 has a lid 140 provided with seal 142 and fastened tightly with screw and nut assemblies indicated at 144 , 145 , 146 , and 147 . the birdcage spider assembly 134 with bonded filter 132 is held into place with screws 150 and 152 . in operation the alternative embodiment performs in a similar manner to the embodiment described in fig1 . the fresh medium enters inlet tube 104 with pressure and is pumped through the u - shaped hollow inlet arm 114 . the cross arm structure 112 rotates by the jet action of the fresh medium being forced through orifices 120a , 120b , 120c and 122a , 122b , and 122c on arm 114 . since the container is sealed , the medium inside the bio - reactor is being displaced with fresh medium . the displaced or depleted medium enters the outlet orifices 128a , 128b , 128c and 130a , 130b , and 130c into the hollow portion of outlet cross arm 116 through cavity 126 and further through outlet adapter 110 . the pumping of the inlet fluid provides a constant rotation of the cross arm structure providing medium and gentle agitation action to the bio - reactor . the number , size and spacing of orifices on inlet arm 114 depend on the rotational action desired as well as the amount of fresh medium to be provided . the number of orifices or outlet cross arm 116 depends on the need for recycling depleted media . the materials used for the bio - reactor components are compatible with the bio - reactor systems used for the cell culture . the materials may be selected based on the system used for cell culture taking into account toxicity , durability and maintenance in the culture system . often teflon ® or teflon ® coated metallic parts are used . other polymer , polymer coated metals or metals can be used depending on the required service . the bio - reactor of this invention is incorporated in a typical bio - reactor system in place of a bio - reactor that has internal moving parts . the medium introduced would have the proper nutrients and oxygen content . a pump with a pressure control would regulate the inflow of the nutrient in the inlet tube . in a continuous flow system the depleted medium exiting the bio - reactor would be treated for waste removal , reconstituted with the appropriate nutrients and other media requirements , oxygenated and re - introduced into the bio - reactor . the embodiments described in the specification are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the claimed invention .	2
turning now to the figures , fig1 is a structure diagram illustrating an atm mpls network 10 . referring to fig1 , an ip packet 20 entering the mpls network 10 is transformed into atm cells 21 in a first ler 11 which is an ingress ler . the transformed atm cells 21 are then switched by atm switches along an lsp path . the ip packet 20 is reassembled from the atm cells 21 in a third ler 13 which is an egress ler , and the ip packet is outputted from the mpls network 10 . in fig1 , ip routing functions of a router such as ip packet assembling / segmentation , ip header analysis and processing , and routing table lookup are performed once in each ler 11 and 13 , and the atm cells 21 are rapidly atm switched in the mpls network 10 . in addition , a data transmission path is identical to a connectionless ip network path . a transmission side of two adjacent routers on one path is upstream ru and a reception side is a downstream rd . a path calculated by a routing protocol operated in each network element is an lsp path . here , a protocol used between the network elements is an ldp . that is , when the lsp is set up by the ldp , the first ler 11 , which is an ingress ler , analyzes a header of the ip packet 20 , and determines an lsp according to the destination ip address . thereafter , the first ler 11 segments the ip packet 20 into the atm cells 21 , and transmits the atm cells 21 to a first lsr 110 which is a peer lsr by using a selected label as a vpi / vci value . the first through fourth lsrs 110 through 140 transmit the ip packet to the third ler 13 , which is an egress ler , by cell switching without assembling / segmenting the ip packet . the third ler 13 reassembles the input cells , analyzes an ip header , and performs l3 forwarding . the ler &# 39 ; s includes a plurality of line interface cards ( lic ) for connecting the ler to an external environment ( such as terminals or other systems ). the ler &# 39 ; s also include a plurality of forwarding engines ( fe ) for forwarding packets . each of the lics may include a variety of interfaces such as an atm interface , ethernet and frame relay . the external terminals or other systems can be connected to the lers through the plurality of lics in the form of various services . such connections are connected to the fes so that they can process the input packets and transmit them to destinations . on the other hand , when the mpls ler / lsr over the atm sets up the lsp through the mpls network , a vp full mesh type internal channel must be determined between the fes . each fe must set up vpi channels of the whole fes composing the atm mpls network . for example , as illustrated in fig2 , fe - 1 200 b must set up three lsps ( 34 , 35 and 36 ) for one channel ( ch ), the three paths being fe - 0 → fe - 1 , fe - 2 → fe - 1 and fe - 3 → fe - 1 . in addition , four open channels 1 , 2 3 and ch are opened in consideration of one ipoa pvc . as will be discussed later , this is unnecessary . the process for setting up channels will now be explained . in initialization of the atm mpls network , virtual path ( vp ) tunnels are set up between the whole fes in the atm mpls network by a general switch management protocol ( gsmp ). the vp tunnel information is registered in a vp mapping table of the mpls ler . for example , as illustrated in fig2 , entry information such as fe - 0 , fe - 1 , vpi ( 1 ), fe - 2 , fe - 1 , vip ( 2 ), fe - 3 , fe - 1 and vpi ( 3 ) is registered in the vp mapping table of the fe - 1 200 b . after this registration , when receiving an lsp or ipoa pvc connection request , the mpls ler then allocates channels , and searches vpi information connected to the fe - 1 200 b in the vp mapping table . the mpls ler searches vpi values of fe - 1 , fe - 0 , vpi ( 1 ), vci ( 4 ), fe - 1 , fe - 2 , vpi ( 2 ), vci ( 5 ), fe - 1 , fe - 3 , vpi ( 3 ) and vci ( 6 ), and rece values thereof from a vci pool . turning to fig3 , fig3 is a structure diagram illustrating an atm mpls system 300 having an internal channel share function in according to the principles of the present invention . as illustrated in fig3 , the atm mpls system 300 having the internal channel share function includes a switch 301 , a main control unit 302 , an ip / mpls control unit 303 , lics 304 , mux / dmuxes 305 , fes 306 , and vc or virtual channel merging units ( vm ) 340 . the switch 301 switches atm cells . the main control unit 302 controls software parts , namely call processing , maintenance / repair , charging and statistics . the lics 304 match with external links , distinguish atm data flows through a vpi / vci , control traffic types and properties by atm data flows , and transmit the atm data flows to the switch 301 . turning now to fig4 , fig4 illustrates , in detail , an lic 304 of fig3 . lic 304 is made up of a line physical interface 308 , a port control unit 310 and an interface control block or icb interface 311 . each of these devices are controlled by a main control unit 302 . lic 304 is further made up of line mux / dmux 309 . turning now to fig5 , fig5 illustrates , in detail , internal control block or icb interface 311 of fig4 . as depicted in fig5 , the icb interface 311 of the lic 304 includes a cell transmitting / receiving unit 312 , a cell format transforming unit 313 and an internal cell transmitting / receiving unit 314 . each device 312 , 313 and 314 is controlled by the main control unit 302 . the cell transmitting / receiving unit 312 transmits / receives cells to / from the port control unit 310 . when the port control unit 310 and the icb interface 311 have different cell formats , the cell format transforming unit 313 equalizes the cell formats . the internal cell transmitting / receiving unit 314 transmits / receives cells format - transformed into internal cells . the cell format transforming unit 313 is required because most of the atm exchanges transform standard atm cells into internal cells and switch them . in addition to the fields of the standard atm cell , the internal cell further includes a field for storing extra information such as an internal channel id for switching in the exchange . the line physical interface 308 of the lic 304 of an ingress ler extracts the standard atm cells from a transmission frame , and a line physical interface of an egress ler adds the standard atm cells to the transmission frame , and transmits it . the cell format transforming unit 313 of the icb interface 311 of the lic 304 of the ingress ler processes the standard atm cells according to a corresponding protocol , and transforms the atm cells into internal cells . the cell format transforming unit 313 stores the internal channel id mapped to the vpi / vci value in the field of the atm standard cell by referring to an input end table mapping the vpv / vci value to the internal channel id . when the internal channel id mapped to the vpi / vci value of the standard atm cells is stored in the fields of the internal cells , a cell format transforming unit of the egress ler processes the internal cells according to a corresponding protocol , and transforms them into the standard atm cells . here , the cell format transforming unit stores the vpi / vci value mapped to the internal channel id in the fields of the standard atm cells by referring to an output end table mapping the internal channel id to the vpi / vci value . on the other hand , the ip / mpls control unit 303 performs software functions such as an ip , routing protocol or rp , gsmp and ldp . the fes 306 assemble the ip packets and analyze the ip header of the ip packets . in addition , the fes 306 generate labels according to the analyzed ip headers , add the labels to the ip packets , segment the ip packets into the atm cells , and transmit the atm cells to a succeeding node ( for example , exchange or router ). the fes 306 are hardware boards for rapidly processing various traffic such as ip packets , point - to - point protocol or ppp packets and mpls packets inputted to the atm mpls exchange , and transmitting them to corresponding output interfaces . turning now to fig6 , fig6 illustrates in detail forwarding engine ( fe ) 306 of fig3 . as illustrated in fig6 , the fe 306 includes an input end icb interface 315 , an sar ( or segmentation and reassembly or just segmentation ) receiving unit 316 , a lookup control unit 317 , an fib / lib 323 , an sar transmitting unit 318 , a control memory 320 , a packet memory 321 of the sar receiving unit 316 , a control memory 324 , a packet memory 325 of the sar transmitting unit 318 , and an output end icb interface 319 . the control memories 320 and 324 store sar control information , and the packet memories 321 and 325 store received packets . the input end icb interface 315 transforms the internal cell into the standard atm cells to perform sar , and copies and stores an internal channel access id stored in the fields of the internal cells in specific fields of the standard atm cells . the sar receiving unit 316 reassembles the standard atm cells having the same internal access id to generate the ip packet , and transmits the ip packet to the lookup control unit 317 . in addition to the internal channel id information for routing between the fes 306 , an extension tag must be set up in the fib / lib 323 of the fe 306 of the ingress ler to share the internal channel . the internal channel id serves to distinguish internal channels set up between the fe 306 of the ingress ler and the fes of the egress ler . in the related art , different internal channel ids are allocated according to an external vpi / vci , and thus a plurality of internal channel ids are set up between the fes of the ingress ler and the fes of the egress ler . however , according to the principles of the present invention , the internal channel id is not newly set up when the external vpi / vci is set up . instead , in the present invention , a previously established internal channel id is used , and the external vpi / vci is distinguished by using the extension tag ( which will later be explained with reference to fig8 ). accordingly , when the external vpi / vci is set up , the internal channel is not newly set up but routed to the same path by using the previously - set internal channel id , which extends an available bandwidth . the extension tag is mapped to the newly - set external vpi / vci , and the vpi / vci mapped to the extension tag is designated in an extension information base / merging table ( eib / mt ) 335 of the vc merging unit or vm 340 of the egress ler . the lookup control unit 317 reads the ip address , the mapped internal channel id and extension tag , and the label from the fib / lib 323 , performs ip lookup for l3 switching for adding them to the header of the ip packet , and transmits the ip packet to the sar transmitting unit 318 . the sar transmitting unit 318 segments the ip packet to reproduce the standard atm cells storing the internal channel id in their specific fields . the output end icb interface 319 transforms the standard atm cells into the internal cells , and copies the internal access id stored in the fields of the standard atm cells to the fields of the internal cells . in the mpls system using the atm exchange , when a data rate of one port which is a basic unit of the switch 301 is greater than a data rate of one lic , the mux 305 combines a plurality of lic data streams to form one switch port - sized data stream . the vms 340 receive the ip packet having the capsulated extension tag from the fes 306 , extract the extension tag , confirm the internal channel according to the extension tag , and transmit the ip packet to the internal channel . the external channel information corresponding to the extension tag must be managed in a connection extension information base / merging table ( eib / mt ) 335 of the vm 340 . turning now to fig7 , fig7 illustrates in detail vm 340 of fig3 . the vm 340 includes an input end icb interface 326 , an sar receiving unit 327 , a lookup control unit 328 , an eib / mt 335 , an sar transmitting unit 329 , a control memory 331 and a packet memory 332 of the sar receiving unit 327 , a control memory 333 and a packet memory 334 of the sar transmitting unit 329 , and an output end icb interface 330 . the control memories 331 and 333 store sar control information , and the packet memories 332 and 334 store received packets . the input end icb interface 326 transforms the internal cells into the standard atm cells to perform sar , and copies and stores the internal channel access id stored in the fields of the internal cells in specific fields of the standard atm cells . the sar receiving unit 327 reassembles the standard atm cells having the same internal access id to generate the ip packet , and transmits the ip packet to the lookup control unit 328 . the lookup control unit 328 confirms the extension tag of the ip packet , reads the mapped internal channel id , stores it in a corresponding field of the ip packet , and transmits the ip packet to the sar transmitting unit 329 . the sar transmitting unit 329 segments the ip packet to reproduce the standard atm cells storing the internal channel id in their specific fields . the output icb interface 330 transforms the standard atm cells into the internal cells , and copies the internal access id stored in the fields of the standard atm cells to the fields of the internal cells . a cell format transforming unit ( not illustrated ) which is a succeeding unit of the vm 340 x of the egress ler processes the internal cells according to a corresponding protocol , and transforms the internal cells into the standard atm cells . here , the cell format transforming unit stores the vpi / vci value mapped to the internal channel id in the fields of the atm standard cells by referring to an output end table mapping the internal channel id to the vpi / vci value . thereafter , a line physical interface ( not illustrated ) of the egress ler adds the standard atm cells to a transmission frame , and transmits it . fig8 is a concept diagram illustrating the method for sharing the internal channel in the atm mpls network according to the principles of the present invention . the main control unit 302 registers the lsp having a destination address ( for example , ip - a , ip - b ) by the gsmp . the main control unit 302 searches the fe number of the egress ler from the registered lsp information , and also searches the internal channel id ( used by the fe of egress ler to externally transmit the atm cells ) corresponding to the destination ip address to which the fe of the egress ler intends to transmit cells . in addition to the fe number of the egress ler and the internal channel id , the main control unit 302 extracts and manages the vpi / vci . thereafter , the main control unit 302 receives the extension tag for the internal channel id used by the egress fe to transmit the atm cells . here , the main control unit 302 receives an extension tag that has not been allocated to the other channel ids . for example , in the case of the ip packet having the destination ip address of ip - a , when the fe number of the output channel is ‘ 1 ’ and the channel id is ‘ 1 ’ in the lsp information , if ‘ e ’ has not been allocated to the other channel ids having the fe number of ‘ 1 ’, the main control unit 302 of the ingress ler receives ‘ e ’ for the extension tag indicating the destination ip - a . similarly , in the case of the ip packet having the destination ip address of ip - b , when the fe number is ‘ 1 ’ and the channel id is ‘ a ’, if ‘ f ’ has not been allocated to the other channel ids having the fe number of ‘ 1 ’, the main control unit 302 receives ‘ f ’ for an extension tag indicating the destination ip - b . here , the fes of the ingress ler have the same egress fe , and use the same extension tag for the destination ip address from the egress fe to the same internal channel . therefore , when the egress fe is ‘ 1 ’ and the channel id is ‘ 1 ’, the fe - 2 control unit receives the same extension tag ‘ e ’. also , when the egress fe is ‘ 1 ’ and the channel id is ‘ a ’, the fe - 2 control unit receives the same extension tag ‘ f ’. the main control unit 302 of the router searches the previously - set internal channel to the corresponding egress fe in the vp mapping table . for example , when the channel id of the previously - set internal channel from fe - 0 to fe - 1 is ‘ 2 ’, the main control unit 302 sets up the channel id to be ‘ 2 ’, designates the allocated extension tag , and generates a forwarding information base / label information base ( fib / lib ) 323 for a newly - set lsp path . in addition , when the channel id of the previously - set internal channel from fe - 2 to fe - 1 is ‘ 3 ’, the main control unit 302 sets up the channel id to be ‘ 3 ’, designates the extension tag , and generates a forwarding information base / label information base fib / lib 323 for a newly - set lsp path . thereafter , the egress main control unit 302 receives the lsp set information from the main control unit 302 , and generates and stores an extension information base / merging table eit / mt 335 . in the extension information base / merging table eit / mt 335 , the internal channel id is mapped to the extension tag . for example , when the extension tag is ‘ e ’, the channel id is mapped to ‘ 1 ’, and when the extension tag is ‘ f ’, the channel id is mapped to ‘ a ’. the main control unit 302 generates a merging table for the internal channel id , and stores it in the mapping table . for example , the internal channel having the internal channel id of ‘ 2 ’ is mapped to the internal channel having the internal channel id of ‘ 1 ’, and the internal channel having the internal channel id of ‘ 3 ’ is mapped to the internal channel having the internal channel id of ‘ a ’. on the other hand , when the procedure of setting up the lsp is finished , the fe of the ingress ler receiving the ip packet looks up the forwarding information base / label information base fib / lib 323 , adds the allocated internal channel id , the extension tag and the label to the ip packet , and transmits it to the channel having the internal channel id . the ip packet is segmented to atm cells , and transmitted to the internal channel . the switch performs switching according to the internal channel id . for example , when fe - 0 receives the ip packet having the destination ip address of ip - a , it looks up the forwarding information base / label information base fib / lib 323 , adds the internal channel id of ‘ 2 ’, the extension tag of ‘ e ’ and the label to the ip packet , segments the ip packet to generate a plurality of atm cells having the internal channel id of ‘ 2 ’ and the extension tag of ‘ e ’, and transmits them to the internal channel having the internal channel id of ‘ 2 ’. likewise , when fe - 2 receives the ip packet having the destination ip address of ip - b , it looks up the forwarding information base / label information base fib / lib 323 , adds the internal channel id of ‘ 3 ’, the extension tag of ‘ f ’ and the label to the ip packet , segments the ip packet to generate a plurality of atm cells having the internal channel id of ‘ 3 ’ and the extension tag of ‘ f ’ and transmits them to the internal channel having the internal channel id of ‘ 3 ’. the fe of the egress ler merges the atm cells from the same internal channel id , and searches the internal channel id to which the atm cells mapped to the extension tag will be transmitted by referring to the extension information base / merging table eib / mt 335 . thereafter , the fe of the egress ler transmits the atm cells having the same extension tag to the internal channel having the internal channel id . for example , when fe - 1 receives the atm cells having the internal channel id of ‘ 2 ’, the extension tag of ‘ e ’ and the destination ip address of ‘ ip - a ’ from fe - 0 , it confirms that the internal channel id is ‘ 1 ’ through the extension information base / merging table eib / mt 335 by referring to the extension tag of ‘ e ’, and transmits the atm cells to the channel having the internal channel id of ‘ 1 ’. in the case that fe - 1 receives the atm cells having the internal channel id of ‘ 3 ’, the extension tag of ‘ f ’ and the destination ip address of ‘ ip - b ’ from fe - 2 , it confirms that the internal channel id is ‘ a ’ through the extension information base / merging table eib / mt 335 by referring to the extension tag of ‘ f ’, and transmits the atm cells to the channel having the internal channel id of ‘ a ’. each fe forwards data to be transferred to a corresponding switch , and switch block 301 transfers received packets to a vm of a corresponding block . the receiving vm reallocates received data to corresponding chids . referring to fig8 , the packet forwarded to the switch in fe - 0 and fe - 2 is transferred via an internal channel to vm - 1 . vm - 1 then allocates the packet to the chids . the novel channel sharing will now be described in conjunction with fig8 . in fig8 , fib / libs connected to the ( fe - 0 , vm - 0 ) and ( fe - 2 , vm - 2 ) is allocated with different internal channel ids mapped with ip addresses . so , when packets of equal vpi and vci and different chids are introduced into switch 301 as illustrated in fig8 , the packets are transferred to vm - 1 via a single channel 400 instead of using multiple channels , one for each source . this is different from the scenario of fig2 where when each of ( fe - 0 , vm - 0 ), ( fe - 2 , vm - 2 ) and ( fe - 3 , vm - 3 ) forwards packets to ( fe - 1 , vm - 1 ), different channels ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) are used to deliver the packets from switch 210 to ( fe - 1 , vm - 1 ). by using different channels 1 , 2 , 3 in fig2 , the number of channels is disadvantageously large . also , unnecessary resources are consumed to set up each of these channels between switch 210 and ( fe - 1 , vm - 1 ). the present invention solves the problem of fig2 by transferring the packets of equal vpi and vci having different chids using only a single channel 400 . therefore , the packets the packets from ( fe - 0 , vm - 0 ) and ( fe - 2 , vm - 2 ) are transferred in a package by sharing internal channel 400 from switch 301 to vm - 1 , the destination of transmission . by using a single channel 400 in fig8 instead of many channels in fig2 , unnecessary channel setting is eliminated . turning to fig9 , fig9 is a flowchart illustrating the process for setting up the lsp in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated in fig9 , the main control unit 302 of the ingress ler registers the lsp having the destination address by the gsmp ( s 110 ). the main control unit 302 of the ingress ler searches the fe number of the egress ler from the registered lsp information , and also searches the internal channel id corresponding to the destination ip address to which the fe of the egress ler transmits cells ( s 112 ). in addition to the fe number and the internal channel id , the fe of the egress ler extracts and manages the vpi / vci . thereafter , the main control unit 302 of the ingress ler receives the extension tag for the internal channel id used by the egress fe to transmit the atm cells . here , the main control unit 302 of the ingress ler receives the extension tag which has not been allocated to the other channel ids ( s 114 ). the main control unit 302 of the ingress ler searches the previously - set internal channel to the corresponding egress fe in the vp mapping table ( s 116 ). then , the main control unit 302 of the ingress ler generates the forwarding information base / label information base fib / lib table 323 having the searched internal channel id and extension tag ( s 118 ). the main control unit 302 of the egress ler receives the lsp set information from the ingress main control unit 302 , and generates and stores this information in an extension information base / merging table eib / mt 335 . here , the internal channel id is mapped to the extension tag in the extension information base / merging table eib / mt 335 ( s 122 ). turning now to fig1 , fig1 is a flowchart illustrating a process for sharing the internal channel in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , when the procedure of setting up the lsp is finished , the fe of the ingress ler receiving the ip packet ( s 210 ) looks up the forwarding information base / label information base fib / lib 323 , adds the allocated internal channel id , the extension tag and the label to the ip packet ( s 212 ), and transmits it to the channel having the internal channel id ( s 214 ). here , the ip packet is segmented to atm cells , and transmitted to the internal channel , and the switch performs switching according to the internal channel id . the fe of the egress ler merges the atm cells from the same internal channel id ( s 216 ), and searches the internal channel id to which the atm cells mapped to the extension tag will be transmitted by referring to the extension information base / merging table eib / mt 335 ( s 218 ). thereafter , the fe of the egress ler transmits the atm cells having the same extension tag to the internal channel having the internal channel id ( s 220 ). on the other hand , the procedure of setting up the lsp has been described in this embodiment , but the procedure of setting up the ipoa pvc is performed in the same manner . as discussed earlier , in the related art , when the external channel such as the lsp and the ipoa pvc is set up , resources of the mpls network are consumed to set up the internal channel , thereby reducing the whole capacity of the mpls network . in accordance with the present invention , the resources of the mpls network can be efficiently used by sharing the internal channel . while the invention has been illustrated and described with reference to a certain preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	7
referring to fig1 , the illustrated projection system is a back projection system comprising an lcd projector and lens system 1 , a back projection screen 2 , and a fast acting shutter 3 mounted in the image projection path between the projector 1 and screen 2 . the projector 1 may be a conventional projector comprising a conventional lcd panel and lens system . the shutter 3 , which may for example be a ferro - electric crystal cell or a pi - cell , is included in accordance with the present invention to address the lcd resolution limitations mentioned above . operation of the shutter 3 is described in more detail further below . a conventional lcd panel which may be incorporated in the projector 1 is schematically illustrated in fig2 . the panel 4 comprises a rectangular matrix array of liquid crystal cells arranged in lines and columns ( not illustrated ). video data is supplied to each cell by the application of a voltage to each respective column of cells by a column driver 5 . similarly , line data is provided to each cell of successive lines of the matrix array by a line driver 6 . since the lcd panel and its operation may be entirely conventional further details of that operation not be given here . as mentioned above , each line of liquid crystal cells is updated in sequence once every frame period , the time it takes to update each line being a line period . this image updating scheme is graphically illustrated in fig3 which shows how the frame period of each successive line in the display is offset from the previous line by one line period . a typical transmission response of an individual lcd cell is illustrated in fig4 . referring to fig4 , line 7 is the desired cell response over time illustrating that the cell is required to switch sharply from low to high transmission states ( and vice versa ) at the beginning and end of a time interval of one or more frame periods . the actual response of a typical cell to the control input corresponding to line 7 is illustrated by line 8 . this shows that when the cell is set to transmit a high light level , the cell transmission initially increases with time and thus approaches the desired level asymptotically . similarly , at the end of the time interval when the cell is “ turned off ”, the cell transmission level does not drop instantly to zero but falls to zero asymptotically . these delays in the cell response produce visible artefacts in the pixel displayed by the cell , resulting in a “ soft ” leading edge and a “ tail ” at the trailing edge degrading the displayed picture and reducing the dynamic resolution compared with static resolution . the deleterious effects of the response delay of the pixel of fig4 may be eliminated , and the effective response time decreased , in accordance with the present invention , by appropriate operation of the shutter 3 . that is , by opening the shutter during the pixel steady state , and closing the shutter during the asymptotic response periods , the asymptotic response regions are not displayed . such an effect of the shutter operation on the single liquid crystal cell of fig4 is illustrated by fig5 . lines 7 and 8 once again represent the desired and actual cell responses respectively over a time interval ( which for simplicity may be regarded as a single frame period ). line 9 illustrates operation of the shutter which is opened for only a part of the frame period corresponding to the steady state of the actual cell response . since light will only be transmitted by the cell when the shutter is open , line 10 illustrates the actual output of the cell , i . e . the projected pixel , as a result of the shutter operation . this shows how the asymptotic regions of the cell response are eliminated from the projected pixel and the response time is effectively decreased . it will be apparent that there will be an overall reduction in the light output by the cell due to closure of the shutter . the light output verses image resolution can be adjusted by appropriate control of the shutter open and closed periods . optimisation of the shutter operation for an lcd panel is complicated by the fact that the frame period of each successive line is offset by one line period from the previous line . the operation of the shutter on a simple eight line lcd panel is illustrated in fig6 . in fig6 the time period indicated as t 1 is the shutter open period and the time period indicated as t 2 is the shutter closed period , the combination t 1 plus t 2 being equal to the frame period . the time period indicated as d 1 is the delay between initiation of the first line period and the opening of the shutter . it will be seen from fig6 that with the illustrated shutter timing scheme the lcd line numbers 3 , 4 and 5 will be sharpened for dynamic images whereas lines 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 and 8 will not . as mentioned above , the overall brightness of the displayed image will be reduced , the reduction in pixel brightness being t 1 /( t 1 + t 2 ) for each pixel compared with the output that would be achieved without the shutter . increasing t 1 without changing the delay d 1 will increase the brightness of the image but will mean that line 3 ( at least ) will not be sharpened . conversely , reducing t 1 will add other lines ( firstly line 2 and then line 1 , depending on the amount of reduction ) to the sharpened image at the expense of further reducing the overall image brightness . thus , it is possible to trade off the image brightness against the number of lines sharpened . furthermore , by varying the delay d 1 it is possible to adjust which group of lines will actually be sharpened . non - sharpened lines are decreased in brightness but otherwise are not affected . although , as illustrated in fig6 , with a single shutter it would not be possible to sharpen all lines of a practical lcd display without reducing the brightness to an unacceptable level , simply improving the sharpness of some lines will be sufficient to effectively remove the visible smear of moving elements of the displayed image . it will be appreciated that with operation of the shutter the image will no longer be flicker free . however , the critical flicker frequency of a displayed image is a well understood phenomenon , and the frame period and display brightness can be selected so as to be within acceptable levels for the display operational requirements . it is possible to increase the number of sharpened lines without reducing overall image brightness by replacing the single shutter of the above described embodiment of the invention , with multiple shutters ( or a single shutter comprising multiple elements ), each operating on only a portion of the displayed image . fig7 is a schematic illustration of a shutter assembly comprising three horizontal shutter elements . if the shutter is mounted so that each element is horizontal and aligned with the display lines then each element of the shutter will affect only a limited number of lines . fig8 is an illustration of how a three element shutter such as that illustrated in fig7 could be used to sharpen all of the lines of an eight line display . in the illustrated arrangement the top element 11 of to the shutter affects lines 1 and 2 , the middle 12 element affects lines 3 , 4 and 5 , and the bottom element 13 affects lines 7 and 8 . in each case the shutter open period ( t 1 ) is the same but the open period for successive horizontal shutter elements is delayed by a time corresponding to the frame period divided by the number of horizontal elements ( i . e . three ). clearly the number of shutter elements can be increased and the relative timing of the shutter open periods adjusted accordingly . with a multi element shutter arrangement it would be undesirable to have a display line falling on the junction between two adjacent elements of the shutter which would result in that display line having a longer or shorter display time than the majority of lines in the display . this can be avoided by positioning to the shutter at the image plane . a practical arrangement of such a projector system is illustrated in fig9 . with the system of fig9 , an lcd projector 14 and associated relay lens 15 produce an intermediate image on a shutter 16 positioned in an intermediate image plane . a field lens 17 adjacent the image plane , and a projection 18 lens relay the image passing through the shutter onto a back projection screen 19 . in practice , if the shutter is positioned at the image plane then the structure of the shutter will be imposed on the projected image so that it is desirable to displace the shutter slightly from the image plane ( as is normally done with the field lens for the same reason ). it will be appreciated that in describing the invention reference has been made to a simple eight line lcd panel but that in practice the lcd panel will have many more lines . similarly , a multi element shutter such as that illustrated in fig8 may have only two elements , or more than the three elements illustrated . it will also be appreciated that the invention is not limited in application to any particular type of light valve or lcd panel , or any particular type of image display system . for instance , the display system need not be a back projection system or indeed a projection display system at all . rather , the invention can be utilised in other display systems incorporating a light valve such as , for instance , a liquid crystal display . other possible modifications of the above described embodiments of the invention will be readily apparent to the appropriately skilled person .	6
in the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments , reference is made to accompanying fig1 - 11 , which form a part hereof and show , by way of illustration , exemplary embodiments of the present invention . these embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized , however , and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense in that the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims . the achievement tracking system 10 of the present invention is generally provided with a base member 12 , having a forward face 14 , a rearward face 16 and a peripheral edge portion 18 . while the figures depict the base member 12 as being generally rectangular in shape , it is contemplated that the base member 12 could be provided in nearly any shape and size , without departing from the scope of the invention . likewise the base member 12 could be constructed from several different materials , which may be flexible , semi - rigid , of rigid , depending upon the desired use . a securement means should be coupled with the base member 12 in a manner that permits the base member 12 to be operatively secured with a martial arts belt 20 . while it is contemplated that the base member 12 could be permanently secured to the martial arts belt 20 using an adhesive , stitching or other mechanical fastener , a preferred embodiment provides a securement means that releasably couples the base member 12 with a martial arts belt 20 . one such embodiment provides a mechanical fastener , such as a hook and loop style fastener to the base member 12 for securement with the martial arts belt 20 . in one embodiment , the securement means is comprised of an arm member 22 , having a first end portion 24 and a second end portion 26 . the arm member 22 is preferably positioned so that at least a portion of the arm member 22 extends along the rearward face 14 of the base member 12 in a spaced - relationship thereto . the space between the arm member 22 and the rearward face 16 of the base member 12 should be at least sufficient to permit a portion of the martial arts belt 20 to be received therein . in one embodiment , depicted in fig1 , 2 , 4 and 6 , both the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 may be coupled with the base member 12 , forming a loop through which the belt 20 may be passed . in another embodiment , depicted in fig7 , the second end portion 26 of the arm member 22 is left freely disposed in a spaced - relationship with the base member 12 . in this embodiment , the base member 12 may be easily separated from the martial arts belt 20 by sliding the same in a vertical direction , transversely with the martial arts belt 20 . where such access is not necessary , the first and second end portions 24 and 26 are preferably left in contact with the base member 12 for an added element of security . in either embodiment , engagement between the base member 12 and the belt 20 may be made more secure by providing an engagement member 28 that extends outwardly from either a forward face 30 of the arm member 22 or the rearward face 16 of the base member 12 . the engagement member 28 should be shaped and positioned to extend toward the opposing structure in such a manner that the engagement member 28 applies an added degree of pressure against a portion of the martial arts belt 20 when the martial arts belt 20 is positioned between the base member 12 and the arm member 22 . in still another embodiment , depicted in fig6 and 7 , the arm member 22 may be resiliently biased toward the rearward face 16 of the base 12 to apply a compression force to a portion of the martial arts belt 20 . when desirable , it is also contemplated that the use of an engagement member 28 and a resiliently biased arm member 22 may be used in conjunction with one another . it is contemplated that the arm member 22 , irrespective of its particular design , could be formed from either rigid or flexible materials . accordingly , in one embodiment depicted in fig8 , the securement means may be provided with a flexible arm member 32 that is formed to be selectively separable , at a location between opposite end portions 34 and 36 , to form a first sub - arm member 38 and a second sub - arm member 40 . in such an embodiment , the first and second sub - arm members 38 and 40 should be selectively engagable with one another at opposing first and second inner end portions 42 and 44 . various mechanical fasteners , including hook - and - loop materials 45 , snaps , buckles , hooks - and - eyes , and the like , are contemplated for securing the first and second sub - arm members 38 and 40 to one another . fig9 depicts one embodiment where the base member 12 ′, first sub - arm member 38 , and second sub - arm member 40 are each comprised of a flexible material . where a flexible material is chosen for either the base member 12 ′, the arm member 22 or the flexible arm member 32 , a flexible material that is generally elastic in nature may be selected in order to accommodate variations in belt sizes . the achievement tracking system 10 should be provided with at least one achievement indicator 46 , having a forward face 48 with an indicator means that denotes one of a plurality of different particular achievements . in one embodiment , the indicator means may simply be provided in the form of a particular color , wherein each individual achievement is paired with a particular color identifier . in another embodiment , however , the indicator means is comprised of at least one predetermined symbol that represents a particular achievement . for example , the symbol could take the form as a letter , a number , word or virtually any known or imagined shape or symbol . the type of indicator means selected should simply provide the users with easy identification of , and distinction between , various achievements . the achievement indicators 46 may be attached to the base member 12 in several different manners . for example , various temporary adhesives may be employed . however , in a preferred embodiment depicted in fig9 and 10 , a mechanical securement structure is used , which may take the form of a two - part hook - and - loop material 45 , wherein one portion of the hook - and - loop material is coupled with a rearward surface 50 of the achievement indicator 46 ′ and a second portion of the hook - and - loop material is coupled with the base member 12 ′. it is further contemplated that the attachment means could be provided in the form of a mechanical snap or hook - and - eye structure associated with the rearward surface 50 of the achievement indicator 46 and the base member 12 . in one preferred embodiment , however , at least one side recess 52 is formed in the peripheral edge portion 18 of the base 12 that is shaped and sized to receive at least a portion of the achievement indicator 46 . the side recess 52 could be sized and shaped to receive a substantial portion of the achievement indicator 46 in a secure position beneath the forward face 14 of the base member 12 , where the forward face is formed from a generally transparent material . however , a preferred form of the side recess 52 is sized and shaped to receive a lip projection 54 that extends outwardly from a first arm member 56 that extends outwardly from the achievement indicator 46 . engagement between the achievement indicator 46 and the base member 12 may be improved by forming a top recess 58 in the forward face 14 of the base member 12 . the top recess 58 should be shaped and sized to receive at least a portion of a second arm member 60 that extends outwardly from the achievement indicator 46 . in this arrangement , it may be preferred to shape the achievement indicator 46 , the first and second arm members 56 and 60 and position the side recess 52 and top recess 58 so that the first arm member 56 and second arm member 60 must be deflected slightly away from one another in order to become engaged within , or released from within , the side recess 52 and top recess 58 . this will provide a simple manner of providing a secure engagement with the base member 12 . in another preferred embodiment , the achievement tracking system 10 may be used to track an individual &# 39 ; s attendance to a series of classes or events . various indicia 62 , such as a bar code or a series of letters , numbers or characters may be disposed along a portion of the base member 12 that is accessible when the base member 12 is coupled with the martial arts belt 20 . the indicia 62 is preferably selected from the type that are readable using an electric scanner 64 . accordingly , in a preferred embodiment , the indicia 62 is disposed on , or beneath a removable indicia plate 66 that is engagable with the base member 12 . in another preferred embodiment , depicted in fig9 and 10 , the indicia 62 ′ may be disposed on a flexible material , such as paper or fabric , and disposed beneath or within a flexible , plate or pocket 66 ′. a scanner 64 is provided in a hand - held , wall - mounted or desktop configuration . a decoder is provided and may be formed as a part of the scanner 64 or a computer 68 that is operatively coupled with the scanner 64 . the computer 68 is preferably accompanied by a monitor 70 , keyboard 72 , a storage medium 74 such as a hard drive or removable diskette , and a processor 76 . while the scanner 64 , computer 68 and the associated components are depicted in fig9 as being electrically wired with one another , wireless connections are contemplated . software is provided to be operative on the processor 76 to receive electrical output from the scanner 64 and decoder and store the received data on the storage medium 74 . the data may be displayed on the monitor 70 selectively and / or in a real - time fashion . the software may also be provided such that it may arrange and tabulate the data according to the user &# 39 ; s needs . for example , entries can be made for each student within a martial arts class . each student would be provided with a unique indicia 62 that is assigned to the student upon registration for the class . as each student enters the school , the indicia 62 may be scanned by the scanner 64 . the software should operate on the computer 68 to compile the data according to each class and each student within each class . accordingly , the database may be accessed by a user to determine the attendance of each student and identify the number of missed classes for a particular student , as well as the dates and times of each missed class . the software could also be provided so that it could retain a database comprising entries for each achievement attained by the individual students . accordingly , as a student reaches a particular achievement , the student may be provided with an achievement indicator 46 for use with the achievement tracking system 10 and an entry can be made on the computer 68 for the file assigned to that particular student and his or her indicia 62 . this may provide an adequate backup recording system incase of loss or damage to the base member 12 and the achievement indicators 46 disposed thereon . in the drawings and in the specification , there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and although specific items are employed , these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation . changes in the form and proportion of parts , as well as a substitution of equivalents , are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims . thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives .	0
embodiments of this invention are described below in detail with reference to the attached drawings . fig1 shows the configuration of a storage system 1 according to a first embodiment . the storage system 1 is configured to include a plurality of host computers 2 connected to a storage apparatus 4 via a network 3 . the host computers 2 , each as a host system , are computer devices equipped with a cpu ( central processing unit ), memory and other information processing resources , and they are configured to be , for example , personal computers , workstations , mainframe computers , or similar . each host computer 2 has data input devices , such as a keyboard , switch , pointing device , or microphone ( not shown in the drawing ), and data output devices , such as a monitor display or speaker ( not shown in the drawing ). the network 3 is configured to be , for example , a san ( storage area network ), lan ( local area network ), internet , public line , dedicated line , or similar . communication between the host computers 2 and the storage apparatus 4 via the network 3 is performed in accordance with , for example , fibre channel protocol if the network 3 is a san , and tcp / ip ( transmission control protocol / internet protocol ) if the network 3 is a lan . the storage apparatus 4 is configured to have a control unit 10 for controlling data input / output , and a storage device unit 20 constituted by a plurality of disk devices 21 for storing data . the control unit 10 is configured to have a plurality of channel adapters 11 , a connecting unit 12 , shared memory 13 , cache memory 14 , a plurality of disk adapters 15 and a management terminal 16 . each channel adapter 11 is configured as a microcomputer system including a microprocessor , memory , a communication interface , etc ., and has a port for connection with the network 3 , another storage apparatus , or similar . each channel adapter 11 interprets various commands sent from the host computers 2 via the network 3 and executes the corresponding processing . the port of each channel adapter 11 is assigned a network address ( for example , an ip address or wwn ) for identifying themselves , whereby each channel adapter 11 can individually behave as a nas ( network attached storage ). the connecting unit 12 is connected with each channel adapter 11 , shared memory 13 , cache memory 14 and each disk adapter 15 . data and commands are transmitted via the connecting unit 12 to and from each channel adapter 11 , shared memory 13 , cache memory 14 and each disk adapter 15 . the connecting unit 12 is configured to be , for example , a switch , such as an ultra - high - speed cross - bus switch that executes data transmission by high - speed switching ; a bus ; or similar . the shared memory 13 and the cache memory 14 are storage memory shared by the channel adapters 11 and the disk adapters 15 . the shared memory 13 is used to store various pieces of system configuration information about the entire configuration of the storage apparatus 4 , and various programs and tables , and it is also used to store various commands including write / read request commands . various programs and tables stored in the shared memory 13 in this embodiment are explained later . the cache memory 14 is mainly used to temporarily store write / read target data to be input / output to / from the storage apparatus 4 . each disk adapter 15 is configured as a microcomputer system including a microprocessor , memory , etc ., and functions as an interface for performing protocol control during communication with the disk devices 21 within the storage device unit 20 . the disk adapters 15 are connected with their corresponding disk devices 21 in the storage device unit 20 , for example , via a fibre channel cable , and transmit data to / from those disk devices 21 in accordance with fibre channel protocol . the management terminal 16 is a terminal device that controls the overall operation of the storage apparatus 4 , and it is configured to be , for example , a notebook computer . the management terminal 16 is connected with each channel adapter 11 via a lan 17 , and also connected with each disk adapter 15 via a lan 18 . an operator can define system configuration information using the management terminal 16 , and can also store the defined system configuration information in the shared memory 13 via the channel adapters 11 or disk adapters 15 and then via the connecting unit 12 . a user management terminal 19 is a computer system whereby a user manages the storage apparatus 4 with respect to its status , any change in its configuration , or similar . the user management terminal 19 is connected with the management terminal 16 via a communication network 19 a , and it obtains various information indicating the control status of the storage apparatus 4 through the management terminal 16 , and gives various instructions to the storage apparatus 4 via the management terminal 16 . examples of the disk devices 21 in the storage device unit 20 include expensive disks , such as scsi ( small computer system interface ) disks , and inexpensive disks , such as sata ( serial at attachment ) disks and optical disks . each disk device 21 in the storage device unit 20 is operated by the control unit 10 based on raid . in a physical storage area provided by one or more disk devices 21 , one or more logical volumes ( hereinafter referred to as physical / logical volume ( s )) are established . data is stored in the physical / logical volume ( s ) in blocks of a predetermined size ( hereinafter referred to as logical block ( s )). each logical volume is given its own unique identifier ( hereinafter referred to as an lun ( logical unit number )). in this embodiment , an lun , together with the unique number given to each logical block ( lba : logical block address ), constitutes an address , and data input / output is performed designating a specific address of that type . referring next to fig2 through 12 , allocation processing for allocating a storage area to a virtual / logical volume in the storage apparatus 4 in the storage system 1 according to this embodiment will be explained . fig2 is a schematic view briefly illustrating the content of the allocation processing . in this embodiment , the storage apparatus 4 has physical / logical volumes 31 and virtual / logical volumes 33 . each physical / logical volume 31 is a volume for storing data transmitted from a host computer 2 , and each virtual / logical volume 33 is a volume to which a dynamically variable storage area is allocated from within the storage area provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 with reference to a mapping table 40 , the volume being provided to the host computer 2 . the storage apparatus 4 generates a plurality of pool areas 32 for holding physical / logical volumes 31 , and sets , for each pool area 32 , an allocation unit size for allocating a storage area from within the storage area provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 to a virtual / logical volume 33 . also , when data is transmitted from the host computer 2 , the storage apparatus 4 selects , from among the plurality of pool areas 32 , the specific pool area associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 , and allocates a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the selected pool area 32 to that virtual / logical volume 33 . this is one of the features of this embodiment , and further details are explained later . fig3 illustrates various programs and tables that are stored in the shared memory 13 and related to the storage area allocation processing according to this embodiment . in this embodiment , the shared memory 13 stores : a mapping table 40 ; pool area management table 50 ; virtual / logical volume management table 60 ; logical volume configuration table 70 ; unused storage area management bitmap 80 ; pool area generation processing program 90 ; virtual / logical volume generation processing program 100 ; and command processing program 110 . details of the pool area generation processing program 90 , virtual / logical volume generation processing program 100 and command processing 110 are explained later . fig4 shows the configuration of the mapping table 40 . the mapping table 40 is generated and managed for each virtual / logical volume 33 , and holds the correlation between that virtual / logical volume 33 and the physical / logical volume ( s ) 31 . this table is composed of : a virtual / logical volume address field 41 ; physical / logical volume identification number field 42 ; and physical / logical volume address field 43 . the virtual / logical volume address field 41 manages the address ( e . g . lba ) in the virtual / logical volume 33 . the physical / logical volume identification number field 42 manages the identification number ( e . g . lun ) of a physical / logical volume 31 associated with the above virtual / logical volume 33 address . the physical / logical volume address field 43 manages the address ( e . g . lba ) in the physical / logical volume 31 , associated with the above virtual / logical volume 33 address . in fig4 , for example , the virtual / logical volume address “ 0 ” is associated with the physical / logical volume address “ 0 ” in the physical / logical volume 31 having the physical / logical volume identification number “ 0 × 0001 .” fig5 shows the configuration of the pool area management table 50 . the pool area management table 50 is a table for holding the correlation between the pool areas 32 and the physical / logical volumes 31 , and is composed of : a pool area identification number field 51 ; physical / logical volume identification number field 52 ; emulation type field 53 ; physical / logical volume size field 54 ; allocation unit size field 55 ; and unused storage areas field 56 . the pool area identification number field 51 manages the identification number of each pool area 32 . the physical / logical volume identification number field 52 manages the identification number of a physical / logical volume 31 held in the pool area 32 . the emulation type field 53 manages the type of emulation for the host computer 2 that has sent the data to be stored in the physical / logical volume 31 . here , “ emulation ” means executing a software program developed for particular hardware on other hardware with a different configuration . for example , if “ open - vp ” is stored in the emulation type field 53 , that shows that the storage apparatus 4 has executed “ open - v ” type software and stored “ open - v ” emulation type data sent from the host computer 2 . for example , “ open - v ” and “ open - 3 ” are emulation types for a so - called open - type computer system , such as a windows ® system , and the “ 3390 - 3 ” is for a so - called mainframe - type computer system . the physical / logical volume size field 54 manages the size of the physical / logical volume 31 . the allocation unit size field 55 manages the allocation unit size for allocating a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volume 31 in the pool area 32 to a virtual / logical volume 33 . the unused storage areas field 56 manages the number of unused areas in the storage area , calculated by dividing the size of the physical / logical volume 31 by the allocation unit size for the storage area and then subtracting from the resulting number the used areas . as shown in fig2 , each pool area 32 can hold several physical / logical volumes 31 if data stored in the physical / logical volumes 31 is transmitted from the host computers 2 with the same emulation slot type and if the physical / logical volumes 31 have the same allocation unit size . in fig5 , for example , the pool area 32 having the pool area identification number “ 0 ” holds a physical / logical volume 31 having an emulation type of “ open - v ,” physical / logical volume size of “ 300g ( 300 gb )”, “ 307200 ” unused storage areas , and physical / logical volume identification number of “ 0 × 0001 ,” and another physical / logical volume 31 having an emulation type of “ open - v ,” physical / logical volume size of “ 200g ,” “ 204800 ” unused storage areas , and physical / logical volume identification number of “ 0 × 0002 .” also , a “ 1m ( 1 mb )” allocation unit size is established for the above pool area 32 . fig6 shows the configuration of the virtual / logical volume management table 60 . the virtual / logical volume management table 60 is a table for holding the correlation between the virtual / logical volumes 33 and the pool areas 32 , and is composed of a virtual / logical volume identification number field 61 and a pool area identification number field 62 . the virtual / logical volume identification number field 61 manages the identification number ( e . g . lun ) of a virtual / logical volume 33 . the pool area identification number 62 manages the identification number of a pool area 32 , which has been selected by a user and associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 identification number . in fig6 , for example , the virtual / logical volume 33 having the virtual / logical volume identification number “ 0 × 0100 ” is associated with the pool area 32 having the pool area identification number “ 0 .” fig7 shows the configuration of the logical volume configuration table 70 . the logical volume configuration table 70 is a table for holding the respective configurations of the physical / logical volumes 31 and virtual / logical volumes 33 , and their correlation with the host computers 2 . this table is composed of : a logical volume identification number field 71 ; emulation type field 72 ; logical volume size field 73 ; and connection port identification number field 74 . the logical volume identification number field 71 manages the identification number ( e . g . lun ) of a physical / logical volume 31 or virtual / logical volume 33 . the emulation type field 72 manages the type of emulation for the host computer 2 that has sent the data to be stored in the physical / logical volume 31 or virtual / logical volume 33 . the logical volume size field 54 manages the size of the physical / logical volume 31 or virtual / logical volume 33 . the connection port identification number field 74 manages the connection port for connection with the host computer 2 . in fig7 , for example , the virtual / logical volume 33 having the logical volume identification number “ 0 × 0100 ” has the emulation type “ open - v ”, logical volume size of “ 500 g ,” and connection port “ 1a .” fig8 is a schematic view briefly illustrating the unused storage area management bitmap 80 . an unused storage area management bitmap 80 is prepared for each physical / logical volume 31 , managing whether the physical / logical volume addresses in the physical / logical volume 31 have been allocated to a virtual / logical volume 33 or not . in the unused storage area management bitmap 80 shown in fig8 , a shaded portion of the storage area shows that the corresponding physical / logical volume address has been allocated to a virtual / logical volume 33 , and a non - shaded portion of the storage area shows that the corresponding physical / logical volume address has not been allocated to any virtual / logical volume 33 . fig9 shows the unused storage area management bitmap 80 in actual operation . the unused storage area management bitmap 80 , in actual operation , manages the shaded portions of the storage area in fig8 , whose corresponding physical / logical volume addresses have been allocated to a virtual / logical volume 33 , as “ bit on ( 1 )” showing being “ in - use ,” and the non - shaded portions of the storage area in fig8 , whose corresponding physical / logical volume addresses have not been allocated to a virtual / logical volume 33 , as “ bit off ( 0 )” showing being “ unused .” next , pool area generation processing in the storage system 1 according to the first embodiment will be explained . fig1 is a flowchart showing the specific procedure executed by the storage apparatus 4 for the pool area generation processing in the storage system 1 . upon system boot - up , a channel adapter 11 in the storage apparatus 4 executes the pool area generation processing program 90 for generating a pool area 32 for holding physical / logical volumes 31 , and , in accordance with the pool area generation procedure rt 1 shown in fig1 , waits in standby mode to receive a pool area generation command via the management terminal 16 from a user at the user management terminal 19 ( s 1 ). a pool area generation command , for example , includes information specified by a user , such as the pool area identification number of a pool area 32 to be generated , and the allocation unit size for allocating a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the generated pool area 32 to a virtual / logical volume 33 , and also the configuration information ( physical / logical volume identification number , emulation type , and physical / logical volume size ) regarding the physical / logical volumes 31 held in the generated pool area 32 , which is obtained and specified by referring in advance to the physical / logical volumes 31 in the logical volume configuration table 70 shown in fig7 . when the channel adapter 11 receives a pool area generation command from the user management terminal 19 via the management terminal 16 ( 51 : yes ), it generates and initializes an unused storage area management bitmap 80 ( s 2 ). more specifically , according to the received pool area generation command , the channel adapter 11 generates an unused storage area management bitmap 80 for every physical / logical volume 31 specified by the user , and updates the unused storage area management bitmap 80 by setting “ 1 ” for the management status of a physical / logical volume address whose corresponding storage area already has data stored therein , and setting “ 0 ” for the management status of a physical / logical volume address whose corresponding storage area has no data stored therein . the channel adapter 11 then generates , or updates , a pool area management table 50 , in accordance with the pool area generation command received from the user management terminal 19 via the management terminal 16 “( s 3 ). more specifically , if no pool area management table 50 has yet been generated , the channel adapter 11 generates a pool area management table 50 , and , according to the pool area generation command , stores the configuration information regarding the physical / logical volumes 31 , the pool area identification number and allocation unit size , which have been specified by the user , in the corresponding fields of the pool area management table 50 . also , based on the physical / logical volume size and the allocation unit size , and the unused storage area management bitmap 80 , the channel adapter 11 calculates the unused storage areas for each physical / logical volume 31 , and stores the resulting value in the corresponding field of the pool area management table 50 . if a pool area management table 50 has already been generated , the channel adapter 11 updates the pool area management table 50 by storing , according to the pool area generation command , the configuration information regarding the physical / logical volumes 31 , the pool area identification number and allocation unit size , which have &# 39 ; been specified by the user , in the corresponding fields of the pool area management table 50 , and also by calculating the unused storage areas for each physical / logical volume 31 , based on the physical / logical volume size and the allocation unit size , and the unused storage area management bitmap 80 , and storing the resulting value in the corresponding field of the pool area management table 50 . the channel adapter 11 thereafter ends the pool area generation procedure rt 1 shown in fig1 ( s 4 ). next , virtual / logical volume generation processing in the storage system 1 according to the first embodiment will be explained . fig1 is a flowchart illustrating the specific procedure executed by the storage apparatus 4 for the virtual / logical volume generation processing in this storage system 1 . upon system boot - up , a channel adapter 11 executes the virtual / logical volume generation processing program 100 for generating a virtual / logical volume 33 , and , in accordance with the virtual / logical volume generation procedure rt 2 shown in fig1 , waits in standby mode to receive a virtual / logical volume generation command via the management terminal 16 from a user at the user management terminal 19 ( s 11 ). a virtual / logical volume generation command , for example , includes information , such as : the virtual / logical volume identification number of a virtual / logical volume 33 to be generated ; the virtual / logical volume size of the virtual / logical volume 33 to be generated ; the connection port for connecting the virtual / logical volume 33 to be generated to the host computer 2 ; the pool area identification number of the pool area to be associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 to be generated ; and the allocation unit size for when a storage area is to be allocated to the virtual / logical volume 33 to be generated , all specified by a user . when the channel adapter 11 receives a virtual / logical volume generation command via the management terminal 16 from a user at the user management terminal 19 ( s 11 : yes ), the channel adapter 11 checks whether the virtual / logical volume generation command specifies a pool area identification number ( s 12 ). if the virtual / logical volume generation command does not specify a pool area identification number ( s 12 : no ), the channel adapter 11 obtains a pool area identification number with the specified allocation unit size ( s 13 ). more specifically , for example , if the virtual / logical volume generation command specifies an allocation unit size of “ 1 m ,” the channel adapter 11 refers to the pool area management table 50 , and obtains the pool area identification number “ 0 ,” whose corresponding allocation unit size field 55 stores “ 1 m .” here , if the allocation unit size specified by the virtual / logical volume generation command is not managed in the pool area management table 50 , the channel adapter 11 obtains the pool area identification number having the allocation unit size closest to the specified size . meanwhile , if the virtual / logical volume generation command specifies a pool area identification number ( s 12 : yes ), or if the channel adapter 11 has obtained a pool area identification number with the specified allocation unit size ( s 13 ), the channel adapter 11 generates , or updates , a virtual / logical volume management table 60 , in accordance with the virtual / logical volume generation command received from the host computer 2 ( s 14 ). more specifically , if no virtual / logical volume management table 60 has yet been generated , the channel adapter 11 generates a virtual / logical volume management table 60 , and , according to the virtual / logical volume generation command , stores the virtual / logical volume identification number specified by the user , and the pool area identification number specified by the user or obtained from the pool area management table , in the corresponding fields of the virtual / logical volume management table 60 . if a virtual / logical volume management table 60 has already been generated , the channel adapter 11 updates the virtual / logical volume management table 60 by storing , according to the virtual / logical volume generation command , the virtual / logical volume identification number specified by the user , and the pool area identification number specified by the user or obtained from the pool area management table , in the corresponding fields of the virtual / logical volume management table 60 . accordingly , using the above virtual / logical volume management table 60 , the channel adapter 11 can select , from among a plurality of pool areas 32 , the specific pool area for a virtual / logical volume 33 , the pool area holding a physical / logical volume 31 from which a storage area is to be allocated to the virtual / logical volume 33 . the channel adapter 11 then generates a mapping table 40 in accordance with the pool area generation command received from the user management terminal 19 via the management terminal 16 ( s 15 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 generates a mapping table 40 for each generated virtual / logical volume 33 , and , in accordance with the virtual / logical volume generation command , stores the virtual / logical volume addresses corresponding to the virtual / logical volume size specified by the user , in the corresponding fields of the mapping table 40 . then , the channel adapter 11 updates the logical volume configuration table 70 in accordance with the pool area generation command received from the user management terminal 19 via the management terminal 16 ( s 16 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 stores , in accordance with the virtual / logical volume generation command , the virtual / logical volume identification number ( logical volume identification number ), virtual / logical volume size ( logical volume size ) and connection port , which have been specified by the user , in the corresponding fields of the logical volume configuration table 70 . the channel adapter 11 also refers to the virtual / logical volume management table 60 , finds the pool area identification number associated with the above virtual / logical volume identification number , and then stores the emulation type for that pool area identification number in the corresponding field of the logical volume configuration table 70 . the channel adapter 11 thereafter ends the virtual / logical volume generation procedure rt 2 shown in fig1 ( s 17 ). next , command processing in response to a data write request in the storage system 1 according to the first embodiment will be explained . fig1 is a flowchart describing the specific procedure executed by the storage apparatus 4 for the command processing in response to a data write request in the storage system 1 . upon system boot - up , a channel adapter 11 executes the command processing program 110 for writing data to a storage area in response to a data write request command received from the host computer 2 , and , in accordance with the data write request command procedure rt 3 shown in fig1 , waits in standby mode to receive a data write request command from a user at the host computer 2 ( s 21 ). when the channel adapter 11 receives a data write request command from a host computer 2 ( s 21 : yes ), the channel adapter 11 checks whether a storage area in a physical / logical volume 31 has been allocated to the virtual / logical volume address in the virtual / logical volume 33 ( s 22 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 refers to the mapping table 40 , and checks whether the virtual / logical volume address , to which the write target data included in the received data write request command is to be written , is associated with a physical / logical volume identification number and a physical / logical volume address . then , if no storage area in a physical / logical volume 31 has been allocated to the virtual / logical volume address in the virtual / logical volume 33 ( s 22 : no ), the channel adapter 11 checks whether the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 associated with that virtual / logical volume 33 have any unused storage areas or not ( s 23 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 refers to the virtual / logical volume management table 60 to obtain the pool area identification number associated with that virtual / logical volume identification number , and then refers to the pool area management table 50 to check whether any unused storage areas are stored in the relevant field associated with the above - obtained pool area identification number . if the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 have no unused storage area ( s 23 : no ), the channel adapter 11 closes the physical / logical volumes 31 in that pool area 32 , and then ends the data write request command procedure rt 3 shown in fig1 ( s 27 ). meanwhile , if the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 associated with that virtual / logical volume 33 have any unused storage area ( s 23 : yes ), the channel adapter 11 updates the mapping table 40 and allocates a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 ( s 24 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 refers to the unused storage area management bitmap 80 to determine the starting physical / logical volume address of a storage area to be allocated , and then refers to the mapping table 40 and updates it by storing the physical / logical volume identification number and the physical / logical volume address of the storage area to be allocated in the physical / logical volume 31 , respectively in the relevant fields associated with the target virtual / logical volume address in the mapping table 40 . in the above , the channel adapter 11 is configured to allocate , if several physical / logical volumes have unused storage areas , a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volume 31 having the largest unused storage areas . the channel adapter 11 next changes the unused storage area management bitmap 80 in connection with the update of the mapping table 40 ( s 25 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 refers to the mapping table 40 , and changes the unused storage area management bitmap 80 by changing the management status of the physical / logical volume address of the allocated storage area in the physical / logical volume 31 to “ 1 ” in the unused storage area management bitmap 80 . meanwhile , if a storage area in a physical / logical volume 31 has already been allocated to the virtual / logical volume address in the virtual / logical volume 33 ( s 22 : yes ), or if the channel adapter 11 has allocated a storage area to the virtual / logical volume 33 , updated the mapping table 40 and changed the unused storage area management bitmap 80 ( s 24 , s 25 ), the channel adapter 11 writes the write target data in the storage area in the physical / logical volume 31 , which is associated with the write target virtual / logical volume address ( s 26 ). the channel adapter 11 thereafter ends the data write request command procedure rt 3 shown in fig1 ( s 27 ). as explained above , in the storage system 1 , a plurality of pool areas 32 is generated for holding physical / logical volumes 31 , and an allocation unit size is set for each pool area 32 , the allocation unit size being used for allocating a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 to a virtual / logical volume 33 . when data is transmitted from the host computer 2 , the specific pool area associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 is selected from among the plurality of pool areas 32 , and a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the selected pool area 32 is allocated to that virtual / logical volume 33 . accordingly , in the storage system 1 , it is possible to effectively prevent storage area ( s ) from being allocated to data sent from the host computer , in units of allocation too large or too small relative to that data size , and allocate a storage area of an appropriate allocation unit size to that data . as a result , the efficient operation of the physical / logical volume storage area can be achieved . a storage system 120 according to a second embodiment has almost the same configuration as the storage system 1 according to the first embodiment , except that : it has a mapping table 40 with a different configuration ; it includes a virtual / logical volume generation processing program 100 and command processing 110 with different content ; and it has no virtual / logical volume management table 60 . allocation processing for allocating a storage area to a virtual / logical volume in the storage apparatus 130 in the storage system 120 according to this embodiment will be explained below with reference to fig1 to 17 . fig1 is a schematic view briefly illustrating the content of that allocation processing . in this embodiment , the storage apparatus 130 generates a plurality of pool areas 32 for holding physical / logical volumes 31 , and sets , for each pool area 32 , an allocation unit size for allocating a storage area from within the storage area provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 to a virtual / logical volume 33 . when data is transmitted from the host computer 2 , the storage apparatus 130 selects one pool area 32 from among the plurality of pool areas 32 according to the size of the transmitted data , and allocates a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the selected pool area 32 to the virtual / logical volume 33 . this is one of the features of this embodiment , and the detailed procedures are explained later . fig1 shows various programs and tables that are stored in the shared memory 13 and related to the storage area allocation processing according to this embodiment . in this embodiment , the shared memory 13 stores : a mapping table 140 ; pool area management table 50 ; logical volume configuration table 70 ; unused storage area management bitmap 80 ; pool area generation processing program 90 ; virtual / logical volume generation processing program 150 ; and command processing program 160 . details of the virtual / logical volume generation processing program 150 and command processing program 160 are explained further below . fig1 shows the configuration of the mapping table 140 . the mapping table 140 is prepared and managed for each virtual / logical volume 33 , and holds the correlation between the virtual / logical volume 33 and the physical / logical volume ( s ) 31 . this table is composed of : a virtual / logical volume address field 141 ; physical / logical volume identification number field 142 ; physical / logical volume address field 143 ; and allocation unit size field 144 . the virtual / logical volume address field 41 manages the address ( for example , lba ) in the virtual / logical volume 33 . the physical / logical volume identification number field 142 manages the identification number ( for example , lun ) of a physical / logical volume 31 that has been associated with the above virtual / logical volume 33 address . the physical / logical volume address field 143 manages the starting address ( for example , starting lba ) in the physical / logical volume 31 , associated with the above virtual / logical volume 33 address . the allocation unit size field 144 manages the allocation unit size for allocating a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 to a virtual / logical volume 33 . in fig1 , for example , the virtual / logical volume address “ 0 ” is associated with a storage area in the physical / logical volume 31 having a physical / logical volume identification number of “ 0 × 0007 ,” and of an allocation unit size of “ 1 m ” from the physical / logical volume starting address “ 0 .” in the storage system 120 , where one virtual / logical volume address area corresponds to , for example , a 256 kb data size , if a 1 mb data write request command is received from the host computer 2 , the 1 mb data write is performed from the allocated physical / logical volume starting address with the allocated physical / logical volume identification number , and that data write is managed in the mapping table 140 . in an open - type computer system , data read / write is performed , for example , from the “ n ” th logical block , for “ m ” logical blocks ( one logical block being 512 kb ). so , if the storage system 120 is in an open - type computer system environment , when searching for an unused storage area , the storage system 120 searches for a storage area having a physical / logical volume starting address of “ 512 × n ” and an allocation unit size of “ 512 × m ,” and then checks whether the physical / logical volume addresses included in that storage area are managed as “ unused ” or not . in a mainframe - type computer system , data read / write is performed , for example , by designating the “ m ” th disk device 21 in the “ n ” th cylinder . so , if the storage system 120 is in a mainframe - type computer system environment , when searching for an unused storage area , the storage system 120 determines the target physical / logical volume starting address by aggregating all disk devices 21 . more specifically , the storage system 120 checks whether the addresses following the starting address of “( n × 15 + m )× emulation - type - based size ( 48 kb for the 3380 - type , and 57 kb for the 3390 - type )” are managed as “ unused ” or not . next , virtual / logical volume generation processing in the storage system 120 according to the second embodiment will be explained . fig1 is a flowchart showing the specific procedure executed by the storage apparatus 130 for the virtual / logical volume generation processing in the storage system 120 . upon system boot - up , a channel adapter 11 executes the virtual / logical volume generation processing program 150 for generating a virtual / logical volume 33 , and , in accordance with the virtual / logical volume generation procedure rt 4 shown in fig1 , waits in standby mode to receive a virtual / logical volume generation command via the management terminal 16 from a user at the user management terminal 19 ( s 31 ). a virtual / logical volume generation command , for example , includes information such as : the virtual / logical volume identification number of a virtual / logical volume 33 to be generated ; the virtual / logical volume size of the virtual / logical volume 33 to be generated ; the connection port for connecting the virtual / logical volume 33 to be generated to the host computer 2 ; and the emulation type of the host computer 2 sending data to be stored in the virtual / logical volume 33 to be generated , all specified by a user . when the channel adapter 11 receives a virtual / logical volume generation command via the management terminal 16 from a user at the user management terminal 19 ( s 31 : yes ), the channel adapter 11 generates a mapping table 40 in accordance with the pool area generation command received from the user management terminal 19 via the management terminal 16 ( s 32 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 generates a mapping table 140 for each generated virtual / logical volume 33 , and in accordance with the virtual / logical volume generation command , stores the virtual / logical volume addresses corresponding to the virtual / logical volume size specified by the user , in the corresponding fields of the mapping table 140 . the channel adapter 11 then updates the logical volume configuration table 70 in accordance with the pool area generation command received from the user management terminal 19 via the management terminal 16 ( s 33 ). more specifically , in accordance with the virtual / logical volume generation command , the channel adapter 11 stores the virtual / logical volume identification number ( logical volume identification number ), virtual / logical volume size ( logical volume size ), connection port and emulation type , which have been specified by the user , in the corresponding fields of the logical volume configuration table 70 . the channel adapter 11 thereafter ends the virtual / logical volume generation procedure rt 4 shown in fig1 ( s 34 ). next , command processing in response to a data write request in the storage system 120 according to the second embodiment will be explained . fig1 is a flowchart showing the specific procedure executed by the storage apparatus 130 for the command processing in response to a data write request in the storage system 120 . upon system boot - up , a channel adapter 11 executes the command processing program 160 for writing data to a storage area in response to a data write request from the host computer 2 , and in accordance with the data write request command procedure rt 5 shown in fig1 , waits in standby mode to receive a data write request command from a user at the host computer 2 ( s 41 ). when the channel adapter 11 receives a data write request command form a host computer 2 ( s 41 : yes ), the channel adapter 11 checks whether a storage area in a physical / logical volume 31 has been allocated to the virtual / logical volume address in the virtual / logical volume 33 ( s 42 ). if no storage area in a physical / logical volume 31 has been allocated to the virtual / logical volume address in the virtual / logical volume 33 ( s 42 : no ), the channel adapter 11 refers to the pool area management table 50 to obtain the pool area identification number that has the same emulation type as that of the virtual / logical volume 33 and also has the allocation unit size closest to the size of the write target data included in the data write request command ( s 43 ). accordingly , by using the pool area management table 50 , the channel adapter 11 can select , from among the pool areas 32 , one pool area holding a physical / logical volume 31 from which a storage area is to be allocated to the virtual / logical volume 33 . the channel adapter 11 then checks whether the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 have any unused storage areas or not ( s 44 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 refers to the pool area management table 50 , and checks whether any unused storage areas are stored in the relevant field associated with the above pool area &# 39 ; s identification number . if the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 have no unused storage area ( s 44 : no ), the channel adapter 11 closes the physical / logical volumes 31 in that pool area 32 , and then ends the data write request command procedure rt 5 shown in fig1 ( s 48 ). meanwhile , if the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 have any unused storage area ( s 44 : yes ), the channel adapter 11 updates the mapping table 140 and allocates a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 n the pool area 32 associated with the virtual / logical volume 33 ( s 45 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 refers to the unused storage area management bitmap 80 to determine the physical / logical volume starting address of a storage area to be allocated , and then refers to the mapping table 140 and updates it by storing the physical / logical volume identification number , the physical / logical volume starting address , and the allocation unit size of the storage area to be allocated in the physical / logical volume 31 , respectively in the relevant fields associated with the target virtual / logical volume address in the mapping table 140 . in the above , the channel adapter 11 is configured to allocate , if several physical / logical volumes have unused storage areas , a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volume 31 having the largest unused storage areas . the channel adapter 11 next changes the unused storage area management bitmap 80 in connection with the update of the mapping table 140 ( s 46 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 11 refers to the mapping table 140 , and changes the unused storage area management bitmap 80 by changing the management status of the physical / logical volume address of the allocated storage area in the physical / logical volume 31 to “ 1 ” in the unused storage area management bitmap 80 . meanwhile , if a storage area in a physical / logical volume 31 has already been allocated to the virtual / logical volume address in the virtual / logical volume 33 ( s 42 : yes ), or if the channel adapter 11 has allocated a storage area to the virtual / logical volume 33 , updated the mapping table 140 and changed the unused storage area management bitmap 80 ( s 43 through s 46 ), the channel adapter 11 writes the write target data in the storage area in the physical / logical volume 31 , which is associated with the write target virtual / logical volume address ( s 47 ). the channel adapter 11 thereafter ends the data write request command procedure rt 5 shown in fig1 ( s 48 ). as explained above , in the storage system 120 , a plurality of pool areas 32 is generated for holding physical / logical volumes 31 , and an allocation unit size is set for each pool area 32 , the allocation unit size being used for allocating a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the pool area 32 to a virtual / logical volume 33 . when data is transmitted from the host computer 2 , one pool area 32 is selected from among the plurality of pool areas 32 according to the transmitted data size , and a storage area from within that provided by the physical / logical volumes 31 in the selected pool area 32 is allocated to the virtual / logical volume 33 . accordingly , in the storage system 120 , since one pool area 32 is selected from among the plurality of pool areas 32 according to the size of data sent from the host computer 2 , a storage area of an appropriate allocation unit size can be allocated to each piece of the data , and as a result , more efficient operation of the physical / logical volume storage area can be achieved . if the above - described embodiments are in a mainframe - type computer system environment , logical volumes are used in order from the top logical volume address to the end address ( i . e ., sequentially , ( 1 )→( 3 )), as shown in fig1 . so , by setting a relatively large allocation unit size , for example , about 1 gb , the storage area in the physical / logical volumes can be more efficiently operated . also , if the above - described embodiments are in an open - type computer system environment , logical volumes is used by intentionally creating an unused storage area between used areas ( i . e ., randomly , ( 1 )→( 3 )), as shown in fig1 . so , by setting a relatively small allocation unit size , for example , around 1 - 10 mb , the storage area in the physical / logical volumes can be more efficiently operated . moreover , the above - described embodiments may be modified so that , instead of ( the allocation unit size ) being specified by a user , the storage apparatus automatically determines , based on a command sent from the host computer 2 , whether the host computer 2 is a mainframe - type computer system or an open - type computer system , and if it is a mainframe - type computer system , automatically sets a relatively large allocation unit size , and if it is an open - type computer system , automatically sets a relatively small allocation unit size , enabling the storage area in the physical / logical volumes to be more efficiently operated . also , in the above - described embodiments , if sata disks are used for disk drives 21 for backup purposes , the storage area in the physical / logical volumes can be more efficiently operated by setting a relatively large allocation unit size . furthermore , in the above - described embodiments , pool area generation commands and virtual / logical volume generation commands are sent via the management terminal 16 from a user at the user management terminal 19 . however , this invention is not limited to that , and pool area generation commands and virtual / logical volume generation commands may be configured to be sent from the management terminal 16 , or various other connection devices . the present invention can be applied to various systems with a virtual / logical volume to which a dynamically variable storage area is allocated , the volume being provided to a host computer .	6
carbostyril derivatives of the present invention and salts thereof are represented by the general formula ( 1 ) as follows : ## str5 ## ( wherein r is a group of the formula ## str6 ## ( wherein r 1 is a c 1 - c 3 alkoxy group )), a group of the formula ## str7 ## wherein r 2 and r 3 are each , at the same time , a chlorine atom , a bromine atom ; and r 4 is a hydrogen atom or a chlorine atom , 2 - methyl - 3 - nitrophenyl group , 3 , 5 - dichlorophenyl group , or a group of the formula ## str8 ## wherein r 5 is a chlorine atom or a bromine atom ; and r 6 is a methyl group ; the carbon - carbon bond between 3 - and 4 - positions in the carbostyril skeleton is a single or double bond ), and salts thereof . carbostyril derivatives and salts thereof represented by the general formula ( 1 ) possess strong activity for blocking the neurotransmission effect of dopaminergic receptor , with a weak α - blocking activity which have been found during the step of research and development of a number of carbostyril derivatives , thus when the strength of α - blocking activity of a carbostyril derivative is defined as the dose ( ed 50 , mg / kg , per os ) which is required to inhibits 50 % of deth of mice being administered with epinephrine , and also the strength of activity for blocking the neurothransmission effect of dopaminergic receptor which is the main activity of carbostyril derivative , is defined as the dose ( ed 50 , mg / kg , per os ) which is required to inhibits 50 % of stereotypy of mice induced by administration with apomorphine , the agonist of dopamine . the present invention was successfully completed by the above - mentioned findings of said activitied . carbostyril derivatives represented by the general formula ( 1 ) can be prepared by various methods , the examples for said methods are as follows : reaction formula - 1 ## str9 ## ( wherein r and the carbon - carbon bond between 3 - and 4 - positions in the carbostyril skeleton are the same as defined above ; and x 1 is a halogen atom or a group which can carry out a substitution reaction similar to a halogen atom , the examples of such group is a mesityloxy group and tosyloxy group and the like ). the reaction of a compound of the general formula ( 3 ) with a compound of the general formula ( 4 ) can be carried out in the absence or presence of a common inert solvent , under temperature condition of room temperature to 200 ° c ., preferably at 60 ° to 120 ° c ., and the reaction is completed in about several hours to 24 hours . as to the inert solvent used in this reaction , any solvents for example , ethers such as dioxane , tetrahydrofuran , ethylene glycol dimethyl ether and the like ; aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene , toluene , xylene and the like ; lower alcohols such as methanol , ethanol , isopropanol and the like ; polar solvents such as dimethylformamide ( dmf ), dimethyl sulfoxide ( dmso ), acetonitrile and the like can be used . the reaction can be advantageously carried out by using a basic compound as the dehydrohalogenating agent . as to said basic compound , an inorganic basic compound such as calcium carbonate , sodium carbonate , sodium hydroxide , sodium hydrogen carbonate , sodium amide , sodium hydride and the like ; and an organic basic compound such as triethylamine , tripropylamine , pyridine , quinoline and the like can be used . furthermore , the above - mentioned reaction can be carried out , if necessary , by adding an alkali metal iodide such as potassium iodide , sodium iodide or the like as the reaction accelarator . in the above - mentioned reaction , the ratio of used amount of a compound of the general formula ( 3 ) to a compound of the general formula ( 4 ) may be an equimolar quantity or more , preferably an equimolar quantity to 5 times the molar quantity , more preferably , an equimolar quantity to 1 . 2 times the molar quantity of the latter to the former . reaction formula - 2 ## str10 ## ( wherein r and the carbon - carbon bond between 3 - and 4 - positions in the carbostyril skeleton are the same as defined above ; and x 2 is a halogen atom ). in the reaction formula - 2 , the reaction of a compound represented by the general formula ( 5 ) with a compound represented by the general formula ( 6 ) can be carried out , preferably by using a basic compound as the dehydrohalogenating agent , in a suitable solvent at room temperature to 200 ° c ., preferably at 50 ° to 150 ° c . for within several hours to 15 hours . as to the suitable solvent used in the above reaction , lower alcohols such as methanol , ethanol , isopropanol and the like ; ketones such as acetone , methyl ethyl ketone and the like ; ethers such as dioxane , diethylene glycol dimethyl ether and the like ; aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene , xylene and the like ; dmf , dmso , hexamethylphosphoryl triamide and the like can be exemplified . as to the basic compound to be used as the dehydrohalogenating agent , an inorganic basic substance such as sodium hydorxide , potassium hydroxide , sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , sodium hydride , metallic potassium , sodium amide and the like ; an alkali metal alcoholate such as sodium methoxide , sodium ethoxide , potassium ethoxide and the like ; as well as an organic basic compound for example , tertiary amines such as pyridine , quinoline , triethylamine , tripropylamine and the like can be exemplified . furthermore , the above - mentioned reaction can be carried out by using an alkali metal iodide such as potassium iodide , sodium iodide and the like as the reaction accelerator . the ratio of used amount of a compound of the formula ( 5 ) to compound of the formula ( 6 ) is not specifically restricted , and an equimolar quantity or more of the latter , generally an equimolar to 5 times the molar quantity , preferably an equimolar to 1 . 2 times of the molar quantity of the latter may be used to one molar quantity of the former . reaction formula - 3 ## str11 ## ( wherein r , x 2 and the carbon - carbon bond between 3 - and 4 - positions in the carbostyril skeleton are the same as defined above ). the reaction of a compound of the general formula ( 7 ) with a compound of the general formula ( 8 ) is carried out in a suitable solvent , and in the absence or presence of a basic compound . as to the solvent used in this reaction , aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene , toluene , xylene and the like ; lower alcohols such as methanol , ethanol , propanol , butanol and the like ; pyridine , acetone , dmf , dmso , hexamethylphosphoryl triamide and the like can be exemplified . as to the basic compound used in this reaction , inorganic basic compounds such as sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , sodium hydrogen carbonate , potassium hydrogen carbonate , sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , sodium hydride , potassium hydride and the like ; organic basic compounds such as triethylamine and the like can be exemplified . a compound of the general formula ( 8 ) may be used at least an equimolar quantity , preferably an equimolar to 3 times the molar quantity thereof to one molar quantity of a compound of the general formula ( 7 ). the reaction is carries out , generally at room temperature to 180 ° c ., preferably at 80 ° to 150 ° c ., and is completed in about 3 to 30 hours . reaction formula - 4 ## str12 ## ( wherein r , x 1 and the carbon - carbon bond between 3 - and 4 - positions in the carbostyril skeleton are the same as defined above ). the reaction of a compound of the formula ( 9 ) with a compound of the formula ( 10 ) can be carried out in a suitable solvent and in the absence or presence of a basic compound . as to the solvent used in this reaction , water ; a lower alcohols such as methanol , ethanol , isopropanol , butanol and the like ; aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene , toluene , xylene and the like ; acetic acid , ethyl acetate , dmf , dmso , hexamethylphosphoryl triamide and the like can be exemplified . as to the basic compound used in this reaction , an inorganic basic compound such as sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , sodium hydrogen carbonate , sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide and the like ; an alkali metal alcoholate such as sodium methylate , sodium ethylate and the like ; an organic basic compound such as 1 , 5 - diazabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonene - 5 ( dbn ), 1 , 8 - diazabicyclo [ 5 . 4 . 0 ]- undecene - 7 ( dbu ), 1 , 4 - diazabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane ( dabco ) and the like can be exemplified . a compound of the general formula ( 10 ) may be used generally , at least an equimolar quantity , preferably an equimolar to 5 times the molar quantity to one molar quantity of compound of the general formula ( 9 ). the reaction is generally carried out at 40 ° to 120 ° c ., preferably at about 70 ° to 100 ° c ., and is completed in about 1 to 15 hours . reaction formula - 5 ## str13 ## ( wherein r , x 1 and the carbon - carbon bond between 3 - and 4 - positions in the carbostyril skeleton are the same as defined above ). the reaction of a compound of the general formula ( 11 ) with a compound of the general formula ( 12 ) is carried out under conditions similar to those employed in the reaction of a compound of the general formula ( 9 ) with a compound of the general formula ( 10 ). in the above - mentioned reaction formula - 1 , a compound of the general formula ( 4 ) used as one of the starting materials is prepared by a method as shown in reaction formula - 6 as follows . reaction formula - 6 ## str14 ## ( wherein r and x 1 are the same as defined above ). the reaction of a compound of the formula ( 10 ) with a compound of the formula ( 13 ) is carried out by methods similar to those employed in the reaction of a compound of the formula ( 9 ) with a compound of the formula ( 10 ). carbostyril derivative represented by the formula ( 1 ) of the present invention can easily be converted into its acid - addition salt by reacting it with a pharmaceutically acceptable acid . the examples of such acid includes inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid , sulfuric acid , phosphoric acid , hydrobromic acid and the like ; organic acids such as oxalic acid , maleic acid , fumaric acid , malic acid , tartaric acid , citric acid , benzoic acid and the like . among carbostyril derivatives represented by the formula ( 1 ) of the present invention , those having acidic group can easily be converted into their salts by reacting with basic compounds . the examples of such basic compounds includes sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , calcium hydroxide , sodium carbonate , potassium hydrogen carbonate and the like . the desired compounds prepared by the procedures in the above - mentioned various reaction formulas can easily be isolated and purified by usual separation means such as solvent extraction , dilution , recrystallization , column chromatography , preparative thin layer chromatography and the like . carbostyril derivatives represented by the general formula ( 1 ) can be used in the form of usual pharmaceutical compositions which are prepared by using diluents or excipients such as fillers , bulking agents , binders , wetting agents , disintegrating agents , surface active agents , lubricants and the like . as to the pharmaceutical compositions , various types of administration unit forms can be selected depending on the therapeutical purposes , and the examples of pharmaceutical compositions are tablets , pills , powders , liquids , suspensions , emulsions , granules , capsules , suppositories , injection preparations ( solutions and suspensions ) and the like . for the purpose of shaping the pharmaceutical composition in the form of tablets , any excipients which are known and used widely in this field can also be used , for example carriers such as lactose , white sugar , sodium chloride , glucose , urea , starch , calcium carbonate , kaolin , crystalline cellulose , silicic acid and the like ; binders such as water , ethanol , propanol , simple sirup , glucose solutions , starch solutions , gelatin solutions , carboxymethyl cellulose , shelac , methyl cellulose , potassium phosphate , polyvinylpyrrolidone and the like ; disintegrating agents such as dried starch , sodium alginate , agar powder , laminalia powder , sodium hydrogen carbonate , calcium carbonate , fatty acid esters of polyoxyethylene sorbitan , sodium laurylsulfate , monoglyceride of stearic acid , starch , lactose and the like ; disintegration inhibitors such as white sugar , stearin , coconut butter , hydrogenated oils ; absorption accelerators such as quaternary ammonium base , sodium laurylsulfate and the like ; wetting agents such as glycerin , starch and the like ; adsorbing agents such as starch , lactose , kaolin , bentonite , colloidal silicic acid and the like ; and lubricants such as purified talc , stearates , boric acid powder , polyethylene glycol and the like . if tablets are desired , they can be further coated with the usual coating materials to make the tablets as sugar coated tablets , gelatin film coated tablets , tablets coated with enteric coatings , tablets coated with films , double layered tablets and multi - layered tablets . for the purpose of shaping the pharmaceutical composition in the form of pills , any excipients which are known and widely used in this field can also be used , for example , carriers such as lactose , starch , coconut butter , hardened vegetable oils , kaolin , talc and the like ; binders such as gum arabi powder , tragacanth gum powder , gelatin , ethanol and the like ; disintegrating agents such as agar , laminalia and the like . for the purpose of shaping the pharmaceutical composition in the form of suppositories , any excipients which are known and widely used in this field can also be used , for example polyethylene glycols , coconut butter , higher alcohols , esters of higher alcohols , gelatin , semisynthesized glycerides and the like . for the purpose of shaping the pharmaceutical composition in the form of injection preparations , solutions and suspensions are sterilized and are preferably made isotonic to blood . in making injection preparations , any carriers which are usually used in this field can also be used , for example , water , ethyl alcohol , propylene glycol , ethoxylated isostearyl alcohol , polyoxylated isostearyl alcohol , fatty acid esters of polyoxyethylene sorbitan . in these instances , adequate amounts of sodium chloride , glucose or glycerin can be added to the desired injection preparations to make them isotonic . furthermore , usual dissolving agents , buffer agents , analgesic agents may be added . yet further , if necessary , coloring agents , preservatives , perfumes , seasoning agents , sweetening agents agents and other medicines may also be added to the desired preparations during the treatment of schizophrenia . the amount of carbostyril derivative of the general formula ( 1 ) or salt thereof to be contained in a pharmaceutical composition for treating schizophrenia according to the present invention is not specifically restricted and can suitably be selected from a wide range , usually it is contained 1 to 70 %, preferably 1 to 30 % by weight of the whole composition . administration methods of a pharmaceutical composition for treating schizophrenia of the present invention are not specifically restricted , and can be administered in various forms of preparations depending on the age of the patient , distinction of sex , other conditions , as well as conditions of the symptoms . for example , tablets , pills , solutions , suspensions , emulsions , granules and capsules are orally administered ; and injection preparations are administered singly or mixed with injection transfusions such as glucose solutions and amino acid solutions intravenously ; and if necessary , the injection preparations are administered singly intramuscularly , intracutaneously , subcutaneously or intraperitoneally . suppositories are administered into the rectum . the dosage of a pharmaceutical composition for treating schizophrenia according to the present invention are suitably selected according to the method of use , the age of the patient , distinction of sex , other conditions , as well as conditions of the symptoms , usually about 0 . 1 to 10 mg / kg of the body weight / day of carbostyril derivative of the general formula ( 1 ) as the active ingredient may be administered . usually , 1 to 200 mg of the active ingredient may be contained in an administration unit form . in the above - mentioned formula ( 1 ), the c 1 - c 3 alkoxy group is a straight - chain or branched - chain alkoxy group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms , such as a methoxy group , an ethoxy group , a propoxy group , an isopropoxy group and the like , and among these , methoxy group and ethoxy group are preferable , and ethoxy group is the most preferable . furthermore , the carbon - carbon bond between 3 - and 4 - positions in the carbostyril skeleton is preferably a single bond . the present invention will be explained in detail by showing reference examples , examples , pharmacological test results and examples of pharmaceutical compositions , however , the present invention are not restricted only thereto . to a mixture of 6 . 08 g of 2 - chloro - 3 - methylaniline , 9 g of di ( 2 - bromoethyl ) amine hydrobromide and 4 ml of water was added a solution of 0 . 8 g of potassium hydorxide and 2 . 5 ml of water 3 times of 1 hour interval at 100 ° c ., then the reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 9 hours . to the resultant reaction mixture was added potassium hydroxide to make the mixture alkaline , and the mixture was extracted with diethyl ether , washed with water , dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate . the solvent was removed by evaporation and the residue thus obtained was purified by means of a silica gel column chromatography ( eluent : 5 %- methanol / chloroform ), and obtained 3 . 41 g of 4 -( 2 - chloro - 3 - methylphenyl ) piperazine . 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ : 2 . 38 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 04 ( 8h , m ), 6 . 93 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 12 ( 1h , dd , j = 7 . 7hz , 7 . 7hz ) by procedures similar to those employed in the above mentioned reference example 1 , by using suitable starting materials , there were prepared compounds of reference examples 2 - 5 as shown in the following table 1 . table 1______________________________________ ## str15 ## referenceexample no . r . sup . 1 h - nmr ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) δ : ______________________________________ ## str16 ## 2 . 45 ( 3h , s ), 2 . 90 ( 4h , m ), 3 . 05 ( 4h , m ), 7 . 23 ( 1h , dd , j = 8 . 0hz , 2 . 0hz ), 7 . 28 ( 1h , dd , j = 7 . 4hz , 8 . 0hz ), . 52 ( 1h , dd , j = 7 . 4hz , 2 . 0hz ) 3 ## str17 ## 2 . 42 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 03 ( 8h , m ), 6 . 90 ( 1h , d , j = 7 . 9hz ), 6 . 95 ( 1h , d , j = 7 . 5hz ), 7 . 17 ( 1h , dd , j = 7 . 5hz , 7 . 9hz ) 4 ## str18 ## 3 . 05 ( 8h , m ), 6 . 91 ( 1h , d , j = 2 . 3hz ) 7 . 17 ( 1h , d , j = 2 . 3hz ) 5 ## str19 ## 3 . 02 ( 8h , m ), 6 . 98 ( 1h , dd , j = 8 . 0hz , 1 . 5hz ), 7 . 14 ( 1h , t , j = 8 . 0hz ) 7 . 35 ( 1h , dd , j = 8 . 0hz , ______________________________________ 1 . 5hz ) to a solution of 4 . 06 g of potassium carbonate with 400 ml of water was added 40 g of 7 - hydroxy - 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril and 158 g of 1 , 4 - dibromobutane , then the mixture was refluxed for 3 hours . the reaction mixture thus obtained was extracted with dichloromethane , dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate , then the solvent was removed by evaporation . the residue thus obtained was purified by means of a silica gel column chromatography ( eluent : dichloromethane ), and recrystallized from n - hexane - ethanol to yield 50 g of 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril . a suspension of 47 g of 7 -( 4 - bromobutoxy )- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril , 35 g of sodium iodide with 600 ml of acetonitrile was refluxed for 30 minutes . to this suspension was added 40 g of 1 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl ) piperazine and 33 ml of triethylamine and the whole mixture was further refluxed for 3 hours . after the solvent was removed by evaporation , the residue thus obtained was dissolved in chloroform , washed with water then dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate . the solvent was removed by evaporation , and the residue thus obtained was recrystallized from ethanol twice , to yield 57 . 1 g of 7 -{ 4 -[- 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril one gram of 7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarboxtyril was dissolved in 20 ml of ethanol by heating , then under stirring condition , an ethanol solution saturated with hydrogen chloride was added thereto , the crystals precipitated were collected by filtration and recrystallized from thanol to yield 0 . 75 g of 7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril hydrochloride . one gram of 7 -[ 4 -. 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril was dissolved in 10 ml of ethanol , then to this solution was added 4 ml of sulfuric acid - ethanol ( 1 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid / 10 ml of ethanol ), then the solvent was removed by evaporation . to the residue thus obtained was added 10 ml of ethanol and 30 ml of water , the mixture was heated to make it as a solution , recrystallized , and the crystals were collected by filtration , further recrystallized from ethanol - water to yield 1 . 02 g of 7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarboxtyril . multidot . sulfate . by using 1 . 0 g of 7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril and 290 mg of fumaric acid , and treated by procedures similar to those employed in the case of preparation of the sulfate as mentioned above , and recrystallized from ethanol to yield 0 . 97 g of 7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril . multidot . fumarate . by using 1 . 0 g of 7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarboxtyril and 290 mg of maleic acid , and treated by procedures similar to those employed in the case of preparation of the sulfate as mentioned above , and recrystallized from ethanol to yield 0 . 98 g of 7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl [ butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyril . multidot . maleate . by using suitable starting materials , and by procedures similar to those employed in example 1 , there were prepared compounds of examples 2 - 14 as shown in table 2 as follows . in table 2 , compounds of examples 11 - 14 are in the form of hydrochlorides . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ ## str20 ## carbon - carbon bond between 3 - and 4 - positions in crystal form meltingexample carbostyril ( recrystallization pointno . r skeleton solvent ) (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________ ## str21 ## single bond yellow needle crystals ( methanol ) 165 - 1663 ## str22 ## single bond colorless flake crystals ( ethanol ) 133 - 1344 ## str23 ## single bond colorless needle crystals ( ethanol ) 125 - 1265 ## str24 ## single bond white powdery substance ( ethanol ) 134 - 1356 ## str25 ## single bond colorless granular crystals ( ethanol ) 133 - 1347 ## str26 ## single bond white powdery substance ( methanol ) 174 - 1768 ## str27 ## single bond white powdery substance ( methanol ) 125 - 1269 ## str28 ## single bond pale brown flake crystals ( methanol ) 150 - 15110 ## str29 ## double bond white powdery substance ( ethanol ) 144 - 14611 ## str30 ## double bond white powdery substance ( ethanol ) 151 ( decomp . ) 12 ## str31 ## single bond colorless fine needle crystals ( ethanol ) 214 - 21813 ## str32 ## single bond pale brown powdery substance ( ethanol - diethyl ether ) 207 - 207 . 514 ## str33 ## single bond pale brown powdery substance ( ethanol - diethyl ether ) 203 - 203 . 5__________________________________________________________________________ pharmacological test was conducted by using six mice in one test group . one hour after the oral administration of a test compound to a test mouse , apomorphine ( 1 . 25 mg / kg ) was subcutaneously administered , and the stereotypy movements manifested were scored according to the method by puech ( neuropharmacology , vol . 20 , pp . 1279 , 1981 ). the anti - apomorphine activity performed by each of the test compounds were evaluated by the scored data as the indication thereof . 50 % effective dose ( ed 50 , mg / kg ) of anti - apomorphine activity performed by a test compound is determined in that when the score obtained from the test group is lower than 50 % of mean value of the score obtained from the control group , then it is defined as &# 34 ; positive &# 34 ; in anti - apomorphine activity . by procedures similar to those described in janssen , p ., et al . : arzneimittel forschung , vol . 13 , pp . 205 , ( 1963 ), the test was conducted by using six mice in one test group . one hour after the oral administration of a test compound to a test mouse , a lethal dose ( 1 . 5 mg / kg ) of epinephrine was intravenously administered , and 4 hours after the intravenous administration , each of the mice in the test group was observed whether it is alive or not . 50 % effective dose ( ed 50 , mg / kg ) of anti - epinephrine lethal activity performed by a test compound is determined from the amount thereof orally administered , and in the case that the mouse is alive is determined as &# 34 ; positive &# 34 ; in anti - epinephrine lethal activity . ______________________________________testcompoundno . ______________________________________1 compound of example 1 ( free form ) 2 compound of example 23 compound of example 34 compound of example 45 compound of example 56 compound of example 127 compound of example 78 compound of example 89 compound of example 910 compound of example 1011 compound of example 1112 compound of example 1313 compound of example 14______________________________________ table 3______________________________________test anti - apomorphine anti - epinephrinecompound activity activityno . ( ed . sub . 50 mg / kg ) ( a ) ( ed . sub . 50 mg / kg ) ( b ) ( b )/( a ) ______________________________________1 0 . 18 & gt ; 128 & gt ; 7112 0 . 3 & gt ; 128 & gt ; 426 . 73 0 . 4 & gt ; 64 & gt ; 1604 0 . 4 & gt ; 64 & gt ; 1605 0 . 5 & gt ; 128 & gt ; 2566 0 . 1 3 . 7 377 0 . 4 & gt ; 128 & gt ; 3208 0 . 2 2 . 5 12 . 59 0 . 6 & gt ; 256 & gt ; 426 . 710 0 . 36 & gt ; 128 & gt ; 35511 0 . 12 3 . 8 31 . 612 0 . 5 1 . 58 3 . 1613 0 . 2 0 . 24 1 . 2______________________________________ ______________________________________7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 , 3 - dichlorophenyl )- 1 - 5 mgpiperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyrilstarch 132 mgmagnesium stearate 18 mglactose 45 mgtotal 200 mg______________________________________ by using usual procedures , tablets containing the above formulation per one tablet were prepared . ______________________________________7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 - ethoxyphenyl )- 1 - 500 mgpiperazinyl ]- butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarbostyrilpolyethylene glycol 0 . 3 g ( molecular weight : 4 , 000 ) sodium chloride 0 . 9 gpolyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate 0 . 4 gsodium metabisulfite 0 . 1 gmethyl p - hydroxybenzoate 0 . 18 gpropyl p - hydroxybenzoate 0 . 02 gdistilled water for injection 100 ml______________________________________ the above - mentioned methyl p - hydroxybenzoate , propyl p - hydroxybenzoate , sodium metabisulfite and sodium chloride were dissolved in distilled water for injection at 80 ° c . with stirring . the resulting solution was cooled to 40 ° c . then 7 -{ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 - ethoxyphenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butoxy }- 3 , 4 - dihydrocarboxtyril , polyethylene glycol and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooelate were dissolved in the above - mentioned solution in this order , then the predetermined volume of the injection solution was adjusted by adding the distilled water for injection , and was sterilized by filtration by using a suitable filter paper , then 1 ml each of the desired injection solution was filled in an ampul .	2
fig1 , 2 , and 3 illustrate a wafer - scale optoelectronic package 150 including a sub - mount 80 and a lid 130 in one embodiment of the invention . sub - mount 80 includes an optical lens 52 formed atop a substrate 54 and covered by an oxide layer 56 . buried traces 90 , 92 , 98 , and 100 are formed atop oxide layer 56 and covered by a dielectric layer 64 . contact pads 82 , 84 , 86 , and 88 ( all shown in fig3 ) are connected by plugs to buried traces 90 , 92 , 98 , and 100 , which are themselves connected by plugs to contact pads 94 , 96 , 102 and 104 ( shown in fig3 ) located outside of a seal ring 106 . a laser die 122 is bonded atop contact pad 82 and wire bonded to contact pad 84 , and a monitor photodiode die 124 is bonded atop contact pad 86 and wire bonded to contact pad 88 . seal ring 106 is connected to contact pads 108 and 110 for grounding purposes . lid 130 includes a body 133 that defines a lid cavity 131 having a surface 132 covered by a reflective material 134 . lid cavity 131 provides the necessary space to accommodate the dies that are mounted on sub - mount 80 . reflective material 134 on surface 132 forms a 45 degree mirror 135 that reflect a light from laser die 122 to lens 52 . a seal ring 136 is formed on the bond area along the edge of lid 130 around lid cavity 131 . reflective material 134 over lid cavity 131 also serves as an emi shield when it is grounded through seal ring 136 and contact pads 108 and 110 . in one embodiment , a barrier 322 is formed over reflective material 134 to define where seal ring 136 is to be formed . barrier 322 confines seal ring 136 so the seal ring material ( e . g ., a solder ) does not wick into cavity 131 and interfering with mirror 135 . in one embodiment , lid 130 has a ( 100 ) crystallographic plane oriented at a 9 . 74 degree offset from a major surface 138 . lid 130 is anisotropically etched so that surface 132 forms along a ( 111 ) crystallographic plane . as the ( 100 ) plane of lid 130 is oriented at a 9 . 74 degree offset from major surface 138 , the ( 111 ) plane and mirror 135 are oriented at a 45 degree offset from major surface 138 . in one embodiment , an alignment post 140 is bonded to the backside of sub - mount 80 . alignment post 140 allows package 150 to be aligned with an optical fiber in a ferrule . fig4 illustrates a method 200 for forming a wafer - scale lid 130 in one embodiment of the invention . in step 202 , as shown in fig5 , nitride layers 302 and 304 are formed on the top and the bottom surfaces of a substrate 306 , respectively . in one embodiment , substrate 306 is silicon having a thickness of about 675 microns , and nitride layers 302 and 304 are silicon nitride ( sin 4 ) formed by low pressure chemical vapor deposition ( lpcvd ) and have a thickness of about 1000 to 2000 angstroms . in one embodiment , if adhesion of nitride layers 302 and 304 to a silicon substrate 306 becomes problematic , nitride layers 302 and 304 can be made low stress by modifying the gas ratio ( dichlorosilante to ammonia ) and the amount of gas flow . in one embodiment , if denser nitride layers 302 and 304 are needed to withstand a koh etch , nitride layers 302 and 304 can be made silicon rich in order to become denser . in step 204 , as shown in fig6 , a photoresist 308 is next spun , exposed , and developed on nitride layer 302 . fig1 illustrate a mask 412 used in this lithographic process in one embodiment . mask 412 includes lid cavity patterns 414 that define the shape of lid cavity 314 b in fig9 to 16 . in one embodiment , lid cavity patterns 414 are trapezoidal so that the sidewalls formed by the nonparallel sides are flat instead of stepped . mask 412 also includes scribe line patterns 416 that define the separation cavities 314 a and 314 c in fig9 a and 10 to 16 . scribe line patterns 416 are oriented along a direction on wafer 306 that provides a symmetric etch angle . note that fig6 to 9a and 10 to 16 show the cross - section of the resulting structure formed by method 200 along lines aa ′ while fig9 b shows the cross - section of the resulting structure formed by method 200 along lines bb ′. in step 206 , as shown in fig7 , areas of nitride layer 302 exposed by windows 310 a , 310 b , and 310 c in photoresist 308 are etched down to substrate 306 . in one embodiment , nitride layer 302 is etched using a reactive ion etching ( rie ) process . the remaining portions of nitride layer 302 serve as a mask for an anisotropic etch . in step 208 , as shown in fig8 , resist 308 is stripped . as can be seen , windows 312 a , 312 b , and 312 c are formed in nitride layer 302 . the dimensions of these windows and the space between them are application dependent . in step 210 , as shown in fig9 a along line aa ′ and in fig9 b along line bb ′, areas of substrate 306 exposed by windows 312 a to 312 c in nitride layer 302 are etched to form separation cavities 314 a and 314 c , and lid cavity 314 b . as can be seen in fig9 b , lid cavity 314 b has a 45 degree wall 315 ( which corresponds to surface 132 in fig1 ) and a 64 . 48 degree wall 317 . in one embodiment , silicon substrate 306 is anisotropically etched using a koh solution having a ( 100 ) to ( 111 ) plane selectivity of 400 to 1 . in one embodiment , each cavity is etched to 375 microns deep , which results in an undercut of 1 micron in nitride layer 302 due to the selectivity of the etchant . in step 214 , as shown in fig1 , nitride layers 302 and 304 are removed . in one embodiment , nitride layers 302 and 304 are removed using a hot phosphoric wet etch . in step 216 , as shown in fig1 , an oxide layer 316 is formed over cavities 314 a , 314 b , and 314 c , and on the top surface of substrate 306 . in one embodiment , oxide layer 316 is silicon dioxide that is thermally grown from silicon substrate 306 and has a thickness of about 1000 angstroms . in step 218 , as shown in fig1 , a reflective layer 320 is formed over oxide layer 316 . in one embodiment , reflective layer 320 is a metal stack of a titanium - platinum - gold ( tiptau ) sequence deposited by e - beam evaporation or sputtering . in one embodiment , the titanium layer has a thickness of about 500 angstroms , the platinum player atop the titanium layer has a thickness of about 1000 angstroms , and the gold layer atop the titanium has a thickness of about 1500 angstroms . metal stack 320 is the reflective material 134 ( fig1 ) that forms mirror 135 ( fig1 ) on the ( 111 ) plane surface 132 ( fig1 ). in step 220 , as shown in fig1 , a barrier layer 322 is formed over reflective layer 320 . in one embodiment , barrier layer 322 is a metal oxide formed over reflective layer 320 . for example , barrier layer 322 is a titanium dioxide ( tio 2 ) layer that is thermally deposited upon the tiptau metal stack 320 and has a thickness about 500 angstroms . alternatively , barrier layer 322 can be a nitride , a boride , a fluoride , a fluorocarbon , a polyimide , or any other material that can withstand the soldering temperatures without adhering to the solder . furthermore , barrier layer 322 can be formed by other processes , including sputtering , reactive sputtering , chemical vapor deposition , and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition . in step 222 , as shown in fig1 , a photoresist 324 is next deposited on ( e . g ., spun on or sprayed on ) barrier layer 322 . in step 224 , as shown in fig1 , photoresist 324 is exposed and developed to form windows 326 a , 326 b , 326 c , and 326 d . areas of barrier layer 322 exposed by windows 326 a to 326 d are etched down to reflective layer 320 . in one embodiment , a titanium dioxide barrier layer 322 is etched using a solution of diluted hf ( 1000 : 1 ) and nitric acid ( 100 : 1 ). in step 226 , as shown in fig1 , a solder is plated through windows 326 a to 326 d onto reflective layer 320 . the solder forms seal ring 136 ( fig1 and 2 ) on the bond area around lid cavity 314 b ( also shown as lid cavity 131 in fig1 ). in one embodiment , the solder is a gold - tin ( ausn ) solder including a gold layer 328 having a thickness of 18 , 500 angstroms , and a tin layer 330 having a thickness of 18 , 500 angstroms on top of gold layer 328 . in one embodiment , photoresist 324 is stripped , reapplied , and patterned again to form windows 326 a to 326 d prior to plating the solder . this is because the gold plating ( on the bottom ) may mushroom over the top of the initial resist for gold plating . therefore , in order to get somewhat vertical edges , it may be necessary to remove the original resist and reapply a thicker resist that will provide a form for the solder plating . in step 228 , as shown in fig1 , photoresist 324 is stripped and lid 130 can now be singulated from adjacent lids 130 ( shown partially ) along imaginary lines 332 . fig1 illustrates a method 400 for forming a wafer - scale lid 130 in another embodiment of the invention . as can be seen , method 400 is similar to method 200 except that steps 426 and 428 have replaced steps 226 and 228 . in step 426 , as shown in fig1 , photoresist 324 is stripped . this leaves barrier layer 322 as the mask during the solder plating . in step 428 , as shown in fig2 , a solder including gold layer 328 and tin layer 330 are plated through windows 326 a to 326 d ( defined now by barrier layer 322 ) onto reflective layer 320 . again , lid 130 can be singulated from adjacent lids 130 ( shown partially ) along imaginary lines 332 . in method 200 , photoresist 324 is left on as a mask during the solder plating . in method 400 , photoresist 324 is stripped and barrier layer 322 is used as the mask during the solder plating . the advantage of method 400 is that photoresist 324 does not have to be a thick resist . in addition , the uniformity of photoresist coverage is unimportant . note that the solder and the resulting seal ring 136 will experience a small amount of mushrooming because the solder grows vertically by about the same amount that it grows laterally . in one embodiment , the total plating thickness is about 3 microns so the lateral growth is not problematic . as described above , tio 2 may be used as the barrier layer . tio 2 makes a particularly good barrier layer in the present application for many reasons . first , the ausn solder will not adhere to it . second , it adheres well to gold in the metal stack while not many materials do . third , although it has a high refractive index , which can alter the reflective of the gold , it is possible to deposit a very thin layer ( e . g ., much less than a quarter wavelength ). at this thickness , there should be little effect on light transmission through the lid . another advantage is that the methods described require only one mask after the cavity etch . this provides a great cost advantage over other methods that often require up to three masks after the cavity etch . although tio 2 has been disclosed as a material for the barrier layer , other materials having the following characteristics can also be used : ( 1 ) good adherence to the mirror ( i . e ., the reflective layer ); ( 2 ) non - wetable to solder ; ( 3 ) transparent to light ; and ( 4 ) non - soluble in the plating solution . furthermore , the barrier layer does not have to be thin ( e . g ., less than a quarter wavelength ). in some applications , it is advantageous to have a thick barrier layer . as the barrier layer gets to a geometric thickness ( angle dependent ) near a quarter wave length , substantial changes in reflectance will become evident . these can either be more or less reflective . if the laser is collimated , these interference effects can be exploited to improve the reflectivity of the mirror . however , if the laser is not collimated , the wide range of angles of the light will cause a variable reflectance across the mirror depending on the local angel , resulting in variable intensity of the beam when it leaves the mirror . various other adaptations and combinations of features of the embodiments disclosed are within the scope of the invention . numerous embodiments are encompassed by the following claims .	7
the invention will now be set out for a rotor of a turboengine which forms a low - pressure turbine stage . the rotor comprises a low - pressure turbine rotor disk 1 which extends axially along an axis x as illustrated in fig3 , in which there are formed axial or oblique grooves 11 in which blades 2 are engaged via the roots 3 thereof , the blades 2 extending radially outward relative to the axis x of the engine . the rotor disk 1 comprises an annular recess 6 which extends radially inward and which is formed downstream of the groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 . the invention is described in this instance for downstream blocking but it is self - evident that it can be used in a similar manner for axial upstream blocking . the rotor further comprises a device 8 for securing a root 3 of a rotor blade 2 in a groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 which device will now be set out with reference to fig2 to 6 . the securing device 8 preferably comprises the same number of blocking wedges 82 as teeth 83 . preferably , each blade 2 of the rotor disk 1 is blocked by a wedge 82 and a blocking tooth 83 . the number of wedges 82 is equal to the numbers of blades 2 to be blocked . in this example , the rotor disk 1 comprises 98 grooves 11 in order to receive the same number of blades 2 . in this example , in order to secure the blades 2 in the grooves 11 , there are 11 securing devices 8 provided , of which 10 comprise nine wedges 82 and of which one comprises eight wedges 82 , each device 8 comprising the same number of wedges 82 as blocking teeth 83 . it is self - evident that the number of wedges 82 per device 8 may vary in accordance with the number of blades of the rotor disk 1 or the number of devices 8 used to block the blades 2 of a rotor disk 1 . with reference to fig2 , the securing device 8 generally comprises a circular ring sector 81 , at least one blocking wedge 82 and at least one blocking tooth 83 in order to axially secure the root 3 of a rotor blade 3 which is arranged in a groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 whilst allowing the ventilation of the groove 11 . more precisely , the circular ring sector 81 is intended to be mounted transversely relative to the axis of the turboengine , in a recess 6 of the rotor disk 1 . by definition , a circular ring sector is defined relative to an axis which is referred to below as the ring axis s which is orientated in a forward direction in fig2 and which defines the axial direction . below , the terms “ front ” and “ rear ” are defined relative to the ring axis s . the ring sector 81 extends radially relative to the ring axis s in the radial direction of axis r , illustrated in fig2 , which is directed from the inner side to the outer side . the circular ring sector 81 has a constant radius of curvature and is flattened in the axial direction s , the radial dimension thereof being longer than the axial dimension thereof . the ring sector 81 has an open angle in the order of 30 □ , but this angle may of course be different . the inner radial portion 84 of the ring sector 81 is axially offset relative to the outer radial portion 85 thereof , as illustrated in fig2 . in other words , the inner radial portion 84 is ahead of the outer radial portion 85 in order to allow the inner radial end 84 to be accommodated in the recess 6 of the rotor disk 1 whilst allowing the outer radial portion 85 to move radially into abutment in the groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 as illustrated in fig3 . this feature will be set out below with reference to the embodiment of the invention . the rectangular blocking wedge 82 of the securing device 8 is fixedly joined and orthogonal relative to the ring sector 81 , the wedge 82 extending from the rear face of the ring sector 81 , parallel to the ring axis s . the blocking wedge 82 is arranged so as to radially support the root 3 of the blade 2 in the groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 . with reference to fig2 , the blocking wedge 82 is fixedly joined to the upper portion 85 of the ring sector 81 in order to raise the root 3 of the blade 2 relative to the base of the groove 11 in order to allow a circulation of air in the groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 . the blocking wedge 82 of the securing device 8 is flattened in the radial direction r , the axial dimension thereof being longer than the radial dimension thereof . the length of the blocking wedge 82 defined along the ring axis s is configured in order to support the root 3 of the blade 2 . by way of example , the length of the blocking wedge 82 corresponds to approximately 80 % of the length of the root 3 of the blade 2 as illustrated in fig4 . it is self - evident that the length of the blocking wedge 82 may vary . preferably , the length of the blocking wedge 82 is at least equal to half of the length of the blade root 3 in order to distribute the forces over the blocking wedge 82 . the blocking tooth 83 of the securing device 8 is fixedly joined and orthogonal relative to the blocking wedge 82 . the blocking tooth 83 , which is rectangular , extends from the upper portion 85 of the ring sector 81 in the radial direction r toward the outer side , that is to say , radially relative to the axis of the ring sector s , in order to block the axial movement of the blade root 3 in the groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 . the length of the tooth 83 , defined along the radial axis r , is configured in this example so as to extend as far as the outer diameter of the rotor disk 1 when the securing device 8 is in the fitted position as illustrated in fig3 . the dimensions of the blocking tooth 83 , in particular the length and the width thereof , are defined in order to resist the axial movements of the root 3 of the blade 2 during a rotation of the rotor . the blocking tooth 83 is arranged so as to be axially aligned with the groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 . preferably , the rear face of the blocking tooth 83 , also called the stop face , has a surface of which size is less than the cross section of the groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 , as illustrated in fig3 . such a blocking tooth 83 is able to carry out the blocking function , but at the same time is of reduced mass owing to the reduced dimensions thereof . according to a specific embodiment which is not illustrated , the blocking tooth 83 can be folded / retracted in order to allow simple fitting of the securing device 8 in the recess 6 , the tooth 83 being unfolded / deployed only after assembly . the securing device 8 further comprises ventilation means which are formed in the ring sector 81 , preferably in the outer portion 85 thereof , between the zone of connection of the securing wedge 82 and the inner portion 84 of the annular sector 81 as illustrated in fig4 . these ventilation means are in the form of openings which extend through the ring sector 81 in the axial direction in order to allow a flow of air f which circulates between the base of the groove 11 and the blocking wedge 82 to be discharged , as illustrated in fig4 . preferably , the ventilation means are radially aligned with the blocking tooth 83 which allows the root 3 of the blade 2 to be axially secured whilst allowing the groove 11 to be ventilated . according to a first embodiment , the ventilation means are in the form of circular through - holes 91 , whose diameter is calibrated for the ventilation , as illustrated in fig2 to 4 . circular holes 91 have the advantage of being simple to machine . according to a second embodiment , with reference to fig5 , the ventilation means are in the form of through - holes 92 having an elliptical cross section whose minor diameter preferably extends in the radial direction . holes 92 which have an elliptical cross section and which are produced , for example , by means of angled drilling , have the advantage of providing a great flow of air without affecting the mechanical strength in the radial direction of the ring sector 81 . this is because the distance between the inner edge of the ring sector 81 and an elliptical hole is greater than the distance between the inner edge of the ring sector 81 and a circular hole , thus offering greater mechanical strength . according to a third embodiment , with reference to fig6 , the ventilation means are in the form of notches 93 which are formed from the inner portion 84 of the ring sector 81 as far as the outer portion 85 thereof . in other words , the inner end of the ring sector 81 is notched in order to allow the ventilation of the grooves 11 . notches 93 have the advantage of reducing the mass of the ring sector 81 whilst being simple to machine by means of drilling . furthermore , the notches 93 provide a great flow of ventilation air . the fitting of a securing device 8 in the rotor will be described in greater detail . this fitting is described with reference to a device which comprises ventilation means in accordance with the first embodiment ( circular holes ). the description of the fitting method applies similarly to the other embodiments of the ventilation means . with reference to fig3 illustrating the rotor disk 1 of axis x , the securing device 8 of fig2 is fitted in the rotor disk 1 by placing the blocking wedges 82 axially in the grooves 11 of the rotor disk 1 and inserting the inner portion 84 of the securing device 8 in the downstream recess 6 of the rotor disk 1 so that the upper portion 85 of the ring sector 81 is in radial abutment in the base of the groove 11 in order to form a space for circulation of a flow of air f between the blocking wedge 82 and the base of the groove 11 . the axial offset further allows tilting of the securing device 8 to be prevented by limiting the overhang of the securing device 8 . indeed , if the blade 2 is in abutment with the wedge 82 , the inner portion 84 of the securing device 8 moves into contact with the downstream portion of the recess 6 and this blocks the upstream tilting of the wedge 82 . the blocking wedge 82 is parallel to the base of the groove 11 once fitted . the blocking tooth 83 extends radially relative to the axis of the engine and is axially aligned with the groove 11 . with reference to fig4 , the ventilation means , in this instance circular holes 91 , extend at mid - height in respect of the space for circulation of the flow of air f between the blocking wedge 82 and the base of the groove 11 , which ensures good circulation of air . the root 3 of the blade 2 is then inserted into the groove 11 by means of axial movement in a downstream direction so that the root 2 is in abutment with the outer surface of the blocking wedge 82 in order to be retained radially and thus to prevent an error in the positioning of the blade 2 in the disk 1 and , in particular , when the engine is in the stopped state . furthermore , the root 3 of the blade 2 is in abutment with the upstream surface ( stop surface ) of the blocking tooth 83 in order to be axially secured . owing to the securing device 8 according to the invention , it is not necessary to use a blade in the form of a fir - tree - like root or to form a hook in the blade root in order to axially secure the blade 2 . preferably , the root 3 of the rotor blade 2 has a simple dovetail form whose casing is of composite material . it is the securing device 8 and not the root 3 of the blade 2 that carries out the functions of axial blocking , radial blocking and ventilation of the groove 11 of the rotor disk 1 . such a root 3 is simple to produce and has a reduced mass . preferably , the casing of the root 3 of the blade 2 is of a ceramic matrix composite ( cmc ) material .	5
fig5 shows a pixel modulation circuit according to the present invention applied to a color printer using four color pieces of toner of yellow ( y ), cyan ( cy ), magenta ( mg ) and black ( bk ). the pixel modulation circuit is composed of four data conversion circuits 1 - 4 . the pixel modulation circuit is provided for each laser beam . the other configuration of the image writing portion provided with the pixel modulation circuit is the same as that shown in fig2 . each of pixel data d ( composed of six bits in this case ) generated by picking up an object image with a scanner or the like and a write clock wk are input into a 6 - to - 32 - bit data conversion circuit 1 for converting 6 bit data to 32 bit data . then , the pixel data d are converted to 32 bit data d 1 . the 6 - to - 32 - bit data conversion circuit 1 is , for example , a 64 - word random access memory ( ram ). one word is composed of 32 bits . the pixel data d are input to the address lines of the ram , and the pixel data d 1 are output from the word lines of the ram as data d 131 to d 100 synchronized with read clocks ck 1 and ck 2 . the pixel data d is previously written into each of desired word data in the ram by use of serial transfer lines including serial transferring clocks ks , transferring serial data ds and transferring data load signals ls . it is needless to say that the data conversion circuit 1 may be a read only memory ( rom ) in which the contents have previously been written fixedly . the pixel data d 1 are input into a 32 - to - 8 - bit data conversion circuit 2 . the input pixel data d 1 is serially converted to 8 - bit image data d 2 by means of input clocks k 1 . as shown in fig6 , the data conversion circuit 2 is composed of eight 4 - bit serial conversion circuits 11 a , 11 b , 11 c , 11 d , 11 e , 11 f , 11 g and 11 h . it is desirable to use the 4 - bit serial conversion circuit that is shown in fig7 and is composed of only inverters and two - input inverters , both being suitable for high speed operation . as clock inputs k 0 , k 1 , k 2 and k 3 , four - phase clocks k 10 , k 11 , k 12 and k 13 , which are respectively shown in fig8 d to 8 g and are obtained by the dividing of a clock signal having the period of t 0 / 4 ( t 0 indicates a pixel period ) shown in fig8 a into a frequency of one fourth of the frequency of the clock signal shown in fig8 a , are respectively input . the clock signal having the period of t 0 / 4 can easily be generated by means of a phase - locked loop ( pll ) circuit . data d 3 are output to a serial data output ps 4 terminal in a region z 1 shown in fig8 a - 8i by the clock inputs k 0 and k 1 . data d 2 are output to a serial data output ps 4 terminal in a region z 2 by the clock inputs k 1 and k 2 . data d 1 are output to a serial data output ps 4 terminal in a region z 3 by the clock inputs k 2 and k 3 . data d 0 are output to a serial data output ps 4 terminal in a region z 4 by the clock inputs k 3 and k 0 . thereby the four - bit seal conversions of input data d 3 to d 0 are realized . as shown in fig6 , as the input data d 3 to d 0 of the serial conversion circuits 11 a - 11 h , the following data are respectively input . as for the uppermost bit pixel data d 27 , data d 131 , d 123 , d 115 and d 107 are input . as for pixel data d 26 , data d 130 , d 122 , d 114 and d 106 are input . as for pixel data d 25 , data d 129 , d 121 , d 113 and d 105 are input . as for pixel data d 24 , data d 128 , d 120 , d 112 and d 104 are input . as for pixel data d 23 , data d 127 , d 119 , d 111 and d 103 are input . as for pixel data d 22 , data d 126 , d 118 , d 110 and d 102 are input . as for pixel data d 21 , data d 125 , d 117 , d 109 and d 101 are input . as for pixel data d 20 , data d 124 , d 116 , d 108 and d 100 are input . incidentally , for the ensuring of the operation of data conversion circuit 2 , it is desirable to generate the high order input data d 131 - d 116 of pixel data d 1 as shown in fig8 h by means of the clock ck 1 shown in fig8 b , and to generate the low order input data d 115 to d 100 of the pixel data d 1 as shown in fig8 i by means of the clock ck 2 shown in fig8 c . thereby , the operation of the data conversion circuit 2 is stabilized . fig9 a to 9 d are referred to while the data conversion operation mentioned above is described . the input 6 - bit pixel data d having the period t 0 shown in fig9 a are expanded to the 32 - bit pixel data d 1 having the period t 0 shown in fig9 b . the 32 - bit pixel data d 1 are then converted to the 8 - bit pixel data d 2 having the period t 0 / 4 as shown in fig9 c . the pixel data d 27 to d 20 are input into the data conversion circuit 3 . the configuration of the data conversion circuit 3 is shown in fig1 . in fig1 , the pixel data d 27 to d 20 are latched by latch circuits 8 a and 8 b by use of a clock ck 3 having the period t 0 / 4 and a predetermined phase to generate pixel data da 7 , da 6 , da 5 , da 4 , da 3 , da 2 , da 1 and da 0 , and db 6 , db 5 , db 4 , db 3 , db 2 , db 1 and db 0 delayed from the pixel data da 7 to da 0 , respectively . the pixel data da 7 to da 0 and db 6 to db 0 are input into eight data adding circuit 10 a , 10 b , 10 c , 10 d , 10 e , 10 f , 10 g and 10 h having the same structure severally . the data adding circuits 10 a to 10 h respectively output converted pixel data d 37 , d 36 , d 35 , d 34 , d 33 , d 32 , d 31 and d 30 . moreover , control signals s 1 , s 2 , s 3 , s 4 , s 5 , s 6 and s 7 are input to each of the data adding circuit 10 a to 10 h . the control signals s 1 to s 7 are generated by a decoder 9 to which pulse width adding data l 2 , l 1 and l 0 are input . the data adding circuits 10 a to 10 h are severally configured as an or circuit of eight data din , dx 1 , dx 2 , dx 3 , dx 4 , dx 5 , dx 6 and dx 7 , as shown in fig1 . incidentally , because the other input terminal of a two - input nand circuit to which the data din is input is connected with a power supply c , the data din is always output . the or operation of the data din with the other data dx 1 to dx 7 is executed when the control signals s 1 to s 7 take an h level , respectively . then , data dout is output . in the data adding circuit 10 h , the pixel data da 0 , da 1 , da 2 , da 3 , da 4 , da 5 , da 6 and da 7 are input as the data din , dx 1 , dx 2 , dx 3 , dx 4 , dx 5 , dx 6 and dx 7 , respectively , and the converted pixel data d 30 is output . in the data adding circuit 10 g the pixel data da 1 , da 2 , da 3 , da 4 , da 5 , da 6 , da 7 and db 0 are input as the data din , dx 1 , dx 2 , dx 3 , dx 4 , dx 5 , dx 6 and dx 7 , respectively , and the converted pixel data d 31 is output . in the data adding circuit 10 f , the pixel data da 2 , da 3 , da 4 , da 5 , da 6 , da 7 , db 0 and db 1 are input as the data din , dx 1 , dx 2 , dx 3 , dx 4 , dx 5 , dx 6 and dx 7 , respectively , and the converted pixel data d 32 is output . in the data adding circuit 10 e , the pixel data da 3 , da 4 , da 5 , da 6 , da 7 , dab 0 , db 1 and db 2 are input as the data din , dx 1 , dx 2 , dx 3 , dx 4 , dx 5 , dx 6 and dx 7 , respectively , and the converted pixel data d 33 is output . in the data adding circuit 10 d , the pixel data da 4 , da 5 , da 6 , da 7 , db 0 , db 1 , d 62 and db 3 are input as the data din , dx 1 , dx 2 , dx 3 , dx 4 , dx 5 , dx 6 and dx 7 , respectively , and the converted pixel data d 34 is output . in the data adding circuit 10 c , the pixel data da 5 , da 6 , da 7 , db 0 , db 1 , db 2 , db 3 and db 4 are input as the data din , dx 1 , dx 2 , dx 3 , dx 4 , dx 5 , dx 6 and dx 7 , respectively , and the converted pixel data d 35 is output . in the data adding circuit 10 b , the pixel data da 6 , da 7 , db 0 , db 1 , db 2 , db 3 , db 4 and db 5 are input as the data din , dx 1 , dx 2 , dx 3 , dx 4 , dx 5 , dx 6 and dx 7 , respectively , and the converted pixel data d 36 is output . in the data adding circuit 10 a , the pixel data da 7 , db 0 , db 1 , db 2 , db 3 , db 4 , db 5 and db 6 are input as the data din , dx 1 , dx 2 , dx 3 , dx 4 , dx 5 , dx 6 and dx 7 , respectively , and the converted pixel data d 37 is output . fig1 shows an example of a logical truth table for the generation of the control signals s 1 to s 7 on the basis of the pulse width adding data l 2 to l 0 . on such a truth table , the data adding circuits 10 a to 10 h add the data dx 1 to dx 7 logically as the value of the pulse width adding data l increases . when the value of the pulse width adding data l is zero , the data conversion circuit 3 outputs the pixel data d 2 as they are as pixel data d 3 . the following is each logical expression of the control signals s 1 to s 7 . s 1 = l 2 + l 1 + l 0 s 2 = l 2 + l 1 s 3 = l 2 +({ double overscore ( l 1 )}{ overscore (+)}{ double overscore ( l 0 )}) s 4 = l 2 s 5 = l 2 ×({ double overscore ( l 1 )}{ overscore (×)}{ double overscore ( l 0 )}) s 6 = l 2 × l 1 s 7 = l 2 × l 1 × l 0 fig1 shows a circuit configuration of the decoder 9 of each logical expression . the 8 - bit pixel data d 3 is input into the data conversion circuit 4 , which converts data from eight bits to four bits . the 8 - bit pixel data d 3 is converted into 1 - bit laser control signal on by mean of a clock ck 4 and a multi - phase clock k 2 , and the laser control signal on is output from the data conversion circuit 4 . the multi - phase clock k 2 is generated by a dll circuit shown in fig1 . a clock k having a period t 0 / 4 is input into a delay circuit 12 a . delay circuits 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d , 12 e , 12 f , 12 g , 12 h and 12 i all have the same structure , and each is a variable delay circuit having a delay time changeable by a control signal vd . the delay circuits 12 a - 12 i can severally be configured by , for example , a cmos circuit shown in fig1 . because the cmos circuit shown in fig1 is composed of differential circuits , the cmos circuit can stably realize its high speed operation . the output signals of the delay circuits 12 a and 12 i are input into a phase comparison circuit 13 , and the phase comparison circuit 13 outputs an up - pulse u and a down - pulse d . the up - pulse u and the down - pulse d are input into a charge pump circuit 14 . the charge pump circuit 14 generates an error signal on the basis of the up - pulse u and the down - pulse d . the error signal is input into a control signal generation circuit 15 . the control signal generation circuit 15 converts the input error signal to the control signal vd . the control signal vd output from the control signal generation circuit 15 is input into each of the delay circuits 12 a to 12 i . the dll circuit shown in fig1 is controlled by the control signal vd such that the phases of the output signals of the delay circuit 12 a and 12 i agree with each other . consequently , output clocks k 20 , k 21 , k 22 , k 23 , k 24 , k 25 , k 26 and k 27 of the respective delay circuits 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d , 12 e , 12 f , 12 g and 12 h are the multi - phase clocks the phases of which are shifted from each other by t 0 / 32 as shown in fig1 a , 16 b , 16 c , 16 d , 16 e , 16 f , 16 g and 16 h respectively . the clock k 20 is also used as the clock ck 3 of the aforementioned data conversion circuit 3 . the configuration of the data conversion circuit 4 is shown in fig1 . because the pixel data d 3 are latched by the clock ck 3 ( or clock k 20 ), the pixel data d 3 is input into the data conversion circuit 4 at a timing shown in fig1 i . the lower four bits d 33 to d 30 of the pixel data d 3 are latched by a latch circuit 7 . if the output clock k 24 is used as the clock ck 4 , data dc 3 , dc 2 , dc 1 and dc 0 of the latch circuit 7 are output as shown in fig1 j . the higher four bit d 37 to d 34 of the pixel data d 3 , the data dc 3 to dc 0 and clocks k 20 to k 27 are input into two serial conversion circuits 5 a and 5 b and twofold multiplied clock generating circuit 6 . it is preferable to configure the serial conversion circuits 5 a and 5 b in the configuration of fig7 , which is suitable for high speed operation . the clocks k 24 , k 26 , k 26 , k 20 , k 20 , k 22 , k 22 and k 24 are input into the serial conversion circuits 5 a and 5 b as the respective clock inputs k 0 , k 1 , k 2 , k 3 , k 4 , k 5 , k 6 and k 7 thereof . moreover , the data d 37 , d 34 , dc 3 and dc 0 are input into the serial conversion circuit 5 a as the data d 3 , d 2 , d 1 and d 0 thereof . the data d 36 , d 35 , dc 2 and dc 1 are input into the serial conversion circuit 5 b as the data d 3 , d 2 , d 1 and d 0 thereof . consequently , as shown in fig1 k and 16l , output signals ds 1 and ds 2 of the serial conversion circuit 5 a and 5 b are respectively output as the following serially converted data . that is , the pixel data d 37 and d 36 are output in a region ( z 1 + z 2 ). the pixel data d 34 and d 35 are output in a region ( z 3 + z 4 ). the pixel data d 33 and d 32 are output in a region ( z 5 + z 6 ). the pixel data d 30 and d 31 are output in a region ( z 7 + z 8 ). it is preferable that the configuration of the twofold multiplied clock generating circuit 6 is a configuration shown in fig1 in the case where the serial conversion circuits 5 a and 5 b are configured as the configuration of fig7 . the clocks k 25 , k 27 , k 21 , k 23 , k 27 , k 21 , k 23 and k 25 are input into the twofold multiplied clock generating circuit 6 as the clock inputs k 0 , k 1 , k 2 , k 3 , k 4 , k 5 , k 6 and k 7 thereof , respectively . in this case , a twofold multiplied clock x 2 k 1 is output as a signal shown in fig1 m . that is , the twofold multiplied clock x 2 k 1 takes an l level in a region ( z 2 + z 3 ) and a region ( z 6 + z 7 ), and takes an h level in a region ( z 4 + z 5 ) and a region ( z 1 + z 8 ), as shown in fig1 m . on the other hand , a twofold multiplied clock x 2 k 2 is output as a signal shown in fig1 n . that is , the twofold multiplied clock x 2 k 2 takes the l level in the region ( z 1 + z 8 ) and the region ( z 4 + z 5 ), and takes the h level in the region ( z 2 + z 3 ) and the region ( z 6 + z 7 ), as shown in fig1 n . the output signals ds 1 and ds 2 and the twofold multiplied clocks x 2 k 1 and x 2 k 2 are input into a selection circuit composed of three two - input nand circuit . the selection circuit outputs the laser control signal on in the regions z 1 , z 2 , z 3 , z 4 , z 5 , z 6 , z 7 and z 8 , which is shown in fig1 o and is serially converted from the pixel data d 3 to d 30 . the pixel modulation circuit , which is shown in fig5 and is described above , can serially convert the laser control signal on in the pixel period t 0 by dividing the 32 - bit pixel data d 1 , which have been expanded arbitrarily from the input pixel data d , into 32 parts , which is more fine in comparison with the related art , as shown in fig9 d . consequently , the image processing , which is a pixel modulation technique to be used in the reproduction of a video ( or gradation ) image and is composed of techniques such as center pulse width modulation ( pwm ), left growing pwm , right growing pwm , contour processing in the reproduction of a highly fine character , and the like , can all be realized easily by the advance registration of data for the execution of the image processing in a memory in the data conversion circuit 1 . for example , a 64 - word memory ( or a ram ) ( one word is composed of 32 bits ) using the input pixel data d ( composed of six bits ) as address inputs is prepared as the memory in the data conversions circuit 1 for the achievement of the aforementioned image processing . desired data conversion pattern data ( composed of 32 bits ) corresponding to the input pixel data d ( or the address data ) is previously written in this ram . as a method of the registration , a serial transferring method is preferable . for the serial transfer , three signal lines for the serial transferring clocks ks , the transferring serial data ds and the transferring data load signals ls are generally used . the transferring serial data ds includes an address signal corresponding to the input pixel data d , desired data conversion pattern data ( composed of 32 bits ) and a signal for switching over the ram to its write mode , and the transferring serial data ds transfers the signals and the data to the ram . when the data conversion circuit 1 receives the load signals ls , the data conversion circuit 1 begins to write the transferring serial data ds into the ram . when the writing has finished , the ram is switched over to its read mode . moreover , the pulse width of the laser control signal on can be increased t 0 / 32 by tp / 32 from a pulse width tw defined by the pixel data d 1 to a pulse width ( tw + 7t 0 / 32 ) as the value of the pulse width adding data l increases , which is input into the data conversion circuit 3 , from zero to seven . moreover , the operation is not limited by the output form of the laser control signal on . consequently , pulses , which are shown in fig1 b , of the laser control signal on can be generated with the addition of a predetermined pulse width to each of the pulses p 1 , p 2 , p 3 and p 4 of the conventional laser control signal on ( a state where the pulse width adding data l is 0 h ) shown in fig1 a on the basis of the pulse width adding data l . thereby , the light emission delay phenomenon being a fundamental characteristic of a laser diode can be cancelled equivalently . thus , the laser emission signal that has been subjected to a desired control can easily be obtained as shown in fig1 c . all of the components of the pixel modulation circuits can be realized by a pure cmos semiconductor process , which can highly integrates semiconductor elements . incidentally , although the descriptions concerning the aforementioned embodiment are made on the assumption that the laser beam is used as a beam for forming an image , any beam may be applied to the present invention as long as the beam can form an image . according to the present embodiment , the input pixel data d can be expanded finely based on the pixel period , and consequently the laser control signal on suitable for various images such as video ( gradation ) images , character images and the like can easily be generated . moreover , because a pulse width addition function for the generation of the laser control signal on in order that a desired laser emission can be obtained from input pixel data can be realized , the modulation of the quantity of laser light more accurate than any other related art can be performed . consequently , the high image quality can be achieved . moreover , because all of the components of the pixel modulation apparatus can be structured by a pure cmos process , the pixel modulation apparatus of the present invention can be realized cheap in cost . consequently , the pixel modulation apparatus of the present invention is advantageous to a multi - beam / multi - drum type laser beam image forming apparatus , which needs a plurality of pixel modulation apparatus . in other words , the foregoing description of embodiments has been given for illustrative purpose only and not to be construed as imposing any limitation in every respect . the scope of the invention is , therefore , to be determined solely by the following claims and not limited by the text of the specifications and alterations made within a scope equivalent to the scope of the claims falling within the true sprit and scope of the invention .	7
the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit application and uses . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or summary or the following detailed description . fig1 to fig3 show self - heating fluid conduit segments 100 according to exemplary embodiments . the fluid conduit segments 100 in each case comprise an inner hose 101 and a heating device with a ptc - fabric heating element 102 . furthermore , electrical connections 104 are provided that connect the ptc - fabric heating element 102 at the beginning / end or in the middle to the power supply . the power supply , if applicable with control electronics , the connections 104 and the ptc - fabric heating element 102 are hereinafter referred to as the “ heating device ” 103 . in the exemplary embodiment of fig1 the fabric shape of the ptc - fabric heating element 102 matches the external diameter of the hose 101 . the corresponding ends of the fabric heating element 102 abut . as an alternative , the fabric heating element 102 can also be designed as a sleeve . the sleeve is manufactured so that it precisely fits the outer diameter of the component to be heated and is pulled over the aforesaid with the use of a lubricant and sealant , e . g ., silicon . the beginning of the hose and the end of the hose correspond to the length of the fabric heating device , see also fig4 . in the exemplary embodiment of fig2 the ptc - fabric heating element 102 is helically wound onto the inner hose 101 and is bonded to the latter . the spaces between the individual windings are , for example , approximately 30 millimeters . in the exemplary embodiment of fig3 the ptc - fabric heating element 102 is bonded so as to be parallel to the inner hose , i . e ., is designed so as to be strip - shaped . the electrical connections 104 of the fabric heating element are resistant to a salt water negative - pressure test . the salt water / negative - pressure test essentially comprises the test specimen , except for the connector part of the electrical interface connection , being completely immersed in a vessel comprising salt water made from approximately 90 % distilled water . the test is deemed to have been passed if the specimen is exposed for approximately 30 days in an environmental chamber where at prescribed intervals it is subjected to alternating pressure ranging between approximately 1013 . 25 hpa and approximately 100 hpa , and if the prescribed insulation resistance and dielectric resistance test was passed . these stringent requirements must be met , for example for applications in passenger aircraft . for example , the ptc - fabric heating element is still adequately insulated towards the outside or the cres braid , the corrosion - resistant braid or copper / nickel braid or fitting housing of the fluid conduit segment even after a test duration of approximately 30 days in which the pressure is cyclically altered between approximately 1013 millibars and approximately 100 millibars . in this case the resistance is greater than approximately 3000 mega ohms . the fabric heating element makes it possible to use heated hoses in aircraft because it is relatively light in weight . the weight savings with one meter of hose length and a hose thickness of approximately half an inch ( corresponding to a surface of approximately 398 square centimeters ) is approximately 12 grams per meter , which corresponds to an areal density of approximately 0 . 03 grams per square centimeter for the fabric heating element . a corresponding strip heater comprises a weight of approximately 110 grams per meter . furthermore , the use of a fabric heating device can lead to cost savings , not least as a result of the reduced weight . further advantages include the homogeneous temperature distribution , the over temperature limitation as a result of self - limitation , the lack of a need for bimetal switches , the reduction in electrical power ( kilowatts ), the automatic matching of the heat output over the hose length depending on the different ranges of ambient temperatures , the high flexibility when compared to va - pipes ( made from stainless steel ) with strip heaters , the vibration resistance , the changeability of direction and length of the fluid conduit segment , the output tolerance of only plus / minus approximately 5 % of the end value , compared to an output of plus approximately 6 . 5 watts per meter and minus approximately 1 . 5 watts per meter for a strip heater . thus , optimal current monitoring may be possible . the power density of the fabric is , for example , approximately 0 . 5 watt per square centimeter . in the case of doubly - laid fabric it is approximately 1 watt per square centimeter . the hoses ( fluid conduit segments ) can be heated in the temperature range from approximately minus 63 degrees celsius to approximately plus 85 degrees celsius without this requiring complicated control electronics as would be the case with ntc - heat fabric . the temperature dependence of the ptc - fabric heating element is in this temperature range , for example , linear . the increase in the output in the negative temperature range is progressive , while the output in the positive temperature range is reduced . the coated ptc - heating fabric ( e . g ., glass filament , polymers , or polyimide ) is embedded in the hose in a silicon nomex compound . the heating fabric is covered by a shielding braid comprising steel or copper / nickel , and the hose is then mechanically protected by means of a nomex sheath fabric . the materials used conform to far or rtca do 160 . the electrical power outlet is designed so as to be water proof , the conduits are color - coded and are designed with neutral conduit recognition as well as comprising individual colored bayonet connectors or circular connectors that require no tools for separation . for improved thermal conduction in the connection region between the individual fluid conduit segments ( i . e ., fitting plug - in region ) instead of va - fittings ( i . e ., non - corroding fittings ) it is possible to press brass fittings to a va - cylinder in order to obtain good thermal conduction . apart from straight , angular screw , weld , roll and compression flanges , instead of a snap lock a quick - disconnect can be provided for the hose interface so that simple detachment and closing and weight optimization of the hoses is made possible . the fittings can be screw , crimp , roll , weld , or bond connection types to va conduits or conduits comprising titanium , aluminum , plastic , or metal . the fittings can be easily connected and disconnected ( so - called quick - disconnect fittings ). examples of female connection pieces between adjacent fluid conduit segments are shown in fig1 . the parts 1201 can be inserted into corresponding male components ( similar to garden hose fittings ). the ptc heating characteristics are achieved by the incorporation of corresponding soot particles . as an alternative to polymer threads ( e . g ., ptfe / pfa threads ) it is also possible to use cotton threads that have been impregnated with soot . fig4 shows a hose end with a corresponding fitting 401 into which a corresponding counter fitting of a fluid conduit segment to be connected can be inserted . the hose fitting 401 is , for example , designed in the form of va / chrome - plated brass . the multicolored ( e . g ., red , blue and white ) connecting wires 410 comprise , for example , a conduit cross section of approximately 1 mm 2 . the hose fitting material 401 comprises stainless steel ( va ) or chrome - plated brass with a va compression bush . the diagram shows the female plug - in bush component . the outer silicon encapsulation 402 ( e . g ., rt 607 or equivalent ), encloses the aramid outer sheath , nomex outer sheath or kevlar outer sheath of the hose . the braid ends underneath the compression bush . the end 403 of the heating fabric in the silicon compound is above the fep -, pfa - inner hose and underneath the silicon / nomex and cres or corrosion - resistant copper / nickel shielding braid . in the end region , depending on requirements , a higher power density , maximum of approximately 0 . 5 w / cm2 , is to be provided . furthermore , a stainless steel bush 404 is provided which presses the hose construction with the outer sheath onto the grooved outer diameter of the va fitting or brass fitting in order to in this way achieve tightness and tensile strength of the hose . the connection 405 of the two heating - fabric silver - wire strands to the nickel - plated copper cores of the 1 mm 2 connecting conductors is soldered , welded or compressed by means of a core end cap . at its connection to the silver wire the 1 mm 2 connecting line 406 is sealed by means of loctite against the ingress of moisture as a result of capillary action . in each case a shrinkable silicon sleeve ( e . g ., sfr - 2 . 9 / 1 . 7 . 8 rychem ), is pushed over each of the three conduit connections 407 ( i . e ., from the outlet of the heating - device fabric to the outlet of the three connecting conductors ). at the outlet of the heating - device fabric , in each case a short shrinkable sleeve ( approximately 5 mm ) has first been shrunk on in order to seal the gel against leakage onto the silver wire conduit . subsequently , the first sfr shrinkable silicon sleeve is at first shrunk onto the short shrinkable sleeve only at the end . by means of the gel 408 ( e . g ., polyurethane or iso - pur a776 ), the silicon hose over the conduits is filled in a bubble - free manner and is carefully shrunk up to the outlet of the connection conduit . at the end the shrinkable sleeve is squeezed in its deformable state so that the gel can dwell in the shrinkable sleeve . in this way a moisture barrier to the exit of the ptc - hose fabric conduit is created . at the same time each conduit is installed in a bifilar manner in the connection region so that as a result of the longer path an impeccable moisture barrier is achieved . an additionally bonded - on shrinkable sleeve 409 above the three connecting conductors , for example on the nomex fabric , is used as a strain relief device . the connecting conductors exit from the silicon encapsulation at a particular spacing parallel to the hose . for improved guidance and for an improved seal , the silicon encapsulation extends at the conduit outlet as a “ finger ”. for improved identification the three connecting conductors 410 are provided in the colors : the cross section of the conduits approved for aviation is approximately 1 mm 2 . optionally , approximately 10 mm insulation foam 411 can be installed on the fabric heating - device hose in order to save electrical power . as a protective mechanical braid and in order to provide rigidity , for example a nomex , kevlar or aramide sheath 412 can be used . above the three connecting conductors in the overall silicon encapsulation , likewise , a shrinkable sleeve 413 is arranged in order to affix the conduits and as a strain relief device . the insulation sheath 414 of the three connecting conductors is to be etched in the case of an outer fep ( e . g ., tetra etch ) in order to establish better adhesion to the silicon . the silver - wire conduits exit in a decoupled manner , for example from the nomex braid and the shielding braid , behind the va compression bush from the silicon compound , e . g ., at location 415 . the bonding connection ( e . g ., housing mass ) 416 of the , for example , corrosion - resistant shielding braid and of the fitting is implemented on the va compression bush by welding . fig5 shows a cross section of part of a fluid conduit segment 100 . in the interior region of the segment the inner hose 101 is provided , which comprises , for example , pfa , fep and / or ptfe and can comprise a wall thickness of approximately 0 . 1 millimeters . this is followed by a silicon layer 505 , in turn followed by the heating fabric 102 ( e . g ., glass filament / polymers / soot / polyimide , with a thickness of , for example , approximately 0 . 3 millimeters )). between the heat fabric 102 and a shielding braid 503 comprising copper / nickel and / or cres 504 there is a nomex layer 504 . this is followed by a silicon layer 502 , in turn followed by a nomex braid or kevlar 501 that forms the outer layer of the fluid conduit segment . the overall thickness of the hose wall is approximately 2 . 6 millimeters . fig6 shows a fluid conduit segment in the form of a through heater . both segment ends 602 , 603 comprise the connections shown in fig4 and can be connected , by way of a corresponding fitting 604 or 605 , to a continuing fluid conduit segment 601 or a connecting piece , e . g . in a manner similar to that of gardena hose systems . the conduit exits 610 with the male connectors are color - coded , for example , red , blue and white , and / or comprise a shrinkable sleeve with corresponding markings , e . g ., a 1 , a 2 or a 3 . the connecting conductors 611 with the corresponding female connectors are marked correspondingly . fig7 shows an end heater in which the fluid conduit segment 100 only comprises one electrical connection 602 on one of the two ends . fig8 shows a temperature output curve relating to the ptc - fabric heating element . the curve has a linearly decreasing course in the temperature range from approximately minus 70 degrees celsius to approximately plus 80 degrees celsius . at approximately minus 70 degrees celsius the output is , for example , approximately 34 watts while at approximately plus 80 degrees celsius the output is approximately 12 watts . the maximum power density is approximately 0 . 5 watt per square centimeter , or when used doubled - up , in other words with two fabric heating layers , approximately 1 watt per square centimeter . the fluid conduit segments are used in aircraft in which hoses among other things for the fresh water system ( e . g ., tanks , service panels , valve connections , toilets and galleys in the flexible region ), drainage system , fuel system , hydraulic system , air conditioning system and humidifiers need to be heated to prevent them from freezing . the flexible fabric heating devices of the fluid conduit segments feature a small bending radius ( for example in the magnitude of a single diameter ), homogeneous power distribution , homogeneous temperature distribution , insensitivity to bending , light weight and a thin wall thickness . furthermore , no additional electronics are required , because temperature control does not have to be inverted . the fluid conduit segments can , among other things , be used for wastewater conduits , urinals , drainage , conduits carrying human waste , air conduits , fresh water conduits , hydraulic conduits , fuel lines , tanks , service panels , valves , toilets , galleys in the flexible region and humidifier connections . the flexibility of the fluid conduit segments is , in particular , advantageous when strong vibrations and aircraft cell movement are experienced , during tolerance - free installation , as well as in difficult installation conditions and during maintenance work . there is no need to provide rigid va pipes in the interface to the galleys and toilets , because they are replaced by the heated fluid conduit segments with quick - action fasteners , preferably comprising chrome - plated brass , or brass fittings with va compression bushings . the quick - action fastener comprises , for example , three parts : a fitting ( va ) for the incoming pipe ( rolled ) (“ male ”) plus an o - ring , a fitting on the next fluid conduit segment , also va , rolled (“ female ”), a clamp with metal springs . furthermore , the quick - action fastener can be designed according to the garden hose principle : a brass fitting with sliding cylinder (“ female ”) and a brass fitting (“ male ”) plus an o - ring . in the fitting region it is possible to use brass material because of its relatively good thermal conduction . the short pipe sections at the service panel can be replaced by heated fluid conduit segments . this makes it possible to variably install valves , nipples etc . due to their relatively rigid terminals , strip heaters may be difficult to install in the case of short pipes . furthermore , there is no need to provide attachment material for the strip heater , i . e ., a glass filament tape with an adhesive film . by means of quick - disconnect connectors 610 the ptc - fabric heating element can be connected directly to an existing strip heater circuit . this results in cost savings in relation to the control circuits ( conduits , electronics , sensor clips ), in weight savings and in savings relating to installation expenditure . furthermore , it may not be necessary to install over temperature switches or temperature fuses , because the heat output is limited by the ptc - behavior . furthermore , an over temperature switch can be installed on the brass fitting . the ptc - sensor ( e . g ., tp5a made by honeywell ) for regulation by way of the control unit electronics ( including monitoring of the heater circuit ) can in any case be affixed to the brass fitting , in other words to the connecting element . the brass material is , for example , approximately 00 - p - 626 composite 360½ hard cuzn40a12 or astm b16 / b16m ½ hard with a chrome coating approximately 70 micrometers in thickness . the high flexibility of the fabric heating element results , for example , from the thread thickness and the type of braid . because of its low bending radius the fabric heating element is , in particular , suitable for hose applications . the following threads can , for example , be used : cellulose / soot particle thread of a diameter of approximately 0 . 15 mm , glass filament thread of a diameter of approximately 0 . 05 mm on both sides , overall thickness of the fabric approximately 0 . 25 - 0 . 28 mm . a kapton foil heater with polyimide coating comprises , for example , an overall thickness of approximately 0 . 25 mm . the weight of the fabric heating element is approximately 36 grams per meter in the case of a pipe with a diameter of half an inch , in this case strip heating elements comprise a weight of 110 grams per meter . the larger heated surface results in a relatively lower surface temperature of the fabric . in relation to the heated item ( medium , e . g . water ) the fabric heating element heats the entire area . it is advantageous if the inrush current of the fabric heating device does not exceed the range of the nominal current . the supply voltages can be 115 volts , 320 to 800 hertz . moreover , for special applications low voltages of , for example , 28 volts dc may be possible . the bending radius of the fabric heating element can be approximately 1 . 8 millimeter . due to the fabric heating element being embedded in the fluid conduit element , faster temperature input in the medium is possible . the maximum temperature with continuous operation of the fabric heating element , for example at an ambient temperature of approximately plus 10 degrees celsius and a pipe diameter of approximately one inch , is 75 degrees celsius at 18 watts per meter . this reduces the risk of the 10 millimeter thick insulating foam shrinking or the hose composite materials being overloaded in a temperature sense . fig9 shows a fluid conduit segment as an end heater ( left - hand side ) and a fluid conduit segment as a through heater ( right - hand side ). the end heater comprises an electrical connection only at one end , while the through heater comprises an electrical connection at each end . the interface of the connection electrics can comprise six individual quick disconnects ( red , blue , white ), three individual jiffy junctions ( silicon sheath , base color red ) or a circular connector ( e . g . six terminals ) and corresponding ongoing leads . the mechanical connection between the individual fluid conduit segments can comprise titanium , va or chrome - plated brass . fig1 a , fig1 b and fig1 c show three possible mechanical connection types . fig1 a shows a screw connection , fig1 b shows a clamp - spring connection , and fig1 c shows a quick - action fastener according to the garden hose principle with a slide lock . apart from providing straight hose connections , angular connections can also be provided . fig1 shows a special device for horizontal hose installation to prevent the hose from sagging . the hose ends comprise clamp - like plastic molded parts 1101 , 1104 to which a deformable aluminum bar or plastic bar 1103 has been affixed that can be deformed according to the hose bending in the installation . in several locations the hose is attached to the aluminum bar by means of self - welding tape 1102 so that said hose is secured against sagging . the fluid conduit segment can be embedded in insulating foam ( e . g ., approximately 10 mm in thickness ). the heat output density can be set by a suitable selection of the heating thread thickness , fabric density and soot particle density . as a result of the fabric - like structure of the heating element , due to the parallel arrangement of the threads it is possible to continue heating if individual heating threads fail . the bending radius of the fluid conduit segment equates to less than three times the hose diameter . it is also possible to use aramid as an outer sheath of the fluid conduit segment . the pressure resistance of the fabric is approximately 250 newtons per square centimeter . the carbon threads of the heat fabric are connected to silver wires or to a coated conductor path as a connection of the parallel carbon threads . fig1 a and fig1 b show fittings 1201 , 1202 according to an exemplary embodiment , which fittings can be pushed together in the manner of quick - action connectors in order to interconnect two conduit segments . fig1 d shows the fittings of fig1 a and fig1 b in their plugged - together state . fig1 c shows a quick - action clamp 1203 that affixes the two fittings 1201 , 1202 to each other . fig1 e shows alternative quick - action connectors 1204 , 1205 in their separated state ( left - hand side ) and in their plugged - together state ( right - hand side ), which connectors are designed in a manner similar to that of a garden hose ( gardena principle ). fig1 shows a self - heating fluid conduit system 500 comprising several self - heating fluid conduit segments 100 that are interconnected by way of corresponding connecting elements 601 . each of the fluid conduit segments is connected to a current supply 1301 ( energy supply ) by way of at least one connection 1302 . this energy supply can also comprise electronics for controlling the heating system . fig1 shows an aircraft 1300 comprising a fluid conduit system 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention . it should be pointed out that “ comprising ” does not exclude other elements or steps , and “ a ” or “ one ” does not exclude a plural number . furthermore , it should be pointed out that characteristics or steps which have been described with reference to one of the above exemplary embodiments can also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps of other exemplary embodiments described above . reference characters in the claims are not to be interpreted as limitations . moreover , while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing summary and detailed description , 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 in any way . rather , the foregoing summary and detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment , 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 as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents .	5
with reference now directed to the appended drawings , our improved cooler has been generally designated by the reference numeral 20 . while cooler 20 is designed to hold ice and a plurality of beverage cans or bottles , a variety of other items can be accommodated . cooler 20 comprises a generally planar blank 24 , which can be arranged and sized to fit a variety of different volumes and geometrical configurations , and a separate , plastic handle 25 . blank 24 is folded as hereinafter described , so as to transform itself into the cooler 20 , that includes handle 25 . when so folded , as along fold - line 80 ( fig1 ), blank 24 forms cooler 20 in such a manner that no leak paths or slots are formed . after erection the cooler may be flattened for storage or shipping as hereinafter described . preferably blank 24 is formed from a die - cut piece of corrugated sheet material . it can also be formed from paperboard , cardboard , or other fibrous sheet materials known in the art . fig2 - 4 show that what will be the inner surface of the cooler 20 , once the blank is folded as described later , is preferably coated with a polyethylene plastic layer 21 ( fig2 ) to handle moisture . as appreciated from fig1 and 2 , the blank 24 it is preferably somewhat rectangular , having a length ( i . e ., that runs from top to bottom in fig1 ) somewhat greater than its width . the panel has been appropriately scored by a plurality of score lines to be later described which divide the blank into a plurality of separate but integral panels . when blank 24 is folded to form the cooler 20 , the preferred steps involved are partially illustrated in sequential form in consecutive fig2 - 8 . each of the panels seen in fig1 - 2 will form the various body portions of the deployed cooler as illustrated in fig8 . for purposes of clarity , it should be appreciated that the upper or top surface projecting towards the viewer in fig1 and 2 becomes the interior surface of the cooler 20 after folding . of course the various panels and portions of panels exposed in fig1 and 2 have a corresponding undersurface not seen until folding occurs . the undersurface of each numbered panel or part identified by a given reference numeral in fig1 and 2 will be designated in succeeding drawing figures by the same reference numeral with the suffix “ a ” appended to it when that given part &# 39 ; s undersurface becomes exposed to the viewer in fig3 - 8 . the preferably rectangular blank 24 is die - cut from corrugated sheet stock , and is preferably coated or lined with a thin polyethylene coating such as layer 21 ( fig2 ). the blank 24 can be produced through a variety of techniques known in the art , and it can be made from waterproof paperboard , fiber or plastic sheet materials , or different forms and types of commercial - grade cardboard or heavy weight paper . the preferred blank 24 comprises a generally rectangular center panel 28 . panel 28 is integral with a pair of end panels 30 , 31 which comprise small , outer , flaps 33 , 34 respectively at their outermost extremities . these flaps 33 , 34 fold inwardly during assembly , and end up in a horizontal orientation adjacent the cooler top ( i . e ., which is formed from the overlying top panels ) and act as reinforcements . blank 24 further comprises four , integral , corner panels 36 , 37 , 38 and 39 , and integral side panels 40 , 41 . the diametrically spaced - apart corner panels 36 - 39 interconnect the center panel 28 with the end panels 30 and 31 and with the side panels 40 , 41 . side panels 40 , 41 preferably comprise integral , companion top panels 43 , 44 respectively . top panel 43 has a central , rectangular knock - out hole 46 that provides clearance for the handle 25 upon assembly , and an outermost , locking flap 48 that is generally rectangular . this locking flap 48 is foldably coupled across a score line 50 to the integral , bordering , top panel 43 . a small internal , tab - receptive slot 52 is defined along score line 50 between flap 48 and top panel 43 for interconnection with the opposite top panel as described later . the opposite side panel 41 ( i . e ., at the bottom of fig1 ) has an integral , companion top panel 44 that is cut differently than cooperating top panel 43 . top panel 44 is foldably separated from integral side panel 41 by score line 54 . an elongated , rectangular knock - out formed in the blank 24 defines a generally t - shaped anchor slot 56 . a two piece locking tab 60 projects perpendicularly into and across the anchor slot 56 . tab 60 projects from the side panel 41 into the integral , bordering top panel 44 across the gap or void of anchor slot 56 and into the body of top panel 44 ( fig1 ). this tab 60 comprises folding halves 62 and 64 to aid in locking . upon assembly , as later described , the locking tab 60 mates within slot 52 in the opposite top panel 43 , after these top panels are folded appropriately . tab half 62 is scored deeply at its projecting end adjacent and within top panel 44 to disassociate from and break away from the top panel when suitably deflected by the user . top panel 44 also comprises a pair of anchor holes 65 that receive the handle 25 and then anchor it , as described later . numerous fold lines proximately defined between the above discussed , orthogonally arranged panels are scored into the blank 24 . these score lines facilitate subsequent folding . a pair of elongated , spaced apart fold lines 70 , 71 running widthwise within the blank 24 separate the side panels 40 , 41 and the corner panels 36 - 39 from the central panel 28 and end panels 30 and 31 ( fig1 ). a similar pair of elongated , spaced apart fold lines 75 , 76 perpendicularly running lengthwise within the blank 24 separate the end panels 30 , 31 and the corner panels from the central and side panels 28 , 40 , and 41 respectively . interior elongated score 80 ( fig1 ) provides a widthwise - extending fold line that divides the blank 24 in half . each corner panel 36 - 39 is similarly sized and configured . each is somewhat square , with an outer notch cut into its diametrically , outwardly extending vertice . for example corner panel 36 has a notch 90 cut into its outermost corner . corner panel 36 ( like the rest of them ) has a diagonal score line 92 defined through its center , running from a vertice of central panel 28 to the notch 90 . the lightweight plastic handle 25 ( fig1 ) is best injection molded . it comprises an elongated plastic body 96 that terminates at its opposite ends in resilient , deformable feet 97 . these feet may be deflected or pushed gently into somewhat horizontal alignment and abutment with the body of 96 of handle 25 so that the feet may be inserted through anchor holes 65 ( fig1 ) defined in the top panel 44 . this will effectively lock the handle to the blank 24 , since , when released , handle &# 39 ; s feet 97 will assume their normal transverse orientation relative to handle body 96 , and they will act as anchors . the anchoring feet 97 will not allow the handle to be pulled out of the panel anchor holes 65 as they cannot fit through these holes unless appropriately skewed . the handle is preferably a separate part . the box panels are forcibly urged into stable , locking arrangement when the box is weighted , and supported by the lid . the top panels , which fit into one another , are frictionally urged into firm abutment when the handle is gripped , and the cooler 20 is lifted . forces are distributed upon and around the top panels , which tend in response to more firmly grip one another . the forces applied by the handle compressively urge the folded panels together , and the tab - to - slot mated top panels “ get stronger ” in response to this weight . therefore the weight borne by the cooler handle tends to more firmly lock the top panels together . conventional folding coolers that use cutouts ( i . e ., scored , aligned segments ) weaken in response to heavy weights borne by their multi - piece handles . loading forces applied to conventionally defined and arranged handles can tend to allow panel separation , instead of encouraging panel locking . this phenomena is an important synergistic result of our panel deign and construction outlined above . finally , the central panel 28 is preferably provided at each of its ends with a plurality of knock - down score line arrays , generally designated by the reference numeral 99 . these generally v - shaped arrays 99 each comprise multiple , independent and angled score lines that enable the partially completed cooler 20 to be “ knocked down ” or non - destructively and temporarily “ squashed ” for transport or temporary storage . this structure and phenomena are outlined and explained in detail in prior u . s . pat . no . 5 , 062 , 527 , entitled “ foldable , leakproof multi - mode carton construction ,” which issued nov . 5 , 1991 , and which is owned by the same assignee as in this case . the latter patent , including its text and drawings , are hereby incorporated by reference for purposes of disclosure . those with skill in the art will immediately recognize that various assembly steps may be juxtapositioned during box erection . although the order of folding may be varied , the preferred steps are sequentially illustrated by fig3 - 8 . folding can commence as in fig3 and / or 4 . in fig3 or 4 , the blank 24 has been grasped by the arms 103 ( fig4 ) of the assembler . the corner panels 36 - 39 are folded inwardly , as partially seen in fig3 until their “ notched ends ” align as in fig4 with each corner panels folded into abutting triangular halves , with the notches 90 reoriented by folding and positioned ultimately in spaced - apart , facing relation as in fig4 . in fig3 side panel 41 and its top panel 44 are folded upwardly . the opposite side panel 40 is covered by the folded corner panels in fig4 but the upwardly projecting top panel 43 is seen clearly . fig5 shows that , with the end panels and side panels displaced vertically , and with the corner panels thus folded as aforesaid and tucked inwardly , top panels 43 and 44 project generally horizontally away from the cooler . at this time the end panel flaps 33 , 34 ( i . e ., 33 a , and 34 a ) are vertically upright . with top panel 44 / 44 a folded horizontally as in fig6 handle 25 projects upwardly for thereafter clearing knock out hole 46 . flaps 33 , 34 a are pressed downwardly over top panel 44 . fig7 shows that further folding brings top panel 43 / 43 a down over the now - covered top panel 44 a with locking flap 48 / 48 a adapted to be forced within exposed anchor slot 56 ( fig7 ). before top panel 43 / 43 a is pressed downwardly to complete erection ( fig8 ) the flap 48 / 48 a penetrates anchor slot 56 , and immediately thereafter tab 60 / 60 a is firmly thrust within tab receptive slot 52 . from the foregoing , it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to obtain all the ends and objects herein set forth , together with other advantages which are inherent to the structure . it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations . this is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims . as many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof , it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .	1
fig3 shows the system for receiving signals retransmitted by satellites according to the invention . the external unit for receiving terrestrial signals comprising the vhf / uhf antennas 1 , the multiplexer 2 and the link cable 3 to the internal unit is assumed to already exist , because it is the most common case . if this is not the case , it suffices to install a conventional link cable 3 , adapted to 40 - 860 mhz amplitude modulated signals . this system of receiving satellite signals is based on a microwave frequency head 23 , interposed between the parabolic antenna or antennas 7 and 10 , and the multiplexer 2 of the existing installation . the number and type of the parabolic antennas does not limit the extent of the invention and , if there is no multiplexer 2 , the link cable 3 is connected directly to the microwave frequency head 23 , since one of its purposes is to process the satellite signals in order to make them compatible with the terrestrial signals and pass through the same cable . the structure of the microwave frequency head 23 , which will be described in detail below comprises : a series of low noise amplifiers 24 each of which receives on its input the signal coming from a parabolic antenna , or from an antenna element , according to the polarization of the signal , a switching matrix allowing the selection of the channel or channels chosen from among those transmitted by the satellite or satellites ; this matrix allows the choice of the program from several simultaneously transmitted channels , a remodulation circuit 27 , which converts the fm modulated signals in baseband , 0 - 6 mhz for example coming from demodulators 26 , into amplitude modulated signals in the 40 - 860 mhz band an upward link using the same physical medium 3 + 28 , allowing the transmission of the digital data necessary for the selection of the satellite or satellites and of the channels to be demodulated . it also allows a decision to be made on the re - modulation frequency plan , which depends on the microwave channels already received locally . the invention also covers the case in which there is only one single microwave frequency demodulator 26 , but it lacks interest because it is too restrictive , taking account of the number of channels distributed by satellites and of the number of receiving devices which can be served simultaneously , as internal units , by the microwave frequency head according to the invention . on the contrary , fig4 shows the advantage of the microwave frequency head according to the invention for simultaneously using a large number of channels transmitted by satellites . the number of amplifiers 24 is adapted to the number and to the types of parabolic antennas 7 , 10 , 29 and to the number of corresponding channels . but in this case , the switching matrix 25 of fig3 is replaced by a power distributor 25 &# 39 ; which transmits all of the channels to a plurality of microwave frequency demodulators 26 . this constitutes a solution for the collective service of a building , by means of which a large number of users can each receive a different channel , since all of the channels are demodulated simultaneously . this service is known by the abbreviation smatv , standing for &# 34 ; satellite master antenna tv &# 34 ;. the number of demodulators 26 can be greater than the number of channels received . if for example : the antenna 7 receives 8 vertically polarized channels and 8 horizontally polarized channels , the antenna 29 receives under the same conditions as the antenna 10 but from another satellite , 6 amplifiers 24 are necessary , and it is possible to install up to 32 demodulators 26 in the microwave frequency head . it is good to provide redundancy in the form of a spare channel which , if any one of the principal channels fails , can replace it automatically . the signals coming from the microwave frequency demodulators 26 are , as in the previous case , applied to a remodulation circuit 27 , called mablr or residual side band amplitude modulation . the output signals from the head all use the single link cable 3 , and are applied by the distributor 30 , in the internal unit , to the various receiving devices , either television or telecommunications , each of which decodes the information corresponding to a channel . by way of example , the microwave frequency head according to the invention allows the simultaneous use of up to 20 to 40 channels , in collective reception for a building or a telecommunications center . the heart of the system is in the microwave frequency demodulator , the function of which is to select a channel and to demodulate the frequency modulated microwave frequency signal , complying with the characteristics required by the standards , that is , rejection of adjacent channels , linearity . . . etc . in order to facilitate the understanding of the proposed solution , this microwave frequency demodulator is shown in various stages of integration in fig5 , and 7 . in fig5 the external unit comprises a low noise , multi - band converter and an rf / if module as well as a synthesizer , all shown in the form of a block diagram . the switching matrix has not been shown , in order to simplify the diagram . the converter comprises a low noise input amplifier 31 which receives the signals from the antenna 7 , a mixer 32 and an output amplifier 33 . the converter is controlled by a multi - band oscillator which will be described later . this converter allows the conversion of the entire frequency band of a satellite into a frequency range of 0 . 95 to 1 . 70 ghz . it is followed by an rf / if module , allowing the transposition of the selected channel to a fixed intermediate frequency ( if ), 480 or 612 mhz depending on the manufacturers . this rf / if module comprises a mixer 34 , an amplifier 35 and an output filter 36 , which therefore functions at intermediate frequency . the converter and the rf / if module are both controlled from a quartz crystal 37 which , via a synthesizer 38 , controls an oscillator 39 . the synthesizer 38 is an assembly which is known and available on the market and is controlled on its input 40 by digital data transmitted by the link cable 3 , and it allows the selection of a channel , or of n channels from among m channels , by choosing an appropriate frequency . the oscillator 39 directly controls the mixer 34 , of the rf / if module , for example at 2 . 3 ghz . but an output of this same oscillator 39 is applied to a multiplier 41 , which controls the mixer 32 of the converter through a filter 42 . the converter is therefore a multi - band converter since it is controlled by a frequency chosen via the synthesizer 38 . in the present case , a times 4 , multiplier has been chosen in order to simplify the description and 2 . 3 ghz synthesizers are available on the market and these synthesizers correspond well to the mixer 34 of the rf / if module and , multiplied by 4 = 9 . 2 ghz , correspond well to the band of frequencies received by the converter , 11 to 13 ghz . the microwave frequency demodulator of fig5 transmits on the link cable 3 an intermediate frequency , 480 or 612 mhz , signal which , in the internal unit , is demodulated by the fm demodulator 43 , which supplies a base band signal 0 - 6 mhz for example . the latter is processed by an interface 44 , according to whether the signals are in secam , pal or in d2 mac for example , before being converted in the tv receiver 45 , or the telecommunications equipment . however in the case of a simultaneous reception of several satellite reception bands , several converters and several links between the internal and external units are still necessary . among the various possible types of fm demodulators , it is known that a looped oscillator - mixer - amplifier system provides a phase locked loop demodulator with excellent specifications . now the rf / if module of fig5 comprises an oscillator 39 , a mixer 34 and an amplifier 35 and it suffices to loop them back by a link 46 , as shown in fig6 in order to integrate the fm demodulator 43 of fig5 in the microwave frequency head . this configuration is more advantageous because it is simpler and more integrated ( the entire system is in the external unit ). however , the output filter 47 operates in base band 0 - 6 mhz ; it is therefore different from the filter 36 in fig5 which operates at an intermediate frequency , but , above all , the signals transmitted at 0 - 6 mhz are sensitive to interference due to the environment of the link cable 3 . and several links between external and internal units are still necessary in the case of simultaneous reception . it is therefore an advantage of the invention that the signal is remodulated , as shown in fig7 . the modulator 48 receives the signal in base band , 0 - 6 mhz , coming from the filter 47 , and applies residual side band amplitude modulation ( mablr ) to it and it sends , through the link cable 3 , signals at 40 - 860 mhz which are insensitive to interference . this allows the system to be compatible with the existing standard links since the microwave frequency head according to the invention supplies amplitude modulated signals in the 40 - 860 mhz band , like the conventional vhf - uhf antennas . furthermore , in the case of a simultaneous reception a single link suffices for transmitting several programs , in 8 mhz steps for example . fig8 shows the electrical circuit diagram of the direct demodulation converter . as in fig5 to 7 , the switching matrix 25 has not been shown in order to simplify the diagram . an input stage 24 , which is a low noise gaas heterojunction transistor ( tegfets ) amplifier , a frequency converter , compatible with gaas technology . on a gaas chip , it comprises an amplifier 31 , which also assumes the function of the filter 42 in fig5 a mixer 32 and an output amplifier 33 . the multiplier 41 constitutes the local oscillator but , as has been said previously , it is only there because 2 . 3 ghz synthesizers , for example , are commercially available . the case in which the multiplier is replaced by a local oscillator in the vicinity of 10 ghz and controlled by the synthesizer 38 is of course included in the scope of the invention , a mixing function 49 , which is a diode or a field effect transistor , transmits to the rf / if module the signal coming from the frequency converter , a circuit on silicon , comprising the amplifier 50 , the phase comparator 34 and the loop amplifier 35 , and the synthesizer 38 , which is programmed by digital data transmitted by the upward serial link , a quartz crystal master oscillator 37 , exterior to the circuit on silicon , is used as a frequency reference for the synthesizer 38 which , by a link 51 , controls a bipolar vco oscillator 39 , comprising two varactor diodes 52 and 53 . the outputs of this oscillator 39 , at 2 . 3 ghz for example , are applied to the multiplier 41 , to the mixer 49 and to the synthesizer 38 , in a feedback loop . a link 46 , which connects the output of the rf / if module to one of the varactor diodes 52 , forms the fm demodulator which has been described previously . from this same output of the rf / if module , the signals are also applied to the mablr remodulation circuit 48 . this circuit is neither shown nor described in detail as it is known per se ; it supplies a residual side band amplitude modulated signal , in the 40 - 860 mhz band . the mablr remodulation allows the simultaneous reception of several satellite channels on a single external - internal link . fig9 shows the block diagram of the interface between the external units and the internal units ; this interface transmits the mablr remodulated channels , adds energy for feeding the external unit , and carries the digital data for configuring a plurality of vhf / uhf mablr modulators chosen for the selected channels . this figure is simplified on the side of the antennas and the switching matrix 25 . at least one direct demodulation converter 26 supplies its signals to a mablr remodulator 27 which uses a standard cable 3 for transmitting 40 - 860 mhz signals to the internal unit . but a regulated power supply 54 injects a dc current , smoothed by the lc element 55 , onto this same cable 3 ; the digital data necessary for programming the microwave frequency head according to the invention , coming from the internal unit , are applied to a shaping circuit 56 and then to a multiplexing circuit 57 , which distributes them to the switching matrix 25 , to the direct demodulation converters 26 and to the mablr remodulator 27 . an advantage of the microwave frequency head according to the invention is that it processes the signals retransmitted by different satellites and routes them through a 40 - 860 mhz downward link which is none other than the existing vhf / uhf antenna cable . this is due to the remodulation in mablr amplitude modulation . however , the microwave frequency head can also be used with receivers fitted with a &# 34 ; satellite &# 34 ; input which receives the signals in the satellite intermediate band 950 - 1700 mhz . in this case , it suffices to eliminate the fm demodulation , which is carried out by means of a switch in the link 46 , and to output before the mablr remodulation . but in this case the downward link must pass the 40 - 1700 mhz band . the programming of the microwave frequency head is of course adapted to allow the remote control either of the demodulation of a channel , or of the conversion into satellite intermediate band .	7
the following is a detailed description of example embodiments of the invention that is depicted in the accompanying drawings . the example embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the invention . however , the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments . on the contrary , the intention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention . the detailed descriptions below are designed to make such embodiments obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art . the present invention can be implemented on any communication device that has hardware components that can perform wireless and wired communication , such as ( but not limited to ) desktop computers , multi - purpose pocket computers , cellular telephones , personal multimedia devices , etc . the various devices on which the applications that implement the present invention run may use one or more processors with different instruction sets , architectures , clock - speeds , etc ., and memory that may include high speed random access memory and may include non - volatile memory , such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices , flash memory devices , and other kinds of solid state memory devices . the various applications that can implement the present invention run on electronic devices that may use at least one physical user interface device that provide the means of control and navigation within the operating system . applications that run on the devices include ( but are not limited to ) touch - pads , such as those described in ( but not limited to )—( 1 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 722 , 948 (“ touch pad for handheld device ”, filed nov . 25 , 2003 ) ;( 2 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 188 , 182 (“ touch pad for handheld device ”, filed mar . 21 , 2006 ) ;( 3 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 210 , 610 (“ computer system with touchpad support in operating system ”, filed mar . 18 , 1994 ); ( 4 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 643 , 256 (“ movable touch pad with added functionality ”, filed ser . no . 10 / 643 , 256 ), touch screens such as those described in ( but not limited to ) ( 1 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 381 , 313 , “ multipoint touch surface controller ,” filed on may 2 , 2006 ; ( 2 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 840 , 862 , “ multipoint touchscreen ,” filed on may 6 , 2004 ; ( 3 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 903 , 964 , “ gestures for touch sensitive input devices ,” filed on jul . 30 , 2004 ; ( 4 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 048 , 264 , “ gestures for touch sensitive input devices ,” filed on jan . 31 , 2005 ; ( 5 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 038 , 590 , “ mode - based graphical user interfaces for touch sensitive input devices ,” filed on jan . 18 , 2005 ; ( 6 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 228 , 758 , “ virtual input device placement on a touch screen user interface ,” filed on sep . 16 , 2005 ; ( 7 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 228 , 700 , “ operation of a computer with a touch screen interface ,” filed on sep . 16 , 2005 ; ( 8 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 228 , 737 , “ activating virtual keys of a touch - screen virtual keyboard ,” filed on sep . 16 , 2005 and ( 9 ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 367 , 749 , “ multi - functional hand - held device ,” filed on mar . 3 , 2006 , click wheels , such as those described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 549 , 619 “ method , device , and graphical user interface for dialing with a click wheel ” filed on oct . 13 , 2006 , keyboards , such as those mentioned in ( but not limited to ) u . s . patent application ser . no . 07 / 711 , 760 (“ ergonomic keyboard input device ”, filed on jun . 6 , 1991 ), mouse , such as those described in ( but not limited to ) ( 1 ) application ser . no . 09 / 167 , 314 (“ computer mouse with enhance control button ( s )”, filed on oct . 6 , 1998 ); ( 2 ) application ser . no . 08 / 288 , 945 (“ roller mouse for implementing scrolling in windows applications ”, filed on aug . 10 , 1994 ) and gesture recognition means , such as those described in ( but not limited to ) ( 1 ) european patent application publication number : ep2482176 a2 (“ multi - input gesture control for a display screen ”, filed on nov . 4 , 2011 ) and ( 2 ) u . s . patent application with publication number 20120317511 a1 (“ display with built in 3 d sensing capability and gesture control of tv ”, filed on aug . 21 , 2012 ). the display means used by these devices may use lcd ( liquid crystal display ) technology , led ( light emitting diode ) technology , crt ( cathode ray tube ) technology , lpd ( light emitting polymer ) technology , or any other display technologies . various realizations of graphics display circuitry that implement a graphics processing unit ( gpu ) are used to achieve video interface between user and these electronic devices . connectivity of these devices with networks , such as the internet , an intranet and / or wireless network , such as cellular telephone network , a wired or wireless local area network ( lan ) and / or metropolitan area network ( man ) and / or wan ( wide area network ), and other wireless communication , is achieved by use of a plurality of communication standards , protocols , and technologies such as bluetooth , wireless fidelity ( wi - fi ), and / or any other suitable communication protocols , including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document . the present invention may be implemented on applications that run on a single or variety of operating system platforms , including but not limited to os x , windows , unix , ios , android , symbian , linux , or embedded operating systems , such as vxworks . the present invention may also be implemented to work with various web browsers , including but not limited to internet explorer , mozilla firefox , safari , and opera , which access and handle various types of webpages constructed with various mark - up languages , such as html , html - 5 , xhtml , xml , etc ., and the associated css ( cascading style sheet ) files and java - script files . with the rise of internet consumerism and the increases of technology in recent years , there is room for progress to be made with traditional brick and mortar apparel establishments . currently , consumers have to travel to a clothing store to physically try on clothing to ensure that the purchased items will fit properly when worn . clothing can be purchased through various websites on the internet ; however , due to different templates and techniques of cutting materials , which are sewn into the articles of clothing , the purchased article may not fit the consumer . the present invention seeks to eliminate the shortcomings of the previous methods of purchasing merchandise and trying out merchandise before purchasing . it is an objective of this invention to provide a means to keep dressing rooms clean , allow the user to see the merchandise as how it would look on them , prevent theft , and increase the sale of merchandise . in order to accomplish these objectives , a plurality of cameras is to be used to record a person in front of a display device that would display a selected article of clothing on the user as it would be worn on the user . the consumer will be able to walk into a dressing room and remove their clothes as normal . they will then enter or scan the code , using a touch pad or scanner , corresponding to the clothing , jewelry , or accessory they wish to be presented to them . through use of a computer algorithm and the imaging from the cameras , the selected article would be placed on the reflection of the user to display the article as the user would wear it . the invention is comprised of a display device , a plurality of cameras , and a computing device . referring to the drawing , specifically to fig 1 thereof , the receiving of an image of the user &# 39 ; s body from a plurality of image - capture components 1 is illustrated , wherein the image - capture components 1 are placed in a manner to capture a 360 ° view of the user . based on the image , the device constructs a movable , three - dimensional virtual avatar 2 to substantially resemble the user , wherein the virtual avatar is displayed over at least one display 3 . the devices obtains data that identifies the wearable item 4 from the user , the data includes a plurality of metrics that at least partly define the wearable item , wherein the wearable item is displayed over at least one display . according to another embodiment of the invention , the image - capture components 1 are cameras that are placed in a manner to capture all possible views of the user . the avatar is displayed on the display of a computing device . the display also serves as a reflecting surface . furthermore , the wearable item is selected by the user via an input device , with the display displaying the wearable item . the display that displays the wearable item is a computing device , and the display is touch enabled . in yet another embodiment , the wearable item is selected via the display displaying the wearable item upon inputting the unique id of the wearable item 3 . in another embodiment , the invention includes a method to receive an image of the user while wearing the wearable item and save that image for the user to review and a means to recognize the user &# 39 ; s facial reaction to suggest the level of like or dislike of the wearable item . the display 3 is comprised of the plurality of cameras and a user interface . the display may include an lcd or led monitor for the user interface and receives an input from the computing device to display the selected article of clothing on the user . the display would be sized as a traditional mirror in a dressing room would be sized , and placed similarly onto the wall of the dressing room . the user can input the code that corresponds to the article to be displayed using the touch screen capabilities of the user interface presented on the display or touch pad . in an alternate embodiment , a scanning device may be included alongside the display device to allow the user to scan the barcode of the product . the computing device would then access the proper article based on the pattern of the barcode . cameras are to be mounted at the corners of the display device to record the user . the cameras will output the images or video of the user to the computing device . in another alternate embodiment , the display device may have a mirrored display , where the device may function as a traditional mirror as well as display articles of clothing as presented in the preferred embodiment . in this embodiment , the cameras may be mounted behind the mirror with a one - way mirror surface covering them , so that they are invisible to the naked eye but will allow the recording of the user . in addition to the display 3 , the invention also consists of a computing device . the computing device is comprised of a complex algorithm that receives inputs from the cameras and the user interface . upon receiving the code from the user , the computer accesses a database or images on the internet in order to output and display the corresponding article of apparel onto the user on the display device . clothing and other apparel may be separated into various categories , such as color , season , or occasion . based on the category of the apparel selected , the program may display a background . for example , if the user picks up a hawaiian shirt , the background may change to an ocean shore , or if the user wishes to purchase a winter hat , the background may change to a snow covered forest . the algorithm may further suggest additional apparel that is available in the store . for example , if the user picked that hawaiian shirt , the program may suggest a pair of shorts that would match or compliment the shirt . if a female user selected an evening dress , a necklace or earrings may be suggested . using facial and emotional recognition software , the program may determine if the user likes the article of apparel , and may even compliment the user if a smile is detected or suggest another article if the user presents dislike for the first item . other possible suggestions the program may make include make - up , handbags , scarves , or other accessories . the program would have access to every item in the store and the variations of the items that the suppliers may have . if the article the user has selected is out of stock for that size or color , the user can order the article they desire and have it delivered to their home , increasing sales and customer satisfaction for the store . additionally , the invention in its preferred embodiment will help to prevent theft by limiting or eliminating the need to physically bring the article of apparel into the dressing room . the user simply needs a code or to browse the database of store to find apparel that they may want to try on and , once selected , the program would display that article on the user . by not having the user need to physically bring in the articles of clothing , the dressing room space may be kept cleaner , thereby relieving the staff from this duty to focus on other tasks . the presented invention has applications all over the store , and is not simply restricted to the dressing room . for example , the present invention may be used in the jewelry section of the store , allowing users to preview how the jewelry would look on them without having to find a sales representative to open the secured case and jeopardize the merchandise . although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiment shown . this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention . although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	6
referring to all of the figures , the present invention mainly comprises of a lower rotary mechanism ( 100 ), an upper rotary mechanism ( 200 ) and a crystal ball ( 300 ); wherein the crystal ball ( 300 ) is disposed with a doll ( 400 ) and filled with the water , as shown in fig6 ; countless snowflakes ( 500 ) ( glittering flakes ) are filled inside the water . referring to fig3 the lower rotary mechanism ( 100 ) comprises of a bottom plate ( 1 ), a music bell ( 2 ), a supporting frame ( 3 ), a gear ring tray ( 4 ), a plate ( 5 ), a magnet wheel ( 6 ), a transmission claw ( 7 ), an intermediate shaft ( 8 ), an inserting pin ( 9 ), an inner circumferential transmission gear ( 10 ), transmission gears ( 11 , 12 ), a gear fastening shaft ( 13 ) and three magnets ( 14 ); the music bell ( 2 ) is fixed onto the bottom plate ( 1 ) by means of a screw ( a ); the supporting frame ( 3 ) is tightly locked unto the music bell ( 2 ) by means of another screw ( b ), while the plate ( 5 ) is tightly fastened unto the supporting frame ( 3 ) by means of yet another screw ( c ); the bottom end of the said music bell ( 2 ) is engaged with a spiral power spring ( 211 ), as shown in fig5 ; winding the spiral power spring ( 211 ) drives a central shaft ( 212 ) at the top end of the music bell ( 2 ) to rotate and sent out music ; the intermediate shaft ( 8 ) is bolted unto a central shaft ( 212 ); the intermediate shaft ( 8 ) extends through a central hole ( 31 ) of the supporting frame ( 3 ), a central hole ( 51 ) of the plate ( 5 ) and the magnet wheel ( 6 ) to join with the center of the transmission claw ( 7 ) at the top end ; a gear ( 61 ) at the lower aspect of the magnet wheel ( 6 ) meshes with a big transmission gear ( 12 ); the big transmission gear ( 12 ) has a gear fastening shaft ( 13 ) and is fixedly bolted and coaxial with a small gear ( 121 ); the said small gear ( 121 ) meshes with another transmission gear ( 11 ); by means of an insert pin ( 9 ), the transmission gear ( 11 ) is bolted and coaxial with the filler circumferential transmission gear ( 10 ) at the lower aspect thereof ; the inner circumferential transmission gear ( 10 ) meshes with a gear ring ( 41 ) on the inner rim of the gear tray ( 4 ); therefore , winding the spiral lower spring ( 211 ) synchronously drives the gear tray ( 4 ), the magnet wheel ( 6 ) and the transmission claw ( 7 ) at the top end to rotate ; the magnet wheel ( 6 ) is in a triangular shape with magnet slots ( 62 ) on the three sides for bearing magnets ( 14 ); the top end of the transmission claw ( 7 ) has four claws ( 71 ). referring to fig4 the upper rotary mechanism ( 200 ) comprises of a transmission claw ( 15 ), a crystal ball plug ( 16 ), an inner supporting seat ( 17 ), a round bead seat ( 18 ), a round bead ( 19 ), three magnet covers ( 20 ), three magnets ( 21 ), a magnet gear ( 22 ), a washer ( 23 ), a sealing ring seat ( 24 ), a sealing ring ( 25 ) and a rotary tray ( 26 ); the transmission claw ( 15 ) with a cross bottom end is held by four claws ( 71 ) of the transmission claw ( 7 ) at the top end of the lower rotary mechanism ( 100 ); a fastening pin ( 261 ) at the bottom end of the rotary tray ( 26 ) on the upper layer penetrates through the sealing ring ( 25 ), the sealing ring seat ( 24 ), the washer ( 23 ), the magnet gear ( 22 ), the round bead seat ( 18 ), the supporting seat ( 17 ) of the inner rotary gear and the crystal ball plug ( 16 ) and is fixedly bolted inside the central hole of the transmission claw ( 15 ); the transmission claw ( 15 ) is capable of driving the rotary tray ( 26 ) to rotate ; the rubber - made crystal ball plug ( 16 ) is affixed and joined with the glass - made crystal ball ( 300 ) for forming a waterproof mechanism to facilitate filling the water inside the crystal ball ( 300 ); the rim of the supporting seat ( 17 ) of the inner rotary gear is provided for receiving the round bead seat ( 18 ); four round holes ( 181 ) on the round bead seat ( 18 ) are provided for placing the round beads ( 19 ) to form sliding shaft bearing ; three magnets ( 21 ) are respectively disposed into three magnet slots ( 221 ) at the bottom end of the magnet gear ( 22 ) and sealed by means of magnet covers ( 20 ); then the magnet gear ( 22 ) is covered onto the supporting seat ( 17 ); through the disposition of the sliding shaft bearing , the magnet gear ( 22 ) rotates easily and smoothly ; since the magnets ( 21 ) inside the magnet gear ( 22 ) repulse the magnets ( 14 ) on the magnet wheel ( 6 ), when the magnet wheel ( 6 ) rotates , the principle of magnetic repulsion drives the magnet gear ( 22 ) to rotate unstably ; therefore , the magnet gear ( 22 ) inside the crystal ball ( 300 ) makes the water flow rotate and snowflakes ( 500 ) float . in summation of the abovementioned present invention of a music bell striking snowflakes in a crystal ball , when the spiral power spring ( 221 ) is wound tightly to make the music bell ( 2 ) generate dynamic force to rotate , it synchronously drives the gear tray ( 4 ) decorated as a turning wheel at the bottom end and the rotary tray ( 26 ) with dolls standing at the top end to rotate in different directions ; at the same time , it also drives snowflakes ( 500 ) in side the crystal ball ( 300 ) to float so as to form a beautiful , rotary and dynamic scenery inside the crystal ball ( 300 ). it is of course to be understood that the embodiment described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims .	6
in the following description , like reference numerals indicate like components to enhance the understanding of the disclosed methods and systems through the description of the drawings . also , although specific features , configurations and arrangements are discussed hereinbelow , it should be understood that such is done for illustrative purposes only . a person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other steps , configurations and arrangements are useful without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure . as used in this description , the terms “ component ,” “ module ,” and “ system ,” are intended to refer to a computer - related entity , either hardware , firmware , a combination of hardware and software , software , or software in execution . for example , a component may be , but is not limited to being , a process running on a processor , a processor , an object , an executable , a thread of execution , a program , and / or a computer . by way of illustration , both an application running on a computing device and the computing device may be a component . one or more components may reside within a process and / or thread of execution , and a component may be localized on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers . in addition , these components may execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon . the components may communicate by way of local and / or remote processes , such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets , e . g ., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system , distributed system , and / or across a network , such as the internet , with other systems by way of the signal . fig1 is a flow diagram of a method 10 for storing and managing imagery . the imagery management method and system facilitates system users in ingesting and managing images and associated notes and other metadata , e . g ., photographs , video recordings , photogrammetry , sketches , and other information collected in the course of a police officer &# 39 ; s or employees responsibilities . although the image management method 10 and system generally will be described in the context of fingerprint imagery management of crime scene information , it should be understand that the imagery management methods and system described herein can be used with any suitable imagery and related metadata , such as forensics imagery and other digital content , including photographs , sketches , video recordings , photogrametrics , audio recordings , writings and documents , and fingerprint images . the method 10 includes a step 12 of loading images into the imagery management system , as will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow . the images are loaded into the imagery management system from an appropriate image capturing device , such as a camera , via a suitable connection between the image capturing device and the imagery management system . the method 10 also includes a step 14 of updating imagery metadata into the imagery management system . as will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow , in addition to mandatory metadata input during image upload , users can at any time update the defined non - mandatory metadata as the information is available . the method 10 also includes a step 16 of analyzing the imagery in the imagery management system . as will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow , according to an embodiment , the process of analyzing imagery , such as fingerprints and other suitable imagery , involves access latent , latent comparison , and verification . in general , access latent involves a technician or other suitable individual examining the images to determine which images are suitable for comparison and printing ( if required ). latent comparison involves a technician examining images ( e . g ., a photograph ) to determine if the images are suitable for upload to an automated fingerprint identification system ( afis ) or other suitable organization . verification involves the search results returned from the afis being updated to the imagery management system , then verified by one or more verification experts . the method 10 also includes a step 18 of searching the imagery in the imagery management system . according to an embodiment , as part of the searching step 18 , a search facility within the imagery management system allows appropriate users , e . g ., forensic services group ( fsg ) users , to locate forensic case images stored in the imagery management system during the processing life - cycle of the stored crime scene images . according to an embodiment , the images cannot be modified and are never deleted from the imagery management system . the method 10 also includes a step 22 of printing the imagery in the imagery management system . the printing step 22 provides users the option of requesting a hardcopy print of selected images from a minilab or other appropriate external location , or printing selected images via local printers . the method 10 also includes a step 24 of downloading the imagery from the imagery management system , provided that the user is authorized to do so . the downloading step 24 allows users to select and retrieve images stored in the imagery management system to a working drive for external processing , such as for transferring images to the afis or in preparation of a court briefing or appearance . the method 10 also includes a step 26 of administering the imagery in the imagery management system . as will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow , the imagery management system must includes an administration module to manage system users and their roles , as well as manage the various day - to - day system administrative activities , such as administering user access , monitoring and reporting , and the management of sensitive or protected images . the loading step 12 typically involves the activities undertaken by one or more police officers or employees , crime scene officers ( csos ) or other appropriate individuals to upload to the imagery management system crime scene images captured in a camera or other appropriate image capturing device , and to record notes about these images as metadata . the images may be related to one or more cases and can be grouped and indentified by indexes or case numbers associated with the content or images . fig2 is a flow diagram of a method 30 for the step 12 of loading images into an imagery management system . the method 30 includes a step 32 of logging on or logging in to the imagery management system . the log on process and mechanism can be any suitable log on protocol that allows appropriate users access to the imagery management system . after logging in , the user accesses an upload image function . the method 30 also includes a step 34 of coupling a camera or other device containing images to the imagery management system , e . g ., via a usb cable or other suitable coupling element . once the user accesses the upload image function within the imagery management system , the user then connects the camera or other device containing the stored imagery therein to the imagery management system , e . g ., by connecting the camera to an appropriate device storing and / or executing the imagery management system , such as a computer workstation . the imagery management system then displays all of the images from the camera that are available for uploading . the method 30 also includes a step 36 of selecting the images ( and related files or other data ) to be uploaded to the imagery management system . once the images contained within the camera are displayed , the user then selects the images to be uploaded . the method 30 also includes a step 38 of uploading the selected images to the imagery management system . to move a selected image for upload from the camera to a central file storage repository within the imagery management system , the imagery management system first performs a hashing operation or other suitable operation to authenticate and protect the data integrity of the image selected for upload . hashing ensures that files uploaded and then stored within the imagery management system are identical to the source file ( on the camera ). hashing also ensures that imagery that may be presented as evidence subsequently has not been tampered with . a suitable hashing operation often is required to comply with one or more digital image processing standards as defined by iso or other standards bodies . once the user selects the images to be uploaded , the selected images are uploaded from the camera to the imagery management system . initially , the imagery management system uploads a text file with the metadata for the selected image . then , a hash , e . g ., an md5 hash , is generated from the original file on the camera and appended to the uploaded text file . next , the image is uploaded from the camera to the imagery management system . the imagery management system then performs a check to make sure the generated hash matches that of the original uploaded image file . if the generated hash does not match the original , the imagery management system generates an error message and the upload process must be performed again . once the selected image has been authenticated , the imagery management system stores the original authenticated image in a primary image storage location and creates a working copy of the authenticated image for storage in a secondary image storage location . the imagery management system then merges the uploaded metadata text file with the working copy of the authenticated image . the original authenticated image stored in the primary image storage location is the untouched image as captured by the camera . the working copy of the authenticated image stored in the secondary image storage location is the image that is to be used and involved in future processes by the imagery management system , as will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow . typically , the user can continues uploading images until there is an indication from either the camera and / or from the imagery management system that there are no more images to be uploaded . the user also can input or otherwise add metadata associated with the upload image ( s ), e . g ., mandatory metadata . for example , various details related to the image can be added , including case number ( cn ), incident type , folder number , job number , event number , date , photographer name , photographer serial number , uploader name , uploader serial number , image category , image notes , print caption and other suitable information . the method 30 also includes a step 42 of determining whether the image upload step has been successful . if the determining step 42 determines that the image / file upload step has not been successful ( n ), e . g ., if the uploaded image does not match the original image from the camera , an appropriate error message is displayed . if the file cannot be uploaded by the user due to repeated error messages , the files would be secured via traditional methods , such as physically storing the digital media card in accordance with local policies and procedures . the method 30 then returns to the step 36 of selecting the image or images for uploading and uploading the selected images / files to the imagery management system ( step 38 ). if the determining step 42 determines that the image / file upload step has been successful ( y ), an “ upload successful ” indication is displayed , and the method 30 proceeds to a step 44 of determining whether there are more images or files to be uploaded . if the user indicates that there are more images or files to upload ( y ), the method 30 returns to the step 36 of selecting the image or images for uploading and uploading the selected images / files to the imagery management system ( step 38 ). if the user indicates that there are no more images to upload ( n ), the method 30 is complete . the updating step 14 involves updating imagery metadata in the imagery management system . in addition to mandatory metadata input during image upload ( as discussed hereinabove ), users can at any time update the defined non - mandatory metadata as the information is available , as will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow . fig3 is a flow diagram of a method 50 for the step 14 of updating imagery metadata into the imagery management system . in addition to metadata input during image the image upload process , e . g ., mandatory metadata , users can at any time update certain metadata , e . g ., defined non - mandatory metadata , as such information is available . the method 50 includes a step 52 of logging on or logging in to the imagery management system . the user log on procedure is similar to the initial log on procedure described hereinabove . the method 50 also includes a step 54 of selecting the images to which new metadata will be added or existing metadata will be updated . the user can search particular case folders in which images are contained and select the target images in the selected folder . one image or multiple images can be selected at a time for metadata update . also , images in the selected folder that are not accessible by the user are not displayed . the method 50 also includes a step 56 of updating the metadata . mandatory metadata fields , i . e ., metadata fields entered during the initial image upload process , as described hereinabove , are locked for editing except by administrators . also , a set of validation rules can be applied to the updated non - mandatory metadata . the updated non - mandatory metadata can include any suitable non - mandatory metadata , such as the event number , the case number , the photographer registered serial number , the major crime folder number , the job number , relevant system - based identification numbers , the image category , the image status , a print caption , and an image note . the method 50 also includes a step 58 of classifying the images . the user can classify the images according to any one or more suitable security classification schemes as defined by the imagery management system . for example , images can be classified using rules - based classification , automated classification , roles - based ( type of case ) or roles - based permission classification , standard security term classification , or on an image by image basis . however , users have access only to images within their user security classification . the analyzing step 16 involves analyzing the imagery in the imagery management system . for images in which imagery analysis involves comparison techniques , the images can be analyzed , assessed and compared using conventional method . such images include fingerprints , tool marks , shoeprints and tire prints , and other suitable images whose analysis can involve comparison techniques . for imagery such as fingerprint images , the process of analyzing imagery can involve access latent , which includes a technician or other suitable individual examining the fingerprint images to determine which images are suitable for comparison and for printing ( if required ). the process of analyzing imagery also can involve latent comparison , which includes a technician examining images ( e . g ., a photograph ) to determine if the images are suitable for uploading to the automated fingerprint identification system ( afis ) or other appropriate external image analysis organization . the process of analyzing imagery also can involve verification , which includes the search results returned from the afis being updated in the imagery management system , then verified by one or more verification experts . as discussed hereinabove , the method 10 includes the step 18 of searching the imagery in the imagery management system . according to an embodiment , as part of the searching step 18 , a search facility within the imagery management system allows appropriate users to locate forensic case images stored in the imagery management system during the processing life - cycle of stored crime scene images . as discussed hereinabove , the images cannot be modified and are never deleted from the imagery management system . to perform a search , an appropriate user can enter one or more keywords in a search box displayed by the imagery management system . only images accessible by the requestor are displayed . as discussed hereinabove , the method 10 includes the step 22 of printing the imagery in the imagery management system . the printing step 22 provides users the option of requesting a hardcopy print of selected images from an appropriate external location or printing selected images in local printers . as discussed hereinabove , the method 10 includes the step 24 of downloading the imagery in the imagery management system . the downloading step 24 allows appropriate users to select and retrieve images stored in the imagery management system to a working drive for external processing , such as for transferring images to the afis or in preparation of a court briefing or appearance , or for some other suitable reason . to download images from the imagery management system , the user selects the images for downloading and selects the “ download ” option . the user then selects the download type , e . g ., an afis download , which is a straight copy of the image without the related or associated metadata . alternatively , the user can select a court brief download , which adds a text block caption to the image copy from a court brief caption field . the court brief download also removes the associated metadata , except for the camera data . alternatively , the user can select an external download , which adds a standard text block including a copyright notice and statement that the downloaded image is not to be used for court or evidence . the external download also removes all associated metadata , except for the camera data . as discussed hereinabove , the method 10 includes the step 26 of administering the imagery in the imagery management system . the imagery management system can include an administration module to manage system users and their roles , as well as the various day - to - day system administrative activities , such as administering user access , monitoring and reporting , and the management of sensitive or protected images . with respect to administering user access , the initial logon identification and password establishment , and the on - going password administration , is managed via the existing administration process . an appropriate user always needs to have a valid user account to access the imagery management system . after a new user is established , the administrator of the imagery management system assigns the user to the user &# 39 ; s correct role . the role determines the access rights for specific system functions and image access corresponding to the security classification . access is managed through groups / roles , which are assigned with specific access rights . users with the same role have the same access rights . in addition to roles - based assignment of access , the administrator of the imagery management system can set access rights of users individually . while the majority of users have their access permissions set by their role , there is the ability to modify these for individual users . therefore , it is possible to create a protected or sensitive image archive and only allow access to certain individuals . with respect to monitoring and reporting , information related to the history of user access and life - cycle processing images can be flexibly retrieved for reporting . all actions typically are logged in a suitable database , such as a microsoft sql server database management system . the administrator of the imagery management system creates and saves reports for specific requirements . pre - configured reports can be generated in the imagery management system by authorized administration users . various activities that are recorded in an audit log can be included in reports , including login , logout , pages viewed , images deleted , text edited , images uploaded , images downloaded , searches performed , prints , and other suitable activities . with respect to the management of sensitive or protected images , the administrator of the imagery management system is able to create an archive , such as a forensic archive , for storage of sensitive or protected images . such images can be viewed by limited users . with respect to general administration , administrative facilities are included for the deletion of uploaded images . for example , only users with administrative rights can mark images for deletion . for security purposes , the administrator of the imagery management system is the one who initiates a batch process that removes images marked as “ delete ” from the imagery management system . administrative facilities also are included to configure incident types . the list for incident type can be updated by the administrator of the imagery management system through the uploading of an appropriate text file . similarly , administrative facilities also are included to configure image category . the list for image category can be updated by the administrator of the imagery management system . fig4 is a schematic view of a system or apparatus 200 configured to store , and manage imagery according to an embodiment . the apparatus 200 is configured to capture , manage and analyze imagery , such as fingerprint imagery and other forensics imagery , and associated metadata according to an embodiment . the apparatus 200 can be any apparatus , device or computing environment suitable for capturing and managing imagery and associated metadata according to an embodiment . for example , the apparatus 200 can be or be contained within any suitable computer system , including a mainframe computer and / or a general or special purpose computer . the apparatus 200 includes one or more general purpose ( host ) controllers or processors 202 that , in general , processes instructions , data and other information received by the apparatus 200 . the processor 202 also manages the movement of various instructional or informational flows between various components within the apparatus 200 . the processor 202 can include an image management module 204 that is configured to execute and perform the imagery capture and management processes described herein . alternatively , the apparatus 200 can include a standalone image management module 205 coupled to the processor 202 . also , the processor 202 can include an administration module 206 that is configured to execute and perform the imagery management system administration processes described herein . alternatively , the apparatus 200 can include a standalone administration module 207 coupled to the processor 202 . the apparatus 200 also can include a memory element or content storage element 208 , coupled to the processor 202 , for storing instructions , data and other information received and / or created by the apparatus 200 . the memory element 208 includes a primary image storage location 212 for storage of original authenticated images and a secondary image storage location 214 for storage of working copy images . the primary image storage location 212 typically is engineered , manufactured or otherwise configured so that a hashed image cannot be modified or tampered with once the hashed image has been uploaded . in addition to the memory element 208 , the apparatus 200 can include at least one type of memory or memory unit ( not shown ) within the processor 202 for storing processing instructions and / or information received and / or created by the apparatus 200 . the apparatus 200 also can include one or more interfaces 212 for receiving instructions , imagery , data and other information . it should be understood that the interface 212 can be a single input / output interface , or the apparatus 200 can include separate input and output interfaces . it should be understood that the apparatus 200 is configured in such a way that one or more of the image management module 204 , the administration module 206 and other portions of the processor 202 can be readily interfaced , e . g ., via the interface 212 or in any other suitable manner , with one or more external functional components so that the features of these external functional components are fully integrated with the features of the apparatus 200 described herein . such external functional components can include one or more facial recognition feature components , real time video streaming feature components ( including facial isolation from within the video streams ), motion detection and reporting feature components , number plate recognition feature components , video analytics feature components , and other feature components , including feature components that may be developed in the future . also , it should be understood that the apparatus 200 is configured in such a way that one or more of the image management module 204 , the administration module 206 and other portions of the processor 202 can be readily customized to allow for full process integration of the processes of one or more of these feature components . one or more of the processor 202 , the image management module 204 , the image management module 205 , the administration module 206 , the administration module 207 , the memory element 208 and the interface 212 can be comprised partially or completely of any suitable structure or arrangement , e . g ., one or more integrated circuits . also , it should be understood that the apparatus 200 includes other components , hardware and software ( not shown ) that are used for the operation of other features and functions of the apparatus 200 not specifically described herein . the apparatus 200 can be partially or completely configured in the form of hardware circuitry and / or other hardware components within a larger device or group of components . alternatively , the apparatus 200 can be partially or completely configured in the form of software , e . g ., as processing instructions and / or one or more sets of logic or computer code . in such configuration , the logic or processing instructions typically are stored in a data storage device , e . g ., the memory element 208 or other suitable data storage device ( not shown ). the data storage device typically is coupled to a processor or controller , e . g ., the processor 202 . the processor accesses the necessary instructions from the data storage element and executes the instructions or transfers the instructions to the appropriate location within the apparatus 200 . one or more of the image management module 204 , the image management module 205 , the administration module 206 and the administration module 207 can be implemented in software , hardware , firmware , or any combination thereof . in certain embodiments , the module ( s ) may be implemented in software or firmware that is stored in a memory and / or associated components and that are executed by the processor 202 , or any other processor ( s ) or suitable instruction execution system . in software or firmware embodiments , the logic may be written in any suitable computer language . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any process or method descriptions associated with the operation of the image management module 204 , the image management module 205 , the administration module 206 and the administration module 207 may represent modules , segments , logic or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing logical functions or steps in the process . it should be further appreciated that any logical functions may be executed out of order from that described , including substantially concurrently or in reverse order , depending on the functionality involved , as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art . furthermore , the modules may be embodied in any non - transitory computer readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device , such as a computer - based system , processor - containing system , or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device and execute the instructions . the functions described may be implemented in hardware , software , firmware , or any combination thereof . if implemented in software , the functions may be stored on or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a non - transitory computer - readable medium . the methods illustrated in the figures may be implemented in a general , multi - purpose or single purpose processor . such a processor will execute instructions , either at the assembly , compiled or machine - level , to perform that process . those instructions can be written by one of ordinary skill in the art following the description of the figures and stored or transmitted on a non - transitory computer readable medium . the instructions may also be created using source code or any other known computer - aided design tool . a non - transitory computer readable medium may be any medium capable of carrying those instructions and includes random access memory ( ram ), dynamic ram ( dram ), flash memory , read - only memory ( rom ), compact disk rom ( cd - rom ), digital video disks ( dvds ), magnetic disks or tapes , optical disks or other disks , silicon memory ( e . g ., removable , non - removable , volatile or non - volatile ), and the like . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and substitutions can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their full scope of equivalents .	6
in carrying out my invention i show in fig1 a scrapper module a , a ware washing module b , and a two compartment ware rinsing and sanitizing module c . the module a , is arcuate in shape and it is possible to have the other two modules also arcuate in shape if desired . i disclose arcuate - shaped racktype modulars in my two u . s . pat . no . 3 , 949 , 770 , issued apr . 13 , 1976 , and no . 3 , 985 , 226 , issued oct . 12 , 1976 . a rack feeding table 1 is connected to the scrapper a , and the operator can move the rack through the curtained entrance opening 2 and into the interior of the scrapper . a rack - receiving table 3 is connected to the exit end of the ware rinsing module c and receives the racks passing through the curtained outlet opening 4 . in fig4 a schematic view of the entire dishwasher is shown while in fig3 a more detailed sectional view of the two compartment rinsing and sanitizing module c , is illustrated . a pawl carrying bar d is reciprocated by a lever 5 , pivoted at 6 , and a motor 7 actuates a gear mechanism 8 , including a crank , not shown for oscillating the lever which in turn reciprocates the rack moving bar d . the particular type of mechanism for reciprocating the pawl carrying bar d , is disclosed in the george j . federighi and tore h . noren u . s . pat . no . 2 , 689 , 639 , issued sept . 21 , 1954 of which i was one of the joint inventors . the disclosure of this patent is made a part of the mechanism that reciprocates the pawl carrying bar d for stepwise advancing the ware - carrying racks through the scrapper , ware washer and the two compartment rinsing and sanitizing module c . the bar d pivotally carries a plurality of spaced apart pawls 9 , that successively engage with the ware - carrying racks e to stepwise advance the racks from left to right in fig3 as the bar is reciprocated . the bar reciprocating mechanism 5 - 8 will automatically stop actuating the bar d , should the racks e , or bar become jammed . this mechanism is shown in detail in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 689 , 639 , and is made a part of this specification . i provide a reciprocating bar d , for each of the modules a , b and c , and when these modules are bolted together to make up the complete dishwasher , the bar d of each module is adjustably connected to the bar in the adjacent unit . my u . s . pat . no . 3 , 949 , 770 and no . 3 , 985 , 226 in fig9 of each patent illustrates how the adjustable connection is made between adjacent bars d , and that disclosure is made a part of the present invention . referring to the schematic showing of the entire dishwasher in fig4 the interconnected bars d , of the several modulars are shown as a single bar d , which is reciprocated by the mechanism shown at 5 - 8 in fig3 . the rack pawls 9 are not shown in fig4 . the scrapper module a removes the food soil from the ware carried by the racks and this food soil is dropped upon an inclined screen shown by dotted lines 10 in the schematic view of fig4 . the module a has upper and lower spray arms f , and a two horse power motor driven pump 11 takes hot water from the tank 12 , underlying the scrapper compartment 13 , and forces this hot water through the two spray arms at about 300 gallons per minute to remove the food soil from the ware in the racks e . a float valve 14 controls the level of hot water in the tank 12 and when the water level drops below a predetermined level , the float valve actuates a mechanism for opening a valve , not shown , for permitting fresh hot water at 140 ° f ., to flow through an inlet pipe 15 that delivers the water to the tank 12 . any excess water in the tank will flow into a scrap catchment , shown schematically at g , in fig4 . the food soil is retained in a removable perforated basket 16 which may be removed from time to time as shown in fig1 so as to clean out the food soil therefrom . the waste water will flow from the basket and scrap attachment into a drain pipe 17 that connects with a sewer . the scrapper a forms no part of my present invention except in so far as it cooperates with the entire dishwasher and forms an operative part thereof . the scrapper a is shown and described in detail in my two u . s . pat . no . 3 , 949 , 770 and no . 3 , 985 , 226 , and forms a part of the present disclosure . in fact , the scrapper a , in fig1 is shown arcuate in shape and has an arcuate - shaped reciprocating bar d . the two patents just mentioned , likewise show an arcuate - shaped scrapper and therefore the details of the scrapper shown in these patents becomes a part of the present disclosure . the ware washing module b , is bolted to the scrapper module a , and the adjacent sides of the two modules have registering openings that permit the racks in the scrapper to be moved into the washing module . ths reciprocating arcuate bar d , in the scrapper is adjustably connected to the reciprocating bar d , in the washing module . my two u . s . pat . no . 3 , 949 , 770 and no . 3 , 985 , 226 , illustrate the washer module b in detail and the disclosure of these two patents becomes a part of the present invention . the washing module b , has a wash compartment 18 overlying a wash water receiving tank 19 , see fig4 . a motor driven two horsepower pump 20 , receives wash water from the tank 19 and forces this water through pipes 21 into upper and lower wash spray arms h , for washing the ware , the water being returned to the tank 19 and being used again . a float valve 22 is shown diagrammatically in fig4 and is placed in the wash tank 19 for actuating mechanism , not shown , for delivering fresh hot water at 140 ° f ., through a pipe 23 into the wash tank . the hot wash water in the tank 19 is maintained at a temperature of 140 ° f ., by two 5 kw hot water heaters 24 that are thermostatically controlled by a means , not shown . an overflow drain pipe 25 , is positioned in the wash tank 19 and is in communication with the drain pipe 17 for conveying excess water to the sewer . a screen , shown by the dotted lines 26 &# 39 ; in fig4 is positioned in the wash module b , and is positioned above the water level in the wash tank 19 . the racks e , are stepwise advanced through the wash module b , so that the ware is effectively washed . a liquid detergent is mixed in proper proportion with the fresh hot water at 140 ° f ., that enters the wash tank inlet pipe 23 . the pump 20 keeps recirculating the hot detergent water through the spray arms h , in the wash module while the racks e are moved therethrough . the double compartment ware rinsing module c , is the novel feature of the present invention . fig2 and 3 illustrate in detail the structure of the module and fig3 shows an entrance opening 26 in the module that registers with an exit opening 27 in the module b . the reciprocating pawl carrying bar d , in the module c , is adjustably connected to the bar d , in the module b . the pawls 9 on the bar will engage the rack e only when the bar is moving to the right in fig3 . this will cause the ware carrying racks to be stepwise moved through the module c , as the bar is reciprocated by the mechanism 5 - 8 . the module c has a left - hand compartment j , in fig3 in which the washed rack of ware is first received . the compartment j has a fresh hot water supply pipe 28 for delivering hot water at 140 ° f ., to initially the tank 29 that underlies the compartment . a pump 30 removes hot water from the tank 30 and forces this water through upper and lower spray arms k for rinsing the ware in the rack e and removing any detergent . the compartment j is called the primary rinse . the water level in the primary tank 29 is generally indicated by the dotted lines 31 in fig4 . the pawl carrying bar d moves the rinsed ware from the primary rinse compartment j , into a secondary rinse compartment l in which fresh hot water at 140 ° f ., and chlorine is sprayed against the ware for sanitizing the ware . the fresh hot water is delivered into a tank 32 &# 39 ; that underlies the compartment l , and i show a feedwater pipe 32 for this purpose . a chlorine dispenser m , delivers the proper amount of chlorine through a pipe 33 into the tank 32 &# 39 ; to mix with the fresh water at 140 ° f . in the tank . a pump 34 &# 39 ; removes the hot sanitized water from the tank 32 and forces this water through upper and lower spray arms n for sanitizing the ware in the final rinse compartment l . the rinsed and sanitized ware is then delivered to the rack receiving table 3 . a magnetic switch 34 is placed in the second rinse compartment l , see fig4 and starts the flow of chlorine and feedwater and operation of the pump 34 &# 39 ; when a rack e is moving through the compartment and swings a magnet 35 past the switch to close an electric circuit to the pump . the hot water pipe 32 and the chlorine pipe 33 have valves , not shown , that control the flow of hot water and chlorine into the tank 32 &# 39 ; in a predetermined manner . the hot rinse water in the tank 32 will receive hot water from the pipe 32 during the secondary rinsing in compartment l , and the excess hot water will pass through an overflow opening 36 , see fig4 in the partition 37 that separates the tank 29 from the tank 32 &# 39 ; to provide the water for the primary rinse in compartment . the overflow of hot water from the tank 29 will enter a pipe 38 that will convey the hot water to the tank a where it will flow over the inclined screen 10 in the tank to wash the debris on the screen into the scrap catchment g . my u . s . pat . no . 3 , 949 , 770 , issued apr . 13 , 1976 , on an arcuate - shaped modulars for a commercial dishwashing machine shows the inclined screen in fig1 b of that patent and further shows the hot water conveying pipe delivering the water onto the screen . the tanks 12 , 19 , 29 and 32 &# 39 ; have drain valves 39 which may be opened during non - use of the system for draining water from the tanks into the drain pipe 17 that connects with a sewer . the hot water at 140 ° f ., flows through the feedwater pipe 32 into the secondary rinse each time a rack e passes therethrough . the tank 32 &# 39 ; in the secondary rinse then becomes overfull and the hot water will overflow into the primary rinse tank 29 . this will change the water in both of these tanks 29 and 32 &# 39 ; to keep it fresh . the hot overflow water from the tank 29 will enter the bypass pipe 38 and flow over the inclined screen 10 in the tank 12 to move any debris on the screen into the scrap catchment g while the hot water will drain through the screen to replenish the water in the wash tank 12 and to raise its temperature . if the scrapper module a , is not used , the water in the bypass pipe 38 would be delivered to the sewer . the dishwasher shown in fig4 is equipped with an energy saving automatic shut - off device . when a rack e is moved into the scrapper module a , it will actuate an adjustable magnetic switch timer in addition to starting the pumps and the pawl carrying bars d . the adjustable timer will turn the machine off at a pre - set time interval if another rack e is not inserted into the machine . as soon as another rack is entered into the machine , the timer will be reset . the timer p does not effect the tank heat , since it only controls the pumps and the pawl - carrying bars d . in fig5 to 9 inclusive , i show different arrangements of the modules a , b and c shown in fig1 . anyone of these three modules may be either in a 90 ° arc or a straight module . fig5 shows the same general arrangement of the modules a , b and c , as are shown in fig1 while in fig6 the washing module b , is shown forming a 90 ° arc . in fig7 all three modules a , b , and c form a straight line . fig8 illustrates how the three modules a , b , and c can be arranged to occupy the corner 40 of a room and thus use space that would normally be lost . in fig9 the arrangement of the three modules show how the rack feeding table 1 for the soiled dishes can be positioned on one side of a partition 41 while the rack receiving table 3 is on the other side of the same partition . an opening 42 in the partition permits the two modules a and b to be joined and extend through the opening . such an arrangement permits the soiled dishes to enter the dishwasher on the unsanitary side of the partition 41 while the rinsed and sanitized dishes are removed from the table 3 on the sanitary side of the partition .	0
a known display means or billboard of a conventional construction ( not shown ) is provided . the billboard uses one or more technologies for delivering text and graphic content to a billboard as discussed above . specifically , it is important to note that the billboard may comprise a print advertising or electronic advertising . the present invention also contemplates that billboard is an electronic billboard and comprises a digital graphic content delivery system such as an led or digital screen , as well as a communication system for remotely managing the content displayed on such billboard as explained below . whatever the content delivery system used by the billboard , the billboard of the present invention displays a communication code or communication tag such as a telephone number , telephone acronym , cellular network number ( including an abbreviated number such as * 88 or the like ), and / or an url . individuals having viewed the billboard use the communication tag to access a data delivery system 14 that is accessible via the communication tag as best shown in fig1 . a variety of communication devices are used by individuals to access the data delivery system 14 , for example individuals may call a telephone number or abbreviated cell number by means of a cell phone , or on a land line at home , or may access the url using a mobile browser on a cellular phone , two - way pager , wireless personal digital assistant or the like . in the preferred embodiment of the data delivery system 14 described herein , the data delivery system 14 comprises a communication means ( not shown ) which utilizes known telephony hardware such as a private bureau exchange 18 or “ pbx ” combined with fiber optic cabling by means of a series of ports , in a manner that is well known . the pbx 18 is capable of handling a large number of calls / communications . the pbx 18 is connected to a data selection means or communication input means 21 which comprises means for processing requests made by an individual contacting the data delivery system 14 . the communication input means 21 is best understood as a data access menu which permits requests to be received and processed . the content of each individual menu associated with a particular communication tag is tailored to the requirements of the particular entity or entities that have engaged the use of the billboard of the present invention . for example , in a telephone implementation of the data delivery system 14 , the communication input means 21 comprises a touch tone menu provided in a manner that is well known . further , in another implementation of the communication input means 21 , said communication input means 21 comprises voice recognition capability , also in a manner that is well known . the communication input means 21 permits the user to access various data and information including for example product or service pricing , specifications , promotions , features , contest information etc ., in accordance with input received from the user . accordingly , the data delivery system 14 permits a user to “ pull ” selected data or information from the data delivery system 14 . the pbx 18 is further connected with a communication output means 20 that is used to communicate information tailored to requests made by a caller to the pbx 18 by means of the communication input means 21 . the communication output means 20 is operably connected to a communication server 22 capable of communication including by means of e - mail and faxes sent over , for example , known smtp servers or fax boards 24 further connected to the pbx 18 . thereby communication output means 20 permits a user to engage communication output means 20 to forward data or information requested by a user in accordance with communication input means 21 , for example , more detailed information on particular products or services of the advertiser who has engaged the use of the billboard . it should be understood that the billboard also permits advertisers who have engaged the use of a billboard to broaden the marketing impact of an billboard . while prior art billboards are often product specific , the billboard of the present invention permits an billboard to promote a particular brand , whereas the data delivery system 14 is used to permit users to access information on particular products that form part of a broader umbrella brand . therefore the billboard of the present invention is adapted to permit the extension of the marketing impact to a greater variety of products than conventional billboards permit . further connected to the pbx 18 is a software means ( not shown ) comprising a command module 28 . the command module ; 28 provides means for programming software means , in a manner that , is well , known , with settings defining a series of processing steps determining a particular processing cycle of pbx 18 , as well as defining the data or information that can be accessed in association with a particular communication tag . an example of a processing cycle is now illustrated . for example , in an billboard of the present invention that has been engaged by an auto manufacturer , a communication tag consisting of a telephone number is given . the advertising displayed by the billboard relates in this example to an automobile product . while the amount of information that can be displayed at the billboard may be limited because of the size thereof , the requirement that information be of a certain size in order to be visible , and also because too much information may distract drivers , a telephone number , in the present example , permits a driver ( preferably in hands - free , voice recognition mode ) to call the telephone number presented by the billboard using a cell phone and thereby to access the data delivery system 14 . alternatively , a person having viewed the billboard of the present invention may call the telephone number while walking by the billboard , or having made note of the telephone number , may call the billboard at a later time . a menu tailored to the automobile product ( as discussed above ) permits the driver to access , for example , information on price offerings on a particular model via the voice recognition capable menu provided by the data delivery system 14 . the driver may also direct the data delivery system 14 to forward further information or direct marketing material to an postal address , email address or fax number by means of the same menu . it should be understood that in accordance with the present invention , the billboard combined with the operation of data delivery system 14 of the present invention constitutes an advertising data gateway . in the preferred embodiment of the data delivery system 14 of the present invention , pbx 18 , communication server 22 and software means are connected to a server 30 with an operating system for hierarchical operation of the functions of the data delivery system 14 . in the preferred embodiment of the data delivery system 14 , the server 30 comprises a windows nt ™ server , provided in a manner that is well known . it should be further understood that the data delivery system 14 of the present invention also contemplates the processing of said requests by means of internet including e - mails , hypertext documents , or wireless pager instructions , also in a manner that is well known . the operation of data delivery system 14 of the present invention is best illustrated by way of example . command module 28 is used to program software means so that when a particular communication is received by the data delivery system 14 , such as a call to a particular telephone number or particular internet request , or a sub - selection accessible at such telephone number or web address is selected , in a manner that is well known , one or more options is provided to a user . these options may be provided by a menu of items or other series of requests / commands , in a manner that is also well known . the data delivery system 14 supplies , in this particular embodiment of the present invention , the phone number ( or internet identifier such ip address or “ cookie ”), time of call , date of call , duration of call ( used to see how long they listen to a particular set of messages ), the extension accessed ( each piece of information or ad will have a unique extension number the caller must enter to access the recorded information ), and the source of the call ( for example , the caller must key in “ 1 ” if calling from a newspaper , “ 2 ” if calling from a “ flyer ”, “ 3 ” if they are calling from the billboard in the case of a multiple medium advertising program , in which the billboard is one medium ). the data delivery system 14 may obtain ( in predetermined circumstances ) the name , address or other contact data of the caller . the system of the present invention also permits authorized users thereof to generate a “ call report ” based on the name , address or other contact data of a caller having contacted the date delivery system 14 , as well as the parameters of such communication , including duration of communication , selections of the user from the menu , and so on . then , the data or information requested such as a “ free offer ” or product specifications will be transmitted to the caller by means of the contact data and communication server 22 , for example , by faxing the information requested to the number or email address given by the caller . it should also be understood , that the data delivery system 14 provides remote functionality 32 that permits clients of the operator of the data delivery system 14 to remotely distribute sound , video , text , information or other material through the communication system 16 , and also to permit controlled changes to software means and therefore a particular processing cycle to which the clients have subscribed . this feature is provided in a manner that is well known by the remote content control means of the present invention . in particular a system of limited and hierarchical access is employed wherein a particular user of a customer of the operator of the data delivery system 14 is provided with access to remote functionality 32 , in accordance with parameters set by access privileges defined for such particular user . for example , the present invention permits distribution of a particular ad accessible through the data delivery system 14 by contacting same and uploading specific data or information . advertisements or other material distributed using the data delivery system 14 can be modified or replaced using the remote functionality 32 . it should be also understood that remote functionality 32 can be provided to communicate with the communication network , as best shown in fig3 so as to permit authorized users of a customer of the operator to modify content of the billboard remotely where billboard is an electronic billboard , in a manner that is well known . the data collected by the data delivery system 14 from a user is provided to database 23 ( for example data regarding the specific information accessed by a particular user by means of the data delivery system 14 ). this data can be analyzed in a manner that is well known . the entity or entities engaging use of the billboard may then in response to such data modify the data , information or options provided by the data delivery system 14 in relation to a particular communication tag , for example by means of remote functionality 32 . it should also be understood that the method described above provides the opportunity for various sellers to share the costs of advertising and direct marketing including : the cost of engaging use of the billboard ; the cost of maintaining the communication network ; the cost of producing and / or delivering the direct marketing material ; and the cost of any additional incentives such as contest prizes . the system of the present invention is best understood as a data delivery system 14 that is associated with a billboard , as described herein , and adapted to communicate with a plurality of users by means of a communication tag . the computer product of the present invention is best understood as a software program resident on the data delivery system 14 that permits predetermined menus , data and information to be offered , corresponding to a communication tag , and which data and information can be “ pulled ” by a plurality of users . the method of the present invention consists of providing the system of the present invention , receiving communication from a plurality of users using a communication tag , the plurality of users accessing menus , data and information in regard to a communication tag , and plurality of users forwarding further data and information to phone number , postal address , email address or fax number in response to input received from the plurality of users . in a second preferred embodiment of the present invention , the data delivery system 14 is integrated with an interconnected network of computers such as the internet . in this second preferred embodiment , the communication tag is an url corresponding to a web site 50 that is associated with billboard , or the promotion to which billboard relates . web site 50 is accessible via mobile browsers on cell phones , two - way pagers , personal digital assistants , personal computer and the like . the menu , and data and information related to the billboard or promotion , discussed above , as well as related video , audio content etc . is accessible via web site 50 . specifically , data delivery system 14 and web site 50 is provided in a manner that is known wherein clicking on specific items on web site 50 such as text / graphic listings of options launches audio recordings retrieved from data delivery system 14 in a manner that is well known . web site 50 also provides means for “ pulling ” data such as information regarding “ free offers ”, specifications on specific products and the like . in a third preferred embodiment of the present invention , the billboard system is connected to a known e - commerce facility which permits the purchase of goods or services associated with the billboard system , as described above , via the internet , in a manner that is well known . other variations and modifications of the invention are possible . for example , the examples of operation of the data delivery system 14 provided focused on voice applications . it should be understood that the menus , and data and information accessed and forwarded via , provided by it can be provided in other media . it should also be understood that additional features and or interfaces with other forms of communication can be provided to communication server 22 . all such modifications or variations are believed to be within the sphere and scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto .	6
while this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms , there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail specific embodiments , with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an example of the principles of the invention and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown and described . turning now to fig1 an audio / video retail display utilizing the present invention is shown in block diagram form . the demonstration is controlled by a demonstration controller 10 . in the present embodiment , controller 10 receives input from a single push button 12 . the push button 12 is preferably located adjacent an ideal listening or viewing position . when the user actuates push button 12 , a sequence of events is initiated which results in a controlled demonstration being presented . the controller 10 communicates with any suitable arrangement of electronic equipment to be demonstrated . in the example shown , an audio / video receiver 18 receives inputs from a laser disk player 22 as well as a video cassette recorder ( vcr 24 ). the audio / video receiver 18 is also connected to a compact disk ( cd ) player 30 , an audio tape deck 32 and a television 34 . in the example shown , both audio and video signals are provided from vcr 24 and laser disk player 22 to audio / video receiver 18 . the video is then routed through the receiver to television set 34 or suitable video monitor as desired . the left and right audio channels ( and any other channels ) from laser disk player 22 , vcr 24 , cd player 30 and tape deck 32 are similarly provided to the audio / video receiver 18 which selectively couples an amplified version of their output to a suitable set of audio loudspeakers ( not shown ). in order for controller 10 to issue commands to the components just described , the controller 10 drives infrared transmitters 40 and 42 which are aimed to be appropriately received at the various components . alternatively , the various electronic equipment can be directly connected to the controller 10 by a wired connection ( e . g . by a so - called s - control interface as used by sony corporation , or similar interfaces used by other manufacturers ). in the preferred embodiment , hard wired connections are used in order to obtain more reliable communication between controller 10 and the equipment being controlled . in the event hard wired connections are not possible , it is best if the infrared transmitters 40 and 42 are placed in close proximity to the infrared receivers on the equipment being demonstrated ( in fact , direct connection of the transmitters 40 and 42 with the equipment &# 39 ; s receivers is desirable ). in one mode of operation , the controller 10 also receives infrared signals at an infrared receiver / demodulator 44 . the infrared signals received at infrared receiver / demodulator 44 are generated , for example , by a remote control unit operated by the demonstrator . in this mode of operation controller 10 simply serves as a repeater to provide for retransmission of the signals received at receiver / demodulator 44 at infrared transmitters 40 and 42 . according to one embodiment of the present invention a demonstration program might utilize a laser disk player 22 to generate both audio and video signals to be displayed on the television set 34 and reproduced by audio / video receiver 18 respectively . in this example , upon receipt of a closure of push button 12 , controller 10 sends signals to the audio / video receiver 18 and laser disk player 22 which causes the audio / video receiver 18 to select the laser disk player 22 as an input source and assures that both the audio / video receiver 18 and laser disk player 22 are turned on . a volume control of audio / video receiver 18 is then adjusted to a suitable sound level and the laser disk player 22 is programmed to output a predetermined demonstration program to audio / video receiver 18 and therethrough to television 34 . the demonstration is then initiated so that the user is presented with a predetermined demonstration program at a predetermined sound level without the requirement for an operator to intervene to assure that all switches and controls are appropriately set prior to actuating the demonstration . before and after the demonstration , the controller 10 reverts to its repeater mode of operation . in this mode , any signals transmitted from the remote control are received and demodulated by the infrared receiver / demodulator 44 and retransmitted via infrared transmitters 40 and 42 to the various components in the demonstration set - up . in one embodiment of the invention , if the push button 12 is actuated during the demonstration process , it is ignored . in another embodiment , if the push button is actuated during the demonstration , the demonstration sequence begins again from the beginning . other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art . generally , it is desirable to disable the controller &# 39 ; s repeater mode of operation during the initialization of the demonstration to avoid interference and assure a reliable initialization to predetermined known state defined by the controller program . referring to fig2 a flow chart of the operation of controller 10 is described starting at step 60 representing power - on of the controller . at step 62 the repeater function is enabled after the system is powered up so that commands issued from a remote control are more easily received by the equipment being demonstrated without need for the remote control to be directly pointed at any particularly component other than the infrared receiver / demodulator 44 . if the demonstration push button 12 is pressed at step 66 , the repeater function of controller 10 is disabled at step 70 . otherwise , controller 10 simply loops at step 66 awaiting actuation of push button 12 . once the repeater function is disabled at step 70 , control passes to step 76 where power - on signals are transmitted via infrared transmitters 40 and 42 ( or hard wired control connections ) to the various product or products being used in the demonstration to assure these products are switched on . at step 80 various configuration signals are transmitted via infrared transmitters 40 and 42 ( or hard wired connection ) to the components in order to select the appropriate video modes for audio / video receiver 18 and television 34 as well as the appropriate audio mode for audio components in this system . for example , at step 80 , the program source is selected at the audio video receiver 18 and the television 34 . also during this step , the audio / video receiver 18 &# 39 ; s volume is turned all the way down in the present embodiment to provide a known reference point for later adjustment to a desired listening level . at step 82 , the electronic components used in the demonstration may be programmed by transmission of programming signals from controller 10 if this is a desired part of the demonstration . for example , if the demonstration is to be carried out with the laser disk player 22 , the laser disk player could be programmed to play particular segments , e . g . tracks 5 and 9 , of a laser disk repeatedly . after any such programming , the audio / video receiver 18 &# 39 ; s volume control is increased to the desired volume level and the demonstration begins at step 84 . in this embodiment , the volume level is controlled by sending a code from controller 10 which increases the volume for a predetermined time period which corresponds to a desired volume setting . control then passes to step 86 where the repeater function is enabled so that modifications of the demonstration can be carried out by remote control commands issued by the operator . at step 88 , when the demonstration ends , control is passed back to step 66 which awaits the next actuation of the demonstration push button 12 . otherwise , according to the present embodiment , control passes back to the entry point of step 88 where the system loops until the demonstration is completed . in the preferred embodiment , a continuous demonstration is programmed at step 82 . thus , there is no need for step 88 which is omitted in favor of the direct path shown by the broken line bypassing step 88 . in other embodiments , the end of a demonstration can be detected in a number of ways , if desired . for example , the demonstration can be timed , or the end of a segment played by a tape deck , or laser disk player can be detected by hard wired connections thereto . other techniques will occur to those skilled in the art . in some instances it is desirable for the demonstration to operate continuously until interrupted by commands received by infrared receiver / demodulator 44 . in this instance , the program source ( e . g . laser disk player 22 ) can be programmed to repeat forever . in this instance the demonstration will not end absent human intervention or disruption of power . alternatively , controller 10 can be programmed to repeat the demonstration sequence at timed intervals or at the end of each demonstration . in other embodiments , actuation of the demonstration push button 12 while the demonstration is in progress can be programmed to end the demonstration . still other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art . according to one embodiment of the present invention , controller 10 can receive inputs from a plurality of push buttons similar to push button 12 . in this embodiment , each push button could represent a different demonstration . for example , actuation of push button number 1 could provide an audio / visual demonstration of the laser disk player 22 operation . actuation of a push button number 2 could result in a demonstration of cd player 30 playing audio source material , and so on . in the hardware embodiment of controller 10 to be described , a total of 6 such programs can be implemented , but this is not to be limiting . when more than one program is possible , a control routine such as that of fig2 may be used in the controller 10 program . in this routine , step 66 of fig2 is replaced by 66a , 66b , 66c , 66d , 66e and 66f of fig3 . thus , if push button number 1 is pressed at step 66a a first sequence of programmed steps ( such as steps 70 through 92 as previously described ) are carried out . in a similar fashion a second set of programmed steps are carried out if button number 2 is pressed at 66b . those skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of such programs could be implemented in accordance with the present invention . six possible programs are accommodated by the present embodiment using simple circuitry without need for any sort of coding of the push button inputs . however , by appropriately encoding the push buttons or other suitable input source , any suitable number of programs could be implemented . referring now to fig4 ( made up of fig4 a and fig4 b ), a circuit diagram of the controller 10 of the present invention is shown in detail . in this embodiment , 6 push button switches are shown as pb1 through pb6 . one terminal of each normally open momentary contact switch pb1 through pb6 is connected to ground while the other terminal of pb1 through pb6 is connected through a pull - up resistor from pull - up resistor bank 112 to the supply voltage . the junction of each pull - up resistor and switch is connected to one line of the input bus of a microcontroller 116 or 118 . provisions are made in the present controller 10 to accommodate one or the other of microcontrollers 116 or 118 but not both simultaneously . thus , either microcontroller 116 or microcontroller 118 should not be connected to the circuit board . the switches pb1 through pb6 are connected directly to terminals of the input bus of the microcontroller 116 or 118 which may provide switch debounce functions with appropriate programming . in the preferred embodiment , a 68hc05 series microcontroller manufactured by motorola inc . is preferred , but other suitable microcontrollers or general purpose processors may be used . where only a small number of programming steps are required , microcontroller 116 is utilized ( e . g . 68hc705k1 ). however , if a larger number of program steps are required for a more complex demonstration , a microcontroller 118 ( e . g . 68hc705j2 ) having a larger internal program memory is utilized . a 4 mhz clock signal is provided by connecting crystal y1 across the oscillator terminals of the microcontroller . in the event microcontroller 118 is used , a 10m resistor 120 is connected across the terminals of y1 , and a 1 μf capacitor is connected to the reset line of the microcontroller 122 ( to provide a power - up reset ). the output of the microcontroller 116 or 118 is extracted from the output bus lines 130 and 132 according to the present embodiment . lines 130 and 132 are each connected to 1 input of 2 input open collector output nor gates 138 and 140 respectively . the output of nor gate 140 is connected to the other input of nor gate 138 . the second input of nor gate 140 is connected to a jack 146 . jack 146 is used to connect infrared receiver / demodulator 44 to the controller 10 . thus , either inputs from infrared receiver / demodulator 44 or signals generated by controllers 116 or 118 appear at the output of nor gate 138 . if nothing is connected to jack 146 , the input to nor gate 140 connected to jack 146 is held at a logic high by pull - up resistor 148 . output line 132 is used to either enable or disable the repeater function of controller 10 . by application of a suitable logic signal to the input of nor gate 140 , signals received from infrared receiver 44 are inhibited from passage to the input of nor gate 138 . that is , by applying a logic 1 to the input of nor gate 140 from bus line 132 , signals received through jack 146 are inhibited from passage through nor gate 140 . control signals are generated at bus line 130 and transmitted to nor gate 138 . the output of nor gate 138 passes through a pair of inverters 150 and 152 ( fabricated of spare nor gates ) to a connector 158 . in order to properly control sony brand equipment , inverter 152 driving the connector 158 should be an open collector gate . for other types of control interfaces , other types of interface circuits may be required . connector 158 can be hard - wired directly to certain electronic components for direct control without utilization of infrared signals . in a similar manner , the output of nor gate 138 passes through a pair of parallel connected inverters 162 and 166 ( fabricated from spare cmos nand gates ) to a jack 170 for direction to various components . the cmos gates 162 and 166 are connected in parallel to increase the load driving ability at jack 170 . an oscillator is fabricated from cmos invertor 180 connected in series with a resistor 182 and having a resistor 184 and a 40 khz crystal y2 connected in parallel . capacitors 188 and 190 are connected from the crystal terminals to ground . the output of oscillator 200 is used to modulate the control or configuration signals issued by microcontroller 116 or microcontroller 118 to produce appropriate infrared control signals to control sony brand equipment in the preferred embodiment . the control signal from the - microcontroller is taken from the output of nor gate 150 and modulated by application to one input of a nand gate 204 with the output of oscillator 200 coupled to the other input of nand gate 204 . the output of nand gate 204 drives the base of a transistor 206 through resistor 208 . the collector of transistor 206 is connected through resistors 210 and 212 to the base of transistors 214 and 218 respectively . transistors 214 and 218 then drive infrared transmitters 40 and 42 through jacks 222 and 224 respectively . depending upon the family of logic devices used , pull - up resistors such as 230 , 232 , 234 and 236 and 238 may be needed at the gate outputs as will be understood by those skilled in the art . also , series resistors 240 , 242 and 244 are used to provide short circuit over - current protection in the event of a short at the jacks 170 , 222 and 224 respectively . diode 250 is used to block current to control circuit 10 from some audio / video components which may provide 5 volts bias voltage at the control interface . in the preferred embodiment , a single push button 12 is used which is connected to a terminal pair 260 . three other sets of electrical terminals 264 , 266 and 268 are also provided . terminals 264 and 266 are connected to the two remaining input bus lines of the microcontroller 116 or 118 and can be used for establishing one of four predetermined volume settings in the preferred embodiment . terminal 268 is connected to the remaining input / output bus lines of the microcontroller 118 and can be used for additional push buttons , switches , status led &# 39 ; s or signals from audio / video components indicating completion of a demonstration ( e . g . end of tape , etc .). while the present invention has been disclosed in an embodiment using a programmed microcontroller 116 or 118 in conjunction with various logic circuits and other components , an equivalent hard wired logic could be used instead of programmed microcontrollers if desirable . other embodiments could be devised by those skilled in the art . in addition , the component values shown in fig4 are those used in the preferred embodiment , but are not intended to be limiting . thus it is apparent that in accordance with the present invention , an apparatus that fully satisfies the objectives , aims and advantages is set forth above . while the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications , permutations and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description . accordingly , it is intended that the present invention embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims .	7
the embodiment of a medicament delivery device shown in the drawings comprises a housing , which may be in two housing parts 10 , 12 , fig1 and 2 . it is of course feasible that it comprises more than two housing parts . preferably , the complete housing has a generally rectangular shape having a measure or thickness as seen along a proximal - distal axis 14 that is much less than the dimensions in the other two directions , vertical 16 and horizontal 18 . the housing is arranged with operating elements , 20 a , b in the embodiment shown , fig1 and 2 , as two buttons arranged on opposite side surfaces of the device . the device is arranged with a driver 50 , the function of which will be explained below . the driver comprises a shaft 24 , fig5 , which shaft is rotatably arranged inside the housing and journalled with a distal end in a seat 26 , fig6 , on the inner surface of the distal housing part 12 . an allen keyhole 22 is arranged on an end surface of a shaft 24 , where the allen keyhole 22 is accessible via an opening on the proximally directed housing surface , fig2 . a proximal end of the shaft 24 is arranged with a number of arms 28 , fig5 , that extend in a generally circumferential direction . the free ends of the arms 28 are arranged with radially outwardly directed edges 30 . the proximal end of the shaft 24 with the arms 28 is intended to fit into a seat 32 , fig7 , on the inner surface of the proximal housing part 10 . the seat 32 is surrounded by an annular ledge 34 having radially inwardly directed teeth 36 of a certain configuration . the teeth 36 are intended to cooperate with the free ends of the arms 28 as will be described . the driver 50 further comprises a flat spiral clock spring 38 , fig5 , wound around the shaft 24 , wherein an inner end of the spiral clock spring 38 is attached to the shaft 24 . the spring 38 is further arranged inside a spring housing 40 , fig5 , designed as a generally tubular part . an outer end of the spiral clock spring 38 is attached to an inner surface of the spring housing 40 . the spring housing 40 is further arranged with a sidewall 42 , fig5 , having a central opening 44 , through which the shaft 24 can extend . on the outer circumferential surface of the spring housing 40 a ratchet 46 is arranged , fig5 . the ratchet 46 is intended to cooperate with a cogwheel 48 of the driver 50 , fig8 . the driver 50 further comprises a shaft 52 where the cogwheel 48 is attached to one end such that the shaft 52 extends generally in the radial direction of the spring housing 40 as seen in fig8 along line 53 . the shaft 52 of the driver 50 is journalled in the proximal housing part 10 by support elements 54 , fig7 . a second cogwheel 56 , fig8 b , is attached to the second end of the shaft 52 , having a generally conical shape . the second cogwheel 56 is arranged to be in contact with teeth of a third mating cogwheel 58 . the third mating cogwheel 58 is journalled on a shaft 60 having an extension generally perpendicular to the extension of the shaft 52 . attached to the third mating cogwheel 58 , or made integral with , is a drive wheel 61 having teeth 62 around its circumference . these teeth 62 are arranged to cooperate with corresponding teeth 64 on a plunger rod 66 , fig4 . in the embodiment shown the plunger rod 66 is of a certain configuration , fig9 and 10 . the plunger rod 66 generally has a rectangular configuration as seen in a cross - sectional view . further the plunger rod 66 is divided up into a number of plunger rod segments . the end of the first plunger rod segment 68 that is to be in contact with a stopper 69 of a medicament container 70 , fig4 , is arranged with a generally circular pusher plate 72 , fig9 , having a diameter somewhat less than the inner diameter of the medicament container 70 . the first plunger rod segment 68 has a certain length . the following plunger rod segments 74 , fig9 , are somewhat shorter . all plunger rod segments 74 are arranged with connection elements that comprise generally vertically arranged cut - outs 76 at their distal ends , fig1 . the sidewalls of the cut - outs 76 are arranged with generally vertically directed grooves 78 , fig1 , having a certain configuration . further , each plunger rod segment apart from the first segment , is arranged with a proximally directed nose 80 designed to fit into the cut - out 76 of a previous plunger segment 68 . further the nose 80 is arranged with generally vertically extending ledges 82 having similar configuration as the grooves 78 of the cut - out 76 , whereby the ledges 82 may fit into the grooves 78 . further , the cut - outs 76 are arranged with flexible tongues 84 , fig1 b that engage a surface of the nose 80 of a subsequent plunger rod segment so as to lock the segments to each other . the plunger rod segments 74 are arranged in a generally vertical stack on top of each other and directed such that the nose 80 of the segments point in the same direction , fig8 a and 9 . the stack of plunger rod segments is held in place inside the housing by a magazine 86 , fig9 providing side supports on three sides . the fourth side is arranged with an elongated slit 88 , fig9 . in the slit 88 a flat band spring 90 is arranged having a first upper end attached to a fixture post 92 on the proximal housing part 10 , fig4 and 7 . the second lower end of the band spring 90 is arranged with a coil 94 , fig9 , which coil 94 fits into a cavity 96 attached to a plunger rod follower 98 positioned inside the magazine 86 , fig9 . the function of the described components will be explained below . the proximal end of the plunger rod 66 extends into a space in the device intended to accommodate the medicament container 70 , fig4 . the space is accessible via a hingedly attached lid 100 , fig1 and 4 , on an upper area of the housing . inside the space a holder or cartridge retainer 102 , fig3 and 4 , is arranged , on which the medicament container 70 may be placed . in that respect , the cartridge retainer is arranged with a holding portion 104 , fig4 , in which a neck portion 105 , fig1 , of the medicament container 70 fits . a penetration mechanism 106 is further arranged in the device . it comprises a cup - shaped element 108 , fig1 , arranged slidable in relation to the holding portion 104 and thus the neck portion 105 of the medicament container as seen in a longitudinal direction thereof . the cup - shaped element 108 is arranged with a hollow needle or a hollow pointed spike 110 directed towards the neck of the medicament container , fig1 , intended for piercing a septum 112 of the neck portion 105 of the medicament container 70 . further , an end surface of the cup - shaped element 108 is arranged with a ledge 114 having an inclined surface 116 , fig1 . the ledge 114 is intended to interact with a pusher 118 of the penetration mechanism . the pusher 118 is designed as a generally elongated rod 120 provided with an inclined surface 122 , fig1 , arranged to be in contact with the inclined surface 116 of the cup - shaped element 108 . the pusher 118 is further arranged with a compression spring 124 arranged surrounding the rod 120 and fitted between a generally radially directed ledge 126 of the rod and a seat 128 in the housing parts as seen in fig7 . further , in an initial position as seen in fig1 , the pusher 118 with its inclined surface 122 is somewhat turned in relation to the inclined surface 116 of the cup - shaped element 108 . in this position , the ledge 126 fits into a recess 127 in the seat 128 , fig7 , thereby locking the pusher with spring 124 compressed . further , a generally radially extending protrusion 132 is arranged on the rod of the pusher , below a surface area 131 on the side of the pusher 118 , fig1 . the device is further arranged with an activation mechanism 129 , fig1 . it comprises the two operating elements 20 a and 20 b that in the embodiment shown are arranged as push buttons . the push button 20 a is arranged with a protrusion 130 on its side surface , fig1 . this protrusion 130 is intended to interact with the surface area 131 as will be explained below . further , the protrusion 130 is positioned such in relation to the protrusion 132 of the pusher that any movement of the pusher in the vertical direction is prevented even if the ledge 126 would unintentionally be moved out of the seat 128 , which might occur if the device was shaken or dropped on a hard surface . each push button 20 a , b , is arranged with a generally u - shaped guide element 134 , fig4 and 13 , where the free ends of the u &# 39 ; s of the guide elements 134 are arranged with inwardly directed ledges 136 , fig1 . these guide elements 134 are intended to interact with guide rails 138 , fig6 , on an inner surface of the distal housing part 12 . the guide rails 138 are arranged with a generally t - shaped cross section as seen in fig1 . further , one of the push buttons 20 b is arranged with an elongated rod 140 , fig1 . the end of the elongated rod 140 is arranged with a generally cylindrical body 142 . the cylindrical body 142 is designed to fit into a tubular body 144 , which also is attached to an elongated rod 146 . the elongated rod 146 is journalled in a post 147 of the other push button 20 a , fig1 , so as to allow rotational movement of the elongated rod 146 and the tubular body 144 in relation to the push button 20 a . the cylindrical body 142 is further arranged with a ridge 148 extending in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body 142 . the ridge 148 fits into a slit 150 in the tubular body 144 , such that the bodies 142 , 144 are rotationally locked to each other while allowing longitudinal movement between them . a compression spring 149 , fig1 and 15 , is arranged inside the tubular body 144 acting between an end wall 152 of the tubular body 144 and an end wall 154 of the cylindrical body 142 . the cylindrical body is further arranged with grooves 156 , fig1 and 16 , having a certain configuration as will be described . a guide element 158 , fig1 and 17 , is arranged to be placed in the grooves with a pin 160 . the pin 160 is attached to a generally t - shaped body 162 , which body 162 fits into a slit 164 in the tubular body , which slit 164 is arranged generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tubular body 144 , as seen in fig1 . these components form a pausing mechanism , as will be described . an actuation mechanism 165 , fig1 , is further arranged to the activation mechanism . the actuation mechanism 165 comprises two elongated guide rods 166 , fig1 , arranged slidable on the guide rails 138 , fig6 . in that respect , the guide rods 166 preferably have the same shape as the guide elements 134 when seen in a cross - section . each guide rod 166 is arranged with a ledge 168 , fig1 a , extending generally transversal to the longitudinal direction of the guide rod 166 . each ledge 168 is designed to cooperate with a generally l - shaped holding element 170 , fig6 , where the free end is arranged with a ledge 172 arranged to grip the transversal ledge 168 of the guide rod 166 as will be described . a linkage 167 is comprised in the actuation mechanism , fig1 , wherein each guide rod 166 is further arranged with a first attachment post 174 comprising a bearing passage . a bearing shaft of an actuator arm 176 is journalled in the first attachment post 174 . the opposite end of the actuator arm 176 is provided with a bearing shaft intended to fit into a bearing passage of a second attachment post 178 . the second attachment post 178 is in turn attached to an arm 180 of a needle holder 182 . the needle holder 182 is designed with a generally cylindrical outer shape . the needle holder is arranged with a central passage through which an injection needle 184 is extending . further , a tube 186 is attached to one end of the injection needle 184 , fig1 . the tube 186 then connects to the spike 110 , thereby providing a passage between the spike 110 and the injection needle 184 . a needle cover 188 is further arranged to the device , fig3 and 7 . it comprises a generally tubular body having a number of longitudinally extending ribs 190 on its outer surface , fig7 , in the embodiment shown two ribs 190 arranged on opposite sides of the needle cover 188 . the ribs 190 end a short distance from a proximal end wall 192 , fig3 , of the needle cover 188 , which distance generally corresponds to the thickness of the proximal housing part 10 . this is due to that the proximal end of the needle cover protrudes through a passage 194 in the proximal housing part , fig7 , where proximal end surfaces of the ribs 190 abut the inner surface of the proximal housing part 10 adjacent the passage 194 . the passage 194 is further arranged with cut - outs 196 , fig7 , having generally the same shape as the ribs 190 in a cross - sectional view . the proximal end wall 192 of the needle cover 188 is further arranged with a central passage 198 , fig3 and 19 , which central passage 198 is surrounded by a generally tubular element 200 , fig7 and 19 , extending in the distal direction . the tubular element 200 has a diameter somewhat larger than the outer diameter of the needle holder 182 , where the latter is able to slide inside the tubular part along the proximal - distal axis 14 . the tubular element 200 is further arranged with two slits 202 , fig7 , in which the arms 180 of the needle holder 182 may be positioned . further the needle cover 188 is also arranged with slits 204 , with a first part 204 a open in the distal direction , where the first part 204 a transforms into a second generally circumferential second part 204 b , which in turn transforms into a third part 204 c generally parallel with the first part 204 a but closed in the distal end . the needle cover 188 is further arranged with radially outwardly extending ledges 206 , fig7 , one on each side of the needle cover 188 as seen in the transversal direction . further , a longitudinally extending ledge 207 , fig7 is provided in the distal end surface of the needle cover 188 . arms 208 are further arranged on the inner surface of the proximal housing part surrounding the passage extending in the distal direction , fig7 . these arms are arranged with radially inwardly extending ledges 210 . further , a needle cover spring 211 , fig1 , is arranged between the inner surface of the end wall 192 of the needle cover 188 and the arms 180 of the needle holder 182 . also , a needle cap 209 , fig2 , is releasibly arranged in the central passage 198 of the needle cover 188 , surrounding the needle and keeping it sterile . the device is further arranged with an injection speed control mechanism 212 , fig8 , that preferably is capable of providing a constant injection speed during the injection . it comprises a transmission 213 , fig8 a and 8 b , with a first cogwheel 214 , fig8 b , acting on the ratchet 46 on the outer surface of the spring housing 40 , where the first cogwheel 214 has a smaller diameter than the ratchet 46 . the first cogwheel 214 is attached to a second cogwheel 216 having a diameter generally corresponding to the first cogwheel but with a larger number of teeth , wherein the first and second cogwheels 214 , 216 are rotatably arranged to a first shaft 218 . the second cogwheel 216 is in engagement with a third cogwheel 220 having a smaller diameter . the third cogwheel 220 is attached to a fourth cogwheel 222 having a larger diameter . the third and the fourth cogwheel 220 , 222 are rotatably arranged to a second shaft 224 . the fourth cogwheel 222 is then in engagement with a fifth cogwheel 226 having a smaller diameter . the fifth cogwheel 226 is attached to a sixth cogwheel 228 having a larger diameter . the fifth and the sixth cogwheels 226 , 228 are rotatably arranged to a third shaft 230 . the sixth cogwheel 228 is in engagement with a seventh cogwheel 232 . the seventh cogwheel 232 is attached to an eighth cogwheel 234 . the seventh and eighth cogwheels 232 , 234 are arranged on a fourth shaft 236 . the eighth cogwheel 234 is in engagement with a ninth cogwheel 238 . the ninth cogwheel is attached to an escapement wheel 240 having a number of teeth . the ninth cogwheel 238 and the escapement wheel 240 are arranged on a fifth shaft 241 . a pallet fork 242 is arranged rotatable on a shaft 244 where the arms of the fork are arranged to act on the teeth of the escapement wheel 240 . further an arm 246 is arranged to the pallet fork 242 where the free end of the arm 246 is arranged with two fingers 248 . these fingers are in engagement with a protrusion 250 attached on a side surface of a regulator wheel 252 . one end of a balance spring 254 is attached to the regulator wheel 252 and the other end of the balance spring 254 is attached to a housing part of the device , capable of oscillating said regulator wheel when activated . the outer circumferential surface of the regulator wheel 252 is arranged with indentations 256 . the protrusion 250 of the regulator wheel 252 is positioned such in relation to the fingers 248 that oscillation of the regulator wheel 252 will cause the pallet fork 242 to swing back and forth . a more detailed function will follow below . a locking element 258 in the form of an arm attached to the push button 20 a , fig3 and 13 , is arranged to fit into the indentations 256 in an initial position of the push button 20 a , as will be explained below . the device is further arranged with an auto - stop mechanism 260 , fig2 . it comprises a beam 262 arranged with a shaft 264 journalled in a post 266 on an inner surface of the proximal housing part 10 , fig7 . the shaft 264 is positioned generally midway along the longitudinal direction of the beam , producing two oppositely directed first and second arms 268 a , 268 b . an end of the first arm 268 a is arranged to be in contact with one of the ledges 206 on the needle cover 188 , as seen in fig2 . a torsion spring 270 is further wound around the post 266 and is attached with one free end 272 a to the second arm 268 b of the beam . the other free end 272 b of the torsion spring 270 is attached to a fixed housing part , in the embodiment shown the cartridge retainer 102 . the second arm 268 b extends through an opening 274 in the magazine 86 , fig4 , having a free end that is in contact with and pushes against the plunger rod segments 74 due to the force of the torsion spring 270 , as seen in fig2 . the device is further arranged with a manually operated stop mechanism 276 , fig2 . it comprises an actuator element 278 in the form of a button that is accessible via an opening 280 in the distal housing part , fig6 . the actuator element 278 is arranged with an arm 282 having a generally u - shaped form as seen in cross - section . the free ends of the u are arranged with inwardly directed ledges . a guide post 284 , fig6 , attached to the inner surface of the distal housing part , is arranged to fit inside the u - shaped arm , providing guiding action of the stop mechanism when moved linearly as will be described . the stop mechanism 276 further comprises a beam 286 fig2 , directed generally transversal to the arm 282 . in an initial position of the stop mechanism , an upper surface of the arm 282 is in contact with the ledge 207 of the needle cover 188 as seen in fig2 . the device is usually delivered without a medicament container . thus , before use , a medicament container 70 has to be inserted into the device . the lid 100 at the upper end of the device is then opened , whereby the space and the cartridge retainer 102 are accessible . the medicament container 70 is then inserted with a neck portion towards the holding portion 104 of the cartridge retainer 102 . the lid is then closed . the device is now made ready . this may be done by inserting an allen key into the hole 22 on the proximal surface of the device and turning the shaft 24 in the clockwise direction . this in turn causes the arms 28 to slide over the teeth 36 because of the direction of the arms in relation to the teeth . because the inner end of the spiral clock spring 38 is attached to the turning shaft 24 the spiral clock spring 38 is tensioned . when the user stops turning the shaft 24 , it is locked against rotating back because of the edges 30 of the arms 28 now locking against the teeth 36 . also , after activation of the device , the shaft 24 cannot be rotated again . the device is now ready for delivering a dose of medicament . in the initial position , the operating elements , the activation buttons 20 a , 20 b , are in their extended position as seen in fig3 and 4 . in this position , the locking element 258 is in engagement with the regulator wheel 252 , as seen in fig3 , whereby action of the constant speed control mechanism 144 is prevented . the balance spring 254 has been tensioned beforehand . the process up to this point may be done without the device being in contact with the patient . in order to be able to deliver a dose of medicament to the patient , the needle cap 209 is removed from the central passage 198 of the needle cover 188 and the proximal surface of the device has to be in contact with some part of the body of the patient , i . e . to releasibly attach the device to the body . this may be performed in many ways , by straps , by merely pressing it manually , but preferably the proximal surface is arranged with some sort of adhesive , like sticky tape , with which the device may be fastened to the body . one variant is to have double - sided sticky tape on the proximal surface with an outer protective layer that is peeled off before attachment . when the device is to be activated , the user presses both activation buttons 20 a , 20 b towards each other . this causes several things to be initiated . when the activation button 20 a is moved inwards , the protrusion 130 on the activation button is moved along the surface area 131 of the pusher , thereby turning the latter around its longitudinal axis . this causes the ledge 126 to be moved out of the locking engagement with the recess 127 out of contact with the protrusion 132 of the penetration mechanism . also the protrusion 130 is moved away from the protrusions 132 of the pusher . thus , the pusher 118 is released and is forced upwards due to the compression spring 124 , fig2 . this causes the inclined surface 122 of the pusher 118 to be moved in contact with the inclined surface 116 of the ledge 114 of the cup - shaped element 108 such that cup - shaped element 108 and the spike 110 is moved towards the neck of the medicament container , which in turn causes the end of the spike 110 to penetrate the septum 112 , creating a passage between the interior of the medicament container and the injection needle via the tube 186 . the inwards pressing of the activation buttons causes the guide elements 134 to move inwards along the guide rails 138 . the guide elements 134 will thereby also move the guide rods 166 inwards , fig2 . due to the attachment of the needle holder 182 with the guide rods 166 via the actuator arms 176 , the needle holder 182 with its injection needle 184 will move in the proximal direction whereby the injection needle 184 will extend in the proximal direction beyond the surface of the proximal housing part , causing a penetration of the patient . the advancement of the needle holder 182 with its arms 180 will compress the needle cover spring 211 , as seen in fig2 . when the guide rods 166 have advanced inwards a certain distance inwards , the ledges 168 of the guide rods 166 will pass the ledges 172 of the holding elements 170 . this prevents the guide rods 166 from moving back outwards , and holds thus the needle holder with the injection needle in the extended position as seen in fig2 . also , when the activation buttons are pressed inwards , the cylindrical body 142 will move inside the tubular body 144 , compressing the spring 149 . the pin 160 of the guide element 158 will move in the grooves 156 on the outer surface of the cylindrical body as seen in fig1 from a start position i . when the pin 160 reaches position ii and follows the inclined surface of the groove to position iii , the body 162 of the guide element will move in the slit 164 . in this position , the activation buttons are in their most depressed position and the injection needle has penetrated the patient , who may now release the buttons . this will cause the pin 160 to move to position iv , keeping the activation buttons in a rather depressed state . the inwards pressing of the activation buttons will also cause the injection to start in that the locking element 258 of the activation button 20 a is moved out of contact with the indentations 256 of the regulator wheel 252 , as seen in fig2 . the tensioned balance spring 254 will now oscillate the regulator wheel 252 , whereby the pallet fork 242 will start to oscillate back and forth due to the contact with the protrusions 250 on the regulator wheel . this in turn will cause the escapement wheel 240 to move an increment or rotational angle per time unit , thus controlling the speed . this rotational speed is then transferred through the transmission 213 to the spring housing 40 , determining the rotational speed of the spring housing 40 . however , it is the spiral clock spring 40 that causes the spring housing 40 of the driver 50 to rotate , the transmission merely regulates the rotational speed . the rotation of the spring housing 40 will cause its ratchet 46 to move around the circumference , thereby acting on the cogwheel 48 of the driver 50 . thus the shaft 52 will rotate as will the second conical cogwheel 56 . the rotation of the conical cogwheel 56 is transferred to the third mating cogwheel and thus the drive wheel 61 . because the teeth 62 of the drive wheel 61 are in engagement with the teeth 64 of the first plunger rod segment 68 , the first plunger rod segment 68 is moved in the direction of the medicament container 70 , whereby the pusher plate 72 acts on the stopper 69 in the medicament container 70 . when the first plunger rod segment 68 has moved a distance towards and inside the medicament container 70 , the space behind the first plunger rod segment 68 is so large that a subsequent plunger rod segment 74 may be pushed in the vertical direction by the flat band spring 90 acting on the lowermost positioned plunger rod follower 98 in the magazine 86 . when the following plunger rod segments 74 are pushed upwards in the vertical direction , they are connected to a previous plunger rod segment in that the ledges 82 of the nose 80 of the subsequent segment fit into the grooves 78 of the cut - out 76 of the previous segment and in that the plunger rod segments are inter - locked by the flexible tongues 84 . in this manner a sequentially “ building ” of a continuous plunger rod 66 is performed with the segments while performing injection of medicament from the medicament container 70 through the injection needle 184 via the tube 186 . the user may pause the injection by pressing shortly at both activation buttons 20 . this will cause the pin 160 of the pausing mechanism to be moved from position iv in fig1 to position v and along the inclined surface to position vi , causing the body 162 to move further upwards in the slit 164 . when the user releases the activation buttons , the spring 149 between the cylindrical body 142 and the tubular body 144 will force the buttons outwardly to the initial start position while the pin 160 also is moved back to the start position i along the walls of the groove as seen in fig1 . the return of the activation buttons to their initial positions will in turn bring the locking element 258 in engagement with the indentations 256 of the regulator wheel 252 such that the rotation of the regulator wheel 252 is stopped . this in turn stops the spring housing 40 from rotation via the transmission , whereby the injection is stopped . the user may then resume the injection by pressing again on the activation buttons 20 a , b , whereby the locking element 258 is moved out of contact with the regulator wheel , and the sequence continues in the same manner as described above . as described earlier , the second arm 268 b of the auto - stop mechanism 260 is resting against the plunger rod segments 74 in the magazine . however , when the injection sequence is about to end when the medicament container has been emptied , there will be a space under the plunger rod follower 98 , which has been moved upwards during the “ building ” of the plunger rod . thus the second arm 268 b is moved out of contact and the force of the torsion spring 270 will cause the beam 262 to turn around its shaft 264 , whereby the first arm 268 a will act on the ledge 206 of the needle cover 188 , fig2 . this will in turn cause the needle cover 208 to be turned around its longitudinal axis , which coincides with the proximal - distal axis 14 . the turning of the needle cover 188 will further cause the arms 180 of the needle holder 182 to be moved from the first part 204 a of the slit to the third part 204 c of the slit via the second part 204 b , fig1 and 25 . the turning of the needle cover 188 will cause the ribs 190 on the outer surface of the needle cover to be aligned with the cut - outs 196 , fig2 and due to the force of the needle cover spring 211 the needle cover 188 is urged in the proximal direction . when now the device is removed from the body of the patient , the needle cover 188 will extend and surround the needle cover 188 , fig2 . the movement of the needle cover 188 is stopped when the ledges 206 come in contact with the inner surface of the proximal housing part 10 . when in this position , the ledges 210 of the arms 208 on the inner surface of the proximal housing part 10 will engage the distal end surface of the needle cover 188 , preventing any movement of the needle cover 188 in the distal direction , thus locking the needle cover 188 in relation to the housing and the injection needle . further , one of the ledges 206 is moved in contact with the teeth of the escapement wheel 240 , fig2 , thereby preventing any further action or movement of the injection speed control mechanism 212 , should a user be pressing on the activation buttons . thus the device is locked and ready to be discarded . instead of the automatic stopping of the device , it may be stopped manually by a user . this is done by pressing the actuator element 278 upwards on the distal side of the device . this causes the arm 282 to slide vertically upwards , whereby the beam 286 is also moved upwards . this upwards movement of the beam will cause the needle cover 188 to rotate due to the contact between the beam 286 and the ledge 207 , which rotation performs exactly the same functional sequence as with the automatic stop function , fig2 . thus the needle cover 188 will be extended and locked in the extended position and the injection speed control mechanism 212 will be locked by the interaction of the ledge 206 with the escapement wheel 240 . the device may now be removed and discarded . it is to be understood that the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings is to be regarded only as a non - limiting example of the invention and that it may be modified in many ways within the scope of the patent claims .	0
referring to fig3 there is shown a generalized schematic circuit diagram of an led driver circuit 10 of the present invention . an ac voltage source ( vac ) provides power to the driver circuit 10 . in this example , a full - cycle rectifier ( d ), comprising of a full wave bridge rectifier with four diodes converts the alternating polarity of vac to a positive voltage . this rectified ac voltage ( vrac ) is provided to the top of the led string ( str ). the string is divided into segments ( seg 1 thru seg 4 ), which are connected in series . within each segment , the segment may consist of any combination of series and parallel connected leds , or even just a single led . the junction between segments , including the bottom of the string ( tap 1 thru tap 4 ) are connected to current control elements , or regulators ( reg 1 thru reg 4 ). switches sw 1 thru sw 4 are generalized elements allowing the regulators of each stage to be individually enabled / disabled . alternatively , the circuit 10 can be a self commutating circuit 210 as shown in fig7 . initially the first regulator ( reg 1 ) is enabled but does not conduct current until the rectified ac voltage vrac rises high enough to forward bias the leds upstream from the first regulator reg 1 , i . e . the leds in seg 1 are biased . regulator 1 is turned off when the next downstream regulator ( reg 2 ) begins conducting and takes over . this occurs when the leds in seg 1 and seg 2 are both biased . the sequence for the remaining stages is repeated until the last stage ( stg 4 ) or the peak vac is reached . the sequence is reversed on the down slope of vrac . fig4 is a series of timing diagrams showing the currents , voltages , and power dissipation of the regulators and led string segments for a half cycle of the ac supply frequency . for this timing example , an implementation using four constant current regulators is presented . the left column , rows 2 - 5 ( i . e . timing diagrams 12 b - 12 e ) shows the current thru each regulator ( itap 1 thru itap 4 ), the voltage at the regulator ( vtap 1 thru vtap 4 ), and power dissipated in the regulator ( ptap 1 thru ptap 4 ). power is the product of instantaneous voltage and current . the top - left panel , i . e . diagram 12 a , shows the sum of the tap currents ( σiitap n ), the rectified ac voltage applied to the top of the string ( vrac ), and the sum of power dissipation ( σptap ). the second column , rows 2 - 5 , i . e . timing diagrams 14 b - 14 e , shows the current thru the led string segment ( iseg 1 thru iseg 4 ), the segment voltage drop ( vseg 1 thru vseg 4 ), and power dissipated in the segment ( pseg 1 thru pseg 4 ). the top - right panel , timing diagram 14 a , shows the overall input current ( iin ), the rectified ac voltage applied to the top of the string ( vrac ), and the sum of segment power dissipation ( σpsegn ). the hatched area represents the total energy delivered to the leds during a half cycle . multiplying by twice the line frequency yields the average power . comparing the hatched areas between regulator power dissipation ( losses ) and led power provides a graphical example of overall driver efficiency . actual implementations can achieve 85 - 90 % efficiency over typical line voltage range . referring now to fig5 , there is shown various current control circuits 20 that may be used in the driver circuit 10 of the present invention . the current regulators 20 may control current in multiple ways including , but not limited to , a constant current ( reg 1 ), a current dependent in whole or in part on the applied voltage including a resistor ( reg 2 ), a resistor and constant - current sink connected in parallel ( reg 3 ), a resistor and constant - current sink connected in series ( reg 4 ), both a resistor connected in series and parallel with a constant - current sink ( reg 5 ), a current inversely proportional the applied voltage ( reg 6 ), and power limiting ( reg 7 ). in addition , the current regulator circuit 20 may be an arbitrary function of the ac supply voltage independent of or in conjunction with the aforementioned circuits 20 . there are a number of methods for sequencing the different stages ( e . g . stg 1 - stg 4 ) on and off depending on the nature of the current regulators . referring back to fig3 and 6 , the default state of each regulator reg 1 , reg 2 , etc . is enabled but not necessarily conducting if the rectified ac voltage is lower than the sum of the segment voltage drops upstream from the regulator . the first regulator reg 1 to conduct as vrac rises is connected to the first tap tap 1 after the rectifier d since the first tap tap 1 is held close to zero volts by the normally on regulator reg 1 . the next regulator reg 2 to conduct is at the second tap tap 2 when vrac rises above the forward voltage drop of the first two segments , i . e . seg 1 and seg 2 . when the second regulator reg 2 begins conducting , the previous regulator reg 1 is turned off . this sequence repeats for all the taps or sooner if vrac is less than the total string voltage drop . the sequence is reversed on the down slope of vrac . to accommodate a wide supply voltage range , the led string may be made long enough to minimize headroom voltage at the last stage , allowing some of the lower segments to lose forward bias and extinguish at low supply voltages . the drive current wave shape can be tailored via choices of tap currents for each stage combined with the number of series - connected leds in each string segment ( voltage drop ). the wave shape affects driver performance including output power , efficiency , line and load regulation , input voltage range , led utilization , power factor , and line current harmonics . given that the number of design variables is twice the number of stages , the driver circuit 10 or 110 can be configured to optimize one or more performance criteria . a self - commutating method that inherently sequences the current control elements at the most appropriate time without the need for more complex circuits that make measurements of input amplitude and determine timing . these circuits must hold information from previous cycles , requiring a memory device such as a capacitor or digital memory . for self - commutation , signals that could be used might include the regulator output voltages , the regulator error amplifier voltage , and regulator current . referring to fig7 there is shown an embodiment of a self - commutating circuit 210 using constant current regulators and sequencing based on the state of the regulators . tap current is controlled by pass transistors q 1 - q 4 . switches sw 1 - sw 3 are generalized elements to illustrate sequencing . each switch is controlled by a comparator ( cm 1 - cm 3 ) which provides a signal ( en 1 - en 3 ) based on whether the adjacent downstream regulator is in or out of regulation . these signals are used to automatically sequence the regulators in the proper order and at the appropriate times . the switches enable or disable the first 3 regulators by connecting the gates of each pass transistor to either the output of an error amplifier ( ea 1 - ea 3 ) or to the source terminal of the same pass transistor . when connected to the error amplifier ( position 1 ), the regulator is enabled and may or may not be conducting current depending on whether vrac is high enough to forward bias the leds upstream from the regulator . if enabled but current is zero or below the regulation point established by vreg / rsnsn , the gate control voltage ( ctl 1 - ctl 4 ) is at the maximum output voltage capability of the error amplifier . when sw 1 connects the gate to the source ( position 0 ), the regulator is disabled and no current flows thru the pass transistor . the last stage is normally always enabled . using the first stage ( stg 1 ) as an example , when stage 2 is enabled and in regulation , its control voltage ( ctl 2 ) is below the first stage &# 39 ; s vso threshold . the comparator responds by asserting the first stage &# 39 ; s enable input ( en 1 ) to a logic 0 . this sets sw 1 to position 0 and shorting q 1 &# 39 ; s gate to its source and thus disabling stage 1 . beginning at the ac supply voltage zero crossing , vrac will initially be at zero volts . all the regulators will initially be enabled . starting at the last stage ( stg 4 ), no current will be flowing thru pass transistor q 4 . regulator reg 4 will be out of regulation with the output of error amplifier ea 4 at maximum output voltage . this signal ( ctl 4 ) exceeds stage 3 &# 39 ; s comparator vso threshold , in turn causing cm 3 &# 39 ; s output ( en 3 ) to go high . this places sw 3 in the 1 position , enabling stage 3 . with vrac still at zero volts , no current will flow thru q 3 . the response of stage 3 will be the same as in stage 4 , with the enable signal propagating thru all stages up to the first stage ( stg 1 ). continuing with the sequence of events , vrac will eventually rise to a voltage that forward biases the first led string segment ( seg 1 ). with stage 1 enabled , current will begin flowing until it reaches the regulation point established by vreg / rsns 1 . at this point , stage one is acting as a constant current sink with high dynamic resistance , freeing the voltage at tap 1 to rise with rising vrac . when it rises to the point where seg 2 is forward biased , current begins flowing thru q 2 . when it rises higher , stg 2 achieves regulation and stage 2 &# 39 ; s gate control voltage ctl 2 is below shut - off threshold vso . this asserts en 1 low , forcing the control signal low and thereby disabling stage 1 . vrac continues rising and stage 3 begins conducting . when it achieves regulation , its &# 39 ; control signal forces stage 2 s &# 39 ; control signal low , disabling stage 2 . with stage 2 s &# 39 ; control signal below vos , stage 1 remains disabled . through this mechanism , all stages upstream from the most downstream regulator with enough voltage to achieve regulation are disabled . this inherent self - commutation provides optimal performance . the cycle repeats for the remaining downstream stages until vac peaks and begins falling . when it falls enough to no longer forward bias seg 4 , stage 4 goes out of regulation , re - enabling stage 3 . the cycle repeats back up the string , re - enabling the upstream stages . the overall cycle repeats with the ac supply frequency . because the leds &# 39 ; voltage versus current ( v - i ) curve gradually transitions from non - conducting to conducting , combined with the finite slope of the ac sine voltage , the current into a regulator increases gradually as line voltage rises . referring to fig8 , there is shown a voltage - current graph that represents the v - i characteristics of the led string which is a composite of the individual leds in the segment . when the voltage across the segment is less than va , the current thru the segment is for practical purposes zero . when the segment voltage is between va and vb , the regulator is conducting but at a current less than the regulation point ( ireg ). the regulator is turned fully on , holding tap voltage to near zero volts as current flows thru it . above vb the regulator maintains current at ireg and the tap voltage is free to rise with rising vrac . referring now to fig9 , there is shown a timing diagram of the operation of the circuit 10 , with cross regulation and without cross - regulation . during the crossover interval ( va to vb in fig8 ), current at itap 2 is flowing while the regulator is below the regulation point ( ireg 2 ). recall that the example implementation uses the state of regulation of the downstream stage to sequence the stages , regulator 2 not being in regulation leaves regulator 1 enabled . in this crossover region both stages will be conducting simultaneously . once regulator 2 achieves regulation , regulator 1 is disabled . in the left column of fig9 , which denotes the circuit without cross regulation , the hatched areas below itap 1 and itap 2 identifies the overlap between stages 1 and 2 when both stages are conducting ( itap 1 and itap 2 ). the two currents add , with the sum shown in the top - left waveform ( iitapn ). peaking is the result and generates line current harmonics that can violate regulations in some regions of the world . in addition , the steep edges of the peaking generates harmonics extending into the megahertz region which can cause electromagnetic interference ( emi ) and also violate regional regulations . to avoid using inductor - capacitor emi filters to reduce noise injected into the ac line , the peaking must be eliminated and a smooth transition between stages realized to reduce harmonics to an acceptable level . cross - regulation , where the output of one regulator affects the control loop of another regulator may be used to solve the problem . the right hand column of fig9 shows the desired behavior , i . e . with cross regulation . to compensate for peaking , the current thru the upstream stage must be reduced proportionally as the current thru the adjacent downstream stage increases . the hatched areas for itap 1 and itap 2 show the region where both stages are simultaneously conducting . this time , however , the itap 1 curve is decreasing as itap 2 current is increasing . the currents largely cancel , the remnant hatched region in the top - right panel the result of the difference between the two stage &# 39 ; s regulation currents and provides gradual transitions between stages rather than a sharp step . this further reduces higher order harmonics . referring to fig1 , there is shown an embodiment of the driver circuit 310 with the self - commutating feature of fig7 and cross - regulation . in the circuit 310 shown in fig1 , sense resistors ( rsns 1 - rsns 4 ) are serially connected between stages to implement the cross - regulation . a downstream stage , when conducting , injects current into the resistor chain ( rsns 1 - rsns 4 ), causing the sense voltage in upstream stages to increase . in this particular case , the only stage enabled and in regulation is the next upstream stage . the increased sense voltage causes the next upstream stage &# 39 ; s control loop to reduce current . this cross - regulation cancels out the overlap , eliminating peaking using stage 3 ( stg 3 ) as an example , starting with vrac at a voltage high enough to bias the first two segments but low enough to not bias the third segment ( seg 3 ), stage 2 ( stg 2 ) is enabled and regulating while stage 3 is on but not conducting . as vrac increases , segment 3 becomes biased and begins conducting at a current less than the regulation point . the control voltage for regulator 3 will be at the maximum output voltage , keeping stage 2 enabled . vrac is not high enough to bias segment seg 4 and contributes no current to the resistor network . stage 1 ( stg 1 ) is disabled and also contributes no current . since stage 2 is the only regulator enabled and regulating , its control loop establishes the response to overlap current . the injected itap 3 current increases the voltage at vsns 3 . this also increases the voltage further up the sense resistor chain . the increased voltage at vsns 2 causes the control loop of stage 2 to reduce itap 2 current to maintain vreg at vsns 2 . since stage 1 and stage 4 contribute no current , the equation describing the relationship between itap 2 and itap 3 simplifies to : an led lamp should exhibit little change in brightness as the supply voltage changes ( line regulation ). in addition , lamp - to - lamp brightness should be consistent despite differences in led voltage variations ( load regulation ). variations in line and load are similar in that a decrease in load voltage is effectively an increase in line voltage . the present invention provides a means for compensating or providing immunity to line and load voltage variations without the need for extra circuitry . since light output is proportional to led current rather than power , the sum of each leds &# 39 ; average current should be the line and load regulation metric since it is most representative of total light output . the value is represented as θ with units of ma · nled , where nled is the number of leds in the lamp . line regulation is δ ( ma · nled )/ δvac . if the string current follows the rectified sine wave voltage , poor line regulation will result . as the ac voltage increases so does the current . this increases input power to the square of the variation . to maintain efficiency , the increased input power is used to drive the leds at a higher current , directly causing a change in brightness . a fixed - amplitude sine current is an improvement . near - unity power factor can be attained but since input voltage still varies , input power varies linearly with variation , causing a change in brightness . still not good regulation . one solution is to decrease input current as input voltage amplitude increases in order to maintain a constant input power . this approach becomes more complex , requiring more circuitry , including a capacitor to average the required measurements of line voltage . this runs counter to the goal of a simple circuit having few components . a more integrated approach is needed , one that can easily be incorporated into the self - commutating , cross - regulating driver without an increase in circuity complexity or additional components . consider a sequential driver circuit having fixed - value , constant - current regulators for the current control elements . the current waveform approximates a sine wave when operated at nominal line voltage . as input voltage varies , the current regulators maintain their constant current . when input amplitude increases , the dwell time at the last stage becomes longer and the input current waveform ‘ flat tops ’. since the last stage has the highest current , the increased dwell time raises the average led current , resulting in poor line regulation . referring to the upper row of fig1 ( i . e . waveforms a 1 , a 2 and a 3 of fig1 ), the three waveforms show the rectified supply voltage ( vrac ), the input current ( iin ), and nled · ma ) for low , nominal , and high line voltages . the hatched areas show the nled · ma for each segment when each stage is active . the total hatched area is proportional light output . note how the area increases with increasing line voltage . referring to the second row of fig1 ( i . e . waveforms b 1 , b 2 and b 3 of fig1 ), and to fig1 , line regulation is improved by lowering the current in the last stage and optionally increasing current in the next - to - last stage . this may be described as ‘ peak inversion ’. although decreasing the last stage alone can achieve good regulation , adjusting both stages provides a cleaner waveform . as input amplitude increases , the higher current , next - to - last stages &# 39 ; on - time gets pushed further down the sides of the sine wave where the slope is steeper . this shortens the duration of the highest current dwell time , lessening its contribution to average current . meanwhile , the lower - current last stage dwell time gets wider , increasing the lower current &# 39 ; s contribution to the average . with proper choice of currents and voltages , near flat line regulation can be achieved over a reasonable range of input voltages . although the wave shape diverges from an ideal sine wave , reasonable line regulation can be achieved while meeting power factor , line current harmonics , and conducted emi requirements . fig1 shows the line regulation without peak inversion ( dashed line ) and with peak inversion ( solid line ). to attain the best performance , all the features previously presented must be incorporated into a complete driver . these features include self - commutating sequencing for adaptability , cross - regulation to eliminate peaking , and peak inversion of the current waveform for line / load regulation . combining inherent line regulation with cross - regulation presents a special case for the current sense resistor network . the sense resistor arrangement shown in fig7 only allows increasing currents . inherent line regulation calls for a decrease of current in the last stage . the arrangement shown in fig1 directs tap 3 current into sense resistor 3 . this creates the voltage needed for cross regulation of the upstream regulators as stage 3 current transitions from zero to the regulation point . at the same time , the current sense feedback point for stage 3 is moved to stage 4 . as long as the instantaneous vrac is low enough to not forward bias the last segment , no current will flow thru sense resistor 4 . thus there will be no voltage drop across the resistor , essentially rendering it invisible and allowing regulator 3 to directly sense the voltage across sense resistor 3 . as the last regulator begins conducting , a voltage drop is created across sense resistor 4 which adds to the sense voltage seen by regulator 3 . regulator 3 responds by lowering tap 3 current . thus tap 3 current decreases as tap 4 current increases , smoothing the transition to a lower current . as the supply voltage rises and falls at the line frequency , each led string segment is energized for a portion of the ac cycle , with duty cycle decreasing from the first segment to the last . this has the potential to underutilize the leds towards the bottom of the string , which effectively increases led cost . to compensate , the leds are overdriven when duty cycle is low to obtain the average current rating . low current , such as 20 ma , leds are less sensitive to peak currents than high current leds . some can tolerate crest factors up to 5 × at 1 / 10 duty cycles . in addition , lower numbers of under driven leds are used at the bottom of the string while the upper segments parallel leds to allow more current at the higher duty cycles . from the foregoing , it can be seen that the present invention provides an ac line - powered led driver circuit consisting of simple , compact , and inexpensive circuitry , avoiding expensive , bulky , and failure - prone components such as electrolytic capacitors , inductors , and high - voltage / high - current diodes and transistors . at the same time it must be adaptable to worldwide line voltages , surpass regional regulations for line current harmonics and conducted emi , achieve high efficiency , exhibit high power factor , use low - cost / low - current leds , posses good line and load regulation , and be compatible with conventional lamp phase dimmers . the de - centralized , self - commutating nature of the invention automatically provides the most optimum performance . the current control circuitry portion of the present invention can be integrated in a small silicon chip , with the only additional components for a complete driver include a bridge rectifier , a few small resistors , and components for transient protection . the example circuits and waveforms shown in the figures depict one possible implementation out of many possible implementations . the example circuits employ constant - current regulators for the current control elements . other methods of controlling current may be substituted . for example , fig5 shows a sampling of various means of controlling current . although the example driver circuit consists of four stages driving an led string divided into four segments and intended for 120 vac operation , any number of stages may be employed to be compatible with any other supply voltages . although the present disclosure includes several techniques to improve performance , including cross regulation to lower line current harmonics and conducted emi , a current wave shape with inverted peak to provide better line / load regulation , and self - commutating operation for adapting to changing operating conditions , these techniques are included to demonstrate the best performance . the core of the present invention remains the self - commutating sequential , one - at - a - time operation of multiple current control elements connected to multiple taps along a string of leds supplied from a rectified ac source .	7
hereinafter , detailed explanation of the embodiments according to the present invention will be given by referring to the attached drawings . as shown in fig1 with an exhaust gas sampling apparatus , an intake air inlet 2 is formed by expansion of one end of an intake air supply conduit 1 , and within the intake air inlet 2 is provided a filter 3 . also , in line with the intake air supply conduit 1 is connected an exhaust gas supply conduit 4 , wherein a gas mixture circulation conduit 5 is formed in the passage downstream starting from the connecting portion of the exhaust gas supply conduit 4 , and through the gas mixture circulation conduit 5 is extracted the exhaust gas , being then diluted with fresh air while flowing to the downstream side by a blower 6 provided in the downstream thereof . in line with the gas mixture circulation conduit 5 at the downstream side of the portion connecting with the exhaust gas supply conduit 4 there is provided a mixing device 7 , and is further provided a venturi device 8 in the downstream of the mixing device 7 , for the purpose of maintaining the flow of the exhaust gas at a constant rate as a means of adjusting for the different displacements and exhaust gas flow rates found in various kinds of engines . further , from the gas mixture circulation conduit 5 , being downstream from the above - mentioned mixing device 7 but upstream of the above - mentioned venturi device 8 , are divided two pieces of sampling conduit 10 and 20 comprised of stainless steel , and further , from the upstream portion of the joint portion between the above intake air supply conduit 1 and the exhaust gas supply conduit 4 is divided a secondary intake air supply conduit 30 comprised of stainless steel , for supplying the fresh air intake for the reference . between the two sampling conduits 10 and 20 , the one sampling conduit 10 being used for the ordinary engine , and the other sampling conduit 20 being used for the engine of a car of a low - pollution gasoline - burning type , or the engine of a car burning natural gas . the sampling conduit 10 , being provided with valves 11 , 12 , a filter 13 , a supply pump 14 , a flow rate meter 15 , and a pressure switch 16 , is divided into three ( 3 ) conduits 10 a . . . downstream of the pressure switch 16 . on each of the divided conduits 10 a . . . are provided valves 17 . . . and pressure switches 18 . . . , respectively . also , the sampling conduit 20 , in use for the low pollution gasoline engine , being provided with valves 21 and 22 , a filter 23 , a supply pump 24 , a flow rate meter 25 and a pressure switch 26 , is divided into three ( 3 ) conduits 20 a . . . downstream of the pressure switch 26 . on each of the divided conduits 20 a . . . are also provided valves 27 . . . and pressure switches 28 . . . , respectively . further , secondary the intake air supply conduit 30 , to supply the reference fresh air , being provided with valves 31 and 32 , a filter 33 , a supply pump 34 , a flow rate meter 35 and a pressure switch 36 , is also divided into three ( 3 ) conduits 30 a . . . downstream of the pressure switch 36 . and , also on each of the divided conduits 30 a . . . are provided valves 37 . . . and pressure switches 28 . . . , respectively . further , the passage between an exhaust conduit 40 and each of the divided conduits 10 a . . . , 20 a . . . , and 30 a . . . is connected or shut off by the corresponding valves 40 a , and the exhaust conduit 40 is provided with a pump 41 at one end thereof . further , an analysis conduit 50 from each of the divided conduits 10 a . . . of the sampling conduit 10 is selectively connected with the above - mentioned exhaust conduit 40 or the analyzer through a valve 51 , while the analysis conduit 50 from each of the divided conduits 20 a . . . of the sampling conduit 20 is selectively connected with the above - mentioned exhaust conduit 40 or the analyzer through the valves 52 and 53 , and the analysis conduit 50 from each of the divided conduits 30 a . . . of the secondary intake air supply conduit 30 is selectively connected with the above - mentioned exhaust conduit 40 or the analyzer through the valves 54 and 55 . here , the analyzer connected with the analysis conduit 50 comprises an analyzer for an ordinary gasoline engine . a nitrogen gas purging conduit 60 is connected to the downstream side of the valves 11 and 21 of the above - mentioned sampling conduits 10 and 20 . in line with this nitrogen gas purging conduit 60 are provided valves 61 and a nitrogen gas bottle 62 . further , downstream of the mixing device 7 of the above - mentioned gas mixture circulation conduit 5 is provided a heat exchanger 71 for maintaining at a constant the temperature of the gas mixture , and downstream of the venturi device 8 is provided another heat exchanger 72 for decreasing the temperature of the gas mixture flowing into the blower 6 so as to increase the service life thereof . further , to the gas mixture circulation conduit 5 , between the heat exchanger 72 and the blower 6 , an air supply conduit 73 is connected , for obtaining a further decrease in the temperature of the gas mixture , and from this air supply conduit 73 is introduced the fresh air of a controlled amount , increasing when the flow rate increases , by means of the venturi 8 , so as to be sucked in with constant force without placing a load upon the blower 6 . moreover , in the present embodiment , heaters are positioned at various places so as to prevent condensation of moisture that is constituent within the exhaust gas . in more detail , within the intake air supply conduit 1 are positioned : a heater 80 in the side upstream from the joint portion with the exhaust gas supply conduit 4 , a coil heater 81 around the joint portion between the intake air supply conduit 1 and the exhaust gas supply conduit 4 , a coil heater 82 around the gas mixture circulation conduit 5 in the upstream side of the mixing device 7 , an oven heater 83 in the vicinity of the mixing device 7 , a coil heater 84 around the middle portions of the divided sampling conduits 10 and 20 , and an oven heater 85 in the vicinity of the secondary intake air supply conduit 30 , respectively . further , as will be mentioned later , in the vicinity of the sampling bags 104 is also positioned an oven heater 102 . at the ends of the divided conduits 10 a . . . , 20 a . . . , and 30 a . . . , a sampling bag storage box 100 is provided . the details of this sampling bag storage box 100 will be explained by referring to fig2 through 6 . here , fig2 is a front view showing the interior structure of the sampling bag storage box , fig3 is a side view of the same sampling bag storage box , fig4 is a plane view of the same sampling bag storage box , fig5 is a perspective view of an elevating block , and fig6 is an enlarged view of the principle portion of a connector unit of the sampling bag storage box . on the bottom surface of the storage box are attached casters 101 to provide for the storage box to be movable on a floor , and on the bottom portion within the storage box 100 is positioned the oven heater 102 . in the vicinity of this heater 102 is provided a fan 102 a to circulate warm air within the storage box 100 , thereby keeping the atmosphere in the box at an uniform temperature and preventing the moisture contained in the exhaust gas to be analyzed from condensing . further , within the storage box 100 is provided a temperature controller 120 to keep the temperature within the storage box 100 at a temperature of about 40 ° c . for example , the heater 102 is turned on or off when the temperature inside the storage box shifts beyond the pre - set upper and lower values thereof . under the condition where the storage box 100 is attached with the main body of the sampling apparatus , an electric power source of , for instance , ac 100 v is accessed through a socket 121 , while when the storage box 100 is separated or disconnected from the main body of the sampling apparatus to be moved , or during the time when the sample box is left waiting in an analysis room , the electric power source from a battery provided in the storage box 100 is used to power the heater 102 . also , the inside of the storage box 100 is divided into a right - hand - side space and a left - hand - side space by a partition plate 103 , and within the wide space at the right - hand side in fig3 can be stored the sampling bags 104 . . . in the total number of nine ( 9 ). each of the sampling bags 104 is formed from material of fluorocarbon polymer having a low level of hydrocarbon ( hc ) generation . further , each sampling bag 104 is hung from one of bars 104 a at the top end portion thereof , and the bars 104 a are hooked on rails 105 provided on a ceiling of the storage box 100 , so as to be able to be shifted in the horizontal direction . at one side of the storage box 100 may be provided a connector unit 110 . the connector unit 110 hooks an elevating block 112 on guide rails 111 elongated in the vertical direction . the elevating block 112 comprises a plate 112 a which is biased upward by a gas spring 113 , and a guide holder 112 b which is provided in the middle portion of the plate 112 a in the direction of height thereof . the upper limit of the elevating block 112 is regulated by a stopper 114 . namely , the stopper 114 comprises arms 114 a and 114 a at both the left - hand side and the right - hand side , and those arms 114 a and 114 a are biased in an expanding and opening direction by a spring provided at the center thereof . in this manner , when the elevating block 112 is pushed , together with the stopper , upward against the biasing of the gas spring 113 , the arms 114 a and 114 a are hooked on the concave portions formed in the rails 111 by means of the repelling force of the spring , thereby enabling fixture of the elevating block 112 at that position . the above - mentioned plate 112 a has such a size that it covers an opening 100 a formed in the side surface of the storage box 100 even when it is shifted up and down , thereby preventing warm air held within the storage box 100 from leaking outside through the opening 100 a . further , on a guide holder 112 b projecting from the above - mentioned opening 100 a are held guides 115 . . . in the same number as the number of the sampling bags 104 . in each guide 115 is inserted a flexible conduit 116 of stainless steel in such a manner that it can be drawn out therefrom . at the tip of this flexible conduit 116 is attached a joint 117 , and the base portion thereof is attached onto a joint provided on the above - mentioned partition plate 103 . to this joint is connected one end of a fixed conduit 118 of stainless steel , and the other end of the fixed conduit 118 is connected with each of the sampling bags 104 through a teflon pipe . further , in the periphery portion of the above - mentioned guide holder 112 b are formed openings 122 . . . , and a hood 123 is provided projecting outwardly so as to surround the openings 122 . . . , thereby encircling the tips of the above - mentioned flexible conduits 116 within a space surrounded by the hood 123 . in the above - mentioned venturi device 8 , as is shown in fig7 a variable flow rate venturi 301 is provided as a main venturi in a portion of the gas mixture circulation conduit 5 , and within the variable flow rate venturi 301 is provided a core 302 for adjusting the cross section area of the flow passage thereof . further , in parallel to the variable flow rate venturi 301 is provided a bypass conduit 303 , and in a portion of this bypass conduit 303 is provided a fixed flow rate venturi 304 as a sub venturi , and further in the downstream side of the fixed flow rate venturi 304 is provided a valve 305 . however , for the fixed flow rate venturi 304 , the variable flow rate venturi may be provided in place thereof . in the above , for analyzing the exhaust gas from an ordinary engine , after first confirming that the valves 21 , 22 , 27 . . . , 40 a . . . , 50 a . . . are turned closed while the valves 11 , 12 , 17 . . . , 31 , 32 , 37 . . . are turned open , the exhaust pipe of the car is connected to the exhaust gas supply conduit 4 and the blower 6 is driven . further , the supply pump 13 is driven . after the exhaust gas and the intake fresh air are mixed by the mixing device 7 , a portion of the gas mixture is stored in each of the sampling bags 104 ... through the sampling conduit 10 as well as the divided conduits 10 a . . . . in the above , depending upon the displacement of the engine , for example , the core 302 of the variable flow rate venturi 301 is shifted so as to change the flow rate within the range from 3 to 15 m 3 / min , thereby adjusting the dilution ratio of the gas mixture flowing into the sampling conduit 10 . further , in parallel with the above , the supply pump 34 is driven , which is provided on the intake air supply conduit for taking in fresh air for the reference . a portion of the introduced fresh intake air is also stored in each of the sampling bags 104 . . . through the divided conduits 10 a . . . . thereafter , by operating valve 51 , valves 17 . . . and the valves 40 a . . . are turned closed while turning the valves 50 a . . . open under the condition that the analysis conduit 50 from the divided conduits 10 a . . . is connected to the analyzer , so that the gas mixture to be analyzed , being stored within the bags 104 , flows through the divided conduits 10 a . . . in the reverse direction , thereby being sent into the analyzer to be analyzed therewith . in the same manner , in parallel to the above , the valves 37 . . . and 40 a . . . are turned closed while the valves 50 a . . . are turned open , so that the intake fresh air for use as the reference , being stored within the bags 104 , also flows through the divided conduits 30 a . . . in the reverse direction , thereby being sent into the analyzer which is attached to the main body of the sampling apparatus to be analyzed therewith . it is possible to know the ratio of the contents ( for example , nitrogen oxide ) being inherently contained within the intake fresh air by analyzing the intake air for use as the reference , therefore , the amount of nitrogen oxide , etc ., which are created by combustion , can be detected correctly , by subtracting the reference values , thus adjusting by calculation the analyzing result for the gas mixture . also , in a case of analyzing the contents within the exhaust gas from an engine which burns natural gas , for example , by turning the valve 11 of the sampling conduit 10 closed , while turning the valve 21 of the sampling conduit 20 open , the collection of the exhaust gas is conducted in the same manner as mentioned in the above , and then , is analyzed by means of an analyzer provided for exclusive use in analyzing natural gas engine exhaust , which is separately provided . after sampling , the joints 117 are disjoined from the respective divided conduits 10 a . . . , 20 a . . . and 30 a . . . so as to allow movement of the storage box 100 into the analysis room . then , the joints 117 are connected to the respective conduits of the analyzer to conduct the analyzing therewith . on the other hand , when conducting the analysis of the us06 mode , the valve 305 of the bypass conduit 303 is turned open so as to obtain the flow rate from 20 to 21 m 3 / min of the mixture gas . then , the collection of the exhaust gas is conducted in the same manner as mentioned in the above , by using only one of three ( 3 ) pieces of the divided conduits 10 a , and the gas mixture to be analyzed , being stored within the bags 104 , flows through the divided conduits 10 a . . . in the reverse direction , thereby being sent into the analyzer to be analyzed therewith . also , in a case of analyzing the constituents of exhaust gas from an engine which burns natural gas , for example , by turning the valve 21 of the sampling conduit 20 closed , while turning the valve 31 of the secondary intake air supply conduit 30 open , the collection of the exhaust gas is conducted in the same manner as mentioned in the above , and then is analyzed by means of an analyzer which is in exclusive use for analyzing emissions of natural gas powered engines , which is separately provided . however , since the flexible conduits 116 can be drawn out from the guide 115 when connecting the joints 117 to the respective conduits of the analyzer , the operation of connection thereof can be performed easily . further , condensation of moisture can be prevented by warming the sampling bags 104 during any moving and waiting prior to analysis , by means of the heater 102 . in the operation of the connection , since the air inside the storage box 100 is kept at a relatively high temperature ( approximately 40 ° c .) by means of the heater 102 , the connecting operation can be performed while keeping the contained air at the relatively high temperature , while blowing warm air held within the storage box 100 toward each of the conduits of the analyzer . with this system , the condensation of moisture in the exhaust gas can be prevented . even when the height of the conduits of the analyzer changes depending upon each of types thereof , it is possible to keep warm the atmosphere surrounding the connecting operation , by adjusting the height of the opening 122 to that of the conduits through the adjustment in the height of the elevating guide holders 112 b . as is explained in the above , according to the present invention , since the heaters are provided on the periphery of the main conduits comprising the exhaust gas sampling apparatus , the exhaust gas can be released or protected from abrupt decrease in the temperature even if the mixture ratio with the intake air is set to be small , i . e ., the dilution ratio is set to be small , thereby preventing condensation of moisture therein . accordingly , the constituents of the exhaust gas are inhibited from dissolving into the condensed moisture and an analysis result showing the value being less than the actual ratio is avoided , thereby increasing the reliability in the result of the measurement . further , with provision of the heat exchangers at the predetermined positions , it is possible to keep the gas mixture which is supplied to the sampling conduits at a constant temperature , or also to elongate the service life of the blower . further , the intake air supply conduit for use as a passage for the reference is divided from the intake air supply conduit at a point upstream of the portion joining with the supply conduit for the exhaust gas , therefore accurate analysis can be performed even if fluctuation occurs in the contents of the fresh intake air , and further , by providing the sampling conduits in plural systems thereof , it is possible to cope with the plural types of engines being different in the burning modes therein . further , the sampling conduit , being made from stainless steel , is hardly adhered with pollution or deposits thereon nor exudes hydrocarbon therefrom , therefore is also suitable for the measurement of the exhaust gas from a low pollution car . furthermore , after completing the sampling , by substituting nitrogen gas or the like for the gas within at least the sampling conduit and the analysis conduit , it is possible to conduct the accurate measurement , thereby increasing the reliability in the measured value . further , in the sampling apparatus according to the present invention , the sampling bags are stored inside the storage box , the box being detachable from the sampling apparatus , and thus the large number of bags can be moved easily to an analysis room located at a place being separated and / or far from the sampling apparatus , and also the storage box has a self - contained connector unit , therefore , the measurement can be performed by connecting the conduits held within the storage box directly to an analyzer , without taking the bags out of the storage box . further , with the provision of the heater inside the storage box , condensation of moisture in from the exhaust gas in the bags can be prevented , thereby enabling performance of accurate analysis . also , the portions of the conduits provided within the storage box are flexible conduits , each of which can be drawn from the connector unit , therefore , the piping operation at the main body side of the sampling apparatus , as well as the connecting and disconnecting operations with the conduits at the analyzer side become easy . furthermore , by letting warm air blow out from the connector , the occurrence of condensation can be prevented when connecting the conduits at the analyzer side , and further with provision of the elevating block in the connector , whereby are provided the openings through which to blow the warm air , it is possible to cope with a range of positions in terms of the height of the conduits at the analyzer side . also , the exhaust gas sampling apparatus , according to the present invention , comprises a venturi mechanism for controlling the flow rate of the gas mixture in the exhaust gas sampling apparatus , being constructed with a main venturi provided on the way of the gas mixture circulation conduit and a sub venturi positioned in parallel to the main venturi , wherein at least one of those venturis is the variable flow rate venturi , thereby achieving the control of the flow rate in the gas mixture within a wide range . further , mechanically , since it is enough only to add the bypass conduit and the sub venturi which is provided on the bypass conduit , the present invention can be applied to an existing equipment or facility .	6
the conveyor belt shown in fig1 and 2 comprises the lower horizontal section of an endless upper toothed belt ( 12 ) supported in an upper horizontal guide ( 14 ) having lateral vertical guide surfaces ( 16 ) which are slightly more shallow than the distance from the base of the teeth to the back of the belt and an upper guide surface ( 18 ) which is equal in width to the belt . the toothed side of the upper toothed belt ( 12 ) faces downwards . the upper guide ( 14 ) is firmly screwed into two identical holders ( 20 ) which are vertically adjustable in slots and fixed to the machine body ( 24 ). the section of toothed belt ( 12 ) shown in the figures is deflected upwards by means of several tooth edged and / or smooth edged discs ( not shown ) arranged at one end of the guide ( 14 ) and closely adjacent thereto . the upper horizontal section of a second endless , lower toothed belt ( 28 ) forming the other conveyor belt is arranged with its toothed side facing upwards and is supported in a guide ( 30 ) identical to the guide ( 14 ). this section of belt is deflected downwards . the guide ( 30 ) is fixed in holders ( 32 ) which are also vertically adjustable . the endless toothed belts ( 12 and 28 ) are driven intermittently , either together by a motor driven stepping gear by way of a gear wheel transmission and the ( toothed ) deflecting discs or , depending on the desired speed of transport , they may be driven together by a common variable speed servo motor or separately , each by its own variable speed servo motor , both in the same direction of displacement corresponding to the desired direction of transport . the front parts ( 40 and 42 ) of an upper and , respectively , lower lever or carriage of a clamping device ( 44 ) constituting , e . g ., part of an apparatus for the manufacture of wire nails are arranged halfway between the holders ( 20 and 32 ) ( fig1 ). identical clamping tools ( 48 ) in the form of jaws for clamping a wire nail blank ( 52 ) are adjustably fixed , one in each tool holder ( 46 ) of the front part ( 40 or 42 ) of each lever or carriage . fig2 shows an upsetting tool ( 60 ) of an upsetting device constituting part of the above - mentioned apparatus for forming a head ( 54 ) on the wire nail blank ( 52 ). the upsetting tool ( 60 ) is placed centrally in relation to the pair of toothed belts ( 12 , 28 ) in a position in front of the clamping tools ( 48 ). the machine body ( 24 ) has a trapezoidal groove ( 26 ) extending over the whole length of the path of transport to provide space for the passage of the nail blanks ( 52 ) and finished wire nails ( 58 ). in the lefthand part of fig1 two levers ( 66 and 68 ) of a wire cutting device ( 70 ) of the apparatus for the manufacture of wire nails are pivotally mounted in a common bearing ( 64 ). the levers ( 66 ) and ( 68 ) have each a tool holder with identical cutting tool ( 72 ) for cutting off a given length of wire and forming a pyramidal tip on the resulting nail blank ( 52 ). the two guides ( 14 and 30 ) end at a short distance to the right and in front of the cutting tools ( 72 ) while the lower and upper section , respectively , of the toothed belts ( 12 and 28 ) extend slightly beyond the cutting tools ( 72 ) before being deflected upwards or downwards , respectively . the length of the guides ( 14 and 30 ) on the righthand side of the apparatus in fig1 depends on the number of working stations arranged side by side for the clamping and upsetting operations and on the arrangement provided for removing the finished nails . if the conveyor device forms part of the apparatus for the manufacture of wire nails indicated in fig1 , 3a , 3b , 4a , 4b , 5a , 5b , 6a and 6b of the drawing , the mode of operation is as follows : a take - in device known per se but not illustrated here draws the wire from the wire supply through a straightening apparatus and pushes the quantity of wire required for the desired length of nail shank and for forming the nail head through the open cutting tools ( 72 ) and between the lower and upper section , respectively , of the toothed belts ( 12 and 28 ) ( in a direction intersecting the plane of the drawing , in fig1 ). the cooperating cutting tools ( 72 ) moving in opposite directions now sever the wire by a rocking movement of the cutting levers ( 66 and 68 ) in such a manner as to form a pyramidal tip ( 56 ) to the wire nail . while the wire is being pushed in between the two sections of toothed belts and cut off , the intermittent drive to the pair of toothed belts ( 12 , 28 ) is at a standstill . the intermittent drive is thereafter briefly switched on again and the pair of toothed belts ( 12 , 28 ) is moved onwards , for example by four teeth in the example given here , and then stopped again for a fresh intake of wire . this process is repeated until a measured length of nail blank ( 52 ) comes to lie between the clamping jaws ( 48 ) of the clamping device ( 44 ). the wire which is to be cut to the required length may then be introduced , as shown in fig3 a , 3b , 4a or 4b , into the gaps ( 76 and 78 ) between the teeth ( 80 and 82 ) facing one another on the toothed belts ( 12 and 28 ). alternatively , as shown in fig5 a and 5b , it may be introduced into a gap ( 78 ) between two teeth of the upper section of the lower toothed belt ( 28 ) to bear against the top ( 86 ) of a tooth ( 80 ) on the section of the upper toothed belt ( 12 ), or it may be introduced into a gap ( 78 ) between two teeth on the section of the lower belt ( 28 ) to bear against the back ( 84 ) of the section of the upper toothed belt ( 12 ) ( fig6 a and 6b ), depending on the relative longitudinal positions of the two toothed belts ( 12 and 28 ). if nails having a different diameter of wire are to be manufactured and transported , all that is necessary is to alter the distance between the two parallel sections of belts by moving the holders ( 20 and 32 ) towards or away from one another . the guides , ( 14 and 30 ) are moved at the same time ; see fig3 a , 3b , 4a , 4b , 5a , 5b , 6a and 6b . if the change in diameter of the wire exceeds the amount by which the distance between the belts can be altered as shown in fig3 a and 3b , the toothed side of the upper belt ( 12 ) is turned upwards so that the teeth ( 80 and 82 ) of both belts ( 12 and 28 ) face , in the same direction , namely upwards ( fig6 a and 6b ). this arrangement enables nails with an even smaller diameter of wire to be securely transported . wires of about the same diameter as those shown in the arrangement of fig6 a and 6b may also be securely transported by the arrangement of fig4 a and 4b , in which the teeth ( 80 ) and tooth gaps ( 76 ) of the upper toothed belt ( 12 ) are always shifted by a certain amount in the direction of transport in relation to the teeth ( 82 ) and tooth gaps ( 78 ) of the lower toothed belt ( 28 ) as they are driven intermittently forwards , the upper teeth and gaps in the present example racing ahead of the teeth and gaps of the lower belt . the nail blanks ( 52 ) are thereby pressed against the right flanks of the teeth ( 82 ) of the section of lower belt ( 28 ) by the left flanks of the teeth ( 80 ) of the section of upper belt ( 12 ) and thus clamped securely while being carried forwards stepwise . the turning over of the toothed belt ( 12 ) may be omitted if the arrangement of fig5 a and 5b is employed so that the teeth ( 80 ) of the upper toothed belt ( 12 ) race ahead of the teeth ( 82 ) of the lower toothed belt ( 28 ) to such an extent that the teeth ( 80 ) of the upper belt ( 12 ) are in vertical alignment with the gaps ( 78 ) between the teeth of the lower belt ( 28 ). in that case , the tops ( 86 ) of the teeth ( 80 ) of the upper toothed belt ( 12 ) press the nail blanks ( 52 ) against the adjacent flanks of the teeth ( 82 ) of the lower toothed belt ( 28 ). in the embodiment according to fig3 a and 3b , the nail blanks ( 52 ) are clamped between two adjacent flanks of teeth ( 80 and 82 ) of both toothed belts ( 12 and 28 ). in the embodiment according to fig6 a and 6b , the back ( 84 ) of the upper toothed belt ( 12 ) presses the nail blank ( 52 ) against adjacent flanks of the teeth ( 82 ) of the lower toothed belt ( 28 ). in all four modes of transport mentioned above , the adjustable contact pressure of the guide rails ( 14 and 30 ) assists in fixing the nail blanks ( 52 ) in position during their stepwise transport . further , the lateral guide surfaces ( 16 ) of the guides ( 14 and 30 ) prevent the toothed belts ( 12 and 28 ) from shifting sideways as they are carried along their path . as already mentioned , the nail blanks ( 52 ), guided with precision and firmly held as they are transported stepwise , enter the gaps between the clamping tools ( 48 ) of the clamping device ( 44 ) with a short end of wire required for forming the nail head ( 54 ) projecting from the clamping tools ( 48 ), to the right in fig2 . the clamping tools ( 48 ) then close up and hold the nail blank ( 52 ) firmly until the upsetting tool ( 60 ) has formed the head ( 54 ), the clamping tools serving as anvil for this operation . when the clamping tools ( 48 ) have opened again and the upsetting tool ( 60 ) has taken up its rearward position , the completed nail ( 58 ) is moved a step forwards , away from the region of the tools , while a new blank enters between the tools ( 48 , 60 ) and the process begins again from the beginning . after a few transport phases , the completed nails ( 58 ) are safely discharged over a chute at the end of the straight path of transport without the aid of an additional ejector device or , alternatively , the row of completed nails arriving at the end of the path may be mechanically removed one by one and carried away for storage or some other process . additional clamping and upsetting devices could be arranged side by side between the clamping and upsetting device and the point of discharge of the completed nail , as already mentioned , if the wire blanks are required to be subjected to the upsetting operation in several stages . it should also be mentioned that up to 800 nails per minute can be produced with the conveyor device according to the invention operating in conjunction with the apparatus for the manufacture of wire nails , i . e . the frequency of transport may be 13 per second . in fig7 a carriage ( 112 ) of an upsetting device ( 114 ) forming part of an apparatus for the manufacture of wire nails ( 182 ) is connected to a connecting rod link by means of a pin seated in the forked end ( not shown ) of the carriage ( 112 ). this connecting rod link is held on a short - stroke crank pin of a drive shaft of the apparatus by means of a connecting rod cap . the carriage ( 112 ), shown in its forward operating position in fig7 has a dovetail guide over its whole length and is mounted to be slidably guided between two guide bars ( 132 ) on a baseplate in the machine frame ( 136 ). an internally threaded flange ( 140 ) is fixed to the end of the carriage ( 112 ) shown in the drawing and engages with an adjustment screw ( 142 ) which is secured by a ring nut ( 144 ). a compression spring - loaded upsetting tool ( 154 ) of the upsetting device ( 114 ) is slidably guided to be longitudinally displaceable in bearing bushes in a separate guide ( 148 ) in the axial extension of the adjustment screw ( 142 ). the guide ( 148 ) with the floatingly mounted upsetting tool ( 154 ) is fixed to the machine frame ( 136 ) by means of two stud bolts ( 166 ) so as to be easily removable and exchangeable . the upsetting tool ( 154 ) is continuously kept in positive contact with the hexagon head of the adjustment screw ( 142 ) by means of a return spring . situated in the axial extension of the upsetting tool ( 154 ), immediately in front of the latter and placed symmetrically with respect to its axis , are two clamping tools ( 176 ) of a clamping device ( 178 ) of the apparatus for the manufacture of wire nails ( 182 ). these clamping tools ( 176 ) cooperatively move in opposite directions and each is seated in a lever or carriage . fig7 shows a wire nail ( 182 ) with upset head ( 184 ) firmly clamped between the clamping tools ( 176 ). the shank of wire nail ( 182 ) projecting from the clamping tools ( 176 ) in fig7 is firmly clamped in the gaps between adjacent teeth of two toothed belts serving as conveyor belts of a conveyor device which is shown in the upper part of fig7 and constitutes part of the apparatus for the manufacture of wire nails . the two toothed belts , of which only the lower belt ( 192 ) may be seen in the drawing , move the nail blanks ( 186 ) which as yet have no head ( 184 ) intermittently towards and away from a position which is exactly central in both the horizontal and the vertical plane in front of the upsetting tool ( 154 ) of the upsetting device ( 114 ). this is brought about by a stepwise movement of the belts ( e . g . 192 ) transversely to the direction of upsetting and clamping of the upsetting and clamping device ( 114 , 178 ). the distance between the toothed belts and hence the tension with which the nail blanks ( 186 ) are held in the gaps between the teeth can be adjusted by means of two vertically adjustable guide rails , one for each belt . only the lower guide rail ( 198 ) is shown in the drawing . the lateral guide surfaces of the guide rails ( e . g . 198 ) prevent sideways displacement of the toothed belts as they move along their path of transport . in fig7 a bearing ( 202 ) in which a rocking lever ( 206 ) is mounted on pin ( s ) ( 204 ) is fixed to the front part of the guide for the carriage ( 112 ). each arm of this lever ( 206 ) is acted upon by a connecting rod ( 210 ) by way of a pin ( 208 ). one of these rods ( 210 ) connects one end of the rocking lever ( 206 ) to the carriage ( 112 ) of the upsetting device ( 114 ) by means of a pin ( 212 ) while the other connecting rod ( 210 ) connects the other end of the rocking lever to a tool holder ( 214 ) of a positioning device ( 216 ) for the nail blanks ( 186 ) by means of pin ( s ) ( 218 ). each of the connecting rods ( 210 ) has two joint heads ( 220 , 222 ) connected together by a tension lock ( 224 ). the tool holder ( 214 ) is supported to be longitudinally displaceable in the machine frame ( 136 ) by two rods ( 226 ) placed one below the other . the holder ( 214 ) carries a positioning tool ( 232 ) which has four working surfaces ( 234 to 240 ) for a 4 - stage positioning process during which the longitudinal position of the nail blanks ( 186 ) can be altered . an additional positioning tool ( 246 ) longitudinally displaceable in a slot is clamped to the carriage ( 112 ) by means of the pin ( 212 ) which also fixes the joint head ( 222 ). this positioning tool ( 246 ) has only two working surfaces ( 248 and 250 ) for axially displacing the nail blanks ( 186 ) in a direction opposite to that in which the first positioning tool ( 232 ) displaces the blanks . the lower of two cutting tools ( 252 ) of a wire cutting device acting against one another for cutting lengths of wire ( 254 ) and forming pyramidal tips to the wire blanks ( 186 ) is indicated at the very lefthand end of fig7 as part of the apparatus for producing wire nails . the mode of operation of the conveyor device described above is as follows when it forms part of an apparatus for the manufacture of wire nails illustrated in part in fig7 : a take - in device known per se but not illustrated here draws the wire ( 254 ) from the wire supply through a straightening apparatus and pushes the quantity of wire required for the desired length of nail shank and for forming the nail head ( 184 ) through the opened cutting tools ( 252 ) and into the gaps between the teeth of two toothed belts ( e . g . 192 ). the cooperating cutting tools ( 252 ) moving in opposite directions , each of which may be mounted in a lever or in a carriage , now sever the wire ( 254 ) in such a manner as to form a pyramidal tip ( 188 ) to the wire nail . while the wire ( 254 ) is being pushed in between the two toothed belts and cut off , the intermittent drive to the pair of toothed belts is briefly at a standstill . thereafter , the drive is briefly switched on again , whereby the pair of toothed belts is moved forwards by one step , and the drive is stopped again before a fresh length of wire is fed forwards ( a stepping mechanism could be used for this alternating stopping and starting ). this process is repeated until a cut length of nail blank ( 186 ) lies between the clamping tools ( 176 ) of the clamping device ( 178 ) and centrally in front of the upsetting tool ( 154 ) of the upsetting device ( 114 ). in order that the apparatus may be suitable for producing nails over a wide range of lengths without major conversion work in spite of the fact that the cutting tools ( 252 ) of the cutting device and the clamping and upsetting device ( 178 , 114 ) of the apparatus for producing wire nails ( 182 ) are fixed in position , the difference in the distance between the tip ( 188 ) of a wire nail and the upsetting tool ( 154 ) when producing nails of a different length is compensated for by displacing the nail blanks ( 186 ) in their longitudinal direction within the conveyor path between the cutting station and the station for forming the head by upsetting . this is carried out as follows : the nail blanks ( 186 ) are positioned by the two positioning tools ( 232 and 246 ) of the positioning device ( 216 ), the first tool ( 232 ) having four working surfaces ( 234 to 240 ) for pushing the nails forward stepwise . this stepwise positioning takes place with each forward stroke of the carriage ( 112 ). during the forward movement of the carriage ( 112 ), i . e . during the formation of each nail head ( 184 ), the positioning tool ( 232 ) which is supported in the machine frame ( 136 ) is moved towards the conveyor device by way of the connecting rod ( 210 ) and the rocking lever ( 206 ) so that the nail blank ( 186 ) which at that moment is in front of the first working surface ( 234 ) of the positioning tool ( 232 ) is pushed forwards by a certain amount . as already mentioned , the conveyor device is at a standstill at this stage . while the carriage ( 112 ) is moving backwards , the drive is briefly switched on for a period of transport so that the nail blank ( 186 ) which has previously been pushed forwards by the working surface ( 234 ) of the tool ( 232 ) is now brought in front of the second working surface ( 236 ) and is pushed forwards by the same amount during a fresh upsetting operation . these movements are repeated until the nail blank ( 186 ) has been pushed into its furthest forward position by the fourth working surface ( 240 ) of the positioning tool ( 232 ). when the nail blank ( 186 ) is in this longitudinal position , it is carried stepwise in the direction towards the upsetting station until it lies in front of the working surface ( 250 ) of the second positioning tool ( 246 ). the nail blank ( 186 ) may now if necessary be moved slightly backwards by the working surface ( 250 ) to compensate for tolerances in the lengths of the blanks so that the blank can take up its final position . this movement is also derived from the upsetting movement of the carriage ( 112 ) and , in the example illustrated here , the nail blank is brought into such a position between the clamping tools ( 176 ) after two phases of transport that the length of wire projecting from the clamping jaws ( 176 ) is exactly the amount required for forming the head ( 184 ) of the wire nail . if the nail blanks ( 186 ) are exceptionally long , their displacement backwards by the second positioning tool ( 246 ) takes place in two stages , the blanks being first moved back by the working surface ( 248 ) and thereafter into their final position by the working surface ( 250 ). the positioning device ( 216 ) may obviously be omitted altogether when only nails of one length are to be produced or when great accuracy in the length of the nails is not required . in such cases , the cutting device is so arranged that when the nail blanks ( 186 ) are placed in the conveyor device , the length of wire projecting from the clamping tools ( 176 ) is exactly that required for producing the head of the nail by the upsetting process . when the clamping jaws ( 176 ) close up , they firmly hold the blank ( 186 ) in position for the upsetting process which now follows for producing the head ( 184 ) of the nail . for this purpose , the drive shaft is set in motion to impart a reciprocating movement to the carriage ( 112 ). the upsetting tool ( 154 ), which is connected non - positively to the hexagon head of the adjustment screw ( 142 ) by the return spring , participates in this reciprocating movement and with each forward movement it produces a head ( 184 ) on a nail blank ( 186 ), the clamping tools ( 176 ) serving as anvil for this operation . with each backward movement of the carriage ( 112 ), the compression spring relaxes and pushes the upsetting tool ( 154 ) backwards so that the latter remains in permanent frictional contact with the adjustment screw ( 142 ). the magnitude of the upsetting pressure ( and hence also the form of the nail head ) may be adjusted by turning the adjustment screw ( 142 ) in the threaded flange ( 140 ) of the carriage ( 112 ) by varying amounts . one complete wire nail ( 182 ) is moved out of the range of the tools with each transport step while a fresh nail blank ( 186 ) arrives between the tools ( 154 and 176 ) and the process then begins again from the beginning . after several transport phases , the completed nails ( 182 ) are safely discharged over a chute at the end of the conveyor path without the aid of a special ejector device , or alternatively , the completed nails arriving in a row may be automatically removed singly and carried away for storage or some further process . although only preferred embodiments are specifically illustrated and described herein , it will be appreciated that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention .	1
referring to fig1 the glass panes 1 are conducted on driven conveying rollers 2 through a conventional roller once - through furnace 3 , in which they are heated to bending temperature . the roller once - through furnace 3 is adjoined by a bending station 4 . in the bending station 4 , above the conveying plane for the glass panes , a bending mold 5 having a downwardly orientated , convex , solid forming surface is disposed . the bending mold 5 is mounted to be movable in a known manner in a vertical direction . beneath the conveying plane for the glass panes , a counter - mold , formed as an annular or frame mold 6 , is mounted either stationary or also displaceable in a vertical direction . the bending station is followed by a cooling or toughening station 8 , into which the bent glass panes 1 &# 39 ; enter immediately after the bending operation and in which , in the case illustrated here , they are toughened by abrupt cooling . the abrupt cooling is effected by means of blowing chests 10 having nozzle pipes or nozzle ribs 9 , these chests being supplied with the necessary blowing air through air feed lines 11 . in the region of the toughening station 8 , the glass panes are conveyed on conveying shafts 12 , which may be adapted to the shape of the glass panes . the endless conveyor belt 13 of a heat - resistant , flexible fabric serves for conveying the glass panes from the exit of the roller furnace 3 into the bending station 4 . during the bending process , the glass pane remains on the conveyor belt 13 . the actual bending operation takes place in that the glass pane 1 is positioned by means of the conveyor belt 13 accurately underneath the bending mold 5 , and immediately after the positioning of the glass pane the bending mold 5 is lowered onto the glass pane 1 . for positioning the glass pane 1 underneath the bending mold 5 , the accurate position of the glass pane 1 on the conveyor belt 13 before the bending mold 5 is reached is determined by means of a video camera 14 . the signals supplied by the video camera 14 are evaluated in a data processing unit 15 , illustrated schematically . from this data processing unit 15 , on the one hand , the drive motor 20 is controlled , which moves the conveyor belt 13 onwards through the distance calculated by the data processing unit 15 . in addition , further drive motors can be controlled by the data processing unit 15 , by which the conveyor belt 13 is displaced in the transverse direction and / or in its angular position , so that a complete alignment of the glass pane 1 in all directions within the bending station is obtained . the apparatus for aligning the conveyor belt 13 in the transverse direction is described later in greater detail . where the curvature to be imparted to the glass pane is only small , a counter - mold underneath the conveyor belt 13 is not necessary , but indeed in such cases the counter - forces exerted by the tightened conveyor belt 13 are sufficient for pressing the glass pane against the molding surface of the bending mold 5 . where the curvature is more pronounced , in contrast , the use of a lower counter - mold is advisable . this counter - mold may be mounted fixed just underneath the conveyor belt 13 , so that the upper bending mold 5 , as it is lowered , presses the glass pane 1 together with the conveyor belt 13 against the lower counter - mold , which consists of a frame bending mold 6 . it is , however , also possible to carry out the actual pressing operation by the upper bending mold 5 and lower frame bending mold 6 being moved towards each other , or by the upper bending mold 5 being stationarily mounted and only the lower frame bending mold 6 being movable in a vertical direction , and pressing the conveyor belt 13 together with the glass pane against the upper bending mold 5 . the endless conveyor belt 13 is conducted in a circuit around four deflector rolls 16 , 17 , 18 and 19 . these deflector rolls can be driven by one common drive motor 20 . the drive motor 20 is , as already mentioned , controlled by the data processing device 15 , which not only makes possible the accurate positioning of the glass panes within the bending station 4 , but also allows the glass pane to be conveyed after the bending operation at increased speed into the toughening station 8 , and to be adjusted accurately to the conveying speed of the conveying rollers 2 when a glass pane is taken over from the conveying rollers 2 of the once - through furnace 3 , in order to avoid sliding relative movements between the glass pane on the one hand and the conveying rollers 2 or conveyor belt 13 on the other hand . as materials for the conveyor belt 13 , woven fabrics of glass fibers or wovens or knitted fabrics of fibers of a heat - resistant and corrosion - resistant metal , for instance , are suitable . particularly suitable for this purpose are knitted fabrics of filaments , of which the elementary fibers are of a heat - resistant , chrome - nickel alloy and have a diameter of less than 50 micrometers and preferably less than 20 micrometers . metal fiber fabrics of this class are described in ep 0 312 439 . knitted or woven fabrics of this type not only possess the necessary heat resistance , but also have the necessary mechanical strength and the required thermal insulation properties , and furthermore exhibit sufficient elasticity and deformability to adapt to the bending molds and the deflector rolls . whereas the two deflector rolls 16 and 19 at the end of the conveyor belt 13 nearest the once - through furnace 3 are cylindrical rolls , the upper deflector roll 17 at the exit from the bending station 4 has the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid of rotation , that is to say its circumference is formed of a surface of rotation which results from rotation about the axis of rotation of the deflector roll 17 of a plane curve corresponding to the transverse curvature of the glass pane . the deflector roll following the deflector roll 17 , namely the lower deflector roll 18 , also has the form of a paraboloid of rotation , but with the opposite algebraic sign , that is to say its circumferential surface is formed of the surface of rotation which results from rotation of a curve corresponding to the curvature of the glass pane , but with the plane curve corresponding to the transverse curvature having been rotated through 180 °. in this manner , the differences in length between the central zone of the conveyor belt 13 and its lateral zones resulting from the varying diameter of the upper deflector roll 17 are compensated . the deflector rolls 16 to 19 , and thus the conveyor belt 13 , are mounted as a whole including the drive motor 20 in a frame 22 , which is mounted on a plate 23 . the plate 23 rests , through suitable bearings , on the plate 24 parallel thereto and is connected to the latter by a centrally located pivot bearing 25 , so that the plate 23 can execute angular displacement movements about the axis of the pivot bearing 25 . the lower plate 24 is displaceably mounted in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the apparatus , by a suitable bearing system on rails 26 . the drive in the transverse direction is provided by drive motors 27 , 28 . these drive motors 27 , 28 are also governed from the data processing device 15 in accordance with the position signals supplied by the video camera 14 . by different amounts of adjustment of the two drive motors 27 and 28 , the plate 23 can also execute an angular displacement , so that by these two drive motors an exact angular alignment of the glass pane 1 and an adjustment in the transverse direction can be effected . in fig2 a different embodiment for guiding the conveyor belt 13 is illustrated . in this embodiment , the endless conveyor belt 13 is again conducted around four deflector rolls 30 to 33 , of which the two deflector rolls 30 and 33 nearest the once - through furnace are circular cylindrical rolls . the two deflector rolls 31 and 32 , disposed at the exit from the bending station , each consist of a rotatably journalled round bar 34 , 35 respectively , the central portions of which are each curved to the same radius of curvature . on each of the round bars 34 , 35 , a flexible , but torsionally stiff hose - like sleeve 36 is disposed , with each of which a toothed wheel 37 is connected . the sleeves 36 are given a rotational movement through these toothed wheels 37 by a chain 38 , while the bent round bars 34 and 35 are secured in their spatial angular orientation . the sleeves 36 are , in this manner , driven by the drive motor 20 , simultaneously with the deflector rolls 30 and 33 and at the same circumferential speed as the latter . the construction of the deflector rolls 31 and 32 corresponds , for example , to the construction of the apparatus described in ep 0 107 565 , to which reference is made in this respect . the spatial angular orientation of the curved round bars 34 and 35 is so adjusted that the sum of the partial distances s 1 + s 2 + s 3 is equal to the sum of the partial distances t 1 + t 2 + t 3 , so that the differences in the distances s 1 and t 1 are compensated by the differences in the distances s 3 and t 3 in the opposite sense . by means of the deflector rolls consisting of the curved round bars and sleeves 36 revolving about them , a variable transverse curvature can be imparted to the conveyor belt , corresponding to the spatial angular orientation of the upper , curved round bar 34 , so that the conveyor belt can be adapted to different shapes of pane without the deflector rolls needing to be replaced . the transverse curvature of the conveyor belt 13 can be varied from the radius ∞, that is from the plane condition , as far as the radius of curvature of the curved central portion of the round bar 34 . the horizontal angular position of the curved part of the round bar 34 corresponds to the plane condition of the conveyor belt 13 , whereas the vertical angular position of the curved part of the round bar 34 corresponds to the maximum transverse curvature . with the vertical orientation of the curved central portion of the round bar 34 , illustrated in fig2 the lower , curved round bar 35 is also orientated vertically downwards , that is it is orientated in the same angular setting as the upper round bar 34 . if the upper curved round bar 34 is orientated horizontally , the lower round bar 35 is also orientated horizontally , but rotated through 180 ° with respect to the upper round bar 34 , in order to achieve the desired compensation effect . in the angular region between the horizontal and the vertical alignments of the two curved round bars 34 and 35 , the angular position of the two round bars must be carried out in mutually opposite directions of rotation . the two round bars 34 and 35 can be coupled to each other in their rotational movement in the above - described sense by crank arms 39 , 40 and a lever 41 connecting the two crank arms 39 , 40 together , so that when the transverse curvature of the conveyor belt is changed by means of the handle 42 , the desired compensation is automatically achieved . the construction illustrated in fig2 can , like the construction described with reference to fig1 be mounted in a frame 22 and can be adjustable by means of this frame 22 in the transverse direction and , if required , also in its horizontal angular orientation , in order thereby to make possible accurate positioning of the glass pane 1 as described in fig1 . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein .	2
for purposes of the following detailed description , it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative variations and step sequences , except where expressly specified to the contrary . moreover , other than in any operating examples , or where otherwise indicated , all numbers expressing , for example , quantities of ingredients used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “ about ”. accordingly , unless indicated to the contrary , the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties to be obtained by the present invention . at the very least , and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims , each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques . notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations , the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible . any numerical value , however , inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard variation found in their respective testing measurements . also , it should be understood that any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub - ranges subsumed therein . for example , a range of “ 1 to 10 ” is intended to include all sub - ranges between ( and including ) the recited minimum value of 1 and the recited maximum value of 10 , that is , having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value of equal to or less than 10 . in this application , the use of the singular includes the plural and plural encompasses singular , unless specifically stated otherwise . in addition , in this application , the use of “ or ” means “ and / or ” unless specifically stated otherwise , even though “ and / or ” may be explicitly used in certain instances . fig1 schematically illustrates a multi - component spray coating system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the system includes a dynamic mixing apparatus 10 in which at least two coating components are mixed and fed to a coating spray gun 11 . as shown in fig2 , the dynamic mixer 10 includes a mixing chamber 12 having a cylindrical sidewall 13 , a base 14 and a top 15 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , the mixing chamber 12 can be opened by means of a threaded coupling , or any other suitable connection , between the cylindrical sidewall 13 and the base 14 . as shown most clearly in fig2 and 3 , the mixing chamber 12 has a cylindrical baffle 16 which serves to divert the incoming flow of coating components for improved mixing , as more fully described below . as shown in fig2 and 4 , a stirring element 18 in the form of an elongated permanent magnet loosely rests on the base 14 of the mixing chamber 12 . as shown in fig1 - 3 , a source of a first coating component 20 flows via line 21 through a first coating component inlet port 22 into the chamber 12 . a source of a second coating component 24 is fed via inlet line 25 through a second coating component inlet port 26 into the mixing chamber 12 . as shown by arrows in fig2 , the flow paths of the first and second coating components 21 and 25 are diverted in the mixing chamber 12 by the cylindrical baffle 16 . after the first and second coating components have been mixed in the mixing chamber 12 , the resultant mixture is fed via line 27 from an outlet port 28 of the mixing chamber to the spray gun 11 . the spray gun 11 may be any suitable type of spray gun known to those skilled in the art such as those commercially available from manufacturers such as devilbiss , graco , kremlin , binks and wagner . while a two - component coating system is shown in the figures , it is to be understood that any other multi - component coating composition may be mixed and delivered to a spray gun in accordance with the present invention . for example , a three - component coating may be dynamically mixed , in which case a third inlet port ( not shown ) may be added to the mixing chamber 12 . as shown in fig1 , 2 and 5 , the dynamic mixer 10 also includes a drive chamber 32 that is used to rotate the magnetic stirring element 18 contained in the mixing chamber 12 . the drive chamber 32 has a cylindrical sidewall 33 , a base 34 and a removable top 35 . the top 35 may be engaged with the cylindrical sidewall 33 by any suitable means , such as a threaded connection , snap fit or the like . a support pin 36 extends upward from the base 34 in the axial center of the drive chamber 32 . a rotatable impeller 40 having multiple radially extending paddles 42 at its outer periphery is rotatably mounted in the drive chamber 32 by means of a central hub 43 having a cylindrical hole or recess 44 which receives the support pin 36 . the drive chamber 32 includes an inlet port 46 through which a pressurized fluid may flow 47 . in one embodiment , the pressurized fluid is provided in the form of pressurized air from any suitable type of compressed air source . an exhaust port 48 allows the air to escape from the drive chamber 32 . an elongated permanent magnet 50 is fixedly mounted on the central hub 43 of the impeller 40 . as shown most clearly in fig5 , when pressurized air 47 flows through the inlet port 46 , it contacts the paddles 42 and causes the impeller 40 to rotate around its central axis . rotation of the impeller 40 causes rotation of the permanent magnet 50 which , in turn , causes rotation of the magnetic stirring element 18 inside the mixing chamber 12 . in this manner , the first and second components of the coating are dynamically mixed in the mixing chamber 12 by rotation of the magnetic stirring element 18 . the rotational velocity or rate of the magnetic stirring element 18 may be selected as desired , for example , up to 800 rpm . for example , a rotational rate of from 120 to 240 rpm may be suitable for many coating applications . the dimensions of the mixing chamber 12 , magnetic stirring element 18 , drive chamber 32 and impeller 40 may be selected by those skilled in the art without undue experimentation . for example , the mixing chamber 12 may have an inner diameter of from 2 . 5 to 7 . 5 cm , and a height of from 2 . 5 to 10 cm . the magnetic stirring element 18 may have a length of from 2 . 5 to 4 . 5 dependent on the size of the chamber . in one embodiment , the magnetic stirring element 18 is generally cylindrical with rounded or convex ends . a typical diameter of a cylindrical magnetic stirring element is from 2 . 5 to 4 . 5 cm . the drive chamber 32 may have an inner diameter of from 6 to 12 cm , and a height of from 5 to 12 cm . the impeller 40 is sized to fit within the drive chamber 32 and may have an outer diameter of 2 . 5 to 5 cm . the size and number of paddles 42 of the impeller 40 may be selected by those skilled in the art based upon the desired rotation rate and size of the impeller 40 , as well as the pressure and / or flow rate of the pressurized fluid 47 through the air inlet port 46 . a typical pressure for the pressurized air flow 47 is from 6 to 8 psi . the various components of the dynamic mixer 10 may be made of any suitable materials . for example , the mixing chamber 12 , drive chamber 32 and impeller 40 may be made of polymers such as ptfe , pvdf and the like . the flow rates and mix proportions of the first and second coating components 21 and 25 flowing into the dynamic mixing chamber 12 may be routinely selected by those skilled in the art . for example , typical flow rates for the first and second coating components may be from 25 ml to 500 ml . typical mix ratios of the first to second coating components may be from 1 : 100 to 100 : 1 , typically from 3 : 1 to 2 : 1 . in order to provide more complete mixing of the first and second coating components in the mixing chamber 12 , the components are diverted by the cylindrical baffle 16 as they enter the chamber 12 . as shown in fig2 , the inlet flows of the first and second coating components are diverted from substantially horizontal radial inward flows from opposite sides of the mixing chamber 12 to a downward flow toward the magnetic stirring element 18 . as the components are mixed by the magnetic stirring element 18 , the mixture is forced upward through the outlet port 28 of the mixing chamber 12 to the spray gun 11 . mixing times within the chamber 12 are controlled by the size of the chamber and the flow rates of the incoming first and second components 21 and 25 . typically , mixing times of from 2 to 10 seconds are suitable for many coating compositions and applications . the first and second coating components may comprise any suitable compositions . for example , the coating compositions may include a film - forming resin or base . as used herein , “ film - forming ” refers to resins that can form a self - supporting continuous film on at least a horizontal surface of a substrate upon removal of any solvents or carriers present in the composition or upon curing at ambient or elevated temperature . conventional film - forming resins that may be used in one or more of the components of the coating compositions include those typically used in automotive oem coating compositions , automotive refinish coating compositions , industrial coating compositions , architectural coating compositions , powder coating compositions , coil coating compositions , and aerospace coating compositions , among others . suitable resins include , for example , those formed from the reaction of a polymer having at least one type of reactive functional group and a curing agent having functional groups reactive with the functional group ( s ) of the polymer . as used herein , the term “ polymer ” is meant to encompass oligomers , and includes without limitation both homopolymers and copolymers . the polymers can be , for example , acrylic , polyester , polyurethane or polyether , polyvinyl , cellulosic , acrylate , silicon - based polymers , co - polymers thereof , and mixtures thereof , and can contain functional groups such as epoxy , carboxylic acid , hydroxyl , isocyanate , amide , carbamate and carboxylate groups . the acrylic polymers , if used , are typically copolymers of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid or hydroxyalkyl esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid such as hydroxyethyl methacrylate or hydroxypropyl acrylate with one or more other polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomers such as alkyl esters of acrylic acid including methyl methacrylate and 2 - ethyl hexyl acrylate , and vinyl aromatic compounds such as styrene , alpha - methyl styrene and vinyl toluene . the ratio of reactants and reaction conditions are selected to result in an acrylic polymer with pendant hydroxyl or carboxylic acid functionality . besides acrylic polymers , the coating compositions can contain a polyester polymer or oligomer , including those containing free terminal hydroxyl and / or carboxyl groups . such polymers may be prepared in a known manner by condensation of polyhydric alcohols and polycarboxylic acids . suitable polyhydric alcohols include ethylene glycol , neopentyl glycol , trimethylol propane and pentaerythritol . suitable polycarboxylic acids include adipic acid , 1 , 4 - cyclohexyl dicarboxylic acid and hexahydrophthalic acid . besides the polycarboxylic acids mentioned above , functional equivalents of the acids such as anhydrides where they exist or lower alkyl esters of the acids such as the methyl esters may be used . also , small amounts of monocarboxylic acids such as stearic acid may be used . hydroxyl - containing polyester oligomers can be prepared by reacting an anhydride of a dicarboxylic acid such as hexahydrophthalic anhydride with a diol such as neopentyl glycol in a 1 : 2 molar ratio . where it is desired to enhance air - drying , suitable drying oil fatty acids may be used and include those derived from linseed oil , soya bean oil , tall oil , dehydrated castor oil or tung oil . polyurethane polymers containing terminal isocyanate or hydroxyl groups may also be used . the polyurethane polyols or nco - terminated polyurethanes which can be used include those prepared by reacting polyols including polymeric polyols with polyisocyanates . the polyurea - containing terminal isocyanate or primary or secondary amine groups which can be used include those prepared by reacting polyamines including polymeric polyamines with polyisocyanates . the hydroxyl / isocyanate or amine / isocyanate equivalent ratio is adjusted and reaction conditions selected to obtain the desired terminal group . examples of suitable polyisocyanates include those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 046 , 729 at column 5 , line 26 to column 6 , line 28 , hereby incorporated by reference . examples of suitable polyols include those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 046 , 729 at column 7 , line 52 to column 10 , line 35 , hereby incorporated by reference . examples of suitable polyamines include those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 046 , 729 at column 6 , line 61 to column 7 , line 32 and in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 799 , 854 at column 3 , lines 13 to 50 , both hereby incorporated by reference . a silicon - based polymer can also be used in one or more of the coating components . as used herein , by “ silicon - based polymers ” is meant a polymer comprising one or more — sio — units in the backbone . such silicon - based polymers can include hybrid polymers , such as those comprising organic polymeric blocks with one or more — sio — units in the backbone . certain coating compositions can include a film - forming resin that is formed from the use of a curing agent . for example , the first coating component may comprise a base or film - forming resin as described above , while the second coating component may comprise a curing agent . curing agents suitable for use in the coating compositions can include aminoplast resins and phenoplast resins and mixtures thereof , as curing agents for oh , cooh , amide , and carbamate functional group containing materials . examples of aminoplast and phenoplast resins suitable as curing agents in curable compositions include those described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 919 , 351 at column 5 , line 22 to column 6 , line 25 , hereby incorporated by reference . also suitable are polyisocyanates and blocked polyisocyanates as curing agents for oh and primary and / or secondary amino group - containing materials . examples of polyisocyanates and blocked isocyanates suitable for use as curing agents in curable compositions that may be used include those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 546 , 045 at column 5 , lines 16 to 38 ; and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 468 , 802 at column 3 , lines 48 to 60 , both hereby incorporated by reference . anhydrides as curing agents for oh and primary and / or secondary amino group containing materials are well known in the art . examples of anhydrides suitable for use as curing agents in the coating compositions include those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 798 , 746 at column 10 , lines 16 to 50 ; and in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 732 , 790 at column 3 , lines 41 to 57 , both hereby incorporated by reference . polyepoxides as curing agents for cooh functional group containing materials are well known in the art . examples of polyepoxides suitable for use as curing agents in the coating compositions include those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 681 , 811 at column 5 , lines 33 to 58 , hereby incorporated by reference . polyacids as curing agents for epoxy functional group containing materials are well known in the art . examples of polyacids suitable for use as curing agents in the coating compositions include those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 681 , 811 at column 6 , line 45 to column 9 , line 54 , hereby incorporated by reference . polyols , that is , material having an average of two or more hydroxyl groups per molecule , can be used as curing agents for nco functional group containing materials and anhydrides and esters and are well known in the art . examples of said polyols include those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 046 , 729 at column 7 , line 52 to column 8 , line 9 ; column 8 , line 29 to column 9 , line 66 ; and in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 919 , 351 at column 2 , line 64 to column 3 , line 33 , both hereby incorporated by reference . polyamines can also be used as curing agents for nco functional group containing materials and for carbonates and unhindered esters and are well known in the art . examples of polyamines suitable for use as in the coating compositions include those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 046 , 729 at column 6 , line 61 to column 7 , line 26 , and in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 799 , 854 at column 3 , lines 13 to 50 , hereby incorporated by reference . it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed in the foregoing description . such modifications are to be considered as included within the following claims unless the claims , by their language , expressly state otherwise . accordingly , the particular embodiments described in detail herein are illustrative only and are not limiting to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof .	1
embodiments of the invention relate to trusted currency transactions involving two parties who are customers of a payment processor . typically , at least one party will be a business . the other party may be a business or an individual . one party of the transaction is the payer , who is making a payment . the other party is the payee , who is receiving a payment . transactions require both a payer and a payee . transactions using embodiments of this invention may be initiated by either the payer or the payee . the payer may receive a request for payment and then respond by paying the specified amount or the payer can initiate a transaction to send or pay money to a payee . similarly , the payee may receive money from a payer or may initiate a transaction to request or demand payment from the payee . referring to fig1 , the payer 100 may a shopper paying a merchant or a business paying a supplier . often the payee 101 will be a supplier receiving a payment , an employee , or a consultant . a shopper may initiate a transaction by indicating a desire to purchase a good through a variety of mean such as a website , over the telephone , or through an e - mail or traditional , hard copy mail . a payer 100 such as an employer may initiate a single or multiple payments on a one - time or reoccurring basis in order to pay the salary of an employee or contractor . payments to suppliers may also be on a one - time or reoccurring basis . a payee 101 such as a company selling goods may initiate an invoice transaction to demand payment for goods sold and delivered to the payer which may be an individual , another company , or another organization . besides the payer 100 and payee 101 , parties involved in the transaction are one or more payment processors 102 , one or multiple crypto - currency exchanges 103 , and one or more banking institutions 104 . the payment processor 102 acts as a coordinator for the transaction . the payment processor 102 is an entity , likely a company or organization , that is providing a service for facilitating the financial transaction between the payer 100 and payee 101 . the payment processor 102 may be independent of the payer and payee , providing the service through a website , telephone , or in person . the payment processor 102 may also be the same entity as the payer 100 or payee 101 , facilitating the financial transaction as well as sending or receiving currencies . they provide interfaces to the payer , payee , the crypto - currency exchanges 103 , and the banking institutions 104 . the payer and payee register with the payment processor to participate in financial transactions . the payment processor 102 coordinates with crypto - currency exchanges 103 to convert between fiat - currencies and crypto - currencies 107 , and between different crypto - currencies . banking institutions 104 may be used to accept payments from a payer in a fiat - currency of their choice 106 and to remit payments to a payee in the fiat - currency of their choice 108 . the transaction may not involve any good or service but may be a financial transfer to send funds from a payer 100 to a payee 101 . the payer and payee may be in the same or different countries . the payer and the payee may use the same or different fiat - currencies , or may use one of a variety of crypto - currencies 107 . referring to fig2 , transactions conducted using embodiments of the invention may involve the identities of one or both parties verified in compliance with anti - money laundering ( aml ) policies and know - your - customer ( kyc ) requirements or similar requirements in the jurisdiction of the payer or the payee or both jurisdictions . transactions may also be compliant with similar international regulations . the payment processor classifies payees and payers as new , or naked customers 201 , unprofiled customers 202 , transacting customers 203 , or authenticated members 204 . a naked customer 201 is a payee or payer that has registered with the payment processor to make or receive a payment . the naked customers 201 have supplied only minimal , unverified information to identify themselves such as an e - mail address , name , telephone number , or other information or combination of information to allow the payment processor to contact them . typically , the registration will be done on the payment processor &# 39 ; s website involving a user name and password for authentication , though this could also be done via e - mail , telephone or other means . it may also be done on a third party website that the payment processor has access to , such as a bank , financial institution , credit card company , or the payee &# 39 ; s or payer &# 39 ; s website . the payment processor may provide apis ( application program interface ) to enable these third parties to securely interface with the payment processor . the process of registering as a naked customer 201 creates an account with the payment processor changing their classification to being an unprofiled customer 202 . an unprofiled customer 202 is then prompted to enter additional identification , business , and banking information to enable the payment processor and banking institutions to access their financial accounts to withdraw or deposit money . this information may include their country of residence , bank account and routing information , crypto - currency wallet address , credit or debit card information , email address , home or business address , telephone number and other information as required to make a financial transaction . at this point the customer becomes a transacting customer 203 and may send or receive fiat - currency or crypto - currency transactions . since the identify of the transacting customer 203 has not yet been verified , there may be limitations on the transaction they are permitted to do . they may be limited to the number of transactions , the countries they can send or receive money with , be limited to transactions below a certain value , or may only be able to send or receive but not both . restrictions on transactions below a certain value may be measured on a per transaction basis or based on the total value of transactions over a period of time . for example , a transacting customer 203 may be limited to transactions below $ 2 , 000 for each transaction and no more than $ 10 , 000 within a month . referring to fig3 , in order to comply with the relevant government aml , kyc , and other regulations the payment processor will be required to verify the identity of the payer or payee . for some transactions , especially for large amounts of money , both may have to be verified . verification can be done in different levels depending on the amount of money involved or other criteria as set out in the regulations . for small amounts it may be sufficient to do a level 1 301 verification that verifies data such as the location of the ip address , address of the business , location of the phone number , business industry databases , ofac ( office of foreign assets control ), and similar checks . these can be done through a variety of methods including manual review by payment processor staff , querying of industry websites , internet search engines ( google , bing , etc . ), phone number directories , and calling the customer for verbal confirmation . referring to fig4 , if the amount of money to be transacted exceeds a specified amount , such as $ 2 , 000 then further level 2 401 verification can be done . this may include review of government issued photo id , proof of address , articles of incorporation , a review of sec filings for public companies , and similar documents required for regulatory compliance . referring to fig5 , for larger transfers a level 3 501 verification may be required , for example greater than $ 10 , 000 , credit references , bank statements , and even onsite visits by the payment processor or their agents may be required . the transfer of larger amounts or other special circumstances may be required even more stringent checks . once a payee or payer has been verified to a certain level , they become authenticated members 204 at that level . authenticated members are payers 100 or payees 101 who have been verified for transactions up to a specified amount or for transactions that meet certain criteria that could include source and destination country , and number of payees and other criteria . future transactions involving authenticated members may be streamlined in that they can be initiated and completed without additional verification . this simplifies repeat and reoccurring payments between parties . it also simplifies transactions between authenticated members 204 that have not previously transacted . for example , if payer a has transacted with payee b , then a and b are both authenticated members . if payer c has transacted with payee d , then c and d are both authenticated members . then if payer a wants to transfer money to payee d or payer c wants to transfer money to payee b , it can be done without account verification since all four parties are authenticated members . however , if any of the parties are only verified at level 1 and then want to make a larger , level 2 transaction , they may have to submit further information to be verified to the required level to complete the transaction . fig3 shows details of an example of level 1 verification 301 according to one embodiment of the invention . the level 1 verification starts with verification of the data input by an applicant ( payer or payee ) 302 . the data can be verified through a variety of means including a geo ( ip ) location , address verification , phone number verification , ofac ( office of foreign assets control ) check , and a check of business or industry directories . ( a geo ( ip ) location is where the geographic location of an ip is queried from a public database .) the results of the check may raise flags 303 caused by results that meet predefined or dynamic criteria or exceed predefined or dynamic thresholds . flags may also be raised when data is not available . if flags are raised , then a manual review 304 is required . this involves verifying the identity of the applicant on industry websites , google searches , verifying a match of website registration with phone numbers and addresses , and any similar search to verify the identify of the applicant . whether flags 303 are raised or not , often a customer agent working with or for the payment processor will call 308 the applicant to verify their telephone number or some of their contact or financial information . if the provided telephone number is not valid 309 the payment processor may attempt to confirm information by e - mailing the application or calling a telephone number listed on the website the applicant has provided 307 . based on the response of the applicant 306 a level 2 verification may be required 305 . if the telephone number verification is completed a check is then done to determine if the application and transaction represents a valid use of funds 313 as determined by relevant government aml , kyc , and other regulations . if it is determined not to be a valid use of funds , then a check will be done to determine if the applicant has been banded from the service previously 311 . if so then the application will be declined 312 and the applicant rejected . if the applicant has not previously been banned , then the application will be escalated to compliance for a manual check 310 . should the use of funds be valid 313 then a check is made to verify if the transfer is a non - business - to - business use such as sending funds to the applicant themselves , to family , or to another individual 314 . if this is the case a test will be done to verify is the applicant is a real customer 317 . if not , the applicant will be declined 318 . if so a gratuity test will be performed 316 . once it is determined that this is a business transaction 314 then the value of the transaction will be evaluated against a threshold 320 , for example $ 2 , 500 . the exact limit may be chosen for business reasons by the payment processor or to ensure compliance with relevant government aml , kyc , and other regulations . if the transaction amount is less than the limit then level 1 verification is completed 319 . if the amount exceeds the threshold 320 , then level 2 verification is required . fig4 shows details of an example of level 2 verification 401 according to one embodiment of the invention . the applicant ( payer or payee ) is required to upload or provide more identification 402 such as government photo id , proof of address , a list of beneficial owners of the company , articles of incorporation , or other similar identification . the payment processor may also request additional information 403 as required . a check of the beneficial owners 407 will be done and the information will be verified for completeness 406 . if complete and the applicant is a public company 405 then a search will be done for the directors of the company and the data recorded by the payment processor 404 . if the data is complete and the applicant is not a public company , then the id and the address will be verified 408 and if the verification of id and the supplied address fails then the application will be escalated to compliance 409 . for transactions over a larger amount then for level 1 verification 320 , for example , $ 100 , 000 410 , as required for business reasons by the payment processor or to ensure compliance with relevant government aml , kyc , and other regulations , the transaction will be escalated to level 3 verification 413 . if the transaction amount is greater than a lesser amount , such as $ 10 , 000 411 , then level 2 verification is complete 414 , otherwise more verification of applicant documents may be required . fig5 shows details of an example of level 3 verification 501 according to one embodiment of the invention . the applicant ( payer or payee ) may be required to provide further information 502 such as credit references and bank statements . onsite visits may also be required for large transactions or transactions to of from some countries . if the verification of this information is successful 503 then level 3 verification 504 is complete . otherwise further authorization 505 may be required from the applicant which may lead to the applicant being declined 506 . the payer initiates the transaction by accessing the payment processor as a naked customer and registering . the payer uses a computer or mobile device to access the website of the payment processor . this can be done by entering a url in a web browser window , by clicking on a link in an e - mail , or by a variety of other well known means . the payer is prompted to create an account by entering a minimal amount of information that allows the payment processor to contact them . this could include a name , e - mail address , telephone number , and a password . the payer then becomes an unprofiled customer . the payment processor will than send a confirmation e - mail to the e - mail address entered by the payer prompting them to enter further information about themselves and their company . the payer logs into the payment processor website and is presented with choices including to make a payment . this can be in response to an invoice being received or be unilaterally sending a payment to a payee . the payer must then provide additional information concerning themselves or the business in order to verify their identify for regulatory compliance . this information may include the name of business , the address of their place of business as well as banking information such as the bank name , routing number , and account number from which payment will be received . it may also include a crypto currency wallet address , credit or debit card information , or other information to allow money to be transferred from the payer to the payment processor . this information may be verified to comply with regulations based on the amount of money to be transferred , the country of origin or destination , the frequency or number of transactions , or other parameters . at this point the payer is considered to be a transacting customer and can proceed with the payment . the payer must also enter information regarding the payee . the information required may be similar or the same as for the payer . however , in embodiments of this invention the payer can input a minimal , but incomplete amount of information , complete information to verify the payee &# 39 ; s identity , or any amount of information in between . minimal information would be the minimum information required by the payment processor to be able to contact the payee to receive further information . complete information is the information required to identify the payee and their business and comply will relevant government aml , kyc , and any other relevant regulations . any information not provided by the payer will be provided by the payee afterwards and will be verified by the payment processor . the payer , having provided partial or complete payee information , will then provide the amount to be paid , and whether they will pay in crypto - currency or fiat - currency . the amount to be paid in fiat - currency will often be the fiat - currency where the payer resides but may be another common fiat - currency such as us dollars or euros . various options can also be made when making a payment that can be specified through a user interface at the payment processor &# 39 ; s website . while individuals will likely only make a single payment at a time , business have more complex needs which could include paying multiple payees as part of the same transaction , making reoccurring payment such as salaries , electronic interfaces to accounting and financial software , and extensive reporting for internal or to fulfill government regulations regarding financial reporting and money laundering . for very small transactions such as micropayments where the fees are considered by the payer or payee to be significant , the payer , payee , or payment processor may choose to aggregate transactions before initiating the transfer at a later time . the payer may choose to not initiate transfers until the amount to be transferred exceed an amount or other criteria . they payee may choose not to accept transfer until the amount to be transferred exceed an amount or other criteria . the payment processor may provide information on fees , time required to make the transaction , information tied to service level agreements ( slas ) or any other information before the payer commits to the transaction . the payment processor will than use the payment information provided by the payer to transfer the required funds from the payer &# 39 ; s bank or other payment source as indicated by the payer . this can be done in a variety of ways as known in the art including automated clearing house ( ach ) transfers , electronic transfer , credit card payments , debit transfers , or drawing from an exiting payer account with the payment processor . if the payer is providing funds in a crypto - currency the payer will provide information to allow the payment processor to receive the funds which may include digital wallet addresses . the payment processor has the option of initiating the transfer immediately or may delay the payment until they have received the funds from the payer . the payment processor may initiate the transactions immediately or may also delay payment until certain criteria have been met such as receiving payment from the payer , making payment on a specified date , when the total amount to be transferred exceeds a certain amount , or any other criteria set by the payer or the payment processor . if the payer is paying in a fiat - currency , the payment processor will then select a crypto - currency or several crypto - currencies for the transaction . there are a variety of crypto - currencies and this variety is expected to grow over time . depending on parameters of the transaction one crypto - currency may provide an advantage over others such as lower fees , increased security , faster transfer , extensive reporting , government approval , or others . payers or payees may also insist on the use of a single or multiple approved crypto - currencies . parameters are numerous but could include the location of the payer and payee , type of transfer , amount to be transferred and others . the payment processor may choose a default crypto - currency or use these parameters to choose one . they may also select multiple crypto - currencies and present these choices to the payer and allow them to make the choice . once a crypto - currency is chosen it will have associated protocols that govern the transfer , which may include information required , minimum and maximum amounts , and others . once the crypto - currency to be used for the transaction has been determined , the payment processor will select an exchange or multiple exchanges to convert the fiat - currency supplied by the payee to an equivalent amount of crypto - currency minus any fees that apply . the exchange may be a digital or cryptocurrency exchange , a private transaction , dark pool , or offline exchange . the exchange may report an exchange rate and any fees to be charged to the payment processor who may relay this information to the payer for approval or for informational purposes . the payment processor may use the exchange rate spread between buying and selling to receive a fee for the transaction . the payer may also supply a range of acceptable fees , a minimum amount of crypto - currency to be received by the payee after fees are paid , or other criteria and the payment processor may proceed without approval if the criteria are met . the fiat - currency is successfully converted to crypto - currency by the exchange , which may be verified by a number of means including checking for errors , verifying success on the crypto - currency block chain , receiving an explicit indication of success from the exchange , or other means . the crypto - currency amount is now converted by an exchange to an equivalent amount of the fiat - currency specified by or for the payee . similarly to the conversion from payer fiat - currency to crypto - currency , this conversion from crypto - currency to payee fiat - currency may have its own set of criteria . depending on parameters of the transaction , some exchanges may provide an advantage such as lower fees , increased security , faster transfer , extensive reporting , government approval , or others . payers or payees may also insist on the use of a single or multiple approved crypto - currencies . parameters are numerous but could include the location of the payer and payee , type of transfer , amount to be transferred and others . a default exchange may be used or an exchange may be chosen based on these criteria . in order for a transaction to complete , both the payer and the payee must be authorized members that have provided the required information and had the information verified by the payment processor . in the present embodiment of the invention a payee who in not an authorized member will receive an e - mail or similar communication such as sms , from the payer either directly or though the payment processor . the payee will be prompted to log into the payment processor &# 39 ; s web site to supply additional information that hasn &# 39 ; t been provided by the payer . this can include information regarding the business , the banking information of the payee , in fact , similar information required to identify the payee , compliant with government aml , kyc or other relevant national or international regulations . the information will be verified by the payment processor as in the case of the payer . the payee may also provide additional parameters such as the fiat - currency or crypto - currency of choice . in the case of micro - payments , the payee may specify a minimum amount of payment to receive in order to aggregate payments to lessen the impact of any fees charged by the payment processor or their local bank . the amount of information that must be provided and the verification required depends on the level of verification required which is dictated by government or international regulations or the business relationship between the payer and payee . for very small transactions , verification may not be required . once the identity of the payee has been verified to the level required by the parameters of the transaction , the payment processor will initiate the conversion from crypto - currency to the payee &# 39 ; s fiat - currency and may receive the fiat - currency and use the payee &# 39 ; s banking or deposit information to pay the crypto - currency to the payee . alternatively , the payment processor may initiate the transfer of the payee fiat - currency directly to the payee from the exchange or through a third party using information identifying the payee . the payment processor may then report information to the payer and payee including confirmation of the transfer completing successfully , exchange rates , fees , previously completed transfers , future scheduled transfers , taxes due , and other relevant information . reporting may also be made to government bodies as required . transactions may be initiated by either the payer or the payee . in other embodiments of the invention the payee may register and issue an invoice or a demand for a payment . if the payer is not an authenticated member the payee will input a minimum amount of information for the payment processor to contact the payer , complete information regarding the payer , or incomplete information regarding the payer . the payer will receive an e - mail or similar communication such as sms , from the payee either directly or though the payment processor . the payer will be prompted to log into the payment processor &# 39 ; s web site to supply additional information that hasn &# 39 ; t been provided by the payer . this can include information regarding the business , the banking information of the payer , information required to identify the payer , compliant with government aml , kyc or other relevant national or international regulations . the information will be verified by the payment processor . the payee may also provide additional parameters such as the fiat - currency or crypto - currency of choice . in the case of micro - payments , the payer may specify a minimum amount of payment to pay in order to aggregate payments to lessen the impact of any fees charged by the payment processor or their local bank . fig6 shows details of an example of a system used to make a transaction made using a first embodiment of the invention . a transaction between a verified payer and a payee that has not previously used the payment processor starts when a payer wishes to pay a payee for a good or a service with the payer paying in a national , or fiat - currency of their choice and the payee receiving payment in a fiat - currency of their choice . the payer may be a shopper paying a merchant or a business that is paying a supplier , an employee , or a consultant . the payer and payee may be in the same or different countries . the transaction may not involve any good or service but may be a financial transfer to send funds from a payer to a payee . a payer or sender , who has previously been verified and has conducted at least one transaction before starts the process by indicating through a user interface to pay an invoice 601 . the invoice contains at least partial identification information for the payer and the payee and may include banking information to where the payment should be made . the process for a payee , or receiver is different for a new receiver 602 or an existing receiver 607 that has been verified . the payer initiates the paying of an invoice and indicates a payee or receiver of the funds . typically , the payer will not know if the receiver is a new or existing client of the payment processor . if the receiver or payee 602 is new , then the payer is prompted to enter banking information 603 to the system to enable payment . the payer is then presented with a payment summary page 604 to enable them to verify the invoice payment details . the payer will then be informed that since the payee is new 606 that the transaction must wait until the payee or receiver is registered and verified . the payment processor will also be authorized to debit the payer &# 39 ; s account as soon as the receiver registers and is verified 605 . similarly , if the receiver is an existing client 607 of the payment processor but has not been verified for the size or other characteristic of the transaction 611 , the payer will still be presented with a payment summary page 612 but will then be informed that the receiver must be verified 650 and that the payment processor is authorized to debit the payer &# 39 ; s account as soon as the receiver registers and is verified 613 . once the transaction is waiting for the receiver to be registered and verified or just verified , the status of the transaction is changed to “ sent pay ” 614 . an email is sent to the receiver prompting them to complete their profile 615 , to be registered and verified , in order to receive their payment . an email is also sent to the sender informing them that the payment processor is awaiting payee confirmation and that the payment will be processed 616 . after receiving the email notification , the payee or receiver will log into the payment processor &# 39 ; s website and be presented with a user interface 618 that allows them to confirm the information for their account and to claim the invoice amount 617 . a final check of the transaction will be made to determine if the payer and payee are verified against the threshold for the transaction parameters . if the threshold is exceeded 620 then an additional popup window 620 will be presented to allow input of further information . if the threshold is not exceeded 619 the payee is then presented with a success / confirmation page 622 . if the payee is an existing receiver and has been fully verified 609 then the payer is presented with a payment confirmation page 610 . another popup window confirming the decision and prompting for any additionally required bank details 626 is displayed . once this happens or the success / confirmation page 622 is displayed then the status of the transaction is changed to “ pull authorization ” 624 and a confirmation email is sent to the sender 623 indicating that the payee will soon receive the funds , and to the receiver 625 informing them to expect to receive funds shortly . an an example of a payee sending an invoice 630 is similar in that the process differs for the case of an existing , new sender or payer 631 , or an existing sender , or payer 632 . the payee is presented with a user interface containing an invoice detail page from 633 that allows them to enter invoice data including the identity of the payer and banking information for both the payee or the payer . an invoice summary form 634 is then displayed to allow the sender or payee to review and confirm the information . the invoice is then sent 636 and any status updates to the payee 635 is also sent . a check is made as to whether a transaction threshold for is not exceeded 638 or is exceeded 637 and if the threshold is exceeded an additional form is displayed 639 to enable the upload and verification of additional documentation . an email is then sent to the payee 640 to prompt them to pay the invoice . the payee who created the invoice is also sent an email 641 as a receipt for the transaction . the payer may login to their existing account 643 , or register for a regular or guest account 642 . they are then presented with an interface to preview the invoice 644 and may then process and pay it 645 . the status then changes to “ push authorization ” and the funds are transferred from the payer to the payee 649 . while particular implementations and applications of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described , it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications , changes , and variations can be apparent from the foregoing descriptions without departing from the spirit and scope of an invention as defined in the appended claims .	6
referring to fig1 , illustrating the various participants and their interaction envisioned in the present invention , computer system 10 preferably comprises a hub , which manages all the transactions and information flows among the various players . initially , the ticket issuing authorities 20 feed into computer system 10 various details related to tickets being allocated to the creation of options ( e . g ., number of seats , location of such seats , different classes of seats and their face values , tentative times and dates for the specific events / games , etc .). customers 30 interested in these options may access computer system 10 via a communication link ( of any sort , including , but not limited to , internet , telephone , cable , wireless , optical , etc .) and open accounts to transact their trades , and will thereafter be able to bid on initial issues of the options as well as sell or buy options going forward . payments made by customers will preferably be managed through an interface with a payment agency 40 ( such as a credit card payment processing company , electronic payment agency or bank ). dues collected will be transferred to a bank account 50 , with information feeds back to the payment agency and the computer system , so as to maintain account trading histories up to date . the revenue share of the ticket issuing authorities 20 will also be transferred upon collection from customers . further , ancillary business may be transacted by third parties 60 using the data within the computer system block 10 , thereby yielding additional revenue streams to bank account 50 . in accordance with the invention , an option is preferably an event - strike option with the following characteristics : the individual purchaser of the option acquires the right to purchase tickets at a predetermined price ( or the payoff ) from the seller of the option , should the competitor on whom they chose the option advance to a pre - specified higher round of competition ( or the strike event ). the maturity of the option is the date on which it is finally / irrevocably decided whether the competitor progresses or not . if the competitor on whom the option was purchased does not qualify for the specified round of competition , the option expires worthless and the owner of the option receives no compensation . the settlement of the option will take place within an appropriate time frame subsequent to maturity and prior to the specified event commencing . the settlement could take place in a number of ways including physical or electronic acknowledgment of ownership of such tickets . for example , the customer would pick a team / player underlying the option purchased to reach a specified higher level round of competition ( e . g ., wild - card , quarterfinals , semifinals , up to and including the final round of competition ) in the tournament . if that team / player qualifies for the round of competition specified in the option contract , the customer has the right to purchase an attendance ticket from the authorized ticketing body at a given fixed price . the higher round of play could be either a single event elimination or a multiple event series . the customer can purchase the option to any or all games of the chosen round of competition . the invention is applicable to tournaments where there is a regular season that determines qualification for an ensuing play - off contest ( e . g ., basketball , football , athletics , golf , soccer , cricket tournaments ) or to pure elimination style competitions ( e . g ., match play golf , tennis , figure skating , etc .). reference is now made to fig2 , which illustrates the opening of an account to facilitate the transactions envisioned in accordance with the invention . here , customer 110 accesses an online web page 120 to fill out the information required to open an account . this information preferably includes name , addresses , credit card information , dollar limit in the trading account , demographic / personal information , and contact information , like email and phone number ( s ). there are alternative ways to collect this application information , which can be done in writing , over the telephone and through other technologies that are being developed currently ( e . g ., webtv , etc .). once the information is received , the credit authorization process 130 secures a payment authorization from a payment processing agency 140 and blocks out the limit of funds required and requested by the customer . this information is relayed to the database and computer system 150 that manages the account information , which assigns an account number , password and other requisite information and communicates this information back to the customer 110 to facilitate use . collectively , functional units 120 , 130 and 150 are preferably implemented on a single computer system 160 , but may alternatively distributed over a number of servers / nodes connected in a network . reference is now made to fig3 , which illustrates the information flow associated with the initial marketing / valuation of options in accordance with the present invention . here , ticket issuing authority 210 provides details to computer system 280 regarding the tickets being allocated to the creation of options ( e . g ., number of seats , location of such seats , different classes of seats and their face values , tentative times and dates for the specific events / games , etc .). these are then posted on the online service 220 ( or other information - disseminating facilities that may be developed ) so that account - holding customers 230 can access the information they require to decide on the various options they would be interested in through search functionality associated with their accounts . customers may then , through their accounts 230 , post bids on options they are interested in acquiring , with specifications on options pertaining to the underlying competitor chosen , the round of play and potentially the specific games if the playoff is a series playoff , number of seats , and bid price . verification module 240 confirms that all information is valid and correctly input , and provides confirmation back to the customer on the bids submitted or rejected . qualified bids are then forwarded to the market clearing mechanism 250 , which determines the optimal pricing to match supply and demand . it is envisioned that this will occur through a dutch auction , but other auction or bid and offer type matching can easily be adopted . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 890 , 138 , 5 , 905 , 975 , 4 , 674 , 044 , and 5 , 950 , 176 , each incorporated herein by reference . also , conditions like minimum price reserve levels and adjustments of volume offered may be allowed to facilitate a revenue maximization objective . see , e . g ., previously incorporated &# 39 ; 201 patent . for bids that are accepted , there would be a credit card payment process with the payment agency 260 , which would then transfer the funds to the bank account 270 , from which the revenue share to the ticket issuing authority 210 is remitted . market clearing mechanism 250 also sends notification to the customer accounts 230 on order status , e . g ., orders filled and unfilled , positions , payments received and account balance , if any . this initial offer of options can be made in one offering prior to the beginning of any competitive process or can be made in a series of offerings as the competitive process progresses and the uncertainty of the outcome is lower ( thereby increasing the price of the option ), but preferably not once the outcome is finally decided . reference is now made to fig4 , which depicts an illustrative information flow associated with the sale of options held by an account holder in accordance with the present invention . here , the customer accesses his / her customer account 310 to access the option positions held in the account . the customer may then have access to functionality 320 , to review information that helps him / her decide on the details of an intended sale offer . this functionality 320 includes historical transactions ( volume and price ), valuation tools , other open offers to sell and open bids to purchase . once this process is completed , the customer will typically post 330 a sell offer . this information is then forwarded to the market clearing mechanism 340 . clearing mechanism 340 , as previously described , preferably either matches an open bid to purchase or keeps the posted sell offer open for a defined period of time during which the system attempts to match open sell offers and purchase bids , closing transactions as long as the purchase bids are at least greater than the sell offer , and closing on the lower volume if there is a mismatch . during this period that the sell offer is open , the customer can change its details by looping back to 320 and modifying the offer as necessary . if , at the end of the defined period of time , there are no matched purchase bids for the sell offer , the order is closed 370 and the account position / trade status is updated 360 accordingly . once the match is performed , the transaction moves to the settlement 350 to complete the transaction , including generating the information necessary to update the account positions , credit the selling customer &# 39 ; s account and update 360 his / her account balance . reference is now made to fig5 , which depicts an information flow associated with the purchase of options by an account holder in accordance with the present invention . this represents the other party to the transaction described above . here , if the customer does not already have an account , he / she would open an account 410 , as described in fig2 , and then could proceed to 420 , which is similar to 320 , as described in connection with fig4 . once this process 320 is completed , the customer will post a purchase bid 430 . this information is then forwarded to the market clearing mechanism 440 , which processes the bid as in 340 ( described in connection with fig4 ). during the period that the purchase bid is open , the customer can change its details by looping back to 420 and making changes as necessary . if , at the end of the defined period of time , there is no match , the offer is closed 490 , and the account position / trade status is updated accordingly . if a match is found , the transaction moves to 450 for the settlement , which involves updating account positions and collection of dues through the payment processing agency 460 / 470 from the buyer , in a similar manner as laid out in fig3 , and updating the concerned account balances 480 . in fig4 , 5 and 6 , the market clearing mechanism may take other forms if required to provide liquidity to the marketplace . these would include “ marketmaker ” functions , open outcry auctions with or without reserve levels , sealed bid auctions , etc . also , bids and offers may be allowed to scale up or down based on customer defined rules to seek matches . reference is now made to fig6 , which depicts an information flow associated with the exercise of options held by an account holder in accordance with the present invention . here , in block 510 , computer system 590 determines all open option positions that vest ( or qualify ) for the purchase of attendance rights / tickets and processes 520 the relevant options for ticket purchases . the payment processes related to the ticket purchase ( e . g ., blocks 530 and 560 ) is similar to that described in fig3 , as is the remittance of the associated funds to the ticket issuing authority ( e . g ., block 550 ). information is also sent ( from 520 to 570 ) as part of the ticket purchase process to facilitate delivery of the tickets , with the necessary information ( confirmation numbers , names , etc .) being sent to the ticket counter . reference is now made to fig7 , which depicts an information flow associated with the settlement of the account balances by payment to account holders in accordance with the present invention . if a customer requests that he / she be paid the account balance in his / her account , the customer account , at 630 , is accessed and the balance is verified by computer system 620 . then , either a check is processed and sent to the customer or funds are processed 650 for a credit to the customer &# 39 ; s credit card account ( in much the same manner as a refund would be processed by a vendor ). also , the customer &# 39 ; s account 630 is updated to reflect the appropriate account balance . reference is now made to fig8 , which depicts certain exemplary functional blocks associated with the data storage and analytics aspects of the present invention ; in other words , some of the information that would be captured and stored by the computer system is described . as shown , a position information module 720 contains information on trades , open positions and holdings , which is preferably fed by clearing mechanism 770 . clearing mechanism 770 preferably performs all trades , using information from customer accounts module 760 , and feeds resulting data to position information module 720 . up - to - date position information is supplied ( by position information module 720 ) to a data warehouse 730 , which can be accessed by custom designed display screens and reports . further , analytic algorithms and code modules can be run against this warehouse data for the purpose of generating financial derivative instruments on the listed options ; and indices and probabilities to quantify the odds of the various competitors reaching the different levels of competition can be generated . these are preferably used to evaluate competitors across the specified competition or across competitions ( i . e ., either in different locations or across time periods ) and even develop comparative rankings some of this data can also be sent / sold to vendors 750 interested in these analytics , published for public dissemination , used in contests , etc . the above described arrangement is largely illustrative of the principles of the current invention . for example , while the illustrative embodiment ( s ) is / are described in terms of “ options ” to purchase particular attendance rights , the invention can be alternatively implemented by issuing / marketing “ contingent attendance rights ”— i . e ., an actual attendance right for an event that may , or may not , take place , such as a “ second round home playoff game at texas stadium .” this contingent attendance right is , in effect , the same as an option , but does not require that the ticket issuing authority keep track of vesting and actually issue tickets after the vesting period . other facilities provided by the creation of these options include the ability to split the rights to post - season tickets associated with season ticket ownership . further , another alternative implementation could be the sale of tickets to such events with a refund option and a refund fee that would de facto be the option price at initial issue . finally , it is not critical to this invention that a secondary market to trade these options exists . this is a feature that adds functionality useful to customers but the rest of the advantages of this invention are still available to all parties if only the initial issue of options was available . other advantages , modifications , and adaptations of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art . for example , the present invention allows fans to buy attendance options well in advance — as early as before the entire competition starts and all the way until the settlement time — before the commencement of the actual event ( s ) covered by the option ( s ). therefore , fans are able to lock - in the ability to purchase attendance rights to certain events under certain desired circumstances ( e . g ., round of play , competitors , etc .). option holders can thereafter trade their options ( until maturity of the individual options ), and continue to do so based on the ongoing performance of the competitors . based on the prices of the multitude of options on all competitors and competitions , the present invention also facilitates the development of derivative instruments on these options and indices , and probabilities and statistical measures to quantify the odds of the various competitors reaching the different levels of competition . these can be used extensively to evaluate , among other things , competitors across the specified competition or across competitions ( i . e ., either in different locations or across time periods ). the present invention preferably — though not necessarily — works in conjunction with fixed price attendance rights / tickets , and allows the options to capture the market premium ( or consumer surplus ) that supply and demand imbalances would create . the invention allows all team owners to generate revenues by selling options for potential post - season play , so that there is some potential revenue ( no matter how small ), even if the team does not qualify . for tournament event organizers in single elimination style competition ( e . g ., tennis tournaments ), the present invention allows for the sale of multiple options on a fixed number of seats , thereby expanding the market size ( and hence revenues ) significantly . the invention also allows team owners / event organizers to hedge against the uncertainty of future revenues . unlike traditional financial options , the options marketed and traded in accordance with the present invention relate to attendance rights to events under very specific circumstances , like defined competitors and round of play . hence , the outcome ( i . e ., whether the option will be valuable or “ in the money ”) is uncertain at initial issue and for a large part of the trading period . vesting of the options takes place when the chosen competitors underlying the option qualify for the competitive event specified . such vesting preferably — though not necessarily — produces an obligation to purchase attendance rights / tickets to the specified event at a face value price of those attendance rights / tickets . in traditional options , the vesting takes place over time leading up to maturity , and options are exercised only if they are “ in the money ” or the strike price is favorable to the price of the underlying asset . unlike traditional ticketing systems , which only allow for returns and / or refunds ( if at all ), the present invention envisions the options either expiring worthless or being converted into the purchase of tickets . further , a secondary market will be created to allow for the ongoing trade in these options , and to allow subsequent participants to enter and also create liquidity for initial participants . thus , the present invention fills a void of unmet market ticket purchaser demand ; it provides a product / service that allows the various market participants to interact freely to satisfy such demand ; and it simultaneously provides a mechanism that incorporates individuals &# 39 ; subjective evaluation of competitive outcomes to value such products ( a price discovery mechanism ), and further facilitates the trading of such a product based on an individual &# 39 ; s valuation of the option vis - à - vis the rest of the purchasers and sellers ( i . e ., the marketplace ). the present invention also facilitates the hedging of risks . for example , in some competitive events , the individual must purchase tickets today for future rounds , without the knowledge of who the participants may be . as the competition evolves , a ticket holder maybe less interested to see a certain round of competition and would like to hedge against this risk . if he / she has purchased tickets for a particular round of competition , he / she could potentially sell an option on his / her ticket should a competitor he / she dislikes be a competitor in that round . however , another individual may have exactly the opposite desire , and may want to be cautious about spending the entire cost of the ticket on the day tickets go on sale , as he / she may like the competitor that the current holder of the ticket dislikes , but think that that competitor has a low probability of advancing . the invention facilitates the matching of these two desires to create an efficient , market - driven outcome .	6
referring to fig1 and 6 , a pruning apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention is shown having a handle assembly 12 , and a shearing mechanism 14 . the shearing mechanism 14 includes a body 16 defining a tube 18 ( which is open at both ends ), a hook plate 20 having a hook 22 , a cutting arm 24 , and a leverage arm 26 . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the handle assembly 12 includes a hollow shaft 27 , defining a longitudinal axis and having an open upper end 28 , a lower end 30 , and a slidable grip portion 32 . an upper foam rubber or plastic hand grip 30 surrounds the lower end of shaft 27 . the slidable grip portion 32 , further comprises an end foam or plastic hand grip 32 e , fully opposite from the shearing mechanism 14 , and may comprise a weighted sleeve 32 w . the weighted sleeve 32 w may be constructed of metal , wherein the majority of the other non - moving , non - cutting parts may be constructed of plastic . the metal components of the shearing mechanism 14 tend to make the pruning apparatus 10 top heavy . thus , the weighted sleeve 32 w helps balance the pruning apparatus 10 by counteracting the weight and rotational moments of shearing mechanism 14 . ideally , the weighted sleeve 32 w is weighted so that the shearing mechanism 14 is responsive to the slightest effort by the user at the slidable grip portion 32 . thus , any effort or force expended by the user is translated into cutting power , and increased torque at the cutting blade helps increase the cutting arm 24 . in addition , the end grip 32 e may itself have an end grip weight 32 b . the shearing mechanism 14 is attached to the open upper end 28 of the hollow shaft 27 . the open upper end 28 of the hollow shaft 27 is positioned within the tube 18 of the shearing mechanism 14 and held in place using appropriate fasteners or a conventionally known clamping action generated by controlled deformation of the tube 18 . the hook plate 20 is firmly attached to the body 16 using an appropriate fastener 34 , such as rivets or bolts . the cutting arm 24 is pivotally connected , using an appropriate bolt 36 , to an upper portion of the hook plate 20 at a cutter pivot point 38 which is located adjacent to the hook 22 , as seen in fig1 . the cutting arm 24 is pivotal between an open pre - cut position , as shown in fig1 and a closed fully - cut position , as shown in fig4 . the cutting arm 24 is preferably held in the open position by a spring bias . also seen in fig1 and 4 is the cutting arm 24 , which is attached to the hook plate 20 approximately at the middle of the cutting arm 24 . the cutting arm 24 includes an outwardly curved cutting edge 40 which begins adjacent the middle of the blade and extends along one edge to a cutter end 42 of the cutting arm 24 . located opposite the cutter end 42 of the cutting arm 24 is a leverage end 44 . the cutting arm 24 upper portion is preferably angled inwardly , e . g . above hook 22 , from the cutter pivot point 38 at a prescribed angle . the hook 22 is preferably curved downwardly , as shown in fig1 and includes an inwardly curved cutting edge 46 . the downwardly curved hook 22 and accessible side 48 of the body 16 defines a receiving nook 50 which is adapted to receive a limb of interest . the exact size of the receiving nook 50 is dependent on the specific application of the pruning shears , i . e ., the range of limbs intended to be pruned . regardless , the shape of the cutting edge 46 mates ( with a prescribed shearing overlap ) with the outwardly curved cutting edge 40 of the cutting arm 24 . located along the accessible side 48 of the hook plate 20 , and within the receiving nook 50 , is an outwardly curved protrusion 52 which is adapted to outwardly force a captured limb into the cutting edge 46 of the hook 22 to assist in holding the limb in place prior to and during the shearing procedure . the protrusion 52 is aligned with and is shaped similar to the cutting edge 40 of the cutting arm 24 and further functions to effectively shield the cutting edge 40 when the cutting arm is located in the open position . the leverage arm 26 is pivotally connected to the hook plate 20 at a leverage pivot point 54 which is adjacent to , but preferably not coaxial with the cutter pivot point 38 . in accordance with the invention , the leverage pivot point 54 is located a prescribed distance from the cutter pivot point 38 and a greater distance from the receiving nook 50 . a spring 55 is located at the leverage pivot point 54 and is adapted to bias the cutting arm 24 in its open position against a stop peg 57 , as illustrated in fig2 . the leverage end 44 of the cutting arm 24 is pivotally connected to the leverage arm 26 , at a connecting point 56 . the pivotal connection of the cutting arm 24 and the leverage arm 26 includes a slot 58 located within the leverage arm 26 . the slot 58 is necessary to compensate for the unequal arcs of movement between the cutting arm 24 and the leverage arm 26 , due to the displaced pivot points of the two arms . the leverage arm 26 is preferably outwardly angled , away from the cutting arm 24 , at a prescribed angle . a leverage pulley 60 is attached to a remote end 62 of the leverage arm 26 and aligns approximately with the longitudinal axis of the hollow shaft 27 . a friction reducing guide pulley 64 is operatively attached to the body 16 , adjacent to the open upper end of the tube 18 . an anchor arm 66 is attached to the body 16 opposite the hook plate 20 , as shown in fig1 . a cable 68 positioned within the hollow shaft 27 is attached to the slidable grip portion 32 shown in fig3 and extends upwardly through the tube 18 of the body 16 , around the leverage pulley 60 and is anchored to the anchor arm 66 . in operation , referring to fig4 the user captures a limb within the receiving nook 50 . the user pulls down on the hollow shaft 27 and forces the limb against the cutting edge 46 . once the limb is positioned within the receiving nook 50 , the user moves the slidable grip portion 32 with respect to the hollow shaft 27 . the downward movement of the slidable grip portion 32 draws the cable 68 into the hollow shaft 27 , as seen in fig3 and 6 and indicated by the arrows 70 in fig4 . the pulling of the cable 68 causes the leverage arm 26 to pivot about the leverage pivot point 54 , as indicated by the arrow 72 . the leverage pulley 60 introduces a leverage advantage to the pivoting of the leverage arm 26 , as is well known in the art so that the force applied to the slidable grip portion 32 is effectively doubled in pulling down the leverage arm 26 . it is important to note that one - handed operation is uniquely possible with the present invention . as the leverage arm 26 pivots , the cutting arm 24 is forced to pivot about the cutter pivot point 38 , as indicated by the arrow 74 in fig4 against the spring bias from the spring 55 . as soon as the leverage arm 26 and the leverage pulley 60 moves from alignment with the longitudinal axis , the cable 68 is “ caught ” and guided by the guide pulley 64 . the resulting movement of the cutting arm 24 with respect to the hook 20 cuts the captured limb . the reversed angles ( outward / inward ) of the leverage arm and cutter blade bends and cooperates to increase the cutting force of blade 40 . once the limb is cut , the user releases the slidable grip portion 32 . the spring 55 shown in fig2 causes the cutting arm 24 to return to the open position , as indicated by the arrow 80 , of fig5 and the leverage arm 26 to move upwardly to its pre - cut position , as indicated by the arrow 82 in fig5 . the cable 68 similarly returns to its pre - cut position , as shown by the arrows 84 . with reference to fig7 - 9 , there is shown an exemplary length - adjustable pruner according to the principles of thc present invention . pruner 100 includes shearing mechanism 101 , the structure , function , and operation of which can be the same as described above with the addition of cable guide , pulley or roller 103 . if desired , a cable guide with a rounded surface can be used instead of a pulley or roller . the handle assembly 102 includes hollow outer segment or pole 106 and a hollow inner segment or pole 104 that telescopes through the upper end of pole 106 . shearing mechanism 101 is mounted in fixed relation to the upper end of pole 104 . handle 102 further includes a sliding shaft 112 telescoping through the lower end of pole 106 . foam rubber or other suitable material hand grips 108 and 114 are secured at the lower end of pole 106 and lower end of shaft 112 , respectively , to aid the user gripping integrity and manual frictional engagement with the pruner . grip 108 includes a protecting piece 110 that overlaps the lower edge of pole 106 . hand grip 114 includes shield 115 that extends beyond the bottom of pole 106 to protect the user &# 39 ; s upper or lower hand from being pinched when shaft 112 is moved to the pre - cutting or ready position shown in fig7 . shield 115 can be made of any suitable material such as plastic , rubber , or metal . alternatively , the shield can be mounted on the lower end of grip 112 and facing downward , if desired . the cable includes inside cable portion 116 with , in this example , its distil end 117 connected to the upper part 117 of shaft 112 and outer cable potion 118 . handle 102 further includes a pole extension clamp 109 permanently mounted to or near the top of pole 106 . the upper part of clamp 107 is dimensioned to closely but slidably fit around pole 104 . wing screw 128 enables the user to tighten or loosen the clamp for frictional engagement with or release between pole 104 and clamp 107 . upon such release , poles 104 and 106 can telescope to new overall length positions . then wing screw 128 can be tightened to clamp poles 104 and 106 at such new length . as better seen in fig9 clamp 107 can include a u - shaped outside cable guide 113 , if desired . in order to accommodate the overall length adjustment , handle 102 further includes a cable clamp 124 dimensioned slightly larger than the outside diameter of pole 106 . clamp 124 includes a wing screw or nut 126 to secure clamp 124 firmly at a suitable position to avoid unwanted slack or tension in inside cable portion 116 and / or outside cable portion 118 when shearing mechanism is in the pre - cutting condition , such as shown in fig7 . in this exemplary embodiment shown , the end of cable portion 118 extends through a portion of clamp 124 and washer 122 . the distil end of portion 118 terminates in a threaded screw held to the cable by coupler 125 and tension wing nut 120 can be turned to fine tune the slack or tension on the cable as desired . in operation , the operator loosens knob 128 and knob 126 . poles 106 and 104 are telescoped relative to each other to a desired overall length . the wing knobs 126 and 128 are then firmly tightened to fix the overall pruner length and the cable length . if necessary , wing nut 120 can be turned to finely adjust the tension in the cable . the pruner is then ready for use in cutting a limb as described above . after use , knobs 128 and 126 can be loosened to telescope poles 104 and 106 to the shortest overall length for storage or for use in place of a lopper . an alternate exemplary embodiment is shown in fig1 in which the inner and outer telescoping pole segments 104 and 106 are reversed so that segment 106 slides within segment 104 . in this embodiment extension pole clamp 107 is reversed and fixed to the bottom of segment 106 and releasably clamped to pole segment 104 . cable clamp 124 is slidably mounted on upper pole segment 104 between a first position just above extension clamp 107 and a second position just below shearing mechanism 101 , as shown . this arrangement of parts yields the benefit of shortening the length of cable needed for overall extension and operation compared to the embodiment as shown in fig7 - 9 . yet a further exemplary embodiment is shown in fig1 wherein the pole extension clamp 107 a is permanently connected to the top of lower pole 106 and releasably connected to upper pole segment 104 as described for the embodiment of clamp 107 of fig7 - 9 . clamp 107 a also includes a cable anchor or strap 140 having one end connected , for example riveted , to the wing 141 of clamp 107 a and the other end releasably connected to the wing 143 clamp 107 a by wing nut or screw 142 . the outer cable portion 118 runs downward between strap 140 and the body of clamp 107 a and , if desired , upward around strap 140 thence downward again between strap 140 and the body of clamp 107 a generally as shown . clamp 107 a and strap 140 function to not only releasably clamp the telescoping segments 104 and 106 at desired lengths but also function to releasably clamp the outer cable portion 118 at various corresponding lengths to accommodate the relative positions of pole segments 104 and 106 . accordingly , the embodiment of fig1 needs no separate cable clamp such as 124 in fig1 and 124 in fig7 . in operation , wing - nut 142 is loosened to release the clamp force between strap 140 on cable portion 118 . if the pruner length is to be increased , the operator draws portion 118 upward to provide more length or slack . wing - nut 128 is loosened and the pole segments telescopically withdrawn until the desired length is reached . wing - nut 128 is then tightened to fix the length and portion 118 is fed or drawn downward about strap 140 until the operative length of portion 118 accommodates the newly set pruner length . with portion 118 so set , wing - nut 142 is tightened to clamp or firmly fix the cable against the body of clamp 107 a . the alternate embodiment shown in fig1 includes segment extension and cable clamp 107 b permanently connected to the top of segment 106 and releasably clamping or securing segment 104 by operation of wing - nut or wing - screw 150 . cable portion 118 extends downward between flanges 152 and out the vertical edges thereof below wing - nut 150 . accordingly , selective operation of wing - nut 150 not only releasably secures segment 104 to clamp 107 b but it also releasably clamps or secures portion 118 between flanges or wings 152 . loosening of wing nut 150 enables selecting the length of the pruner and the corresponding proper operable length of cable portion 118 above flanges 152 . it should be understood that the various parts can be made of any suitable materials and the parts are not necessarily drawn to scale . for example , poles 104 and / or 106 can be made of plastic , fiberglass , or metal . the cable can be made of metal , chain , nylon tape , nylon cord , or any other suitable materials and types . it should also be understood that the cable route shown is exemplary but is preferred since it yields benefits such as simplicity in design , increased reliability , ease of use in tight limb environments , and two - hands on the handle 114 , if desired . other and further changes and modifications can be made to the herein disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention .	0
the invention relates to a silicate compound having at least one amorphous binder matrix containing alkali oxide and silicon dioxide , and also containing oxides from the group aluminium oxide , calcium oxide , titanium dioxide , magnesium oxide , zirconium dioxide and / or boric oxide . such a silicon compound can be used to coat building elements , in particular roof tiles . the surface of concrete roof tiles , i . e . rooftiles made of concrete , is coated to avoid efflorescence and to achieve an aesthetic appearance . with the passage of time the coating of a roof tile is exposed to severe corrosion from the elements . while in summer under strong solar radiation the surface temperature can rise to up to about 80 °, in winter under frost conditions it can fall to - 30 °. of critical importance is corrosion by freeze - thaw cycles and by acid rain . concrete roof tiles are usually protected with a coating of plastic dispersion paint . the drawback of such plastic coatings is that the coating does not have long - term resistance to ultraviolet radiation in particular , and therefore disintegrates after a few years . from de - 25 39 718 b2 a process is known for coating preformed building components based on inorganic binders containing customary aggregates with glaze - like silicate and / or phosphate - containing coverings , whereby a plastic mix is produced from the inorganic binder and water and customary aggregates , which mix is shaped into building components onto which is applied a thin layer of an aqueous paste containing water glass and / or phosphates and metal oxides and possibly pigments and fillers , which layer is then cured , whereby soluble inorganic salts in a minimum quantity of 0 . 5 % by weight related to the inorganic binder , or in the case of sand - lime bricks related to the binder plus aggregates , are blended into the mix , which salts transform the aqueous paste , which is applied to the preformed building component at the rate of 190 to 400 g per m 2 , into a gel - like , non - flowing state , whereupon the preformed building component as well as the coating are cured . for the purposes of coating , aqueous , alkaline pastes are applied with 42 to 63 % mol sio 2 , 11 to 27 % mol alkali oxide and between 19 and 42 % mol metal oxide , related to the total weight of these constituents . as metal oxides zno , mgo , pbo , cao , b 2 o 3 and / or al 2 o 3 for example are added to the paste . alternately combining the top and bottom limits results purely arithmetically in a mol ratio of silicon dioxide to alkali oxide of between 1 . 56 and 3 . 82 . however , the description and the examples of embodiment only mention the use of water glass of 37 ° to 40 ° be in which the silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio is a maximum of 3 . 52 . in order to transform such a paste into a gel - like , non - flowing state it is necessary to add soluble inorganic salts , which addition is the mandatory characteristic included in the main claim of de - 25 39 718 b2 . in accordance with the process described here the paste is applied to the preformed building component and , together with the latter , is cured either in the autoclave under pressure at high temperatures or in a purely thermal treatment at normal pressure . an inorganic silicate coating is known from ep 0 247 910 , in which the binder matrix contains in relation to solids approx . 100 parts by weight potassium silicate , approx . 10 to 40 parts by weight fine particles of silicon dioxide and approx . 15 to 100 parts by weight nacreous lustre pigment . when using water glass with a silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio of 3 . 95 , the mol ratio of silicon dioxide to alkali oxide in the coating may be up to 6 . 15 . as a method for the production of a coated object , ep 0 247 910 b1 states that the coating compound is applied to the substrate and must then for purposes of curing be heated with this substrate to a temperature of approx . 200 ° c . to approx . 400 ° c . the nacreous lustre pigment is contained in the coating in the form of particles which are surrounded by the binder matrix . no indication can be found in ep 0 247 910 regarding the addition of further oxidic constituents . the purpose of this invention is to create a shaped body as well as a silicate compound free of organic substances , which forms a coating of a substrate , which silicate compound is resistant to weathering , particularly to freeze - thaw cycles , and to attacks by acids , lyes or vegetal growth . it ought to be possible to apply the coating to a substrate by simple methods , e . g . brushing , rolling , pouring or spraying , and to cure it at a temperature of less than 200 ° c ., preferably less than 100 ° c . the problem is solved by the invention in that the amorphous binder matrix contains 4 to 25 mol of silicon dioxide per mol of alkali oxide , that the alkali oxide consists of lithium , sodium and / or potassium oxide and that the amorphous binder matrix moreover contains , homogenously distributed per 100 mol of silicon dioxide , up to 80 mol of aluminium oxide and / or up to 45 mol of calcium oxide , titanium dioxide , magnesium oxide , zirconium dioxide and / or boric oxide . where alkali or other oxides are mentioned here , this corresponds to the designation of metal contents as oxides which is usual in silicate analysis , even if these are actually present in the form of chemical compounds such as silicates , aluminates or similar compounds . the binder matrix contains a very high proportion of silicon dioxide , namely 4 to 25 mol of silicon dioxide per mol of alkali oxide . therefore the silicate compound as per the invention is highly resistant to the corrosion mentioned in the problem definition yet can be applied in the form of an aqueous silicate suspension to a roof tile . the silicate suspension hardens on the roof tile at a temperature of less than 100 ° into a solid silicate compound forming a coating . this is important in particular for use on a concrete roof tile , as hardening can also proceed at room temperature . the content of up to 80 mol of aluminium oxide per 100 mol of silicon dioxide causes the silicate compound to acquire a particularly high chemical resistance . contents of up to 45 mol of calcium oxide , titanium dioxide , magnesium oxide , zirconium oxide and / or boric oxide per 100 mol of silicon dioxide also increase the resistance of the silicate compound . the addition of the foregoing substances increases both the hydrolytic resistance of the silicate compound as well as its resistance to corrosion by alkalis in particular and corrosion by acids , for instance acid rain . aluminum and calcium are particularly effective . it is advantageous to produce the silicate compound from an alkaline silica sol with a solids content of 30 to 70 % by weight . the alkaline silica sol should have a mean particle size of less than 130 nm . production of the silicate compound from an alkaline silica sol with this particle size offers the particular advantage that a highly homogenous binder matrix is obtained from the silicon dioxide and alkali sources . in this way it is possible to achieve in the binder matrix of the hardened silicate compound a structure which correspond to that of glass . thus a glassy silicate compound can be produced at temperatures of less than 100 ° c . owing to the low temperature during production , it is possible to produce large shaped bodies which have high dimensional stability and are free of temperature stresses . a particularly crack - free silicate compound with a smooth surface is obtained if the binder matrix contains a crystalline filler from the class of layer silicates . the filler can for instance consist of mica or also of a mixture of different layer silicates . a particularly smooth and shiny surface of the silicate compound is obtained if the binder matrix contains a crystalline filler from the calcite category . the silicate compound can contain moreover slag sand and / or cement . glassy blast - furnace slag is designated as slag sand . during production , the slag sand or cement , after incorporation in the aqueous solution , is at least etched on the surface if not completely dissolved so that their constituents are distributed homogeneously in the binder matrix . the silicate compound can moreover ( contain ) glass powder with a calcium oxide content of at least 30 % by wt ., an sio 2 content of less than 70 % by wt . and an aluminium oxide content of less than 20 % by wt . like slag sand or cement , the glass powder is dissolved after incorporation in the aqueous solution . the silicate compound can contain colouring pigments to adjust it to a desired colour . the silicate compound can be used as protection against weathering if it is applied as a coating on a substrate . the substrate can for instance be a roof tile . the thickness of the silicate compound applied as a coating can be on average between 0 . 02 and 2 mm ( 20 nm and 2mm ), preferably about 0 . 1 mm . the silicate suspension for coating a roof tile can be produced on the basis of an aqueous alkaline silicate solution with a silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio of less than 2 if the silicate solution is mixed , for example with silica sol or with another of the aforementioned substances with a high silicon oxide content , in order to increase the silicon dioxide proportion . preference is given to a silicate solution containing potassium , but one containing lithium or sodium or a mixture of these can also be used . if the silicon dioxide content is increased by adding silica sol , a chemically very pure silicate compound results after hardening . an excellent - value silicate compound can be obtained by using fly ash . obviously a solution of a pure alkali silicate or mixtures of the same can also be used , or silicic acid or substances with high silicon dioxide contents can be dissolved in caustic soda or caustic potash lye . for coating a substrate the silicate suspension can be applied by brushing , rolling , pouring or preferably spraying . during subsequent drying the aqueous silicate suspension hardens into a silicate compound which forms the coating . fresh or cured concrete , metal or a mineral body are examples of substrate . even porous surfaces are sealed with a closed film . the silicate compound as per the invention is excellently suited for coating granules , sands or fillers . the silicate suspension is practically suitable for all applications where cement - bonded binders are used at present , for instance for grouting joints or gluing building materials . moreover , the silicate suspension can be used for decorative or ornamental purposes . differently coloured silicate suspensions can be used to achieve a marbling effect in the silicate compound . the production of silicate compounds as per the invention with varying compositions and application of the same is described below using twelve examples of embodiment . 600 g of potassium silicate solution with a solids content of 45 % by wt . and a silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio of 1 . 3 was added within 3 minutes by stirring to 1440 g of an aqueous alkali silica sol with a solids content of 30 % and a mean particle size of 40 nm . after addition of the potassium silicate solution the mix was dispersed for 5 minutes . the silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio was then 5 . 8 . the preparation was then stored for 4 days in a sealed polyethylene vessel at room temperature ; 756 g of mica with a mean particle size of 36 μm together with 216 g of an aqueous pigment suspension with 61 . 5 % by wt . of iron oxide pigment and a mean particle size of 0 . 1 μm were then added and the mix dispersed for 5 minutes at 1000 rpm . the aqueous silicate suspension was then sprayed onto the exposed surface of a newly - cured concrete roof tile and dried at room temperature for 1 hour . the concrete roof tile had a matt red coating with a mean thickness of 0 . 1 mm . 80 g of pure potassium metaborate was added to 400 g of an alkaline potassium silicate solution with a solids content of 45 % by weight and a silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio of 1 . 3 ; this suspension was heated up to 80 ° c . until a clear solution developed and this was then cooled to room temperature . the cooled solution was stirred into 1400 g of an aqueous alkaline silica sol with a solids content of 30 % by wt . and a mean particle size of 40 nm . the silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio was then 5 . 9 . the entire preparation was dispersed and 40 g of amorphous aluminium oxide with a mean particle size of less than 13 nm was added . the aluminium oxide content was 4 . 7 mol per 100 mol silicon dioxide . the mixture was then dispersed and stored for one day in a sealed polyethylene vessel at room temperature ; 624 g of mica with a mean particle size of 36 μm together with 93 . 6 g of an aqueous pigment suspension with 61 . 5 % by weight of iron oxide pigment and a mean particle size of 0 . 1 μm were then added . after dispersing the silicate suspension was then applied with a paint brush to the exposed surface of a cured concrete roof tile and dried at room temperature for 24 hours . the coated concrete roof tile was then heated for 2 hours at 120 ° c . the concrete roof tile had a matt red coating with a mean thickness of 0 . 1 mm . 150 g of an alkaline potassium silicate solution with a solids content of 45 % by wt . and a silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio of 1 . 3 were placed in a metal beaker . 330 g of melting chamber fly ash with a high amorphous proportion was stirred in and this suspension was dispersed for a short time . the melting chamber fly ash had the following constituents by weight calculated as oxides : silicon dioxide 46 %, aluminium oxide 30 %, calcium oxide 5 . 3 %, magnesium oxide 3 . 5 %, potassium oxide 5 . 0 % and sodium oxide 1 . 0 %. after dispersing , 50 g of amorphous aluminium oxide with a mean particle size of 13 nm and 45 g iron oxide pigment with a mean particle size of 0 . 1 μm were stirred in . after intensive stirring for the purpose of homogenisation , 60 g of water was added . the silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio was now 4 . 9 and the aluminium oxide content 49 mol per 100 mol silicon dioxide . the proportion of the additional oxides of calcium and magnesium was 20 mol per 100 mol silicon dioxide . the resultant silicate suspension was immediately sprayed on to the exposed surface of a newly - cured concrete roof tile and dried for one hour at room temperature . the concrete roof tile had a matt red coating with a mean thickness of 0 . 1 mm . 5 g of sodium tetraborate - 10 - hydrate ( p . a .) was stirred into 100 g of an alkaline potassium silicate solution at 80 ° c . with a solids content of 45 % by wt . and a silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio of 1 . 3 . stirring was continued until a clear solution developed . after cooling to room temperature the solution was stirred into 180 g of an aqueous alkaline silica sol with a solids content of 30 % by wt . and a mean particle size of 40 μm . the mix was then stirred for 5 minutes . the silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio was now 4 . 4 and the boron oxide content was 2 mol per 100 mol of silicon dioxide . after storage for 4 days in a sealed polyethylene vessel at room temperature the silicate suspension was applied with a paint brush to the exposed surface of a cured concrete rooftile , and dried for one hour at room temperature . the concrete roof tile had a colourless , transparent , slightly shiny coating with a mean thickness of 0 . 1 mm . 20 g of pure potassium metaborate was added to 100 g of an aqueous potassium silicate solution with a solids content of 45 % by wt . and a silicon dioxide / potassium oxide mol ratio of 1 . 3 , this suspension was heated up to 80 ° c . until a clear solution developed . after cooling to room temperature , the solution was stirred into 740 g of an aqueous alkaline silica sol with a mean particle size of 40 nm and a solids content of 30 % by wt . stirring was continued for 5 minutes and the preparation then stored for one day in a sealed polyethylene vessel at room temperature . the silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio was then 11 . 5 and the boric oxide content 2 mol per 100 mol of silicon dioxide . 273 g of mica with a mean particle size of 36 μm together with 43 g of an aqueous pigment suspension with 61 . 5 % by wt . iron oxide pigment with a mean particle size of 0 . 1 μm were then added . this mixture was then dispersed for 5 minutes . the prepared silicate suspension was then applied with a paint brush to the exposed surface of a precured concrete rooftile . drying was effected for one day at room temperature and then for one hour at 190 ° c . the concrete roof tile had a matt red coating with a mean thickness of 0 . 1 mm . 100 g of pure potassium metaborate was added to 200 g of a 5 . 6 molar caustic soda lye . the suspension was then heated to 80 ° c . while stirring until a clear solution developed . after cooling to room temperature the solution was stirred into 827 g of silica sol with a solids content of 30 % by wt . and a mean particle size of 40 nm . the resultant mixture was dispersed for 5 minutes and then stored for one day in a polyethylene vessel at room temperature . the silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio was 4 . 2 . the boric oxide proportion was 11 mol per 100 mol of silicon dioxide . 413 g of mica with a mean particle size of 36 μm and 105 g of an aqueous pigment suspension with a content of 61 . 5 % by wt . iron oxide pigment with a mean particle size of 0 . 1 μm were then stirred into the dissolver . this mixture was then dispersed for 5 minutes . the prepared silicate suspension was applied with a paint brush on the exposed side of a precured concrete roof tile and dried for one hour at room temperature . the concrete roof tile had a matt red coating with a mean thickness of 0 . 1 mm . 150 g of an alkaline potassium silicate solution with a solids content of 45 % by wt . and a silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio of 1 . 3 was placed in a metal beaker . while stirring , 330 g of melting chamber fly ash with a high amorphous proportion was added and this suspension was dispersed for a short time . the melting chamber fly ash had the following constituents by weight calculated as oxides : silicon dioxide 46 %, aluminium oxide 30 %, calcium oxide 5 . 3 %, magnesium oxide 3 . 5 %, potassium oxide 5 . 0 % and sodium oxide 1 . 0 %. after dispersing , 30 g of amorphous aluminium oxide with a mean particle size of 13 nm and 45 g of iron oxide pigment with a mean particle size of 0 . 1 μm were stirred in . after intensive stirring for the purpose of homogenisation , 60 g of water was added . the silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio was now 4 . 9 and the aluminum oxide content 42 mol per 100 mol of silicon dioxide . the proportion of the additional calcium and magnesium oxides was 20 mol per 100 mol silicon dioxide . the resultant silicate suspension was immediately poured on the exposed surface of a newly cured concrete roof tile and dried for one day at room temperature . the concrete roof tile had a matt coating with a mean thickness of 1 mm . 133 g of a 5 molar potassium lye was added to 467 g of an aqueous alkali silica sol with a solids content of 60 % and a mean particle size of 40 nm . the alkali silicate solution obtained was then dispersed for 5 minutes . the sio 2 , alkali oxide mol ratio was now 15 . 5 . the preparation was then stored in a sealed polyethylene vessel at room temperature for about 1 hour . 60 g of pigment with a mean particle size of 0 . 1 μm were then added . the mixture obtained was dispersed for 5 minutes . then 105 g of slag sand followed by a mixture of 84 g mica with a mean particle size of 36 μm and 126 g calcite with a mean particle size of 20 μm were stirred in . this mixture was finally homogenised and the resultant silicate suspension was cast into disk - shaped bodies with a diameter of 40 mm , a height of 4 mm and a weight of 15 g . these shaped bodies were cured within two days at room temperature . the shaped bodies showed no cracks of any kind and had a shiny surface . 60 g of water was added to the silicate suspension described in example 8 and dispersed . the diluted silicate suspension was then sprayed onto a freshly fired clay roof tile and dried for one day at room temperature . the resultant coated clay roof tile had a coating with a mean thickness of 0 . 1 mm and a shiny surface . 115 g of a 5 molar potassium lye was added to 750 g of an aqueous alkaline silica sol with a solids content of 50 % and a mean particle size of 50 nm . the resultant alkali silicate solution was then dispersed for 5 minutes . the sio 2 / alkali oxide mol ratio was now 23 . the preparation was then stored in a sealed polyethylene vessel for about half an hour at room temperature . 86 . 5 g of a red iron oxide pigment with a mean particle size of 0 . 1 μm was then added . the resultant mixture was dispersed for 5 minutes . 150 g of slag sand followed by 303 g of mica with a mean particle size of 36 μm were then stirred in . this mixture was finally homogenised . the resultant silicate suspension was immediately applied by paint brush to the exposed surface of a freshly cured concrete roof tile . the concrete roof tile obtained in this way was dried for one day at room temperature . the concrete roof tile had a red coloured coating with a mean thickness of 0 . 1 mm . 145 g of an alkaline potassium silicate solution with a solids content of 45 % by wt . and a silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio of 1 . 3 was added to 255 g of a freshly produced aqueous alkaline silica sol with a solids content of 60 % and a mean particle size of 40 nm and dispersed for 15 minutes . the silicon dioxide / alkali oxide mol ratio was now 7 . 9 . 40 g of pigment with a mean particle size of 0 . 1 μm followed by 70 g of slag sand were then quickly stirred into this preparation . the resultant mixture was dispersed before the addition of 140 g of mica with a mean particle size of 36 μm . finally 40 g of water was added and the preparation homogenised . the aqueous silicate suspension was then sprayed onto the exposed surface of a freshly produced , uncured concrete roof tile and cured with it for 6 hours at 60 ° c . the concrete roof tile obtained had a coating with a mean thickness of about 0 . 1 mm . the aqueous silicate suspension produced in accordance with example 11 was applied with a paint brush to one degreased glass plate and one metal plate . these samples were dried for several hours at room temperature . the glass and metal plates obtained had a crack - free , firmly adhering coating with a mean thickness of 0 . 3 mm .	2
an illustrative middle - row passenger support 10 for use in a vehicle 12 in accordance with the present disclosure includes a foundation frame 14 coupled to a floor 15 of the vehicle 12 , a vehicle seat 16 mounted on the foundation frame 14 , and an easy - entry motion controller 18 as shown , for example , in fig1 . foundation frame 14 is configured to support vehicle seat 16 above vehicle floor 15 between a front - row passenger support 20 and a back - row passenger support 22 in this example . vehicle seat 16 moves relative to foundation frame 14 from an occupant - use or passenger - use configuration to an easy - entry configuration . fig1 shows the vehicle seat 16 in an illustrative passenger - use configuration for supporting a passenger during movement of vehicle 12 . fig4 shows the vehicle seat 16 in an illustrative easy - entry configuration for easing entry to and exit from the back - row passenger support 22 . the easy - entry motion controller 18 is configured to provide guide means for controlling the motion of the vehicle seat 16 as vehicle seat 16 moves between the passenger - use configuration and the easy - entry configuration . foundation frame 14 includes a first rail 24 and a second rail 26 , as shown in fig6 . each rail 24 , 26 includes a track 28 , a rear ramp 30 coupled to track 28 , and a forward ramp 32 coupled to track 28 . track 28 is configured to support vehicle seat 16 for movement along track 28 . rear ramp 30 extends along an inboard side of track 28 near a back side 34 of track 28 and may block or prevent rearward motion of vehicle seat 16 along track 28 . forward ramp 32 extends along an inboard side of track 28 near a front side 36 of track 28 and may block or prevent forward motion of vehicle seat 16 along track 28 . vehicle seat 16 includes a seat back 38 , a seat bottom 40 , and a seat base 42 that are each movable so that vehicle seat 16 can be reconfigured from the passenger - use configuration to the easy - entry configuration as shown in fig1 - 4 . seat back 38 is coupled to seat base 42 for pivotable movement about a seat - back pivot axis 38 a . seat bottom 40 is coupled to seat back 38 for pivotable movement about a seat - bottom pivot axis 40 a . seat base 42 is coupled to tracks 28 of foundation frame 14 for movement along foundation frame 14 . in this example , the seat base 42 is coupled to the tracks for sliding movement along the foundation frame . when vehicle seat 16 moves from the passenger - use configuration , shown in fig1 , to the easy - entry configuration , shown in fig4 , seat back 38 is pivoted forward from an occupant - use position , which is generally upright in this example , to a tilted - forward position . by moving seat back 38 from the occupant - use position to the tilted - forward position , seat back 38 moves from forming an angle with foundation frame 14 underlying seat base 42 greater than or equal to about 90 degrees to forming an acute angle with foundation frame 14 . seat bottom 40 is pivoted upwardly from an occupant - use position , in which it is extending generally horizontally away from seat back 38 , to a folded - up position , in which it is extending generally along seat back 38 . by pivoting seat bottom 40 from the occupant - use position to the folded - up position , a front edge 41 of seat bottom 40 is moved from a first position in front of a front edge 43 of seat base 42 to a second position behind front edge 43 of seat base 42 thereby allowing vehicle seat 16 to move or slide further forward than if seat base 42 remained in the occupant - use position . seat base 42 slides or otherwise moves forward from one of a series of design or rearward positions to a forward position . easy - entry motion controller 18 is configured to control the motion of vehicle seat 16 as vehicle seat 16 moves from the passenger - use configuration to the easy - entry configuration as suggested in fig1 - 4 . easy - entry motion controller 18 includes a seat - back motion controller 48 , a seat - bottom motion controller 50 , and a seat - base motion controller 52 as shown diagrammatically in fig1 - 4 . easy - entry motion controller 18 may also include an actuator 60 , shown as a manual release lever in fig6 . automated actuators are also possible . each motion controller 48 , 50 , 52 may be activated to allow movement of the corresponding vehicle seat 16 component 38 , 40 , 42 as vehicle seat 16 is moved from the passenger - use configuration , shown in fig1 , to the easy - entry configuration , shown in fig4 . seat - back motion controller 48 and seat - bottom motion controller 50 are both activated to allow motion of seat back 38 and seat bottom 40 in response to actuation of the actuator 60 , which in this case includes a user lifting upwardly on the release lever 60 as shown in fig8 a . seat - base motion controller 52 is activated to allow motion of seat base 42 in response to seat back 38 being moved from the occupant - use position to the tilted - forward position . the vehicle seat 16 can move from the passenger - use configuration , shown in fig1 , to the easy - entry configuration , shown in fig4 , by a user or some other component operating easy - entry motion controller 18 . to operate the illustrated easy - entry motion controller 18 , the user first lifts upwardly on release lever 60 to activate the seat - back motion controller 48 and seat - bottom motion controller 50 . then the user pivots seat back 38 about seat - back pivot axis 38 a from the occupant - use position to the tilted - forward position as suggested by arrow 38 f in fig2 . pivoting seat back 38 to the tilted - forward position activates seat - base motion controller 52 . next the user pivots seat bottom 40 about seat - bottom pivot axis 40 a from the occupant - use position to the folded - up position as suggested by arrow 40 u in fig3 . in some methods of use , the user may pivot seat bottom 40 before pivoting seat back 38 or both may be pivoted at the same time . the user can then release lever 60 . finally , the user can move or slide seat base 42 along foundation frame 14 from one of the rearward positions to the forward position as suggested by arrow 42 f in fig4 . when vehicle seat 16 is moved to the easy - entry configuration , the seat - back motion controller 48 is deactivated so that the seat back is held in the tilted - forward position as shown in fig1 b and 10c . seat - bottom motion controller 50 and seat - base motion controller 52 remain activated so that seat bottom 40 and seat base 42 are still movable as shown in fig1 d and 10e . however , in the illustrated embodiment , seat bottom 40 is biased toward the folded - up position and seat base 42 is biased toward the forward position so that vehicle seat 16 is held in the easy - entry configuration until a user acts to return vehicle seat 16 to the passenger - use configuration . the user can return vehicle seat 16 from the easy - entry configuration to the passenger - use configuration by again operating easy - entry motion controller 18 as suggested in fig1 - 13 . to return to the passenger - use configuration , the user first slides or otherwise moves seat base 42 rearwardly along foundation frame 14 from the forward position to a full - return position , which is one of the series of design or rearward positions , as suggested by arrow 42 r in fig1 . once seat base 42 reaches the full - return position , seat - back motion controller 48 is activated allowing seat back 38 to pivot . the user can then pivot seat back 38 rearwardly from the tilted - forward position to the occupant - use position as suggested by arrow 38 r in fig1 . when seat back 38 is in the occupant - use position , seat - base motion controller 52 is deactivated , thus preventing or blocking seat base 42 ( along with seat back 38 and seat bottom 40 ) from sliding or moving along foundation frame 14 . finally , the user can pivot seat bottom 40 downwardly from the folded - up position to the occupant - use position as suggested by arrow 40 d in fig1 . when seat bottom 40 reaches the occupant - use position , seat - bottom motion controller 50 is deactivated and the passenger - use configuration of vehicle seat 16 is reestablished . seat - back motion controller 48 is configured to move between a deactivated configuration and an activated configuration . in the deactivated configuration , the seat back 38 is blocked or prevented from moving from the occupant - use position , as shown in fig7 b and 7c . in the activated configuration , the seat back 38 is allowed to move from the occupant - use position to the tilted - forward position as shown in fig8 b and 8c . seat - back motion controller 48 includes a recliner mechanism 62 and a return linkage 64 . recliner mechanism 62 and return linkage 64 are coupled to seat back 38 and are configured to selectively prevent or allow movement of seat back 38 relative to seat base 42 . return linkage 64 is coupled to seat back 38 and to seat base 42 . return linkage 64 is configured to selectively prevent or allow movement of seat back 38 from the tilted - forward position to the occupant - use position . actuator 60 is coupled to recliner mechanism 62 to release recliner mechanism 62 so that seat back 38 is free to pivot from the occupant - use position to the tilted - forward position . recliner mechanism 62 is similar to the rotary recliner mechanism described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 360 , 838 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . recliner mechanism 62 is configured to prevent seat back 38 from pivoting to the tilted - forward position until actuator 60 is lifted up by a user . a handle 66 is coupled to recliner mechanism 62 and is configured to release recliner mechanism 62 so that seat back 38 may pivot rearwardly to a reclined position as suggested in fig8 a - 8c . handle 66 may also release recliner mechanism 62 so that seat back 38 pivots forwardly until seat back 38 contacts seat bottom 40 such that vehicle seat 16 assumes a fold - flat configuration as shown in fig1 and 20 a - d . in other embodiments , recliner mechanism 62 may be of any other suitable type known in the art . return linkage 64 is configured to block or prevent seat back 38 from moving away from the tilted - forward position to the occupant - use position after vehicle seat 16 has moved to the easy - entry configuration as shown in fig1 b - 10c . return linkage 64 then releases seat back 38 to move from the tilted - forward position to the occupant - use position in response to seat base 42 sliding or otherwise moving from the forward position to the full - return position along foundation frame 14 as shown in fig1 a - 14c . the illustrated return linkage 64 includes a bracket 70 coupled to seat back 38 , a pivot member 74 ( sometimes referred to as a hook ), and a rearward return blocker 76 as shown in fig6 a . bracket 70 is formed to include a notch 72 . pivot member 74 is coupled to seat base 42 for pivotable movement and is formed to include a protrusion 78 sized to be received in notch 72 of bracket 70 . rearward return blocker 76 is coupled for pivotable movement to seat base 42 and is configured to move between a pivoted - up position , shown in fig7 c , and a pivoted - down position shown in fig1 c . in the pivoted - up position , rearward return blocker 76 allows protrusion 78 of pivot member 74 to be moved out of notch 72 . in the pivoted - down position , rearward return blocker 76 blocks protrusion 78 of pivot member 74 to be moved out of notch 72 . rearward return blocker 76 is biased to the pivoted - down position . when vehicle seat 16 is in the easy - entry configuration , protrusion 78 is received in notch 72 and is blocked from moving out of notch 72 by rearward return blocker 76 , thus , seat back 38 is blocked from pivoting away from the tilted - forward position , as shown in fig1 c . as vehicle seat 16 moves from the easy - entry configuration to the passenger - use configuration , seat base 42 moves or slides back along foundation frame 14 until seat base 42 reaches the full - return position as shown in fig1 . at the full - return position , rearward return blocker 76 contacts rear ramp 30 of foundation frame 14 , moving rearward return blocker 76 away from the pivoted - down position as shown in fig1 c . in response to rearward return blocker 76 contacting rear ramp 30 of foundation frame 14 , seat back 38 is allowed to pivot from the tilted - forward position to the occupant - use position as shown in fig1 and 15 b - c . thus , return linkage 64 releases seat back 38 to move from the tilted - forward position to the occupant - use position in response to seat base 42 moving from the forward position to the full - return position along foundation frame 14 . seat - bottom motion controller 50 is configured to move or change between a deactivated configuration and an activated configuration . in the deactivated configuration , seat bottom 40 is prevented or blocked from moving from the occupant - use position , as shown in fig7 b , 7 d , and 7 f . in the activated configuration , seat bottom 40 is allowed to move from the occupant - use position as shown in fig8 b , 8 d , and 8 f . seat - bottom motion controller 50 moves or changes from the deactivated configuration to the activated configuration in response to the user lifting up on actuator 60 as suggested by arrow 60 a in fig8 a . thus , when seat bottom 40 is in the occupant - use position , both seat - back motion controller 48 and seat - bottom motion controller 50 are activated simultaneously to allow movement of seat back 38 and seat bottom 40 in response to the user lifting up on release lever 60 , or in response to other actuation , as suggested in fig8 a - f . the illustrated seat - bottom motion controller 50 includes a latch 80 , a bias spring 82 and a cable 84 as shown , for example , in fig6 a . latch 80 is coupled to seat bottom 40 for pivotable movement about a latch pivot axis 80 a between an engaged position , wherein latch 80 receives a catch 90 coupled to seat base 42 blocking seat bottom 40 from pivoting , and a disengaged position , wherein latch 80 disengages from catch 90 allowing seat bottom 40 to pivot . bias spring 82 contacts seat bottom 40 and latch 80 to bias latch 80 toward the engaged position . cable 84 is illustratively a bowden cable and extends from latch 80 to release lever 60 so that latch 80 moves to the disengaged position in response to the user lifting up on release lever 60 . thus , seat bottom 40 is blocked from pivoting from the occupant - use position to the folded - up position unless a user lifts up on release lever 60 to overcome the force of bias spring 82 and pivot latch 80 from the engaged position to the disengaged position . such an arrangement may prevent inadvertent or undesirable pivoting of seat bottom 40 away from the occupant - use position . latch 80 is illustratively made up of two u - shaped hooks 85 , 86 , as shown in fig6 a , but in other embodiments may be configured in any suitable geometry . catch 90 is illustratively made up of two posts 95 , 96 extending inwardly toward the center of vehicle seat 16 but in other embodiments may be configured in any suitable geometry such as a ring , a lip , or the like . seat - base motion controller 52 is movable or otherwise changeable between a deactivated configuration , shown in fig7 d and 7e , and an activated configuration as shown in fig9 d and 9e . in the deactivated configuration , seat base 42 ( along with seat back 38 and seat bottom 40 ) is blocked from moving along foundation frame 14 to the forward position . in the activated configuration , seat base 42 is allowed to move along foundation frame 14 to the forward position . seat - base motion controller 52 is changed from the deactivated configuration to the activated configuration in response to seat back 38 moving from the occupant - use position to the tilted - forward position . conversely , seat - base motion controller 52 is moved from the activated configuration to the deactivated configuration in response to seat back 38 moving from the tilted - forward position to the occupant - use position . seat - base motion controller 52 illustratively includes a track lock 97 and an entry linkage 98 as shown in fig6 . track lock 97 moves between an engaged position , blocking movement of seat base 42 along the range of design ( i . e . rearward ) positions relative to foundation frame 14 , and a disengaged position , allowing movement of seat base 42 along the range of design positions relative to foundation frame 14 . entry linkage 98 selectively blocks or allows seat bottom 42 to move forwardly past the range of design positions to the forward position along foundation frame 14 . entry linkage 98 also moves track lock 97 to the disengaged position in response to seat back 38 moving to the tilted - forward position . entry linkage 98 illustratively includes a cam plate 100 , a forward slide blocker 102 , and a cam follower 104 ( sometimes called a roller ) as shown in fig6 a . cam plate 100 is coupled to seat back 38 to pivot therewith about seat - back pivot axis 38 a . forward slide blocker 102 and cam follower 104 are coupled to seat base 42 for pivotable movement relative thereto . forward slide blocker 102 is pivotable between a lowered position , as shown in fig7 e , and a raised position as shown in fig8 e . in the lowered position , forward slide blocker 102 blocks seat base 42 from moving to the forward position since forward slide blocker 102 would contact forward ramp 32 before the forward position is reached as shown in fig7 d and 7e . in the raised position , forward slide blocker 102 allows seat base 42 to move to the forward position as shown in fig1 d and 10e . also , while in the raised position , slide blocker 102 pushes track lock 97 from the normally engaged position to the disengaged position as shown in fig8 e . cam follower 104 is biased into contact with cam plate 100 and is configured to move along cam plate 100 as seat back 38 moves from the occupant - use position to the tilted - forward position as suggested in fig7 e and 8e . when seat back 38 moves from the occupant - use position to the tilted - forward position , cam follower 104 pushes forward slide blocker 102 from the lowered position to the raised position as shown in fig8 d and 8e . seat - bottom motion controller 50 may also include a memory lever 106 arranged over rear ramp 30 of foundation frame 14 and coupled to cam follower 104 by a spring 105 as shown in fig7 e . memory lever 106 is configured to move between a raised position and a lowered position . in the raised position , memory lever 106 allows movement of seat base 42 rearward past the full - return position . in the lowered position , memory lever 106 blocks sliding of seat base 42 rearward past the full - return position . memory lever 106 is biased to the raised position by the spring 105 when seat back 38 is in the occupant - use position as shown in fig7 e . however , memory lever 106 is biased to the lowered position when seat back 38 is in the tilted - forward position as shown in fig8 e . when seat base 42 moves past the full - return position with the seat back 38 in the tilted - forward position , memory lever 106 blocks seat base 42 from returning rearward past the full - return position until seat back 38 is returned to the occupant - use position as shown in fig1 e and 15e . seat back 38 illustratively includes a shell 120 , a cushion 122 , and a headrest 124 as shown in fig6 . shell 120 is coupled to seat base 42 for movement relative thereto about seat - back pivot axis 38 a . cushion 122 is coupled to the front of shell 120 to support the body of a user . headrest 124 is coupled to the top of shell 120 to support the head of a user . seat bottom 40 illustratively includes a seat pan 130 , a cushion 132 , and a support leg 134 as shown , for example , in fig6 . seat pan 130 is coupled to seat back 38 for movement about seat - bottom pivot axis 40 a . cushion 132 is coupled to seat pan 130 to support the bottom side of a user . support leg 134 is coupled to seat pan 130 for pivotable movement about a leg pivot axis 134 a . support leg 134 moves between a support position , extending down substantially perpendicular to seat pan 130 as shown in fig1 - 2 , and a stored position , extending substantially along seat pan 130 as shown in fig3 - 4 . seat - bottom motion controller 50 may also include a guide link 136 that is configured to move support leg 134 from the support position to the stored position in response to the seat bottom 40 moving from the occupant - use position to the folded - up position , as shown in fig7 d and 10d . guide link 136 is pivotably coupled to shell 120 of seat back 38 and to support leg 134 . in the illustrated embodiment , guide link 136 is biased toward seat back 38 by a spring ( not shown ) so that seat bottom 40 is biased toward the folded - up position . vehicle seat 16 may also be configured to move from the passenger - use configuration , as shown in fig1 , to a folded - flat position as shown in fig1 . during movement to the folded - flat configuration , seat back 38 and seat bottom 40 collapse forward as suggested by arrows 38 c and 40 c in fig1 . vehicle seat 16 includes a fold - flat motion controller 140 configured to block or allow movement of vehicle seat 16 to the fold - flat configuration . fold - flat motion controller 140 is configured to allow vehicle seat 16 to move from the passenger - use configuration to the fold - flat configuration , as suggested in fig1 and 18 , but blocks vehicle seat 16 from moving from the easy - entry configuration to the fold - flat configuration as suggested in fig2 . in the fold - flat configuration , seat back 38 pivots about seat - back pivot axis 38 a so that seat back 38 is substantially parallel to foundation frame 14 as shown in fig2 d . seat bottom 40 is moved down closer to foundation frame 14 by pivoting support leg 134 so that support leg 134 extends substantially parallel to foundation frame 14 as shown in fig2 b . thus , both seat back 38 and seat bottom 40 extend substantially parallel to foundation frame 14 when vehicle seat 16 is in the fold - flat configuration . fold - flat motion controller 140 illustratively includes recliner mechanism 62 , handle 66 , and interlock plate 142 as shown in fig2 e . recliner mechanism 62 , as described above , is configured to allow seat back 38 to pivot about a pivot axis from the occupant - use position to a fold - flat configuration , substantially parallel to foundation frame 14 . handle 66 is lifted up by a user to activate recliner mechanism 62 to allow seat back 38 to move the fold - flat configuration . interlock plate 142 is configured to block handle 66 from being activated by a user when vehicle seat 16 is in the easy - entry configuration . interlock plate 142 moves between a lowered position , shown in fig1 e , and a raised position shown in fig2 e . in the lowered position , interlock plate 142 allows handle 66 to pivot relative to seat base 42 so that seat back 38 can move to the fold - flat configuration . in the raised position , interlock plate 142 blocks handle 66 from pivoting relative to seat base 42 so that seat back 38 can move to the fold - flat configuration . interlock plate 142 may be coupled to and pivot with pivot member 74 of return linkage 64 as suggested in fig2 c and 22e . when pivot member 74 is pivoted up so that protrusion 78 is received in notch 72 , interlock plate 142 is pivoted to the raised position and blocks seat back 38 from moving to the fold - flat configuration . therefore , any time that vehicle seat 16 is in the easy - entry configuration , fold - flat motion controller 140 is inoperable as shown in fig2 and 22 a - d . it is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention . the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment ( s ) disclosed herein , but rather is defined solely by the claims below . furthermore , the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims , except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above . various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment ( s ) will become apparent to those skilled in the art . all such other embodiments , changes , and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims . as used in this specification and claims , the terms “ for example ,” “ for instance ,” “ such as ,” and “ like ,” and the verbs “ comprising ,” “ having ,” “ including ,” and their other verb forms , when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items , are each to be construed as open - ended , meaning that that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other , additional components or items . other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation .	1
referring to fig1 , an oil well includes a wellbore 2 , below ground level 4 , which extends to an oil reservoir 6 . the wellbore includes a casing 8 within which is arranged a progressing cavity pump ( pcp ) 10 which includes an inlet 12 at its lower end and is connected at its upper end to production tube 14 . an annulus 16 is defined between the pump 10 / tube 14 and the casing 8 . the annulus communicates with the reservoir and includes a head 20 of reservoir fluid . a water based formulation as hereinafter described can be poured down the annulus 16 and pass under gravity to the reservoir 6 , immediately upstream of inlet 12 . the formulation may improve the performance and efficiency of the pump 10 due to its ability to increase the mobility of the oil in the reservoir immediately upstream of the pump 10 and / or enhance the ability of the oil to enter the pump inlet . furthermore , by improving mobility and / or reducing the level of back pressure when the oil enters the pump inlet ( or any other constriction ) the rate of flow of oil from the reservoir into the wellbore may be increased resulting in an increased rate of oil production . the water - based formulation comprises a 0 . 5 wt % aqueous solution of a 88 % hydrolysed polyvinylalcohol having a molecular weight of 180 , 000 . this may be commercially available or may be made by known methods which may involve diluting more concentrated polyvinylalcohol solutions . in a variation on the fig1 embodiment , a wellbore may include an associated sand pack 40 as shown in fig2 . the sand pack effectively filters sand particles from oil as oil passes from the reservoir into the wellbore to prevent such sand particles passing into pump 10 and passing to the surface . however , the sand pack acts as a constriction to the passage of oil into the wellbore , since the oil must pass through the openings of the sand pack to enter the wellbore . the arrangement of fig2 may be treated with the water - based formulation as described for example 1 . in this case , it is found that the performance and / or efficiency of pump 10 may be improved , and the rate of oil production may also be increased . the use of the treatment formulation is believed to facilitate passage of reservoir fluid including oil through orifices ( or other constrictions ) for example through pump inlets and sand packs by reducing surface tension of the oil and / or interfacial tension between the oil and walls which define constrictions . by reducing the effective friction between the oil and walls which define constrictions , the oil may more easily pass through the constrictions into the wellbore and / or pump . as a result , the rate of flow of oil from the reservoir into the wellbore may be increased and / or the efficiency of wellbore pumps may be improved , possibly allowing pump speeds to be increased . whilst the applicant does not wish to be bound by any theory , it is believed that the effect the aqueous formulation has to improve “ slip ” of the oil relative to solid bodies ( such as walls which define constrictions ) may be illustrated by the simple experiment described in example 1 . a 500 ml stoppered jar containing 125 ml of an aqueous formulation comprising 0 . 5 wt % of polyvinylalcohol as described above was selected and the formulation manually swirled around so that it wetted the walls of the jar . then 250 ml of crude oil was poured on top of the aqueous formulation with minimum agitation . the jar was then manually lifted and rocked from side to side and the fluid therein caused to gently swirl around the jar . it was observed that the oil was very mobile and did not stick to the jar wall . the process described was repeated except that tap water alone was used instead of the polyvinylalcohol - containing aqueous formulation . in this case , the oil was observed to be far less mobile and furthermore globules and / or patches of oil stuck to the jar wall . thus , it is clear that use of the aqueous formulation significantly increases oil mobility . not all wells can be treated as aforesaid to improve performance and efficiency of pumps and , accordingly , appropriate wells need to be selected for treatment . factors which may affect whether a well can advantageously be treated using the method described are discussed below . ( a ) a very high head 20 in the annulus may indicate that the pump 10 is working at less than the optimum . ( b ) in the absence of taking steps to stimulate the reservoir , for successful application of the method the reservoir should preferably be capable of yielding more oil if pumps can be run at greater efficiencies and / or higher pump speeds . this is not always the case . some pumps are well matched to reservoirs , which are delivering at their maximum rate . in these cases no improvement in pump performance will yield more oil . indeed , increasing pump rates / performance may result in the preferential extraction of water from the reservoir rather than oil . however , in some cases , the reservoir itself may be stimulated by the treatment described to produce more oil . for example , when a wellbore includes an associated sandpack ( or oil is otherwise constricted from entering a pump inlet ), use of the aqueous formulation may reduce a back pressure on the reservoir caused by the presence of the sandpack ( or other constriction ) and , as a result , use of the aqueous formulation may stimulate the reservoir to yield more oil . ( c ) provided a reservoir can produce more oil with an increase in pump efficiency and / or pump revolutions / strokes per minute ( rpm ), and / or via stimulation , then the maximum increase in total production is given by : where q is the rate of fluid production from the reservoir in barrels per day and all pressures are in pounds per square inch ( psi ). where h is the height of the hydrostatic head of fluid above the pump intake ( fig1 ), g is the acceleration due to gravity and rho is the density of the fluid above the pump . the units for rho , g and h are selected to yield a pump intake pressure in psi . the above equation is for a fluid at a pump intake pressure above the bubble point . if the pump intake pressure is lower than the bubble point , gas may be released from the oil , which may damage the performance of the pump or at best invalidate the equation defining ip . ( d ) the pump may have a bottleneck at its suction point , related to the low mobility of the oil , i . e . the low mobility is preventing the pump from working at higher efficiencies and at higher rotation speeds . if limitations are due to worn out pumps , or oil mobility does not provide the limitation , using the method described may not help . ( e ) the maximum increase in oil mobility may be seen for a high viscosity oil in a cold reservoir . ( f ) it is desirable to have low bs & amp ; w ( basic sediment and water ) in order that the extra fluid produced is rich in oil , and therefore more valuable . ( g ) the water - based formulation is suitably capable of increasing the mobility of the oil at the entry to the pump and / or through other constrictions . ( h ) the water - based formulation may increase mobility above the pump in order to minimize back pressure on the pump . ( i ) the pump is preferably in good condition as determined by manometric tests . worn out pumps may slip badly with the water - based formulation and deliver less oil than anticipated . ( j ) the installed pump is suitably running at low volumetric efficiency and have the potential to be increased . preferably , volumetric efficiency ( prior to application of the method ), calculated from field production rates at known pump speeds , should be below 60 %. this parameter is not a true energy efficiency , but is taken as an indicator of the ability of the water - based formulation to increase the performance of the reservoir and pump assembly . it should be interpreted in combination with the pump intake pressure ( point ( c )). ( k ) when exposed to increased drawdown by the pump , the producing zone must not produce significant additional water . it should be noted that the object of practising the method described is not solely to lower the height of head 20 as much as possible since there does need to be some head in order to preventingress of air or gas into the pump intake , which could damage the pump . in addition , for some pumps , the delivery of the water based formulation to the annulus will result in an increase in the level of fluid , above the pump , which is in hydraulic contact with the reservoir . this fluid above the pump has the effect of applying a hydrostatic pressure on the reservoir at the point of hydrocarbon production , the effect of which is to act against the tendency of the reservoir to produce fluid , i . e . to limit the rate of oil production . this means that the rate of delivery of the water - based formulation should be optimised to minimise factors that work against the increase of oil production . furthermore , the object of practising the method described is not solely to increase oil mobility the maximum amount possible . this is because for some pumps ( e . g . pcp &# 39 ; s ), if the frictional force between the fluid entering the pump and the pump itself is too low , the fluid may slip inside the pump as the rotor is turned which leads to reduced pump efficiency . this effect can be compounded with pumps designed to accommodate sand production accompanying oil production ( as in chops ). in such cases , the gaps between rotor and stator are necessarily large , leading to an increased slip of low friction fluids . careful control of fluid compositions and delivery rates may therefore be important . in applications of the method described , a water based formulation will be delivered to a pump inlet and it will be necessary for the pump to carry this added fluid to the surface . the resulting improvement in pump performance must be such as to allow the pump speed to be increased by a proportion which is sufficient to accommodate the additional fluid delivered and still transport produced oil . the ratio of formulation to oil will have to be optimized on a well - by - well basis , in order to achieve maximum oil production . suitably , the formulation will be delivered at between 60 : 40 oil : formulation through to 95 : 5 oil : formulation , preferably in the range 70 : 30 to 85 : 15 . details of field trials to illustrate use of the method are described in examples 2 and 3 below . a candidate well was selected , based on an assessment of the factors described in ( a ) to ( k ) above , as having high potential for an increase in oil production rate by treatment with the water - based formulation described . the well had a sand control barrier . the initial oil production rate of the well was approximately 48 bpd . a 0 . 5 wt % polyvinylalcohol aqueous solution was introduced into the annulus by simply pouring it down the annulus . the delivery rate was optimised over a four day period by trial and error . the table below shows data for two situations . one is the case where no aqueous solution was introduced ( i . e . a baseline ). the second case is for when the aqueous solution was introduced at an optimised rate of 23 bpd . in summary , it was found that delivery at the optimum rate resulted in the following : i . the ability to increase the pump speed by 34 % from 206 rpm to 275 rpm . ii . a greater than 55 % increase in oil production from 48 bpd to 76 bpb . this increase of 28 bpd is greater than would be predicted by using the aforementioned equation ( maximum increase = ip × pump intake pressure ). this implies the ip has been increased by the treatment which indicates the productivity of the near wellbore reservoir has been improved . iii . an increase in the volumetric efficiency of the pump from 43 % to almost 60 % iv . a 15 % reduction in pump torque from 248 lb · ft to 211 lb · ft v . a 68 % reduction in wellhead pressure ( whp ) from 75 psi to 16 psi after completion of the trial , the pump rate was returned to a low rate ( 206 rpm ) and the hydrocarbon production rate was observed to return to its initial low value of approximately 50 bpd . a candidate well was selected , based on an assessment of the factors described in ( a ) to ( k ) above , as having high potential for reduction in downhole pump torque and wellhead pressure by treatment with the water - based formulation described . in this case , the well had no sand pack . the initial oil production rate of the well was approximately 109 bpd . a 0 . 7 wt % polyvinylalcohol aqueous solution was introduced into the annulus at a delivery rate of 26 bpd . after a period of 8 hours delivering the formulation at 26 bpd , with the downhole pump set at 90 rpm , the downhole pump speed was increased to 110 rpm for the duration of the trial . fig3 shows the changes in pump torque ( lb · ft ) and wellhead pressure ( psi ) as a function of time as the formulation was being delivered . the measured values of pump torque are divided by 2 in order to scale the data so both torque and wellhead pressure can be shown on one figure . time zero is the time at which the delivery of the formulation began . fig3 shows that there is an initial period of up to 15 hours , during which both pump torque and wellhead pressure vary erratically , finally stabilising to levels that are 25 % and 70 % less than their starting values . however , during the trial , the pump delivering aqueous formulation was turned off after about 20 hours for a 3 hour period . as a result the pump torque and the wellhead pressure rose at about 30 hours but returned to a lower level later . this clearly illustrates how , in the absence of the water - based formulation , pump torque is higher . the water - based formulations may be advantageously used with pcps as described above . in addition , it is noted that such water - based formulations generally will not attack pcp stators which are lined with rubber or elastomers , in contrast to organic solvents which could attach stators . thus , it is believed that the water - based formulation will not contribute to wear or degradation of the stators or materials from which they are made . the water - based formulations may also be used to improve performance or efficiency of beam pumps . factors affecting performance / efficiency and the application of the water based formulation may be generally as described for pcps as described above . as described above , the water - based formulation may simply be poured down the annulus and because the formulation generally has a density which is greater than that of the oil in the annulus it will fall under gravity and travel to the bottom of the annulus to a position adjacent the inlet of the pump . the presence of the formulation in this region enhances the ability of the oil to enter the inlet of the pump . it will be appreciated that intimate mixing of oil and formulation is unlikely to take place adjacent the inlet because in the embodiment described no means is provided for encouraging mixing . in some wells , the annulus may be interrupted , for example by a packer or other device introduced to isolate geological zones of the well and / or to stabilise regions of the well , and consequently it will not be possible to simply pour formulation down the annulus . in this case , a tube may be inserted down the annulus and through any packer or other device which otherwise blocks the annulus , the tube being arranged to deliver formulation to the reservoir at a position adjacent the inlet of the pump . in another embodiment a more complex fluid delivery apparatus may be provided for delivering formulation to the reservoir . referring to fig4 , a delivery apparatus 50 is shown extending down the annulus 16 from above ground level 4 to the inlet 12 of the pump 10 . the apparatus 50 includes an elongate tube 52 extending from above ground level , through any packer or other obstruction ( none being shown ) to a toroidal tube 54 which surrounds the inlet 12 of the pump . the toroidal tube includes an array of openings ( not shown ) via which fluid may exit the apparatus . the openings are arranged so that fluid exiting the tube can be relatively evenly delivered around the inlet . the apparatus may be arranged to provide an additional force to actively draw hydrocarbon from the reservoir . this may be achieved by flowing the formulation through nozzles or jets connected to the toroidal tube , which can accelerate the rate of hydrocarbon flow via the venturi effect . furthermore , the formulation may suitably be delivered at above the hydrostatic pressure experienced at the pump inlet which is preferably above the bubble point of the oil . in each of the embodiments described above , the delivery rate of formulation through the apparatus may be controlled according to the oil production rate and the ratio of oil to formulation . for oil wells producing between 10 bpd and 500 bpd , the expected delivery rates for the formulation will be 0 . 25 liters / minute to 10 liters / minute . internal diameters of delivery tubing would be in the range 0 . 1 inches to 0 . 8 inches , preferably 0 . 2 inches to 0 . 5 inches . the invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment ( s ). the invention extends to any novel one , or any novel combination , of the features disclosed in this specification ( including any accompanying claims , abstract and drawings ), or to any novel one , or any novel combination , of the steps of any method or process so disclosed .	2
a composition useful in ig applications as an “ all - in - one ” sealant is disclosed . the composition may be a one - part or multiple - part composition . the composition comprises : ( a ) 10 to 65 weight % of a moisture - curable , silane - functional , low permeability , organic polymer ; ( b ) 0 . 05 to 3 weight % of a condensation catalyst ; ( c ) 1 to 25 weight % of a silanol functional silicone resin ; ( d ) 0 to 25 weight % of a drying agent ; ( e ) 0 to 30 weight % of a filler other than ingredient ( d ); ( f ) 0 to 30 weight % of a non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymer ; ( g ) 0 to 5 weight % of a crosslinker ; ( h ) 0 to 5 weight % of a chemical drying agent other than ingredient ( g ); ( i ) 0 to 5 weight % of an adhesion promoter other than ingredients ( g ) and ( h ); ( j ) 0 to 20 weight % of a microcrystalline wax , which is a solid at 25 ° c . and has a melting point selected such that the wax melts at the low end of the desired application temperature range ; ( k ) 0 to 3 weight % of an anti - aging additive ; and ( l ) 0 to 20 weight % of a tackifying agent . for the avoidance of doubt whilst the cumulative amounts of the constituents present or optionally present may add up to a value greater than or less than 100 %, it is to be understood that the total weight % of any composition in accordance with the present invention is equal to 100 %. ingredient ( a ) is a moisture - curable , silane - functional , organic polymer . it is preferred that ingredient ( a ) is of low permeability . for purposes of this application , ‘ low permeability ’ means that when the composition is used in an insulating glass unit as a single or dual edge seal , ingredient ( a ) imparts a property to the cured product of the composition ( sealant ) such that the sealant is able to withstand environmental conditions that include exposure to water and / or water vapour during the useful life of the i unit in which the composition is used and the unit meets relevant industry performance standards , such as en 1279 - 2 , en 1279 - 3 , or astm e2190 - 08 . ingredient ( a ) may be elastomeric , i . e ., have a glass transition temperature ( tg ) less than 0 ° c . when ingredient ( a ) is elastomeric , ingredient ( a ) may be distinguished from semi - crystalline and amorphous polyolefins ( e . g ., alpha - olefins ), commonly referred to as thermoplastic polymers . the sealant prepared by curing the composition may be elastomeric in that when ingredient ( a ) is elastomeric , the sealant may have a rubbery consistency imparted to the composition by ingredient ( a ). ingredient ( a ) may comprise a silylated poly - alpha - olefin , a silylated copolymer of an iso - mono - olefin and a vinyl aromatic monomer , a silylated copolymer of a diene and a vinyl aromatic monomer , a silylated copolymer of an olefin and a diene ( e . g ., a silylated butyl rubber prepared from polyisobutylene and isoprene , which may optionally be halogenated ), or a combination thereof ( silylated copolymers ), a silylated homopolymer of the iso - mono - olefin , a silylated homopolymer of the vinyl aromatic monomer , a silylated homopolymer of the diene ( e . g ., silylated polybutadiene or silylated hydrogenated polybutadiene ), or a combination thereof ( silylated homopolymers ) or a combination silylated copolymers and silylated homopolymers . for purposes of this application , silylated copolymers and silylated homopolymers are referred to collectively as ‘ silylated polymers ’. the silylated polymer may optionally contain one or more halogen groups , particularly bromine groups . where d represents a divalent organic group , each x independently represents a hydrolyzable group , each r independently represents a monovalent hydrocarbon group , subscript e represents 0 , 1 , 2 , or 3 , subscript f represents 0 , 1 , or 2 , and subscript g has a value ranging from 0 to 18 , with the proviso that the sum of e + f is at least 1 , and at least one x is present in the formula . alternatively , d may be a divalent hydrocarbon group such as ethylene , propylene , butylene , and hexylene . alternatively , each x may be selected from the group consisting of an alkoxy group ; an alkenyloxy group ; an amido group , such as an acetamido , a methylacetamido group , or benzamido group ; an acyloxy group such as acetoxy ; an amino group ; an aminoxy group ; a hydroxyl group ; a mercapto group ; an oximo group , and a ketoximo group . alternatively , each r may be independently selected from alkyl groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms , aryl groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms , and aralkyl groups of 7 to 20 carbon atoms . alternatively , subscript g is 0 . examples of suitable mono - iso - olefins include but are not limited to isoalkylenes such as isobutylene , isopentylene , isohexylene , and isoheptylene ; alternatively isobutylene . examples of suitable vinyl aromatic monomers include but are not limited to alkylstyrenes such as alpha - methylstyrene , t - butylstyrene , and para - methylstyrene ; alternatively para - methylstyrene . examples of suitable alkyl groups include methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , isobutyl , and t - butyl ; alternatively methyl . examples of suitable alkenyl groups include , vinyl , allyl , propenyl , butenyl , and hexenyl ; alternatively vinyl . ingredient ( a ) may have average molecular weight ( mn ) ranging from 20 , 000 to 500 , 000 , alternatively 50 , 000 - 200 , 000 , alternatively 20 , 000 to 100 , 000 , alternatively 25 , 000 to 50 , 000 , and alternatively 28 , 000 to 35 , 000 . all values of mn above are measured by triple detection size exclusion chromatography and calculated on the basis of polystyrene molecular weight standards . ingredient ( a ) may contain silane - functional groups described by the formula above in an amount ranging from 0 . 2 mol % to 10 mol %, alternatively 0 . 5 mol % to 5 mol %, and alternatively 0 . 5 mol % to 2 . 0 mol %, alternatively 0 . 5 mol % to 1 . 5 mol %, and alternatively 0 . 6 mol % to 1 . 2 mol %. suitable examples of silylated poly - alpha - olefins are known in the art and are commercially available . examples include the condensation reaction curable silylated polymers marketed as vestoplast ®, which are commercially available from degussa ag coatings & amp ; colorants of marl , germany . suitable examples of silylated copolymers and methods for their preparation are known in the art and are exemplified by the silylated copolymers disclosed in ep 0 320 259 b1 ( dow corning ); de 19 , 821 , 356 a1 ( metallgesellschaft ); and u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 900 , 772 ( kaneka ); 4 , 904 , 732 ( kaneka ); 5 , 120 , 379 ( kaneka ); 5 , 262 , 502 ( kaneka ); 5 , 290 , 873 ( kaneka ); 5 , 580 , 925 ( kaneka ), 4 , 808 , 664 ( dow corning ), 6 , 380 , 316 ( dow corning / exxonmobil ); and 6 , 177 , 519 ( dow corning / exxonmobil ). u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 380 , 316 and 6 , 177 , 519 are hereby incorporated by reference . briefly stated , the method for preparing the silylated copolymers of u . s . pat . no . 6 , 177 , 519 involves contacting i ) an olefin copolymer having at least 50 mole % of an iso - mono - olefin having 4 to 7 carbon atoms and a vinyl aromatic monomer ; ii ) a silane having at least two hydrolyzable organic groups and at least one olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbon or hydrocarbonoxy group ; and iii ) a free radical generating agent . alternatively , silylated copolymers may be prepared by a method comprising conversion of commercially available hydroxylated polybutadiene ( such as those commercially available from sartomer under tradename poly bd ) by known methods ( e . g ., reaction with isocyanate functional alkoxysilane , reaction with allylchloride in presence of na followed by hydrosilylation ). the amount of ingredient ( a ) may range from 10 to 65 weight %, alternatively 10 to 35 weight %, and alternatively 15 to 35 weight %, based on the weight of the composition . all amounts , ratios , and percentages in this application are by weight , unless otherwise indicated , ingredient ( a ) may be one moisture - curable , silane - functional , low permeability , organic polymer . alternatively , ingredient ( a ) may comprise two or more moisture - curable , silane - functional , low permeability , organic polymers that differ in at least one of the following properties : structure , viscosity , average molecular weight , polymer units , and sequence . for purposes of this application , the articles ‘ a ’, ‘ an ’, and ‘ the ’ may each refer to one or more . ingredient ( b ) is a condensation catalyst . suitable condensation catalysts include tin ( iv ) compounds , tin ( ii ) compounds , and titanates . examples of tin ( iv ) compounds include dibutyl tin dilaurate ( dbtdl ), dimethyl tin dilaurate , di -( n - butyl ) tin bis - ketonate , dibutyl tin diacetate , dibutyl tin maleate , dibutyl tin di acetylacetonate , dibutyl tin dimethoxide carbomethoxyphenyl tin tris - uberate , isobutyl tin triceroate , dimethyl tin dibutyrate , dimethyl tin di - neodeconoate ( dmdtn ), triethyl tin tartrate , dibutyl tin dibenzoate , butyltintri - 2 - ethylhexoate , a dioctyl tin diacetate , tin octylate , tin oleate , tin butyrate , tin naphthenate , dimethyl tin dichloride , and a combination thereof . tin ( iv ) compounds are known in the art and are commercially available , such as metatin ® 740 and fascat (®) 4202 . examples of tin ( ii ) compounds include tin ( ii ) salts of organic carboxylic acids such as tin ( ii ) diacetate , tin ( ii ) dioctanoate , tin ( ii ) diethylhexanoate , tin ( ii ) dilaurate , stannous salts of carboxylic acids such as stannous octoate , stannous oleate , stannous acetate , stannous laurate , and a combination thereof . examples of organofunctional titanates include 1 , 3 - propanedioxytitanium bis ( ethylacetoacetate ); 1 , 3 - propanedioxytitanium bis ( acetylacetonate ); diisopropoxytitanium bis ( acetylacetonate ); 2 , 3 - di - isopropoxy - bis ( ethylacetate ) titanium ; titanium naphthenate ; tetrapropyltitanate ; tetrabutyltitanate ; tetraethylhexyltitanate ; tetraphenyltitanate ; tetraoctadecyltitanate ; tetrabutoxytitanium ; tetraisopropoxytitanium ; ethyltriethanolaminetitanate ; a betadicarbonyltitanium compound such as bis ( acetylacetonyl ) diisopropyltitanate ; or a combination thereof . siloxytitanates are exemplified by tetrakis ( trimethylsiloxy ) titanium , bis ( trimethylsiloxy ) bis ( isopropoxy ) titanium , or a combination thereof . the amount of ingredient ( b ) is sufficient to cure the composition . the amount of ingredient ( b ) may range from 0 . 03 to 3 weight %, alternatively 0 . 1 to 3 weight %, and alternatively 0 . 2 to 2 weight %, based on the weight of the composition . ingredient ( b ) may be one condensation catalyst . alternatively , ingredient ( b ) may comprise two or more different condensation catalysts . ingredient ( c ) is a silanol functional silicone resin . ingredient ( c ) is selected such that ingredient ( c ) contains an amount of silanol groups sufficient to cure the composition and such that the sufficient amount of silanol groups are reactive enough to cure the composition when exposed for an application time at a temperature in the application temperature range , for example , by the method of reference example 2 herein . however , ingredient ( c ) has a sufficiently low volatility and is sufficiently stable to prevent too much silanol from being released during processing . for example , ingredient ( c ) binds the silanol groups sufficiently during compounding of the composition such that sufficient silanol groups are available for curing the composition during or after the application process in which the composition is used . for example , when the composition will be used in an ig application , the application temperature range may be the temperature range at which the composition will be applied or interposed between glass panes . the application temperature range will depend on various factors including the ig unit fabricator &# 39 ; s particular fabrication process . silanol functional silicone resins are known in the art and commercially available . silanol functional silicone resins can comprise combinations of m , d , t , and q units , such as dt , mdt , dtq , mq , mdq , mdtq , or mtq resins ; alternatively t ( silsesquioxane ) resins or dt resins . for purposes of this application , “ d unit ” means a unit of the formula r 7 2 sio 2 / 2 , “ m unit ” means a unit of the formula r 7 3 sio 1 / 2 , “ q unit ” means a unit of the formula sio 4 / 2 , and “ t unit ” means a unit of the formula r 7 sio 3 / 2 ; where each r 7 is independently an organic group or a silanol group ( r 8 r 9 sio 2 / 2 ) h ( r 10 sio 3 / 2 ) i . each instance of r 8 , r 9 and r 10 may be the same or different . r 8 , r 9 and r 10 may be different within each unit . each r 8 , r 9 and r 10 independently represent a hydroxyl group or an organic group , such as a hydrocarbon group or alkoxy group . hydrocarbon groups can be saturated or unsaturated . hydrocarbon groups can be branched , unbranched , cyclic , or combinations thereof . hydrocarbon groups can have 1 to 40 carbon atoms , alternatively 1 to 30 carbon atoms , alternatively 1 to 20 carbon atoms , alternatively 1 to 10 carbon atoms , and alternatively 1 to 6 carbon atoms . the hydrocarbon groups may include alkyl groups such as methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , and t - butyl ; alternatively methyl or ethyl ; and alternatively methyl . the hydrocarbon groups may include aromatic groups such as phenyl , tolyl , xylyl , benzyl , and phenylethyl ; and alternatively phenyl . unsaturated hydrocarbon groups include alkenyl such as vinyl , allyl , butenyl , and hexenyl . in the formula above , h may range from 1 to 200 , alternatively 1 to 100 , alternatively 1 to 50 , alternatively 1 to 37 , and alternatively 1 to 25 . in the formula above , i may range from 1 to 100 , alternatively 1 to 75 , alternatively 1 to 50 , alternatively 1 to 37 , and alternatively 1 to 25 . alternatively , the dt resin may have the formula : ( r 8 2 sio 2 / 2 ) h ( r 9 2 sio 2 / 2 ) i ( r 8 sio 3 / 2 ) h ( r 9 sio 3 / 2 ) i , where r 8 , r 9 , h , and i are as described above . alternatively , in this formula , each r 8 may be an alkyl group and each r 9 may be an aromatic group . mq resins are exemplified by resins of the formula : ( r 8 r 9 r 3 sio 1 / 2 ) j ( sio 4 / 2 ) k , where r 8 , r 9 and r 10 are as described above , j is 1 to 100 , and k is 1 to 100 , and the average ratio of j to k is 0 . 65 to 1 . 9 . in the formulae above , the silanol content , e . g ., amount of r 8 , r 9 and / or r 10 groups that are oh groups ( silanol ), depends on various factors including the molecular weight , structure , and location of the oh groups , however , silanol content may range from 3 % to 10 %, alternatively 5 % to 7 %, based on the weight of the silanol functional silicone resin . when the composition is prepared with continuous process equipment ( e . g ., twin - screw extruder ), the ingredients may be compounded at a temperature ranging from 20 ° c . to 30 ° c . above the application temperature range for a short amount of time . therefore , ingredient ( c ) is selected to ensure that not all of the silanol content is removed during compounding , however the silanol groups of ingredient ( c ) cure the composition when exposed to the application temperature range for a sufficient period of time . the silanol functional silicone resin selected will depend on various factors including the other ingredients selected for the composition , including catalyst type and amount and compatibility with the polymer ingredient ( a ); and the process conditions during compounding , packaging , and application . in a twin - screw compounder residence time may be less than a few minutes , typically 1 to 5 minutes , alternatively 1 to 2 minutes . the ingredients are heated rapidly because the surface / volume ratio in the barrels and along the screw is high and heat is induced by shearing the ingredients . how much silanol content is removed from the composition depends on the binding capabilities of the silanol functional silicone resin , the temperature , the exposure time ( duration ), and the level of vacuum used to strip the material passing through the compounder . even with compounding temperatures of up to 200 ° c ., alternatively 130 ° c . to 200 ° c ., and full operational vacuum stripping , there remains silanol content sufficient to cure the composition , after ca . 3 weeks ambient storage , when exposed afterwards at 90 ° c . for ca . 30 minutes . the amount of ingredient ( c ) in the composition depends on various factors including the selection of ingredients ( a ) and ( b ), whether any optional ingredients are present , and the degree of polymerization and amount of reactive silanol groups in ingredient ( c ), and the reactive hydrolyzable group content of ingredient ( a ). for purposes of this application , ‘ reactive ’ means the amount of oh or other hydrolyzable group that is sufficiently sterically unhindered to react under the curing conditions of the composition . the silanol content of ingredient ( c ) may be at least 70 mol % of the hydrolyzable group content of ingredient ( a ), alternatively at least 90 mol %, and alternatively 70 mol % to 100 mol %. alternatively , the silanol functional silicone resin may be present in an amount sufficient to provide a silanol content ranging from 1 mole to 3 mole of silanol , per 1 mole of hydrolyzable groups bonded to ingredient ( a ). without wishing to be bound by theory , it is thought that the present invention provides a benefit over previous compositions that contain liquid water , hydrated metal salts such as those disclosed by u . s . pat . no . 6 , 025 , 445 , and hydrated fillers . it is thought that adding liquid water to the composition may form steam during the compounding process to make the composition , during the application process of the composition to a substrate , or both . it is thought that hydrated metal salts may have a negative effect on the adhesion of composition , especially when the adhesion needs to withstand environmental conditions that include water or water vapour . it is thought that the hydrated fillers may not be able to contain a sufficient amount of water to cure the composition effectively when the composition is made on a continuous compounder at low pressure and high temperatures ( e . g ., of 130 ° c . or higher ). the silanol functional silicone resin may provide the benefit of a consistent amount of silanol groups after compounding the ingredients to make the composition in commercial scale equipment . ingredient ( d ) is a drying agent that may optionally be added to the composition . the drying agent binds water from various sources . in ig applications , the drying agent may bind water that an ig unit contains between panes upon its manufacture and / or that diffuses into the interpane space during service life of the ig unit . the drying agent may bind by - products of the curing reaction such as water and alcohols . the drying agent binds the water and by - products by physical means . for example , the drying agent may bind the water and by - products by physically adsorbing or absorbing them . ingredient ( d ) may be added to the composition to perform the desiccating function of an edge - seal in an ig unit and to reduce or eliminate chemical fogging of the ig unit that may be caused by by - products of the curing reaction . examples of suitable adsorbents for ingredient ( d ) may be inorganic particulates . the adsorbent may have a particle size of 10 micrometers or less , alternatively 5 micrometers or less . the adsorbent may have average pore size sufficient to adsorb water and alcohols , for example 10 å ( angstroms ) or less , alternatively 5 å or less , and alternatively 3 å or less . examples of adsorbents include zeolites such as chabasite , mordenite , and analcite ; molecular sieves such as alkali metal alumino silicates , silica gel , silica - magnesia gel , activated carbon , activated alumina , calcium oxide , and combinations thereof . one skilled in the art would be able to select suitable drying agents for ingredient ( d ) without undue experimentation . one skilled in the art would recognize that certain drying agents such as silica gel will bind water , while others such as molecular sieves may bind water , alcohols , or both . examples of commercially available drying agents include dry molecular sieves , such as 3 & lt ; ( angstrom ) molecular sieves , which are commercially available from grace davidson under the trademark sylosiv ® and from zeochem of louisville , ky ., u . s . a . under the trade name purmol , and 4 å molecular sieves such as doucil ® zeolite 4a available from ineos silicas of warrington , england . other useful molecular sieves include molsiv ® adsorbent type 13x , 3a , 4a , and 5a , all of which are commercially available from uop of illinois , u . s . a . ; siliporite ® nk 30ap and 65 × p from atofina of philadelphia , pa ., u . s . a . ; and molecular sieves available from w . r . grace of maryland , u . s . a . the amount of ingredient ( d ) in the composition may range from 0 to 25 %, alternatively 15 % to 25 %, based on the weight of the composition . the composition may optionally further comprise additional ingredient ( e ). ingredient ( e ) is a filler other than ingredient ( d ). ingredient ( e ) generally does not significantly impact the amount of water present during and after curing the composition . ingredient ( e ) may comprise a reinforcing filler , an extending filler , a thixotropic filler , a pigment , or a combination thereof . one skilled in the art would be able to select suitable additional fillers without undue experimentation . examples of suitable additional fillers include , but are not limited to , precipitated calcium carbonate , ground calcium carbonate , fumed silica , precipitated silica , talc , titanium dioxide , plastic powders , glass or plastic ( such as saran ™) microspheres , high aspect ratio fillers such as mica or exfoliated mica , and combinations thereof . the filler may optionally be treated with a treating agent , such as a fatty acid ( e . g ., stearic acid ). suitable fillers are known in the art and are commercially available . precipitated calcium carbonate is available from solvay under the trademark winnofil ® spm . ground calcium carbonate is available from qci britannic of miami , fla ., u . s . a . under the trademark imerys gammasperse . carbon black , such as 1011 , is commercially available from williams . silica is commercially available from cabot corporation . the amount of ingredient ( e ) in the composition depends on various factors including the type , particle size , and surface treatment of the filler selected . however , the amount of ingredient ( e ) may range from 0 to 30 weight %, alternatively 5 to 30 weight %, based on the weight of the composition . ingredient ( e ) may be one filler . alternatively , ingredient ( e ) may comprise two or more fillers that differ in at least one of the following properties : composition , particle size , and surface treatment . ingredient ( f ) is a non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymer , i . e ., an elastomeric organic polymer that does not react with ingredient ( a ). ingredient ( f ) is compatible with ingredient ( a ), i . e ., ingredient ( f ) does not form a two - phase system with ingredient ( a ). ingredient ( f ) may have sufficiently low gas and moisture permeability , for example , if the composition will be used in an ig application . ingredient ( f ) may have mn ranging from 30 , 000 to 75 , 000 . alternatively , ingredient ( f ) may be a blend of a higher molecular weight , non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymer with a lower molecular weight , non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymer . in this case , the higher molecular weight polymer may have mn ranging from 100 , 000 to 600 , 000 and the lower molecular weight polymer may have mn ranging from 900 to 10 , 000 , alternatively 900 to 3 , 000 . the value for the lower end of the range for mn may be selected such that ingredient ( f ) has compatibility with ingredient ( a ) and the other ingredients of the composition to minimize chemical fogging in an ig unit in which the composition will be used . all values of mn above are measured by triple detection size exclusion chromatography and calculated on the basis of polystyrene molecular weight standards . ingredient ( f ) may comprise a polyisobutylene . polyisobutylenes are known in the art and are commercially available . examples suitable for use as ingredient ( f ) include polyisobutylenes marketed under the trademark oppanol ® by basf corporation of germany . such polyisobutylenes are summarized in the table below ( details having been taken from the relevant datasheets current at the time of filing the priority application ( u . s . 61 / 162378 ) for this application . viscosity oppanol ® mw mw / mn mn mv (@ 150 c .) b10 36 , 000 3 12 , 000 40 , 000 40 , 000 b11 46 , 000 3 . 2 14 , 375 49 , 000 100 , 000 b12 51 , 000 3 . 2 15 , 938 55 , 000 150 , 000 b13 60 , 000 3 . 2 18 , 750 65 , 000 250 , 000 b14 65 , 000 3 . 3 19 , 697 73 , 000 450 , 000 b15 75 , 000 3 . 4 22 , 059 85 , 000 750 , 000 b30 73 , 000 200 , 000 b50 120 , 000 400 , 000 b80 200 , 000 800 , 000 b100 250 , 000 1 , 100 , 000 b150 425 , 000 2 , 600 , 000 b200 600 , 000 4 , 000 , 000 other polyisobutylenes include different parleam grades such as highest molecular weight hydrogenated polyisobutene parleam ® sv ( polysynlane sv ) from nof corporation functional chemicals & amp ; polymers div ., yebisu garden place tower , 20 - 3 ebisu 4 - chome , shibuya - ku , tokyo 150 - 6019 , japan ( kinematic viscosity ( 98 . 9 ° c .). 4700 ). other polyisobutylenes are commercially available from exxonmobil chemical co . of baytown , tex ., u . s . a . and include polyisobutylenes marketed under the trademark vistanex ®, such as mml - 80 , mml - 100 , mml - 120 , and mml - 140 . vistanex ® polyisobutylenes are paraffinic hydrocarbon polymers , composed of long , straight - chain macromolecules containing only chain - end olefinic bonds . vistanex ® mm polyisobutylenes have viscosity average molecular weight ranging from 70 , 000 to 90 , 000 . lower molecular weight polyisobutylenes include vistanex ® lm , such as lm - ms ( viscosity average molecular weight ranging from 8 , 700 to 10 , 000 also made by exxonmobil chemical co .) and vistanex lm - mh ( viscosity average molecular weight of 10 , 000 to 11 , 700 ) as well as soltex pb - 24 ( mn 950 ) and indopol ® h - 100 ( mn 910 ) and indopol ® h - 1200 ( mn 2100 ) from amoco . other polyisobutylenes are marketed under the trademarks napvis ® and hyvis ® by bp chemicals of london , england . these polyisobutylenes include napvis ® 200 , d10 , and de3 ; and hyvis200 . the napvis ® polyisobutylenes may have mn ranging from 900 to 1300 . alternatively , ingredient ( f ) may comprise butyl rubber . alternatively , ingredient ( f ) may comprise a styrene - ethylene / butylene - styrene ( sebs ) block copolymer , a styrene - ethylene / propylene - styrene ( seps ) block copolymer , or a combination thereof . sebs and seps block copolymers are known in the art and are commercially available as kraton ® g polymers from kraton polymers u . s . llc of houston , tex ., u . s . a ., and as septon polymers from kuraray america , inc ., new york , n . y ., u . s . a . alternatively , ingredient ( f ) may comprise a polyolefin plastomer . polyolefin plastomers are known in the art and are commercially available as affinity ® ga 1900 and affinity ® ga 1950 from dow chemical company , elastomers & amp ; specialty products division , midland , mich ., u . s . a . the amount of ingredient ( f ) range from 0 to 50 weight %, alternatively 10 to 40 weight %, and alternatively 5 to 35 weight %, based on the weight of the composition . ingredient ( f ) may be one non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymer . alternatively , ingredient ( f ) may comprise two or more non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymers that differ in at least one of the following properties : structure , viscosity , average molecular weight , polymer units , and sequence . ingredient ( g ) is a crosslinker . ingredient ( g ) may be a silane , an oligomeric reaction product of the silane , or a combination thereof . alkoxysilane crosslinkers may have the general formula r 1 a sir 2 ( 4 - a ) , where each r 1 is independently a monovalent organic group such as an alkyl group , alkenyl group , or aryl group ; each r 2 is a hydrolyzable group ; and a is 1 , 2 , or 3 . oligomeric crosslinkers may have the general formula r 1 si ( osi ( r 2 ) 3 ) 3 , where r 1 and r 2 are as described above . in the formulae above , suitable monovalent organic groups for r 1 include , but are not limited to , monovalent substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbon groups . examples of monovalent unsubstituted hydrocarbon groups for r 1 include , but are not limited to , alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , pentyl , octyl , undecyl , and octadecyl ; cycloalkyl such as cyclohexyl ; alkenyl such as vinyl , allyl , and propenyl ; aryl such as phenyl , tolyl , xylyl , benzyl , and 2 - phenylethyl . examples of monovalent substituted hydrocarbon groups for r 1 include , but are not limited to , monovalent halogenated hydrocarbon groups such as chlorinated alkyl groups such as chloromethyl and chloropropyl groups ; fluorinated alkyl groups such as fluoromethyl , 2 - fluoropropyl , 3 , 3 , 3 - trifluoropropyl , 4 , 4 , 4 - trifluorobutyl , 4 , 4 , 4 , 3 , 3 - pentafluorobutyl , 5 , 5 , 5 , 4 , 4 , 3 , 3 - heptafluoropentyl , 6 , 6 , 6 , 5 , 5 , 4 , 4 , 3 , 3 - nonafluorohexyl , and 8 , 8 , 8 , 7 , 7 - pentafluorooctyl ; chlorinated cycloalkyl groups such as 2 , 2 - dichlorocycliopropyl , 2 , 3 - dichlorocyclopentyl ; and fluorinated cycloalkyl groups such as 2 , 2 - difluorocyclopropyl , 2 , 3 - difluorocyclobutyl , 3 , 4 - difluorocyclohexyl , and 3 , 4 - difluoro - 5 - methylcycloheptyl . examples of monovalent substituted hydrocarbon groups for r 1 include , but are not limited to , hydrocarbon groups substituted with oxygen atoms such as glycidoxyalkyl , and hydrocarbon groups substituted with nitrogen atoms such as aminoalkyl and cyano - functional groups such as cyanoethyl and cyanopropyl . alternatively , each le may be an alkyl group , alkenyl group , or aryl group . each r 2 may be independently selected from an alkoxy group ; an alkenyloxy group ; an amido group , such as an acetamido , a methylacetamido group , or benzamido group ; an acyloxy group such as acetoxy ; an amino group ; an aminoxy group ; a hydroxyl group ; a mercapto group ; an oximo group , and a ketoximo group . alternatively , each r 2 may be an alkoxy group . suitable alkoxy groups for r 2 include , but are not limited to , methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , and butoxy . ingredient ( g ) may comprise an alkoxysilane exemplified by a dialkoxysilane , such as a dialkyldialkoxysilane or a trialkoxysilane , such as an alkyltrialkoxysilane or alkenyltrialkoxysilane , or partial or full hydrolysis products thereof , or another combination thereof . examples of suitable trialkoxysilanes include methyltrimethoxysilane , methyltriethoxysilane , ethyltrimethoxysilane , ethyltriethoxysilane , phenyltriethoxysilane , phenyltrimethoxysilane , vinyltrimethoxysilane , vinyltriethoxysilane , and a combination thereof . examples of alkoxysilane crosslinkers are disclosed in u . s . pat ,. nos . 4 , 962 , 076 ; 5 , 051 , 455 ; and 5 , 053 , 442 . alternatively , ingredient ( g ) may comprise a dialkoxysilane selected from chloromethylmethyldimethoxysilane , chloromethylmethyldiethoxysilane , dimethyldimethoxysilane , methyl - n - propyldimethoxysilane , ( 2 , 2 - dichlorocyclopropyl )- methyldimethoxysilane , ( 2 , 2 - difluorocyclopropyl )- methyldiethoxysilane , ( 2 , 2 - dichlorocyclopropyl )- methyldiethoxysilane , fluoromethyl - methyldiethoxysilane , fluoromethyl - methyldimethoxysilane , or a combination thereof . alternatively , ingredient ( g ) may comprise a trialkoxysilane selected from methyltrimethoxysilane , ethyltrimethoxysilane , propyltrimethoxysilane , isobutyltrimethoxysilane , cyclopentyltrimethoxysilane , hexyltrimethoxysilane , phenyltrimethoxysilane , 2 - ethyl - hexyltrimethoxysilane , 2 , 3 - dimethylcyclohexyltrimethoxislane , glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane , aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane , ( ethylenediaminepropyl ) trimethoxysilane , 3 - methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane , chloromethyltrimethoxysilane , 3 - chloropropyltrimethoxysilane , trichlorophenyltrimethoxysilane , 3 , 3 , 3 - trifluoropropyl trimethoxysilane , 4 , 4 , 4 , 3 , 3 - pentafluorobutyltrimethoxysilane , 2 , 2 - difluorocyclopropyltriethoxysilane , methyltriethoxysilane , cyclohexyltriethoxysilane , chloromethyltriethoxysilane , tetrachlorophenyltriethoxysilane , fluoromethyltriethoxysilane , methyltriisopropoxysilane , methyl - tris ( methoxyethoxy ) silane , n - propyl - tris ( 3 - methoxyethoxy ) silane , phenyltris -( methoxyethoxy ) silane , vinyltrimethoxysilane , vinyltriethoxysilane , or a combination thereof . alternatively , ingredient ( g ) may comprise a tetraalkoxysilane selected from tetraethoxysilane , tetrapropoxysilane , tetrabutoxysilane , or a combination thereof . the amount of ingredient ( g ) depends on the specific crosslinker selected . however , the amount of ingredient ( g ) may range from 0 to 5 weight %, alternatively 0 . 1 to 5 weight %, based on the weight of the composition . ingredient ( g ) may be one crosslinker . alternatively , ingredient ( g ) may comprise two or more different crosslinkers . ingredient ( g ) may comprise an acyloxysilane , such as an acetoxysilane . acetoxysilanes include a tetraacetoxysilane , an organotriacetoxysilane , a diorganodiacetoxysilane , or a combination thereof . the acetoxysilane may contain alkyl groups such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , and tertiary butyl ; alkenyl groups such as vinyl , allyl , or hexenyl ; aryl groups such as phenyl , tolyl , or xylyl ; aralkyl groups such as benzyl or 2 - phenylethyl ; and fluorinated alkyl groups such as 3 , 3 , 3 - trifluoropropyl . alternatively , ingredient ( g ) may comprise organotriacetoxysilanes , for example mixtures containing methyltriacetoxysilane and ethyltriacetoxysilane . alternatively , ingredient ( g ) may comprise a ketoximosilane . examples of ketoximosilanes for ingredient ( g ) include , but are not limited to , tetra ( methylethylketoximo ) silane , methyl - tris -( methylethylketoximo ) silane , vinyl - tris -( methylethylketoximo ) silane , and combinations thereof . alternatively , ingredient ( g ) may comprise a disilane of formula r 4 3 si - d - sir 4 3 , where r 4 and d are as described herein . examples of such disilanes include bis ( triethoxysilyl ) hexane ), 1 , 4 - bis [ trimethoxysilyl ( ethyl )] benzene , and bis [ 3 -( triethoxysilyl ) propyl ] tetrasulfide , as described in , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 130 , 306 . alternatively , an amount of a crosslinker added to the composition in addition to ingredient ( g ) may function as a chemical drying agent . without wishing to be bound by theory , it is thought that the chemical drying agent may be added to the dry part of a multiple part composition to keep the composition free from water and to assist in binding water coming from ingredient ( d ) after the parts of the composition are mixed together . for example , alkoxysilanes suitable as drying agents include vinyltrimethoxysilane , vinyltriethoxysilane , and combinations thereof . the amount of ingredient ( h ) depends on the specific drying agent selected . however , the amount of ingredient ( h ) may range from 0 to 5 weight %, alternatively 0 . 1 to 0 . 5 weight %, ingredient ( h ) may be one chemical drying agent . alternatively , ingredient ( h ) may comprise two or more different chemical drying agents . ingredient ( i ) is an adhesion promoter . ingredient ( i ) may be an organofunctional silane other than ingredient ( g ). the organofunctional silane may have the general formula r 3 b sir 4 ( 4 - b ) , where each r 3 is independently a monovalent organic group ; each r 4 is an alkoxy group ; and b is 0 , 1 , 2 , or 3 , alternatively b may be 0 or 1 . alternatively , the adhesion promoter may comprise an organofunctional silane having the formula r 5 c r 6 d si ( or 5 ) 4 -( c + d ) where each r 5 is independently a substituted or unsubstituted , monovalent hydrocarbon group having at least 3 carbon atoms and each r 6 contains at least one sic bonded group having an adhesion - promoting group , such as amino , epoxy , mercapto or acrylate groups , c has the value of 0 to 2 and d is either 1 or 2 and the sum of c + d is not greater than 3 . the adhesion promoter can also be a partial condensate of the above silane . examples of ingredient ( i ) include a trialkoxysilane such as gamma - aminopropyltriethoxysilane , ( ethylenediaminepropyl ) trimethoxysilane , vinyltriethoxysilane , ( methacryloxypropyl ) trimethoxysilane , vinyltrimethoxysilane ; and a tetraalkoxysilane such as tetraethoxysilane ; and combinations thereof . alternatively , ingredient ( i ) may comprise a dialkoxysilane such as vinyl , methyl , dimethoxysilane ; vinyl , methyl , diethoxysilane ; vinyl , ethyl , dimethoxysilane ; vinyl , ethyl , diethoxysilane ; or a combination thereof . alternatively , ingredient ( i ) may comprise a trialkoxysilane selected from glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane , aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane , ( ethylenediaminepropyptrimethoxysilane , 3 - methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane , vinyltrimethoxysilane , vinyltriethoxysilane , or a combination thereof . alternatively , ingredient ( i ) may comprise a tetraalkoxysilane selected from tetraethoxysilane , tetrapropoxysilane , tetrabutoxysilane , or a combination thereof . alternatively , ingredient ( i ) may comprise a reaction product of an epoxy - functional silane and an amino - functional silane , described above , and as exemplified by those disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 602 , 078 and 5 , 405 , 889 . alternatively , ingredient ( i ) may comprise a silatrane derivative derived from an epoxy - functional silane and an amine compound as exemplified by those in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 936 , 110 . alternatively , ingredient ( i ) may comprise a disilane of formula r 4 3 si - d - sir 4 3 , where r 4 and d are as described above . examples of such disilanes include bis ( triethoxysilyl ) hexane ), 1 , 4 - bis [ trimethoxysilyl ( ethyl )] benzene , and bis [ 3 -( triethoxysilyl ) propyl ] tetrasulfide , as described in , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 130 , 306 . the amount of ingredient ( i ) depends on the specific adhesion promoter selected . one skilled in the art would recognize that certain examples for ingredients ( g ) and ( i ) may have both crosslinking and adhesion promoting properties . one skilled in the art would recognize that the amount of ingredient ( i ) added to the composition is in addition to the amount of ingredient ( g ), and that when ingredient ( i ) is added , the adhesion promoter selected may be the same as or different from the crosslinker . however , the amount of ingredient ( i ) may range from 0 to 5 weight %, alternatively 0 to 2 weight %, and alternatively 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 weight %, based on the weight of the composition . ingredient ( i ) may be one adhesion promoter . alternatively , ingredient ( i ) may comprise two or more different adhesion promoters . organofunctional alkoxysilane crosslinkers and adhesion promoters are known in the art and commercially available . for example , vinyltriethoxysilane , vinyltrimethoxysilane , phenyltrimethoxysilane , tetraethoxysilane , isobutyltrimethoxysilane , ( ethylenediaminepropyl ) trimethoxysilane , and ( methacryloxypropyl ) trimethoxysilane are available from dow corning corporation of midland , mich ., u . s . a . aminopropyltriethoxysilane and gamma - isocyanopropyltriethoxysilane are available from under the designation silquest ® ( a - 1100 and a - 1310 , respectively ) from momentive performance materials , 187 danbury road , wilton , conn . usa . one skilled in the art would recognize when selecting ingredients ( g ), ( h ), and ( i ) that there may be overlap between crosslinker ( affecting the physical properties of the cured product ), adhesion promoter ( affecting the adhesion of the cured product ), and chemical drying agent ( affecting shelf - stability ). one skilled in the art would be able to distinguish among and select ingredients ( g ), ( h ), and / or ( i ) based on various factors including the intended use of the composition and whether the composition will be prepared as a one - part or multiple - part composition . ingredient ( j ) is a microcrystalline wax that is a solid at 25 ° c . ( wax ). the melting point may be selected such that the wax has a melting point at the low end of the desired application temperature range . for example , when the composition will be used in an ig unit , the wax may have a melting point ranging from 80 ° c . to 100 ° c . without wishing to be bound by theory , it is thought that ingredient ( j ) acts as a process aid that improves flow properties while allowing rapid green strength development ( i . e ., a strong increase in viscosity , corresponding to increase in the load carrying capability of a seal prepared from the composition , with a temperature drop ) upon cooling the composition a few degrees , for example , after the composition is applied to a substrate . without wishing to be bound by theory , it is thought that incorporation of wax may also facilitate incorporation of fillers , compounding and de - airing ( during production of the composition ), and mixing ( static or dynamic mixing during application of both parts of a two - part composition ). it is thought that the wax , when molten , serves as a process aid , substantially easing the incorporation of filler in the sealant during compounding , the compounding process itself , as well as the de - airing step . the wax , with a melt temperature below 100 ° c ., may facilitate mixing of the two parts of a two part sealant composition before application , even in a simple static mixer . the wax may also facilitate application of the composition as a sealant at temperatures ranging from 80 ° c . to 110 ° c ., alternatively 90 ° c . to 100 ° c . with good rheology . waxes suitable for use as ingredient ( j ) may be non - polar hydrocarbons . the waxes may have branched structures , cyclic structures , or combinations thereof . for example , petroleum microcrystalline waxes are available from strahl & amp ; pitsch , inc ., of west babylon , n . y ., u . s . a . and include sp 96 ( melting point ranging from 62 ° c . to 69 ° c . ), sp 18 ( melting point ranging from 73 ° c . to 80 ° c . ), sp 19 ( melting point ranging from 76 ° c . to 83 ° c . ), sp 26 ( melting point ranging from 76 ° c . to 83 ° c . ), sp 60 ( melting point ranging from 79 ° c . to 85 ° c . ), sp 617 ( melting point ranging from 88 ° c . to 93 ° c . ), sp 89 ( melting point ranging from 90 ° c . to 95 ° c . ), and sp 624 ( melting point ranging from 90 ° c . to 95 ° c .). other petroleum microcrystalline waxes include waxes marketed under the trademark multiwax ® by crompton corporation of petrolia , pennsylvania , u . s . a . these waxes include 180 - w , which comprises saturated branched and cyclic non - polar hydrocarbons and has melting point ranging from 79 ° c . to 87 ° c . ; multiwax ® w - 445 , which comprises saturated branched and cyclic non - polar hydrocarbons , and has melting point ranging from 76 ° c . to 83 ° c . ; and multiwax ® w - 835 , which comprises saturated branched and cyclic non - polar hydrocarbons , and has melting point ranging from 73 ° c . to 80 ° c . the amount of ingredient ( j ) depends on various factors including the specific wax selected and the selections of ingredient ( c ) and ingredients ( d ) and ( e ), if present . however , the amount of ingredient ( j ) may range from 0 to 20 weight %, alternatively 1 to 15 weight %, and alternatively 1 to 5 weight %, based on the weight of the composition . ingredient ( j ) may be one wax . alternatively , ingredient ( j ) may comprise two or more different waxes . ingredient ( k ) is an anti - aging additive . ingredient ( k ) may comprise an antioxidant , a uv absorber , a uv stabilizer , a heat stabilizer , or a combination thereof . examples of uv absorbers include phenol , 2 -( 2h - benzotriazol - 2 - yl )- 6 - dodecyl - 4 - methyl -, branched and linear ( tinuvin ® 571 ). examples of uv stabilizers include bis ( 1 , 2 , 2 , 6 , 6 - pentamethyl - 4 - piperidyl ) sebacate ; methyl 1 , 2 , 2 , 6 , 6 - pentamethyl - 4 - piperidyl / sebacate ; and a combination thereof ( tinuvin ° 272 ). these tinuvin ® additives are commercially available from ciba specialty chemicals of tarrytown , n . y ., u . s . a . suitable antioxidants are known in the art and commercially available . suitable antioxidants include phenolic antioxidants and combinations of phenolic antioxidants with stabilizers . phenolic antioxidants include fully sterically hindered phenols and partially hindered phenols . stabilizers include organophosphorous derivatives such as trivalent organophosphorous compound , phosphites , phosphonates , and a combination thereof ; thiosynergists such as organosulfur compounds including sulfides , dialkyldithiocarbamate , dithiodipropionates , and a combination thereof ; and sterically hindered amines such as tetramethyl - piperidine derivatives . suitable phenolic antioxidants include vitamin e and irganox ® 1010 from ciba specialty chemicals , u . s . a . irganox ® 1010 comprises pentaerythritol tetrakis ( 3 -( 3 , 5 - di - t - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propionate ). oligomeric ( higher molecular weight ) stabilizers may be used to minimize potential for chemical fogging of ig units and migration . example of an oligomeric antioxidant stabilizer ( specifically , hindered amine light stabilizer ( hals )) is ciba tinuvin 622 is a dimethylester of butanedioic acid copolymerized with 4 - hydroxy - 2 , 2 , 6 , 6 - tetramethyl - 1 - piperidine ethanol . the amount of ingredient ( k ) depends on the specific anti - aging additive selected . however , the amount of ingredient ( k ) may range from 0 to 5 weight %, alternatively 0 . 5 to 3 weight %, based on the weight of the composition . ingredient ( k ) may be one anti - aging additive . alternatively , ingredient ( k ) may comprise two or more different anti - aging additives . suitable tackifying agents are known in the art . for example , the tackifying agent may comprise an aliphatic hydrocarbon resin such as a hydrogenated polyolefin having 6 to 20 carbon atoms , a hydrogenated terpene resin , a rosin ester , a hydrogenated rosin glycerol ester , or a combination thereof . tackifying agents are commercially available . aliphatic hydrocarbon resins are exemplified by escorez 1102 , 1304 , 1310 , 1315 , and 5600 from exxon chemical and eastotac resins from eastman , such as eastotac h - 100 having a ring and ball softening point of 100 ° c ., eastotac h - 115e having a ring and ball softening point of 115 ° c ., and eastotac h - 130l having a ring and ball softening point of 130 ° c . hydrogenated terpene resins are exemplified by arkon p 100 from arakawa chemicals and wingtack 95 from goodyear . hydrogenated rosin glycerol esters are exemplified by staybelite ester 10 and foral from hercules . examples of commercially available polyterpenes include piccolyte a125 from hercules . examples of aliphatic / aromatic or cycloaliphatic / aromatic resins include ecr 149b or ecr 179a from exxon chemical . in addition , up to 20 parts by weight , alternatively up to 10 parts by weight , based on the weight of ingredient ( l ) of a solid tackifying agent ( i . e ., a tackifying agent having a ring and ball softening point above 25 ° c . ), which is compatible with ingredients ( a ) and ( f ) may be added to the composition . suitable tackifying agents include any compatible resins or mixtures thereof such as ( 1 ) natural or modified rosins such , for example , as gum rosin , wood rosin , tall - oil rosin , distilled rosin , hydrogenated rosin , dimerized rosin , and polymerized rosin ; ( 2 ) glycerol and pentaerythritol esters of natural or modified rosins , such , for example as the glycerol ester of pale , wood rosin , the glycerol ester of hydrogenated rosin , the glycerol ester of polymerized rosin , the pentaerythritol ester of hydrogenated rosin , and the phenolic - modified pentaerythritol ester of rosin ; ( 3 ) copolymers and terpolymers of natural terpenes , e . g ., styrene / terpene and alpha methyl styrene / terpene ; ( 4 ) polyterpene resins having a softening point , as determined by astm method e28 , 58t , ranging from 60 ° c . to 150 ° c . ; the latter polyterpene resins generally resulting from the polymerization of terpene hydrocarbons , such as the bicyclic monoterpene known as pinene , in the presence of friedel - crafts catalysts at moderately low temperatures ; also included are the hydrogenated polyterpene resins ; ( 5 ) phenolic modified terpene resins and hydrogenated derivatives thereof , for example , as the resin product resulting from the condensation , in an acidic medium , of a bicyclic terpene and phenol ; ( 6 ) aliphatic petroleum hydrocarbon resins having a ring and ball softening point ranging from 60 ° c . to 135 ° c . ; the latter resins resulting from the polymerization of monomers consisting of primarily of olefins and diolefins ; also included are the hydrogenated aliphatic petroleum hydrocarbon resins ; ( 7 ) alicyclic petroleum hydrocarbon resins and the hydrogenated derivatives thereof ; and ( 8 ) aliphatic / aromatic or cycloaliphatic / aromatic copolymers and their hydrogenated derivatives . the amount of ingredient ( l ) depends on various factors including the specific tackifying agent selected and the selection of ingredient ( i ). however , the amount of ingredient ( l ) may range from 0 to 20 weight %, based on the weight of the composition . ingredient ( l ) may be one tackifying agent . alternatively , ingredient ( l ) may comprise two or more different tackifying agents . the process may be either a batch compounding process or a continuous compounding process . a continuous compounding process may allow for better control of stripping conditions and may minimize duration of heat exposure of the composition . preferably , a continuous compounding process is used to produce commercial scale quantities of the composition . the composition may be formulated as a one - part composition or a multiple - part composition , such as a two - part composition . a one - part composition may be prepared by a process comprising mixing the ingredients under shear . the ingredients may be mixed under vacuum or a dry inert gas , or both . the ingredients may be mixed under ambient or elevated temperature , or a combination thereof . a one - part composition may be prepared by heating ingredients ( a ) and ( f ), and ingredient ( j ), if present , before adding ingredient ( c ). after combining these ingredients at elevated temperature , ingredient ( b ) and additional ingredients such as ( d ), ( e ), ( g ), ( h ), ( i ), ( k ), and ( l ) if any , may be added . alternatively , the composition may be prepared as a multiple - part composition , such as the two - part composition described below . one skilled in the art would recognize how to prepare a multiple - part composition by storing ingredient ( b ) the condensation catalyst and ingredient ( c ) silanol functional silicone resin in separate parts . an exemplary two - part composition comprises a wet ( i . e ., silanol - containing ) part and a dry ( i . e ., not containing the silanol functional silicone resin ) part . the wet part may be prepared by mixing under shear ingredients comprising ( f ) a non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymer , and ( c ) a silanol functional silicone resin , and one or more of the following optional ingredients : ( j ) wax , ( l ) tackifying agent , ( e ) filler such as reinforcing filler , extending filler , or both . alternatively , the wet part may be prepared by pre - blending ingredients ( f ), ( j ), ( l ) and optionally ( c ); then adding 30 to 50 % of the total amount of ( a ); then adding ingredient ( e ) and the balance of ingredient ( a ); and finally adding ingredients ( g ), ( i ), and ( k ). in this embodiment , the dry part may comprise ingredients ( b ), ( d ), optionally ( e ), ( f ), and ( h ), and optionally ( j ). the dry part may be prepared by mixing under shear ingredients comprising ( a ) a moisture - curable , silane - functional , elastomeric , organic polymer , ( f ) a non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymer , ( b ) a condensation catalyst ; and one or more of the following optional ingredients : ( j ) wax , ( l ) tackifying agent , ( g ) crosslinker ( h ) chemical drying agent , ( k ) stabilizer , and ( i ) adhesion promoter . alternatively , the wet part may be prepared by mixing under shear ingredients comprising ( a ) a moisture - curable , silane - functional , elastomeric , organic polymer , ( f ) a non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymer , and ( c ) a silanol functional silicone resin . when the wet part comprises ingredient ( a ) care must be taken that none of the other ingredients in the wet part unintentionally may act as a condensation catalyst . in this case , consideration should to be given to the nature of the silanol functional silicone resin ( c ). the dry part may be prepared by mixing under shear ingredients comprising ( a ) a moisture - curable , silane - functional , elastomeric , organic polymer and ( b ) a condensation catalyst , optionally ( g ) a crosslinker , optionally ( h ) a chemical drying agent , and optionally ( i ) an adhesion promoter . each of the wet part and the dry part may optionally further comprise one or more additional ingredients selected from , ( f ) a non - reactive , elastomeric , organic polymer , ( j ) a microcrystalline wax , which is a solid at 25 ° c ., ( k ) an anti - aging additive , and ( l ) a tackifying agent . the process conditions of shear and heating are selected such the ingredients are well mixed during the continuous compounding operation to prepare the composition . to achieve sufficient homogeneous mixing during this operation ( especially in terms of the polymers and the powder components , e . g ., drying agent and filler , one skilled in the art may choose a compounding temperature close to the application temperature , so that the polymer components are sufficiently liquid to allow efficient incorporation of the powder components . however , because of the mechanical shear required for this operation , the actual compounding temperature often will be substantially above the application temperature . for instance , when manufacturing the composition with a twin - screw extruder , temperature may run 30 to 140 ° c . above the application temperature ( e . g ., temperature may range from 130 to 200 ° c . when the composition will be applied at 80 to 100 ° c . in an ig unit ), and temperature may sometimes be as high as 100 to 110 ° c . above the application temperature . while the composition is not exposed to this temperature for prolonged periods of time , the silanol functionality of ingredient ( c ) needs to survive this compounding step . without wishing to be bound by theory , it is thought that ingredient ( c ) is a silicone resin in which the silanol is sufficiently tightly bound in order for sufficient amounts of silanol to survive the compounding step , while at the same time , the silanol is sufficiently reactive to initiate cure of the composition at the application temperature . ingredient ( a ) allows the composition to cure via condensation reaction . ingredients ( a ) and ( f ) are considered low permeability polymers ; these polymers minimize moisture permeability and gas permeability of the cured product of the composition . therefore , ingredient ( c ) is a source of silanol that reacts over an application temperature range . ingredient ( c ) is included to cure the composition . in a two - part composition , addition of ingredient ( c ) is a suitable means of inducing cure upon mixing of the wet part and the dry part when the composition is heated . since the composition is exposed to the application temperature in the application equipment only for a limited duration , ingredient ( c ) may be chosen such that it partially cures the composition during application , e . g ., partial cure may be to a degree of 30 % to 50 %, alternatively 30 % to 40 %. for instance , when the composition is mixed at room temperature or below 40 to 60 ° c ., the composition may cure too slowly for the industrial manufacturing process of ig units . it is desirable to select ingredient ( c ) such that the composition cures achieves an initial green strength sufficient to allow an ig unit containing the composition to be moved after fabrication and before further cure of the composition . ingredient ( c ) may be selected such that cure is 60 % to 90 %, alternatively 65 % to 80 %, of theoretical after 1 week to 1 month under ambient conditions , the composition of this invention may be used in ig applications . fig1 ( single - seal ) and 2 ( dual - seal ) are cross sectional views showing portions of ig units . each ig unit comprises a first glass pane 101 , a second glass pane 102 spaced a distance from the first glass pane 101 . in fig1 , a cured product 103 of the composition described above is interposed in the interpane space between the first glass pane 101 and the second glass pane 102 . the cured product 103 may act as an integrated edge - seal , i . e ., acting as a water vapour barrier , a gas barrier , a sealant between the panes , a spacer , an adhesive , and a desiccant matrix . fig2 shows the use of the cured product 103 of the composition described above as a primary sealant . a secondary sealant 104 , such as a polysulfide , polyurethane , or silicone , is adhered to the primary sealant and the glass panes 101 , 102 . in the case of dual - seal ( fig2 ) the cured product 103 may act as an integrated edge - seal , i . e ., acting as a water vapour barrier , a gas barrier , a sealant between the panes , a spacer , an adhesive , and a desiccant matrix . the secondary sealant 104 then further supports the sealing and bonding ( adhesive ) function of the cured product 103 . alternatively , the composition described herein may be used as a primary sealant or a secondary sealant in an ig unit that has a conventional spacer . the process of applying the two - part composition may comprise melting the two parts and feeding them by suitable means ( e . g ., conventional equipment such as a hot melt pump or extruder ) into a heated static or dynamic mixer and from there via a heated hose to an application nozzle . the process for applying the sealant from the nozzle onto the glass to form the edge - seal and for making the ig unit offers the advantages of employing the same or similar equipment currently used for making conventional tps ® ig units , with the exception that the equipment may be modified to handle two parts ( dual feeds ) when a two part composition is used , and the composition described above also allows manufacture of single seals . one process used to make tps ® units comprises applying the composition as a seal filament around the perimeter of a first glass pane , moving a second glass pane in parallel position in close proximity to the first glass pane , optionally filling the inter - pane volume with a gas ( such as argon ), and closing the ig unit by pressing the second glass pane against the filament seal formed on the first glass pane ( see , for instance , ep 0 , 805 , 254 b1 , wo 95 / 11 , 363 , wo 96 / 09 , 456 ). alternatively , the glass panes may be held in a parallel , spaced position and the composition extruded between the glass panes ( see wo 90 / 02 , 696 ), or the composition may be first extruded onto a support to which the composition adheres less well than to glass , then the composition is transferred from the support onto one glass pane , both glass panes are made to coincide and are then pressed together ( see wo 95 / 11 , 364 ). the ig unit may be prepared by a process comprising i ) bringing the first glass pane 101 and the second glass pane 102 into a parallel position spaced apart by an interpane space , ii ) applying the composition described above into the interpane space along the perimeter of the first glass pane 101 and the second glass pane 102 , and iii ) curing the composition . alternatively , the ig unit may be prepared by a process comprising : i ) applying the composition described above as a filament seal around the perimeter of the first glass pane 101 , ii ) moving the second glass pane 102 into a parallel position to the first glass pane 101 such that the first glass pane 101 and the second glass pane 102 are spaced apart by an interpane space , optionally iii ) filling the interpane space with a gas such as argon or dry air , iv ) pressing the second glass pane 102 against the filament seal formed on the first glass pane 101 , and v ) curing the composition . alternatively , the ig unit may be prepared by a process comprising : i ) applying a composition described above as a filament seal onto a support to which the composition adheres less well than to glass , ii ) transferring the filament seal from the support onto the first glass pane 101 , iii ) pressing the first glass pane 101 and the second glass pane 102 together in a parallel position , and iv ) curing the composition . in any of the processes for preparing the ig unit , a one - part or a two - part composition described above may be used . when a two - part composition is used , the two parts may be mixed shortly before process step i ) or process step ii ). these processes for preparing the ig unit may offer the advantage that curing the composition may be performed in the absence of atmospheric moisture . for purposes of this application , “ absence of atmospheric moisture ” means that any amount of moisture present in the ambient atmosphere is insufficient to cure the composition described herein within a time period of 1 week to 1 month , alternatively 3 to 4 weeks . curing may be performed by heating the composition to the application temperature range , thereby reacting the silanol of ingredient ( c ). curing may be performed during or after application of the composition to a glass pane . in the processes for preparing the ig unit , applying the composition may be performed at a temperature ranging from 80 ° c . to 140 ° c . the following examples are included to demonstrate the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art . however , those of skill in the art should , in light of the present disclosure , appreciate that many changes can be made in the specific embodiments which are disclosed and still obtain a like or similar result without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the claims . all amounts , ratios , and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated . the ingredients described in table 1 were used in the following examples . all parameter values were taken from the relevant datasheets current at the time of filing the priority application ( u . s . 61 / 162378 ) for this application . all values of mn are taken from datasheets for the products concerned or were measured by triple detection size exclusion chromatography and calculated on the basis of polystyrene molecular weight standards unless otherwise indicated . all viscosity measurements are taken at 25 ° c . unless otherwise indicated . resistance to a solvent , toluene , commonly used to dissolve the compositions in the uncured state was used to determine completion of cure . a sample was allowed to cure for 5 days after which a known weight was placed into a 1 ounce ( 28 . 349 g ) vial with toluene . every few days the toluene was replaced with fresh toluene . after one week the sample was removed decanting off the bulk of solvent and then placing it into a pre - weighed dish for drying . the amount left after drying to a stable level was measured and compared to the weight of original sample to determine the amount of cured network of polymer , fillers and other curable materials . compressibility was evaluated by the following method . first , the sample of the composition was dispensed through a hot - melt cartridge at elevated temperature onto a glass panel . the height of the resulting bead was measured . a second glass panel was applied on the bead , either with or without additional weight as specified below . bead height was measured again after allowing the sample to cool for 15 minutes . the % compression was calculated as ( original bead height − compressed bead height )/ original bead height * 100 . in order to achieve the level of cure previously indicated within 3 - 4 weeks after the application of the composition , the composition needs to contain a sufficient amount of silanol that is available at the given application temperature . availability of silanol at the application temperature is preferably determined on the “ wet ” part of a two part composition rather than on the water release agent itself or the mixed composition . measurement of water availability on the water release agent itself neglects any availability of water in the composition due to various other factors , such as solubility of water in the polymeric ingredients of the composition . measurement of water availability in the mixed composition neglects to account for reaction of water with silanes , silicon - reactive polymer and other water scavenging ingredients , which may result in the conversion of water to reaction by - products , such as alcohols . samples were prepared on a twin screw extruder by mixing the ingredients in table 2 . ingredients were added in the following order . first , ingredients ( f6 ), ( f5 ), ( j2 ), and ( c1 ) were pre - blended . next 50 % of ingredient ( a3 ) was added , then ingredient ( e3 ), then ingredient ( e4 ), then a mixture of ingredients ( k1 ) and ( k2 ), and finally the remaining 50 % of ingredient ( a3 ). the operating temperature of the extruder was 130 ° c . the pressure of the system varied throughout the extruder and ranged between vacuum and 500 psig . the extruder used to prepare the samples was a coperion model zsk - 25 co - rotating , fully intermeshing twin screw extruder . the screw diameter was 25 mm and the overall length was 48 : 1 l / d ( length to diameter ratio ). the maximum screw speed of this extruder was 1200 rpm with a power of 22 . 5 kw . 365 g of each base sample in table 1 were prepared , and 55 g of each were mixed with a curing agent in a haake batch mixer at 110 ° c . and 20 rpm . the curing agent contained 0 . 5 g of ingredient ( i4 ) and ( ethylenediaminepropyl ) trimethoxysilane and 0 . 24 g of ingredient ( b3 ) dimethyl tin dineodecanoate ( dmdtn ). the degree of cure was evaluated using the swell gel test according to the method in reference example 1 . an initial cure ( taken on the same day as the base was mixed with the curing agent ) and a second reading 28 days later was recorded . the results are in table 3 . these examples and comparative examples show that a composition described herein can be prepared in commercial continuous process . the silanol functional resin can retain enough silanol functionality to cure the composition after the composition is prepared in the continuous compounding equipment . samples were prepared by mixing the ingredients in table 4 in a haake mixer at 110 ° c . and 20 rpm . the degree of cure was evaluated using the swell gel test according to the method in reference example 1 . an initial cure ( taken within 24 hours of mixing ) and a second reading 28 days later was recorded . the results are in table 4 . two samples were prepared as in examples 8 to 11 , except the ingredients in table 5 were used . compression of the samples was tested according to the method in reference example 1 . the results are in table 5 . example 13 had less compression than comparative example 12 at the lower weight ; but example 13 had more compression than comparative example 12 with the higher weight . therefore , example 13 and comparative example 12 show that the composition described above may have improved slump and shear sensitivity as compared to a similar composition that does not contain the silanol functional silicone resin .	2
the present invention provides systems and methods that may be used for conducting seismic surveys of the subsurface geological formations that underlie a body of water . the nominal offset lateral position of each source is achieved , in accordance with the present invention , by use of a separation cable between one or more source tow members and either a streamer tow member , or in the case of a pure source vessel , a deflector tow member . fig1 is a side view of a tow vessel 12 towing a seismic source , including source array 11 , by a source tow member 13 . a source array float 25 has several acoustic source members 14 suspended therefrom . source members 14 may be compressed air guns , which are fired to generate acoustical waves that are reflected from the subsurface geological features back to receivers ( not shown ) during a seismic exploration . source members 14 may be other acoustical - wave generation device , such as explosives , percussion devices , and the like . a deflecting member 15 is connected to source tow member 13 between vessel 12 and source array 11 such that source array 11 trails deflecting member 15 in this embodiment . alternatively the deflecting member may be mounted between the source array float 25 and the source members 14 . also mounted on source array float 25 may be a global positioning system ( gps ) unit 16 that notifies a navigation system 17 of tow vessel 12 of the exact location of source array 11 . it should be understood that there are many types of adjustment mechanisms available for use in the invention , and that deflecting member 15 is merely one example of such a device . fig2 a - 2b are perspective views of each side of deflecting member 15 . this type of deflecting member includes a moveable wing 18 disposed adjacent to a streamlined central body 19 . an actuator 20 moves wing 18 about the wing &# 39 ; s vertical axis . central body 19 may also contain a local controller 24 and sensors ( not shown ) for monitoring the movement of wing 18 and contain the motor ( not shown ) that drives actuator 20 and optionally , batteries 23 . a passive , strength - taking tow member 13 may attach to deflecting member 15 for towing deflecting member 15 by tow vessel 12 and connects deflecting member 15 to source array 11 being towed . umbilicals 22 comprising electrical wire , optical fiber or a combination thereof may be connected to deflecting member 15 to allow provision of electrical power thereto and to carry control signals to and from deflecting member 15 . in embodiments where the source members are compressed air - guns , a high pressure hose 21 may also be connected to deflector 15 to provide high pressure air to air - guns 14 ( fig1 ). other substantially non - strength - taking umbilicals may be employed , depending on the needs of the particular source members used . fig3 is a side view of a deflecting member 15 coupled to passive , strength - taking source tow member 13 between tow vessel 12 and source array 11 in accordance with the present invention . source tow member 13 functions with tow vessel 12 ( not shown ) to tow source array 11 and deflecting member 15 though the water . central body 19 is adapted to be connected to source tow member 13 between tow vessel 12 and source array 11 . the electrical , optical , or combination of cables 22 may contain electrical power conductors , control signal conductors and fiber optics for sending and / or receiving electrical power and control signals and is shown connected to central body 19 . also shown connected to central body 19 is high - pressure hose 21 for supplying high - pressure air to the air guns . a bulkhead 27 provides connections for cable 22 and high - pressure hose 21 . cables 26 connected to a source array float 25 support deflecting member 15 . positioning units , gps unit 16 and acoustic sensor 23 are illustrated mounted to float 25 and acoustic source members 14 are illustrated suspended from float 25 . fig4 is a schematic diagram of a control scheme that may be used in conjunction with positioning deflectors and deflecting members in accordance with the present invention . a similar set up and control scheme may be used for other types of adjustment mechanisms . for positioning a deflecting member of a source array , positioning unit 16 , 17 mounted on source array 11 ( fig1 ) transmits the position of source array 11 to navigation system 17 located on tow vessel 12 ( fig1 ). navigation system 17 provides the location information received from positioning unit 16 to an on - board controller 32 . on - board controller 32 may be a computer , a distributed control system , an analog control system or other control device known to those having ordinary skill in the art . on - board controller 32 may communicate with a local controller 29 through an umbilical 27 , but may communicate through a wireless transmission , or some combination thereof . umbilical 27 contains conductors for providing power and control signals to and from the adjustment mechanisms , in this example central body 19 . local controller 29 sends a signal to an electric motor 31 that moves actuator 20 , which in turn moves a bridle , cable , or other control mechanism , in this example a wing 18 . when wing 18 moves , the lateral force imparted against the wing by the water steers source array 11 to the desired position . sensors 28 detect the angular position of wing 18 and send this information back to local controller 29 and , optionally , to on - board controller 32 where it may be displayed for an operator to read . fig5 is an aerial view of a marine seismic survey system 500 of the invention , with tow vessel 12 towing dual sources . each source has three source arrays 11 in this embodiment , each source array 11 deployed behind tow vessel 12 with its own source tow member 35 . distance cables 33 couple adjacent source tow members 35 together and maintain a set distance between each of the adjacent source arrays 11 . further , each source array 11 is steered with one deflecting member 15 . in this embodiment , tow vessel 12 is also towing a plurality of seismic streamers 34 , although i certain embodiments a single streamer may be employed . five starboard and five port streamers are illustrated . in the embodiment depicted in fig5 , three starboard outer - most streamers 34 each have a deflector 37 , each pair of streamers and deflectors towed by a streamer tow member 38 that deflects the three starboard outer - most seismic streamers 34 laterally to starboard , while three port outer - most streamers 34 each have deflectors 37 towed by streamer tow member 38 that deflect the three port outer - most seismic streamers 34 laterally to port . streamers that are not connected directly to a deflector may optionally be deflected by streamer separation members 51 connecting the streamers . in accordance with the embodiment illustrated , each source is deflected laterally to a nominal starboard or port position referring to a centerline 155 . as may be seen in fig5 , the nominal offset lateral position of each source is achieved , in this embodiment , by use of source separation members 50 . source separation members 50 may be attached to source tow members 35 at some distance between tow vessel 12 and source arrays 11 . in order to allow for sufficient steering by deflecting members 15 , source separation cables 50 may be attached to source tow members 35 at some minimum , distance from its respective source array . in other words there is an inverse relationship between the power requirements of deflecting members 15 and the distance that source separation cables 50 may be from the sources . since the nominal offset lateral positions of each source are achieved at least in part by use of source separation cables 50 , the steering and power requirements of deflecting members 15 may be less . the remaining , reduced functions of deflecting members 15 are twofold . first , if the source steering target is to keep the source on the nominal offset lateral positions , deflecting members 15 correct for any deviations thereof . secondly , if the source steering target is to follow the source track of a previous survey , that is , deviations from the nominal , then deflecting members 15 correct for the difference between the nominal tracks and the desired track from the previous survey . other separation member schemes may be appropriate in the system of fig5 , as are explained more clearly in conjunction with fig6 , and 8 , which depict schematically a pure source vessel 12 with no streamers . it will be understood that the separation member connections illustrated in fig6 , and 8 may also be employed as alternatives to the separation member connections depicted schematically in fig5 . fig6 illustrates one alternative , where tow vessel 12 pulls sources 10 a and 10 b , each source having three source arrays 11 . in this embodiment each source array 11 has a deflecting member 15 in front position , it being understood that these could be positioned anywhere along source arrays 11 . each source array 11 is attached to tow vessel 12 via its own source tow member 35 , which may be a strength - taking umbilical , or a passive strength - taking tow member and a separate umbilical , allowing communication between tow vessel 12 and source arrays 11 . optionally , a single umbilical could be employed to supply communication and data transmission functions to and from all source arrays 11 , while each source array 11 is pull by a passive , strength - taking tow member . in this configuration the air supply to the source members could be provided by either an umbilical or the passive tow member . distance cables 33 are illustrated between each source tow member 35 . deflectors 37 a and 37 b are respectively connected to tow vessel 12 by separate deflector tow members 38 a and 38 b . in accordance with the invention , a separation member 50 ′ connects a starboard - most source tow member 35 with deflector tow member 38 a , and a separation member 50 connects a port - most source tow member 35 with deflector tow member 38 b . separation members 50 and 50 ′ provide the opportunity to use smaller deflecting members 15 , since deflectors 37 a and 37 b contribute to the deflection forces supplied by deflecting members 15 by pulling sources 10 a and 10 b away from centerline . fig7 illustrates an alternative to that illustrated in fig6 . shown in fig7 is a pure source tow vessel 12 pulling sources 10 a and 10 b , each source having three source arrays 11 , each source array 11 having a deflecting member 15 in front position . each source array 11 is attached to tow vessel 12 via its own source tow member 35 . in this embodiment , there are no distance cables , but rather two separation members 50 ′ and 50 are used to connect deflector tow members 38 a and 38 b , respectively , to all of the respective source tow members 35 at points 51 a and 51 b , respectively . once again , deflectors 37 a and 37 b are then able to contribute to the deflection forces supplied by deflecting members 15 . fig8 illustrates an alternative to that illustrated in fig6 and 7 . shown in fig8 is a pure source tow vessel 12 pulling sources 10 a and 10 b , each source having three source arrays 11 , each source array 11 having a deflecting member 15 in front position . each source array 11 is attached to tow vessel 12 via its own source tow member 35 . in this embodiment , there are no distance cables , but rather a plurality of separation members 50 ′ and 50 are used to connect deflector tow members 38 a and 38 b , respectively , to an equal plurality of respective source tow members 35 . in other words , there are an equal number of separation members and source tow members . as in the embodiments illustrated in fig6 and 7 , deflectors 37 a and 37 b are then able to contribute to the deflecting forces supplied by deflecting members 15 , allowing smaller deflecting members 15 to be employed . alternatives of using separation members other than those depicted in fig5 , 7 , and 8 will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art , and are considered within the invention . fig9 a - c illustrate schematically the deflection force requirements for steering a dual source using a separation member in accordance with the present invention . illustrated are a tow vessel 12 , one source array 11 connected to tow vessel 12 by a tow member 35 , a streamer or deflector tow member 180 , and a separation member 50 . a nominal position 150 is illustrated , as well as a steerable band about nominal position 150 denoted by the double - headed arrows labeled “ s ” , having an inner acceptance boundary 151 and an outer acceptance boundary 152 . simple calculations inform us about the force required to deflect source array 11 a given lateral distance . assuming a 400 - meter layback ( approximately equal to the length of the source array tow members ), a nominal deflection of about 25 meters , and an additional steerable band of about ± 25 meters about the nominal , we get the required forces illustrated in fig9 . according to fig9 a a force of l is required to deflect source array 11 out to its nominal position 150 . to reach outer acceptance boundary 152 of the steerable band a force of 2 l is required as illustrated in fig9 b . now , if instead a separation member 50 is installed halfway down source tow member 35 as illustrated in fig9 c , separation member 50 will take the forces required to steer out to nominal position 150 , and the additional steering elements , such as deflecting members , only need to take the additional steering force l to reach outer acceptance boundary 152 as opposed to the required 2 l force if no separation member 50 were used . deflectors useful in the invention may be any type of active or passive deflector , including so - called free - flying deflectors , and non - free - flying deflectors that have streamers or other trailing , drag - producing means . as used herein the term “ free - flying ” means a deflector that is towed but does not have suspended to its tail end a streamer or other drag - producing device . in some situations it might be desired to include a stabilizing tow member to an otherwise free - flying deflector . one suitable free - flying deflector is a variation of the non - free - flying deflector known under the trade designation “ monowing ”, available from westerngeco l . l . c ., houston , tex . this particular embodiment of the deflector known under the trade designation monowing includes a main hydrofoil , a boom rigidly fixed to the main hydrofoil , and a so - called boom - wing mounted near a rear end of the boom . by rotating the boom - wing it creates movement in either positive or negative direction . this movement translates into a moment that translates into a change of the orientation of the main hydrofoil . the angle of attack of the main hydrofoil is defined by the arc between the plane in which the trailing surface of the wing lies and the direction of tow through the water . the angle of attack will lie generally in a horizontal plane , although not necessarily so . an actuator may be provided that communicates with a local controller that may adjust the orientation of the boom - wing . communication with the tow vessel may be available through an umbilical directly connected to the tow vessel , an umbilical connected to a source , or through active , strength - taking tow members connected to the tow vessel and / or source . a local controller may also communicate with an on - board controller and / or other remote controller ( s ) via wireless transmission . deflectors useful in the invention may be suspended from or attached rigidly to a float on the sea surface . another deflector useable in the present invention is a so - called “ door ” deflector . this deflector type is often used to deflect a marine seismic source to a nominal position . an array of passive hydrofoils is mounted within a frame . in three dimensions this comprises the array of hydrofoils with end plates at the top and bottom of each hydrofoil . a towing bridle or harness attached to brackets on the frame is used . a deflector tow member connects the bridle , and thus the deflector , with the tow vessel . in active door deflectors , the deflector is similar but modified to make its angle of attack remotely controllable . in the aft area of the frame a unit is included that includes a hydrofoil having function similar to a boom - wing in the deflectors known under the trade designation monowing , discussed above . the function of the hydrofoil in the door deflector is to create a smaller lift force that causes the deflector to orient itself with the desired angle of attack relative to incoming water flow velocity vector , f . as the total lift is a function of angle of attack a , total lift can be adjusted by adjusting the orientation and hence the lift of the hydrofoil . as in other active deflectors , the angle of attack ( orientation ) of the hydrofoil may be adjusted by an actuator operatively coupled to a motor and local controller , the latter communicating with an on - board controller on the tow vessel through an umbilical connected directly to the tow vessel , or through connections with the source . a local controller may also communicate with an on - board controller and / or other remote controller ( s ) via wireless transmission . deflecting members useful in the invention may comprise a hydrodynamic body that uses the water velocity , achieved by being towed by the tow vessel through the water , to generate a lateral force to steer the source array to the desired location . it should be noted that a towed source array generally moves along the centerline of the tow vessel due to the forces exerted on the source array by the water . alternatively , when separation ropes are used to deflect the source to a nominal preplot line a lateral distance away from , and parallel to , the centerline , then the source generally follows this preplot line . therefore , the defecting member may be used generally to steer the source array away from the centerline of the tow vessel to a desired position or alternatively away from the preplot line if different from the centerline . deflecting members useful in the invention may be selected from any number of available designs , including , but not limited to those having a single wing in a generally vertical arrangement and a central body ; those comprising an upper wing , a lower wing , and a central body , wherein the upper and lower wings are disposed on opposite sides of the central body in a generally vertical arrangement and wherein the wings move together in similar motion ; low and high aspect ratio designs actuated by bridles and controllers , and other designs . the deflecting members may be positioned at the front of their respective source array , at the aft end of a source array , or somewhere between . there may be multiple deflecting members positioned in some combination of these positions , wherein each deflecting member is the same or different . each source array may be equipped with its own deflecting member , which may be the same or different in size and type . smaller deflecting members may be employed than in previous designs , as will become apparent . the deflecting member may comprise an actuator that controls movement of the deflecting member , as well as connections for an umbilical , or cables , hoses and combinations thereof that carry control signals to and from the deflecting member . the actuator may move surfaces , bridles , or other features using hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders , electronically by an electric motor , or combination thereof . an electric motor may be smaller , simpler and less expensive to operate and maintain than hydraulic and pneumatic systems . the deflecting member may also contain sensors that sense the motion and position of the deflecting member or a feature thereof and transmit that information to a controller discussed below . electrical power may be supplied to the deflecting member through conductors in the umbilical , or cable , from the tow vessel , from batteries or other electricity storage devices located on the deflecting member , or from combinations thereof . in use the position of deflecting members associated with source arrays , or deflectors associated with sources via umbilicals and / or passive , strength - taking tow members , may be actively controlled by gps or other position detector sensing the position of the source arrays , source , and deflectors as desired and feeding this data to a navigation system . navigation may be performed on board a tow vessel , on some other vessel , or indeed a remote location . by using a communication system , either hardwire or wireless , information from the remote controllers may be sent to one or more local controllers on deflectors and / or deflecting members associated with source arrays . the local controllers in turn are operatively connected to adjustment mechanisms comprising motors or other motive power means , and actuators on the deflectors and / or deflecting members , which function to move a wing , plate or hydrofoil , or a bridle system , depending on the adjustment mechanism used . this in turn adjusts the angle of attack of the deflector or deflecting member , causing it to move the source as desired . feedback control may be achieved using local sensors on the deflectors or deflecting members , which may inform the local and remote controllers of the position of a swivel connector , a wing or hydrofoil , the angle of attack of a deflector or wing or hydrofoil of a particular boom wing , a position of an actuator indicative of angle of attack , the status of a motor or pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder , the status of a bridle system , and the like . other control schemes are possible , either alone , or cascaded with the feedback control . a control scheme may comprise a so - called feed - forward controller utilizing information about currents , wind , and other environmental conditions , in order to counteract for any deviations relative to the nominal that is predicted to take place , and do so before the deviation actually takes place or to do so in an early stage of the deviation . an adaptive control scheme may also be used . a computer or human operator can thus access information and control the entire positioning effort , and thus obtain much better control over the seismic data acquisition process . a feature of the present invention is that when one or more source and / or streamer separation members are employed connecting the streamer tow members and source tow members , or in the case of no streamers ( source vessel only ), one or more separation members between the port and starboard source tow members and deflector tow members , individual deflecting members associated with each source array may be smaller , easier to handle , and also less expensive , than without such separation members . in embodiments when a tow vessel is towing multiple sources , each source may have one or more deflectors to control each source &# 39 ; s location . if each source tow member is connected to its streamer tow members using one or more source separation members as described herein or equivalents thereof , or in the alternative where there are no streamers , to a deflector tow member as in some of the embodiments described herein or equivalents thereof , the number and / or size of deflecting members associated with each source array may be reduced . alternatively , when less than all of the source arrays employ separation members as described herein , then for those source arrays not using the separation member technique of the invention the number of and / or size of the deflecting members connected to the source arrays will tend to be higher than when all source arrays have deflecting members , but still lower than when no separation members are employed . the deflecting members and source separation members function together to steer the sources and their source arrays to predetermined positions and maintain the positions while being towed through the water . the predetermined positions may be along a straight line or along any other track that has been defined either from experience or from previous surveys , or the position may be one that will simply enable optimum source positions in future surveys . furthermore , during 4 - d seismic surveys , it is important that the sources be located as closely as possible to the same locations used during previous surveys of the same grid . once the deflectors , with installed separation members , guide the sources to the desired positions , the deflecting members may be used to maintain the source arrays at the same location as used during previous surveys of the grid . without the source separation cables , the positions of the sources and source arrays are subject to the influence of currents , waves , wind and changes in the direction of the tow vessel . by exerting lateral force on the water , the source separation cables and deflecting members can steer the source arrays to the optimum predetermined position independent of the location of streamers , the speed of the tow vessel or other influences . separation members useful in the invention may vary in terms of material compositions and characteristics . while not required , separation members useful in the invention may be any active tow cable ( umbilical ) or passive tow cable useful in marine seismic surveying . in fact any material , in any form , that may be used or thought of as being useful in the function of tying , lashing , or mooring one object to another may be used , with or without the communication / data transmission ability . material options include metal , plastic , synthetic or natural fiber , or combination thereof . about the only material to be avoided would be anything brittle , such as ceramic , or something brittle as ceramic . however , many “ filled ” polymers , including ropes made using synthetic fibers , may have ceramic or other types of inorganic filler materials . the form of the separation member may as well vary , from ropes , chains , cables , and the like . separation members may be stretchable or non - stretchable , elastic or non - elastic , buoyant or non - buoyant . the cross - section of a separation member may be round , rectangular , or any other shape , such as lobed , helical , and the like . diameter ( or largest dimension in cross - section ) may range from 5 mm to 50 mm or more depending on the situation . length of separation members may be as necessary , but may range from less than 1 meter up to 1 kilometer , or from 10 meters to 100 meters . examples of suitable materials include yarns and stranded versions of polyamide rope , solid braid polyamide rope , stranded polypropylene rope , polypropylene / polyester combination rope , manila rope , colored hollow braid rope , rope comprising solid core and braided covering , all kinds of wire rope , such as bright steel center wire rope , bright fiber core wire rope , galvanized wire rope , stainless steel wire rope , multiple braided ropes , coated single and multiple braided ropes , and the like . any of these materials and constructions may be used with source , deflector , and streamer tow members as well . a single or multiple control systems monitor the location of each source and send signals to the deflecting members to steer the sources to the desired locations . while the deflectors may be used for positioning the sources relative to the tow vessel , they may be used for positioning the source arrays relative to the globe . therefore , a positioning system unit may be attached to each source array to provide the controller with the actual location of each source array . by knowing the exact location of the positioning system units and knowing the in - line location of each acoustic source member in each source array relative to its respective positioning system unit , the controller can roughly determine the location of each acoustic source member being towed behind the tow vessel . the positioning system units may be , for example , global positioning system ( gps ) units , other satellite positioning systems , lasers , an acoustic network , or any other type of unit known to one having ordinary skill in the art that may be used to determine a specific location . the controllers may compare the actual location of the positioning system units with the desired locations and then send signals to the deflecting members to steer the source arrays and thereby maintain or achieve the desired location . since the controllers are constantly monitoring the location of the source arrays , if the arrays are moved due to currents , waves , tides , winds or other outside forces , the controllers may quickly sense the movement and instruct the deflecting members to steer the source arrays back to the desired locations . the controllers may be located on the tow vessel communicating with the actuators that move the wings on the deflecting member . alternatively , the controller may comprise a so - called feed - forward controller utilizing information about currents , wind , and other environmental conditions , in order to counteract for any deviations relative to nominal that may be predicted to take place , and to do so before the deviation actually takes place or to do so in an early stage of the deviation . a combination control scheme may be used , where the feed - forward controller is cascaded with a feed - back controller . adaptive controllers may also be used . in one embodiment , an on - board controller on the tow vessel communicates with all local controllers on the deflecting members . the local controllers then transmit signals to actuators to move and / or steer the source arrays to their optimum desired location . in this embodiment , the positioning system units send signals to the navigation system of the tow vessel , which then communicates the location of the source arrays to the on board controllers . the navigation system of the tow vessel conventionally has the capability of receiving and processing the signals from the positioning system units . alternatively , the capability of receiving and processing the signals from the positioning system units may be made part of the on - board controllers . sensors in the central body may also monitor the position of the wing and / or the movement of the deflecting members and transmit signals providing that information to the local controllers and the on - board controller , if desired . the on - board controller may be a computer , a distributed control system , an analog control system or other control system known to those having ordinary skill in the art . the local controllers may be one or more digital controllers , analog controllers or combinations thereof . the on - board controller and the local controllers may send control signals and receive transmitter signals or signals from each other by any means , including radio waves , electrical conductors , fiber optics or combinations thereof . the seismic survey systems of the invention may also include an obstruction avoidance system . an acoustical transducer and receiver may be mounted on a deflecting member or on an adjacent source array . the acoustical transducer and receiver may operate in the range of typical sonar systems and may be directed in either one general direction or sweep in many directions . the acoustical transducers and receivers may be used to locate obstructions in or under the water such as , for example , undersea constructions , moored devices , free floating devices , tow cables and towed devices . when an acoustical transducer and receiver locates an obstruction , a signal may be sent to the controller ( either the on - board controller or the local controller ) and the controller may then signal the deflecting member to adjust the wing and steer the source array away from or around the sensed obstruction . the acoustical transducer and receiver may be powered from the local in - sea electronics . communication signals from the acoustical transducer and receiver to the controller may be transmitted by any means , including radio waves , optical fibers or electrical conductors , or by conductors in the umbilical attached to the deflecting member . this obstructions avoidance system may be particularly useful during recovery or deployment of the arrays and streamers to avoid tangling of the tow cables . the increased control over the location of the sources and source arrays allows them to be positioned closer to installed constructions , moored units or other known devices in or under the water without fear of entangling the tow members or sub - arrays with these obstacles . this provides increased seismic surveying of a grid by being able to gather seismic data from locations that before were avoided for fear of entangling the seismic survey equipment with obstacles in or under the water . furthermore , the cross - line positioning control may be used to decrease the turning radius of the tow vessel without tangling the streamers . it will be understood from the foregoing description that various modifications and changes may be made in the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims . it is intended that this description be for purposes of illustration only and should not be construed in a limiting sense . the scope of this invention should be limited only by the language of the following claims . it is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke 35 u . s . c . § 112 , paragraph 6 for any limitations of any of the claims herein , except for those in which the claim expressly uses the words ‘ means for ’ together with an associated function .	1
in various embodiments of the invention , a customer is able to establish accounts with web sites without revealing private billing information such as credit card numbers , advance debit arrangements , invoice arrangements , etc . to a web site / business from whom the customer purchases goods . fig1 illustrates a client 100 in communication with a network 104 . also attached to the network are multiple servers 102 ( business web sites ), such as those provided by e - commerce sites , online retailers , or other businesses seeking to engage in commerce with by way of networked customers . it is assumed the client comprises a computing device , such as a personal computer , which operates on behalf of a user ( the purchaser of the good ). in alternate embodiments , the client may be incorporated into an electronic card , a telephone ( fig6 ), a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a portable audio device , a portable audiovisual device , a cellular telephone , a key - chain dongle , or within an automobile or other transportation device . it is further assumed that each of the network locations to which a client may communicate provide a “ web site ” for engaging in commercial transactions , and will collectively be referred to as “ businesses .” for the purposes of this description , the phrase “ web site ” is intended to be a general reference to a network “ presence ” maintained by a business as well a logical presence maintained on behalf of a business . the clients 100 and businesses 102 are in communication , through the network 104 , with a billing service 106 . the billing service is configured to allow clients 100 to reduce the risk of disclosing billing data , such as personal credit card numbers , debit card numbers , bank account numbers , and the like , to businesses 102 . in one embodiment , the billing service facilitates commercial transactions by generating substitute billing data that the client 100 can use when engaging in commercial transactions with businesses 102 . the phrase “ substitute billing data ” refers to valid billing data that is owned and / or controlled by the billing service 106 , where billing data is temporarily or permanently distributed to clients 100 to replace personal and / or private billing data of the client . also in communication with the client 100 and businesses 102 by way of the network 104 , is an encryption server 108 . the encryption server can be used to provide encryption keys to a client 100 and business 102 to allow them to engage in secure communications . in one embodiment , the encryption server 108 is used to engage in conventional public key encryption systems , where the encryption server provides directory assistance services , allowing clients 100 and businesses 102 to retrieve public encryption keys . in one embodiment , public key encryption services are used in addition to encryption services already available to a client ( e . g ., such as those available within a web browser or other communication program used by the client 100 ). in an alternate embodiment , already available encryption services , such as those provided by a web browser , are used to securely communicate with the encryption server 108 to obtain encryption keys for opening a secure communication channel between the client 100 and business 102 . this allows weaker security afforded by the client communication environment , e . g ., a 40 bit or other short key system , to be used to communicate with the encryption server 108 to obtain more secure ( e . g ., longer ) encryption keys . in this alternate embodiment , the built in security can also be used to transfer non - public key based cryptosystem keys , such as single use session keys , to the client 100 and business 102 for engaging in commerce . associated with clients 100 are local storage , such as a database 110 , that can store billing data and encryption data for use during transactions with a business 102 . in one embodiment , records 112 within the database 110 are keyed on a business 102 identity reference . a business identity can be tracked by way of business name , unique identifier for the business ( e . g ., a tax id or other assigned / selected identifier ), uniform resource locator ( url ), tcp / ip “ dot quad ” network address ( e . g ., 10 . 1 . 2 . 3 ) used to access the business 102 over the network 104 , or a combination of these and / or other references . as illustrated , the client local storage containing the database 110 is integral to a client 100 , such as within local mass storage device ( s ). however , it will be appreciated that the database may be contained within a separate computing device ( not shown ) associated with the client 100 , or maintained by or in conjunction with the billing service 106 or encryption server 108 . for example , the billing service 106 or encryption server 108 may be used to store backup copies of billing data . fig2 is a flow chart according to one embodiment of the invention , illustrating a client 100 registering with a business 102 for purchasing a good ( e . g ., a physical or electronic item ) from the business . the first illustrated operation is the user initializing 200 the computing device . it is assumed that initialization includes all steps required to boot , wake from an idle state , or otherwise start the computing device and configure it for purchasing activity . assume that the computing device is a handheld (“ palmtop ”) personal computer executing the microsoft windows operating system . after initialization , the user loads 202 a communication program through which to engage in the purchasing activity . it will be appreciated that a number of environments may be used to implement the communication program . for example , a dedicated / custom application program may be designed to access businesses over a network . alternatively , the communication program can be built using communication features provided by internet web browser products , such as microsoft internet explorer , netscape navigator , or opera . in this latter environment , the communication program may be implemented in one of , or a combination of , java , javascript , javabeans , activex , visual basic , html , dhtml , or other internet related programming environments . it is assumed herein the communication program is based on an internet browser , and that traditional internet related communication protocols ( e . g ., tcp / ip , html , etc .) are used to communicate with businesses over the internet . as discussed with respect to fig1 , each business provides a web address to which a client can connect to engage in purchase transactions . after communication program initialization , the computing device is used to register 204 the user with a first web site maintained by a first business . note , however , that even though the illustrated embodiment requires registration , it will be appreciated that in other embodiments , such registration need not occur first , or at all . to register , the computing device contacts 206 the first web site . in response the web site sends an acknowledgement 208 . since an internet browser is assumed in use , the contact is by way of directing the browser to an appropriate receiving port monitored by a web server of the first business . it is assumed that port 80 , the traditional internet communication port , is used for communication . in the web browser context , acknowledgement can be determined by receiving a “ home page ” or start page from the first business &# 39 ; web server . if 210 no acknowledgement is received , then a registration error has occurred and processing of this registration halts 212 ; in one embodiment , processing continues on ( not shown ) with registration attempts with other businesses . if acknowledgement is received , then the client 100 tells the business 102 it is interested in registering with the business 102 . in one embodiment , the registration process is automated , where the business web server is configured to receive a registration command from the client , and in response the business web server sends the client registration forms to complete . for example , in response to the registration command , an html form ( or equivalent structure ) containing fields for the user &# 39 ; s name , address , telephone number , and billing data , such as credit or debit card numbers , invoicing preferences , etc ., is sent 214 to the client . this form ( or equivalent structure ) is completed 216 and returned 218 to the business . in response , the business 102 processes the returned data and registers 220 the client with the billing data returned 218 to the business web server . completion of the form can be automated , through automated parsing of the form to identify various fields to fill out . in one embodiment , the extensible markup language ( xml ) is used to encode forms with semantic meaning to facilitate automatic interpreting and completing of a form . in an alternate embodiment , the user is allowed to review and complete a form with data known to the user , or the user can be provided with an opportunity to review and change a form completed by the computing device . in another embodiment , a special communication port , analogous to browser port 80 , is used to send and receive registration data . it will be appreciated that even though the above description assumes registration of a user with businesses , such registration is not required in order to obtain billing data to present to such businesses . fig3 is a flowchart according to one embodiment of the invention , in which a client 100 purchases a good using billing data provided in advance by a billing service 106 . this figure concerns the logical data flow for obtaining billing data used by a client 100 in purchasing a good from a business 102 . as discussed above , there are intrinsic security issues within networks , such as the internet or home / office local area networks ( lans ), when more than just the parties to a conversation may “ snoop ” data passing on the network so as to discover secrets ( e . g ., credit card data or other sensitive data ) disclosed during the conversation . in addition to attempts to securely encrypt the data transfers themselves , as will be discussed below , client provided billing data can be customized so as to reduce risk of theft and / or fraudulent use . a first operation is to contact 302 the billing service . in response , the billing service asks 304 for the business 102 with which the customer seeks to interact . as discussed above , a variety of different information can be provided to identify the business . for simplicity , it is assumed that the business name is used to identify the business 102 . the business name is provided 306 to the billing service 106 . in response the billing service generates 308 billing data that can be used by the client in future transactions between the client and the identified business . the correspondence between billing data and business is tracked by the client 100 and / or it is tracked by the billing service 106 . once the billing data is known , the client 100 can then contact 310 a business and decide 312 on a good to purchase . in response to a purchase decision , the business sends 314 a payment request to the client to arrange for receiving payment for the good . however , unbeknownst to the business 102 , in response to the payment request , instead of sending personal credit card information , or other payment data , the client 100 instead sends 316 the business the billing data created in advance by the billing service for the business 102 . in one embodiment , the billing service obtains the billing data to distribute to clients by entering into agreements with banking institutions ( or equivalent ). the billing service is provided a large number different billing data , e . g ., credit card numbers , debit card numbers , etc ., and the billing service may also set up internal invoice accounts and the like . these different billing data are provided to a client 100 when the client registers with the billing service the client &# 39 ; s intent to purchase from a business 102 . in one embodiment , billing data presented to a client 100 is uniquely associated with the particular business 102 the client 100 intends to purchase from . charges made against the billing data are received 318 by the billing service in due course through standard financial institutions such as banks , savings and loans , investment houses , and the like . these charges are verified 320 for validity . in one embodiment , the client informs the billing service of the items purchased ( or possibly just item categories ) so that the billing service may audit a particular charge to ensure only expected purchases appear on the charge . in one embodiment , the client informs the billing service of billing data that is provided to businesses so as to facilitate verification . for example , the origin of a charge can be compared against the business associated with the billing data . in this embodiment , if 322 the charge origin fails to match the business expected to be making the charge , then the charge may be fraudulent . consequently , the charge is contested 324 so as to allow the client to investigate the validity of the charge before being billed for the charge . however , if 322 the expected business matches the charge origin , then the client is billed for the purchase amount paid by the billing service . note that the client may be billed in a manner entirely different from the payment system required / used by the business 102 . for example , the client may have arranged to have purchases automatically deducted from a bank account , while the billing service 106 is responsible for honoring a charge made by the business against credit card data provided by the client 100 . alternatively , the client may have arranged payment such that the billing service performs a direct wire transfer from a client &# 39 ; s bank account directly into a receivables account of the business 102 . by associating a particular business with billing data , it is possible to account for a thief stealing apparently valid billing data from a business &# 39 ; internet web server , and then attempting to engage in fraudulent activity . in addition to contesting 324 improper charges , the billing service can be configured to retire billing data that has been compromised . fig4 is a flowchart according to one embodiment of the invention , in which a client 100 purchases a good using billing data provided in real - time by a billing service 106 . it will be appreciated that even though fig3 and 4 are presented separately , a single client may use both real - time generated billing data , and advance - obtained billing data , depending on the business . after contacting 400 a business 102 from which a purchase is to be made , the client 100 user decides 402 on the purchase ; this decision is transmitted to the business . it will be appreciated that this decision - making process may include the user reviewing various offerings of the business 102 ( e . g ., “ surfing ” the business web site ), as well as directly connecting to a particular uniform resource location ( url ) for purchasing a product ( a purchase link may be known in advance ). in response to the purchase decision , the business 102 sends 404 a payment request to the client . in response , analogous to that described above for fig3 , the client contacts 302 the billing service 106 , provides 306 the business name to the service , and receives in real time billing data generated 308 by the billing service for the business 102 . in one embodiment , the billing data presented to the client 100 is uniquely associated with the particular business 102 the client 100 is purchasing from . as with fig3 , unbeknownst to the business 102 , in response to the payment request 404 , instead of sending personal billing information of the user , the real time generated billing data is instead sent 406 to the business . charges made against the billing data are received 408 by the billing service . as with fig3 , these charges are verified 410 for validity . if 412 the charges appear invalid / fraudulent , the charge may be automatically contested 324 or other action taken , such as highlighting the transaction to the user to allow review of the validity of the charge . if 412 the charge is valid , then the client is billed for the purchase amount paid by the billing service . note that the client may be billed in a manner entirely different from the payment system required / used by the business 102 . in one embodiment , highlighting occurs within the bill sent to the user to accentuate invalid or possibly invalid charges . highlighting can be by a variety of different methods , such as printing an offending charge in a bold typeface , in a larger type size , in a different font from the rest of the bill , in a different color , in a different section of a bill which organizes suspect charges in a single region , or through a combination of these or other highlighting techniques . in one embodiment , the billing service 106 tracks expiration dates for charges made by the user . that is , if a charge is received against a credit card number provided to a client 100 for purchasing from a business 102 , there may be a timeout period , such as 60 days , in which a charge must be contested if such charge is to be ever contested . in such circumstances , the highlighting may include prioritization of listed charges according to expiration of contest periods . in another embodiment , a separate bill section is provided for contestable charges expiring within a certain amount of time , such as two weeks . in one embodiment , the client can elect to be billed electronically , in addition to or in lieu of receiving a physical bill printed on paper . electronic billing can be by way of e - mailing or otherwise electronically transferring bill data to the client . alternatively , bills can be maintained by the billing service 106 , such as through personalized web pages to which a client can log in and review charges . in one embodiment , the personalize web pages include buttons or other controls to allow disputing charges . in one embodiment , single - click buttons are provided with listed charges , where a single click of the button institutes a dispute process to cause the selected charge to be reviewed for fraud . fig5 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief , general description of a suitable computing environment in which certain aspects of the illustrated invention may be implemented . the invention may be described by reference to different high - level program modules and / or low - level hardware contexts . those skilled in the art will realize that program module references can be interchanged with low - level hardware instructions . program modules include procedures , functions , programs , components , data structures , and the like , that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . the modules may be incorporated into single and multi - processor computing systems , as well as hand - held devices and controllable consumer devices ( e . g ., personal digital assistants ( pdas ), cellular telephones , set - top boxes , internet appliances , etc .). it is understood that modules may be implemented on a single computing device , or processed over a distributed network environment , where modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices . an exemplary system for implementing the invention includes a computing device 502 having system bus 504 for coupling together various components within the computing device . the system 504 bus may be any of several types of bus structures , such as pci , agp , vesa , microchannel , isa and eisa , etc . typically , attached to the bus 504 are processors 506 such as intel , dec alpha , powerpc , programmable gate arrays , etc ., a memory 508 ( e . g ., ram , rom ), storage devices 510 , a video interface 512 , and input / output interface ports 514 . the storage systems and associated computer - readable media provide storage of data and executable instructions for the computing device 502 . storage options include hard - drives , floppy - disks , optical storage , magnetic cassettes , tapes , flash memory cards , memory sticks , digital video disks , and the like , and may be connected to the bus 504 by way of an interface 526 . computing device 502 is expected to operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computing devices 516 , 518 through a network interface 520 , modem 522 , or other communication pathway . computing devices may be interconnected by way of a network 524 such as a local intranet or the internet . thus , for example , with respect to the illustrated embodiments , assuming computing device 502 is a client seeking to purchase goods , then remote devices 516 , 518 may be a billing service 516 providing substitute billing data to the user for purchasing goods from a business 518 . it will be appreciated that remote computing devices 516 , 518 may be configured like computing device 502 , and therefore include many or all of the elements discussed for computing device 502 . it should also be appreciated that computing devices 502 , 516 , 518 may be embodied within a single device , or separate communicatively - coupled components , and include routers , bridges , peer devices , web servers , and application programs utilizing network application protocols such as http , file transfer protocol ( ftp ), gopher , wide area information server ( wais ), and the like . having described and illustrated the principles of the invention with reference to illustrated embodiments , it will be recognized that the illustrated embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles . and , even though the foregoing discussion has focused on particular embodiments , it is understood that other configurations are contemplated . in particular , even though expressions such as “ in one embodiment ,” “ in another embodiment ,” and the like are used herein , these phrases are meant to generally reference embodiment possibilities , and are not intended to limit the invention to particular embodiment configurations . as used herein , these terms may reference the same or different embodiments , and unless expressly indicated otherwise , are combinable into other embodiments . consequently , in view of the wide variety of permutations to the above - described embodiments , the detailed description is intended to be illustrative only , and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention . what is claimed as the invention , therefore , is all such modifications as may come within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalents thereto .	6
the term “ membrane ” as used herein includes permeable and semi - permeable three dimensional structures with or without particles , having a porosity suitable for the desired application . the term “ composite structure ” as used herein includes filled membranes . in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that many different particles can be used in the composite structures , depending upon the desired objectives of the resulting device . in the case of adsorptive devices , the ideal device will have rapid adsorption kinetics , a capacity and selectivity commensurate with the application , and allows for elution of bound analyte with an appropriate desorption agent . suitable adsorptive composite structures are polymer bound , particle laden adsorptive membrane structures , such as those comprised of chromatographic beads which have been adhered together with a binder . a suitable polymer bound particle laden adsorptive membrane is illustrated in fig4 . this membrane is comprised of about 80 % w / w silica and 20 % w / w polysulfone binder , and is produced by millipore corporation . a similar membrane is shown in fig1 a cast - in - place in a pipette tip 50 . functional composite structures comprising other micron - size ( e . g ., 1 - 30 microns ) resin particles derivatized with other functional groups are also beneficial , including styrenedivinyl - benzene - based media ( unodified or derivatized with e . g ., sulphonic acids , quaternary amines , etc . ); silica - based media ( unmodified or derivatized with c 2 , c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , or c 18 or ion exchange functionalities ), to accommodate a variety of applications for peptides , proteins , nucleic acids , and other organic compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize that other matrices with alternative selectivities ( e . g ., hydrophobic interaction , affinity , etc .) can also be used , especially for classes of molecules other than peptides . the term “ particles ” as used herein is intended to encompass particles having regular ( e . g ., spherical ) or irregular shapes , as well as shards , fibers and powders , including metal powders , plastic powders ( e . g ., powdered polystyrene ), normal phase silica , fumed silica and activated carbon . for example , the addition of fumed silica into a polysulfone polymer results in increased active surface area and is suitable for various applications . polysulfone sold under the name udel p3500 and p1700 by amoco is particularly preferred in view of the extent of the adherence of the resulting composite structure to polyolefin housing , including polypropylene , polyethylene and mixtures thereof . other suitable polymer binders include polyethersulfone , cellulose acetate , cellulose acetate butyrate , acrylonitrile pvc copolymer ( sold commercially under the name “ dynel ”), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf , sold commercially under the name “ kynar ”), polystyrene and polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymer , etc . adhesion to the housing can be enhanced or an analogous effect achieved with these composite structures by means known to those skilled in the art , including etching of the housing , such as with plasma treatment or chemical oxidation ; mechanical aids such as rims inside the housing ; and inclusion of additives into the housing material that promote such adhesion . adhesion allows uniform precipitation during casting . devices in accordance with the present invention may incorporate a plurality of composite structures having resin materials with different functional groups to fractionate analytes that vary by charge , size , affinity and / or hydrophobicity ; alternately , a plurality of devices containing different individual functional membranes may be used in combination to achieve a similar result . similarly , one or more membranes can be cast in a suitable housing and functionality can be added before or after casting . in accordance with the present invention , the structures of the present invention can be formed by a polymer phase inversion process , air casting ( evaporation ) and thermal inversion . for those systems with minimal or no adhesion , the formed structures can be separately prepared and inserted into the appropriate housing and held in place by mechanical means . in the preferred method , the formed structures are cast in situ in the desired housing . this results in the ability to include large amounts of media in the polymer matrix while still maintaining a three - dimensional porous structure . the membrane substructure serves as a support network enmeshing the particles , thus eliminating the need for frits or plugs , thereby minimizing or even eliminating dead volume ( the adsorptivity of the membrane may or may not participate in the adsorption process ). however , porous frits plugs could be added if desired . preferably the membranes or composite structures formed have an aspect ratio ( average diameter to average thickness ) of less than about 20 , more preferably less than about 10 , especially less than 1 . for example , for adsorptive pipette tips , aspect ratios of two or less , more preferably less than 1 are preferred , especially between about 0 . 005 - 0 . 5 . an aspect ratio within this range provides for suitable residence times of the sample in the composite structure during operation . in the polymer phase inversion process , the solvent for the polymer must be miscible with the quench or inversion phase . for example , n - methyl - pyrolidone is a suitable solvent for polysulfones , polyethersulfones and polystyrene . in the latter case , polystryene pellets can be dissolved in n - methyl - pyrolidone and case - in - place . the resulting structure shows good adhesion to the walls of a polyolefin - based housing , and has adsorption characteristics similar to polysulfone . dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylform - amide , butyrolactone , and sulfalane are also suitable solvents . n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) is a suitable solvent for pvdf . water is the preferred precipitant . the polymer phase inversion process generally results in an expansion of the structure to about two to three times its casting solution volume in the housing . in the air casting process , a volatile solvent for the polymer binder is used . for example , in the case of cellulose acetate , acetone is a suitable volatile solvent . air casting generally results in a structure which is smaller than the casting solution volume . with this method , particles in the filled structures should be at least about 30μ to allow flow through the interstitial spaces after shrinkage without having to apply higher driving force . the upper limit of particle amounts is dictated by casting solution viscosity . depending on particle type , up to 40 % ( w / w ) of particles can be added to the polymer without resulting in a casting solution too viscous to draw into the housing . higher particle loadings may be achieved using higher temperature . suitable particle sizes include particles in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 100 microns in average diameter with or without porosity . suitable housing materials are not particularly limited , and include plastics ( such as polyethylene and polypropylene ), glass and stainless steel . polyolefins , and particularly polypropylene , are preferred housing materials in view of the chemical adhesion that is created with the composite structure when the composite containing polysulfone , and in particular udel p3500 and p1700 polysulfones available from amoco , is cast - in - place therein . fig1 b illustrates such adhesion with a polypropylene pipette tip housing having a cast - in - place membrane therein prepared with spherical silica gel and polysulfone . suitable housing configurations are also not particularly limited , and include pipette tips , wells , multi - well arrays , plastic and glass cavities , sample preparation devices such as the microcon ® microconcentrator , commercially available from millipore corporation , etc . the preferred housing configuration is substantially cylindrical , as the flow vectors during operation are substantially straight , similar to chromatography , thereby minimizing or avoiding dilutional washing that might occur with non - cylindrical configurations . although housings with volumes between about 0 . 1 μl and about 5 mls . can be used for casting - in - place , volumes less than about 100 μl are preferred , with volumes of from about 0 . 1 - 50 μl , preferably from about 0 . 2 - 20 μl , are especially preferred . pipette tip geometries having volumes as small as about 5 microliters can be used . when chemical adhesion of the composite structure to the housing walls is desired but is insignificant or non - existent , mechanical means can be used to maintain the composite structure in the housing . such as crimping , press fitting , heat shrinking the housing or a portion thereof , plasma treating the housing or a portion thereof , or chemically treating , such as etching , the housing or a portion thereof to promote adhesion . an advantage of adhesion to the housing wall is the ability to “ seal ” the composite structure to the housing without mechanical means . such sealing ( by whatever method ) prevents the sample from channeling or bypassing the composite during operation . preferably the structures of the present invention have a final bed height of from about 0 . 05 to about 5 mm . this allows for good washing , good density per unit volume , and results in a uniform precipitation during formation of the plug . the structures of the present invention also can be cast - in - place in conventional multi - well arrays having suitable geometries . alternatively , as shown in fig5 a - 5d , multi - well arrays 10 can be used as the housing , such as by casting the structures 11 of the present invention in place in the well 12 . alternatively , fig5 b shows an underdrain subassembly 13 having a plurality of wells 12 ( enlarged in fig5 d ) with cast - in - place structures contained therein . the underdrain 13 can be adapted to be permanently or removably coupled to the reservoir array 10 by any suitable means , such as by snapping , so as to form removable “ boot ” assemblies containing the structures of the present invention . for convenience , each underdrain 13 can contain a polymer matrix having particles with different chemistry , so that the user chooses the appropriate underdrain 13 depending upon the application . alternatively or in addition , the particle laden polymer matrix can differ from well to well . the reservoir housing 10 can be a plurality of open bores , or can include a membrane . the composite structures and the micro sample preparation devices of the present invention containing the composite structures have a wide variety of applications , depending upon the particle selection . for example , applications include peptide and protein sample preparation prior to analysis , peptide removal from carbohydrate samples , amino acid clean - up prior to analysis , immobilized enzymes for micro - volume reactions , immobilized ligands for micro - affinity chromatography , isolation of supercoiled and cut plasmids , clean - up of pcr and dna products , immobilized oligo dt for rna isolation , dye terminator removal , sample preparation for elemental analysis , etc . those skilled in the art will be able to choose the appropriate particles , polymer binder , particle chemistry and form geometry depending upon the desired application . in some cases , a mixture of particles can be used in the same devices . alternatively or in addition , a multi - well device could have different chemistries for each separate well . in the embodiment where the structures of the present invention are not filled with particles , symmetrical or asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , or a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , can be formed . in this embodiment , the preferred method of formation is casting in situ in the appropriate housing to form a self - retaining , self - supporting structure suitable for separations based on size or adsorption ( depending on polymer identity ). functionality can be added to such a membrane to perform adsorption separations without the use of particles . for example , cellulose acetate can be treated with base to form cellulose , followed by an oxidant to render it reactive . in the in situ formation process ( either with filled or unfilled structures ), the preferred method of formation involves precipitation by means of solvent exchange , such as by introducing the casting solution into the housing by any suitable means , such as where pressure is the driving force , for example by capillary action or by using a vacuum source . in the embodiment in which the housing is a pipette tip , a preferred driving force is a hand - held pipettor . once the desired volume in the housing is filled with casting solution , the casting solution in the housing is contacted with a liquid in which the polymer is insoluble , preferably water , so that the polymer precipitates in the housing . this can be accomplished by immersing the housing in the liquid , and / or drawing the liquid into the housing with a driving force such as by means of a vacuum . through the exchange of water for the solvent , the structure precipitates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the solvent used to prepare the casting solution and the non - solvent can contain a variety of additives . at the first contact of the polymer with the precipitant , there is virtually instaneous precipitation , thereby forming a semi - permeable barrier or “ skin ”. such a barrier is illustrated in fig1 as element 60 in a housing 62 . this barrier slows the rate of further precipitation of the substructure . once precipitation is complete , the initial semi - permeable barrier 60 can be removed , such as by cutting the housing at a point above the barrier at a point above the barrier or by abrading exposed polymer . the semi - permeable barrier 60 can be optionally left in place to carry out size - based separations with unfilled structures , as the barrier acts as a micro - filtration membrane . the cast in - place structure assumes the shape of the housing and results in a self - retaining homogeneous structure skin to a chromatographic column , providing a large surface area suitable for bind / elute chromatography ( e . g ., when particles are included in the polymer matrix ) or for other analytical or biochemical techniques . suitable driving forces include centrifugation , gravity , pressure or vacuum . without limitation , the following examples illustrate the objects and advantages of the present invention . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 % ( w / w ) pvdf solution ( pennwalt corp , kynar 761 ) was prepared in n , n - dimethyacetamide . to this , 1 grams of scx , 200 å , 15 μm ( millipore , pn 85864 ) spherical silica was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 20 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 20 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 20 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 0 . 5 - 1 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the pipette tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water @ 60 ° c . for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 25 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 5 to 20 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled several times . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica ( millipore , pn 85058 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at rt ., then mixed again . a 200 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 - 5 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water at room temperature for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 - 1 cm above the polymer height the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was twisted off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipetter and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 5 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 50 to 200 μl of deionized water was drawn in an expelled several times . 60 å , 10 μm normal phase silica in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips in a suitable small vessel , 6 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 1 grams of 60 å , 10 μm granular silica gel ( davison , grade 710 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a wide bore 1000 μl polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 - 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a suitable small vessel , 8 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 0 . 5 grams of fumed silica ( degussa , aerosil 200 ) were added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 - 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm silica ( millipore , pn 85864 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . using a pipette or eye dropper , 25 - 50 μl of casting solution was dispensed into a suitable fixture . examples of such devices include ( but are not limited to ) an millipore microcon or the wells of a 96 well filter plate . when preparing devices by this method , each chamber must contain a permeable barrier which will retain the solution ( e . g . polypropylene fabric , membrane , etc .). once added , the unit was gently tapped to ensure that the solution covered the entire barrier surface . the device was immersed in water for ca . 2 hours , and was gently stirred every 15 mins to promote solvent exchange . after this period , the units were removed and placed in either a centrifuge or vacuum manifold , as appropriate . the cast in place structure was flushed with 500 to 1000 μl of deionized water to ensure solvent removal . cast porous end plug in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips containing loose 30 μl silica in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 - 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 100 to 500 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . the pipette was detached and any excess water in the upper chamber was removed with a cotton swab . 5 - 10 mg of ( 250 å ) 30 μm silica gel was weighed out and carefully added to the back end of the pipette . the pipette was tapped so that the silica rested on too of the cast - in - place barrier . if necessary , affix a suitable porous plug ( cotton or polypropylene ) in the upper chamber to prevent particle loss . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone was prepared . the mixture is allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and is then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette is affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust is set to 1000 μl . the plunger is depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette is placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 - 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess polymer solution was wiped off , and the tip was dipped into a bath of deionized water for about 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was about 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for about 5 minutes . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor , the liquid expelled , and washed with 100 - 200 μl of deionized water . when cast in this manner , the precipitated polymer had a semi - permeable skin at the orifice , which can be used as a filtration medium . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of a 10 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) in acetone was prepared . to this , 1 gram of methanol , 0 . 5 grams of deionized water and 1 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica was added . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and was then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson ) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . the plunger was then slowly raised to fill the tip with about 5 - 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess fluid was wiped off , and the tip was placed in a rack to allow solvent to evaporate for about 16 hours . after this period , the tip was washed with about 10 μl of distilled water . 30 μl silica end plugs in porous polyethylene prepared by thermal phase inversion in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of beaded polyethylene and 100 grams of mineral oil are added . the mixture is heated to 250 ° c . on a hot plate with agitation . when the plastic liquifies , 4 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica is added and mixed thoroughly . using a 1 ml graduated glass pipette with filler bulb , 50 - 100 μl of the melt is drawn in . once the tip contains sufficient liquid , equal pressure is maintained , and the tip is removed , excess plastic is wiped off , the tip is allowed to cool to room temperature . the pipette is transferred to a methylene chloride bath for 1 hour to extract the mineral oil . it is then removed , and the methylene chloride is expelled and allowed to air dry . approximately 2 . 5 μg of each peptide from a mixture consisting of glytyr ( 1 ), valtyrval ( 2 ), methionine enkephalin ( 3 ), leucine enkaphalin ( 4 ) and angiotensin ii ( 5 ) ( in 100 μl 0 . 1 % tfa ) was adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica . the solution was drawn up and expelled 4 times . the tip was then washed with 200 μl of 0 . 1 % tfa . bound peptides were eluted with 80 % acetonitrile in 0 . 1 % tfa / water . the eluted peptides were diluted with 4 parts of 0 . 1 % tfa and analyzed by reverse phase hplc ( linear acetonitrile gradient 5 - 30 % over 20 min ). the resulting chromatogram was then compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 7 ). as expected , the glytyr , valtyrval , which are small and relatively hydrophilic , did not bind to the c 18 . the recoveries of the remaining 3 ( adsorbed ) peptides subsequent to elution ranged from 70 - 85 %. approximately 2 . 5 μg of each solute from a mixture consisting of a five peptides ( see example 10 ) ( in 100 μl in 10 % glacial acetic acid ) were adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast , styrene sulfonate coated , 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica . adsorption was performed during 4 complete uptake - withdraw cycles followed by a 100 μl flush with 20 % methanol / 10 mm hcl . bound sample was eluted with two 25 μl volumes of 1 . 4 n ammonium hydroxide / 50 % methanol . the eluted sample was analyzed by reversed phase hplc and the resulting chromatogram was compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 8 ). the strong cation exchange tip bound all sample components , except glytyr . such performance is consistent with the selectivity of sulfonic acid ion - exchange resins . trypsin was covalently coupled to an aldehyde activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica and cast ( 20 μl ) into p200 tips for protein digestion in situ . trypsin activity within the tip was assessed by monitoring the digestion of cytochrome via hplc . a sample of cytochrome c ( 10 μg in 100 μl of 100 mm tris , 1 mm cacl 2 , ph 8 @ 37 ° c .) was taken up into the tip for 15 minutes . the reaction was mixed 4 × with a expel / draw cycle into an eppendorf tube . the digest was analyzed by hplc using a linear gradient of acetonitrile from 5 - 45 % over 30 minutes ( see fig1 ). the resulting chromatogram showed that greater than 90 % of cytochrome c was digested after 15 minutes ( see fig9 for undigested cytochrome c ). recombinant protein a was coupled to precast p200 tips containing aldehyde - activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica for the isolation of rabbit immunoglobulin ( igg ). a 100 μl sample of 1 mg / ml igg and bsa in rip buffer ( 150 mm nacl , 1 % np - 40 , 0 . 5 % doc , 0 . 1 % sds , 50 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 ) was cycled six times through a tip containing 40 μl of cast volume containing protein a immobilized beads . the tip was then washed with 5 volumes of rip buffer prior to the elution . desorption of bound igg was performed with ( two 25 μl volumes ) of 6m urea . the desorbed sample was diluted with 50 μl of 2 × sds laemmli sample buffer and boiled for 3 min prior to electrophoretic analysis . this protocol was also performed on a blank tip containing just polysulfone without beads which served as a background control . electrophoresis was performed in a 10 - 16 % acrylamide gel shown ( see fig1 ). samples are as follows : lane 9 : ( mw marker ); lanes 1 - 4 : increasing amounts of protein a tip eluted sample ; and lanes 5 - 8 : increasing amounts of eluted igg / bsa from the blank polysulfone tip . these results indicate selective binding of igg to the protein a tip with minimal nonspecific adsorption . furthermore , the blank tip ( lanes 5 - 8 ), in the presence of detergents ( rip buffer ), did not exhibit adsorption of either igg or bsa . 60 å , 10 μm 1000 μl pipette tips for supercoiled dna escherichia coli strain jm109 containing plasmid puc19 was grown in 3 - 5 ml of luria broth containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin at 37 ° c . for 12 - 16 hours . 1 . 5 ml of the overnight culture was pelleted in a microfuge tube spun at maximum g - force for 30 sec at room temperature . residual growth medium was removed while leaving the bacterial pellet intact . plasmid dna was then isolated using a modification of the alkaline lysis procedure of birnboim and doly ( birnboim , h . c . and doly , j . ( 1979 ). nucleic acids res 7 ., 1513 ). briefly , the bacterial pellet was resuspended by vortexing in 50 μl of 50 mm glucose , 25 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , and 10 μg / ml rnase a . next 100 μl of 0 . 2 n naoh , 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate was added . the resulting suspension was incubated at room temperature for 2 min . following the addition of 100 μl of 3 m sodium acetate solution ( ph 4 . 8 ), the suspension was mixed by vortexing then spun in a microfuge at maximum g - force for 2 min . the cleared lysate was transferred to a fresh microfuge tube to which 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm 2 -( n - morpholino ) ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ) at ph 5 . 6 was added to a final concentration and volume of 4 . 4 m and 700 μl , respectively . the resulting solution was drawn into a 1000 μl polypropylene pipette tip with ca . 60 μl of cast membrane containing ca . 60 å , 10 μm silica gel using a p - 1000 pipettor . the solution was pipetted in - and - out for 2 - 2 . 5 minutes to allow extensive interaction between the dna solution and the silica membrane matrix . the tip was then flushed once with 400 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol . residual alcohol is removed by repeated expulsion onto a paper towel . plasmid dna was eluted from the tip in 100 μl of 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 1 mm edta ( te ) by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. eluate fractions were adjusted to a final volume of 100 μl with te . six tips were evaluated . to quantitate plasmid dna recovery , 20 % of the eluate , as well as 20 % of the unbound filtrates , were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). included on the gel were samples of puc19 plasmid dna of known concentrations . ( lanes 1 - 4 ) results of these experiments indicate that on average 2 . 5 mg of supercoiled plasmid was recovered ( lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). 60 å , 10 μm silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for linear dna the ability of 200 μl polypropylene wide bore pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of cast 60 å , 10 μm silica - laden membrane to bind linearized dna fragments ( pbr322 digested with either bstni or mspi , to generate dna fragment ladders ) or plasmid pbr322 dna restricted with psti and bamhi ( generates large linear restriction fragments ) was assessed . five μg of linearized plasmid dna was combined with guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes to a final concentration of 0 . 5 m and volume of 150 μl . prior to use , p - 200 tips containing the silica membrane were pre - equilibrated in ( 2 ×) 200 μl of 0 . 5 m guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes . the dna / guhcl solution was drawn into a pipette tip and cycled in - and - out for 1 . 5 - 2 . 0 min to allow extensive interaction between the dna binding mixture and the silica - laden membrane matrix . the tips were then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . bound dna was eluted from the tip matrix in 100 μl te , by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. to measure dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). in order to quantitate the amount of dna recovered , samples representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 - 4 . lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , & amp ; 11 are the eluants . estimate of band intensities indicate recoveries in excess of 95 %. fumed silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for pcr amplified dna the ability of 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of fumed silica immobilized in a polysulfone matrix was assessed for the purification of pcr amplified dna ( 500 bp ). prior to use , tips were flushed 2 × with 100 μl of te buffer and then equilibrated with 500 μl of 3 m nai in 200 mm mes buffer ( ph 6 . 4 ). 50 μl samples from the pooled pcr stock ( ca . 3 μg of dna ) were then combined with 7 m nai to a final nai concentration of 3 . 0 m . the total volume following addition of the nai solution was 150 μl . the sample was drawn in and expelled from the p - 200 tips containing the cast fumed silica - laden membrane for 2 - 3 minutes allowing for extensive contact with the matrix . each tip was then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . residual alcohol was removed by expelling the tip contents onto a paper towel . bound pcr product was eluted in 50 μl te ( ph 8 . 0 ). to estimate dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 - 4 as controls . note the presence of the lower band which indicates a slight primer - dimer contamination . the use of immobilized fumed silica along with nai appears to give an amplified dna recovery in excess of 90 %. in addition , there appears to be a reduction in the primer - dimer contaminant . ( see lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). cast porous end plug with loose 30 micron silica in a 200 μl pipette tip for dna isolation 200 μl pipette tips containing ca 5 - 10 μl of cast ( 7 . 5 %) polysulfone as a porous end plug and 2 - 4 mg of loose 250 å , 30 μm silica was assayed for the ability to bind linear and supercoiled plasmid dna . regarding linear dna , approximately 5 μg of pbr322 was first digested with mspi in 45 μl te ( 10 mm tris - hc 1 , 1 mm edta ), ph 8 . 0 , and then combined with 100 μl of 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm mes buffer at ph 5 . 6 . the final concentration of guhcl in the solution was 4 . 7 m . the resulting solution was drawn ( once ) into a 200 μl pipette tip and allowed to extensively contact the silica by inverting the pipetman with the affixed tip for approximately 2 min . the dna adsorbed to the tips was then washed and eluted as described in example 15 . loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 % and 25 % of the starting material where run in lanes 1 - 4 as controls . results from experiments using this format indicate that dna recoveries of better than 75 % can be achieved ( see fig1 , lanes 5 and 7 ).	1
this invention relates to a printer for electronic generated graphic information and in one aspect to a very low power , electrophotographic , nonimpact and low - noise printer . the computer &# 39 ; s ability to process various kinds of data at great speeds demands the conversion , storage and comparison of information in electrical formats . similarly it must be again converted to human - readable formats and thus there is a growing demand for on - line printers to accept the electrical signals and a convert them to a readable format at very high printing speeds onto hard copy for the user . the laser has provided a source of radiation with a small spot size which is modulatable very rapidly to produce a latent image pattern on a photoconductive surface of a drum or belt to achieve rapid printout of computer generated information . such systems utilizing the laser and a scanning system for line generation from a stationary laser are described . the size and cost of laser scanning systems to utilize a he - ne laser , acousto - optic modulator , collimating lenses , a rotating or oscillating scanner , a parabolic mirror or a flat field fθ lens , a rotating drum to accept the modulated radiation and the associated image developing and transfer stations results in a relatively large expensive piece of hardware which expense exceeds that of the impact printers such that they are not acceptable . the present invention on the otherhand provides an economical laser printer of good resolution . the machine is compact and provides a nonimpact noiseless printer . the present invention utilizes a laser diode for the source of the imaging radiation in the near infrared range , a combination of an objective lens and curved mirror for focusing the radiation and a scanning means for moving the beam of radiation . the printer does not need expensive flat field lenses to focus the beam onto the surface of the photoconductor . the radiation is directed onto a photoconductor and preferrably a paper sensitized with a zinc - oxide ( zno ) photoconductor upon which the image may be directly developed and fixed . the printer of the present invention comprises a source of monochromatic radiation of very low power , means for focusing the radiation to a spot , and means for scanning a linear focal plane with said spot of radiation . the focal plane is defined by support apparatus for the print paper . the printer thus further comprises a support for a supply of paper having a near infrared radiation - sensitive coating , drive means for advancing paper from the supply , means for supporting the paper at the focal plane of the radiation , means for developing the latent electrophotographic image on the paper and means for fixing the image to the paper . the preferred source of radiation is a laser diode affording coherent monochromatic radiation with three to fifteen milliwatts of power . the radiation is focused to a spot on a flat field by an objective lens positioned adjacent and in the path of the radiation from the laser diode and a parabolic mirror . a scanning mirror disposed in the path of the radiation directs the radiation along a transverse linear path . an interface with the laser diode adaptable to couple the printer to a particular electronic data format drives the laser to transfer the electronic signals to human readable graphic symbols on the paper . the present invention will be described in greater detail hereafter with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein : fig1 is a diagrammatic vertical sectional view of a printer constructed according to the present invention ; fig2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the imaging device of the printer of fig1 ; and fig3 is a vertical sectional view of the scanning device . the present invention provides a new imaging device for nonimpact printers for producing human readable or hard copy prints of electronic information or data processed , stored and / or compared electronically . the imaging device utilizes a low power monochromatic light source which light is focused and scanned across a linear focal plane to produce a latent image on a paper sensitized to the light radiated from the source . this latent image can then be developed on - line to deliver the operator acceptable copy of the data direct from the source . a printer according to the present invention is illustrated in fig1 and is generally designated 10 . the printer comprises an imaging device 11 and the copy exposing and developing device 12 . the imaging device comprises a laser diode 15 positioned to project radiation therefrom through an objective lens 16 toward a scanning means for moving the beam transversely such as a mirror 17 positioned on a galvanometer 18 is oscillated . the mirror is mounted on the galvanometer . alternatively , a polygon mirror may be used . the galvanometer and mirror provide means for moving the beam of radiation from the lens 16 across a concave , compound curved mirror 20 . the mirror 20 reflects the radiation to a mirror 21 disposed to reflect the radiation through a slit 22 onto a linear focal plane 23 defined by a pair of support members 24 in the copy device 12 . the laser diode 15 may be a laser diode from 3 to 15 milliwatts and an example of such a laser diode is one available from mitsubishi electric corporation of tokyo , japan , identified as ml3001 which is rated as 3 milliwatts and 830 nanometers with an emitting area of 0 . 5 by 2 . 0 microns . alternatively the laser diode may be from general optronics inc . of s . plainfield , n . j ., model gols , which is rated at 5 milliwatts or from hitachi , ltd . of tokyo , japan , type hlp - 1400 having a power of 15 milliwatts . the laser diode is preferably disposed at an angle of about 4 . 5 degrees with respect to the plane of the printer . light from the laser diode is directed through a high resolution objective lens 16 , of 10 × to 40 ×, preferably 20 × or an 8mm lens , toward the reflective face of a circular mirror 17 . the mirror 17 is mounted on a 1000 cycle per second galvanometer and the mirror and galvanometer rotor are positioned between top and bottom supports for the torsion bar of the galvanometer . the galvanometer 18 is nonlinear but may be of the linear type . the galvanometer is self - resonant with a front surface mirror and an example is the 2s23010 self resonant optical scanner manufactured by general scanning inc . of watertown , mass . the curved mirror 20 is preferably a parabolic mirror having a focal length of 17 . 3 inches and serves , together with the objective lens 16 , to focus the radiation from the laser diode 15 onto an ovate spot having a major diameter of between 25 to 250 microns . the total light path is 26 . 6 inches in length . the laser diode 15 and the galvanometer 18 are interfaced with a suitable information input device such as a computer to convert electronic information to modulated radiation from the laser diode 15 to impart radiation selectively to the linear focal plane 23 to develop a latent image within the sensitized coating on a paper 30 supported in the copy exposing and developing device 12 . the device 12 comprises means 31 for supporting a supply roll of the paper 30 which roll comprises a continuous web of photosensitive paper , which sensitive coating comprises a zinc oxide coating which is sensitized to the radiation from the laser diode . the construction of the paper , is described in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 386 , 334 , filed june 8 , 1982 , in the name herbert et al and assigned to the assignee of the present invention . such a description of the sensitized copy paper is incorporated herein by reference . in the device 12 the paper 30 is drawn from the roll and directed across a guide member 32 and through a first pair of feed rollers 33 and 34 . the paper is then directed through a cut - off device 35 and then through charging rollers 36 and 37 . the paper is next directed over the support members 24 and drive roller 25 . the exposed paper is then directed through a guide chute 40 by the roller 25 and a second feed roller 38 . as the paper passes down through the chute 40 and is directed past a developer roll 41 , toner powder from a supply cartridge 42 is directed onto the selectively charged areas on the sensitized coating . then the paper is moved past pressure fusing rollers 44 and 45 to fuse the image to the paper and the copy is directed out of the device through a discharge slot 46 . the scanner for the printer is shown in greater detail in fig3 . the scanner comprises a rod 50 supported at each end in the mounting frame comprising a top bar 51 securing one end , and a support member 53 affixed in a bracket 54 which is fixed by a bar 55 to the top bar 51 . the rod 50 has fixed thereto intermediate the ends , the mirror 17 and a sleeve 56 . the sleeve has axially spaced rotors 57 and 59 fixed thereon . the sleeve 56 positions the rotors within the stator pole pieces in the stator 60 which is fixed to the support 53 . the rod 50 has two areas 63 and 64 of reduced cross section to obtain the desired resonating characteristics for the mirror . the top and bottom mounting for the rod 50 restricts the cross axis wobble of the mirror 17 . the rod 50 is made of steel to provide the torsion effect in the reduced areas . alternative arrangements may be provided for the mirror 21 in that , as an imaging device , it may be preferable to have a longer path for the radiation to change the spot size , and the mirror 21 could be disposed further from the curved mirror 20 as illustrated in the dotted line positions of fig1 and 2 for the mirror 48 . other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims .	1
unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs . although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention , the preferred methods and materials are described herein . all references cited herein , including published or corresponding u . s . or foreign patent applications , issued u . s . or foreign patents , and any other references , are each incorporated by reference in their entireties , including all data , tables , figures , and text presented in the cited references . the terms “ composition ” and “ formulation ” may be used interchangeably herein . additionally , the phrase “ inventive glass composition ” and “ glass composition ” may be interchangeably used . the general inventive concepts relate to a glass composition used to form continuous glass fibers that may be used to reinforce high refractive index polymer matrices and form transparent or translucent composite products . in addition , the glass composition has a viscosity that is sufficiently above the liquidus temperature to permit the glass fibers to be formed using currently available fiber forming techniques , such as , for example , a platinum - lined melter . in some exemplary embodiments , the inventive glass composition includes the following components in the weight percent ranges given in table 1 . as used herein , the terms “ weight percent ” and “ percent by weight ” may be used interchangeably and are meant to denote the weight percent ( or percent by weight ) based on the total composition . further , it is to be appreciated that impurities or trace materials may be present in the glass composition without adversely affecting the glasses or the fibers . these impurities may enter the glass as raw material impurities or may be products formed by the chemical reaction of the molten glass with furnace components . non - limiting examples of trace materials include fe 2 o 3 , cr 2 o 3 , ceo 2 , pr 2 o 3 , nd 2 o 3 , pm 2 o 3 , sm 2 o 3 , eu 2 o 3 , gd 2 o 3 , tb 2 o 3 , dy 2 o 3 , ho 2 o 3 , er 2 o 3 , tm 2 o 3 , yb 2 o 3 and lu 2 o 3 , all of which are present in their oxide forms , and fluorine and chlorine . the glass fibers produced from the inventive composition may have a refractive index between about 1 . 55 and about 1 . 69 , an abbe number less than about 65 , and a coefficient of thermal expansion less than about 66 × 10 − 7 cm / cm . in some exemplary embodiments , the glass fibers have a refractive index between about 1 . 55 and about 1 . 65 , an abbe number less than about 55 , and a coefficient of thermal expansion less than about 52 × 10 − 7 cm / cm . the difference between the forming temperature and the crystallization temperature is from about − 170 ° c . to about 77 ° c . also , the viscosity as a function of temperature of the glass is such that glass fibers formed from the inventive composition may be formed in conventional platinum - lined melters ( e . g ., paramelters ). in the glass composition , sio 2 , y 2 o 3 , and b 2 o 3 provide a glass network for the fiber . the sio 2 also plays a role in the chemical and thermal stability of the formed glass fiber . la 2 o , nb 2 o 5 , and y 2 o 3 are effective for increasing the refractive index of the glass fiber . tio 2 is optionally added to adjust the refractive index and abbe number . al 2 o 3 may be added to improve the chemical durability of the glass fiber . in some exemplary embodiments , the glass composition is free or substantially free of fluorine and lead , although either may be added at levels less than about 1 % without adversely affecting the glass properties . the fiberizing properties of the glass composition of the present invention include the fiberizing temperature , the liquidus temperature , and δt . the fiberizing temperature is defined as the temperature that corresponds to a viscosity of about 1000 poise . lowering the fiberizing temperature may reduce the production cost of the glass fibers because it allows for a longer bushing life and reduced energy usage . for example , at a lower fiberizing temperature , a bushing operates at a cooler temperature and does not quickly “ sag ”. sag is a phenomenon that occurs in bushings that are held at an elevated temperature for extended periods of time . thus , by lowering the fiberizing temperature , the sag rate of the bushing may be reduced and the bushing life can be increased . in the present invention , the glass composition has a fiberizing temperature ( i . e ., log 3 temperature ) that is less than about 1443 ° c . in exemplary embodiments , the log 3 temperature is from about 1081 ° c . to about 1443 ° c . the liquidus temperature is defined as the highest temperature at which equilibrium exists between liquid glass and its primary crystalline phase . at all temperatures above the liquidus temperature , the glass is free from crystals in its primary phase . at temperatures below the liquidus temperature , crystals may form . additionally , the liquidus temperature is the greatest temperature at which devitrification can occur upon cooling the glass melt . at all temperatures above the liquidus temperature , the glass is completely molten . in exemplary embodiments , the liquidus temperature of the inventive composition may range from about 1169 ° c . to about 1531 ° c . a third fiberizing property is “ δt ”, which is defined as the difference between the fiberizing temperature ( i . e ., log 3 temperature ) and the liquidus temperature . if the δt is too small , the molten glass may crystallize within the fiberizing apparatus and cause a break in the manufacturing process . additionally , glasses with small or negative δt values may be formed utilizing methods that are not commonly employed when forming reinforcement fibers . for instance , discontinuous fibers may be generated by blowing gas or steam through a molten stream of glass . these discontinuous fibers require additional processing ( such as carding or needle felting ) to form them into suitable reinforcement fibers . alternatively , continuous fibers can be formed from glasses having small or negative δt values by elevating the forming temperature well above the log 3 temperature . the temperature chosen needs to be above the liquidus temperature to prevent devitrification . the inventive composition may have a δt up to about 77 ° c ., in exemplary embodiments , from about − 170 ° c . to about 77 ° c . in general , glass fibers according to the present invention may be formed by obtaining the raw materials or ingredients and mixing or blending the components in a conventional manner in the appropriate quantities to give the desired weight percentages of the final composition . for example , the components may be obtained from suitable ingredients or raw materials including , but not limited to , sand or pyrophyllite for sio 2 , kaolin , alumina or pyrophyllite for al 2 o 3 , lithium carbonate or spodumene for li 2 o and sodium feldspar , sodium carbonate or sodium sulfate for na 2 o , potassium feldspar or potassium carbonate for k 2 o , lanthanum oxide or rare earth oxide blends for la 2 o 3 , rutile or ilmenite for tio 2 , and the remainder of the composition is supplied by refined oxides of nb 2 o 5 , wo 3 , or y 2 o 3 . glass cullet can also be used to supply one or more of the needed oxides . the mixed batch is then melted in a platinum - lined melter , and the resulting molten glass is passed into bushings ( e . g ., platinum - alloy based bushings ). the operating temperatures of the glass in the furnace and bushing are selected to appropriately adjust the viscosity of the glass , and may be maintained using suitable methods such as control devices . preferably , the temperature at the front end or bottom of the melter is automatically controlled to reduce or eliminate devitrification . the molten glass is then pulled ( drawn ) through holes or orifices in the bottom or tip plate of the bushing to form glass fibers . the streams of molten glass flowing through the bushing orifices are attenuated to filaments by winding a strand formed of a plurality of individual filaments on a forming tube mounted on a rotatable collet of a winding machine or chopped at an adaptive speed . the fibers may be further processed in a conventional manner suitable for the intended application . for instance , the continuous glass fibers may be sized with a sizing composition known to those of skill in the art . the sizing composition is in no way restricted , and may be any sizing composition suitable for application to glass fibers . the sized fibers may be used for reinforcing substrates , such as a variety of plastics , where the end product is desired to have a high refractive index . such applications include , but are not limited to , the reinforcement of high refractive index plastics that have high strength and temperature resistance useful for laboratory equipment or a protective layer for flexible lcd screens . in this regard , the present invention also includes a composite material having a high refractive index that includes the inventive glass fibers , as described above , in combination with a hardenable matrix material . the matrix material may be any suitable thermoplastic or thermoset resin known to those of skill in the art , such as , but not limited to thermoplastics and thermoset resins such as polyesters , polypropylene , polyamide , polyethylene terephthalate , polybutylene , polysulfone , polyethersulfone , polyether imide , polyarylate , epoxy resins , unsaturated polyesters , phenolics , vinylesters , and elastomers . the polymer resins can be used alone or in combination to form the final composite product . having generally described this invention , a further understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples illustrated below which are provided for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be all inclusive or limiting unless otherwise specified . glass compositions according to the present invention were made by mixing reagent grade chemicals in proportioned amounts to achieve a final glass composition with the oxide weight percentages set forth in tables 3 - 15 . the raw materials were melted in a platinum crucible in an electrically heated furnace at a temperature of 1650 ° c . for 3 hours . the abbe number was calculated from the refractive index of the glass measured at three wavelengths , 589 . 2 nm ( d ), 486 . 1 nm ( f ), and 656 . 3 nm ( c ). the abbe number , v , was then calculated from the following equation : the coefficient of thermal expansion was measured by linear extension according to astm e228 - 06 . the refractive index was measured using temperature controlled standardized immersion oils according to astm e1967 - 98 . the forming viscosity ( i . e ., the temperature that corresponds to a viscosity of about 1000 poise ) was measured using a rotating cylinder method ( astm c965 ). the liquidus temperature was measured by exposing glass to a temperature gradient in a platinum - alloy boat for 16 hours ( astm c829 ). density was measured by the archimedes method ( astm c693 - 93 ). the modulus was measured indirectly by measuring the speed of sound in a fiber with a known density . looking at tables 3 - 15 , it can be concluded that the glass compositions of examples 1 - 86 have a very high refractive index in comparison with commercially available continuous fiber products ( e . g ., the refractive index for s2 glass is 1 . 52 , e - glass is about 1 . 58 to 1 . 62 and ecr glass is 1 . 58 ) with forming temperatures and δt values that allow these glasses to be manufactured by known platinum - lined furnace melting techniques . the invention of this application has been described above both generically and with regard to specific embodiments . although the invention has been set forth in what is believed to be the preferred embodiments , a wide variety of alternatives known to those of skill in the art can be selected within the generic disclosure . the invention is not otherwise limited , except for the recitation of the claims set forth below .	2
in the detailed description of the invention , like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout . various items of equipment may be omitted to simplify the description . however , those skilled in the art will realize that such conventional equipment can be employed as desired . with reference to fig1 and 2 , the magnetic vertical axis wind turbine 10 of the present invention is illustrated . specifically , there is shown a substantially circular base 12 defined by a vertical edge 14 at its outer perimeter and a central hub 16 . a center rod 18 attaches to central hub 16 and extends axially from base 12 . disposed around outer perimeter of base 12 on vertical edge 14 is a plurality of magnetic transformers 20 . an axial shaft 22 having a first end 24 , a second end 26 and axial grooves 28 along its length is pivotally mounted on center rod 18 . shaft 22 rotates axially relative to rod 18 and base 12 . center bearings 19 may be positioned on rod 18 or within shaft 22 to facilitate relative rotation and ensure axial alignment of shaft 22 and rod 18 . in one preferred embodiment , shaft 22 is segmented into multiple segments ( in the case of fig2 , four segments ) and multiple bearings 19 are utilized so that the height of shaft 22 can be adjusted as desired . a top cap 21 may be placed over the top most center bearing 19 . mounted on shaft 22 is a substantially circular rotor or cover 30 which has an outwardly extending surface 31 terminating at an outer perimeter vertical edge 32 . disposed around the outer perimeter edge 32 of rotor 30 is a plurality of magnets 34 . rotor 30 is mounted on shaft 22 so as to be concentric with base 12 , whereby the outer perimeter edge 32 of rotor 30 is adjacent the outer perimeter edge 14 of base 12 such that magnets 34 are aligned with transformers 20 in a horizontal plane . in one preferred embodiment , sixty magnetic transformers 20 are provided on base 12 and sixty magnets 34 are provided on rotor 30 . center rod 18 , being attached in a fixed non - rotational position to base 12 , in addition to providing support for shaft 22 and rotor 30 , also provides alignment for base 12 and rotor 30 and hence the adjacent transformers 20 and magnets 34 . a first levitating magnet 36 is mounted on base 12 and a second levitating magnet 38 is mounted on rotor 30 so that magnet 36 and magnet 38 are adjacent one another when rotor 30 and base 12 are axially aligned . those skilled in the art will understand that the polarities of magnets 36 and 38 are such that the magnets repel one another when mounted as described herein . in such case , rotor 30 will “ levitate ” above base 12 on center rod 18 . the levitating magnets 36 , 38 enable rotor 30 and vanes 42 , or wind turbine portion of the device , to “ levitate ” magnetically off of base 12 , thus providing substantially frictionless rotation of rotor 30 relative to base 12 and obviating the need for wheels or bearings therebetween . as such , the efficiency of the wind turbine 10 is increased because less energy is needed to overcome the resistance between rotor 30 and base 12 . while any configuration of magnets 36 and 38 as disposed on corresponding base 12 and rotor 30 is possible , in the preferred embodiment , each magnet 36 , 38 is ring shaped and concentrically disposed in recesses 40 defined on base 12 and rotor 30 . a plurality of triangular shaped vanes 42 are mounted on shaft 22 . each vane 42 is characterized by an inner edge 44 , an outer edge 46 and a lower edge 48 . as further illustrated in fig3 , outer edge 46 is curved axially about inner edge 44 so as to define an inner surface 50 and an outer surface 52 for vane 42 . in one preferred embodiment , inner edge 44 is linear , while edges 46 and 48 are curvilinear , thereby taking on the shape of the billowed sail of a sailboat . in any event , inner edge 44 of vane 42 is disposed to mount in an axial groove 28 of shaft 22 so that lower edge 48 abuts surface 33 of rotor 30 and the distal end of lower edge 48 terminates adjacent vertical edge 32 of rotor 30 . vanes 42 are preferably equally spaced about shaft 22 in the same direction radially on top of rotor 30 . in one preferred embodiment , eight vanes 42 are utilized . with reference to fig4 , one embodiment of a cross section of the base 12 and rotor 30 of the magnetic vertical axis wind turbine 10 is illustrated , and more specifically , the relative positions of magnetic transformers 20 mounted on base 12 and magnets 34 mounted on rotor 30 are shown . in this embodiment , edge 14 of base 12 is illustrated as being located inwardly of edge 32 of rotor 30 , thereby protecting both transformers 20 and magnets 34 from external exposure . additionally , center rod 18 is shown secured in hub 16 of base 12 . a recess 40 is shown in each of base 12 and rotor 30 . recesses 40 are axially positioned to face one another and are each disposed for receipt of their corresponding levitating magnet 36 , 38 . a portion of shaft 22 ( without any vanes 42 shown ) is illustrated and shown attached to rotor 12 . turning to the wind turbine component , or “ wind engine ”, of the invention , namely the vanes 42 , the shape and placement of the vanes are specifically provided to yield improvements in both rotation torque and efficiency . there is a five - step sequence to wind turbine technology that is generally known in the art : 1 . upwind lift phase . this begins approximately in the upwind position and continues to approximately 60 degrees past it , depending on wind and rotor speed conditions . 2 . downwind drag phase . this begins at approximately 60 degrees downwind and continues to around the 120 degree position . 3 . transitional phase . at about the 120 degree position , the airfoil rotates its orientation by 90 degrees and converts its rotational energy into rotor thrust by the law of conservation of rotational inertia . 4 . leeward lift phase . positioned crosswind by the transitional phase , the airfoil now sweeps across the leeward side of the system . 5 . upwind phase . the airfoil returns to windward , positioning itself for minimum drag . in the present invention , power is produced in four of the five phases , as more particularly described below . the vertical axis wind turbine 10 is designed to be mounted on a roof top . when the wind strikes the roof and building at different angles throughout the year , the wind creates air currents coming from different directions , sometimes simultaneously . for example , if the wind is blowing from the other side of a roof peak , force is created by the wind that hits the turbine 10 directly , plus the wind that is redirected from hitting objects on the roof . these objects on the roof include roof vents , television satellite dishes , chimneys and the other elevated roofs . in addition , there may be vortices of wind turbulence curling back from over the roof and striking the turbine from above . because of these conditions , most roof mounted prior art vawts have been ineffective . however , the vanes or sails 42 of the vertical axis wind turbine 10 of the current invention are designed so that the wind can strike them from all directions simultaneously ; this then causes the wind turbine 10 to spin faster . as described above , each vane 42 preferably resembles a ship &# 39 ; s sail , configured for a “ close haul ” to the wind . the overall visual effect gives the wind turbine 10 an appearance like an “ auger ” or “ impeller .” to the extent that wind strikes the wind turbine 10 from a single direction , the curved shape of a vane 42 allows the wind turbine 10 to catch the wind through 280 degrees of the rotation of vane 42 . specifically , for approximately 20 degrees , vane 42 luffs ( does not catch any wind or face any wind )— similar to the sail of a sailboat . through the next 100 degrees , vane 42 develops lift from the passage of the air over the curved shape of vane 42 , similar to a sailboat with its sail configured for a “ close haul ”. through another 40 degrees , vane 42 of the wind turbine 10 moves in opposition to the wind , creating “ drag ”. through the final 20 degrees , vane 42 is in a luff position again . when wind impinges on all vanes 42 of the wind turbine 10 , some vanes 42 receive a “ push ” through 180 degrees at the same time as other vanes 42 receive wind through the 20 degrees of luff , while still other vanes 42 receive force through the 100 degrees of lift and the remaining vanes 42 receive wind - force through the other 40 degrees of luff . as such , power is produced from four of the five phases discussed above , which is equivalent to at least 280 degrees out of 360 degrees of rotation . further , because of the multiple vanes 42 utilized in turbine 10 , the drag and luff portions of one vane 42 may be offset by the other vanes 42 at any one moment in time . significantly , the combined effect of push on one side and lift on the other side gives the wind turbine 10 the ability to spin faster than the speed of the wind from any one direction . specifically , in a multiple wind - direction situation , i . e . when cyclonic winds blow from several directions at once or when the wind is blowing straight down upon the wind turbine 10 from above , all vanes 42 are experiencing more lift than drag through their entire rotation . the effect is that the wind turbine 10 actually spins faster when having winds strike it from more than one direction , and spins quickest of all when the wind is blowing from above . as such , it is possible for vanes 42 to spin much faster than the speed of the wind . with respect to generation of electricity , the magnetic transformers 20 and magnets 34 are the principal components of what may be referred to as the axial flux alternator for turbine 10 . in the preferred embodiment , magnetic transformers 20 may be a cored coil or a coreless coil and magnets 34 are passive magnets . those skilled in the art will understand that the term “ axial flux ” refers to a type of alternator where magnets are mounted on disks and the flux between them is parallel to the axis of the shaft and is desirable for generating an electric current even when rotational speed is low . an electric current is produced by magnetic transformer 20 as magnets 34 are rotated past the transformers . in any event , the axial flux alternator arrangement described above is used in the current invention to generate an electric current . the magnetic transformers 20 are incorporated as part of the circuit of the axial flux alternator . moreover , while fig4 illustrates edge 14 of base 12 being located inwardly of edge 32 of rotor 30 , the relative positions of edges 14 and 30 could be reversed or an additional edge 14 carrying additional transformers 20 could be located outwardly of edge 32 and magnets 34 so as to maximize the amount of electricity produced by turbine 10 . while one preferred embodiment of the invention has been described with 60 magnets 34 and 60 magnetic transformers 20 , in another preferred embodiment of the invention , turbine 10 includes 100 - 300 magnets 34 which pass over 100 - 400 magnetic transformers 20 , or coils of wire , thus generating electricity by induction . in one example , the frequency of the current typically ranges from 100 cycles to 7500 cycles . preferably , the current is first converted to dc and then back to ac 60 cycle current before it is conveyed to either electrically - powered machines ( not shown ), an electrical storage system , such as a battery system ( not shown ) or connected to a commercial electrical grid ( not shown ) for use by the local electrical utility . one novel feature of the turbine 10 is the ability to selectively activate and deactivate magnetic transformers 20 as needed to control rotational drag . one drawback to the vawts of the prior art is that , with a full generator load holding it back , they are often very difficult to get started , i . e ., generating sufficient torque to overcome friction creating drag on the rotating hub . in some prior art vawts , an electric motor was used to achieve a minimum rotation speed for the vanes ( of those designs ) in order to overcome this start - up drag . because of the magnetic levitation system of the current invention , much of this frictional resistance or drag has been eliminated . however , the turbine 10 of the present invention also provides magnetic transformers 20 , or variable resistance coreless coils , that can be turned on and off by a computer ( not shown ) to vary the drag on rotor 30 . these magnetic transformers 20 do not produce electricity or drag on the system until they are turned on . this means that the drag on the wind turbine 10 can be controlled according to its rotational speed . the higher the speed , the more magnetic transformers 20 that are turned on . the turbine 10 has several hundred magnetic transformers 22 that can be turned on and off to achieve the desired drag . in this regard , the magnetic transformers 22 can also operate to slow down the wind turbine 10 in high winds , but do not impede the rotation when winds are light and of little strength . a controller ( not shown ) for turbine 10 determines the number of magnetic transformers 20 that should be active at any given time . preferably , a small number of magnetic transformers 20 are active at all times . the turbine 10 may include a sensor ( not shown ) that can determine the rotational speed of the wind turbine 10 . the controller compares the rotational speed of turbine 10 against the amount of electricity that is being produced from the active magnetic transformers 20 . once the controller has determined that turbine 10 is spinning faster than the programmed optimum rpm range for a given amount of electrical generation , the controller may turn on additional magnetic transformers 20 . on the other hand , if the rotational speed of turbine 10 slows , the controller may then turn off a select number of magnetic transformers 20 in order to increase the rotational speed . the wiring on the magnetic transformers 20 consists of four different patterns . all of the magnetic transformers 20 are wired to one of these patterns . the patterns keep the wave peak / trough canceling effect from reducing the amount of electricity produced . the patterns are north - north - south gap - south - south north gap . the role of the magnet orientation is thus : all the coils ( transformers ) that are going to be over a magnet oriented to a specific orientation are named the same and wired together . this means that all of the transformers 20 in the north pattern will be over a north pole at the same time , and thereafter leave that pole at the same time . the coils used in wiring base 12 ( which does not rotate , but remains stationary ) are of coreless type because coreless coils only provide magnetic resistance when they are connected to a load . the interaction between the rotating magnets 34 and the stationary coils 20 causes generation of electrical current . the high frequency electrical current from each wiring pattern flows to a rectifier to be converted into direct current ( dc ). finally , the foregoing controller may also be programmed to assess whether electricity generated by turbine 10 can be transmitted to a public grid or should be stored locally , such as on a chargeable battery system . more specifically , the controller may be programmed to access or otherwise receive external data related to co - generation , power costs , and the availability of a public grid to receive co - generated electricity from the turbine 10 . once the controller has evaluated these parameters , it can take appropriate action to control the electricity by deciding where to send the electricity . fig6 illustrates for example , if the controller determines it is not profitable to send electricity to a public grid , then the controller may direct the electricity to a local storage device . in another example , there may be no public draw connection or it could be that the need of the local public grid for co - generated electricity at that moment is zero . likewise , the controller may evaluate the status of a local storage system , such as a large capacity uninterruptible power supply ( ups ) and maintain a local database of such . the controller may decide to send some of the electricity to a local utility grid and some to a local storage system . for example , if the local storage system is a rechargeable battery system or a ups , then the controller , by means of sensors , may determine whether the battery system is charged to 100 % of capacity and take appropriate action to recharge to such a level . local data may also consist of a historical database battery efficiency . similarly , the controller may also monitor local energy usage and maintain a local database of historical energy usage and thus be ready to provide more energy at peak hours , less energy at off - peak hours , or generate a report or ‘ alert ’ if the local public grid is anomalous because of usage that could signal an equipment malfunction or other noteworthy condition . this is an important safety feature that can protect both the user of the wind turbine ( for electricity generation ), and also the electricians and line crews of the electricity - generation utility . it can also assist the utility in mapping or pinpointing localities where a grid outage exists , as discussed further below . if a local battery system is fully charged , then the controller may evaluate the value of the generated electricity in terms of energy market prices at that moment in terms of the price to efficiency ratio of the other connected storage device ( s ). the controller then decides whether the return amount of electricity justifies sending the electricity to one or another specific storage device . finally , the controller may be programmed to report system usage such as the amount of electricity produced , the amount of electricity used and the amount of electricity sent to a grid or stored . likewise , the system can report outages to individuals and local authorities . the controller may use a regular telephone line , wlan , wifi , or cellular telephone connection to obtain external data and to report both usage and outage conditions . typically , a usage report would consist of the following : the amount of electricity produced by the wind speed ( if equipped with an external anemometer ), the amount of electricity used and the amount of electricity sent to the local electrical grid . outage reporting may also occur when the meter or safety cut off switch indicates that there is no electricity on the grid side connection . a signal or report to the outage reporting center may be generated to indicate that there has been an outage and to confirm that the unit is no longer sending electricity to the grid . this signal or report may then be passed on to the local utility to create an outage “ footprint ” or map showing the units reporting the outage and the units not reporting . while certain features and embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein , it will be readily understood that the invention encompasses all modifications and enhancements within the scope and spirit of the following claims .	5
the advantages and main characteristics of the invention will be better understood by referring to fig1 which shows an airplane model kit mounted according to one embodiment of the invention , and shown in cross - section along the span of the airplane , during assembly . a wing 1 is shown to be joined by tongues 2 to its frame 3 , said latter resting by its face 4 - 4 &# 39 ; on the working plane or table . the fuselage 6 is placed in imprints 5 made in the frame 3 , and to which it is accurately adjusted , thereby ensuring a relative fuselage / frame / wing position which is easy and fixed . the wing struts 7 ensuring the permanent joint between the fuselage and the wing may then be adhesively positioned without difficulty , this operation being yet made easier by the presence of lugs at the end of the struts , which lugs fit into recesses provided to this effect in the wing and in the fuselage . once these joints are dry , and the remaining part of the assembling is completed , the tongues 2 are cut or broken off , and the frame thus freed is removed . preferably , the frame 3 has a plane reference surface 4 - 4 &# 39 ;, on the upper surface side of the wing , and substantially parallel to the general plane of the wings . it is possible with said reference surface to control the non - deformation of the wings plane ( an aerodynamic characteristic which is essential to flight ) by simply comparison with a plane control surface , and also to remove any defective parts . said reference surface which is an easy guide to the position in space of the wings plane , is also used for correctly setting said planes in position with respect to one another , when there are more than one , by laying one over the other , or over the same working plane , as will be described hereinafter . the opposite surface 8 - 8 &# 39 ; is preferably plane and parallel to 4 - 4 &# 39 ; to allow stacking up for storing and drying purposes , particularly when parts made of expanded polystyrene are used . the tongues 2 , which are preferably distributed regularly around the wing so that said latter can get the best advantage from the rigidity of the frame , preferably comprise an area , close to the wing , whose cross - section is smaller than that of the said wing , to facilitate the cutting off of the tongues and to minimise the risks of damages to the wing during that operation and during the removal of the frame . the shape of the frame shown in fig1 is not restrictive . it will be particularly dependent on the material used for its manufacture . fig2 shows another example of embodiment according to the invention , by thermo - shaping the wing and its frame , from a sheet of expanded or non - expanded plastic material . in such a case , the wing must initially be joined to its frame over its whole periphery ; it is possible for either a small or a large part of this periphery to be cut , sheared or punched to facilitate the final cutting work . in the same way , the wing and the frame , or the wing only may be produced by pasting two elements together , one element of the upper surface and one element of the under surface , so as to form a hollow , light and rigid body . the imprints 5 made in the frame to receive the fuselage 6 are preferably provided with additional reliefs or housings with a view to preventing the fuselage from moving freely with respect to the frame , thereby eliminating all possibility of error when positioning the wing with respect to the fuselage . fig3 shows by way of example a possible embodiment of such reliefs , constituted by lugs 10 and 11 which are integral with the fuselage , and fit by friction into the recesses 12 and 13 provided in the frame . as an extra precaution said lugs 10 and 11 can be of different size or shape to prevent a wrong assembling by an inexperienced user . the friction makes it possible to constitute , after fitting , a fuselage - frame - wing assembly which is consistent enough to be handled without any risk of relative movement . the final cutting operation of the frame - wing joining elements is thus made easier , since the frame stays , right to the end , rigidly joined to the fuselage , without any risk of the last tongues being torn off by either a clumsy movement or by its own weight . after the frame has been removed , the lugs 10 and 11 are erased so as to return to the fuselage its true outline . said fig3 also shows the possibility of reinforcing the prefabricated structure , if necessary , by means of one or more added elements , such as a stick of balsa 14 glued in a groove provided to this effect in the wing when the latter is molded . other reinforcement means which are already known may also be used : pasting in layers , or pasting on canvas , or varnishing , etc . fig4 shows by way of example another embodiment of model elements according to the invention wherein an intermediate part 15 is used to secure the fuselage 16 to the frame 17 , the joints 15 - 16 and 15 - 17 being preferably made by means of lugs and with friction as hereinabove explained . this solution may have the advantage of being less expensive insofar as it allows the height h of the frame to be reduced , whilst the said frame retains a parallelepipedic general shape of which the advantages have been described hereinabove . said intermediate part may , in effect , be placed between the fuselage and the wing without for all that departing from the scope of the invention . the various possibilities illustrated hereinabove relate to the more general case of a model with a wing having no part in common with the fuselage , to which it is joined by means of wing struts only , once the model is assembled together . a fortiori , the invention is applied to models with a wing joined to the fuselage . fig5 gives an example of such a possibility , concerning a high - winged model , equipped with a widely glazed cabin between the fuselage and the wing . the positioning and holding lug is preferably placed in the wing and fits into a recess of the fuselage where it may be glued when matched therewith , thereby reinforcing the joint . fig6 gives another example of embodiment of the invention wherein an auxiliary part 22 is introduced to hold the fuselage 19 in the frame 20 by surrounding it , and is secured to the frame for example by means of friction lugs 21 . such a part is also used here as assembly jig for the undercarriage 23 , an imprint of the undercarriage wheels and / or legs being provided in the said part . in the case of large size airplane models , it may be interesting , for reasons of overall dimensions of the airplane model kit , to produce the wings in two parts , left and right , provided that these can be accurately and easily assembled together before being assembled to the rest of the airplane , as hereinabove described . a possible embodiment of such wings in two parts is shown in fig7 wherein the two frames of the half - wings are designed so as to be packed one above the other , thereby reducing the dimensions . the two half - wings and frames are easily and accurately assembled by placing the two half - frames on the same plane working surface 25 - 26 used as a reference during the joining and glueing together of the two parts . the notches 27 are preferably provided with joining surfaces which are perpendicular to the axis of the fuselage , so as to leave a possibility for the reference faces of the half - wings to completely adopt the shape of the plane 25 - 26 . it is similarly advantageous in bi - plane models to confer to the frame of the two wings a shape and a size such that they can : in a first relative position illustrated in fig8 provide an inner volume , limited to the wings and to the frame , large enough to contain the other elements of the model and so serve as a container for the packing and commercialization ; in the relative assembly position of the model , shown in fig9 be adjusted face over face in order to ensure a perfect relative position of the two wings . the same lugs may be used for both cases . for very large - sized models , the risks of the fuselages and the stabilizers being deformed is not to be neglected , and it may be preferable when producing the stabilizer to enclose it in a frame such as the main wing . possible deformations of the fuselage may similarly be overcome by using the stabilizer - mounting method shown in fig1 : the main wing is matched to the fuselage by its frame , as already described ; the stabilizer is in turn positioned with respect to the wing , using the plane working table as a reference , and ensuring that the surfaces 37 - 38 and 39 - 40 are in alignment . to take full advantage of this reference , the matching surfaces where the fuselage is joined to the stabilizer , referred to in 41 in the cross - section a of the fig1 , are in a plane which is parallel to the keel of the model . this way , the relief angle of the stabilizer with respect to the wing is perfectly respected , even though the fuselage may be bent . the present invention is applicable to all airplane models presented as constructional kits and having prefabricated wing elements . a particularly interesting application is constituted by flying airplane models , whether biplane or with strut - braced wings , and either rubber powered , or gas powered or electric powered , of which the main elements are prefabricated and made from molded expanded polystyrene , possibly reinforced by more rigid elements , made of balsa for example .	0
referring to fig1 , basic steps in the method of making the matrix of the present invention are illustrated . in a first step at block 10 , preferably , a pure stock of a milo grain is selected . although there is no specific hybrid of milo which is required for the product and method of the present invention , it is desirable to choose a single pure stock grain because this pure stock grain is advantageous in creating consistency and repeatability of the extrusion process . through testing , it has been found that a few particular hybrids of milo are particularly adapted for extrusion . three hybrid varieties which have shown great success include triumph 65g , asgrow seneca ; and dekalb 5400 . these three hybrid varieties are well known grain stocks for use in animal feed , and are commercially available in the u . s . although these three hybrids are preferred , it shall be understood that there may be a number of other hybrid varieties of milo which are also adapted for consistent and repeatable extrusion . the next step in the process shown at block 12 is to clean and size the milo grain . standard cleaning and sizing equipment may be used to process the grain at this step . for example , air / water streams may be used to clean the grain , and the grain may be passed through various sieves to obtain the desired grain size . in the present invention however , there is no particular grain size required and multiple grain sizes may be used . shown at block 14 is the next step in the process which is an optional destoning operation to remove stones or other similar sized objects which may still remain in the grain after cleaning and sizing . although a destoning operation is shown as a separate optional step , destoning can be incorporated within the cleaning and sizing of the grain at step 12 . the next step in the process is shown at block 16 which is the decortication of the milo grain . anyone of several methods of usual grain decortication may be used to decorticate the milo . two references which disclose methods for decorticating milo and which have been found to be particularly effective are the methods described in the u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 713 , 526 and 5 , 820 , 039 . these two references are incorporated herein by reference for purposes of disclosing basic methods by which milo grain may be decorticated . the next step in the method is shown at block 18 which is an optional step of scouring the grain to remove fatty oils or lipids . in order to enhance the consistency and repeatability of the extrusion process , the fatty endogerm of the milo may be removed because this fatty portion of the grain tends to act as a lubricant through the extrusion die thereby degrading extruder operation . well known grain scouring processes may be used to remove the fatty endogerm from the milo grain . although scouring is discussed as a step in the basic method , it shall be understood that scouring is not necessarily required as it may be desirable to have certain levels of fat within the matrix . additionally , scouring may be eliminated to simplify the overall production process . the next step in the method is shown at block 20 which involves the introduction of a desired anti - fungal / anti - microbial agent to the processed milo . the milo combined with the anti - fungal / anti - microbial agent are referred to as a grain mix . there are a number of anti - fungal / anti - microbial agents which are contemplated within the present invention which may be used for inhibiting mold growth , or inhibiting growth of microbes . many naturally occurring plant products have been identified that possess significant anti - fungal and anti - bacterial activity . for example , the terpenes are isomeric hydrocarbons found primarily in essential oils , resins and balsams that possess strong anti - fungal activity . thus , terpenes and especially y - terpinene , terpinolene , terpinen - 4 - ol , as well as 1 , 8 - cineole , p - cymene and pinene are preferred anti - fungal agents for use in the construction materials of the present invention . additionally , phytoalexins found in sorghum are induced after the plant is exposed to fungal pathogens . the most active phytoalexins include apigeninidin , luteolinidin , a caffeic acid ester of arabinosyl - 5 - o - apigeninidin , and 5 - methoxy - luteolinidin . thus , these natural mold inhibitors are found within the milo grain itself . for example , in red milo , the major pigments found in the hulls of this sorghum are apigeninidin and luteolinidin . therefore , it is also contemplated within the present invention to recover the hulls of the grain which are removed during decortication and then process the hulls to extract the apigeninidin and luteolinidin . these removed pigments can then be added back to the decorticated grain prior to extrusion and used as the anti - fungal agents . calcium propionate is another compound known to have significant anti - fungal activity and is compatible with the naturally occurring plant products listed above . thus , the construction materials of the present invention include an extruded milo matrix incorporating anti - fungal compounds including calcium propionate , at least one terpene and at least one phytoalexin . preferably , the construction material incorporates at least one of calcium propionate , apigeninidin , luteolinidin , a caffeic acid ester of arabinosyl - 5 - o - apigeninidin , 5 - methoxy - luteolinidin , y - terpinene , terpinolene , terpinen - 4 - ol , 1 , 8 - cineole , p - cymene and / or pinene in an extruded milo matrix . depending on the intended use and storage conditions of the construction material each of these individual ingredients may be included in an amount of between about 0 % to about 50 % on a weight / weight basis in the extruded milo matrix . that is , each of the individual ingredients listed above may be absent or may be present in a concentration as high as 50 % w / w of the extruded milo matrix . particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in table 1 which lists the amounts of the active and inactive ingredients in the construction materials . the inactive ingredients represent the extruded milo matrix which includes amylose - pectin starch , calcium , potassium , phosphorus , sulfur , manganese and ash . the water content of the material , if any , is not shown in table 1 . in order to provide an extrudable mixture , it is preferable to maintain the milo at or around 16 % moisture content prior to extrusion . accordingly , an amount of water must be added to the decorticated milo prior to extrusion . depending upon the type of agent which is added to the decorticated milo , a lesser or greater amount of water must be added to bring the moisture content of the milo grain mix to preferably around 16 % moisture . it may be desirable to mechanically mix the grain mix in a bin which will then meter the grain mix into the extrusion machine . mechanical mixing helps to ensure uniform dispersion of the added agent . the next step in the method is illustrated at block 22 which involves extrusion of the milo grain mix . through testing , it has been found that extrusion can be achieved utilizing a bake - type extruder which exposes the grain mix to heat in the range of about 325 ° f . to about 400 ° f . and pressure in the range of between about 1500 and about 2000 psi . the particular shape of the die used in the extruding machine may be adapted to produce a matrix of a desired shape . one example is a die having a round shaped hole with a diameter of approximately 0 . 120 of an inch . the cutting mechanism used in the extruding machine could be adapted for cutting the extrudate to a length of approximately three - quarters of an inch . the resulting extruded product can be of different sizes and densities . for example , if a particularly small enclosed space must be remediated by introduction of the matrix , it may be desirable to provide the matrix in a more dense extrudate . accordingly , the extrudate could have a smaller size and a nugget - like consistency . if the area to be remediated had not yet developed fungal or microbial problems and the purpose of introducing the matrix was primarily for prevention , then it may be adequate to provide the matrix in a larger sized , lighter , puffier extrudate . the amount of the anti - fungal / anti - microbial agent in the denser , nugget - like extrudate would be greater since more matrix is used per piece of extrudate while the amount of the anti - fungal / antimicrobial agent would be more dispersed within the lighter , puffy extrudate . since the concentration of the anti - fungal / antimicrobial agent can vary depending upon the density of the extrudate , the extrudate can be tailored for each application . of course , one could also simply vary the amount of the agent used when it is initially mixed with the decorticated milo to provide the desired concentration of the agent in the matrix . the last step of the method is shown at block 24 which contemplates curing the matrix product to thereby stabilize the product prior to storage and shipping . depending upon the matrix produced , i . e ., one which is either puffed or more dense , a certain amount of curing may be required to allow the matrix to reach equilibrium in terms of moisture content . there are a number of advantages of utilizing a milo matrix as a carrier for an anti - fungal and / or anti - microbial agent . first , the extruded milo is naturally hydrophobic which therefore allows the milo matrix to be used in damp or wet spaces for extended periods of time without substantial decay . milo is a readily available grain source , and is relatively inexpensive compared to man made or artificial compositions . another advantage as mentioned above is the ability to produce a matrix which has a variety of sizes and densities by simply altering the moisture content of the grain mix prior to extrusion . by altering the density , the concentration of the agent may also be adjusted . after extrusion , the milo matrix contains some percentage of carbohydrates ; however , the matrix is very low in nutritional value , and has little odor . the matrix has no detectable amounts of sugars , less than 2 % fat and less than 10 % protein . therefore , the matrix does not attract rodents or insects . the matrix of the present invention is easily deployed within many commercial structures by simply transporting the matrix to a desired location , and spreading the matrix within the desired space to be remediated or for prevention of mold and / or microbial growth . for prevention of mold , it has been found that spreading a layer of 3 - 6 inches of the lighter , puffier , matrix over the targeted area is adequate for preventing mold growth . for remediation of mold , it may be necessary to increase the depth of the spread matrix , and it may also be necessary to increase the density of the matrix at a particular location . as best understood , there are two primary ways in which the agent inhibits mold or microbial growth . the first is physical contact of the matrix with the area to be remediated . the second is production of an off - gas through sublimation of the additive into the atmosphere enclosed by the space to be remediated . for example , with chlorine , a certain amount of the solid chlorine will off - gas producing a vapor which prevents mold growth . of course , the concentration of the chlorine in the milo matrix has to be controlled so that the off gas produced does not reach dangerous levels . it may be necessary over time to add additional amounts of the matrix to the area to be remediated . as the agent continues to sublime or otherwise chemically break down , the concentration of the agent will diminish . the present invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment however , other changes and modifications may be made to the invention within the spirit and scope thereof .	0
disclosed herein are improved systems and methods for a mobile uav emergency communication scanner or response system . the numerous innovative teachings of the present invention will be described with particular reference to several embodiments ( by way of example , and not of limitation ). this invention addresses several challenges that are observed in communication - limited areas : 1 . conventional communication infrastructure might be limited in rural areas , disaster zones ( earthquakes , hurricanes , tornados , terrorist attacks , etc ), war torn areas , etc . 2 . conventional communication relies on continuous availability of communication channels which are not always available . 3 . communication channels might be jammed when used by many responders . to address these limitations , the invention utilizes one or more of the following approaches : mobile base - stations or platforms ( scanner ) including uav - based platforms , offline message entry ( to include data collection and communication ), structured information entry , smart trajectory planning of the communication relay platforms , sensor management of uavs . in embodiments , mobile base - stations may be for example and not a limitation , automobiles , motorized vehicles , ground vehicles , and even first responders ( individuals ). that is the mobile base - stations may be enabled by any mobile agent . more detailed description now follows : all the challenges aforementioned are solved by establishing scanner - like communication services . in this concept , the user prepares his message , data , or communication in an offline mode , and this message remains pending until a dedicated mobile base - station will be in the vicinity and will read / collect the message , data , or communication . the base - station may also communicate with the sender . the base - station may exploit directional antennas , transmission power control trajectory planning to scan different areas one after another , retrieve pending messages and even respond using conventional communication signaling . a novelty aspect of this invention is in the usage of semi - offline communication channels , that are able to handle pending messages , rather than online calls . data collection as used herein may be for example and not a limitation data collected from various sensors such as and not limited to gps , accelerometers , cameras , and thermometers . the implementation may use ad - hoc signaling or existing modulation waveforms . this approach is an extension of sms and mms services that are able to save user messages and ensure their transmission at a later time when communication channels become available . different from these services though , the service is supported by mobile base - stations that are able to retrieve the messages without conventional communication infrastructure . the approach is different from other mobile base - station solutions by focusing on offline messaging for massive data collection without integration of the autonomous mobile base - station in the conventional communication infrastructure , which will require continuous presence of the uav . in other words , the concept of “ connectivity at any place and at any time ” at the cost of infrastructure , which is not designed for all emergency scenarios , is replaced by the concept of guaranteed periodic collection and posting of messages without infrastructure that can be damaged during disasters . that is , the mobile based communication scanner is configured to be communicatively coupled with the deployed sensor resource . to resolve the problem of channel jamming by many users , the mobile base - stations control the coverage by limiting transmission power , through diversity mechanisms such as antenna directionality , consecutive area scanning , etc . the dedicated mobile base - station is integrated in uavs that fly through the area of interest . the uavs are configured to collect data and send immediately back to a big data center , or offload the data at the big data center when returning back from the mission . they may also send responses to message sources . depending on mission goals , the mobile base - station is used for establishing conventional communication link with the user on the ground in the absence of conventional communication infrastructure . the concept and system architecture of the mobile uav based communication scanner is illustrated in fig3 and fig4 . the pending message includes readings from various sensors that will be packaged in a tailored communication protocol for joint transmission when the communication scanner is available . state - of - the - art sensor management approaches is used for this purpose . the message source in embodiments is not human , but an electronic device that collects sensor data and communicates to the scanner . the base - station mobility is supported by an advanced trajectory planner , which is configured to determine optimal trajectories in real - time or offline in terms of fast data collection depending on infrastructure and statistical expectations of originating resource locations . message entry by users includes manual or automatic indexing ( or tagging ), i . e . standardized characterization of messages for facilitated processing at the destination . for example , reporting events using standard event selection menu ( similar to fig2 ) will automatically index the selection and transmit the event &# 39 ; s index instead of event &# 39 ; s description . various types of messages such as voice , images , video , etc . can be combined in one package following existing similar practices . message entry by users is facilitated using state - of - the - art approaches in ui design such as effectiveness , efficiency , satisfaction , and other criteria . in this context , effectiveness is typically measured as the percentage of tasks solved . efficiency is typically measured by three parameters : task completion time ( in seconds ), a number of hierarchical levels in the menu used to complete the task and the number of detour steps ( number of returns to a higher level in the menu ). satisfaction is typically measured per task by using after - scenario surveys which addresses three components of user satisfaction with system usability : ease of task completion , time to complete a task and adequacy of support information . in brief , as described herein provides for an effective and efficient mobile uav communication scanner or response system . the disclosed systems and methods are generally described , with examples incorporated as particular embodiments of the invention and to demonstrate the practice and advantages thereof . it is understood that the examples are given by way of illustration and are not intended to limit the specification or the claims in any manner . to facilitate the understanding of this invention , a number of terms may be defined below . terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention . terms such as “ a ”, “ an ”, and “ the ” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity , but include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration . the terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention , but their usage does not delimit the disclosed systems or methods , except as may be outlined in the claims . any embodiments comprising a one component or a multi - component system having the structures as herein disclosed with similar function shall fall into the coverage of claims of the present invention and shall lack the novelty and inventive step criteria . it will be understood that particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention . the principal features of this invention can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will recognize , or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation , numerous equivalents to the specific systems and methods described herein . such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims . all publications , references , patents , and patent applications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains . all publications , references , patents , and patent application are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication , reference , patent , or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference . in the claims , all transitional phrases such as “ comprising ,” “ including ,” “ carrying ,” “ having ,” “ containing ,” “ involving ,” and the like are to be understood to be open - ended , i . e ., to mean including but not limited to . only the transitional phrases “ consisting of ” and “ consisting essentially of ,” respectively , shall be closed or semi - closed transitional phrases . the systems and / or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . while the systems and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations may be applied to the systems and / or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept , spirit , and scope of the invention . more specifically , it will be apparent that certain components , which are both shape and material related , may be substituted for the components described herein while the same or similar results would be achieved . all such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit , scope , and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims . 8 . the washington post . cell phones drive jump in 911 . http :// www . washingtonpost . com / wp - dyn / content / article / 2008 / 10 / 25 / ar2008102502052 . html 9 . crs report for congress . an emergency communications safety net : integrating 911 and other services . order code rl32939 . september 2005 . http :// www . fas . org / sgp / crs / homesec / rl32939 . pdf 12 . a . kumar , d . akopian , p . chen , “ development of a mobile preventive notification system ( prenotis )”, proceeding of spie multimedia on mobile devices conference , electronic imaging , january 18 - 22 , san jose , calif ., 2009 . 13 . r . varga , “ comm - ops : uav cellular payload for first responder emergency teams ,” milsat magazine , http :// www . milsatmagazine . com / story . php ? number = 1435005486 14 . t . wypych , “ airgsm : an unmanned , flying gsm cellular basestation for flexible field communications ,” ieee aerospace conference , mar . 3 - 10 , 2012 , bigsky , mont . doi : 10 . 1109 / aero . 2012 . 6187134	7

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