Split (3)

train · 25k rows

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in this description , including the accompanying drawing , there is shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention . it is to be understood that changes and modifications can be made in the preferred embodiment within the scope of the invention and that others skilled in the art will be able to modify it and embody it in a variety of forms , each as may be suited in the conditions of a particular case . fig1 is a side elevational schematic view of the invention ; fig3 is a broken away , partial plan view of part of the lower right corner of the invention showing the drive arrangement for the oscillation feeder plate which is shown in dotted lines ; fig4 is a schematic side view of one of the moveable bulkheads in its lower and upper position ; fig6 is a schematic view of the conveyor as it turns on its drive sprocket ; and fig7 is a schematic plan view showing the take - up mechanism for the conveyor . with reference to fig1 there is shown an overall side view of the mobile feeder loader 10 of the present invention . these machines are very large with the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 being approximately 50 feet long and having a width of approximately 22 feet at 45 inches of height . the feeder loader 10 has a self - propelled mobile base 12 which preferably comprises a propelling mechanism such as two track crawlers which are hydraulically driven . these crawlers are available from a number of manufacturers with the one on the preferred embodiment being a komatsu pc400 lc3 crawler side frame , distributed in the u . s . by komatsu of atlanta , ga . the crawler side frames 14 are spaced apart and supported by a car body on which is mounted an engine 16 and generator 18 . also mounted on the car body is an electric driven hydraulic motor and pump with tank 20 . the width of the crawler with the two side frames and the car body is approximately 17 feet and the length is approximately 161 / 2 feet . the engine 16 drives the generator 18 . electric motors drive the hydraulic pump for the crawler propelling mechanism and the oscillation feeder plate . two upper side frames are mounted on the car body for supporting the conveyor . each upper side frame consists of two sets of i - beams pinned together . the longer i - beam 22 is pinned to the car body at 30 and pinned at the top to the conveyor at 26 . the shorter i - beam 28 is pinned at the lower end of the longer i - beam 22 at 24 and pinned at the top to the conveyor at point 32 which is approximately midway of the length of the conveyor . the longer and shorter i - beam form an l with the feeder conveyor and operate as a unitary member permitting the feeder conveyor to pivot about the car body at pin 30 . the amount of pivot is controlled by an adjustable hydraulic cylinder 34 which causes the feeder conveyor to pivot about pin 30 . the long i - beam 22 is approximately 16 feet long and the short i - beam 28 is approximately 9 feet long . the mobile feeder loader 10 has a feeder portion at its lower end which feeds the material onto an inclined conveyor which elevates the material to sufficient height so that it may fall off the end of the conveyor into a truck or other receiver 36 . the receiver could be another conveyor or other type of receiver but normally would be an end dump or rock truck . these trucks are usually huge and normally 50 to 100 tons but may vary from 35 tons to 220 tons and may even be smaller or larger than this range . the flexibility of the present invention permits a variety of receivers to be loaded having different capacities as no matter what the capacity they can be optimally loaded . the previous arrangement would require an attempt to size the front end loader , electric shovels or hydraulic shovels to the size of the truck and such arrangements were relatively inflexible . with reference to fig1 the feeder part of the feeder loader is located at the lower most left portion . first is a lip 38 which rests on the ground during normal operation with an inclined forward most face 40 which rises approximately 45 inches tall . just to the right of the inclined face 40 is a feeder plate 42 which oscillates transversely approximately 12 inches . the oscillation is done by hydraulic cylinders 44 mounted underneath the plate . the cylinders are two way and automatically reverse at the end of the one foot stroke . four cylinders are utilized , two on each side to reduce the height . the feeder plate 42 is carried on four rails 46 which are welded upside down to the underside of the plate and roll on stationery complementary wheels which are preferably td25e double flange rollers 48 available from dresser industries in libertyville , ill . the hydraulic cylinders 44 , rails 46 and rollers 48 are better seen in fig3 . with further reference to fig1 there are two feeder sides 50 at each end of the feeder plate 42 under which it oscillates as will be explained more fully infra . there are also two moveable bulkheads 52 to assist in moving the material to be conveyed onto the conveyor . also , as seen in fig1 the feeder plate 42 is relatively flat and is inclined upward . the conveyor portion of the apparatus is an inclined trough having inclined conveyor sides 54 with a conveyor at the bottom of the trough carried by chain links 56 on top of rollers 58 . for simplicity , only three of many rollers 58 are shown in fig1 . the rollers are available from a number of sources , but the ones preferred are the rollers used on the caterpillar d7 tractor available from caterpillar corporation in peoria , ill . the chain links are the same as used on the tracks of the same tractor . at the bottom of each conveyor side 54 are replaceable wear plates 60 . the conveyor is partially supported by a number of beams or frames 62 spaced along the side and bottom thereof . the chain links 56 form a continuous path around drive sprocket 64 and idler sprocket 66 . the drive sprocket 64 is driven by a chain 68 which in turn is driven by a gear box and clutch 70 . the gear box is a sumitoma gear box of 380 horsepower rating available from sumitoma in houston , tx . the clutch is an air operated clutch available from horton manufacturing co ., inc . located in minneapolis , minn . the starting and stopping of the conveyor is achieved through the clutch and it is necessary to have a soft start up since there is a large inherent weight inertia associated with the weight of the material on the conveyor . this arrangement for starting and stopping of the conveyor permits the conveyor and feeder unit to , in effect , store a large amount of the material to be conveyed so that the truck , or other receiver , can be optimally loaded without delay when ready to receive a full load . thus the amount of material present on the feeder plate and on the conveyor stores sufficient material or accumulates sufficient material so that it functions as a surge pile or accumulator usually sufficient to fill a truck without any delay once the truck is positioned under the end the conveyor . the gear drive and clutch 70 are driven by an 150 horsepower ac electric motor 72 available from weg , rochester , n . y . there is a duplicate of the electric motor 72 and gear drive and clutch 70 on the opposite side of the conveyor . the control of the mobile feeder loader 10 and especially the starting and stopping of the feeding and conveying of the material into the truck 36 is under the control of an operator in the cab 74 . the cab is mounted above the top of the conveyor and gives excellent visibility for controlling the mobile feeder loader . the cab is accessible by a ladder 76 from a catwalk ( not shown ) on the side of the conveyor . an auxiliary or lower cab 75 is provided for moving the feeder loader &# 39 ; s position from one location to another . the location of this cab on the mobile base 12 avoids the need for rollover protection for cab 74 since that cab would not normally be used by the operator for repositioning of locations . as seen on the left of fig1 a bulldozer blade 78 pushes the material 80 up the inclined face 40 of the lip 38 and onto the inclined feeder plate 42 . the width of the feeder is slightly greater than the width of the blade of the bulldozer . the material spills over the top part of the inclined face 40 onto the feeder plate 42 and , when desired , the 45 inch height of material on the front of the inclined face can be also pushed onto the feeder plate by the dozer raising its blade up the inclined face 40 as it is pushing the material onto the feeder plate . the dozer would normally push somewhere between 20 and 40 yards , depending upon the size of the dozer , onto the feeder area which has the capability of storing 80 to 90 yards . thus , the feeder area can accumulate anywhere from two of the very largest loads of the largest dozers pushed thereon to four or four and one - half loads of some of the smaller dozers . thus , the dozer can work continuously . normally the dozer would have no trouble in pushing 100 % of its rated load since it would often be pushing downhill on grades that at times are quite steep . meanwhile , the trucks on the other end of the feeder loader can be loaded in optimum loading in optimum time . the &# 34 ; gate &# 34 ; or the &# 34 ; bridge &# 34 ; between these functions which is provided by the mobile feeder loader of the present invention to keep both the dozers and trucks moving potentially at their ultimate efficiency with the conveyor starting and stopping between each truck load . normally two dozers would be used to push material onto the feeder loader alternatively with one another at any given time . the angle of the feeder plate 42 and the conveyor is approximately 1 feet of rise for each 2 feet of horizontal length . with reference to fig2 there is shown a plan view of the feeder loader in schematic form . the inclined face 40 dumps onto the feeder plate 42 which oscillates transversely under the two feeder sides 50 . the figure is somewhat of an optical illusion because of the various angles with this type of view but each side can be viewed as angled outwardly with the shade lines in the figure being parallel to the conveyor . meanwhile , each moveable bulkhead 52 slide above the feeder plate 42 and is divided into a lower section 82 which is of a smaller angle to the feeder plate than the upper section 84 which has a steeper angle as can be seen in fig1 and 4 . the removable bulkhead are supported on the underside of each bulkhead by two i - beams 86 which serve as rails that ride on two rollers 88 for each i - beam . this is best seen in the schematic side view of fig4 where the moveable bulkhead is shown in solid lines in its most downward position and in dotted lines in its most upward position . the i - beams and rollers are not shown in plan view but are located just above the feeder plate 42 shown in dotted lines in fig3 . as the dozer blade pushes material into the feeder area the material pushes against the moveable bulkheads which ride on the rails up the rollers to their upward position . as material is fed from the feeder plate into the conveyor , the moveable bulkheads 52 move by gravity from their upper dotted line position of fig4 down the rollers 88 to their lower position . the clearance between the bottom of the moveable bulkhead 52 and the feeder plate 42 may be from 11 / 2 inches to actually rubbing . the moveable bulkhead permits substantially the entire feeder plate to be cleared of material which is especially important as cutting down on the cleanup time involved at the end of a shift especially when there is only one shift . as is seen in fig2 the feeder plate 42 has a notch 90 located over the conveyor 92 . the notch runs 83 % of the full height of the feeder plate and has a width at its top slightly less than the conveyor width 92 present in the trough of the conveyor . the width of the notch in its lower position narrows down to slightly less than the upper width . the feeder plate oscillates transversely or to the left and right of fig2 approximately 12 inches from the solid line position to the dotted line position and back . these oscillations are at the rate of about 10 full cycles per minute . the transverse oscillation of the feeder plate 42 causes the notch opening to shift back and forth over the conveyor dropping the material from the plate through the notch onto the conveyor . as can be appreciated , when the feeder plate moves to the left and slides from underneath the right sidewall 50 , the space left between the sidewall and the material will fill in so as the feeder plate moves back to the right the material that is filled in causes the material on the feeder plate to be pushed left and into the notch . the same would occur on the left side . meanwhile , as material is being removed from the feeder plate , the moveable bulkheads 52 move downward under gravity to a lower position to assist in gathering and pushing the load of material on the feeder plate down to the lower position so that it can be more readily moved to the center notch for dropping onto the conveyor . the support for the feeder plate 42 can be seen in fig3 where the plate is shown in dotted lines that move under both the sidewall 50 , or feeder sides 50 , and the moveable bulkhead 52 . the feeder plate is a steel plate approximately 1 inch thick and rests on the rails 46 which are supported by the rollers 48 and driven to oscillate back and forth by the feeder plate hydraulic cylinders 44 . with reference to fig2 and fig5 the conveyor 92 has two parallel sets of chain links 56 carried by rollers 58 that support the entire length of chain links 56 as described earlier . for simplicity , only three of rollers 58 are shown in fig1 . these two parallel chain link groups are bridged transversely by rigid steel flights 94 . these steel flights overlap longitudinally with one another as seen in schematic fig6 . they are fastened by bolts so that they can be removed for replacement in the event of repair . these flights are not flexible in a transverse direction but are very rigid and uniquely permit the carrying of large , heavy materials such as boulders , ore , overburden and the like . the flights 94 extend under the bottom edge of the bottom replaceable wear plates 60 . the spacing between the conveyor sides 54 at the bottom in the vicinity of the wear plates varies from 72 inches at the lower end to 78 inches at the widest upper end . this is an important feature to improve the economics of the operation of the conveyor and keeps the material from crowding together as it is conveyed upward under normal operations . the material being conveyed by the conveyor may be on the order of 31 / 2 feet deep so that there is a substantial amount of the material in contact with the sidewalls which causes wear of the sidewalls , especially in the vicinity of the replaceable wear plates 60 . this is unlike some conveyors where the material is primarily just in the center and is loaded in a manner to be kept from the sides . the feeder loader 10 usually has the conveyor run at a speed slightly faster than the material that is laid on so that there is no jamming . the flights 94 are 78 inches wide , 3 / 4 inch thick and 91 / 2 inches in length with a 1 inch overlap between adjacent flights . the flights each have an upper surface , a forward edge 96 and a rearward edge . preferably , the upper surface if flat . there is approximately a 3 / 4 inch space between the flights at the overlap which opens up to a maximum opening as the flights go around the end of the conveyor as shown in fig6 . the normal design speed is 176 feet per minute for the conveyor which is rapidly achieved from a dead stop with the flights slipping under the load partially to help take up the inertia and prevent shock loading . this occurs because the conveyor is relatively flat and if a huge rock is being conveyed , the likelihood of a single flight taking the full load from such a massive member is reduced by the low heights . the flight edge 96 moves in the direction of the material being conveyed and helps to grip the material being conveyed . when the flights open up as they pass over the end of the conveyor , material caught between the flights will be dropped loose . with reference to fig7 there is shown the schematic breakaway plan view of the takeup mechanism 97 for taking up slack in the main conveyor . it consists of a sliding plate 98 which carries 2 idler wheels 66 . the sliding plate slides along the frame . the conveyor and chain links have a tendency to pull the idle sprocket 66 and sliding plate 98 to the right . to pick up the slack in the conveyor and chain links , the sliding plate 98 is pushed to the left and held in position by spacers 100 which positively lock the plate 98 in position . the spacers 100 have a central shaft between transverse member 102 and the sliding plate 98 . this shaft is free to slide into sliding plate 98 and is adapted to receive a number of horseshoe spacers each 1 / 2 inch by 3 inches . a hydraulic jack is temporarily placed between the transverse frame member 102 and the sliding frame 98 and sliding plate is jacked to the left until the proper tension is achieved on the conveyor and links . when this is done the proper number of spacers 100 are added to the spacer shaft so when the hydraulic jacks are removed the sliding plate 98 places the spacers in compression which retain the plate in its proper position . also carried by the plate are two rollers 104 which help support the conveyor chain links . with reference to fig1 and 5 there is shown a support belt 105 for carrying the conveyor 92 and rigid steel flights 94 on the return or under side . the support belt is a standard flexible reinforced endless belt that is slightly less than the width of the rigid steel flights 94 . as seen in fig1 support belt 105 is looped over idler rolls 112 and 114 at each end of the support belt . the upper supporting side of the support belt is supported by transverse i - beams 109 which in turn support longitudinal beams 108 which run lengthwise under the loaded support belt 105 . the longitudinal beams 108 have stainless steel wear strips on the top surface for the loaded support belt 105 to slide over . the return side 106 of support belt 105 is supported from sagging by riding over a number of transverse carrier members 110 which have on their top surface stainless steel wear strips 107 . the top surface of support belt 105 is thus held against the return side of conveyor 92 and rigid steel flights 94 to support them . the contact friction of support belt 105 with conveyor 92 causes the support belt to be carried along and support the conveyor 92 during its return movement . there is no separate drive for the support belt and the idler rolls 112 and 114 are free to turn and are not powered . it is to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and it is to be understood that this specific embodiment herein shown is not to be construed in the limiting sense but is merely to depict and illustrate the principles of the present invention . modifications may be devised by those with skill in the art which will not depart from the spirit or scope of protection as set forth in the following claims .	1
in order to provide a control according to a prior art method for comparison and analysis with the inventive crumble , isolate crumbles were made from a soy protein isolate by chopping one part functional soy protein isolate with three parts hot water ( 60 ° c .) for approximately 4 minutes . the ratio of soy isolate to water was in the range of 2 to 3 . 5 parts of water to one part of soy isolate protein . a crumble made by this prior art process was used as a control in order to ascertain the amount of improvement provided by the inventive crumble . the following six formulations are various examples of food ingredient combinations tested for their ability to provide a soy isolate crumble using ambient temperature (˜ 75 ° f . ; 24 ° c .) tap water . the formulations are set forth in terms of parts or percent ( by weight ). a blend of isolated soy protein (&# 34 ; isp &# 34 ;) and xanthan / locust bean gum (&# 34 ; xan / lbg &# 34 ;) was formed when 1 part soy protein isolate was chopped with 3 . 75 parts tap water ( 24 ° c .) for about three minutes . the xan / lbg was mixed together and chopped with the hydrated isolate for two additional minutes . isolated soy protein and starch were blended as follows : 1 part isolate with 3 . 75 parts water were chopped for three minutes in order to hydrate the isolate . starch ( mira flow , national starch and chemical co .) was added 0 . 5 parts at a time until the product maintained consistency . a total of 2 . 5 parts of starch was added . the chopping time was extended to enable the repeated addition of the 0 . 5 parts starch . isolated soy protein and soy protein concentrate ( spc ) were blended , as follows : 1 part isolated soy protein was chopped with 4 . 0 parts water for 3 minutes . then 0 . 5 part soy protein concentrate was added and chopping continued for an additional 2 minutes . isolated soy protein and wheat gluten were blended , with a procedure which mirrored the procedure of example 3 . isolated soy protein and xan / lbg ( 2 ×) were blended , using a procedure which was identical to the procedure of example 1 except that the amount of xan / lbg was doubled . isolated soy protein and soy protein concentrate were blended with xan / lbg ( 1 ×), as follows : 1 part isolate was chopped with 4 . 0 parts water for 3 minutes . then 0 . 5 part soy protein concentrate was added and chopping continued for an additional 1 minute . then xan / lbg was added and the mixture was chopped for an additional 1 minute . table 1__________________________________________________________________________screening formulations ( parts ) parts xan lbg parts water (% (% parts parts spc partsexampletreatment isp ( temp ) form .) form .) starch ( arcon s ) gluten__________________________________________________________________________control 1 . 0 3 . 0 -- -- -- -- -- ( 60 ° c .) 1 isp + xan / lbg 1 . 0 3 . 75 0 . 125 % 0 . 125 % -- -- -- 2 isp + starch 1 . 0 3 . 75 -- -- 2 . 5 -- -- 3 isp + spc 1 . 0 4 . 0 -- -- -- 0 . 5 -- 4 isp + wheat gluten 1 . 0 4 . 0 -- -- -- -- 0 . 55 isp + xan / lbg ( 2 ×) 1 . 0 4 . 0 0 . 3 % 0 . 3 % -- -- -- 6 isp + spc + xan / lbg ( 1 ×) 1 . 0 4 . 0 0 . 15 % 0 . 15 % -- 0 . 5 -- __________________________________________________________________________ table 2__________________________________________________________________________screening formulations (%) isp water xan lbg starch spc (%) glutenexampletreatment (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) ( arcon s ) (%) total__________________________________________________________________________control 25 . 0 75 . 0 -- -- -- -- -- 100 . 001 isp + xan / lbg 21 . 0 78 . 75 0 . 125 0 . 125 -- -- -- 100 . 002 isp + starch 13 . 8 51 . 7 -- -- 34 . 5 -- -- 100 . 003 isp + spc 18 . 2 72 . 7 -- -- -- 9 . 1 -- 100 . 004 isp + wheat gluten 18 . 2 72 . 7 -- -- -- -- 9 . 1 100 . 005 isp + xan / lbg ( 2 ×) 20 . 0 79 . 4 0 . 3 0 . 3 -- -- -- 100 . 006 isp + spc + xan / lbg ( 1 ×) 18 . 2 72 . 5 0 . 15 0 . 15 -- 9 . 0 -- 100 . 00__________________________________________________________________________ the six formulations of the products made in the preceding examples were placed in a cooler overnight ( 2 °- 4 ° c .). the following day , the cooled gels were ground ( 3 / 16 &# 34 ; plate ) and evaluated for their potential of forming a cohesive crumble with the proper mouth - feel . the following table 3 sets forth the test results : table 3__________________________________________________________________________exampletreatment actual chop time evaluation of crumble__________________________________________________________________________control 5 min . good , firm1 isp + xan / lbg 5 min . good , firm2 isp + starch 6 - 7 min . grainy , soft3 isp + spc 5 min . good , firm4 isp + wheat gluten 6 min . marginal , soft5 isp + xan / lbg ( 2 ×) 5 min . soft6 isp + spc + xan / lbg ( 1 ×) 5 min . good , firm__________________________________________________________________________ pepperoni was manufactured by using the inventive crumble . based on the screening evaluation set forth in table 3 , crumbles made by the methods of examples 3 and 6 demonstrated the most potential for forming a properly textured crumble for use in the pepperoni . the formulations of examples 3 and 6 were prepared again and tested in a reduced fat traditional pepperoni formulation . the crumble formulations and chopping times were modified as listed in table 4 below . in formulations containing spc , the isp was chopped 3 minutes followed by the addition of the spc at the beginning of the final 1 minute of chopping . the spice / flavoring blend ( diversitech colorlife ™) was added during the final 30 to 45 seconds of crumble manufacture to prevent large color variations between the meat and protein crumble portions of the product . table 4______________________________________ finaltreatment chop time temp (° c .) evaluation of crumble______________________________________example 3 4 minutes 27 . 9 good , firmexample 6 4 minutes 29 . 9 good , firm______________________________________ table 5__________________________________________________________________________test formulations ( parts ) parts spc colorlife ™ treatment parts isp parts water xan (% form .) lbg (% form .) ( arcon s ) season . __________________________________________________________________________example 3 1 . 0 4 . 0 -- -- 0 . 4 0 . 4 % example 6 1 . 0 4 . 0 0 . 1 % 0 . 1 % 0 . 4 0 . 4 % __________________________________________________________________________ table 6__________________________________________________________________________test formulations (%) spc (%) colorlife ™ treatment isp (%) water (%) xan (% form .) lbg (% form .) ( arcon s ) season . __________________________________________________________________________example 3 18 . 2 72 . 7 -- -- 9 . 1 0 . 4 % example 6 18 . 4 73 . 7 0 . 1 % 0 . 1 % 7 . 3 0 . 4 % __________________________________________________________________________ following the crumble manufacture , the product was chilled overnight , ground 3 / 16 &# 34 ; and incorporated into the following pepperoni formulation : table 7__________________________________________________________________________pepperoni test formulations traditional formulation reduced fat formulationingredient ( 32 % fat , control ) ( 20 % fat ) __________________________________________________________________________pork ( 95 % lean ) 19 . 4 38 . 2pork ( 72 % lean ) 52 . 50 32 . 70beef ( 50 / 50 &# 39 ; s ) 23 . 65 14 . 65protein gels 0 . 00 10 . 00nitrite 0 . 07 0 . 07nitrate 0 . 28 0 . 28salt 3 . 10 3 . 10dextrose 0 . 60 0 . 60colorlife ™ ( flavoring ) 0 . 38 0 . 38starter culture ( diversitech , hp - culture ) 0 . 02 0 . 02totals 100 . 00 100 . 00__________________________________________________________________________ the following process was used to prepare the pepperoni formulation as set forth on table 7 . 2 . place in mixer and add salt , nitrite / nitrate & amp ; dextrose and mix to incorporate ingredients . mix minimally to prevent heat build - up and fat smearing . 3 . add colorlife ™/ starter culture (˜ 0 . 4 % colorlife ™; 0 . 02 % starter culture , diversitech hp frozen ) and mix to incorporate . 6 . stuff product into 2 &# 34 ; ( fibrous casings ). the product should be kept cold to prevent fat smearing during stuffing step . 7 . temper product at 70 ° f . ( 21 ° c ,) for 2 to 4 hours . 8 . ferment product at 100 ° f . ( 38 ° c .) and 85 - 90 % rh for 12 - 14 hours or until ph reaches 5 . 1 or less . 9 . thermally process the product as indicated in the cooking cycle listed below . 10 . following fermentation and thermal processing the pepperoni sticks were placed in a 45 °- 55 ° f . ( 7 °- 13 ° c .) room at 40 - 60 % rh and allowed to dry to a moisture : protein ratio of 1 . 6 : 1 (˜ 3 - 4 weeks ). table 8__________________________________________________________________________ internal dry bulb wet bulb autostagetime temp (° f .) smoke (° f .) (° f .) damper__________________________________________________________________________1 30 -- -- 110 0 on2 60 -- -- 120 107 on__________________________________________________________________________ hot / cold shower , temper . the resulting pepperoni was judged completely successful . both of the modified crumble formulations ( examples 3 and 6 ) produced pepperoni that compare closely to the traditional pepperoni manufactured as a control . the comparison was made in sensory quality as well as physical attributes such as particle definition , slicibility and textural changes during cooking . those who are skilled in the art will readily perceive how to modify the invention . therefore , the appended claims are to be construed to cover all equivalent structures which fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention .	0
the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the following figures : fig1 is a schematic illustration of the anatomy of the nail fig2 is a schematic illustration of an ingrown toenail fig3 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a microwave treatment system fig4 is a schematic illustration of functional representation of a microwave treatment system for application to treat onychocryptosis and other dermatological conditions . fig5 is a schematic illustration of a microwave partial matrixectomy treatment for onychocryptosis . fig6 is a schematic illustration of the microwave assisted vandenbos procedure . the anatomy of the nail is illustrated in fig1 , this comprises the nail plate ( corpus unguis ) 1 , the lateral horns ( lunula ) 2 , the nail root ( germinal matrix ), ( radix unguis ) 3 , the lateral nail fold ( paronychium ), 4 , the quick ( hyponychium ) 5 , the nail bed ( sterile matrix ) 6 , the cuticle ( eponychium ) 7 , the nail cleft ( sinus unguis ) 8 the periosteum 9 , the ventral floor 10 . an illustration of onychocryptosis is presented in fig2 , in this diagrammatic view a section of the nail 11 has grown into the nail wall resulting in swelling and algia . an embodiment of a microwave power generator system for medical applications is illustrated in fig3 . the apparatus comprising : — a microwave source for providing microwave energy 12 , connectable to a system controller 13 for controlling at least one property of the microwave radiation provided by the microwave source ; and a monitoring system 14 for monitoring the delivery of energy and an interconnecting cable 15 and an applicator hand piece 16 and a removable applicator means 17 , for example an applicator device , for delivering microwave energy , wherein : — the applicator is configured to deliver precise amounts of microwave energy provided by the source at a single frequency or across a range of frequencies . the source in one embodiment comprises a micronetics mw500 - 1388 oscillator connected to an empower bbm5k8cgm amplifier . in alternative embodiments , any suitable oscillator or other source can be used , for example any dielectric resonator oscillator ( dro ) or any crystal oscillator ( xo ) provided they possess the desired frequency bandwidth . the amplifier in one embodiment is connected to a microwave circulator , for example an meca cs - 6 . 000 which permit the flow of signals in one direction and a microwave coupler , for example an meca 722n - 30 - 3 . 100 . the microwave coupler and microwave circulator are connectable to a transmission line , in the form of high frequency coaxial cable ( for example having 50ω impedance , in this case huber + suhner sucoflex 400 ) having a physical length ( and associated electrical phase length ), which is arranged to deliver high power energy to the applicator device ( for example a ceramic microwave applicator based upon pacific ceramics pd - 160 material ) or other load , such as an antenna , probe or other radiator of energy . the controller may be a suitably programmed pc or other computer , or a dedicated hardware device , and is operable to control operation of the oscillator and / or the amplifier , thereby to control one or more properties of the microwave radiation generated by the microwave source . the monitoring system may include forward and reverse power measurement circuits that comprise diode detector devices ( in this case , an agilent 33330c option 003 ) that are operable to measure forward and reverse signals at a port of the microwave coupler . any other suitable monitoring system may be provided . the controller is operable to control the source to output microwave radiation at a desired frequency or range of frequencies , at a desired power level and for a desired period of time . fig4 shows the components of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention , the components shown separately for ease of reference . the apparatus comprises a generator system 18 with a locking microwave connection 19 to a flexible microwave cable 20 connected to a hand piece 21 ( which may have the same type of locking connection ) which accepts an applicator component 22 . the applicator component is designed to match to the tissue properties of the germinal matrix 3 . the cable 20 may include both microwave and signal data cables and may be reversible to enable connection to either port . the applicator component may dimensionally similar to a lempert elevator . fig5 shows an embodiment of a microwave treatment for onychocryptosis . in this embodiment a segment of the ingrown nail is conventionally excised to allow access to the radix unguis 24 . a microwave applicator 22 is introduced under the eponychium 25 and microwave energy is applied to the germinal matrix 26 producing targeted tissue damage and permanently preventing regrowth of the nail keratin . the narrower nail 27 releases the lateral pressure on the paronychium tissue resolving the onychocryptosis condition . the treatment can be single sided or double sided depending upon the extent of the onychocryptosis . the microwave frequency chosen will be sufficient that the penetration of energy will be limited to the germinal matrix to prevent damage to the underlying tissues such as the periosteum or other tissues that are not intended to be ablated . an alternative embodiment of a microwave onychocryptosis treatment is illustrated in fig6 where a microwave applicator 22 is used to ablate the paronychium tissue 28 at the side of the nail , leaving the nail intact and removing the lateral pressure against the nail 29 , resulting in a more cosmetically attractive result as the nail is intact and is symmetrical . this technique is hereby referred to as a microwave assisted vandenbos procedure . it will be understood that embodiments of the present invention have been described above purely by way of example , and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention . each feature disclosed in the description , and ( where appropriate ) the claims and drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination .	0
hereinafter , preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described . though the following description deals with the case where a material heated is a slab , the present invention is not particularly limited to the slabs but can be applied to other steel materials . fig1 shows diagrammatically the construction of a heating furnace and the control system in accordance with the present invention . reference numeral 1 represents the heating furnace as a whole . in the embodiment the heating furnace is a 4 - zone type heating furnace in which i represents a preheating zone , ii and iii represent heating zones and iv a soaking zone . reference numerals 3 - 1 through 3 - 4 represent furnace zone temperature detectors that are provided in the respective zones . reference numerals 4 - 1 through 4 - 4 represent fuel burners provided in the respective zones and 5 - 1 through 5 - 4 represent minor furnace temperature controllers . reference numerals 6 - 1 through 6 - 4 represent operational devices for determining the difference between the furnace temperatures detected by the detectors 3 - 1 through 3 - 4 and furnace temperature set values t p ( tp - 1 through tp - 4 ), respectively . reference numerals 7 - 1 through 7 - 4 represent fuel flow controllers that control the fuel flow f , respectively . reference numeral 200 represents a furnace temperature control system while reference numeral 9 represents an exhaust stack . reference numeral 2 represents a slab to be heated . in other words , fig1 shows a 4 - zone type heating furnace in which the temperature control for each zone i through iv is independently carried out . namely , the fuel control is effected by the fuel flow controllers ( 7 - 1 through 7 - 4 ) in such a fashion that the actual furnace temperature in each zone coincides with the output ( tp - 1 through tp - 4 ) from the control system for setting the furnace temperature 200 . symbol f represents a fuel and f 1 through f 4 represent fuel flow in the zones i through iv , respectively . the conventional apparatus for setting the furnace temperature calculates the value of the slab temperature in the furnace using the temperature detection values t1 - t4 in the zones and adjusts the setting value of the furnace temperature so that the difference between the target value determined by the temperature elevation pattern of the slab and the slab temperature is minimized . in accordance with this kind of system , the response speed of the furnace temperature control is affected by the change speed of the slab temperature . the time constant of this slab temperature is frequently in the order of scores of minutes so that the furnace temperature control is effected slowly in accordance with the constant . the system is suited for stable control when materials having substantially the same heating conditions (&# 34 ; steady states &# 34 ;) are to be heated , but when materials having remarkably different heating conditions (&# 34 ; unsteady states &# 34 ;) are to be heated , the control accuracy of the slab temperature is markedly deteriorated due to the response delay . when a cold material is subsequently charged after a hot material , for example , the response delay becomes especially critical . fig2 a shows examples of the temperature elevation patterns of such hot and cold materials . in the abovementioned embodiment , the atmosphere inside the furnace is controlled at first in such a manner as to heat the hot material along the curve h in fig2 a because the great majority of the steel plates in the furnace are the hot materials at the beginning . as the number of cold materials increases , however , it becomes necessary to change the temperature of the atmosphere inside the furnace so as to be suitable for heating the cold materials . in other words , heating along the curve c in fig2 a becomes necessary . a critical problem here is that the control accuracy of the slabs before and after the boundary slab drops when the temperature atmosphere inside the furnace is thus changed . that is to say , when the hot charge materials are heated with the temperature pattern for the cold materials , they are over - heated while if the cold charge materials are heated with the temperature elevation pattern for the hot charge materials , they are heated insufficient heating , it is necessary to bring the furnace temperature close to the optimum value of each material as rapidly as possible . in accordance with the conventional system , however , since the furnace temperature correction is effected by means of the time constant of change of the slab temperature as described above , over - heating or insufficient heating of the slab unavoidably occurs . fig2 b is a block diagram of the control system 200 for setting the furnace temperature for explaining the present invention . in the drawing , reference numeral 3 ( 3 - 1 through 3 - 4 ) represents a furnace temperature detector , 4 ( 4 - 1 through 4 - 4 ) is a burner for supplying an air - fuel mixture and 5 ( 5 - 1 through 5 - 4 ) is a minor controller , as in fig1 . reference 202 represents a memory for tracking the slabs inside the furnace and forms a data file in accordance with each slab position . it is a memory file which detects the movement of a walking beam ( or pusher ) by an operation pitch detector s and shifts the memory content in the direction represented by arrow d such as shown in fig3 a , for example . this memory file enables an operator of the furnace to ascertain which slab is now located at which position inside the furnace . the data for a slab or slabs withdrawn from the furnace is deleted from the file but this data can be used for other tracking purposes on rolling lines subsequent to the furnace output . fig3 a diagrammatically shows the case where hot materials h are first charged and then cold materials c are charged , followed by another group of hot materials h . symbols c and h represent the leading cold and hot materials , respectively , and they are hereinafter called &# 34 ; boundary slabs &# 34 ;. even when slabs are carried into the furnace while the furnace is empty , the leading slabs are called the &# 34 ; boundary slabs &# 34 ;. a catalog to the tracking file is made as the operator instructs the catalog to the file when the slabs are carried into the furnace . alternatively , automatic registration may be made including distinction of the hot materials from the cold materials by means of slab temperature detectors disposed at the furnace inlet . reference numeral 204 represents a slab position calculator which manages the slabs by means of the slab position data of the aforementioned tracking file , charge classification data and sitrinction data between the hot materials and the cold materials . these slab data are memorized by alloting each bit to the data as shown in fig3 b , for example . namely , fig3 b shows case where 16 bits are alloted to each slab , and the tracking file data are also the abovementioned three kinds . if necessary , however , other data may also be added . the slab position calculator 204 manages the slabs inside the furnace on the basis of the file data . the aforementioned boundary slabs are c and h shown in fig3 a , and tracking of these boundary slabs is indispensable for correcting the temperature elevation patterns of the slab groups . the slab position calculator 204 calculates the distance x dc of the boundary slab c from the furnace inlet , for example , on the basis of the tracking file data , ordinarily , the number of the boundary slabs that are simultaneously present in the furnace is two at the most . the slab position calculator 204 further determines to which furnace zone k d the boundary slabs belong . generally , judgement is made from the distance x d from the furnace inlet . in fig3 a , for example , the judgement is made in the following manner ; in fig3 a , l represents the entire length of the heating furnace and l 1 through l 3 represent the distances from the furnace inlet to each zone outlet , respectively . the slab position calculator recognizes whether the boundary slab exists or doesn &# 39 ; t in any heating zone , and sends the information to controllers 208 and 208 &# 39 ;. if the boundary slab doesn &# 39 ; t exist in any zone , the set temperature of that zone is determined in the controller 208 . on the other hand , if exist , it is determined in the controller 208 &# 39 ;. the signal 210 represents this control selection and k d . the memory 206 memorizes the temperature elevation pattern of the slab . in this memory the target slab temperatures at 20 furnace positions in the furnace are memorized in the form such as shown in fig3 c . for instance , the values tpc1 - 1 through tpc1 - 20 are represented by the 20 values of the pattern c 1 . the memory values of these patterns are sent to the temperature controller 208 as the signal 205 . the pattern c 1 in fig3 c corresponds to the temperature elevation pattern c 1 of the cold materials in fig4 for example . this also holds true of the patterns c 2 , c 3 and h 1 through h 3 . the controller 208 is used in the steady state . the conventional control method can be applied to the controller 208 , which is represented in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 28 , 705 ( filed apr . 10 , 1979 ) entitled &# 34 ; method for controlling furnace temperature of multi - zone heating furnace &# 34 ;, now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 255 , 133 ( issued mar . 10 , 1981 ), for instance . in this controller , optimum temperature elevation pattern , which corresponds to any curve in fig4 is chose from the memorized patterns in 206 . the set temperatures of the heating zones are determined so as to make the slab temperature follow the chosen pattern . the output signal tp1 - 4 , c , h of the block 208 in fig2 b represents the set values of each zone temperature and they are given to the minor controller 5 ( 1 ˜ 4 ). on the other hand , the controller 208 &# 39 ; is used in unsteady state . in other words , 208 &# 39 ; is used , when the boundary slab exist in any heating zone . the memory 206 memorizes setting value of the zone temperature in the form such as shown in fig3 c . in fig3 c , adrc 10 , adrc 11 . . . represent memory addresses while [ tp1 ] c1 , [ tp2 ] c2 . . . represent the set temperatures in the zones corresponding to the slab elevation patterns . when the elevation pattern is determined in the controller 208 , an index signal , which represent the pattern , is send to the controller 208 &# 39 ; as a signal 209 . the controller 208 &# 39 ; is select the setting temperature of the unsteady zone from the memory 206 according to the index signal 209 . this selection is represented as 205 &# 39 ; in fig2 b . next , the furnace temperature setting timing in each zone in 208 &# 39 ; will be explained . here , the timing for setting the furnace set temperature is determined using the boundary slab position x d calculated by the aforementioned slab position calculator 204 and the furnace zone number k d to which the boundary slab belongs . when the response time of the furnace temperature in each zone is extremely fast , the set value can be changed when the boundary slab reaches the entrace of each furnace zone . in practice , however , the response time is not a negligible value . fig5 shows an example of the response of the furnace zone temperature when the set temperature tpi of the furnace zone i , is changed step - wisely by δtpi . the response of the furnace zone temperature t i can be regarded as a response characteristic of the first order delay including the dead time . here , the time until 90 % of the change δtpi , that is , τr ( i ) in fig5 is defined as the response time of the zone i . it is necessary to determine the timing for setting the zone temperature in consideration of this response time . here we suppose the response time for each of the zones ii - iv as τr ( ii ), τr ( iii ) and τr ( iv ), and the boundary slab is now supposed to belong to the zone k as showed in fig6 a . we explain the timing of the setting in 208 &# 39 ; by using fig6 . fig6 b shows the timing for correcting the set temperature tp ( k + 1 ) of the ( k + 1 ) th zone . in other words , fig6 b shows the case where tp ( k + 1 ) is to be corrected earlier by τp ( k + 1 ) than the timing when the boundary slab arrives at the inlet of the ( k + 1 ) th zone by τp ( k + 1 ) while fig6 c shows the case where tp ( k + 1 ) is to be corrected in advance by p ( k + 1 )/ 2 . when the zone temperature is corrected by taking the timing into account in this manner , a desired furnace temperature can be attained when the boundary slabs reaches the furnace zone . the timing may be varied in accordance with the response time of the furnace . fig7 shows an example of the set temperature values of the furnace zones , respectively . [ tp1 ] c through [ tp4 ] c represent the set temperatures for the zone 1 through 4 for the cold material and [ tp1 ] h through [ tp4 ] h likewise represent the set temperatures for the hot material . this is an example when 200 mm - thick steel is heated to 1 , 200 ° c ., within 3 hours . the temperature of the slab to be carried into the furnace is 450 ° c . for the hot material and 30 ° c . for the cold material . the withdrawing temperature from the furnace is 1 , 200 ° c . for both hot material and cold material , and the temperature for the cold material is set considerably higher than that for the hot material . next , a case will be described in which the cold materials are first carried into the furnace and then the hot materials . the set temperatures of the heating zones are determined by the controller 208 until the hot material is charged in the furnace , and we assume the values as tp1 through tp4 . when the leading slab of the hot materials , that is , the boundary slab , is detected at the inlet of the first zone , the set temperature in the first zone is changed from tp1 to [ tp1 ] h , in the case of fig7 [ tp1 ] h = 960 ° c . referring now to fig8 symbols i through iv in fig8 ( a ) represent the zones i through iv . fig8 ( b ) shows the distribution of the slabs inside the furnace where c represents the cold material , h does the hot materials and h does the leading slab of the hot materials , that is , the boundary slab . fig8 ( b ) shows the state where the boundary slab enters the first zone i , fig8 ( f ) shows the set temperature in the case where only the cold materials are present inside the furnace . when the boundary slab is detected at the entrance of the first zone i , that is , under the state shown in fig8 ( b ), the set temperature of the first zone i is changed from tp1 to [ tp1 ] h as shown in fig8 ( g ). the set furnace temperature of the second zone ii is corrected from tp2 to [ tp2 ] h = 1160 ° c . while the boundary slab h is still present in the first zone i , as shown in fig8 c and fig8 h , at the timing of τd1 = τr ( ii )/ 2 , where the time τd1 required for the h slab to reach the entrance of the second zone ii is calculated sequentially in accordance with the equation ( 3 ) from the slab moving speed and the distance . similarly , the set temperature for the third and fourth zones iii , iv are made beforehand while the boundary slab is still present in the second and third zones ii and iii , respectively , and their timings are τd2 = τr ( ii )/ 2 and τd3 = τr ( iv )/ 2 , respectively . the new set temperatures are [ tp3 ] h = 1 , 240 ° c . and [ tp4 ] h = 1 , 210 ° c ., respectively ( see fig7 ). fig8 ( d ) shows the timing for correcting the set temperature of third zone while fig8 ( e ) shows that of fourth zone . when the charge of the hot or cold materials is thus detected at the inlet of the furnace , tracking inside the furnace is effected on the basis of the detected data and the correction of the furnace temperature is effected in advance of the slab movement in consideration of the heat response characteristic of each furnace zone at the timing shown in fig8 . next , the timing for lock release of each zone will be described . first , the case of the first zone i will be explained with reference to fig8 ( k ). if the temperature pattern is changed from the ordinary set temperature tp1 for the cold materials to [ tp1 ] h upon detection of the leading slab ( h detection ) at the time t 1 , the furnace temperature t 1 in the first zone i changes gradually and finally reaches [ tp1 ] h . the lock is released at the timing when the difference δt1 between t1 and [ tp1 ] h becomes equal to , or smaller than , a predetermined value δε1 , that is , at the timing which satisfies the relation δt 1 ≦ δε1 , and the temperature control for the ordinary hot materials is then effected . here , t 2 represents the timing that satisfies the abovementioned relation δt1 ≦ δε1 and at this timing , the lock is released and the set value tp1 is determined by the steady state algorithm . at the timing τd1 , the set value for the second zone ii is corrected to [ tp2 ] h . the lock release holds true also for the second through the fourth zones ii - iv . they are expressed by the following general formulas , respectively : ## equ1 ## namely , the lock release is made at each of the above - mentioned timings . ( in the same way as in fig5 % response or 90 % response may also be employed ). the lock may be released sequentially from the first zone to the fourth zone . a flow chart for practising the furnace zone temperature set control using a computer is shown in fig9 . in the foregoing embodiment shown in fig5 the response time of the furnace temperature is defined as the 90 % response , but the response time may be a 63 % response . selection of these values is determined in conjunction with the furnace operation schedule and the like . more generally , τdi of the ith zone is determined in accordance with the response of the ( i + 1 ) th zone . the optimum value should be selected in accordance with the furnace characteristics . at times , a constant value may be selected irrespective of the furnace characteristics .	6
the principles and operation of the black - body spectrum conversion apparatus and method according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description . before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . referring now to the drawings , fig2 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of the inventive spectrum conversion apparatus 100 , in which a black - body absorber / emitter is used as a converter . apparatus 100 may include a black body 20 , at least a first optical device 22 that may be disposed between a solar light source ( such as sunlight ) 25 and black body 20 , and at least a second optical device 24 disposed between black body 20 and at least one photovoltaic cell 26 . electromagnetic radiation 11 , emanating from a solar light source such as sun 25 and having a first characteristic spectrum , is absorbed by black body 20 , typically operating at a temperature of at least 1200k , more typically , at least 1500k , still more typically , at least 1800k , and most typically , at least 2200k . black body 20 emits electromagnetic radiation 13 having a second characteristic spectrum ( the properties of which depend , inter alia , on the temperature of black body 20 ). electromagnetic radiation 13 is subsequently processed or filtered by optical device 24 , which is adapted to provide photovoltaic cell 26 with electromagnetic radiation 15 having a third characteristic spectrum . this spectrum is narrow with respect to the second characteristic spectrum . preferably , optical device 24 is adapted to provide photovoltaic cell 26 with electromagnetic radiation 15 having a third characteristic spectrum associated with a predetermined energy level aimed to increase or substantially maximize the emerging power conversion of cell 26 , and / or to reduce or substantially minimize the temperature increase of cell 26 . optical device 24 further serves to return , to black body 20 , electromagnetic radiation 17 that is not passed through to photovoltaic cell 26 . electromagnetic radiation 17 may include low energy radiation having energies below the energy threshold of electromagnetic radiation 15 , and may also include high energy radiation having energies exceeding the energy threshold of electromagnetic radiation 15 . in this manner , electromagnetic radiation 17 may be recycled , and may advantageously serve to heat black body 20 . by recycling electromagnetic radiation 17 to black body 20 , the radiation is absorbed and recovered by black body 20 , which in turn emits electromagnetic radiation 13 , whose properties depend on the temperature and surface topology of black body 20 . by sharp contrast , in conventional photovoltaic systems such as silicon - based pv cells , photons having energies below the energy gap may disadvantageously heat the pv cells , resulting in degradation of the pv cell operation . moreover , even photons having energies above the energy gap may deliver their excess energies to the pv cells in the form of heat , which again results in degradation of pv cell operation . black body 20 may emit electromagnetic radiation 31 in a direction other than the direction of optical device 24 . first optical device 22 , which may be disposed between solar light source 25 and black body 20 , may advantageously be adapted to return the energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation 33 to black body 20 . optical device 22 may also enable electromagnetic radiation 11 from solar light source 25 to pass through towards black body 20 , with a minimum or otherwise low incidence of reflection . the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation 13 depends on the operating temperature of black body 20 . fig3 is a graphical theoretical representation of the power density of electromagnetic spectra ( or energy flux spectra ) emitted by a black - body having a smooth surface , as a function of wavelength , for several exemplary black - body temperatures . the dashed curve delineates the peak wavelength of the spectrum as a function of temperature . the actual operating temperature of black body 20 may depend , inter alia , on the desired spectrum for photovoltaic cell 26 , and on various temperature dependent structural limitations of the materials of construction . in some applications , the operating temperature of black body 20 is at least 1500k to 3300k or more , depending on the energy band requirement of the particular pv cell used , and on limitations of the materials of construction . fig4 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of an inventive spectrum conversion apparatus or device 400 , housed in a thermally - insulating housing 50 . optical device 22 , black body 20 , optical device 24 , and photovoltaic cell 26 , may all be in - line , and may preferably be held in fixed position , with respect to one another , by housing 50 . between optical device 22 and black body 20 may be disposed a sealed volume 43 , preferably having a subatmospheric pressure of less than 0 . 1 torr , more preferably , less than 10 − 4 torr , and yet more preferably , less than 10 − 8 torr . typically , the pressure is less than 10 − 9 torr , or 10 − 10 − 10 − 11 torr or less . such subatmospheric pressure advantageously insulates between black body 20 and optical device 22 , and reduces heat loss to the environment . similarly , between optical device 24 and black body 20 may be disposed a sealed volume 45 , preferably having a subatmospheric pressure of less than 0 . 1 torr , more preferably , less than 10 − 4 torr , and yet more preferably , less than 10 − 8 torr . typically , the pressure is less than 10 − 9 torr , or 10 − 10 − 10 − 11 torr or less . such subatmospheric pressure advantageously insulates between black body 20 and optical device 24 , and reduces heat loss to the environment . between optical device 24 and photovoltaic cell 26 may be disposed a volume 47 , which may be sealed . thermally - insulating housing 50 may be of rigid construction , to fix in relative position optical device 22 , black body 20 , and optical device 24 . thermally - insulating housing 50 may also fix the position of photovoltaic cell 26 with respect to optical device 24 . at least a portion of an inner wall 62 of housing 50 may contact black body 20 , and is preferably adapted to thermally insulate black body 20 . the heat transfer coefficient of inner wall 62 may preferably be below 2 . 0 wm 1 k − 1 at 300k , and more preferably , below 0 . 5 wm − 1 k − 1 . inner wall 62 may advantageously include , or essentially consist of , ceramic materials , such as alumina , zirconia , magnesia , and / or other materials that are stable at high temperature and are preferably good thermal insulators . black body 20 may be a macroscopic black body structure , or a mesoscopic black body structure . tungsten , having a dark , steel - gray color and a melting point of approximately 3695k , may be a particularly suitable material of construction . tungsten filaments are extensively used in incandescent light bulbs , in which an electrical current may heat the filament to 2000k to 3300k , depending upon the type , shape , and size of the filament , and upon the amount of current drawn . the heated filament acts as a black body , emitting light that approximates a continuous spectrum . in incandescent light bulbs , the useful part of the emitted energy is solely the visible spectrum , and typically , most energy is given off as heat in the near - infrared wavelengths . in the present invention , however , the waste energy is recycled : at least a portion , and preferably , substantially all of the photons having unsuitable wavelengths for the pv cells are returned to the black body , as described hereinabove . other materials of construction for black body 20 will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such materials may include various carbides such as titanium carbide , silicon carbide , and tungsten carbide , various ceramic materials , and various forms of carbon suitable for high - temperature operation . mesoscopic black body structures may include various thin films or nanostructures such as inorganic nanotubes or inorganic nanofilaments . the films and nanostructures may include materials such as tungsten , titanium , molybdenum , carbon , and various carbides . optical device 22 may be substantially transparent . preferably , optical device 22 may be adapted to reflect less than 20 %, more preferably , less than 10 %, and yet more preferably , less than 5 % of the impinging solar light . in some cases , optical device 22 may be adapted to reflect less than 2 %, or even less than 1 % of the impinging solar light . optical device 22 is preferably a good thermal insulator , having a heat transfer coefficient below 3 . 0 wm − 1 k − 1 at 300k , and more typically , below 2 . 0 wm − 1 k − 1 . glasses and transparent or substantially transparent sintered ceramics may be suitable for optical device 22 . various specific materials of construction for optical device 22 will be apparent to those skilled in the art . optical device 22 may advantageously be adapted to return the energy ( in the form of electromagnetic radiation 31 ) from black body 20 , to black body 20 , as electromagnetic radiation 33 . to this end , optical device 22 may include , by way of example , a bragg filter , preferably designed accounting for the operating temperature of the black body . such a design involves a tradeoff between two contradicting constraints or preferred criteria : achievement ( as close as practically possible ) of 100 % transparency with respect to sunlight , and achievement ( as close as practically possible ) of 100 % reflection with respect to blackbody radiation 31 . concentrating element or assembly 28 may advantageously be disposed above optical device 22 , i . e ., between the solar light source and optical device 22 , to concentrate the electromagnetic radiation provided to optical device 22 . typically , concentrating element or assembly 28 may concentrate the electromagnetic radiation by a factor of at least 1 . 1 , more typically , by a factor of at least 2 , and more typically , by a factor of at least 10 or 50 to 10000 or more . concentrating element or assembly 28 may be selected from various known or commercially available concentrators . optical device 24 may advantageously include photonic crystal elements such as a multilayer reflection coating or bragg filter . an optical bragg filter is a transparent device with a periodic variation of the refractive index , so that a large reflectivity may be reached in some wavelength range ( bandwidth ) around a certain wavelength , provided each layer is of the order of quarter wavelength in the medium : where d is the thickness of each layer , λ is the vacuum wavelength of light , and n is the refractive index of the particular layer . one exemplary embodiment of a bragg filter has a plurality of pairs of alternate layers of silicon and silicon dioxide . typically , 5 - 50 of such pairs may be used in a device such as optical device 24 . other materials may be more suitable for use in conjunction with silicon - based photovoltaic cells . common optical coating materials for constructing such layers may include oxides such as sio 2 , tio 2 , al 2 o 3 and ta 2 o 5 , and fluorides such as mgf 2 , laf 3 and alf 3 . optical device 24 is adapted to receive the output energy from blackbody 20 , and to emit electromagnetic energy having a narrow , modified energy flux spectrum , with respect to that output energy . preferably , at least 80 % of the energy flux spectrum that is output by optical device 24 lies within a narrow range of 0 . 4 ev , more preferably , within a range of 0 . 3 ev , and most preferably , within a range of 0 . 2 ev . yet more preferably , at least 90 % of the energy flux spectrum lies within these ranges . optical device 24 may be adapted such that this range is above or substantially above an energy gap of the specific photovoltaic cell employed . with regard to dimensions , optical device 22 may have a thickness of at least 30 micrometers , and more typically , at least 100 micrometers . the thickness may be largely dictated by thermal insulation considerations . the maximum requisite thickness may be about 1000 micrometers . optical device 24 may have a thickness of at least 20 micrometers , and more typically , at least 50 micrometers . the thickness may be largely dictated by the materials selected , and by the tradeoff between filter efficiency and cost . the maximum requisite thickness is envisioned to be about 300 micrometers . with regard to black body 20 : the mesoscopic arrangement typically has a thickness of less than 5 micrometers , more typically , less than 1 micrometer , and in some cases , less than 0 . 1 micrometers ; the macroscopic arrangement typically has a thickness of less than 100 micrometers , more typically , less than 50 micrometers , and most typically , in a range of 10 to 50 micrometers . in fig4 , the exemplary thicknesses of optical device 22 , black body 20 , and optical device 24 are 200 micrometers , 100 micrometers and 100 micrometers , respectively . the exemplary thickness of photovoltaic cell 26 is 200 micrometers . sealed volumes 43 and 45 may have a thickness or an average thickness of at least 5 micrometers , at least 10 micrometers , or at least 20 micrometers . typically , sealed volumes 43 and 45 may have a thickness or an average thickness of 20 to 200 micrometers , depending , inter alia , on the depth of the vacuum within the respective volumes , and the desired black body temperature . these thicknesses may apply at room temperature and / or under operating conditions . optical device 22 , black body 20 , and optical device 24 may have a length ( long dimension ) of up to several tens of centimeters . the length is usually determined to match the photovoltaic panel or unit , which may have a length of 10 to 30 centimeters or more . fig5 is a schematic top view of apparatus or device 400 of fig4 , in which the short dimension of the apparatus is sealed and insulated at each end by housing 50 , and in which the long dimension of the apparatus is sealed and insulated on both sides by walls 80 . walls 80 may advantageously be made of glass or of ceramic materials . fig6 is a schematic , graphical representation of the multiple - stage conversion of the solar spectrum to a preferred spectrum for a photovoltaic cell , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . spectrum ( a ) is an idealized electromagnetic spectrum produced by the sun . after the light is passed through optical device 22 , this spectrum may be largely unaffected . spectrum ( b ) is an idealized electromagnetic spectrum emitted by black - body 20 , assuming black - body 20 has a generally round , smooth surface . spectrum ( c ) is an idealization of an electromagnetic spectrum that has passed through optical device 24 , which filters various wavelengths so as to provide photovoltaic cell 26 with photons within the requisite energy range . the impact of filters on the emission of a black - body has been recognized recently by j . j . greffet , et al ., “ coherent emission of light by thermal sources ”, nature , 416 , 61 - 64 ( 2002 ), and by m . laroche et al ., “ coherent thermal antenna using a photonic crystal slab ”, phys . rev . lett . 96 , 123903 ( 2006 ). the authors demonstrate that the angular and spectral characteristics of the black - body emission are controlled by the grating at the surface of the black body . using these or other techniques known in the art , a surface 20 a of black - body 20 may be designed and adapted to produce a higher fraction of photons within the requisite energy range , with respect to spectrum ( b ). although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , it is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims . all publications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification , to the same extent as if each individual publication , patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference . in addition , citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention .	6
it will be appreciated that not all embodiments of the invention can be disclosed within the scope of this document and that additional embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the technology after reading this disclosure . these additional embodiments are claimed within the scope of this invention . the contents of the section entitled summary of invention are incorporated into the detailed description of the invention herein . the construction of wind turbines and generation of electricity from these turbines has increased significantly in the last ten to twenty years . most of these turbines utilize rotating blades and a nacelle containing a gear box and generator setting atop of a fixed positioned tower . the rotor and nacelle rotate atop of a stationary tower in response to changes in wind direction . this rotation may involve operation of a yaw motor . there has been a goal to increase the size of the wind turbines . this goal encounters problems of transporting large structural components over land to the installation site . it also encounters problems with materials required to withstand wind loads from all directions and the corresponding increase in weight and material costs . the wind turbine tower is typically cylindrically shaped and made from steel . the tower may have a tapering shape along the vertical axis . in other examples , the tower may have a derrick frame shape similar to farm windmills . neither design is aerodynamically shaped . since the towers are fixed in place , it is not possible to provide an aerodynamic or structurally optimized shape since the wind direction is variable . structural optimization includes but is not limited to cost , shape , material , material configuration , and functionality . the invention subject of this disclosure teaches constructing a tower structure from multiple pieces or segments ( elements ). the structure forms the leading edge and the trailing edge of the tower ( sometimes collectively termed herein as “ structural edges ”). the structural edges are load carrying . the leading edge faces the on coming wind . conversely the trailing edge is on the lee side of the tower . rotation of the tower ensures the structure maintains this orientation to the wind . utilizing this constant orientation , structural tower loads can be predicted based upon varying wind speeds . this predictability can allow the fabrication of the tower segments tailored to the position of each segment . the tower can be structurally optimized . each segment can be designed to carry a specific load , allowing for cost effective utilization of materials ( structural optimization ). for example the structural segments , including attachment hardware , of the leading edge will experience both compression load and , in high wind , tension loads . the trailing edge segments may more often experience or be subject to compression loading . the segments can also be aerodynamically shaped based upon their position relative to the wind . the segments can be in lengths that allow use of standard transportation methods . as discussed elsewhere herein , the trailing edge segment ( s ) may be sized to nest in the leading edge segment ( s ) ( or vice versa ) during transportation . the invention subject of this disclosure teaches a tower that can rotate in reaction to changes in the wind . the tower rotates with the turbine ( including the nacelle ). this allows the tower to be designed to decrease the tower &# 39 ; s drag in the wind . more important , the leading edge sees tension from variable wind thrust , with the trailing edge seeing or being subject to corresponding compression . therefore the materials choice and placement can be optimized for each type of loading , thereby allowing reduction of high strength and high cost materials . in addition , the tapering width allows nearly uniform stress in these main structural members so their material is loaded efficiently , and the side panels need carry only modest amounts of shear and bending loads . there can be an overall weight savings from carrying the loads in this efficient manner , and transportation costs can be reduced because the tower segments are both smaller and lighter . referencing fig6 , the tower has a vertical axis of rotation 950 . the axis of rotation extends vertically upward from the bottom bearing assembly ( proximate to the tower foundation 360 and pivot stalk 370 ) and through the middle of the upper bearing assembly 220 . the tower can be constructed to allow portions of the structure to extend outside the axis of rotation . particularly the leading edge may lean into the windward direction . this is termed “ leaning forward ”. it will be appreciated that the tower 100 is leaning to the left and into the wind as shown by vector arrow 975 . this configuration increases the distance between the tower leading edge and the plane of rotation of the turbine blades . the increased distance between the tower leading edge 110 and the turbine blade 402 is illustrated by distance 401 . this minimizes potential for damage to the turbine blades by striking the tower . it also decreases the moment distribution from rotor thrust that must be carried by the tower and its supports . a downwind rotor can extend from the trailing edge 120 outside the axis of rotation 950 . this position facilitates the generating of the necessary moment needed to steer the tower into a changed wind direction . in one embodiment of the invention , the tower edgewise load is carried by the leading edge 110 and the separate trailing edge 120 . see fig1 . this allows the sides of the tower structure to be covered with a lower load bearing material as stated in the preceding paragraph and further discussed in relation to fig2 . the tower edges define the outline of the wing shaped tower structure 100 illustrated in fig1 . the tower edges diverge at the tower mid point ( kinked or bowed separation of the leading edge and trailing edge ). the tower edges merge together at the bottom of the structure and are attached to the lower bearing assembly 210 . beneath the bottom bearing assembly ( not shown ) are a pivot stalk 370 and a foundation 360 . in the embodiment illustrated , the leading edge 110 leans forward into the wind . the leading edge is not vertical . the axis of rotation 950 is vertical . as illustrated in fig1 , the axis of rotation starts at the pivot stalk 370 and extends upward through the upper bearing assembly 220 . in one embodiment , ( not shown ) a hinge component connects the bottom segments of the leading edge and trailing edge with the foundation or with the bottom bearing assembly . other placements of the bottom hinge are possible . this configuration allows the tower to pivot on the hinge and the lowering of the tower ( and turbine ) to be placed on the ground for servicing or repair . it may be found advantageous to attach the hinge to the leading edge , thereby ensuring that the turbine and blades will be facing downward when the tower is lowered . the trailing edge can also be attached with a hinge to the foundation or bottom bearing assembly . accordingly the tower can be lowered using the leading edge hinge or the trailing edge hinge , depending upon the component of the turbine to be serviced . a hinge also allows the tower to be elevated and secured in the vertical position for initial erection . the tower edges also merge 240 beneath the attachment fixture or base 350 for the rotor and nacelle 351 . the orientation of the tower depicted in fig1 to the wind direction is shown by vector arrow 975 . the tower may be rotated in response to changes in the wind by use of a yaw motor or other device . also illustrated is the space 136 between the leading and trailing edges . it is this space that is covered by the secondary load bearing material . see fig2 and 4 . see fig2 a comprising a cross - sectional top view of the tower structure . illustrated are the leading edge 110 and trailing edge 120 , side panels 135 and the narrow profile of the tower structure facing the wind 975 . the leading edge defines the narrow profile . referencing fig1 , because the tower edge separation profile is similar to the linear moment profile from rotor thrust , loads in the leading and trailing edges are fairly constant and therefore a good match to a constant material cross - section . related to this is that primary structural shear in the side panels and fasteners is low . the side panels may be a composite material . there will be kick loads at the kink 130 in the trailing edge load path , but the mid - tower collar 230 is installed at this location and may reinforce the trailing edge . also interior structure such as wide flanges or a bulkhead integrated into the joining of upper and lower tower sections may be used to react to these kick loads . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the tower edges achieve maximum divergence approximately in the midpoint 130 , 131 of the structure 100 , i . e ., mid - tower . this forms a kink or widest portion of the wing shaped tower structure . an upper bearing assembly 220 reacts the net loads from the two edges at or near this widest point . the upper tower section is above the upper bearing assembly . of course , this upper bearing assembly facilitates the rotation of the tower structure . the bearing assembly comprises an annular structure surrounding the wing shaped tower structure 100 . see fig2 a for a top cross sectional view of the tower structure and the position of the leading edge and trailing edge . also illustrated in fig2 a is the narrow profile of the wing shaped tower . this narrow profile , combined with the design of the tower leading edge and trailing edge , minimize wind resistance of the tower and thereby lessens the load upon the tower components . a second outer annular structure ( mid - tower collar ) 230 surrounds the upper bearing assembly 220 . this mid - tower collar may be the attachment for reinforcing guy wires 310 extending to the ground . it may also restrain the tower structure at the point of greatest separation 141 ( kink ) between the load bearing leading edge 110 and trailing edge 120 . one embodiment may incorporate a kink design in the leading edge to facilitate the turning of the tower in response to changes in wind direction , by placing a downwind rotor substantially downwind of the tower rotation axis . in another embodiment , the turbine is turned by use of a yaw motor . with reference to fig2 a , the leading edge 110 is illustrated to comprise a half circle with a radius 111 . the trailing edge 120 is also illustrated to be a half circle with a radius 121 . the leading edge and trailing edge carry the tension and compression load of the structure , including the rotor and nacelle weight . the leading and trailing edges may comprise steel having a high modulus of elasticity . the radius 121 of the trailing edge 120 can be smaller than the radius 111 of the leading edge 110 . conversely , the radius of the leading edge can be smaller than the trailing edge . this configuration allows the trailing edge to be stored within the leading edge for transportation ( or vice versa ). the half circle shape enhances the load bearing capacity of the steel , in contrast to an equal thickness of sheet steel , because the curved shape provides self stability against buckling . continuing to reference fig2 b , the top cross sectional view shows a tower embodiment having a more elliptical shape . other embodiments can include a leading edge or trailing edge having a parabolic shape or a shape tapering to a wider or narrower crosswind dimension . in addition to the leading edge 110 and trailing edge 120 , fig2 a and 2b illustrate a third element of the tower , i . e ., panels 135 that cover the tower sides . these panels may cover both sides of the tower , creating a hollow interior space 136 . the panels are attached to the leading edge and the trailing edge . fig2 a and 2b illustrate one method of attachment wherein the panel 135 fits underneath the side edge 137 of the leading edge 110 . conversely , the side panel fits over 138 the side edge of the trailing edge 120 . the attachment mechanisms can be bolts , screws or clips and are loaded in shear , i . e ., the attachment mechanism primarily tries to slide laterally in contrast to being pulled apart . a primary structural or sealant bond may be optionally provided . the attachment method described above , i . e ., the leading edge fitting over the side panel and the side panel fitting over the trailing edge and in line with the air flow , advantageously minimizes debris and moisture blowing into the joints or hollow space 136 of the tower . the wind direction is illustrated by vector arrow 975 . this attachment method also reduces drag on the tower . the leading edge 110 is pointing into the wind . the side panels will experience in - plane , shear and air loads . these secondary loads are significantly less than the loads of the leading and trailing edges . accordingly , the side panels can be fabricated of lightweight secondary material . this , of course , reduces the weight of the tower . side panel materials may include but are not limited to fiberglass , balsa or foam core within fiberglass skin panels , fiber reinforced plastics or non reinforced plastic . a diagonal truss structure with covering may also be used . the panels may be lower cost materials relative to the material used for the tower edges . the leading edge 110 will experience both compression and tensile loads . the compression load comes from the weight of the rotor and nacelle . the tensile force will arise from , at least in part , the thrust action of the wind on the turbine rotor blades . when the leading edge is directed into the wind with the turbine operating , there will be thrust induced bending , simultaneous with compression from carrying weight from the turbine rotor and nacelle . the leading edge must carry the net resultant of these compression and tension loads . the trailing edge 120 will experience compression from the thrust force and from the weight load , and must be stable against buckling . due to the disparity of these forces and that the tower components are fabricated as separate pieces or segments , the leading edge can easily be made thinner than the trailing edge , thereby saving on material and transportation costs . the lower portion of the tower ( below the upper bearing assembly ) sees more compression than the upper tower portion due to the load from the anchored and tensioned guy wires . again , since the tower segments may be fabricated separately , the thickness of the tower leading edge and trailing edge can be greater below the upper bearing assembly . fig3 illustrates another embodiment of the tower 100 . the tower leading edge 110 may be vertical . the trailing edge 120 slopes in a linear fashion from the junction 240 with the leading edge . this junction supports the nacelle or rotor attachment fixture 350 . the tower enjoys a wider base 371 resting on a pivot stalk 370 and a foundation 360 . illustrated in fig3 are rotating mechanisms 171 a , 171 b , i . e ., turntable bearings , turning on the edge of the frame 100 allowing rotation of the tower within the base . also illustrated is a yaw motor 212 to power the rotation . the leading edge and the trailing edge are connected by a horizontal frame component 211 . the relationship of the leading edge to the wind is illustrated by vector arrow 975 representing the wind direction . in an alternative embodiment , the tower may rotate on a turntable component . this may comprise a horizontal rotating plate mounted on the foundation . the tower base would be attached to the plate or disk component . in another embodiment , a downwind rotor is attached to the trailing edge of the tower . see fig7 . the downwind rotor provides the mechanism for rotating the tower and turbine in response to changes in wind direction . the downwind rotor would be mounted sufficiently distant from the tower vertical axis of rotation to provide the yaw alignment forces . the leading edge may slant downwind , and the trailing edge may be vertical or also slant downwind , to aid the downwind placement of the rotor . the ability to choose the thickness , shape , and local radius of curvature of the trailing edge part enhances the buckling stability of the trailing edge while minimizing its weight and cost . similarly , these characteristics could be varied for the leading edge as a function of height to minimize weight and cost . the thickness of the tower i . e ., the separation between side panels , could also be varied with height if this provides lower weight and cost , by varying the edge to edge crosswind width dimensions of the leading and trailing edge pieces . fig4 illustrates the leaning tower structure 100 depicted in fig1 with the addition of the side panels 135 spanning the space 136 between the leading edge 110 and trailing edge 120 . the side panels need carry only modest amounts of shear and bending loads . the vertical axis of rotation is shown extending from the pivot stalk 370 and through the middle of the mid tower collar 230 . it extends outside the tower structure . fig2 a and 2b illustrate an embodiment of attaching the side panels to the leading and trailing edges . also illustrated are the mid - tower collar 230 and guy wires 310 , the tower structure midpoints 130 , 131 and the bearing assembly 220 . also illustrated is the merging of the leading and trailing edges 240 , the nacelle attachment component 350 , the bottom pivot post 370 , the foundation 360 . fig5 illustrates an embodiment for supporting the tower and allowing the tower to rotate . illustrated is a top cross sectional view showing the tower comprising the leading edge 110 , the side panels 135 , and the trailing edge 120 . the tower edges carry rotating bearings 170 a thru 170 d or similar components that are in contact with the circular surface 220 of the bearing assembly . also illustrated are three guy wires 310 a , 310 b , 310 c , attached to the mid tower collar 230 . also shown is the space 136 between the tower edges 110 , 120 . the mid - tower collar surrounds the upper bearing assembly and provides structural reinforcement . the tower structure 100 may also include an inner collar 221 . this collar 221 can be a flat plate surrounding the tower and attached to it at or near its widest point . the inner collar rotates with the tower with the upper bearing assembly . in fig5 , the area between the bearing assembly 220 and tower 100 is filled with a planar structure , possibly made from a flat plate , or plate with holes to make it lighter . the bearings may be in a few discrete locations as shown , or distributed more widely around the inside perimeter of the upper bearing assembly 220 . the inner collar stops the tower from deforming out of shape at the kink . alternatively , a planar structure on the inside would restrain the shape and achieve the same result . this specification is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the manner of carrying out the invention . it is to be understood that the forms of the invention herein shown and described are to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments . as already stated , various changes may be made in the shape , size and arrangement of components or adjustments made in the steps of the method without departing from the scope of this invention . for example , equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein and certain features of the invention maybe utilized independently of the use of other features , all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention . while specific embodiments have been illustrated and described , numerous modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention , and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims .	5
referring now to the accompanying drawings , there are shown preferred embodiments of the invention . fig1 is a transverse sectional view of a recording apparatus incorporating a paper feeder according to the invention . in a recording apparatus 1 , a separation pad 4 is abutted against a rotating paper feeding roller 2 to separate one sheet of paper from a plurality of sheets of paper ; p stacked on a hopper 3 . the separated sheet is fed to a transport roller 6 along a paper guide 49 , and a skew is removed , then the sheet is sent to a record area matching the print timing . printing is performed by reciprocating : a recording head 7 mounted on a carriage 8 in a subscanning direction of the sheet . then the sheet is discharged by a discharge roller 9 . a paper support 21 is attached to a housing 10 of the recording apparatus 1 and an edge guide 22 for regulating the side margin of the paper p supported on the paper support 21 is slidably placed in the housing 10 . the hopper 3 is rotatably placed between the edge guide 22 and the paper feeding roller 2 , and when the hopper 3 is moved up , the separation pad 4 presses the top sheet of paper against the paper feeding roller 2 and separates and feeds the sheet . a paper feeder 20 includes a first unit 30 comprising the paper feeding roller 2 , an auxiliary roller 33 , a transmission gear 35 , etc ., built in one piece , and a second unit 40 comprising the hopper 3 and a paper returner 42 having the separation pad 4 , built in a frame 41 in one piece . the first unit 30 is fixed to the rear of a frame 13 partitioning the carriage 8 , and the second unit 40 is attached to a main frame 12 so that the bottom portion of the frame 41 shaped like a mountain in cross section is roughly on an extension of a paper , transporting passage connecting the transport roller 6 and the discharge roller 9 . the units make it possible to reduce the number of assembling steps into the recording apparatus and lessen adjustment of the post - assembled units . the first and second units will be discussed in more detail . in fig2 the first unit 30 comprises a roller shaft 32 supported on a bearing part 31 a of a roller holder 30 for rotation , and the paper feeding roller 2 and the auxiliary roller 33 are placed on the roller shaft 32 . a hopper driving cam 34 forming a cam mechanism for moving up or down the hopper 3 , and the transmission gear 35 are placed on the roller shaft 32 . a subsidiary cam 36 for performing the initial inclining operation of the paper returner described later is placed on a side of the hopper driving cam 34 . the transmission gear 35 is associated with a drive gear of a paper feed motor ( not shown ) via an intermediate transmission gear . the paper feeding roller 2 consists of a round portion 2 a and a flat portion 2 c , as shown in fig3 and a friction member is attached to the round portion 2 a for feeding paper . the round portion 2 a is extended to a protruded portion 2 b for enlarging the circumferential for the paper feeding . the protruded portion 2 b acts so as to reliably feed paper to the transport roller 6 , if the paper load capacity of the hopper 3 changes . if one sheet of paper exists in the hopper 3 , the time required to move up the hopper 3 from the lowermost position to abut the sheet of paper against the paper feeding roller 2 becomes the longest . that is , the paper feeding roller 2 rotates at a predetermined angle until the sheet of paper is abutted against the paper feeding roller 2 , and thus the length of the protruded portion 2 b is set so that paper arrives at the transport roller 6 as it is fed from the abutment position . since the protruded portion 2 b is provided , the circumferential length used for the paper feeding is extended without enlarging the diameter of the paper feeding roller 2 , thereby the apparatus can be miniaturized . numeral 37 denotes a flat cable retainer placed in the frame 31 to retain a flat cable 38 for transmitting a print signal to the recording head 7 ( see fig1 ). in the second unit 40 , as shown in fig4 and 5 , a front inclined face of the frame 41 , which is shaped like a mountain in cross section extending in the width direction of the recorder 1 , is used as the paper guide 49 , and a rear inclined face of the frame 41 is used as an aligner 41 c on which leading edges of sheets are abutted to be aligned and the hopper 3 is placed . on the top of the frame 41 , the paper returner 42 is placed along a ridgeline portion 41 b ( boundary between the aligner 41 c and the paper guide 49 ), and a base end of the paper returner 42 is placed in the ridgeline portion 41 b for rotation . the hopper 3 is pivotably attached with one end in the width direction of the recorder 1 as a support point 43 along the rear inclined face of the frame 41 and an opposite end is positioned on the side of the first unit 30 and a hopper edge guide 3 a is provided . the upper end face thereof forms a hopper cam follower 3 c on which the hopper driving cam 34 acts . a projection 3 b extending from the hopper edge guide 3 a to the outside is formed and is inserted into a hopper guide 41 a placed upright from the frame 41 for regulating motion of the opposite end of the hopper 3 so that it is moved only up or down . the rotation support point 43 of the hopper 3 is placed so that the hopper face in the proximity of the rotation support point 43 almost matches the ridgeline portion 41 b , for preventing the paper tip from being caught in the frame 41 on the rotation support point 43 side of the hopper 3 , when paper is set . a hopper spring 44 is placed between the hopper 3 and the frame 41 on the rear in the proximity of the opposite end of the hopper 3 for urging the hopper 3 in the crest direction of the inclined face . a sheet 45 having a friction coefficient higher than that of other hopper face is put on the hopper 3 so as to match with the position of the separation pad 4 . as shown in fig7 to 9 , a base end 42 b formed as a bearing structure is inserted into a shaft part of the frame 41 , whereby the paper returner 42 is attached for rotation . the separation pad 4 and a shift stopper 5 which are placed away from each other are provided on a surface 42 c of the paper returner 42 . the separation pad 4 is made of a material having a higher friction coefficient than the surface 22 c . the shift stopper 5 is a sheet - like member having a higher friction coefficient than the surface 22 c , such as cork , etc . a cam follower 42 a for initially inclining the paper returner 42 is placed on the edge guide 3 a side of the hopper 3 and the subsidiary cam 36 placed on the side of the hopper driving cam 34 acts on the cam follower 42 a . the subsidiary cam 36 and the cam follower 42 a constitute an initial incliner which starts to rotate the paper returner 42 at a predetermined angle from the stand - up position to the fall - down position in association with rotation of the paper feeding roller 2 in a paper feed direction . at a free end on an opposite side to the base end 42 b , a protrusion 42 d is formed on the surface 42 c in a portion except the separation pad 4 is provided . the protrusion 24 d acts so as to reliably grasp the leading end of sheet , and return it to the hopper 3 when the paper returning operation is performed as described later . the paper guide 49 is formed with a notch part 46 of roughly the same shape as the paper returner 42 . the notch part 46 is covered when the paper returner 42 rotates against the urging force of a paper returner spring 47 from the stand - up position shown in fig6 a to the fall - down position shown in fig6 b . the notch part 46 is flush with the paper guide 49 . the paper returner spring 47 is implanted as a coil spring , for example , and is disposed on the rear slope of the frame 41 . the paper returner spring 47 is retained at one end on the back of the paper returner 42 and at an opposite end on the frame 41 for urging the paper returner 42 so as to stand up the paper returner 42 as shown in fig6 a . the paper returner 42 stands up almost vertically for blocking accidental entry of paper into the paper transporting passage when paper is set . in the stand - up state , the paper returner 42 is out of the rotation path of a roller face of the paper feeding roller 2 and a rotation force cannot be given . then , to enter a portion for making the rotation force act on the paper returner 42 in the rotation path of the roller face of the paper feeding roller 2 , the paper returner 42 is initially rotated at a predetermined angle in association with rotation of the paper feeding roller 2 by the subsidiary cam 36 and the cam follower 42 a ( the initial incliner ) at the initial stage of rotation of the paper feeding roller 2 for feeding paper . then , the force from the paper feeding roller 2 acts directly on the paper returner 42 for rotating the same . accordingly , the paper returner 42 can be rotated smoothly . on side of the hopper 3 close to the rotation support point 43 , a paper receptor 48 is formed on the paper guide 49 near to the ridgeline portion 41 b and has a triangular plane which is wide on the rotation support point 43 side of the hopper 3 and becomes narrower toward the center , whereby a load shift of stacked sheets of paper is prevented . another embodiment of the invention wherein a separation pad and a paper returner are formed separately will described below . fig1 a is a perspective view to show a stand - up state of the paper returner and fig1 b is a perspective view to show a falldown state of the paper returner . a separation pad 4 is attached at one end to a separation pad holder 51 rotatably supported on a main frame 12 . the separation pad holder 51 is urged to the side of a paper feeding roller 2 by a spring 52 . a paper returner 42 has a portion opposed to the separation pad 4 as a notch , and a first paper retainer 5 is put at a position away from the separation pad 4 to the side of a support point 43 of a hopper 3 . next , the operation of the hopper will be described with reference to fig1 to 14 . at a home position of the paper feeding roller 2 , the paper returner 42 is retained at a stand - up position by a spring 47 . while the paper feeding roller 2 arrives at the home position , the hopper 3 is rotated on the support point 43 by a hopper cam 34 against the urging force of a spring 44 and is maintained at the position shown in fig1 and 13 ( moved - down state ). if a plurality of sheets of paper p are set when the hopper is moved down , entry of the lower part of paper into a paper transporting passage is blocked by the paper returner 42 and the leading edges of paper sheets abut against the aligning face 41 c of a frame 41 to be aligned . on the support point 43 side of the hopper 3 , the aligning face 41 c is not as thick as the thickness of a plurality of sheets of paper p and thus the paper overhangs from the aligning face 41 c to the side of a paper guide 49 , as shown in fig1 . when paper is set , a second paper retainer 48 regulates entry motion of the overhung part of the sheets into the paper transporting passage before the leading end of the sheet is fed by the paper feeding roller 2 ( skew feeding ), so that paper is set correctly . when paper feed starts , the hopper 3 moves up to the position shown in fig1 and presses paper against the paper feeding roller 2 . at this time , the number of overhung sheets of paper is increased in comparison with the moved - down state of the hopper 3 , however , the first paper retainer 5 of the paper returner 42 retains the leading ends of the sheets for suppressing the skew feeding occurring on the support point side of the hopper 3 . when the top sheet of paper is fed , the leading end of sheet on the support point side also starts to enter by the paper feeding roller 2 . at this time , the paper feeding roller side of the second paper retainer 48 is narrow , so that the leading end of sheet is not caught therein and can climb over smoothly . a preferred advantage can be provided particularly for firm paper such as ohp sheets . the paper returner 42 becomes flush with the paper guide 49 at the fall - down position of the paper returner 42 and the leading end of sheet at an almost intermediate point in the paper width direction is restrained by the first paper retainer 5 , so that the skew feeding of the leading ends of sheets occurring on the support point side of the hopper 3 is suppressed . accordingly , the paper enters the paper transporting passage straight . next , the paper feed operation will be explained in detail . fig1 to 27 are schematic representations to show a flow of the paper feed operation . a plurality of sheets of paper p are set in a paper support 21 . a flat portion 2 c of the paper feeding roller 2 at the home position is almost parallel to a face of the paper guide 49 of the frame 41 . the paper returner 42 stands up and does not interfere with the paper feeding roller 2 . in this state , it is blocked accidental entrance of the leading end of the set paper into the transport passage between , the paper feeding roller 2 and the hopper 3 . on the other hand , the hopper 3 is pressed down to the lowermost position by a hopper driving cam 34 ( state in fig1 ). when the paper feeding roller 2 rotates as paper feed starts , the subsidiary cam 36 first acts on the cam follower 42 a of the paper returner 42 so that the paper returner 42 is slightly inclined as the initial operation of falling down ( state in fig1 ). after the paper returner 42 is inclined at a predetermined angle , the paper feeding roller 2 abuts the surface of the paper returner 42 and rotates the paper returner 42 toward the fall - down position by the rotation press force against the urging force of the paper returner spring 47 . meanwhile , the hopper driving cam 34 acts on the hopper cam follower 3 c for maintaining the hopper 3 at the lowermost position ( state in fig1 ). the paper returner 42 reaches the fall - down position ( state in fig1 ) and then maintaining the hopper 3 at the lowermost position by the hopper driving cam 34 is released and the hopper 3 is moved up by the hopper spring 44 for pressing the top sheet of paper against the paper feeding roller 2 ( state in fig1 ). as the paper feeding roller 2 rotates , feeding the top sheet starts ( state in fig2 ). in the following figures , the upper arrow indicates the position of the leading end of the fed sheet . before the leading end of the fed sheet arrives at the transport roller 6 , the hopper driving cam 34 acts on the cam follower 3 c for starting to move down the hopper 3 at the position just before move down shown in fig2 . fig2 shows a state in which the hopper 3 is moving down . the hopper 3 arrives at the lowermost position ( fig2 ) and then the standing - up operation of the paper returner 42 is started by the spring force of the paper returner spring 47 . fig2 shows a state just before the paper returner 42 is stood up . meanwhile , the leading end of the fed sheet arrives at the transport roller 6 so that the skew removal and the positioning operation are performed . subsequently , standing up the paper returner 42 is completed by the spring force of the paper returner spring 47 . during the rotating for standing up the paper returner 42 , a leading end of a sheet p 1 overlappedly transported with the top sheet p and entered between the paper feeding roller 2 and the paper returner 42 by a wedge effect in the previous operation is grasped , and the sheet p 1 is pushed back into the hopper 3 . fig2 shows a state at the paper returning operation is completed . fig2 shows a state in which the paper feeding roller 2 is rotating to the home position after completion of the paper returning operation . while the paper feeding roller 2 is returned to the home position , print on the paper p is started ( state in fig2 ). although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments , various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein . such changes and modifications as are obvious are deemed to come within the spirit , scope and contemplation of the invention as defined in the appended claims .	1
the following examples describe preparation of comparative reaction products ( crp ) for ( a ) germall ® 115 ( 1 : 1 . 5 ); at low caustic levels ; and ( b ) at high caustic levels ; and ( c ) germall ® ii ( 1 : 4 ), low caustic and ( d ) high caustic ; and invention reaction products ( irp ) germall ® iii ( 1 : 3 ), ( a ) laboratory and ( b ) commercial runs , with only enough caustic to neutralize the formic acid present in the formalin solution . [ 0013 ] ( 1 : 1 . 5 ) allantoin 15 . 8 g ( 0 . 1 mole ) formalin ( 37 %) 12 . 2 g ( 0 . 15 mole ) water 28 . 5 ml the above mixture was refluxed for one hour to form a clear solution . [ 0015 ] ( 1 : 1 . 5 ) allantoin 600 g ( 3 . 8 mole ) formalin ( 37 %) 450 g ( 5 . 5 mole ) sodium hydroxide 123 g refluxed for one hour to form a clear solution . concentrated acetic acid was added to adjust the ph to 4 . 0 . removed water to give a white powder . [ 0017 ] ( 1 : 4 ) allantoin 1053 g ( 6 . 66 mole ) formalin ( 37 %) 2160 g ( 26 . 64 mole ) the white suspension was heated to 85 ° c . and held for an additional hour ; upon cooling a clear solution was obtained . removed water under reduced pressure to give a white powder . [ 0019 ] ( 1 : 4 ) allantoin 158 . 1 g ( 1 . 0 mole ) formalin ( 37 %) 324 . 2 g ( 3 . 99 mole ) sodium hydroxide 10 % 32 . 0 g ( 0 . 08 mole ) refluxed at 85 ° c . for one hour . the clear colorless solution obtained was dried under reduced pressure to give solid white powder residue . a . niger c . albican atcc 9642 test solutions attc1023 ( for 3 days ) 0 . 3 % germall ® 115 + + ( exs . a / b ) 0 . 3 % germall ® — — ii ( exs . c / d ) [ 0023 ] ( 1 : 3 ) allantoin 1616 g ( 10 . 23 mole ) formalin lm *( 37 %) 2488 g ( 30 . 68 mole ) sodium hydroxide 50 % 24 g mixed and heated at 60 ° c . for 3 hours to give a clear solution . the ph of the product was adjusted to 7 . 2 with the sodium hydroxide solution to neutralize formic acid in formalin ® and the solution was spray dried to give a free - flowing , white powder . [ 0026 ] ( 1 : 3 ) allantoin . wet cake 2095 lbs ( 10 . 23 mole ) formalin lm ( 37 %) 2488 lbs ( 30 . 68 mole ) sodium hydroxide 50 % 23 . 6 lbs ph 6 . 5 - 7 . 0 reaction temp 40 - 60 ° c . the resultant mixture then was further reacted at 85 ° c . for 3 hours to give a clear solution at ph 7 . 2 . the solution was spray dried to remove water and other volatile by - products to give a free - flowing , white powder . a study was conducted to determine the level of methylene diol in the reaction products versus the number of equivalents of formaldehyde added during formation . these results are based on quantitative 13c - nmr analysis and summarized in table 1 below . [ 0029 ] table 2 bioactivity of germall ® compounds invention exs . preservative organism static cidal irp - germall ® staph aureus 300 ppm 1250 ppm iii ( 1 : 3 ) e . coli 300 ppm 1250 ppm p . aeruginosa 300 ppm 600 ppm b . cepacia 150 ppm 300 ppm c . albicans & gt ; 5000 ppm — a . niger 2500 ppm 2500 ppm crp - germall ® staph aureus 300 ppm 1250 ppm ii ( 1 : 4 ) e . coli 600 ppm 1250 ppm p . aeruginosa 600 ppm 1250 ppm b . cepacia 150 ppm 600 ppm c . albicans 5000 ppm & gt ; 5000 ppm a . niger 2500 ppm 2500 ppm crp - germall ® staph aureus 1250 ppm 2500 ppm 115 ( 1 : 1 . 5 ) e . coli 1250 ppm 2500 ppm p . aeruginosa 1250 ppm 2500 ppm b . cepacia 600 ppm 1250 ppm c . albicans & gt ; 5000 ppm a . niger 5000 ppm 5000 ppm the purpose of this test procedure is to screen experimental compounds for anti - microbial activity . the measurement of the lowest effective concentration of an anti - microbial or anti - microbial blend is important for recommending use concentrations . the mic test is an in vitro tube dilution procedure used to identify effective concentrations of anti - microbials . in this test , the experimental compound is diluted by serial concentrations into nutrient culture media . test organisms are then inoculated into the anti - microbial solutions . if the experimental compound is effective , there is no growth observed in the test dilution tubes and they are clear . if the experimental compound is not effective , the test dilution tubes are cloudy , indicating growth . this test will determine static as well as cidal activity concentrations . 4 . media : trypticase soy broth ( bbl 11043 ) and aoac letheen broth ( bbl 10914 ) 5 . test organisms : staphylococcus aureus atcc 6538 , escherichia coli atcc 8739 , pseudomonas aeruginosa atcc 9027 , burkholderia cepacia atcc 25416 , candida albicans atcc 10231 , and aspergillus niger atcc 16404 . 1 . antimicrobial stock solutions are prepared at predetermined concentrations ( i . e ., 10 % through 0 . 07 %) depending on the test material . serial doubling dilutions are made as follows . each culture tube contains 5 mis of trypticase soy broth . five mis of the stock solution are added to the first tube and vortexed . 5 mis are then removed and placed into the second tube , ( and so on , until the last tube ). at the final test concentration , 5 mis of the broth / antimicrobial mixture is decanted out . 2 . the test organisms are prepared as with any organism inoculum ( mlm 100 - 3 , mlm 100 - 4 , and mlm 100 - 5 ). a saline suspension of each organism is prepared . the bacterial organisms and the yeast are a standardized at a concentration of 1 × 10 6 cfu / ml . the mold inoculum is approximately 1 × 10 5 cfu / ml . 3 . inoculate each culture tube with 0 . 10 mls of organism inoculum and vortex . 4 . incubate bacterial tubes for 24 hours at 35 ° c . incubate yeast or mold tubes for 48 hours at 25 ° c . read for growth ; turbid tubes for bacteria and yeast ; mold clearly visible tubes . this is the minimum inhibitory concentration ( static activity ). 5 . after the tubes are read , transfer all “ clear ” tubes and the first cloudy ( growth ) tube into letheen broth containing neutralizers . incubate the letheen broth tubes for 48 hours at the bacterial or fungal incubation temperatures . read for growth ; turbid tubes for bacteria and yeast ; mold clearly visible in mold tubes . this is the cidal activity concentration . the cidal activity of an anti - microbial can be rapidly screened by means of a mic test before further evaluation tests , such as longer preservative efficacy tests , are performed . this test is a tube serial dilution procedure limited only by the water solubility of the material . where anti - microbial materials are slightly insoluble , leaving the tsb broth turbid , a procedure modification can be made . tubes are incubated for 24 hours ( bacteria ) or 48 hours ( fungi ) but instead of transfer to letheen broth , the tsb tubes are streaked onto letheen agar . the agar plates are then incubated appropriately and then read for absence or presence of growth . depending on the degree of insolubility , a measure of cidal activity may be the only parameter measured . anti - microbial neutralization is important in this screening test . letheen broth or agar contains neutralizers but if these do not neutralize the anti - microbial adequately , others can be added . these are to be determined prior to testing . aseptic technique is important in any microbiological procedure . all functional operations are performed under the laminar flow hood with use of sterile pipettes , tubes and media to eliminate cross - contamination . surface sanitizers ( i . e ., alcohol ) are used on the work surface before and after each operation . ample time is allowed for recirculation of air within the sterile chamber of the hood . the bioactivity data show particular effectiveness against the organism cepacia b . ( cidal = 300 ppm vs . 600 ppm and 1250 ppm for germall ® ii and germall ® 115 , respectively ). however , if desired , even broader spectrum antibacterial activity can be achieved by combination products with the invention composition whose formulations are given below . [ 0053 ] combination blends ( by weight ) ( 1 ) germall ® iii 20 - 30 % mp - methyl paraben 8 - 12 % pp - propyl paraben 2 - 4 % pg - propylene glycol q . s . 100 ( 2 ) germall ® iii 40 - 45 % ipbc - iodopropynyl butyl carbamate 0 . 5 - 5 % pg - propylene glycol qs 100 ( 3 ) germall ® iii 98 . 5 - 99 . 5 % ipbc - iodopropynyl butyl carbamate 0 . 5 - 1 . 5 % ( powder ) a typical cosmetic emulsion was prepared for microbiological challenge testing and predetermined admixtures of a methylol compound and ipbc were added at various use levels . the emulsion thus prepared had the following composition : nonionic emulsion ( unpreserved control ) phase ingredient % wt . a water 69 . 80 a carbomer 10 . 00 b octyl palmitate 5 . 00 b cetearyl alcohol and ceteareth - 20 2 . 00 b glyceryl stearate and laureth - 23 2 . 50 b mineral oil 5 . 00 c triethanolamine ( 99 %) 0 . 20 d preservative 0 . 00 e hydrolyzed collagen 0 . 50 e water 5 . 00 total 100 . 00 standard screening emulsions % wt . phase a stearic acid 5 . 00 mineral oil 2 . 50 cetyl alcohol 1 . 00 lareth - 5 and ceteth - 5 and 0 . 50 oleth - 5 and steareth - 5 glycerol monostearate and 1 . 50 polyoxyethylene stearate phase b deionized water 88 . 0 triethanolamine 99 % 1 . 00 citric acid 30 % aqueous solution 0 . 60 preservative admixture qs to prepare the emulsion , phases a and b were heated separately to 75 °- 80 ° c . phase a then was added to phase b with mixing . the mixture then was cooled to 55 ″- 60 ° c . at this point the desired amount of the preservative admixture was added and the product was cooled to 50 ° c . while stirring . the citric acid solution then was added to adjust the ph and the mixture was stirred until a temperature of 30 ° c . was reached . the challenge tests were carried out using the following microorganisms : sa , ecoli , psa , pc , an and can , in this manner . 50 g aliquots of the test emulsion containing various amounts of the preservative admixture were inoculated with approximately 10 7 - 10 8 of the challenge organisms . the test samples then were stirred to disperse the challenge inoculum . the samples were incubated and assayed at 48 hours , 7 , 14 , 21 and 28 days . the assays were performed on 1 g of the test sample by serially diluting 10 1 to 10 6 of the original concentration . the plating medium for bacteria was letheen agar and for fungi it was low ph mycophil agar with tween 20 . each plated sample was incubated for 48 hours at 37 ° c . for bacteria , 5 days at 25 ° c . for mold , and 3 days at 25 ° c . for fungi . after incubation , readings of the number of colonies per milliliter ( cfu / ml ) were made . at 21 days the test product was reinoculated with half of the original inoculum . the data is presented in tables 3 - 11 below . [ 0064 ] table 3 comparison of activity of germall iii to germall ii and 115 ( screening emulsion ) organ - preservative conc . ism 48 hrs 7 days 14 days 21 days 28 days germall ii 1000 ppm sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 160 , 000 78 , 000 63 , 000 260 , 000 210 , 000 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 1000 ppm sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 160 , 000 380 , 000 380 , 000 810 , 000 640 , 000 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall 115 2000 ppm sa 3000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec 490 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 230 , 000 2 , 000 , 000 650 , 000 1 , 500 , 000 1 , 200 , 000 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 2000 ppm sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 150 9 , 600 48 , 900 490 , 000 210 , 000 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 2000 ppm sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 6000 195 , 000 460 , 000 690 , 000 1 , 070 , 000 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 unpreserved 0 sa 2 , 100 , 000 57 , 000 90 & lt ; 10 68 , 000 ec 37 , 000 96 , 000 96 , 000 43 , 000 790 , 000 psa 70 4600 500 10 , 100 170 , 000 bc 2 , 100 , 000 860 , 000 1 , 520 , 000 3 , 520 , 000 & gt ; 10 e6 can 1 , 100 , 000 168 , 000 67 , 000 270 , 000 460 , 000 an 700 , 000 56 , 000 44 , 000 190 , 000 320 , 000 [ 0065 ] table 4 comparison of activity of germall iii to germall ii and 115 ( nonionic emulsion ) organ - preservative conc . ism 48 hrs 7 days 14 days 21 days 28 days germall iii 2000 ppm sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 820 , 000 1 , 680 , 000 1 , 350 , 000 700 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 2000 ppm sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 320 , 000 720 , 000 650 , 000 730 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall 115 2000 ppm sa 1 , 500 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec 52 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 700 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 an & lt ; 10 20 390 370 & gt ; 1e4 germall iii 4000 ppm sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 24 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 730 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 4000 ppm sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 50 10 , 000 620 , 000 460 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall 115 4000 ppm sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec 1 , 500 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 1 , 060 , 000 1 , 000 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 unpreserved 0 sa & gt ; 1e6 6 , 300 & gt ; 1e4 & lt ; 10 & gt ; 1e4 ec & gt ; 1e6 900 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 psa 20 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 bc & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 can & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 an 500 , 000 510 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 [ 0066 ] table 5 comparison of activity of germall iii to germall ii and 115 ( screening emulsion ) organ - preservative conc . ism 48 hrs 7 days 14 days 21 days 28 days germall iii 250 ppm sa 69 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec 11 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc 200 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 430 , 000 120 , 000 70 , 000 150 , 000 850 , 000 an 100 , 000 200 70 40 1 , 300 germall ii 250 ppm sa 55 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec 5500 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 290 , 000 170 , 000 71 , 000 46 , 000 680 , 000 an 50 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 100 germall 115 250 ppm sa 117 , 000 30 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 1 , 500 ec 40 , 000 20 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 3600 psa & lt ; 10 320 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 bc 11 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 can 1 , 090 , 000 270 , 000 1 , 120 , 000 770 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 an 90 , 000 20 , 000 20 , 000 29 , 000 300 , 000 germall iii 500 ppm sa 38 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec 18 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 100 , 000 210 , 000 310 , 000 270 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 an 9000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 500 ppm sa 17 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec 610 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 170 , 000 100 , 000 90 , 000 320 , 000 930 , 000 an 40 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall 115 500 ppm sa 140 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec 24 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 290 , 000 760 , 000 790 , 000 1 , 210 , 000 & gt ; 1e6 an 130 , 000 1 , 000 40 290 80 , 000 unpreserved 0 sa & gt ; 1e6 34 , 000 6 , 800 20 & gt ; 1e4 ec 18 , 000 4 , 900 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 psa 50 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 bc & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 can 970 , 000 270 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 an 150 , 000 280 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 [ 0067 ] table 6 comparison of activity of germall plus and germall iii / ipbc ( screening emulsion ) organ - preservative conc . ism 48 hrs 7 days 14 days 21 days 28 days germall plus sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 1980 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 20 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 1980 sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 20 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 100 germall iii 1960 sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 40 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 unpreserved sa 580 , 000 3200 180 & lt ; 10 & gt ; 1e4 ec 5 , 200 70 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 psa 18 , 000 40 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 bc & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 can & gt ; 1e6 200 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 an 210 , 000 270 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 [ 0068 ] table 7 comparison of activity of liquid germall plus and germall iii / ipbc - liq ( screening emulsion ) organ - preservative conc . ism 48 hrs 7 days 14 days 21 days 28 days liqgermplus sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 790 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 8 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 liqgermplus sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 1580 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 20 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 100 germall iii 790 sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 liquid psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 26 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 1580 sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 20 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 liquid psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 unpreserved 0 sa 580 , 000 3200 180 & lt ; 10 & gt ; 1e4 ec 5200 70 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 psa 18 , 000 40 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 bc & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 can & gt ; 1e6 200 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 an 210 , 000 270 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 [ 0069 ] table 8 comparison of activity of germall plus and germall iii / ipbc ( screening emulsion ) organ - preservative conc . ism 48 hrs 7 days 14 days 21 days 28 days germall plus sa 42 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 495 ec 40 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 5 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 48 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an 100 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall plus sa 300 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 990 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 495 sa 46 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 5 ec 25 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 11 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 990 sa 24 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 10 ec 1 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa 19 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & gt ; 1e6 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 2 , 500 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 490 sa 23 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 10 ec 900 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa 18 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & gt ; 1e6 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 2800 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 980 sa 2 , 700 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 20 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 unpreserved 0 sa & gt ; 1e6 54 , 000 4 , 400 20 & gt ; 1e4 ec 80 , 000 67 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 psa 2 , 000 4200 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 bc & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 can 990 , 000 320 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 an 380 , 000 170 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 [ 0070 ] table 9 comparison of activity of liquid germall plus and germall 111 / 0 . 5 % or 0 . 8 % ipbc ( screening emulsion ) organ - preservative conc . ism 48 hrs 7 days 14 days 21 days 28 days liqgermplus sa 110 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 195 ec 2 , 600 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 2 . 5 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 240 , 000 120 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & gt ; 1e4 an 230 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 liqgermplus sa 2 , 800 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall ii 390 ec 1100 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 5 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 11 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 20 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 100 germall iii 195 sa 260 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 2 . 5 ec 4 , 300 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 liquid psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 150 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & gt ; 1e4 an 200 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 390 sa 170 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 5 ec 2 , 500 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 liquid psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 50 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & gt ; 1e4 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 195 sa 70 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 4 ec 1400 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 liquid psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 41 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 40 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germall iii 390 sa 76 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ipbc 8 ec 3 , 400 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 liquid psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 14 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 unpreserved 0 sa & gt ; 1e6 54 , 000 4 , 400 20 & gt ; 1e4 ec 80 , 000 67 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 psa 2 , 000 4200 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 bc & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 can 990 , 000 320 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 an 380 , 000 170 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 [ 0071 ] table 10 comparison of activity of germaben ii and germaben iii ( screening emulsion ) use organ - preservative level ism 8 hrs 7 days 14 days 21 days 28 days germaben ii 0 . 30 % sa 480 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 20 , 000 100 2 , 600 380 , 000 380 , 000 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germaben ii 0 . 75 % sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 100 germaben iii 0 . 30 % sa 7 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 14 , 000 120 & gt ; 1e4 470 , 000 190 , 000 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germaben iii 0 . 75 % sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 5 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 unpreserved 0 sa & gt ; 1e6 46 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 60 & gt ; 1e4 ec & gt ; 1e6 170 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 psa 690 24000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 bc & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e6 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 can 440 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 an 87 , 000 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 & gt ; 1e4 [ 0072 ] table 11 comparison of activity of germaben iie and germaben iiie ( screening emulsion ) use organ - preservative level ism 48 hrs 7 days 14 days 21 days 28 days germaben iie 0 . 30 % sa 580 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 1 , 600 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germaben iie 0 . 75 % sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germaben iiie 0 . 30 % sa 270 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can 4 , 000 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 90 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 germaben iiie 0 . 75 % sa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 ec & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 psa & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 bc & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 can & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 an & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 & lt ; 10 the 28 day challenge results reported in tables 3 - 11 above demonstrate the effectiveness of the preservative composition of the invention in a use emulsion composition against a wide range of bacteria and fungi organisms . while the invention has been described with particular reference to certain embodiments thereof , it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made which are within the skill of the art . accordingly , it is intended to be bound only by the following claims , in which :	0
in a following description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings , which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific example in which the invention may be practiced . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the present invention is a shoe pair matching clip device that is simple to use and inexpensive . the present invention enables the matching pair of shoes to be easily physically held together and separated with minimal effort giving the user an easy method of keeping the pairs of shoes organized and mated . fig1 for illustrative purposes only shows an example of a shoe pair matching clip in operation clipped onto a pair of shoes in a side rear prospective view of one embodiment of the present invention . many items of use in our daily lives come in pairs . when those pairs get physically separated they can be lost or difficult to find . losing one shoe in a pair of shoes 110 is costly to replace requiring the purchase of a new pair and then disposing of what may be one shoe that has more useful life , but not as a single . loss of time in searching for a shoes &# 39 ; mate is frustrating and annoying . employee time spent searching for a shoes &# 39 ; mate and the economic loss in a commercial setting is costly . a shoe pair matching clip 100 provides a cost effective , fast and easy to use device and method for maintaining pairs of shoes in physical contact until their next use or when the pair of shoes is on display for sales or promotion purposes of one embodiment of the present invention . the shoes are held together side by side with the shoe pair matching clip device by easily slipping the device down the two inside portions of the shoe openings and toward the front of the pair of shoes , acting as a clip , clamp or fastener of one embodiment of the present invention . the present invention can be manufactured for different sizes of shoes such as men &# 39 ; s , women &# 39 ; s and children &# 39 ; s sizes . the shoe pair matching clip 100 can be configured to fit different styles of footwear such as dress , casual , high - tops , athletic and various styles of sports shoe style categories . the shoe pair matching clip can be manufactured from a number of materials that provide compression forces with stability and rigidity , such as low - density polyethylene ( ldpe ), high - density polyethylene ( hdpe ), memory metals , and / or suitable material and many other recycled and / or biodegradable materials or combination thereof . it should be noted that the illustrations show in many cases angular edges or flat faces , the angular edges or flat faces are illustrated for ease of understanding of directional changes and distinction of structural elements . the underlying principles apply to clipping pressure and bowed tension in other embodiments of the shoe pair matching clip wherein some or all of the angular edges or flat faces maybe rounded or curved . fig2 for illustrative purposes only shows an example of a shoe pair matching clip showing structural features from a right side rear prospective view of one embodiment of the present invention . a shoe pair matching clip 100 is handled primarily by a grab base 210 which has finger holes 220 for more secure gripping . a heel clip 240 at the rear of the shoe pair matching clip 100 secures the back portion of the pair of shoes . the heel clip 240 maintains clipping pressure through the heel clip bowed tension structure 230 which is reinforced by heel clip side supports 260 . at the opposite end of the shoe pair matching clip 100 which is positioned further inside the shoes is a raised tongue support 250 to provide vertical stability with a point to press against the inside tongue area of each shoe and limit vertical pivoting of one embodiment of the present invention . fig3 for illustrative purposes only shows an example of a shoe pair matching clip showing structural features from an end prospective view of one embodiment of the present invention . the shoe pair matching clip 100 extends into the interior of the shoes with the arch extension 300 . the arch extension 300 has an arch clip 320 to provide a clipping point further into the shoe interior near the arch support . the arch extension 300 is formed by two opposing arch clip bowed tension structure 310 sections to maintain clipping pressure on the arch clip 320 . the arch extension 300 terminates with two opposing raised tongue support 250 of fig2 which are directed toward the outside of each shoe to form a flared end opening 330 to ease the initial installation or slipping of the shoe pair matching clip 100 into the pair of shoes of one embodiment of the present invention . fig4 for illustrative purposes only shows an example of a shoe pair matching clip showing structural features from a left side front prospective view of one embodiment of the present invention . the two arch extension 300 of fig3 are reinforced at the point where they start the extension from the grab base 210 of fig2 with an arch extension lateral support 400 to reduce damage from the stress of spreading apart as the shoe pair matching clip 100 of fig1 is being installed . the arch extension lateral support 400 additionally adds additional tension to maintain clipping pressure on the arch clip 320 of fig3 of one embodiment of the present invention . fig5 for illustrative purposes only shows an example of a shoe pair matching clip installed in a shoe in an interior prospective view of one embodiment of the present invention . in fig5 a men &# 39 ; s dress shoe interior section 500 is illustrated as though the shoe were cut in two sections longitudinally with the inside half of the left shoe shown in this illustration . the shoe pair matching clip 100 is shown after installation demonstrating its position inside the shoe . fig5 shows where the heel clip 240 of fig2 at the rear of the shoe pair and the arch clip 320 of fig3 hold the pair of shoes together . fig5 shows where the raised tongue support 250 of fig2 provides a point to press against the inside tongue area of each shoe and limit vertical pivoting . the terminal ends of the arch extension 300 raised tongue support 250 are slightly flared out to the outside to allow a wider point of initiating installation of one embodiment of the present invention . the shoe pair matching clip 100 of fig1 is a device to securely hold a pair of two shoes physically together . in one embodiment the purpose of the shoe pair matching clip 100 of fig1 is for organizational purposes of personal shoes . other purposes can include storage of shoes , as a packing aid for shoes when traveling and shoes for display in commercial applications such as sales or promotion in other embodiments of the present invention . the shoe pair matching clip 100 of fig1 is an easily installed device that provides a stable and secure method of keeping a pair of shoes in physical contact with three points of contact and support . the foregoing has described the principles , embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention . however , the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed . the above described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive , and it should be appreciated that variations may be made in those embodiments by workers skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims .	0
the dba method of the present invention comprises in the most general sense three steps . in a configuration stage ( not shown ) a predefined grant cycle is divided by the olt into n part cycles . preferably n = 2 . in alternative embodiments , n is greater than 2 . when n = 2 , the parts are preferably equal , i . e . “ half cycles ”. the following description relates to this “ half cycle ” embodiment . in fig3 a , step 300 represents a “ division ” step , in which the onus are divided by the olt into exemplarily two onu groups . a preferred way to form the onu groups is detailed below . step 302 represents an “ allocation ” step . in this step , the dba algorithm run by the olt takes the reports of one onu group ( e . g . the first group ) and allocates grants accordingly . step 302 takes place simultaneously with the transmission of data and reports of the other onu group . after each allocation step , the dba algorithm checks in step 304 if any of the onus in either group has changed its status , i . e . whether it has registered , deregistered or changed its sla . if there is a status change , there is a loop back to step 300 , where the division takes place again and the onus of all ( in this example two ) groups are rearranged into new groups . otherwise , in step 302 the dba algorithm takes the reports of the other ( in this case second ) group and allocates grants accordingly . the check in step 304 is repeated , and if there is no status change , in step 302 the dba algorithm takes the reports of the first group and allocates grants accordingly , and so on . in a preferred embodiment , the onus are divided in step 300 into two fixed groups . other embodiments ( see e . g . fig6 ) may include division into more than two groups , or into non - fixed groups . in such embodiments , the dba algorithm can move onus between onu groups . in each half cycle , onus of one group transmit ( send ) their data and reports while the dba processes allocations for the other group . details of the process flow are illustrated schematically in fig3 b and in a flow chart in fig3 c . alternative embodiments may work with a cycle that is not fixed or a division in which the numbers of onus in the groups are not equal . for the example shown in fig3 b and 3 c assume that an exemplary pon includes n onus . the onus are divided into two onu groups . group 1 comprises onus 1 . . . k ( k & lt ; n ) and group 2 comprises onus k + 1 . . . n . in use , as shown in fig3 b and 3 c , the onus of group 1 transmit their data and reports in step 320 . the dba allocates bw for group 1 in step 324 by processing the reports of group 1 and sending grants for step 326 . the onus of group 2 transmit data and reports in step 322 , which is performed concurrently ( simultaneously ) with step 324 ( as shown on the time axis in fig3 c ). in step 326 , the dba allocates bw for group 2 by processing the reports of group 2 and by sending grants concurrently with the grant sending of group 1 in step 328 ( for which bw was allocated in step 324 ). in essence , the dba interleaves the processing of reports of one onu group with the transmission of data and reports of the other onu group . preferably , the number of onus in each group is roughly equal , to balance the processing time of the reports of each group . nevertheless , the method can also be performed on non - equal groups ( in terms of onu numbers ). the two major aspects of the method — the division of the onus between the groups and the allocation of the bw fairly between the onus — is further described in more detail below . in the preferred embodiment , the sla of each onu comprises two services : a “ guaranteed ” bw , which is given to the onu upon request , regardless of the network &# 39 ; s load , and a “ best effort ” bw , which limits the bw that can be given to the onu when the network is not loaded . both services are enforced over time , rather than over a specific cycle . throughout the description of the preferred embodiment , we use a convention that transforms bw and rates into actual transmission grant sizes . as an example , assuming a fixed dba algorithm cycle of n time quanta ( tq ) and a half cycle of n / 2 tq , a rate of x mbps ( out of a total line rate of 1 gbps in epon technology ) is equivalent to transmission of x / 1000 * n tq in each cycle . according to the same convention , whenever the dba algorithm starts processing the reports , it has n / 2 tq to allocate , which is equivalent to 0 . 5 gbps . for example , if the cycle size is 1000 tq , an onu whose sla allows it to transmit 100 mbps should be allocated an average of 100 mbps / 1000 mbps * 1000 tq = 100 tq per cycle ( or every second half cycle ), in order to transmit at the desired rate . whenever the dba algorithm starts running , it allocates the next 500tq . fig3 d , e show schematically an embodiment of the dba algorithm of the present invention with a predefined grant cycle divided into more than two parts ( 1 / n cycles where n & gt ; 2 ). the onus are divided here into k groups , where k & gt ; 2 . in each 1 / n cycle part , onus of one group transmit their data and reports while the dba algorithm processes allocations for the other groups . fig3 f presents an alternative embodiment of the dba algorithm of the present invention . this embodiment represents an improvement on a greedy algorithm or an immediate response algorithm . in this case , there is no implicit division of onus into groups , but rather a phase of accumulating the reports , represented by steps 340 - 344 . in step 340 , the algorithm waits for a next report . when the report arrives , it is added to a list in step 342 , and a condition necessary for processing is checked in step 344 . in the preferred embodiment , the condition checked is based on the division of onus into groups , as described in step 300 . the condition is fulfilled ( yes ) once all the onus of one group have sent their reports , i . e . all their reports have been accumulated in the list . however , alternative embodiments of this step can be implemented without a strict definition of groups . for example , the condition in step 344 can be the arrival of r reports at the olt ( i . e . the processing start once r reports have accumulated ). note that the special case of r = 1 reduces the alternative embodiment to a greedy algorithm , in which each report is triggered individually . once the condition is fulfilled ( yes ), the dba processes all the reports that were accumulated in the list in step 346 . the processing preferably follows the procedure in step 302 , wherein the “ group ” of onus in step 302 is the list of onus whose reports were accumulated in step 342 . as mentioned , in the preferred embodiment , the cycle is divided into half cycles . ideally , the dba algorithm will be able to allocate the bw fairly to all the onus of the same group within the same half cycle without violating their sla . however , in case of uneven load ( in which , for example , onus of one group have more data to transmit that the onus of the other group ), this may not be possible . therefore , the onus are preferably divided into groups in a way such that the dba algorithm can at least allocate the guaranteed bw to all the onus of each group . note however that this requirement is not essential , and other divisions , in which this requirement is not fulfilled , are also possible . fig4 shows a preferred division scheme , i . e . an elaboration on the division phase in step 300 . in one embodiment , all the onus are sorted by ascending order of their guaranteed bw in step 400 . the onus are then alternately divided between the groups ( not shown ). step 402 checks if there are still onus in the sorted list . if yes , a “ next ” onu with a guaranteed bw (“ next onu guaranteed bw ”) is taken from the list in step 404 . if no , the process ends . following step 404 , step 406 checks if the “ next ” onu can be accommodated in one of the two groups , i . e . if its addition to a respective group does not cause the sum of the guaranteed bw of the onus in this group to exceed half the line rate . if yes , the “ next ” onu is added to this group in step 408 a . otherwise ( no ) the “ next ” onu is added to both groups in step 408 b and treated as two distinctive onus with a guaranteed bw which is smaller than the “ next onu guaranteed bw ” such that the total guaranteed bw equals that of the original onu and the sum of the guaranteed bw of the two groups is smaller than or equal to half the line rate . as an example of the entire process in fig4 , let us assume that there are 4 onus , numbered 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 with respective guaranteed bws of 50 , 100 , 200 and 500 mbps . the line rate is 1000 mbps . the onus are sorted by their guaranteed bw in step 400 . repeating the loop of steps 402 , 404 , 406 and 408 a above , onu 1 will be added to group 1 , onu 2 will be added to group 2 and onu 3 will be added to group 1 . when the algorithm gets to step 406 with onu 4 , the following computation takes place : the sum of the guaranteed bw in group1 is now 50 + 200 = 250 mbps and the sum of the guaranteed bw in group 2 is 200 mbps . adding onu 4 to group2 would cause the total guaranteed bw of this group to be 200 + 500 , which is more than half the line rate ( 500 mbps ). onu 4 is therefore added to both groups in step 408 b . in group 1 , it is treated as an onu with a guaranteed bw of 300 mbps ( so the total guaranteed bw of the group is 500 mbps ) and in group 2 it is treated as an onu , with a guaranteed bw of 450 − 300 = 150 mbps . allocation of grants for a half cycle ( step 302 ) to reduce fragmentation loss , the onus preferably report using threshold reporting and queue freezing mechanisms , where the report is of the queue capacity in whole packets up to a certain threshold . such threshold reporting and queue freezing mechanisms are well known in the art . in the preferred embodiment , there are two numbers in the report — the “ below threshold ” report mentioned above and the total queue capacity . however , it would be apparent to one skilled in the art that there can be many alternative methods for such reporting schemes . when the onu transmits data , it starts with the data that was reported in the “ below threshold ” report then transmits the data that was reported in the total queue capacity report , and eventually transmits data that entered the queue after the last report was issued . this allocation mechanism is described in detail in fig5 and is performed every half cycle ( or every part n of a cycle divided into n parts ). in step 500 , the dba algorithm treats the reports below threshold as guaranteed service requests . the allocation mechanism grants the “ below threshold ” reports as long as the guaranteed bw in the sla is not exceeded . there can be different ways to keep track of the guaranteed rate of each specific onu . preferably , the mechanism for this tracking is “ leaky bucket ”. alternative embodiments might have different allocation mechanisms . step 500 is performed only for the onus of the group that reported in the specific half cycle ( or every part n of a cycle divided into n parts ) following step 500 , the bw that was not allocated yet is allocated as a best effort service ( bes ). all onus from both groups are considered for the bes . the exact way of allocating the bw is chosen according to a desired definition of fairness . however , to reduce fragmentation loss , the bes is preferably given to as few onus as possible . in step 502 the onus of both groups are sorted again to one list according to the fairness preference of the dba . preferably , the criteria for sorting the onus is the ratio of the number of transmitted bytes over a recent history divided by the guaranteed bw , as it appears in the sla . the list is sorted such that the first onu in the list is the one for which this ratio is lowest . other criteria for this sorting procedure can be based on the past transmission rates of the onu , its sla or any other criteria . in step 504 , a check is run to see if there are still onus that did not receive bes . if there are such onus ( yes ) a second check is run in step 506 to see if there is still unallocated bw in the half cycle . if there is ( yes ), the next onu from the list receives its bes in step 508 , based on its report of total queue capacity , and the process loops back to step 504 . if the answer is ( no ) in either one of checks 504 or 506 , the process ends . to enforce a bes as decided in the sla , the request of each onu is preferably clipped by a leaky bucket mechanism and by the amount of the remaining tq to be allocated in the half cycle . preferably , there is one leaky bucket for each onu for the sake of bes . each onu &# 39 ; s respective leaky bucket value decrease rate is the rate of the bes , as decided in the sla , and each onu &# 39 ; s respective leaky bucket value increase rate is the total grant given to the specific onu . alternative embodiments may include other sla enforcement mechanisms , or not include any such mechanism , if there is no best effort indication in the sla definition . all patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification , to the same extent as if each individual patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference . in addition , citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention . while the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , it will be appreciated that many variations , modifications and other applications of the invention may be made .	7
the present application is a continuation - in - part of co - pending application ser . no . 869 , 358 , filed june 2 , 1986 , which in turn is a continuation of application ser . no . 680 , 821 , filed dec . 12 , 1984 , both now abandoned . the present invention relates to a shoe tree and , more particularly , is directed to such a tree incorporating a shoe horn . in its more specific aspects , the invention is concerned with a combined shoe tree and horn wherein the horn serves as a lever to facilitate placement and removal of the tree shoe trees are very well known in the prior art . the more popular current trees incorporate heel and toe engaging portions with some type of compression strut therebetween . the strut telescopes to facilitate insertion and removal of the tree . it also serves to impart compressive force to the interior of a shoe within which the tree is received . in the more sophisticated shoe trees , the forward toe - engaging portion of the tree is expandible in response to the compressive force applied thereto by the strut . certain prior art shoe trees have also employed heel and toe - engaging portions which may serve as a shoe horn when the tree is removed from a shoe . such a device may be seen in canadian pat . no . 637 , 524 , issued mar . 6 , 1962 . in that device , however , the horn construction did not serve as a lever to facilitate placement and removal of the tree . the shoe tree of the present invention comprises heel and toe - engaging portions connected together by compression means which function to impart internal compressive force to the interior of a shoe within which the tree is received . a shoe horn is secured to the heel engaging portion so as to overlie that portion and facilitate placement and removal of the tree . in the preferred embodiment , the horn extends laterally of the heel - engaging portion so as to serve as a lever , and may be selectively removed for separate use as a shoe horn . a principal object of the present invention is to provide a shoe tree having a shoe horn incorporated thereinto which may serve as a lever to facilitate placement of the tree . another object of the invention is to provide such a shoe tree wherein the shoe horn may be fabricated of a material different from that of the tree . still another object related to the latter object is to provide such a shoe tree wherein the horn may be adorned with a decorative design , identifying and / or advertising material . yet another object of the invention is to provide such a shoe tree wherein the horn may be selectively removed to facilitate the substitution of different colored horns , or for use separate from the tree . a further object of the invention is to provide such a shoe tree wherein the heel - engaging portion is rotatable to cam the tree and subject a shoe within which it is received to internal compressive force . yet another object related to the latter object is to provide such a tree wherein the shoe horn serves as a lever to force the heel portion into a compressive state , and selectively release it from that state . still another object of the invention is to provide such a shoe tree wherein the heel and toeengaging portions are connected by a resiliently biased compressive strut and the heel engaging portion is rotatable to cam the strut into a state of high compression . yet a further object of the invention is to provide such a shoe tree wherein , upon rotation of the rear portion of the tree away from the front portion , the rear portion snaps clear of a shoe within which the tree is received . another and more specific object is to provide such a shoe tree wherein a compressive strut exerts force on the rear portion of the tree through a force line which moves upwardly relative to the contact area between the rear portion of the tree and a shoe within which it is received as the rear portion is rotated to remove the tree from the shoe . these and other objects will become more apparent when viewed in the light of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings . fig1 is a perspective view of the inventive shoe tree ; fig2 is a side elevational view of a shoe , with the horn portion of the shoe tree as it would be placed to facilitate insertion of a foot into the shoe ; fig3 is a cross - sectional view taken on the plane designated by line 3 -- 3 of fig1 ; fig4 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the heel - engaging portion of the inventive shoe tree , illustrating a removable tongue and groove section provided to permit the horn to be selectively removed ; fig5 is a side elevational view of a modified embodiment of the inventive shoe tree in the first step of being inserted into a shoe , such shoe being shown in phantom lines ; fig6 is a side elevational view of the modified embodiment shown in fig5 in the second step of being inserted into a shoe ; fig7 is a plan view , with parts thereof broken away , taken on the plane designated by lines 7 -- 7 of fig6 ; fig8 is a side elevational view of the modified embodiment shown in fig5 in the third and final step of being inserted into a shoe ; and fig9 is a side elevational view of the modified embodiment shown in fig5 with the rear portion of the shoe tree being rolled out of the shoe and snapping clear therefrom . the inventive shoe tree is illustrated in its entirety in fig1 and designated by the numeral 10 . it comprises a front or toe - engaging portion 12 conformed to fit within the toe of a shoe and a rear or heel - engaging portion 14 conformed to fit within the heel of a shoe . the toe - engaging portion 12 is split longitudinally so as to provide laterally expandible segments 16 and 18 . segments 16 and 18 are formed with opposed internal slots 20 and 22 , respectively , which slidably receive a tapered cam plate 24 . the lateral surfaces of the slots 20 and 22 converge toward the forward ends of the segments 16 and 18 . the plate 24 is tapered so as to complementally engage said surfaces and force the segments 16 and 18 apart as the plate is forced forwardly within the slots . suitable slidable pin connections ( not illustrated ) are provided between the segments 16 and 18 to prevent the segments from completely separating when the tree is removed from a shoe . it should be understood that the general construction of the slots 20 and 22 , cam plate 24 and slidable pin connections is known in the prior art . the heel and toe - engaging portions are articulatively connected by a compression strut 26 . the strut is telescopic and comprises a forward inner section 28 and a rearward outer section 30 . the section 28 is telescopically received within the section 30 and a compression coil spring ( see fig3 ) 32 is interposed between the closed end 34 of the section 30 and the inner end 36 of the section 28 . a longitudinally extending slot 38 is formed through the section 28 and slidably receives a pin 40 . the ends of the pin 40 are secured between openings in the section 30 and , thus , pin 40 serves to prevent the sections 28 and 30 from separating , while permitting limited telescopic movement thereof . the forward or distal end of the section 28 is pivotally connected to the plate 24 . although not illustrated , it should be understood that this may be provided by a transversely extending bar provided on the plate 24 and a transversely extending opening provided in the section 28 , which opening rotatably captures the bar . the rearward end of the section 30 is formed with a generally vertically disposed tongue 42 which is received between side walls 44 formed integrally with the heel - engaging portion 14 . a pin 46 is secured within and extends through the side walls and rotatably through an opening provided therefor in the tongue 42 . the pin 46 mounts the heel - engaging portion 14 for rotation about an axis extending transversely of the strut 26 . this axis is disposed eccentrically of the heel - engaging portion , with the result that rotation of the heel - engaging portion about the pin functions to lengthen the composite length of the shoe tree , as may be seen from a comparison of the phantom and solid line positions in fig3 . in the solid line lengthen position , the toe and heel - engaging portions of the tree are in general longitudinal alignment . as the heel engaging portion is moved to the phantom line position , it moves out of longitudinal alignment with the toe - engaging portion and the composite length of the shoe tree is shortened . from fig3 it will also be seen that the rear of the heel engaging portion 14 is rounded to provide a cam surface 48 . this rounded surface configuration facilitates forcing of the heel - engaging portion into engagement with the internal surface of a shoe within which the tree is received . the top surface of the heel - engaging portion 14 carries a shoe horn 50 which extends laterally from the portion 14 in a forward direction . as shown in the embodiments of fig1 to 3 , the horn 50 is secured to the top surface of the portion 14 by screws 52 . the horn 50 serves as a lever to facilitate movement of the heel - engaging portion 14 between the solid and phantom line positions shown in fig3 . it may also be used as a horn , as shown in fig2 to facilitate insertion of a foot into a shoe . the embodiment of fig4 differs from that of fig1 to 3 only in that the shoe horn , designated 50a is connected to the heel - engaging portion , designated 14a , by a releasable tongue and groove connection , rather than a screw connection . the tongue and groove connection shown in fig4 comprises a t - shaped tongue 54 formed on and extending transversely of the undersurface of the horn 50a , a forward channel 56 secured to and opening upwardly of the portion 14a , and a rearward channel 58 secured to and opening forwardly of the top surface of the portion 14a . the horn 50a is secured to the portion 14a by sliding the tongue 54 into the channel 56 simultaneously with sliding of the rearward distal end of the horn 50a into the channel 58 . the connection thus provided is readily releasable . ideally , there is sufficient frictional resistance between the tongue 54 and the channel 56 to prevent inadvertent displacement of the horn 50a from the heel portion 14a . the modified embodiment of fig5 to 9 differs from the previously described embodiments primarily in that the rear or heel engaging portion 14b is formed as an integral unit and the strut 26b is reversed so that the larger telescopic portion 28b is pivotally secured between the sides of the toe engaging portion 12 and the smaller section 30b is pivotally secured within a slot 60 formed in the portion 14b . the slot is defined between spaced side walls 44b formed on the heel engaging portion 14b . elements of the fig5 - 9 embodiment corresponding identically to those of the previously described embodiments are designated by like numerals . elements corresponding to those of the previous embodiments , but differing in design detail , are designated by like numerals , followed by the subscript b . from fig5 - 9 , it will be seen that the hinge pin 46 for the rear portion 14b is eccentrically disposed within the portion so as to be closer to its top , than its rear , as viewed in the fully inserted position shown in fig8 . this relationship results in increasing the compression on the strut 26b as the tree is inserted into a shoe ( see the sequence of fig5 - 8 ). it also results in relaxing of the compression on the strut 26b as the heel engaging portion 14b is rolled out of the shoe . the progressive sequence shown in fig5 , and 8 illustrates how the rear portion 14b rolls into the shoe in response to clockwise swinging . from these figs ., it should also be evident that the horn 50b serves as a lever to facilitate such swinging . removal of the shoe tree from a shoe is carried out by reversing the steps shown in fig5 , and 8 . namely , the tongue 50b is lifted to swing the heel engaging portion 14b in a counter - clockwise direction , thus rolling the portion along the back interior surface of the shoe from the position shown in fig8 to that shown in fig5 . during this rolling movement , a contact area is established between the back of the portion 14b and the inside back surface of the shoe , which area moves upwardly as the portion 14b is rotated in a counter - clockwise direction . in the initial stages of removal , as would correspond sequentially to the position shown in fig8 and 6 , a contact area is above the line of force exerted by the strut 26b through the pin 46 . as the tree reaches the position shown in fig5 with the horn 50b in a generally vertical position , the area is markedly below that line of force . as a result , upon assuming the condition shown in fig5 during removal , the force exerted by the strut functions to rotate the portion 14b counterclockwise and kick it from the shoe , as shown in fig9 . once the portion 14b is so ejected from the shoe , it is a simple matter to pull the entire shoe tree out of the shoe . in use , the shoe tree is placed within a shoe by first inserting the portion 12 within the toe of the shoe and then inserting the portion 14 , 14a , 14b within the heel of the shoe , with the horn 50 raised to a nearly vertical position , as shown in fig3 and 5 . the horn is then depressed to pivot the portion 14 , 14a clockwise , as viewed in fig3 and 5 , thus rolling the portion 14 , 14a 14b into the shoe and imparting compression to the strut 2 . such compression , in turn , functions to laterally expand the segments 16 and 18 . removal of the tree from a shoe is carried out in reverse , by lifting the horn 50 , 50a , 50b to rotate the heel - engaging portion 14 , 14a , 14b in a counterclockwise direction , as viewed in fig3 and 9 . such lifting rolls the portion 14 , 14a , 14b out of the shoe and facilitates removal of the tree from the shoe . it should be appreciated that all embodiments of the invention provide a structure wherein heel engaging portion 14 , 14a , 14b rolls into and out of the shoe and the horn 50 , 50a , 50b serves as a lever to facilitate the rolling action . additionally , upon being rolled out to a condition corresponding to that shown in fig9 in all embodiments the heel engaging portion is snapped clear of the shoe by the compressive action of the strut 26 , 26b . from the foregoing description , it will be appreciated that the present invention enables the attainment of the objects initially set forth herein . in particular , the shoe tree provides an eccentrically mounted heel - engaging portion which may be rotated to compress or release the tree . the horn secured to the heel - engaging portion serves as a lever to facilitate its rotation and positioning and removal of the tree . the horn may also be used , as shown in fig2 to facilitate insertion of a foot into the shoe . in the embodiment of fig4 the horn may be used separately from the tree as a conventional shoe horn . in all embodiments , the heel engaging portion of the tree is designed to roll into and out of position and , during removal , to snap clear of the shoe within which it is used . while preferred embodiments have been illustrated and described it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specifics of these embodiments , but rather is defined by the accompanying claims .	0
recent advances in the development of high resolution , compact , and lightweight actuators for use in cryogenic environments , such as piezoelectric inchworm ® ( d . a . henderson and j . c . fasick , “ inchworm ® motor developments for the next generation space telescope ( angst ),” spie vol . 3429 , p . 252 - 256 , october 1998 , which is incorporated by reference herein ). and squiggle ™ motors ( new scale technologies , “ linear actuator ”, eo magazine , p . 36 , march 2004 , and new scale technologies , “ cryogenic squiggle ™ motor operates at 100 ° k ,” new product press release , published on new scale technologies &# 39 ; website at http :// www . newscaletech . com / pr % 20cryo % 20sq . pdf , sep . 14 , 2004 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein ) can be used for the dynamic alignment of optical components while operating within a cryogenic dewar environment . there are a number of significant advantages that arise from the technical innovations described here , including : the ability of miniature actuators to operate at cryogenic temperatures allows a spectrometer system that is located within a dewar environment to be dynamically aligned while collecting data measurements , thereby eliminating the need for time consuming cool - down and warm - up iterations and enabling an extremely fast , easy , and even automated alignment procedure to be implemented with an increased degree of accuracy . the extremely small and lightweight properties of the cryogenic actuators contribute very little to the overall size and weight of the spectrometer , allowing for these alignment devices to be integrated into the opto - mechanical hosing of the spectrometer and to remain a permanent part of the spectrometer device . in some cases , these cryogenic actuators remain locked in position once their drive power is removed , thereby allowing them to also serve also as automatic alignment locks once the spectrometer has been aligned . the combined benefits described above enable the spectrometer assembly to be successfully incorporated into the dewar and dynamically aligned under the cryogenic operating conditions without the burden of a time consuming iterative alignment procedure , thereby reducing the unwanted stray light and thermal radiation in the system and enhancing the overall performance of the spectrometer . the fabrication of large linear dynamic range piezo actuators has reached an unprecedented level of maturity . piezo materials change dimensions when supplied with a voltage . the length of change is very small but can be done accurately and very fast . applications that require large motions have been unable to utilize these piezo devices due to the limited range (& lt ; 0 . 005 ″). worm drives using two different pitched screws have been used to increase the piezo dynamic range by an order of magnitude . picomtors ™ [ 4 ] by new focus have greatly increased the linear range (˜ 2 ″) with limited resolution ( 500 nm ). new scale technologies have developed squiggle motors ™ [ 2 ] have developed piezo motors with an unprecedented small size with large ranges and small resolutions . these motors find new applications optical alignment , such as , but not limited to , the following : auto - focus , image stabilization , factory alignment fixtures etc . . . . optical prism and wedge rotations and centrations optical sensor motions such as one or two axis gimbals used for : scanned optical systems ( bar code scanners , 2 nd generation flir systems , f - theta scan systems used in print industry ) commercial sensors , cctv , missile applications , military and civilian flirs . unmanned air vehicles and micro - unmanned air vehicles . fitting gimbaled optical systems into a 15 mm × 5 mm is very challenging . without actuator advancements this type of sensing is nearly impossible . in addition these motors are robust in difficult environments , such as cryogenic applications ( discussed in detail below ) and high g applications . a ball - joint gimbal with a compressed air interface has been developed for use on high g projectile applications . squiggle motors can be used for these high g actuators . in order to experimentally demonstrate the cryogenic alignment of an optical system , an opto - mechanical housing was designed to be as compatible as possible with the spectrometer design 100 illustrated in fig6 . this spectrometer design is shown overlaid on a cutaway view of the opto - mechanical housing 200 in fig2 , with the individual optical elements 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 140 shown and the grating 130 , which is directly coupled to the actuator arm assembly 240 . in operation , the motor support arm 230 shown mounted to the main housing 210 in fig3 supports the cryogenic motor 235 that drives the actuator arm component 240 illustrated in the sectional views of fig4 . as the motor 235 is driven , it provides linear translational motion , displacing the top of the actuator arm 240 and pivoting it about the optical axis of the system . this in turn rotates the grating 130 about the optical axis of the system , as shown in the cutaway view of fig4 . given the relatively small range of angular displacement necessary for alignment of the grating 130 to the optical system , the incremental angular step size of the grating 130 can be related to the translational resolution of the cryogenic motor by the simple trigonometric approximation where δθ is the incremental angular step size of the grating 130 , × x is the incremental linear step size of the motor 235 and r is the radial distance measured from the optical axis to the point of contact between the motor 235 and the actuator arm 240 . in order to maintain a very low system mass , the opto - mechanical housing components 210 , 220 , 230 , 240 were fabricated from aluminum , and polished to minimize the absorption of unwanted thermal radiation entering the dewar through the view ports . to reduce any frictional drag that might limit the angular incremental step size of the actuator driven mirror , the entire grating mount and internal portion of the actuator arm 240 were first anodized and then impregnated with teflon . schematic drawings of a fabricated opto - mechanical housing 200 equipped with a cryogenic squiggle ™ motor 235 are shown in fig5 a , b . fig6 is a schematic sectional view of the cryogenic alignment system 200 enclosed within a dewar environment 300 , and illustrates the location and orientation of the opto - mechanical assembly 200 . the dewar can be a cryo - pump , pour filled ln 2 , or any other type of dewar that provides the cryogenic environment . in order to provide dynamic alignment of an optical system 200 within a dewar environment 300 , an actuator device suitable for use in a vacuum and at cryogenic temperatures must be selected . this places several requirements on the actuator , its components , and its method of translation , including the exclusion of any lubricants or out - gassing materials and the proper matching of thermal coefficients of expansion between components . one type of cryogenic actuator that overcomes these limitations has recently been developed by new scale technologies . their miniature squiggle ™ motor , shown in fig7 , consists of a piezoelectric ceramic tube that supports two threaded nuts holding a threaded shaft . electrically driven at an ultrasonic frequency , the piezoelectric tube wobbles like a “ hula hoop ”, causing the nuts to orbit the shaft , thereby rotating and translating the shaft in the axial direction . fig8 shows the application of the squiggle ™ motor on a compressed air interface ball - joint gimbal 400 . referring to fig8 , two squiggle ™ motors 430 , 440 ( or equivalent ) are used in pull / push configuration . fig9 shows the application of squiggle ™ motor in conventional gimbal systems 500 . two squiggle ™ motors 520 , 530 ( or equivalent ) are used in a conventional gimbal 510 , one squiggle ™ motor 520 in a direct drive configuration used for angular degree of freedom , another squiggle ™ motor 530 in a gear drive configuration 540 used for the other angular degree of freedom . although the invention has been described with respect to various embodiments , it should be realized this invention is also capable of a wide variety of further and other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	6
fig1 - 3 show an annealing rack element 1 in front and side views and a top view . the front view according to fig1 shows a short , horizontal , hollow rest profile 2 as a part of the rest 3 , which has multiple holes 4 and is connected via rack struts 5 to corner supports 6 . all hollow profiles , i . e ., annealing rack elements and baskets , used in the annealing rack are preferably those having high geometrical moments of inertia . in addition , preferably all hollow profiles are selected having identical wall thicknesses in order to avoid different temperature profiles during the quenching procedure . only some of the holes 4 are provided with reference numbers . accelerations and inertial forces may be absorbed better through the diagonally running rack struts 5 . the corner supports 6 are connected at their lower end to the rest 3 and have a centering tip 7 at their upper end . when multiple annealing rack elements 1 are stacked one on top of another , the centering tips 7 of the particular lower annealing rack element 1 engage in corresponding recesses of the rest 3 of the particular upper annealing rack element 1 . these recesses are not shown . the centering aids 7 allow secure stacking and unstacking . in the event of dynamic loads during the transport , slipping and upsetting of the stacked annealing rack elements 1 is prevented . a transport switching flag 8 in the form of an oblong sheet is positioned between two corner supports 6 . this transport switching flag 8 is also detachably attached using bolts and cotter pin . it is detected by light barriers ( not shown ) and the position of the annealing rack is detected for the process controller on the basis of this . for precise identification of an annealing rack , an identification switching flag 17 is attached to one of the corner supports 6 , from which the details on each of the individual annealing racks and / or the annealing stock transported therein are readable . the function of the positioning profile 9 illustrated is explained in the following for fig3 . the side view shown in fig2 shows a long horizontal rest profile 10 having holes 11 as a part of the rest 3 , as well as rack struts 5 and corner supports 6 having centering aids 7 . the long rest profile 10 has a greater height than the short rest profile 2 . only some of the holes 11 are provided with reference numbers . in the top view shown in fig3 , the construction of the rest 3 having two short rest profiles 2 and two long rest profiles 10 may be seen . only some of the holes 4 and 11 are marked with reference numbers . four corner supports 6 having centering aids 7 are located in the four corners of the rest 3 . the long rest profiles 10 are connected to one another via the positioning profile 9 . the positioning profile 9 has three square holes 12 . as may be seen from fig5 and 10 , the basket supports 18 are inserted into the square holes 12 . more detailed explanations in this regard are in the following descriptions of the corresponding figures . fig4 through 6 correspond to fig1 through 3 . they additionally have an annealing basket 13 which is inserted into an annealing rack element 1 . the basket floor 14 comprises two short floor profiles 15 , which are positioned parallel and at a distance to one another and between which four long floor profiles 16 are positioned . the long floor profiles 16 lie on the shorter rest profiles 2 and the positioning profile 9 . in this case , the positioning profile 9 is not only used for laying down the annealing basket 13 . the three square holes 12 additionally allow the passage of three basket supports 18 of the annealing basket 13 . these basket supports 18 and the positioning profile 9 are implemented as hollow profiles . the basket supports 18 are fixed solely by gravity in the square holes 12 . the annealing basket 13 may be raised easily out of the annealing rack element 1 after the heat treatment process . upwardly projecting basket supports 18 are positioned on the basket floor 14 . the basket supports 18 are connected to one another via basket struts 19 , the long basket struts 19 covering the long floor profiles 16 in the top view shown in fig6 . since the rest 3 , the corner supports 6 , and the rack struts 5 of the annealing rack elements 1 , and the basket floor 14 , the basket supports 18 , and the basket struts 19 of the annealing basket 13 are all produced either from multiply perforated hollow profiles of identical wall thickness or from flat steel , the annealing stock may be cooled rapidly and uniformly during the quenching process . the flat steel cools down rapidly upon contact with cold water and the coolant liquid , usually water , may additionally penetrate extremely rapidly into the hollow profiles through the multiple holes in the hollow profiles . in this case , the selection of identical wall thicknesses encourages uniform cooling . the wire clip shown will be discussed in greater detail in fig9 . each part may be replaced individually as needed through the plug - in connections and / or screw connections . no complete annealing rack elements 1 have to be kept ready . a small reserve is completely sufficient , this only occupying a small space in the disassembled state . the detail w from fig6 is shown enlarged in fig7 . in this case , the plug - in connection of three parts of the annealing basket 13 is shown . using this plug - in connection , a short floor profile 15 is detachably connected to a long basket strut 19 running perpendicularly thereto and , in addition , to a basket support 18 , which projects upward perpendicularly from the basket floor 14 . for this purpose , the short floor profiles 15 have a rectangular hole 20 , into which the lower end of the upwardly projecting basket support 18 is inserted with play . this basket support 18 is drilled through above its insertion region and the long basket strut 19 is inserted through this hole with play . therefore , this long basket strut 19 lies on the short floor profile 15 . the long basket strut 19 is secured at its inserted end with play using a cotter pin 21 . the three parts of the annealing basket are therefore equipped with a certain mobility in the assembled state , through which the stability of the basket is not negatively influenced and the basket may manage tensions during the heat treatment and dynamic loads well . the detail x from fig1 is shown enlarged in fig8 . the plug - in connection of three parts of the annealing rack element is recognizable here . using this plug - in connection , a long rest profile 10 is detachably connected to a short rest profile 2 of the rest 3 and to a corner support 6 . in this case , each of the three parts is oriented perpendicularly to each of the two other parts . the long rest profile 10 is implemented having a greater height than the short rest profile 2 . the long rest profile 10 has a first hole 22 , in which a short rest profile 2 is inserted , in the region of one end , but at a distance thereto on the side facing toward the interior of the rest 3 . the long rest profile 10 has a second hole 23 in the region of one end , but at a distance thereto . this second hole 23 is applied to the upper face of the long rest profile 10 . the basket support 6 is inserted through this second hole 23 . its lower end comes to rest on the short rest profile 2 , which is also inserted . two diametrically opposite retaining holes 24 and 24 ′ are positioned in the region of the lower end of the corner support 6 , but at a distance to this end . at the same height , the long rest profile 10 also has a retaining hole 25 and 25 ′ on each side . the retaining holes 24 , 24 ′ and 25 , 25 ′ in the long rest profile 10 and in the corner supports 6 are positioned flush . a retaining bolt 26 is inserted parallel to the longitudinal axis of the inserted short rest profile 2 through these retaining holes 24 , 24 ′, 25 , and 25 ′. the retaining bolt 26 is secured using a retaining cotter pin 27 . the strut bolt 28 having strut cotter pin 29 is used for the purpose of detachably connecting a rack strut 5 to the long rest profile 10 and the corner support 6 . through the retaining bolts 26 and strut bolts 28 having assigned cotter pins 27 and 29 , the rest profiles 2 and 10 , the corner supports 6 , and the rack struts 5 are secured with play . the detail y from fig6 is shown enlarged in fig9 . in this case , the plug - in and screw connections of wire clips 30 to a long floor profile 16 of the basket floor 14 may be seen . in this case , the wire clips 30 shown are inserted into or through holes of the long floor profiles 16 . the wire clips 30 inserted through are screwed onto the free ends of the wire clips 30 using self - locking nuts 31 . the wire clips 30 are specially shaped . they are used for centering aluminum parts during the automatic loading and unloading procedure . the wire clips 30 are tailored to the particular aluminum component to be held . the aluminum component is not shown . the detail z from fig4 is shown enlarged in fig1 . in this case , a plug - in connection for fixing an annealing basket 13 on the annealing rack element 1 is shown . for this purpose , the positioning profile 9 of the annealing rack element is provided with two diametrically opposite square holes 12 on its top and bottom in such a way that a basket support 1 of an annealing basket 13 may be inserted through . in this case , the basket support 18 of the annealing basket 13 is implemented as a vertical hollow profile , whose diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the two holes 12 . in the state inserted through , regions of the basket floor 14 lie directly on the upper side of the positioning profile 9 . the use of the low - distortion annealing rack according to the present invention is to be explained in the following on the basis of an example : the annealing baskets are charged with the stock to be treated , particularly aluminum cast parts for the automobile field . the charging is typically performed automatically . for this purpose , the baskets are already in the annealing rack element or are raised therein after charging . baskets which are only self - supporting in the empty state , but not with annealing stock inserted , are generally used . even annealing stock having very complicated geometry may be fixed well by the wire clips . the advantage of this division is that these baskets may be adapted easily to the components and the simply designed , stable annealing rack elements assume the supporting function . after an automatic stacking of this type of multiple annealing rack elements , the annealing rack is introduced into the furnace via transport rollers or transport chains . for this purpose , the annealing rack has an at least largely planar bottom . the stock is now annealed in the furnace . subsequently , it is immersed in a quenching basin which is filled with water , then removed from the basin and made available for further treatment . the individual treatment stages in the furnace and subsequently in the quenching basin are automated in such a way that automatic recognition units determine the current position of the annealing rack and gripping units may grip exactly . the annealing rack may also not have any deformations , so that these positions may be detected correctly . 25 ′ retaining hole in the long rest profile 10	5
shown in fig5 is the forward section of a conventional body or hull 8 of a tank or other vehicle to which are fixed flat lugs 4 and 6 . fixed on the lugs by such means as a pin 9 or bolt 10 pin is a flat , horizontally oriented , crescent - shaped bracket 12 having apertures 14 and 16 . these apertures are coplanar in that they both have a flat shape and both lie in the general plane defined by bracket 12 . lug 4 is sandwiched between the main body of bracket 12 and extension 11 thereof , whereas lug 6 is on the inboard side ( upper side in fig1 and 3 ) of the bracket . as best shown in fig3 cylinder 18 is securely fixed normal to bracket 12 through aperture 14 , the cylinder closed at end 20 . as seen in fig4 a second cylinder 22 , closed at end 24 , is mounted to bracket 12 through aperture 16 ( fig5 ) parallel to cylinder 18 . cylinders 18 and 22 are similarly constructed , are horizontal , and are disposed one directly above the other . these cylinders have a majority of their lengths protruding from bracket 12 inboard and away from a subassembly comprised of bracket 34 , bracket 36 , dispenser 40 and shield 38 . round shafts 26 and 28 are closely received and translatable in the cylinders , and outside the cylinders are gussets 30 and 32 welded or otherwise fixed both to bracket 12 and a respective one of the cylinders . cylinders 18 and 22 may optionally be replaced by tubes having polygonal cross sections accepting deployment shafts whose complimentary polygonal cross sections fit closely with the polygonal tubes . for some applications it may be desired that a single polygonal tube and shaft replace both cylinders and both round shafts . at the opposite ends of shafts 26 and 28 from the cylinders in fig1 is a subassembly comprised of a primary accessory bracket 34 , a secondary accessory bracket 36 , shield 38 and dispenser 40 . the subassembly is fixed relative to the shafts so as to translate outboard or inboard with them relative to hull 8 . the weight of the subassembly creates a torque on bracket 12 which causes the main body of bracket 12 to frictionally bear against the inboard face 5 of lug 4 and to frictionally bear against the outboard face 7 of lug 6 . a detail view of the subassembly at fig6 shows engagements of brackets 34 and 36 with the shafts , shield 38 and dispenser 40 . referring now to fig6 a secondary accessory bracket or shield bracket 36 comprises a pair of oval plates 42 and 44 through which shaft 26 closely fits . the plates are parallel , extend forward from shaft 26 and define a narrow gap between themselves . fixing the plates together is a short sleeve 46 centered on axis 76 and closely surrounding shaft 26 , there being a bolt 48 passing through the sleeve and shaft to fix the position of bracket 36 upon the shaft . once bolt 48 is removed , bracket 36 can be slid inboard on shaft 26 away from bracket 34 until bracket 36 is aligned with hole 49 in the shaft , whereupon bolt 48 can be reinserted through bracket 36 and passed through hole 49 so as to lock bracket 36 in an inboard position . at the opposite ends of the plates from shaft 26 and fixed therebetween is a stub shank 50 ( fig6 ) on which is closely fit sleeve 52 integral with shield 38 . it is preferred that the ends of sleeve 52 be in facial contact with the inner , opposing faces of plates 42 and 44 as shown in fig6 . although bracket 34 is shown in fig6 the structure of that bracket is perhaps best explained in conjunction with fig8 and 10 , which are views of bracket 34 alone . the lower part of bracket 34 is a u - shaped upright channel comprised of two opposed parallel walls 54 and web 56 therebetween . at the bottom end of the upright channel is cross - sectionally rectangular stop bar 58 fixed between walls 54 . lower aligned apertures 60 in walls 54 closely receive shaft 28 ( fig2 and 4 ) and upper aligned apertures 62 in these walls closely receive shaft 26 . typically bracket 34 is welded to the shafts or fixed to the shafts by other suitable , known means . at the upper ends of walls 54 are forwardly extending ears 64 , which are integral with the walls and which define axially aligned holes 66 . like bracket 34 , shield 38 is seen in fig6 but the configuration of shield 38 is most clearly shown in fig1 and 12 , where a vertical , generally triangular panel or wall 86 has sleeve 52 at the wall &# 39 ; s rounded apex 88 . fixed along the bottom edge of wall 86 is a rectangular plate 90 , which normally covers the bottom of dispenser 40 as seen in fig2 . elongate beam or rectangular bar 80 is welded or otherwise permanently fixed to both wall 86 and plate 90 . referring again to fig6 bracket 34 can be held on shafts 26 and 28 by heads affixed to ends of the shafts , such a head being shown at 68 . in such a case bracket 34 need not be welded to the shafts , and inboard motion of bracket 34 along the shafts can be limited by bracket 36 . dispenser 40 is journalled in bracket 34 by short spindles 70 fixed to dispenser 40 and protruding through holes 66 , spindles 70 having heads 72 to retain dispenser 40 on bracket 34 . bracket 34 and dispenser 40 are also engaged at the dispenser &# 39 ; s rectangular protrusion 78 ( fig2 ), which abuts stop bar 58 of that bracket , whereby dispenser 40 is prevented from swinging backward toward hull 8 . in a somewhat similar fashion , shield 38 has an elongate rectangular bar 80 that abuts or faces against dispenser 40 at interfaces 82 and 84 ( fig2 ). since spindles 70 , holes 66 , stub shank 50 of bracket 36 and sleeve 52 of shield 38 are all centered on common axis 74 , shield 38 and dispenser 40 can swing together as a unit . the engagement between bar 80 and dispenser 40 locks the shield and dispenser together as they swing about axis 74 , and shield 38 can be disengaged from dispenser 40 only by moving shield 38 along axis 74 away from dispenser 40 . fig7 shows an optional modification to bracket 34 wherein ear 64 has v - shaped notch 92 which receives spindle 94 that connects dispenser 40 to the spindle &# 39 ; s head 96 . a releasable arcuate keeper 98 is pivotable about pin 100 on ear 64 and is received on spindle 94 . keeper 98 can be locked in its fig7 position by a conventional fastener such as bolt 102 , whereby dispenser 40 is swingably held in bracket 34 . the side of bracket 34 facing away from the viewer in fig7 also has a notch 92 receiving a spindle 94 and a keeper 98 engaging the spindle . fig7 a shows keeper 98 swung away from spindle 34 so that the spindle , and hence dispenser 40 , can be removed from bracket 34 . fig1 and 14 semi - schematically show an optional power mechanism 104 connected between hull 8 and bracket 34 for translating bracket 34 inboard and outboard relative to the hull . mechanism 104 includes a power unit 106 , which can be a conventional power source such as double acting cylinder or a motor , unit 106 being fixed to gussets or ancons 108 , which themselves can be bolted or otherwise removably mounted to hull by conventional fasteners . extending from power unit 106 and translatable thereby is a an elongate member 110 , which can be a shaft if power unit 106 is a double acting cylinder or can be a toothed rack if power unit 106 is a motor . fixed to the end of elongate member 110 is connector plate 112 releasably attached to bracket 34 by bolts ( not shown ) or other conventional fastening devices . it is preferred that there be very little looseness or play in the translational engagement between power unit 106 and elongate member 110 , so that power mechanism 104 stiffens the connection between hull 8 and bracket 34 . referring to fig1 and 6 , preparation for use of dispenser 40 begins by removing bolt 48 from sleeve 46 so that bracket 36 and shield 38 can be translated along shaft 26 away from bracket 34 and dispenser 40 . shield 38 will be translated far enough inboard from its fig1 position so that the shield &# 39 ; s plate 90 is repositioned inboard of dispenser 40 and bracket 34 . bolt 48 will be reinserted in sleeve 46 and will also enter hole 49 , whereby bracket 36 and shield 38 are held away from dispenser 40 . dispenser 40 is now in deployed condition . the bottom of dispenser 40 will now be exposed to the ground and lane markers or other objects can be ejected or dropped from the bottom of dispenser 40 during travel of the vehicle of which hull 8 is part . the subassembly formed by bracket 34 , bracket 36 , dispenser 40 and shield 38 can also be prepared for rapid travel of the vehicle over rough terrain . this is done by translating the subassembly inboard as a unit on shafts 26 and 28 from the fig1 position . i do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction or method shown herein since obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the relevant arts without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims .	1
it may be helpful to consider initially the forms and certain features of the type of ide interface and power male connectors with which the female connectors of the present invention are to be engaged during use . fig1 and 20 are perspective and front elevation view , respectively , of a known ide male connector . such a male connector 1900 has a generally cubical elongate body made of an electrically insulating plastics material defined by a peripheral surface including a plane upper part 1902 , a plane bottom part 1904 and end parts 1906 and 1908 , and a transverse wall which supports three sets of pins having distal ends disposed within separate compartments . there are two internal partitions 1950 , 1952 , each oriented in a height - wise direction , which together define three laterally separated compartments each housing one of the three sets of engageable forwardly - extended pins . from the right - hand side , as best seen in the front elevation view of fig2 , there is a first set of pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; for data transfer , each of these pins being linked at the rear end to a corresponding data line ( not shown for simplicity ). the compartment next to the set of data pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; contains a second set of pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; connectable to a power supply at a first selected voltage , e . g ., 3 . 3 v or , optionally , to test jumpers or the like . this set of pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; is generally smaller in number and is usually not connected to data lines . the set of data pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; is separated from the set of jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; by partition 1950 . a third set of pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; for providing power , typically at 12 . 0 v or 5 . 0 v , is provided in the third compartment , defined by a height - wise partition 1952 separating the power pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; from the jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ;. in the compartment housing the power pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ;, there may be provided two angled faces 1954 and 1956 which serve to guide in a correspondingly shaped female connector for forcible engagement with power pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ;. in addition , in this known male connector element 1900 there is typically found a cut - out 1960 in the base wall , shaped and sized to receive therein a correspondingly shaped and located extension of a female data line connector ( not shown ). furthermore , at both ends of the male connector body , extending rearwardly from a rear thereof , are first and second gripper extensions 1960 and 1962 , each of which typically is slitted to provide a narrow opening forcibly engageable with an edge portion of a typical electronics circuit board . thus , for example , the gripper extension 1962 may typically be split into two portions 1964 and 1966 separated by a gap suitable for firmly gripping an edge of a circuit board . an additional gripper extension 1970 may be provided intermediate the gripper extensions 1960 and 1962 adjacent the ends of the male connector . in known male connector 1900 there are typically two parallel lines of data pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ;, which may but need not contain equal numbers of the pins . an exemplary pinless space is left at 1999 in the upper line above cut - out 1960 to indicate this . six jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; are typically provided , also in two lines , each containing only three pins . four power pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; are provided , and are typically used in pairs for 12 . 0 v and 5 . 0 v supplies . the above - described known male connector , although in use , has numerous limitations , and these are addressed by a 3 - in - 1 ide male connector disclosed and claimed in co - pending u . s . utility application ser . no . 08 / 714 , 478 and co - pending u . s . design application ser . no . 29 / 059 , 797 . relevant structural details of the 3 - in - 1 ide male connector disclosed therein are incorporated herein by reference . this male connector structure differs from the known structure per fig1 and 20 in many ways . for convenience of reference , elements and structural features comparable to those previously described herein will be identified by numerals having the same last two digits . thus , for example , what was identified as upper part 1902 of the peripheral surface of the male connector 1900 in fig1 and 20 is identified as upper part 2102 in fig2 and 22 , etc . in the improved male connector 2100 , the partition 1950 of connector 1900 has been replaced by a downwardly depending internal flange 2144 which stiffens the upper part 2102 but does not extend all the way to lower part 2104 . flange 2144 leaves room for the inclusion of an additional pin of set &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; in the bottom line . this makes it possible to optionally have as many as nine jumper pins ( 4 in an upper line and 5 in the lower line ). note that in fig2 only eight jumper pins ( 4 in each line ), are shown , whereas in fig2 an optional ninth pin 2109 ( located in the lower line beneath external flange 2144 ) is shown to indicate the added pin capacity provided by the modified structure of the male connector body . the male connector 2100 also differs from the prior art connector 1900 in providing notches 2136 and 2138 , respectively above and below jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ;, to facilitate convenient engagement thereat of a corresponding female jumper or suitable test line . in addition , partition 1952 of connector 1900 between jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; and power pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; is replaced by a locator element 2128 having a generally triangular cross - section defined in part by angled surface 2156 . yet another distinction between these structures is the provision of recesses 2151 and 2153 immediately inboard of internal flange 2144 and end part 2108 in male connector 2100 . the preceding discussion is considered helpful in understanding various structural features of the claimed invention because the male 3 - in - 1 ide connector 2100 is to be operatively engaged , in part or entirely , by each of the three embodiments of the female connector described hereinbelow with reference to fig1 - 18 and as specifically claimed herein . in the first preferred embodiment per fig1 - 6 , female connector 100 has a generally cubical body intended for simultaneous engagement with all three sets of data pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ;, jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; and power pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; of a 3 - in - 1 male connector 2100 as shown in fig2 and 22 hereof and as described above . this female connector 100 has a peripheral outer surface comprising an upper part 102 ( which in use will fit closest to upper part 2102 of male connector 2100 ), a base part 104 ( which in use will fit closest to base part 2104 of male connector 2100 , etc . ), and end parts 106 and 108 . upper part 102 is continuously planar , whereas base part 104 is discontinuously planar and includes a fitting projection 160 extending outwardly of planar base part 104 and oriented in a width - wise direction of the female connector body 100 . note that in accordance with the numbering system employed here , to facilitate use of female connector 100 the outwardly projecting fitting portion 160 is sized and shaped to be closely received into cutout 2160 when female connector 100 is operatively fitted to all of data pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; j &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; of a male connector 2100 . the front part of fitting portion 160 is tapered by the provision of facets 161a and 161b , as best seen in fig1 and 4 , to facilitate fitting thereof into cutout 2160 . such structural shaping of elements which must interfit with each other is important because many of the pins of male connector 2100 are relatively close together , may be somewhat fragile , and because any deformation of even one pin may seriously interfere with the utility of the invention . this aspect of the invention , namely the tapering of a forward portion of an element which is to be received into a cutout or opening of another portion is practiced elsewhere in the overall structure . this will be referred to as appropriate in the following description . in addition , preferably two locating projections , 151 and 153 , are formed to extend forwardly of front face 180 of female connector 100 . of these , locating projection 153 is preferably provided at and contiguous with end part 108 of the peripheral surface , and locating projection 151 is preferably located between end parts 106 and 108 . in the first embodiment per fig1 - 6 , lower part 104 and end part 106 of the peripheral surface are connected by a plane surface 154 inclined at an angle &# 34 ; θ &# 34 ; to the plane of end part 106 , as best seen in fig3 . furthermore , a groove preferably of triangular cross - section defined by an angled plane surface 156 intersecting another plane surface 158 is formed in lower part 104 , with surface 156 inclined oppositely to surface 154 and making an angle &# 34 ; θ &# 34 ; to surface 158 which is perpendicular to the planar portion of lower part 104 . this is best understood with reference to fig3 . the structure just described ensures that there are two angled cooperating faces 154 and 156 which respectively fit to surfaces 2154 and 2156 of male connector 2100 when female connector 100 is operatively fitted thereto . this is best understood by reference to fig3 and 21 . note that this is another application of the principle of using inclined surfaces of the male and female connectors to facilitate convenient simultaneous engagement of numerous pins of the male connector with correspondingly disposed pin receptacles of the female connector , as described below in greater detail . first and second locating projections 151 and 153 may also be provided outside tapers 155 , each making an angle &# 34 ; β &# 34 ; relative to the widthwise direction of the female connector body 100 . this is best understood with reference to fig4 . even further , the upper and lower corner portions of locating projections 151 and 153 may be faceted at an angle &# 34 ; α &# 34 ;, as best seen in fig2 . thus - faceted forwardmost portions of locating projections 151 and 153 readily and closely fit into correspondingly sized , shaped and located recesses 2151 and 2153 , respectively , of the male connector 2100 , as best understood with reference to fig2 . as will be appreciated from reference to fig2 , if female connector 100 is to be fitted to male connector 2100 , taking into account the various extensions and / or faceting surfaces discussed above , the outer peripheral shape and size of female connector 100 must be such as to be received closely into the front open space of male connector 2100 . furthermore , to effect the desired electrical connections , for each of the pins , i . e ., data pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ;, jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ;, and power pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; of the male connector 2100 , there must be a correspondingly shaped , sized , and located electrically - conducting pin receptacle in female connector 100 . as will be well understood , each of the pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; of male connector 2100 will have its own correspondingly sized , shaped and located lead and wire ( not shown ) connected to selected elements of a circuit served thereby . each of the pin receptacles provided in female connector 100 has the form of an elongate element with an open front end , and is electrically insulated from each of the other pin receptacles . each pin receptacle will also have a tail ending in a lead such as &# 34 ; dl &# 34 ; for data line leads , &# 34 ; jl &# 34 ; for jumper line leads , and &# 34 ; pl &# 34 ; for power line leads ( best seen in fig4 and 6 ) extending outwardly of rear face 182 . the body of female connector 100 is preferably made of the same type of known strong , electrically insulating , durable , easily - formed and affordable plastics material as used to make the body of male connector 2100 . numerous such plastics are known , and the exact composition is not critical to the success of the present invention . thus , through the width of the body of female connector 100 extend a plurality of pin receptacles having open forward ends at front surface 180 ( as best seen in fig1 and 5 ), and each having a lead extending outwardly of rear surface 182 , ( as best seen in fig4 and 6 ). individual pin receptacles are made of metal and may be molded in place within the body of female connector 100 in any known manner during manufacture . the exact composition of the metal used to form such pin receptacles is not critical , and any known suitable metal and / or alloy may be utilized . the selected material should preferably be non - corrodible under normal operating conditions of ambient temperature , humidity and pollution . the dimensions of the open end of each pin receptacle must be selected to ensure a convenient but effective electricity - transmitting contact when a corresponding pin of the male connector 2100 is fitted therein . the open forward portion of each pin receptacle may be provided with one or more lengthwise splits in a manner commonly utilized in such electrical connections . the exact details thereof are , therefore , considered to be well understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art and not critical to this invention . similarly , the various leads corresponding to each of the pin receptacles may be provided during manufacture with a coating or treatment deemed suitable for facilitating good electrical connection thereat of numerous corresponding wires . again , the exact composition , size , shape , and manner of application of such treatments is not deemed critical to the present invention , and any known technology may be utilized . the above may be summarized thus : female connector 100 is shaped and sized to be forcibly yet readibly fitted to a correspondingly shaped and sized male connector 2100 to effect simultaneous electrical connections between data pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; and data receptacles &# 34 ; dr &# 34 ;, between jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; and jumper receptacles &# 34 ; jr &# 34 ;, and between power pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; and power pin receptacles &# 34 ; pr &# 34 ;. there are , therefore , three distinct sets of pin receptacles &# 34 ; dr &# 34 ; having leads &# 34 ; dl &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; jr &# 34 ; having leads &# 34 ; jl &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; pr &# 34 ; having leads &# 34 ; pl &# 34 ;. the above - described structure permits the provision of eight or nine pin receptacles &# 34 ; jr &# 34 ;, i . e ., optionally one more than previously available , a feat realized by eliminating a portion of what was the dividing wall 1950 in the prior art structure per fig1 and 20 . a recess 144 is formed and is oriented in the upper planar part 102 , as depicted in fig5 , 11 and 12 . one of the pin - receptacles is located directly below the recess 144 , as best seen in fig5 and 11 . note that this is facilitated also by removal of virtually all of divider element 1952 as well . reference to fig2 shows that one of the data pins in the upper line , at a located identified by the numeral &# 34 ; 2199 &# 34 ; is shown missing . this is intended to be exemplary , and indicative of the fact that one or more such pins may be omitted as deemed appropriate . correspondingly , as best understood with reference to fig5 the corresponding pin receptacle 199 may also be omitted . these are merely examples and the precise locations of such omitted pins / pin receptacles is a matter of design choice . although the term jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; and jumper pin receptacles &# 34 ; jr &# 34 ; has been employed in the above discussion , not every one of these pins / pin receptacles needs to serve the same function as all of the others in that set . in other words , some of these may be utilized to provide power at a selected voltage , others may be utilized for data collection , and yet others may be utilized for diagnostic lines . the present invention is intended to provide an ample supply of pins / pin receptacles to add flexibility to existing systems , i . e ., to provide backward capability so that a user may utilize the optimum power supply voltage , have the flexibility to perform diagnostics and to utilize a large number of data lines simultaneously with new and / or existing ide systems . the above - described first embodiment of the present invention permits simultaneous total engagement between all the pins of a male connector 2100 and pin - receptacles of a female connector 100 to effect operative engagement of all data , jumper and power lines . there are , however , other applications in which it may be desirable to provide a female connector which engages with only a portion of a male connector 2100 . the following description relates to two such embodiments which engage with correspondingly different portions of male connector 2100 . a second preferred embodiment is illustrated in fig7 - 12 . as will be readily apparent , the only structural difference between the first preferred embodiment 100 per fig1 - 6 and the second preferred embodiment 700 per fig7 - 12 is that the latter totally lacks that portion which accommodated the four power pin receptacles &# 34 ; pr &# 34 ;. female connector 700 is , therefore , shorter in length than female connector 100 . the end part 106 which previously was furthest away from end part 108 of the peripheral surface continues to remain so , except that it has now moved to be at the far end of the junction pin receptacles &# 34 ; jr &# 34 ;. other than this and obvious related incidental distinctions among the various views , there are no other structural distinctions that need to be described in detail . the female connector 100 , as noted above , permits simultaneous engagement of all of data pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ;, jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; and power pins &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; of male connector 2100 . female connector 700 , on the other hand , permits simultaneous engagement only of data pins &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; and jumper pins &# 34 ; j &# 34 ;. a third preferred embodiment 1300 is illustrated in fig1 - 18 , and differs from the second preferred embodiment per fig7 - 12 in that it lacks only the portion which accommodated junction pin receptacles &# 34 ; jr &# 34 ;. the end part 106 ( opposed to end part 108 of the peripheral surface ) is now moved to be immediately adjacent to and contiguous with the outside portions of locating element 151 . other than that , the structural features , aspects and utilization of female connector 1300 are as described correspondingly in the preceding discussion of the first preferred embodiment per fig1 - 6 . although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it should be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation , the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims .	7
the composition of this invention includes a combination of the herbs , serenoa repens , pygeum africanum , and urtica dioica , or extracts thereof , and the pytochemical lycopene , which were specifically chosen and combined according to their biological activities . the term “ herb ” as used herein refers to the whole herb or tuber , or to the seeds , leaves , stems , flowers , roots , berries , bark , or any other plant parts that are used for healing . the lycopene component of the composition was obtained is available commercially from hoffman la roche , of nutley , n . j ., u . s . a , as a synthetic chemical available at a 5 % strength that is chemically identical to the lycopene extracted from tomato fruit using standard methods . the natural standardized extract is available from many sources well known to those of ordinary skill in the art at a strength of 3 %, including brainway , inc ., senovazne 23 , praha 1 , 110 czech republic . the serenoa repens component of the composition is available commercially around the world , through distributors such as amira , box 1717 , alachua fla ., u . s . a . the component is obtained from the berry portion of the herb and the component is preferably powdered but may also be cut , and preferably contains about 40 % fatty acids . the pygeum africanum component of the composition is available commercially around the world , through distributors , such as advanced alternatives for better health , 1344 lansing avenue , lansing mich ., u . s . a . preferably , the powdered bark is used and contains about 2 . 0 - 2 . 5 % steroids . the urtica dioca component of the composition is available commercially around the world , through distributors such as advanced alternatives for better health , 1344 lansing avenue , lansing mich . 48915 and amira , box 1717 , alachua fla ., u . s . a . the preferred embodiment of the invention contains the component from the powdered root , with 0 . 8 % sterols , but alternatively the root may be cut or powdered or cut leaves may be utilized . the methods for combining the herbs , extracts , and vitamins are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and may be accomplished at a number of commercial production laboratories around the world . each herbal component selected in this group has been well characterized and used individually before for the treatment of bph and for the prevention of prostate cancer . however , they have not , to date , been used together as is disclosed in this invention . it is the synergism between all of the herbs that renders the administration of a combination containing each of the herbs desirable . as a holistic approach to combating the treatment of bph and prevention of prostate cancer , herbs were selected which possess the following biological activities : ( 1 ) anti - tumor activity ; ( 2 ) immune stimulating activity ; ( 3 ) anti - androgen activity ; ( 4 ) anti - bph activity ; and ( 5 ) activities to restore micturitional disorders . most of the herbs have multi functional activities . in a specific embodiment of the invention , the composition comprises between 0 . 1 and 180 mg lycopene , an amount that will comprise from 0 . 1 to 10 % by weight of a tablet or capsule having a total weight of 100 to 1800 mg , between 30 and 1080 mg serenoa repens , an amount that will comprise from 30 to 60 % by weight of a tablet or capsule having a total weight of 100 to 1800 mg , between 4 and 450 mg pygeum africanum , and amount that will comprise from 4 to 25 % by weight of a tablet or capsule having a total weight of 100 to 1800 mg , and between 30 and 1080 mg urtica dioica , an amount that will comprise from 30 to 60 % by weight of a tablet or capsule having a total weight of 100 to 1800 mg . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the composition comprises between 0 . 1 and 60 mg lycopene , an amount that will comprise from 0 . 1 to 10 % by weight of a tablet or capsule having a total weight of 100 to 600 mg , between 30 and 360 mg serenoa repens , an amount that will comprise from 30 to 60 % by weight of a tablet or capsule having a total weight of 100 to 600 mg , between 4 and 150 mg pygeum africanum , and amount that will comprise from 4 to 25 % by weight of a tablet of capsule having a total weight of 100 to 600 mg , and between 30 and 360 mg urtica dioica , an amount that will comprise from 30 to 60 % by weight of a tablet or capsule having a total weight of 100 to 600 mg . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the composition comprises about 50 mg lycopene , about 150 mg serenoa repens , about 50 mg pygeum africanum , and about 150 mg urtica diocia . in a preferred embodiment , the composition further comprises between about 3 and 3 mg vitamin a ; between about 5 and 150 mg vitamin b6 ; between about 1 mg and 25 mg zinc ; between about . 1 and 5 mg copper ; between about 10 mg and 600 mg bee pollen powder ; between about 10 mg and 1800 mg each of the amino acids alanine , glutamine , and glycine ; between about 5 mg and 500 mg panax ginseng extract ; and between about 1 and 100 mg hydrangea arborescens extract . in yet another embodiment , the composition further comprises between 1 and 2 mg vitamin a , between 5 and 50 mg vitamin b6 , between 1 and 15 mg zinc , between 0 . 1 and 2 mg copper , between 10 mg and 240 mg bee pollen powder , between 10 and 600 mg each of alanine , glutamine , and glycine , between 5 and 100 mg panax ginseng extract and between 1 and 25 mg hydrangea arborescens extract . in yet another embodiment , the composition further comprises about 1 . 5 mg vitamin a , about 15 mg vitamin b6 , about 5 mg zinc , about 0 . 5 mg copper ; about 60 mg bee pollen powder , about 60 mg each of alanine , glutamine , and glycine , about 10 mg panax ginseng extract , and about 5 mg hydrangea arborescens extract . in a more preferred embodiment the composition is present in a 500 mg tablet or capsule containing about 50 mg lycopene , an amount that will comprise about 10 % by weight of the tablet or capsule , about 150 mg serenoa repens , and amount that will comprise about 30 % by weight of the tablet or capsule , about 50 mg pygeum africanum , an amount that will comprise about 10 % by weight of the tablet or capsule , and about 150 mg urtica dioica , and amount that will comprise about 30 % by weight of the tablet or capsule , and about 1 . 5 mg vitamin a , about 15 mg vitamin b6 , about 5 mg zinc , about 0 . 5 mg copper , about 60 mg bee pollen powder , about 60 mg each of alanine , glutamine , and glycine , about 10 mg panax ginseng extract , and about 5 mg hydrangea arborescens extract . in a further embodiment , the composition is administered in four tablets , each comprising about 500 mg red yeast rice , about 15 mg coenzyme q 10 , about 50 mcg chromium , about 13 mg inositol , about 50 mcg selenium , and about 20 iu mixed tocopherols to provide a total daily dose of about 2 gm red yeast rice , about 60 mg coenzyme q 10 , about 200 mcg chromium , about 52 mg inositol , about 200 mcg selenium and about 80 iu mixed tocopherols . preferably , the compositions of the present invention are prepared in a tablet dosage form , however it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other dosage forms may also be suitably prepared by known methods , for example , capsules , caplets , powders , pastes , liquids and similar dosage forms . also , it will be understood that the compositions may also contain one or more conventional pharmaceutically acceptable excipients , adjuvants , solvents or carriers and may also include flavors , colorings , coatings , etc . one dose of the pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of bph , for example one tablet or one capsule , may contain , for example 100 - 600 mg of the composition of the present invention . one dose of the pharmaceutical composition for the prevention of prostatic cancers may contain , for example , 600 - 1800 mg of the composition of the present invention . the compositions are preferably administered in spaced dosages throughout the day , for example , administered every three to six hours , so as to maintain the level of active ingredients in the system of the mammal . the dose may be administered in single or divided doses throughout the day and is preferably taken with food . a person skilled in the art will understand that the therapeutic effects of the compositions result from a plurality of active agents in each herb which when combined , act synergistically to enhance efficacy . it will also be understood that the compositions comprising all agents , are also contemplated herein , as are liquid or slow release formulations of the composition . thus , it will be understood that the compositions of the invention can be administered orally , rectally ( as suppositories ), intravenously , topically or by other known means . as a capsule , the formulation should be stored at a temperature of 80 ° or less . the administration of the composition would be in accordance with a predetermined regimen , which would be at least once daily and over an extended period of time as a chronic treatment , and could last for one year or more , including the life of the host . the dosage administered will depend upon the frequency of the administration , the blood level desired , other concurrent therapeutic treatments , the severity of the condition , whether the treatment is for prophylaxis or therapy , the age of the patient , the levels of ldl - cholesterol and hdl - cholesterol in the patient , and the like . the following examples will serve to further typify the nature of the invention , but is not limited on the scope thereof , which is defined solely by the appended claims . the following references are incorporated herein by reference : u . s . provisional application no . 60 / 153 , 322 ; kupelian p a , et al ., ( 1997 ) j . of urol 158 ( 6 ): 2197 - 2201 ; carter b s , et al ., ( 1992 ) proc natl academy science usa 89 : 3367 - 3371 ; walsh p c , partin a w , ( 1997 ) cancer 80 : 1871 - 74 ; cooney k a , et al ., ( 1997 ) natl cancer inst 89 : 955 - 959 ; smith j r , et al ., ( 1996 ) science 274 : 1371 - 1374 ; gronberg h , et al ., ( 1999 ) am j of hum genet 65 ( 1 ): 134 - 140 ; li j , et al ., ( 1997 ) science 275 : 1943 - 1947 ; perrin p , et al ., ( 1991 ) presse med 20 ( 28 ): 1313 - 1319 ; harvey , h , ( 1995 ) pathol res prac 191 ( 9 ): 924 - 934 ; gann p h , et al ., ( 1999 ) cancer res 59 ( 6 ): 1225 - 1230 ; giovannucci e , ( 1999 ) j natl cancer inst 91 ( 4 ): 317 - 331 ; rao a v , et al ., ( 1999 ) nutr cancer 33 ( 2 ): 159 - 164 ; pastori m , et al ., ( 1998 ) biochem biophys res commun 250 ( 3 ): 582 - 585 ; bayne c w , et al ., ( 1999 ) prostate 40 ( 4 ): 232 - 241 ; wilt t j , et al ., ( 1998 ) jama 280 ( 18 ): 1604 - 1609 ; delos s , et al ., ( 1995 ) j steroid biochem mol biol 55 ( 3 - 4 ): 375 - 383 ; schroder f , ( 1994 ) clin endocrinol 41 ( 2 ): 139 - 147 ; barlet a , et al ., ( 1990 ) wien klin wochenschr 22 : 667 - 673 ; carani c , et al ., ( 1991 ) arch ital urol nefrol androl 63 : 341 - 345 ; varro , t . herbs of choice , ( 1994 ) pharmaceutical press ; schottner m , et al ., ( 1997 ) planta med 63 ( 6 ): 529 - 532 ; hryb d j , et al ., ( 1995 ) planta med 61 ( 1 ): 31 - 32 ; mindell , e ., earl mindell &# 39 ; s herb bible , a fireside book ( 1992 ); rosner w , et al ., ( 1999 ) j steroid biochem mol biol 69 ( 1 - 6 ): 481 - 485 ; damrau , f . ( 1958 ) j . maine medical association 49 : 99 - 102 ; aito , k . & amp ; iwatsubo , e . ( 1972 ) hinyokika kiyo — acta urologica japonica . 18 ( 1 ): 41 - 4 ); feinblatt , h m & amp ; gant , j ( 1958 ), j maine medical assoc . 49 : 99 - 124 ; mahajan , s k , et al . ( 1982 ), amer j clin nutr 36 : 1177 - 1183 ; leake , chisholm & amp ; harib ( 1984 ), j steroid biochem 20 : 651 - 655 ; fahim , wang sutcu & amp ; fahim ( 1993 ), andrologia 25 : 369 - 75 ; antoniou , sudhakar , shalhoub & amp ; smith ( 1977 ), lancet oct . : 895 - 898 ; wallace , a m , & amp ; grant , j k ( 1975 ) biochemical society transactions 3 : 540 - 542 ; buck a c , rees , r w m , ebeling , l ( 1989 ), brit j urology 64 : 496 - 499 ; rugendorff , e w et . al . ( 1993 ), brit j . urology 71 : 433 - 438 ; habib , f k ( 1990 ), brit j urology 66 : 393 - 397 ; zhang , x ( 1995 ) j med chem 38 : 735 - 738 ; simon , h b , ( 2000 ) harvard mens health watch . 4 ( 9 ): 8 ; fahim m s . et al ., ( 1982 ) archives of andrology . 8 ( 4 ): 261 - 3 , 1982 june ; key t j ., et al ., ( 1997 ) brit . j . cancer . 76 ( 5 ): 678 - 87 ; bender d a , ghartey - sam k , singh a . ( 1989 ) brit . j . nutrition , 61 ( 3 ): 619 - 28 ; olson k b and pienta k j . ( 1998 ) j . nat . cancer institute . 90 ( 6 ): 414 - 5 ; and chattopadhyay a ., et al ., ( 1999 ) j . toxicological sciences . 24 ( 5 ): 393 - 7 .	0
i have found that by using appropriate combinations of reagents under condition which permit these reagents to react with each other effectively , instantaneously and completely and ensuring that the overall temperature in the reactors used does not exceed 850 ° c . coupled with rapid removal and shock cooling of the gaseous products of the reaction that substantially all of the adversities detracting from the chemical and thermal efficiency of the prior art are not only obviated but also recovery of the desired carbon monoxide and hydrogen as sources of combustible fuel are achieved with the material efficiencies in excess of 94 percent and with thermal efficiencies superior to any of those described in the prior art by virtue of controlled application of heat into the area where such heat operates with greatest effect . this is accomplished by initiating the reaction between ( 1 ) molten alkali metal at a temperature of the order of 350 .° c . in one spray stream and ( 2 ) a slurry comprising superheated stream with carbon in separate streams which is pumped into a first reaction chamber and then into a semifluid bed chamber containing finely divided powdered iron , cobalt , nickel or manganese oxides of said metals , alloys of said metals , or mixtures of said metals in which such chambers are maintained at a temperature not exceeding 850 ° c . alternatively , a third reagent in the form of heated carbon dioxide may also and preferentially be pumped into the reaction chamber . the water , carbon and carbon dioxide streams are also fed at a temperature of 350 ° c . these reagents are pumped into a first reaction zone in such a manner that all of the spray jets are commingled just prior to entering the semifluidized bed containing metallic iron and / or an oxide of iron , or the preferred equivalent mixtures of metals and / or oxides defined previously . all sprays except that of the alkali metal are introduced tangentially in order to yield a pronounced vortex action in the first reaction chamber . a hypergolic reaction developing an excessive gas pressure is thus initiated in the first reaction zone . the gaseous products of the reaction obtained after passing through the semifluidized bed zone ( which may be designated as the second reaction chamber ), comprising chiefly sodium vapor , hydrogen , and carbon monoxide are passed to a condensor operating at a pressure of less than 0 . 5 atmospheres where the metallic sodium is shock cooled to a temperature not exceeding 380 ° c . and not dropping below a temperature of 200 ° c . through heat exchange , heat is extracted from the products and added to the incoming reagents . an advantage of the process is that a substantial excess of combustible gas producing reagents in the form of carbon , water and carbon dioxide without additional metallic sodium may be added to the reagents to produce extra quantities of combustible gas , again at high rates and without hindering the course of the reaction . these extra reagents permit a significant content of the familiar &# 34 ; water shift reaction &# 34 ; to be added on top the various reactions involving sodium or potassium . further , the desired reducing conditions are ensured by maintaining an excess of reducing agent in the reactor through the medium of amounts of carbon and metals taken from the class of iron , cobalt , nickel and manganese , such excess being above that required for exact stoichiometry as may be defined by the equations which describe the various reactions taking place . these extra reagents also serve the function of maintaining the hypergolic reaction temperature so as to not exceed 850 ° c . when the principal metallic reductant is metallic iron in powdered form , production of alkali metals just barely begins to take place at temperatures in the range of 850 ° c . to 950 ° c . if metallic reductants taken from the group of manganese , cobalt , and nickel are utilized as at least partial replacements for the iron , hydrogen production begins at temperatures as low as 350 ° c . with active alkali metal production taking place at temperatures as low as 550 ° c . to 650 ° c . thus , the use of metals taken from the class of manganese , cobalt and nickel or combinations thereof as a replacement for a portion of the iron burden greatly facilitates the reaction by substantially reducing the temperature at which the reaction takes place . since the carbon monoxide and hydrogen pass into the gaseous condition immediately , removal of these gaseous products from the reaction zone by utilization of reduced pressure is exceptionally rapid , compared to the slower volatilization of the metallic sodium , thereby again reducing the possibility for a back reaction between metallic sodium and carbon monoxide which detracts from the efficiency of the desired gas formation . the commercial viability of the cyclic process described is not only a function of the purity of the carbon which is utilized as one of the reductants but further is a function of special treatments which need to be carried out in the reactor in the event that impure types of carbon such as coal are used as reactants . an ideal material as a carbon source is ash - free calcined petroleum coke . use of such a reductant permits substantially indefinite recycling without adverse building up of adverse by - product nonproductive reactions . if the coke contains a significant amount of mineral contamination , then a sufficient amount of limestone needs to be added in order to produce a high melting point powder with the ash constituents of the coal requiring periodic tapping of the furnace to remove the undesired by - product powder which consists primarily of calcium silicates , sometimes containing substantial portions of calcium sulfide in the event that the coal contains high percentages of sulfur . the melting points of these by - products are substantially above 850 ° c . so that they can be removed from the reactor periodically as dry , free flowing powders . in view of the fact that water is one of the reagents , high water content coals normally designated as brown coal or lignites may be utilized as the carbon source without the need for preliminary calcination of the coal for removal of such water and the volatile components of the coal represent a plus for the formation of gaseous energy producing fuels usually in the form of gaseous hydrocarbons and hydrogen . coke is a useful reductant if utilized in the presence of limestone . the preferred form of coke is the type normally designated in the trade as &# 34 ; coke breeze .&# 34 ; alternately , finely divided coke recovered from blast furnace dust is also useful . the basic reactions and reaction routings which take place are defined in tables 1 through 7 and in fig1 through 3 following , which are block diagrams of the process . a schematic representation of the reactor in which the combustible gases are produced is depicted in fig4 . fig4 is not drawn to scale . in addition , equipment items whose design and function are amply described in the prior art are not shown but will be defined in the description to follow . however , sufficient dimensional information will be provided so that the schematic representation may be considered in terms of proper scale . table 1______________________________________chemistry of production of co and h . sub . 2 fromnaoh + c + fereaction sequence a ## str1 ## ## str2 ## ## str3 ## ## str4 ## ## str5 ## reaction sequence b ## str6 ## ## str7 ## ## str8 ## ## str9 ## ## str10 ## ______________________________________ table 2______________________________________gas production from chemistry in table 1 ( a or b ) ______________________________________9 . 49 . sup .+ standard cubic feet of h . sub . 2 ( 12 moles of h . sub . 2 ) 9 . 49 . sup .+ standard cubic feet of co ( 12 moles of o . sub . 2 ) ______________________________________ table 3______________________________________chemistry of production of co fromna . sub . 2 co . sub . 3 + fe + c + co . sub . 2 ## str11 ## ## str12 ## ## str13 ## ## str14 ## ## str15 ## ______________________________________ table 4______________________________________gas production from chemistry in table 3______________________________________12 . 66 standard cubic feet of co ( 16 moles of co ) ______________________________________ table 5______________________________________combination of reaction sequence a ( table 1 and table 3 ) ## str16 ## ( a ) combination of reaction sequences aand b ( table 1 and table 3 ) ## str17 ## ( b ) ______________________________________ table 6______________________________________gas production from chemistry in table 5______________________________________from reaction sequence a ( table 1 ) and table 3______________________________________22 . 15 standard cubic feet of co ( 28 moles of co ) 9 . 49 . sup .+ standard cubic feet of h . sub . 2 ( 12 moles of______________________________________h . sub . 2 ) from reaction sequences a and b ( table 1 ) and table 3______________________________________31 . 64 standard cubic feet of co ( 40 moles of co ) 18 . 99 standard cubic feet of h . sub . 2 ( 24 moles of h . sub . 2 ) ______________________________________ table 7______________________________________addition of extra c , h . sub . 2 o and co . sub . 2 ## str18 ## ## str19 ## ## str20 ##= 4 . 75 standard cubic feet of h . sub . 2 ( 6 moles )= 14 . 24 standard cubic feet of co ( 18 moles ) ______________________________________ the reactor proper 1 is made of 3 / 8 &# 34 ; thick armco iron of welded construction . metals such as nickel or nickel clad inconel or zirconium stabilized nichrome are useful alternates . the reactor 1 is maintained at operating temperature by wrapping the exterior of the reactor ( not shown ) with high temperature ceramic coated resistance wire and the exterior of the ceramic coated resistance wire is insulated to drive the heat inwards toward the reactor . alternately , the reactor may be heated by induction . the inside diameter of the reactor is 12 &# 34 ; and the inside height of the reactor in its longest dimension is 48 &# 34 ;. a ring 33 having a cross section of 1 &# 34 ; by 1 &# 34 ; is welded to the inside of the reactor in the position indicated so that the top of such ring is 12 &# 34 ; from the bottom of the reactor . placed on top this ring is a perforated flat bottom dish shaped plate 2 , 1 &# 34 ; in thickness in its flat portions and 3 &# 34 ; high on the raised edges . the perforated dish 2 is drilled with holes as shown , 3 / 32 &# 34 ; each in diameter on 1 / 3 &# 34 ; centers , such holes being made only on the flat portions of the dish . both ring 33 and dish 2 are also made of armco iron . the reactor 1 is loaded above with a graded series of armco iron balls 3 through the tight sealing removable cover 4 , such graded series varying regularly in size from 1 &# 34 ; in diameter to 1 / 8 &# 34 ; in diameter . a bed of iron balls approximately 16 &# 34 ; thick is provided as follows : a first double layer of 1 &# 34 ; balls ; followed by four layers of 3 / 4 &# 34 ; balls ; six layers of 1 / 2 &# 34 ; balls , eight layers of 1 / 4 &# 34 ; balls ; and finally topped off with a 6 &# 34 ; to 8 &# 34 ; thick layer of 1 / 8 &# 34 ; balls . the balls are hollow or porous to reduce weight . the approximate height of the total ball containing bed is approximately 16 &# 34 ; deep . the top of the bed is 8 &# 34 ; below the gas outlet 11 said gas outlet being 5 &# 34 ; in diameter . the distance between the top of the ball bed layer and the removable tight sealing removable cover 4 is 19 &# 34 ;. the removable cover 4 is 6 &# 34 ; in diameter which when in use , is bolted down against a copper gasket ( bolts and gaskets not shown ). the reactor above the perforated plate 2 is designated as the second reactor zone . the first reactor zone 29 is 12 &# 34 ; deep from the bottom of the perforated plate 2 to the inside of the discharge opening 5 in which 5 again is a tight sealed removable cover 2 &# 34 ; in diameter held in place with bolts and copper gasket , said bolts and copper gasket not shown . the reactor 1 is held in place with four 1 &# 34 ; diameter iron legs 6 equally spaced around the bottom of the reactor . each leg is welded to a 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick iron plate 3 &# 34 ; in diameter 7 set on top a firm iron plate foundation 9 1 &# 34 ; thick which is bolted to the floor . between plate 7 and foundation 9 is placed a magnetically actuated vibrator 8 of known design operating at frequencies of at least 1000 cycles per second through an amplitude not exceeding 0 . 5 mils and preferably maintained at 0 . 1 mils . similar foundations and vibrators ( not shown ) are situated under all other unit process pieces of equipment so that the entire assembly of fig4 can be made to vibrate in unison , if desired , to prevent undue strain on piping and couplings . loop 32 is a heat exchanger constructed of iron using liquid gallium as the heat exchange fluid which enables the gases coming from reactor 1 through conduit 11 to be cooled to a temperature not exceeding 380 ° c . other fluids such as metallic sodium , biphenyl and standard heat exchange media may be used instead . mechanical pumps are used for all fluids except metallic sodium which is magnetically pumped . the pumps are not shown . the heat extracted at this stage is transferred to the feeding devices 25 and 26 through which the non - sodium reagents are fed into the vortex chamber 29 . this heat transfer device is not shown . the cooled gases consisting primarily of very fine droplets of metallic sodium , carbon monoxide and hydrogen pass into a fluted condensor ( iron ) 12 where the sodium is coalesced into a liquid state and thence into the insulated iron container 13 maintained at a temperature not exceeding 350 ° c . and not below 200 ° c . the magnetically activated internal valves 20 , 21 , 31 , 24 , 34 and 35 are appropriately opened and closed as defined later . the internal capacity of the container 13 is 5 gallons up to the dashed line . since sodium , potassium , and mixtures thereof have a small but significant vapor pressure at 350 ° c ., a second condensor is provided in which the off - gases now consisting chiefly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen with a minute amount of entrained alkali vapor are passed through conduit 15 into the fluted condensor 12a cooling these gases to a temperature in the range of 125 ° c . to 150 ° c ., at which temperature the vapor pressure of the alkali metals is miniscule . the container 16 again has a capacity of 5 gallons up to the top dashed line and a capacity of 1 / 2 gallon up to the double dashed line . the off - gases , now consisting of a substantially pure mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen , are pulled from the container 16 through the conduit 17 by means of a totally sealed graphite vane pump 18 of speed and capacity so that a pressure of 0 . 1 to 0 . 5 atomspheres is maintained from the interior of reactor 1 at position 3 up to the exhausting face of the vane pump 18 . carbon monoxide and hydrogen are passed to the gas holder 19 in which the sealing liquid at room temperature is purified mineral oil , of specific gravity equal or less than 0 . 90 , containing no additives . purified mineral oil is chosen as the gas holder sealant since it does not react with alkali metal which may enter the gas holder fortuitously and any vapor pressure it might exhibit will represent a beneficial additive to the desired combustible gas product . chamber 14 is an insulated iron container of 5 gallon capacity to which is fed 30 pounds of molten sodium or potassium or mixtures thereof , to be used later for start up and balancing purposes through pipe 30 . the alkali metal is fed into the container 14 through the magnetically activated valve 31 while valves 34 and 35 are in the closed condition . such alkali metal is maintained at a temperature between 200 ° c . and 350 ° c . pipe 38 leads back to the top of the gas holder 19 not only to provide a backup pressure forcing gaseous medium of carbon monoxide and hydrogen entering at atmospheric or superatmospheric pressure , but also to ensure appropriate pressure balancing means while the gas forming reactions are in progress in reactor 1 . to accomplish this operation , valve 39 is either opened at will or automatically when the gas pressure in front of the valve exceeds 0 . 5 atmospheres . whenever valve 39 is open , pump 40 is started automatically to pump gas from the top of gas holder 19 into chamber 14 . all valves such as 31 , 34 , 35 , 21 , 20 and 24 through which molten alkali passes are totally internal magnetically activated flip type devices of known construction . all piping for molten alkali such as 11 , 15 , 17 , 36 , 23 and 22 are made of externally insulated armco iron of 1 &# 34 ; inside diameter and 3 / 16 &# 34 ; wall thickness with the exception of conduit 11 which has an inside diameter of 5 &# 34 ; and a wall thickness of 3 / 8 &# 34 ;. the molten alkali metal at a temperature of 350 ° c . is pumped concentrically with a magnetic pump 10 into the vortex nozzle 37 which ejects such molten metal into the first reaction chamber 29 which is maintained at a temperature not exceeding 850 ° c . with appropriate opening and closing of valves as will be described in example 1 . the balance of the vortex nozzle 37 consists , first , of a 5 &# 34 ; diameter iron tube 27 of 3 / 8 &# 34 ; wall thickness made of iron welded through the wall of the reactor 1 so as to permit access to chamber 29 . lines 25 and 26 are 1 / 2 &# 34 ; internal diameter iron of 1 / 8 &# 34 ; wall thickness through which reagents other than the alkali metals , such as carbon , steam , carbon dioxide and sometimes limestone are fed tangentially into the vortex nozzle . solids are in powder form of particle size not exceeding 25 microns . these reagents are fed into the nozzle from pressure chambers and pressurized mixing chambers fitted with pumps , all of known design , and not depicted in fig4 which enables such reagents to be fed into the nozzle at temperatures in the range of 200 ° c . to 350 ° c . these feed chambers are maintained in this temperature range by heat exchange devices ( not shown ) whose heat is supplied by loop 32 . the vortex nozzle assembly 37 is sealed into the tubulature 27 by welding into appropriate perforations in the flange 28 which in turn is welded into the inside of tubulature 27 . the gas holder 19 has a gas capacity of 1000 cubic feet above the sealant level and is used primarily as an overflow device into a second gas holder of at least 100 , 000 cubic feet capacity ( not shown ) from which combustible gas can be drawn for end use purposes . this combination of gas holding devices is a further aid for pressure balancing purposes . outlet 41 and valve 44 and outlet 42 with valve 45 are drain ports for gravity removal of molten alkali from the system when desired or necessary . inlet 43 with valve 46 represents a means for purging the system of air and replacing the atmosphere with hydrogen , carbon monoxide , or a mixture of the two . this is accomplished by closing off valves leading to lines 25 and 26 ; closing valves 31 , 39 , 47 , 44 and 45 ; opening valves 24 , 20 , 21 and 34 . after the system is partially loaded in a manner to be described later , purging is accomplished by evacuating the system through port 43 and valve 46 and replacing the air thus removed with hydrogen , carbon monoxide or a mixture of the two through a bypass to 43 ( not shown ). this purging process is repeated twice , after which valve 46 is closed . the reactor assembly is empty except for sealant in the gas holders 19 . reactor 1 is then loaded with iron balls as heretofore described through the opened cover 4 . on top the layer of 3 / 4 &# 34 ; balls is placed a 4 lb . layer of calcined petroleum coke which has been crushed to pass a screen of 4 mesh ( tyler ) size so that all the coke is minus 4 mesh . on top of this layer is placed 3 layers of the 1 / 2 &# 34 ; iron balls followed by a layer of 3 lbs . of minus 300 mesh powdered metals comprising a mixture of equal weights of iron , cobalt , nickel and manganese . cover 4 is closed and the entire system is then purged of air with dried tank hydrogen up to closed valves 39 and 47 . the gas holder 19 is then loaded with 200 cubic feet of carbon monoxide and hydrogen from an outside source in the ratio of 3 volumes of carbon monoxide to 1 volume of hydrogen . next valves 34 and 35 are closed and valves 39 and 31 are opened . all other valves are closed . simultaneously , container 14 is loaded with 30 lbs . of molten sodium at 200 ° c . through conduit 30 while pump 40 removes hydrogen gas from container 14 at a rate equal to the volume of the molten sodium being added . once loading is completed , valve 31 is closed . now , valves 35 and 47 are opened and pump 18 is actuated while valve 39 is closed and pump 40 is stopped . loading of sodium is continued into chamber 16 until 10 lbs . of metal have been added . valve 35 is then closed and valve 34 is then opened until chamber 14 is empty and chamber 13 contains 20 lbs . of molten sodium . the molten metal in chamber 16 is eventually maintained at a temperature of 135 ° c . and in chamber 13 eventually at a temperature of 350 ° c . in the meanwhile , reactor 1 and its contents have been heated to 850 ° c . while valves 34 , 47 and 39 are open and all other valves are closed . valve 39 is opened to permit gas to be moved towards the left with pump 40 turning in the appropriate direction while pump 18 is moving gas towards the gas holder . heat exchanger 32 is in the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; condition while chamber 13 is heated to 350 ° c . and chamber 16 is maintained at 135 ° c . gas pressure balancing is thus maintained while reactor 1 is being heated to temperature . the system is now in condition for initiating the gas forming reaction . the reactor depicted in fig4 is a dynamic steady state device in which material flow is regulated by flow meters of known design in calibrated form . the flow of the molten alkali metals is regulated by the controlled action of the magnetic pump 10 . while the finely divided carbon source may be fed directly as a gas or liquid borne slurry , the most convenient and accurate technique is the use of aspiration into the tubulatures 25 or 26 . this is accomplished by placing a side arm ( not depicted ) onto 25 or 26 just prior to position of flange 28 . such side arm connects to a container ( not depicted ) from which the air has been displaced with hydrogen . by vibrating the container at a controlled rate , the powdered reagent is fed into the vortex nozzle 37 and the first reaction zone 29 . the containers for the powder are fitted with valved ports for filling purposes and backup pressure inlets where carbon dioxide gas is the equalizing pressure medium . water is fed to the reactor at temperatures in the range of 90 ° c . to 350 ° c . at nozzle pressures of the order of 100 lbs . per square inch . when water is injected at temperatures below its boiling point some or all of the carbon is fed to the reactor in the form of a well stirred slurry from a stirred pressure type vessel of known design . this situation obtains when pure carbon such as calcined ash - free petroleum coke is utilized . when impure sources of carbon are used such as lignite only part of the carbon can be injected with the water , and the balance in the form of powdered lignite by aspiration . the carbon dioxide is fed to the reactor at a temperature of 350 ° c ., also at nozzle pressure of the order of 100 lbs . per square inch . water above its boiling point is utilized as dry steam . as indicated previously , the reagents with the exception of the molten alkalis , are heated to the desired temperature by heat interchange from exchanger - coil 32 . the molten alkali metal , which is already at a temperature of 200 ° c . to 350 ° c ., is pumped from container 13 with occasional admixture of metal from container 16 via a line 22 at an internal pressure not exceeding 10 lbs . per square inch . the exit concentric molten alkali nozzle at 37 has an opening of approximately 0 . 08 square inches which provides a nozzle pressure of approximately 100 lbs . per square inch . as a consequence of the recited conditions , all the products of the reaction in chamber 29 are in gaseous or extremely fine mist form . in view of the reduced pressure imposed by pump 18 , these products pass almost immediately into the vibrated bed 3 . the production of hydrogen is substantially quantitative practically immediately based on measurements of gas samples reduced to standard conditions taken at the inlet to gas holder 19 within 5 minutes after the start of the reaction , while the production of carbon monoxide becomes quantitative after about 10 minutes which apparently is the time required to reach steady state conditions in zone 3 of reactor 1 . the term &# 34 ; quantitative &# 34 ; refers to the stoichiometry depicted in tables 1 through 7 and the equations therein . in view of the dynamic operation of the system an exact figure for gas production is difficult to determine at any exact moment in time at the gas holder inlet area but samples taken from the gas holder itself 19 indicate that under steady state conditions , the production of gas represents a yield between 95 and close to 100 percent of theoretical based on the combined equations given in tables 1 , 3 and 7 . obviously , the relative ratios of carbon monoxide and hydrogen can be varied by appropriate combinations of variations of tables 1 , 3 and 7 since carbon monoxide only is produced from the chemistry given in table 3 . access to reaction chamber 1 for addition and / or removal of reagents and / or undesired by - products is made available through valved ports 48 and 49 . passage of dust into the molten alkali condensor containers is prevented by welding a 300 mesh iron screen 50 onto the face of tubulature 51 . normally , such gas borne dust problem does not occur except when channeling takes place which sometimes occurs in the upper portions of the fluidized bed . a slight and temporary increase in amplitude of vibration through vibrator 8 remedies the difficulty . the conditions as defined in 1a are established . simultaneously valves 34 , 47 , 20 , 21 and 24 and those leading to lines 25 and 26 are opened with valve 39 and pump 40 actuated to initiate action to the left when the gas pressure reaches 0 . 5 atmospheres at the same time pumps 18 and 10 are actuated . molten sodium at 350 ° c . is injected into chamber 29 through the vortex nozzle 37 at the rate of 1 . 5 lbs . of metal per minute . carbon in the form of ash - free calcined petroleum coke in the amount of 0 . 77 lbs . per minute is fed as a slurry mixed with water in the amount of 0 . 58 lbs . per minute at a temperature of 95 ° c . carbon dioxide gas is fed at the rate of 1 . 412 lbs . per minute at a temperature of 350 ° c . these reagent feeding conditions are maintained for 15 minutes . thereafter , pump 10 and the pumps actuating lines 25 and 26 are stopped , followed immediately by reversal of pump 10 for 15 seconds after which valve 24 is closed along with stoppage of pump 10 . the exhausting action of pump 18 is accelerated to yield a pressure of 0 . 1 atmospheres and continued for 10 minutes longer after which pumps 18 and 40 are stopped along with closure of valves 39 and 47 . after corrections for volumes of gas left in gas holder at start up and its analysis reduced to standard conditions , it was found that 659 cubic feet of gas at standard conditions was produced which represents a gas volume yield of approximately 95 . 5 percent of theoretical . analysis shows that this gas exhibited a ratio of carbon monoxide to hydrogen of 2 . 81 , whereas the theoretical quantitative ratio at 100 percent yield would have been 3 . 00 , defining that the majority of loss of yield from theoretical was due to a slightly less than quantitative yield of carbon monoxide along with a quantitative yield of hydrogen . actual yields were 173 cubic feet of hydrogen and 486 cubic feet of carbon monoxide . start up conditions as in example 1a were reestablished and the procedure of example 1b carried out except that the molten sodium was replaced with molten potassium . all conditions of example 1b were maintained except that the potassium was fed at the rate of 2 . 55 lbs . per minute . a residual gas volume of 679 cubic feet at standard conditions was produced showing a carbon monoxide - hydrogen ratio of 2 . 92 corresponding to an overall gas volume yield of 98 . 4 percent . same as example 1b except that the carbon was aspirated into the reaction chamber and the water was fed to the reaction in the form of dry steam at a temperature of 350 ° c . a gas yield of 676 cubic feet was obtained ( at standard conditions ) equivalent to a yield of 98 percent of theoretical . coke breeze ground to a particle size of less than 25 microns having the proximate analysis shown in table 8 is used as the carbon source and is fed at the rate of 0 . 96 lbs . per minute along with 0 . 04 lbs . per minute of equally fine limestone , and in accordance with the teachings of example 3 . a gas yield of 652 standard cubic feet was obtained equivalent to 94 . 5 percent of theoretical . table 8______________________________________proximate analysis of coke breezec = 80 . 0fe = 5 . 0mn = 0 . 04sio . sub . 2 = 7 . 4al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 = 2 . 8cao = 1 . 8mgo = 0 . 6s = 0 . 6h . sub . 2 o = 1 . 7______________________________________ after the reaction was completed to the full stop condition and all valves closed , gas was fed from the gas holder 19 into the reactor through pipe 48 until a pressure of 1 atmosphere was obtained . gas flow was then stopped and the valve in pipe 48 closed . a chamber containing an atmosphere of carbon monoxide and hydrogen taken from the gas holder was attached to pipe 49 . the valve in pipe 49 was opened and the reactor was then vibrated with an amplitude of 0 . 2 mils at 2000 cycles per second from position ( 8 ) for 15 minutes . valves at 49 and in the collecting chamber were closed . the collecting chamber was removed , cooled to room temperature , and the contents in the form of a grey - black fine powder was magnetically separated . the magnetic portion along with 3 lbs . of - 16 mesh ( tyler ) calcined petroleum coke was added back to the reactor through pipe 48 , after which the valve in pipe 48 was closed . the reactor was vibrated for 5 minutes at an amplitude of 0 . 1 mils at 1000 cycles per second and the gas forming reaction as previously described in this example was reinitiated with approximately the same yield of gas as before , indicating that the procedure used was adequate for placing the reactor back into operating condition . the nonmagnetic fraction weighed 2 . 30 lbs . and analysis indicated that it comprised a major amount of the silicates of lime , magnesia and alumina plus a minor amount of the sulfide of lime . these results indicate that the reactor can be run for 45 to 75 minutes before cleanout is required . further , it appears that continuous removal and refilling is possible in a dynamic sense by appropriate manipulation of amplitude and speed of vibration while reagent injection is in the full stop condition . same as example 4 except that the source of carbon used was a semibituminous montana coal in finely ground state having the analysis given in table 9 . the coal was fed at the rate of 1 . 28 lbs . per minute along with 0 . 04 lbs . of finely ground limestone per minute . a gas yield of 697 of standard cubic feet of gas was obtained presumably equivalent to about 101 percent of theoretical . however , the gas analysis indicated that the hydrogen yield was approximately 104 percent of theoretical and the carbon monoxide yield was about 97 . 5 percent of theoretical . apparently , the extra hydrogen comes from hydrocarbons present in the coal . also , the gas was found to contain approximately 0 . 7 percent of nitrogen by volume . table 9______________________________________combined proximate analysisof semibituminous coal ( a ) ( b ) ______________________________________ 60 . 0 fixed c = 43 . 7 h 5 . 6 volatiles = 34 . 7 n 1 . 3 h . sub . 2 o = 10 . 5 0 21 . 0 ash = 11 . 2 s 1 . 1 h . sub . 2 o 10 . 5______________________________________	2
[ 0018 ] fig1 displays the preferred embodiment of the invention and its environment . this environment comprises a housing 10 and a rotatable shaft 12 , extending through said housing . the invention is applied to seal and separate fluid within the annular space 14 from the fluid environment at 16 . basic components of the rotary barrier seal face of the invention comprise an annular stationary ring 20 , having a radial extending face 22 in sealing relation with a radial extending face 26 of an annular rotary ring 24 . the stationary ring 20 is held in place by an annular retainer 40 , and its outer diameter engages a lip of the low friction static seal 60 . cover 18 locks the retainer 40 and the static seal 60 against the shoulder 48 of the housing 10 to prevent axial movement . an o - ring seal 56 extends around the outer circumference of the retainer 40 to preclude leakage of buffer fluid at ports 58 and 64 into fluid environment 16 between retainer 40 and housing 10 . amid retainer 40 and stationary ring 20 is a plurality of springs 46 , spaced equidistantly around the circumference of retainer 40 . springs 46 act against an annular disc 44 , urging the stationary ring 20 into engagement with the rotary ring 24 . an o - ring 42 seals the space between the stationary ring 20 and retainer 40 . the rotary ring 24 is retained in the axial position by the drive sleeve 36 and the clamp sleeve 34 . drive sleeve 36 and clamp sleeve 34 are concentric with the shaft 12 and both are locked on to the shaft 12 between shaft shoulder 62 and locknut 38 threaded onto shaft 12 . the o - ring seals 50 and 52 preclude leakage between the rotary ring 24 , the drive sleeve 36 and the shaft 12 . in operation , radial extending face 22 of the stationary ring 20 and radial extending face 26 of rotary ring 24 are in sealing relationship , maintaining a very narrow sealing clearance , generated by a helical groove pattern 28 on the sealing face 26 of the rotary ring 24 . opposite arrangements with said helical groove pattern on the sealing face 22 of the stationary ring 20 are also effective and will be shown below . said narrow clearance prevents generation of friction heat and wear , yet limiting consumption and outflow of the buffer fluid supplied through opening 30 into crescent - shaped pockets 32 which have a pressure - equalizing function , whereas the same function can also be achieved by means of an annular recess , which will be shown below . [ 0023 ] fig2 shows a view in elevation of the sealing face 26 of the rotary ring 24 with a pattern of helical grooves 28 according to fig1 taken along line 2 - 2 . shown helical grooves 28 are directed counter - clockwise and inward for a particular direction of shaft rotation and will be directed clockwise and inward for the opposite direction of shaft rotation . non - grooved area 54 at the outside diameter of the sealing face 26 fosters restriction of outflow of buffer gas into process fluid at annular space 14 of fig1 as will be shown below . [ 0024 ] fig3 is a view in elevation of the seal face 22 of the stationary ring 20 according to fig1 taken along line 3 - 3 . exposed are openings 30 for the supply of the buffer fluid . pressure of said buffer fluid is circumferential equalized by concentric crescent - shaped pockets 32 , whilst outward outflow of said buffer fluid is restricted between narrow dam 66 and the non - grooved area 54 of the sealing face 26 as shown in fig2 . although fig3 shows said crescent - shaped pockets within stationary ring 20 , the same pressure equalizing arrangements will also be effective with said pockets within said rotary ring . [ 0025 ] fig4 shows an enlarged view in section taken along line 4 - 4 of fig3 through both stationary ring 20 and rotary ring 24 . arrows within clearance between rotary ring 24 and stationary ring 20 show the direction of buffer fluid outflow from pockets 32 and opening 30 , exposing the key mechanism for maintaining separation of process fluids between space 14 and at environment 16 according to fig1 and according to fig5 shown below . [ 0026 ] fig5 shows another embodiment of the invention , where low friction static seal 68 engages with the bore of the retainer 40 and rests within disc 44 . an additional o - ring 76 between disc 44 and stationary ring 20 prevents intermixing of buffer fluid and process fluid at space 14 . static o - ring seals 70 and 72 as well as 74 help channel said buffer fluid via ports 58 and 64 toward openings 30 and a circumferential groove 33 . [ 0027 ] fig6 shows a view in elevation of the sealing face according to fig5 taken along line 6 - 6 , where the partial helical groove pattern is formed in the sealing face 22 of the stationary ring 20 . circumferential groove 33 is located near the stationary ring 20 outer diameter , from which it is separated by a narrow dam 66 . said circumferential groove 33 serves to equalize buffer fluid pressure circumferentially , while it can be formed in either one of the two sealing faces to obtain the above purpose . inner circumference of the groove 33 defines outer extent of the pattern of helical grooves 28 . [ 0028 ] fig7 shows another embodiment of the elevation view of the rotary ring 24 according to fig1 taken along line 2 - 2 . this arrangement does not embrace a non - grooved dam area at the outer diameter of the face 26 and my be applied in situations where helical groove pattern is exceedingly shallow . [ 0029 ] fig8 shows another embodiment of the elevation view of the stationary ring 20 according to fig1 taken along line 3 - 3 . a plurality of openings 30 supply buffer fluid into the sealing face 22 of said stationary ring 20 . it is to be realized that only preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and that numerous substitutions , modifications and alterations are permissible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .	5
a more detailed description of the present invention follows , with specific reference to the accompanying drawings , fig1 - 5 . in the present case , this description orients itself toward the application of the present invention to eyewear , although could equally apply to any optical quality lens assembly , of arbitrary shape and curvature , with a holographic image or information recorded within the holographic recording material component of the assembly . referring now to fig1 and 2 , shown are two possible completed optical lens assemblies , 1 and 3 , for use in eyewear which is of multi - lens or unitary lens type , respectively . the materials comprising the various components of these lenses shown in finished form is given in the body of this description below in reference to fig3 and 4 . each of fig1 and 2 illustrates a representation 2 of an arbitrary three dimensional holographic image which an observer may view under appropriate lighting conditions , and is recorded within the holographic recording material 5 of fig3 and 4 . embodied within fig3 and 4 are the essential components of the present invention , with fig3 being for a two - component assembly , and fig4 for a multi - component assembly . component 4 is a primary lens element , of arbitrary shape and curvature , which has optical quality inner and outer polished surfaces , and generally should be transparent to wavelength ( s ) of electromagnetic radiation used to form the holographic image or information in 5 . for the purposes of the present description , common materials for this lens element 4 may include optical quality glasses such as bk - 7 or quartz , or optical quality plastics , as in acrylic or polycarbonate . additionally , this primary lens element may have light filtering additives or coatings applied to it , so as to provide similar functional light filtering capabilities as components 6 and 7 described below . for items such as guided missile components , the material of interest for the lens element 4 may be optical quality silicon , which is opaque to the human eye , but transparent to electromagnetic radiation in the near and mid - infrared spectrum . component 5 is an optical quality coating of holographic recording material , which is coated directly onto the inner or outer polished surfaces of lens element 4 . this coating may be any one or combination of several widely available holographic recording materials , including , but not limited to , photopolymers , silver halide , and dichromated gelatin . in the case of lenses to be worn by persons , photopolymers are the preferred holographic recording material . such photopolymers in liquid form are capable of being applied as repeatable optical quality coatings on arbitrary shape and curvature surfaces of 4 , and when fully processed show very high light transmission in the visible spectrum , and very little light scatter from the bulk material . consideration must also be given to the choice of compatibility between lens element 4 and holographic recording material 5 so as to achieve an intimate bond between them . in the present description , liquid photopolymers bond very well when coated in liquid form on optical glasses and plastics . the methodology of obtaining an optical quality holographic recording material coating 5 on lens element 4 is essential to producing high quality , distortion free completed lens assemblies . this is particularly true when working with curved surfaces . in the present description , necessarily involving compound curvatures , the preferred method is by dip - coating lens element 4 within a solution of holographic recording material maintained at 20 degrees centigrade , 0 % relative humidity , and class 100 clean room particle cleanliness to form a uniform coating 5 of thickness between 15 and 30 microns directly on the inner or outer surface of lens element 4 . the inner or outer surface of lens element 4 may be masked during the coating process , and stripped of this mask after coating to leave 5 on one surface only of lens element 4 . additionally , chamfering the edge of lens element 4 to a semi - pointed shape before coating will help to reduce excess coating buildup around the perimeter of 4 . the viscosity of the holographic recording material , due to both composition and temperature , as well as the speed of withdrawal of lens element 4 from the holographic recording material solution , are the primary factors in determining the thickness of the applied coating 5 to lens element 4 . it has been found that viscosities between 1 - 1000 centipoise and withdrawal speeds between 0 . 001 - 0 . 1 centimeters per second are best , with a viscosity of 400 centipoise and a withdrawal speed of 0 . 007 centimeters per second being optimum . the overall coating uniformity is determined mainly by the control of withdrawal speed , with computer control and active feedback methods necessary to allow for such variables as the contact angle between lens element 4 and the surface of the holographic recording material solution it is being withdrawn from , especially in the case of curved surfaces on lens element 4 . alternative methods in obtaining such a coating of 5 on lens element 4 include placing drops of the liquid holographic recording material on a highly polished non - stick surface , such as teflon or a surface impregnated with teflon , of appropriate shape and curvature , and then placing lens element 4 on top of this surface , spreading the holographic recording material uniformly over the inner or outer surface of lens element 4 . upon evaporation of solvents in the holographic recording material , the lens element 4 with component 5 intimately bonded to it can now be removed from the polished non - stick surface . in most cases , the combination of lens element 4 and holographic recording material coating 5 will be used in this form to serve as a suitable structure for the recording of a holographic image or information directly on this combination in - situ . this is in marked contrast to the normal methods of recording first on flat or stress - curved films , and then transferring these films to curved structures , which does not allow for high optical quality lens assemblies free from distortions and delaminations . any suitable holographic image or information within the limitations of the holographic recording material may be recorded within 5 , and for the present description may be a white - light viewable , image plane or other reflection type of holographic image . at this point , the combination of lens element 4 and its integral holographic recording material coating 5 , as shown in fig3 with a holographic image ( s ) or information recorded within it , may be used alone as a two - component optical lens assembly , or may be used in conjunction with further components to produce a multi - component assembly , as shown in fig4 and described below . component 6 represents an optical contacting agent which is used to optically contact tile combination of lens element 4 and its integral holographic recording material coating 5 to component 7 , a secondary lens element , thereby encapsulating the holographic recording material between the primary lens element 4 and the secondary lens element 7 . common cements for component 6 include optical grade ultraviolet curing adhesives , and optical epoxies . this optical contacting cement 6 can play a functional role in the light transmission properties of the finished lens assembly , in addition to its obvious role in optically contacting the various components together . in some instances it may be desirable to filter various wavelength bands by absorption , as will be discussed in reference to fig4 within this optical cement by doping it with appropriate light absorbing dyes . there are practical considerations to be given to introducing light absorbing additives into the optical contacting cement , namely that they do not inhibit its bonding qualities , and more importantly , that the additives do not exhibit visible fluorescence or phosphorescence which would give the appearance of a cloudy lens . in addition , it is often easier to dope the optical contacting cement with light absorbing additives rather than the bulk of the material used for component 7 . component 7 is a secondary lens element , of arbitrary shape and curvature , which has optical quality inner and outer polished surfaces . for the purposes of the present description , common materials for this lens element 7 may include optical quality glasses such as bk - 7 or quartz , or optical quality plastics , as in acrylic or polycarbonate . other optical materials may be required to obtain the desired transmitted wavelength region , such as the ultraviolet or infrared , and additives or coatings may be applied to this lens element 7 to modify its light transmitting / reflecting qualities . of particular importance are optical materials which can provide light filtering abilities suitable for eyewear , namely protection from ultraviolet light , and also overall light transmission reduction and contrast improvement , as in the case of sunglass optical materials . taken together , the components 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 form an optical quality lens assembly of arbitrary shape and curvature , with little or no perceptible distortion . 0f distinct advantage is the ability to directly record holographic images or information in - situ on the transparent , arbitrary shape and curvature , combination of lens element 4 and its integral holographic recording material coating 5 , so as to allow for their incorporation , either alone , or in combination with other components , such as 6 and 7 , as a useful optical lens assembly with an integrated hologram , suitable for high - quality eyewear . when assembled as described above , and using the appropriate materials , the combination of components 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7 can form an optical quality lens assembly suitable for use in eyewear as illustrated in fig4 . to the wearer 8 , coherent rays 9 can pass through the lens assembly undistorted so as to give the wearer a clear view of the surroundings with no visual indication of the holographic image formed by reflected rays 10 that an exterior observer 11 can view under appropriate lighting conditions . there are situations where such perfect results are only obtained when careful selection of materials is made , as to be described shortly below . the source of lighting for both the wearer 8 and external observer 9 may be either natural or artificial . the integral holographic recording material coating 5 may contain one or more holographic images which appear to the observer 11 under various lighting conditions and angles , each image typically having an angular viewing bandwidth on the order of 20 degrees , depending on the nature of the holographic image . due to the high optical surface quality of the holographic recording material 5 , the low light scatter from holographic photopolymers , and the geometry at which the holographic image is recorded under nearly all conditions , only the observer 11 is able to see the holographic image , with the wearer 8 not being aware of the image or any distortion from the lens assembly . however , under certain unavoidable conditions , such as certain angles of incidence in bright sunlight , internal fresnel - type reflections can occur which can give rise to light impinging on the holographic recording material at an angle which allows the wearer 8 to see minor , but still perceptible , portions of tile holographic image . this situation may arise in other foreseen applications of such lens assemblies , and is remedied through the ability of lens component 6 and secondary lens element 7 provide filtering capability for various portions of the electromagnet spectrum , depending on the choice of light absorbing additives introduced into these components 6 and 7 . this is described in more detail below . many holographic images or information have the property that at specific viewing angles only a very narrow dominant wavelength band of diffracted light is present in the image . in the case of unmodified photopolymer holographic images , this is a narrow wavelength band nearby the laser wavelength used to record the image . in the present case , this narrow wavelength band present in external lighting is nearly entirely redirected by the hologram to form the bundle of rays 10 forming the holographic image for the observer 11 . in the undesirable case mentioned above , where under certain conditions light can impinge on the holographic material from the wrong side at such an angle so that a portion of the image can be noticed by the wearer , this unwanted image will only contain this same narrow band of dominant wavelengths , much the same as can be seen by an external observer 11 . by the addition of light absorbing or reflecting additives or coatings to one or both of components 6 and 7 , any unwanted narrow wavelength band images of the hologram recorded in 5 that may be visible to the wearer may be filtered , leaving nearly all of the balance of the visible spectrum unaffected , and no objectionable color bias to the coherent bundle of rays 9 which reach the eye of the wearer 8 . additionally , in the case of eyewear designed for outdoor use in bright sunlight , typically the secondary lens element 7 will be given an overall neutral gray or brown sunglass - type tint , which in itself will provide for apparent visual elimination to the wearer of any unwanted minor portions of the holographic image which may diffract light far from the wavelength ( s ) filtered by the addition of specific light absorbing additives introduced into components 6 and 7 as mentioned above . finally , the addition of anti - reflective coatings , such as magnesium fluoride or other multi - layer coatings , can increase the overall optical clarity of the completed lens assemblies .	6
fig1 is a perspective view of game chair apparatus 10 of the present invention . fig2 is a side view in partial section of the chair apparatus 10 . for the following discussion , reference will primarily be made to fig1 and 2 . the chair apparatus 10 includes a base 12 which includes generally 3 primary elements appropriately secured together . there is a front member 14 which preferably comprises a length of rectangular tubing and to which is secured a transversely extending front stabilizer 18 . along the length of the member 14 extending rearwardly from the front stabilizer 18 is a plurality of apertures 16 . the purpose of the apertures 16 is to enable a foot rest 20 to be secured to the member 14 at various locations , as desired . the foot rest 20 comprises a generally l shaped member 22 , with the long arm of the member 22 secured to the member 14 through a bracket 24 and a screw 26 . the short arm of the member 22 supports a pair of foot pedals or foot rests 28 and 30 . the foot rests or pedals 28 and 30 extend generally perpendicularly outwardly from the short arm of the member 22 . if desired , the foot rests or pedals 28 and 30 may include switches or other sensors which provide an output signal in response to movement of the pedals or foot rests . the bracket 24 is simply a generally u shaped bracket which includes a pair of aligned holes . the holes in the bracket 24 are aligned with a hole in the end of the long arm of the member 22 and with one of the holes 16 in the member 14 for securing the foot rest 20 to the member 14 . the base 12 also includes a rear member 40 which is also preferably made of rectangular tubing . the member 40 includes a front cap 42 and a rear stabilizer 46 . the rear stabilizer 46 is generally parallel to the stabilizer 18 of the front member 14 . the cap 42 is at the front or upper end of the member 40 , remote from the rear stabilizer 46 . the stabilizers 18 and 46 are generally parallel to each other and provide lateral stability for the chair apparatus 10 . the front cap 42 comprises a generally u shaped member preferably secured , as by welding , to the end of the member 40 . the front cap 42 extends upwardly from the member 40 to allow the member 40 to be secured to a horizontal assembly 60 . for such securement , the end cap 42 includes a pair of aligned apertures which receive an appropriate fastening element , such as a pin or bolt 44 , to secure the member 40 to the horizontal assembly 60 , as will be discussed below . the horizontal assembly 60 is the third major portion of the base 12 . the horizontal assembly 60 is shown in partial section in fig4 . for the following discussion of the horizontal assembly 60 , reference will be made to fig4 in addition to fig1 and 2 . the horizontal assembly 60 includes an outer tube or sleeve 62 and an inner tube 78 . the outer tube or sleeve 62 includes an end plate 64 . the tube or sleeve 62 is preferably square tubing , as also shown in fig5 . the end plate 64 covers one end of the tube 62 . the opposite end of the tube 62 is open and the inner tube or member 78 extends into the outer tube 62 through the open end . an aperture 66 extends through the end plate 64 and a bushing 68 is appropriately secured , as by welding , about the aperture 66 on the inside of the end plate 64 and thus on the inside of the tube 62 . a threaded rod 70 extends through the aperture 66 and through the bushing 68 . a handle 72 is secured to the &# 34 ; outer &# 34 ; end of the threaded rod 70 , outside of and adjacent to the end plate 64 , and a stop element 74 is secured to the &# 34 ; inner &# 34 ; end of the threaded rod 70 , disposed within the tubes 62 and 78 . the threaded rod 70 extends through a nut 76 which is appropriately secured , as by welding , to the inner tube 78 and adjacent to the end of the tube 78 within the outer tube 62 . the tube 78 includes a pair of aligned apertures 80 adjacent to the &# 34 ; outer &# 34 ; end of the tube 78 , outside of the tube 62 and remote from the nut 76 at the &# 34 ; inner &# 34 ; end of the tube 78 . as may be understood from fig1 and 2 , the outer end of the tube 78 extends into the cap 42 of the member 40 . the pin or bolt 44 extends through the pair of apertures in the front cap 42 and through the aligned apertures 80 to secure the tube 78 , and accordingly the horizontal assembly 60 , to the member 40 . in fig4 a pair of bearing assemblies 82 and 84 are shown between the inner tube 78 and the outer tube 62 . the inner tube 78 moves relative to the outer tube 62 on the bearing assemblies 82 and 84 . from fig4 it will be understood how rotation of the handle 72 , which is fixed to the threaded rod or shaft 70 , causes movement of the inner tube 78 relative to the outer tube 72 . with the threaded rod or shaft 70 extending through a nut 76 in the tube 78 , and with the nut 76 being fixed to the tube 78 , rotation of the handle 72 causes rotation of the shaft 70 , and the nut 76 moves on the shaft 70 and the movement of the nut 76 in turn imparts movement to the tube 78 . returning again to fig1 and 2 , the relationship among the three elements of the base 12 , namely the front member 14 , the rear member 40 , and the horizontal assembly 60 , may be understood . a bracket 90 is appropriately secured , as by welding , to the bottom of the outer tubing or sleeve 62 . the bracket 90 includes an appropriate bushing through which a pin or bolt 96 extends to secure the member 14 to the outer tube or sleeve 62 of the horizontal assembly 60 . both the member 14 and the member 40 include a pair of holes or apertures between their respective ends , but not necessarily at their mid points , through which a pin or bolt 98 extends . the aligned apertures in the members 14 and 40 through which the pin or bolt 98 extends secures the members 14 and 40 together for relative motion . a plate 92 extends generally parallel to the upper portion of the member 40 between the bracket 90 and the member 40 . the plate 92 includes a pair of holes or apertures which are appropriately aligned with apertures in the members 14 and 40 through which the pin bolt 98 extends and with the bushing in the bracket 90 and the aperture in the member 14 through which the pin or bolt 96 extends . the plate 92 and the upper portion of the member 14 are thus in parallel from the bracket 90 to the member 40 for providing an appropriate stabilizing effect for the member 14 relative to the members 62 and 40 . the members 14 , 40 and 60 , are thus pivotly linked together . by varying the length of the horizontal assembly 60 , the distance between the front stabilizer 18 and the rear stabilizer 46 may be varied . the height of the horizontal assembly 60 is accordingly varied . in other words , as the length of the horizontal assembly 60 is increased by movement of the tube 78 relative to the tube 62 , the height of the horizontal assembly 60 relative to the stabilizers 18 and 46 decreases . shortening the length of the horizontal assembly 60 by the same relative movement decreases the distance between the stabilizer members 18 and 46 and thus increases the height of the horizontal assembly . the front member 14 and the rear member 40 and the horizontal assembly 60 are secured together essentially is a scissors type arrangement . the members 14 and 40 are the scissors elements or struts and the horizontal assembly 60 causes the scissors struts to move relative to each other to vary the height of the horizontal assembly 60 relative to a surface on which the chair apparatus 10 is disposed on for the benefit and comfort of a user . the base 12 may also be essentially collapsed for storage and transport by thw scissors strut arrangement as may be understood . a chair or seat back assembly 110 is secured to the horizontal assembly 60 , and specifically to the outer tube or sleeve 62 thereof . the chair back assembly 110 is best shown in fig1 and 2 . the chair back assembly 110 includes a channel bracket 112 which extends upwardly from and is appropriately secured to , as by welding , the top of the sleeve or tube 62 . the bracket 112 includes a slot 114 which extends downwardly from the upper part of the bracket 112 . a vertical support member 116 is appropriately pinned to the upper portion of the bracket 112 by a pin or bolt 118 . a cushion or chair back 120 is appropriately secured to the upper portion of the vertical support member 116 . the channel bracket 112 is a generally u shaped element , having a pair of arms and a center web connected to and extending between the pair of arms . the arms are connected to the tubing of the member 62 . the slot 114 in the center web of the bracket 112 allows the vertical support member 116 and the seat back or back cushion 120 secured to it to pivot relative to the bracket 112 in a forward pivoting movement . this allows the cushion 120 to be disposed generally parallel to the horizontal assembly 60 , and disposed on top of a seat assembly 130 . the seat assembly 130 will be discussed in more detail below . when the vertical support member 116 is pivoted to the &# 34 ; up &# 34 ; or use position shown in fig1 and 2 , the portion of the center web of the bracket 112 below the slot 114 acts as a stop element to limit the movement of the vertical support member 116 . the seat assembly 130 is shown in fig1 and 2 and is shown in detail in fig3 and 5 . fig3 is an exploded perspective view of the seat assembly 130 , and fig5 is a view in partial section through the seat assembly 130 in its assembled state . for the following discussion of the seat assembly 130 , reference will primarily be made to fig1 , 3 , and 5 . the seat assembly 130 includes a plate 132 which is appropriately secured , as by welding , to the outer tubing or sleeve 62 . the plate 132 includes a pair of downwardly extending flanges , including a flange 134 and a rear flange 136 . the flanges 134 and 136 are appropriately notched out to fit or to receive the upper portion of the tube or sleeve 62 . this may be best understood from fig5 . incidentally , it will be noted that , for convenience , the outer sleeve 62 only is shown in fig5 and the other elements associated with and disposed within the outer sleeve 62 have been omitted . they have been discussed in detail above and are best shown in fig4 . a housing 140 is in turn disposed on , and appropriately secured to , the plate 132 . the housing 140 includes a bottom 142 through which extend a plurality of holes 143 , only one of which is shown in fig3 . the holes 143 are used to secure the housing 140 to the plate 132 . this will be discussed below . the housing 140 also includes a front wall 144 , a back or rear wall 146 , and a pair of side walls 148 and 152 . a slot 150 extends through the side wall 148 , and a slot 154 extends through the side wall 152 . the slots 150 and 154 extend downwardly from the upper portions of the side walls 148 and 152 , respectively . the slots 150 and 154 are appropriately aligned generally parallel to each other . a generally rectangular aperture 156 extends through the side wall 152 adjacent to the juncture of the side wall 152 and the back or rear wall 146 . the aperture 156 receives appropriate connector elements , not shown , for connecting electrical or electronic components within the housing 140 to game elements , as require , and as are known and are understood . a control box 170 is disposed within the housing 140 . the control box 170 includes a top 172 , a front wall 200 , a back or rear wall 204 , and pair of side walls , including a side wall 208 and a side wall 218 . the sides 208 and 218 include outwardly extending flanges . the side 208 includes an outwardly extending flange 212 and the side 218 includes an outwardly extending flange 220 . as best shown in fig3 there are a number of holes or apertures which extend through the top 172 of the control box 170 . there are four spring apertures , including a front spring aperture 174 , a rear spring aperture 176 , and a pair of side spring apertures 178 and 180 . the spring apertures 174 . . . 180 are appropriately spaced inwardly from the respective front wall 200 , rear wall 204 , and the side walls 208 and 218 . a central aperture 182 extends through the top 172 generally centered with respect to the front , rear , and side walls . a pin aperture 184 also extends through the top wall 172 . the pin aperture 184 is shown adjacent to the spring aperture 178 . four switch or sensor apertures extend through the top wall 172 between the various walls and the spring apertures . there is a switch or sensor aperture 186 between the spring aperture 174 and the front wall 200 . there is a switch or sensor aperture 188 which extends between the spring aperture 176 and the rear wall 204 . there is a switch or sensor aperture 190 that is disposed between the spring aperture 178 and the side wall 208 , and there is a switch or sensor aperture 192 which extends through the top wall 172 between the spring aperture 180 and the side wall 218 . appropriate sensor or switch elements extend upwardly through the switch or sensor apertures , as will be discussed below . through the front wall 200 , the back or rear wall 204 , and the side walls 208 and 218 , and adjacent to the switch or sensor apertures , are pairs of holes through which fastening elements , such as screws or bolts , extend to secure switches or sensor elements to the respective four walls . in fig3 there is shown a pair of holes or apertures 202 extending through the front wall 200 . another pair of apertures 210 is shown extending through the side wall 208 . similar pairs of holes or apertures , not shown , extend through the rear wall 204 and the side wall 218 . four sensor or switch elements are appropriately secured to the four walls of the control box 170 . as illustrated , the sensor elements comprise microswitches , each of which includes an arm and an upwardly extending tip on the distal or outer end of the arm . it is the tips of the arms which extend upwardly through the sensor apertures in the top 172 of the control box 170 . in fig3 two microswitches 240 and 260 are shown beneath the front wall 200 and the side wall 208 , respectively . in fig5 the microswitch 260 is shown secured to the side wall 208 , and two other microswitches , a microswitch 250 and a microswitch 270 , are shown secured to the rear wall 204 and the side wall 218 , respectively . the microswitch 240 is shown in fig3 with an arm 242 and a tip 244 extending upwardly from the outer end of the arm . the arm extends outwardly and upwardly from the body of the microswitch . a pair of screws or bolts 246 is shown adjacent to the microswitch 240 . the screws or bolts 246 extend through holes in the microswitch and through the holes or apertures 202 to secure the microswitch 240 to the wall 200 . the tip 244 of the arm 242 extends upwardly through the hole or aperture 186 . a pair of conductors 248 is shown extending from the microswitch 240 . the conductors 248 extend to an appropriate connector ( not shown ) disposed in the opening 156 in the wall 152 for appropriate connection to the particular game or device to which the chair apparatus is connected to . the microswitch 260 as shown in fig3 includes an arm 262 and a tip 264 . a pair of screws or bolts 266 is shown adjacent to the microswitch 260 . the screws 266 extend through the apertures 210 to secure the microswitch 260 to the wall 208 . the tip 264 extends upwardly through the hole or aperture 190 . a pair of conductors 268 is shown extending from the microswitch 260 . the conductors 268 also extend to the connector in the opening 156 . the microswitch 250 , shown in phantom in fig3 includes an arm 252 and an arm tip 254 . the tip 254 extends upwardly through the aperture 188 . the microswitch 250 is secured to the rear wall 204 by a pair of screws or bolts 256 . one of the screws 256 is shown in fig5 . the microswitch 270 is secured to the side wall 218 by a pair screws or bolts 276 . the microswitch 270 includes an arm 272 and an arm tip 274 . the tip 274 of the arm 272 extends upwardly through the hole or aperture 192 . the microswitches 250 and 270 also include conductors , not shown , for connecting the microswitches in the same manner as discussed above in conjunction with the conductors 248 and 268 for the microswitches 240 and 260 . the flange 212 extends outwardly , generally perpendicularly to the side wall 208 . the flange 212 is disposed on the bottom 142 of the housing 140 . a pair of apertures or holes 214 and 216 extend through the flange 212 . a pair of screws or bolts 217 extend through the apertures 214 and 216 and through aligned pairs of apertures or holes in the bottom 142 of the housing 140 and in the plate 132 to secure the control box 170 , the housing 140 , and the plate 132 together . the flange 220 is substantially identical to the flange 212 , although it is a mirror image thereof . the flange 220 extends outwardly generally perpendicularly to the side 218 . the flange 220 is accordingly disposed on the bottom 142 of the housing 140 . the flange 220 also includes a pair of holes or apertures through which extend a pair of bolts 226 . the bolts 226 extend through aligned apertures in the bottom 142 of the housing 140 and through the plate 132 . washers , nuts , etc ., are used to secure the bolts 217 and 226 to the plate 132 , as shown in fig5 and as is well known and understood . thus , by means of the bolts 217 and 226 and their respective washers and nuts , the control box 170 and the housing 140 are secured to the base 12 through the plate 132 . a control plate 300 is disposed above the top 172 of the control box 170 . the control plate 300 is preferably a round plate , as best shown in fig6 . fig6 is a top view of the control plate 300 , showing a portion of an actuator 360 secured thereto . fig7 is a view in partial section through the plate 300 taken generally along line 7 -- 7 of fig6 . the control plate 300 , and its associated elements , may best be understood from fig3 , 6 , and 7 . accordingly , for the following discussion , reference will primarily be made to fig3 , 6 , and 7 . the control plate 300 includes a center hole 302 . five threaded studs extend upwardly from the control plate 300 . the threaded studs include a stud 304 , a stud 306 , a stud 308 , a stud 310 , and a stud 312 . the studs 304 and 306 are aligned with each other , and the studs 308 and 310 are aligned with each other . the pairs of studs 304 , 306 and 308 , 310 are disposed on opposite sides of the stud 312 and the center hole 302 , respectively . the stud 312 is aligned with the center hole 302 . a pin 314 extends downwardly from the bottom of the plate 300 . when the plate 314 is appropriately secured to the control box 170 , the pin 314 extends downwardly through the pin aperture 184 in the top 172 . the purpose of the pin 314 is to prevent rotation of the plate 300 relative to the control box 170 . the purpose of the stud pairs 304 , 306 and 308 , 310 is to secure a joy stick or actuator 360 to the plate 300 . the actuator or joy stick 360 includes a bottom portion 362 which is disposed on the top of the plate 300 and between the stud pairs 304 , 306 and 308 , 310 . the bottom portion 362 is secured to the plate 300 by a pair of mounting brackets 400 and 410 . the mounting brackets 400 and 410 each include a curved central portion which is disposed over the bottom or horizontal portion 362 of the joy stick 360 and a pair of outwardly extending flanges through which extend apertures . the studs 304 and 306 extend through the apertures in the mounting bracket 400 and a pair of nuts 402 and 404 threadedly engage the studs 304 and 306 to secure the bracket 400 to the plate 300 . the bracket 410 is substantially identical to the bracket 400 . its pair of apertures extend over the studs 308 and 310 and a pair of nuts 412 and 414 are respectively secured to the threaded studs 308 and 310 to also secure the bottom portion 362 of the joy stick 360 to the plate 300 . extending outwardly from the bottom portion 362 of the joy stick or actuator 360 is a plate 364 . the plate 364 is appropriately secured , as by welding , to the bottom 362 at about its mid point . an aperture 366 extends through the plate 364 . the actuator or joy stick 360 is pivotly secured to the plate 300 by the brackets 400 and 410 . to secure the actuator or joy stick 360 in its use orientation , as shown in fig1 and 2 , the aperture 366 of the plate 364 extends over the threaded stud 312 , and a wing nut 368 threadedly engages the stud 312 above the plate 364 to secure the plate 364 , and accordingly the joy stick 360 , in the upright or use position or orientation relative to the plate 300 . for storage and transport purposes , the wing nut 368 is removed from the stud 312 , and the joy stick or actuator 360 may then be pivoted rearwardly and downwardly until it is generally parallel to the horizontal assembly 60 . the pivoting movement of the joy stick 360 is indicated in fig2 by the large curved arrow adjacent to the joy stick . the actuator or joy stick 360 is made of tubing , and is accordingly hollow . the actuator or joy stick 360 includes two arms , an upwardly extending arm 372 and an upwardly extending arm 382 . the arms are appropriately curved , as shown in fig1 and 2 , for convenience in use . at the top of the arm 372 there is a handle grip 374 . the handle grip 374 includes a top switch 376 and a front trigger switch 378 . the arm 382 also includes at its top or upper end a handle grip 384 . a top switch 386 extends upwardly from the handle grip 384 and a trigger 388 extends outwardly from the handle grip 384 . appropriate electrical elements are disposed in the handle grips 374 and 384 and are secured to the switches 376 , 378 and 386 , 388 . such elements are connected by conductors 390 schematically shown in fig6 . the elements are appropriately connected to the electrical conductors 390 which extend down through the interior of the actuator or joy stick 360 and extend outwardly through an aperture 370 , also shown in fig6 . while only two conductors 390 are illustrated , it will be understood that the tubing of which the actuator or joy stick 360 is composed will accomodate as many conductors as required by the switches or triggers associated with the handlegrips . the electrical conductors 390 then extend to the appropriate connector disposed in the aperture 156 in the housing 140 , as previously mentioned . the plate 300 is secured to the top 172 of the control box 170 by means of a bushing 340 , a bolt 342 , a washer 344 , and a nut 346 . the bushing 340 is disposed on the plate 300 about the hole or aperture 302 . the bolt 304 extends through the bushing 340 , through the hole or aperture 302 in the plate 300 and through the center hole or aperture 182 in the top 172 . the washer 344 and the nut 346 are beneath the top 172 , and the nut 346 threadedly engages the bottom of the bolt 342 . this is shown best in fig5 . while the bolt 342 secures the plate 340 to the control box 170 , the bushing 340 allows the plate 300 to move relative to the control box 170 , and particularly relative to the microswitches and to the tips at the ends of the actuator arms of the microswitches which extend upwardly from the top 172 to the control box 170 . the movement is in response to movement of the arms 372 and 382 of the joy stick 360 . the plate 300 is essentially supported by four springs , and the springs allow the plate 300 to move in response to the movement of the actuator or the joy stick 360 . the four springs include a front spring 324 , a rear spring 326 , and a pair of side springs 328 and 330 . the springs 324 . . . 330 are shown in fig3 . two of the springs , the side springs 328 and 330 , are shown in fig5 . the springs 324 . . . 330 are disposed on the bottom 142 of the housing 140 and extend upwardly through the respective spring apertures 174 . . . 180 in the top 172 of the control box 170 . the springs 324 ... 330 bias the plate 300 to a neutral position out of contact with the tips of the microswitches . the springs also oppose movement of the plate . however , the opposition of the springs is relatively light , but is sufficient to insure that some force is required on the joy stick to move the plate . in other words , the joy stick by itself remains in a neutral position of orientation , and a positive forceful movement applied to the joy stick is required to move the plate into contact with the tips of the microswitches to provide an output signal from the microswitches . movement of the plate 300 in response to the movement of the joy stick 360 , by movement of the arms 372 and 382 , is opposed by the compression springs 324 . . . 330 . in the neutral position , as shown in fig5 the plate 300 is spaced apart a slight distance above the tips 244 . . . 274 of the microswitch arms . the bolt 342 essential comprises a pivot point for the plate 300 and forward , backward , and sideways movements on the arms 372 and 382 of the joy stick 360 causes the plate 300 to pivot , and the pivoting movement makes contact with the tips of the microswitches . the contact of the plate with a tip causes the tip to move its arm downwardly , thus providing an output signal from the microswitch . this is well known and understood . it will be noted that the pivoting movement of the plate 300 may result in contact with either one or two microswitches , as desired . that is , the pivoting movement of the plate 300 will allow contact between the plate and any one of the microswitches , or two of the microswitches at substantially the same time . the contact between two of the microswitches will include either the front and one of the side microswitches or the rear and one of the side microswitches . both front and rear and both side microswitches can &# 39 ; t be actuated at the same time , but the front microswitch and one of the side microswitches , or the rear microswitch and one of the side microswitches may be contacted or actuated at substantially the same time . it will accordingly be understood that the chair apparatus 10 includes the capability of providing a number of substantially simultaneous signals for the playing of various types of electronic games . the signals include output signals from the microswitches and from the switches on the handle grips . moreover , it will be understood that additional switches may be included on the handles , such as on the top of the handle and even more trigger switches beneath the top of the handles . furthermore , as discussed above , additional actuators may be incorporated into the foot rests , if desired . in the alternative , the foot rest assembly 20 may be omitted entirely . finally , a seat and cushion 420 is appropriately pivotly secured to the housing 140 by a hinge 422 , as shown in fig2 . the pivotal securement of the seat and cushion 420 to the housing 140 allows access to the wing nut 368 , as discussed above . thus , for storage purposes , the seat and cushion 420 is pivoted upwardly and the wing nut 368 is removed from the stud 312 to allow the actuator or joy stick 360 , and particularly its arms 372 and 382 , to be moved backwardly , or towards the seat assembly 110 , for storage or transport purposes . after the joy stick 360 is pivoted rearwardly , the wing nut 368 may be again secured to the stud 312 . the cushion 420 is then returned to its down position . the pivoting movement of the seat cushion 420 is shown in fig2 by a large doubled headed arrow . the back assembly 110 may then be pivoted downwardly until the seat back or cushion 120 is disposed generally on top of the seat cushion 420 , again for storage and transport purposes . the pivotal movement of the seat back 120 is also shown in fig2 by a large double headed arrow . the base 12 may also be collapsed for transport and storage purposes . rotating the handle 72 to extend the inner tube 78 relative to the fixed , outer tube or sleeve 62 essentially collapses the base 12 . the adjustment of the base 12 , and the raising and lowering of it , may be understood from the dash / dot positions shown in fig2 . thus , the chair apparatus 10 may be essentially folded into a compact package for transport or storage purposes . the setting up of the chair apparatus 10 for use by a user or game player is substantially the reverse of that just described . after appropriate electrical connections are made to an electronic game , the user then sits on the seat cushion 420 , with the user &# 39 ; s back against the seat back or cushion 120 , and the user &# 39 ; s feet either on the foot rests 28 and 30 , or on the floor , as desired . the user then grasps the handle grips 374 and 384 , with the user &# 39 ; s thumbs and fingers on the appropriate triggers and switch elements . with the user now comfortably and appropriately disposed on the chair apparatus 10 , the chair apparatus is ready for use . while the principles of the invention have been made clear in illustrative embodiments , there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications of structure , arrangement , proportions , the elements , materials , and components used in the practice of the invention , and otherwise , which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from those principles . the appended claims are intended to cover and embrace any and all such modifications , within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention .	6
structure formed during processing in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention are shows in fig2 a through 2 i , which show , in simplified , cross - sectional , schematic fashion , an illustrative , but not limiting , embodiment of the present invention . fig2 a shows a semiconductor substrate - based workpiece similar to that shown in fig1 d , including inlaid conductors 5 ′ overlain by a barrier layer 7 . the semiconductor substrate 1 may comprise a semiconductor material such as monocrystalline silicon ( si ) or gallium arsenide ( gaas ). as shown in fig2 b , according to embodiments of the present invention , a dielectric stack may be formed above the substrate , for example over the previous metallization layer shown in fig2 a . the dielectric stack may comprise sequential layers of different materials . as an example , the dielectric stack shown in fig2 b begins with an interlevel dielectric layer 8 formed over barrier layer 7 . an etch stop layer 9 is formed over the interlevel dielectric layer 8 . a sacrificial dielectric layer 10 may then be formed over etch stop layer 9 . a capping layer 11 is formed over the sacrificial dielectric layer 10 to complete the dielectric stack . interlevel dielectric layer 8 is preferably a material a lower dielectric constant ( low - k ) than dielectric constants of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride . such materials include poly ( arylene ether ) (“ pae ”), fluorinated polymide (“ fpi ”), benzocyclobutene (“ bcb ”), hydrogen silsesquioxane (“ hsq ”), methyl silsesquioxane (“ msq ”), and xerogel . etch stop layer 9 may comprise a suitable etch stop layer material , such as silicon nitride or silicon carbide . the sacrificial dielectric layer 10 is preferably comprised of a material that can be easily removed without damaging other non - sacrificial structure , for example , by thermal processing utilizing temperatures in the range of 50 - 400 degrees c ., by etching in nh 3 , or by ashing in an oxygen atmosphere . a number of organic polymers may be employed as the sacrificial dielectric layer to facilitate removal in one of these manners . examples include polycarbonates and polynorbornes . as shown in fig2 c , recesses are then formed in the dielectric stack for forming , for example , vias , interlevel metallization , and / or interconnection routing . as an example , via 12 is formed in the dielectric stack by conventional masking and etching techniques , stopping on barrier layer 7 . as shown in fig2 d , trench 13 and trench 14 are then formed in sacrificial dielectric layer 10 and etch stop layer 9 by conventional masking and etching techniques , removing the capping layer 11 and stopping on interlevel dielectric layer 8 . referring now to fig2 e , in some embodiments , barrier liner 15 may be deposited over the dielectric stack to cover bottom and sidewall surfaces of the dual damascene trench structure 12 , 13 and trench 14 . the barrier liner material 15 is chosen to substantially prevent diffusion of subsequently electroplated metal ( for example cu ) from via 12 , trench 13 , and trench 14 into surrounding dielectric materials . suitable materials for barrier liner 15 include , for example , ti , w , cr , ta , and tantalum nitride ( tan ). a cu seed layer 16 is then deposited over barrier liner 15 . the cu seed layer 16 provides a base for the subsequently plated cu that will fill the dual damascene trench structure 12 , 13 and trench 14 . referring now to fig2 f , conductive layer 17 , which is preferably . cu or cu - based alloy , is deposited by electroless plating or electroplating on the an upper exposed surface of the dielectric stack to fill the dual damascene trench structure 12 , 13 and trench 14 . in order to ensure complete filling of the dual damascene trench structure 12 , 13 and trench 14 , the conductive layer 17 is deposited as a blanket ( or “ overburden ”) layer of excess thickness t so as to overfill trench 13 , and trench 14 and cover the upper surface 18 of barrier liner 15 . next , as shown in fig2 g , the entire excess thickness ( t in fig2 f ) of the overburden portion of conductive layer 17 over the upper surface 18 of barrier liner 15 is removed by a planarization process , for example a cmp process utilizing an alumina ( a 1203 )- based slurry . the portion of barrier liner 15 above the upper surface 20 of sacrificial dielectric layer 10 is also removed , leaving conductive elements 17 ′ with their upper , exposed surfaces 19 substantially co - planar with the upper , exposed surface 20 of sacrificial dielectric layer 10 . referring now to fig2 h , in a preferred embodiment , barrier layer 21 is selectively deposited over conductive elements 17 ′. barrier layer 21 may be selectively plated over conductive elements 17 ′ and may comprise co - w - p ( cobalt - tungsten - phosphide ). perfect selectivity in the barrier layer deposition process is typically not attainable . as a result , residual barrier material portions 22 may be deposited on the upper surface of sacrificial dielectric layer 10 as an undesirable by - product of the selective deposition step . as discussed above , the residual barrier material portions 22 may undesirably bridge adjacent conductive lines , possibly resulting in compromised performance or even destruction of the electrical device . therefore , to ensure reliable operation of the electrical device , these barrier layer portions 22 should be removed . fig2 i shows the structure of fig2 h after removal of the sacrificial dielectric layer 10 along with the residual barrier material portions 22 . the sacrificial material 10 is preferably removed by a thermal decomposition , however other suitable processes such as etching may be employed in accordance with the particular sacrificial material . in the process of removing the sacrificial dielectric layer 10 , residual barrier material portions 22 are also removed . referring now to fig2 j , an interlevel dielectric layer 23 is then deposited over barrier layer 21 and conductive elements 17 ′. replacement dielectric layer 23 preferably has a lower dielectric constant ( low - k ) than a dielectric constant than silicon dioxide and silicon nitride . such materials include poly ( arylene ether ) (“ pae ”), fluorinated polymide (“ fpi ”), benzocyclobutene (“ bcb ”), hydrogen silsesquioxane (“ hsq ”), methyl silsesquioxane (“ msq ”), and xerogel . while the processing of fig2 a - 2 i is presently preferred , alternative processing may be implemented . for example , in accordance with one alternative , the conductive layer 17 of fig2 f may contain carbon , nitrogen , or oxygen . in this embodiment , barrier layer 21 may comprise a thin metal layer ( for example with a thickness of between 10 and 100 angstroms ) selectively deposited over conductive elements 17 ′. the carbon , nitrogen , or oxygen contained in conductive layer 17 may then , in preferred embodiments , be diffused into the barrier layer 21 to form a metal carbide , metal nitride , or metal oxide . in these preferred embodiments , suitable metals for barrier layer 21 include , but are not limited to , zirconium ( zr ), thorium ( th ), molybdenum ( mo ), and tantalum ( ta ). fig3 shows a process flow encompassing the preferred embodiment , the aforementioned alternatives , and further alternative embodiments . initially , a substrate comprising a layer of a sacrificial material is provided ( 301 ). a conductive element is then inlaid in the sacrificial layer ( 302 ). a barrier material is then selectively deposited on an exposed surface of the conductive element by a selective deposition process that preferentially deposits the barrier layer material on the conductive element and also forms residual barrier material portions on the sacrificial layer ( 303 ). the sacrificial layer is then removed after depositing the barrier layer ( 304 ). by removing the sacrificial layer , any residual barrier material portions that were deposited on the sacrificial material are also removed . embodiments of the present invention thus provide a method for reducing parasitic capacitance between adjacent conductors which may be the result of blanket - depositing over adjacent conductors a barrier layer composed of a material , for example silicon nitride , which has a relatively high dielectric constant . embodiments of the present invention also provide a method for reducing , or substantially preventing , bridging between conductive lines . such bridging may be the result of undesirably depositing barrier layer portions on the dielectric between conductive lines during a selective deposition process . moreover , embodiments of the present invention are fully compatible with conventional process flow for automated manufacture of high - density integration semiconductor devices , as well as other types of electrical and electronic devices and / or components . in the previous description , numerous specific details are set forth , such as specific materials , structures , reactants , processes , etc ., in order to provide a better understanding of the present invention . however , the present invention can be practiced without resorting to the details specifically set forth . in other instances , well known processing materials and techniques have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention . it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that the tasks described in the above processes are not necessarily exclusive of other tasks , but rather that further tasks may be incorporated into the above processes in accordance with the particular structures to be formed . for example , intermediate processing tasks such as formation and removal of passivation layers or protective layers between processing tasks , formation and removal of photoresist masks and other masking layers , doping and counter - doping , cleaning , planarization , and other tasks , may be performed along with the tasks specifically described above . further , the process need not be performed on an entire substrate such as an entire wafer , but rather may be performed selectively on sections of the substrate . thus , while the embodiments illustrated in the figures and described above are presently preferred , it should be understood that these embodiments are offered by way of example only . the invention is not limited to a particular embodiment , but extends to various modifications , combinations , and permutations that fall within the scope of the claimed inventions and their equivalents .	7
fig1 is a diagram illustrating an example of some of the traditional components an embodiments of an immersive multi - sensory performance system . all of the components , working together to deliver a fully immersive , 3d , multi - sensory entertainment performance to the audience . it should be stated that fig1 should not be limiting and it is an example of a number of system “ modules ” that comprise the overall system . the example modules should in no way limit the overall system as there may be more modules , or less , dependent on the purposes and needs of the system that is being built . fig2 is a diagram that represents the actual performer ( s ). the performers can be outfitted with all of the necessary tracking equipment that will allow the system software to track their performance in real - time and make the necessary adjustments to all of the other modules , for example , in real - time , if the performance is a live performance . the examples of the tracking equipment could be but is not limited to face feature tracking , eye tracking , mouth tracking , jaw tracking , audio tracking , vocal tracking , body heat , full body tracking , heart rate , speed of motion , location , head , torso , hand , finger , feet , arms and leg movements . if the performance is off - stage or offline , the software doesn &# 39 ; t necessarily need to work in real - time and can take more time to make the best calculated decisions . fig3 represents and example but should not be limited to , the centralized software system or the “ kernel ” which can essentially be the gatekeeper of the entire performance . the kernel can take in and processes the data from each of its “ nodes ” ( all of the various high - level figures in fig1 , for example , but not limited to fig2 - 10 ). the kernel can make intelligent decisions that can push the proper data to each of its nodes which can trigger node events such as a special effect being rendered from the 3 a . the “ 3d rendering engine ”, which can then be synced with fig9 a . “ the sound module ” and can concurrently be projected onto fig8 a “ screen types ”, which can be seen in 3d in fig6 a through the audiences “ viewer glasses ” and the synced sound can be heard through the chosen audio system . the software system might utilize but will not be limited to 3d rendering , sync software such as calibration software for taking in various capture sources such as a series of stereo cameras for example . the “ kernel ” can host its configuration software on dedicated servers ( local or wide area ), content delivery networks ( local area or over the internet ), distributed computing networks , camera modules that can handle for example , but not limited to camera output such as various views and calibration of those views , device controllers , audio controllers , motion capture controllers , projectors , temperature controllers , smell controllers , hydraulic controllers , vibration controllers and time - stamp controllers used for calibration purposes to name a few . fig4 represents and example but should not be limited to environmental modules that comprise the overall physical experience , including the environment of the performance such as but not limited to lighting , vibration equipment , scent and smell equipment , temperature equipment , hydraulic equipment and wind / air machines . fig5 represents and example but should not be limited to capture devices that essentially capture various elements of the performance such as , but not limited to , cameras , 3d devices , lasers , radio transmitters , wifi transmitters , gps transmitters , bluetooth , infra - red , heat sensors , motion sensors , audio capture devices and more . fig6 represents and example but should not be limited to immersive visual devices that are designed to enhance and support the viewing experience of the users for example , glasses designed to view 3d , special effects or other visual events not viewable by the naked eye . the glasses could themselves have electronic capabilities to display events within the lens or to project images themselves . fig7 represents and example but should not be limited to broadcasting of the performance , live or offline via traditional airwaves , radio , satellite , or over internet . the performance could be downloaded offline , streamed live to devices or could be shared over social media channels . fig8 represents and example but should not be limited to any number of screen types which can be used to display for example , imagery or video . for example some projectors are designed to project onto standard , white theatrical screens , while others are specialized to project onto mist , to project onto the viewing devices themselves , for example the lens of the glasses worn by viewers , the eyes themselves or other dynamic media . fig9 represents and example but should not be limited to the audio module ( s ) that comprise the audible performance . for example traditional concert speaker setups can be used , in - ear / headphone systems , spacialization audio setups , 3d audio , audio / vibration devices designed to affect the skin , subconscious audio are also examples of audio devices that can be used in the system . fig1 represents and example but should not be limited to the viewer tools that are utilized by the audience or viewers of the performance to aid in the driving of the performance , lesson or presentation . control modules such as devices used to send commands to the “ kernel ”. devices used to take input from the watchers and viewers can be but will not be limited to gesture capture , direct input such as a control devices such as a remote controller , speech recognition or audio commands , physical motions , even commands using brain waves . while certain embodiments have been described above , it will be understood that the embodiments described are by way of example only . accordingly , the systems and methods described herein should not be limited based on the described embodiments . rather , the systems and methods described herein should only be limited in light of the claims that follow when taken in conjunction with the above description and accompanying drawings .	6
the preferred embodiments of the present invention and its advantages are best understood by referring to fig1 through 6 of the drawings , like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings . cable tensioner 20 incorporating the present invention is shown in fig1 and 3 . cable tensioner 20 is preferably used with a surgical cable and a crimp to trap the desired amount of tension in a loop formed by the surgical cable and crimp . surgical cable 100 , crimp 120 and first loop 102 are shown in fig3 as examples which may be used with cable tensioner 20 . the use of cable tensioner 20 to install surgical cable 100 to selected portions of a patient &# 39 ; s body and to trap the desired amount of tension within loop 102 using crimp 120 will be described later in more detail . cable tensioner 20 has three main components , elongated shaft 22 , first handle 30 and second handle 40 . an important feature of the present invention is that the main components of cable tensioner 20 may be formed from molded plastic . thus , cable tensioner 20 is relatively inexpensive and may be discarded after only one use in a surgical procedure . this advantage of the present invention is particularly important due to the increased concern with sterilization of surgical instruments to prevent the spread of aids and other diseases . first handle 30 is preferably secured to one end of elongated shaft 22 . first handle ( sometimes referred to as &# 34 ; fixed handle &# 34 ;) 30 is generally configured to fit within the palm of a surgeon &# 39 ; s hand ( not shown ). elongated shaft 22 and first handle 30 cooperate to form a generally &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; shaped surgical tool . second handle 40 is slidably disposed on the exterior of elongated shaft 22 intermediate the ends thereof . elongated shaft 22 has a generally rectangular cross section . first slot 24 is formed in the exterior of elongated shaft 22 intermediate the ends thereof . second handle 40 includes opening 42 which is sized to fit over the portion of elongated shaft 22 containing first slot 24 . opening 42 cooperates with the exterior of elongated shaft 22 to allow second handle 40 to slide longitudinally over the exterior of elongated shaft 22 . the other end 26 of elongated shaft 22 has an opening 28 which provides a portion of the means for releasably securing a portion of a surgical cable with end 26 of elongated shaft 22 . a second slot 29 is provided in the exterior of elongated shaft 22 adjacent to and extending from end 26 . as will be explained later in more detail , second slot 29 is provided to assist with attachment of a surgical cable to second handle 40 . second handle 40 and elongated shaft 22 also define a generally &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; shaped configuration . second handle ( sometimes referred to as &# 34 ; slidable handle &# 34 ;) 40 preferably includes extensions 44 and 46 which are provided for engagement by the fingers of a surgeon &# 39 ; s hand . cable tensioner 20 is frequently used by resting first , fixed handle 30 against the palm of a surgeon &# 39 ; s hands and engaging extensions 44 and 46 by the fingers of the surgeon &# 39 ; s hand . when the surgeon squeezes her fingers , second handle 40 will slide longitudinally towards first , fixed handle 30 . this movement provides a direct tactile feedback with a 1 : 1 ratio between force applied to second handle 40 and tension applied to a surgical cable attached to tensioner 20 . second handle 40 includes pawl 48 which is disposed within recess 50 of extension 44 . pin 52 is provided to secure pawl 48 within recess 50 and to allow pawl 48 to pivot with respect to pin 52 and the exterior of elongated shaft 22 adjacent thereto . first spring 54 is disposed within recess 50 and contacts a portion of pawl 48 . spring 54 cooperates with pivot pin 52 to bias pawl 48 to contact the exterior of elongated shaft 22 adjacent thereto . therefore , pawl 48 will normally ride against the exterior of elongated shaft 22 and prevent movement of second handle 40 away from first handle 30 . pawl 48 is preferably sized to fit within longitudinal slot 24 and to engage elongated shaft 22 therein . spring 54 and pivot pin 52 cooperate with pawl 48 to allow longitudinal movement of second handle 40 towards first handle 30 . in a similar manner spring 54 , pivot pin 52 and pawl 48 cooperate with each other to prevent undesired movement of second handle 40 in the direction away from first handle 30 . second handle 40 includes cleat 60 which is attached to the exterior of second handle 40 by pivot pin 62 . since second handle 40 is preferably formed from molded plastic , plate 64 is disposed between cleat 60 and the adjacent portions of second handle 40 . torsion spring 66 is provided to bias cleat 60 into contact with plate 64 . as will be explained later in more detail , cleat 60 cooperates with plate 64 to trap a portion of surgical cable 100 therebetween . as shown in fig3 cable tensioner 20 may be used with surgical cable 100 to secure first loop 102 with selected portions of a patient &# 39 ; s body such as vertebrae 104 and 106 . crimp 120 is preferably secured to one end of surgical cable 100 and loop 102 placed around the selected portion of the patent &# 39 ; s body . crimp 120 and the one end of surgical cable 100 are then secured to end 26 of elongated shaft 22 opposite from first handle 30 ° a portion of surgical cable 100 is placed within second longitudinal slot 29 in the exterior of elongated shaft 22 and slot 56 in second handle 40 adjacent to cleat 60 . second slot 29 in elongated shaft 22 and slot 56 in handle 40 cooperate with each other to align surgical cable 100 with elongated shaft 22 and to allow engagement of a portion of surgical cable 100 with cleat 60 . cleat 60 , torsion spring 66 and pivot pin 62 cooperate with each other to secure surgical cable 100 to second handle 40 . if desired , cleat 60 could be replaced by other mechanisms for trapping surgical cable 100 with second handle 40 . an example would be one or more set screws or locking nuts carried by second handle 40 . cleat 60 is preferred considering the ease of installing surgical cable 100 therewith . in fig3 second surgical loop 112 is shown installed on vertebrae 104 and 106 with crimp 122 . for many procedures such as installing two surgical cables on selected vertebrae , it is preferable to alternately tighten and loosen the surgical loops until the vertebrae are positioned as desired . a separate cable tensioner 20 may be used with each surgical loop 102 and 112 to alternately increase and decrease the tension in the respective surgical loops . pawl 48 normally prevents second handle 40 from sliding longitudinally away from first handle 30 . by manually depressing pawl 48 into recess 50 , pawl 48 is released from engagement with the adjacent portion of elongated shaft 22 . when the surgeon depresses pawl 48 , second handle 40 may slide longitudinally away from first handle 30 to release the tension in surgical cable 100 . thus , if separate cable tensioners 20 are attached to each surgical loop 102 and 112 , respectively , the surgeon may alternately tighten and release the tension in the surgical loops 102 and 112 by alternatively squeezing and releasing the respective second handle 40 . this feature of the present invention allows the surgeon to provide the optimum tension in the loops on vertebrae 104 and 106 . the ability of tensioner 20 to either increase or decease the tension in the surgical loops allows obtaining the optimum forces on the portion of the patient &# 39 ; s body which will be secured by the surgical cables . this procedure is similar in many respects to tightening and loosening fasteners which are used to hold mechanical components together . after the desired amount of tension has been placed in loops 102 and 112 , their respective crimps 120 and 122 may be compressed on the respective surgical cables 100 to trap the tension . a portion of crimps 120 and 122 and their respective surgical cables 100 may then be cut to allow removal of tensioners 20 and the remainder of surgical cables 100 . cable tensioner 220 incorporating an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig4 and 5 . cable tensioner 220 is preferably used with a surgical cable and a crimp to trap the desired amount of tension in a loop formed by the surgical cable and crimp . as explained for cable tensioner 20 , cable tensioner 220 may be used with surgical cable 100 and crimp 120 to tighten first loop 102 around a selected portion of a patient &# 39 ; s body and to trap the desired amount of tension within first loop 102 . cable tensioner 220 has three main components , elongated shaft 222 , first handle 230 and second handle 240 . an important feature of this embodiment of the present invention is that the main components of cable tensioner 220 may be formed from aluminum or other suitable metals and composite materials which are appropriate for sterilization and repeated surgical use . first handle 230 is preferably secured to one end of elongated shaft 222 . first handle 230 is generally configured to fit within the palm of a surgeon &# 39 ; s hand ( not shown ). elongated shaft 222 and first handle 230 cooperate to form a generally &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; shaped surgical tool . second handle 240 is slidably disposed on the exterior of elongated shaft 222 intermediate the ends thereof . elongated shaft 222 has a generally circular cross section . first slot 224 is formed in the exterior of elongated shaft 222 intermediate the ends thereof . a plurality of serrations 225 are provided within slot 224 . second handle 240 includes opening 242 which is sized to fit over the portion of elongated shaft 222 containing first slot 224 . opening 242 cooperates with the exterior of elongated shaft 222 to allow second handle 240 to slide longitudinally over the exterior of elongated shaft 222 . the other end 226 of elongated shaft 222 has an opening 228 which provides a portion of the means for releasably securing a portion of a surgical cable with end 226 of elongated shaft 222 . a second slot 229 is provided in the exterior of elongated shaft 222 extending from end 226 . as explained for second slot 29 of cable tensioner 20 , slot 229 is provided to assist with attachment of a surgical cable to second handle 240 . second handle 240 and elongated shaft 222 also have a generally &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; shaped configuration . second handle 240 preferably includes extensions 244 and 246 which are provided for engagement by the fingers of a surgeon &# 39 ; s hand . cable tensioner 220 is generally used by resting first , fixed handle 230 against the palm of a surgeon &# 39 ; s hands and engaging extensions 244 and 246 by the fingers of the surgeon &# 39 ; s hand . when the surgeon squeezes his fingers , second handle 240 will slide longitudinally towards first , fixed handle 230 . second handle 240 includes pawl 48 disposed within recess 50 of extension 244 . pin 52 is provided to secure pawl 48 within recess 50 and to allow pawl 48 to pivot with respect to pin 52 and the exterior of elongated shaft 222 adjacent thereto . first spring 54 is disposed within recess 50 and contacts a portion of pawl 48 . spring 54 cooperates with pivot pin 52 to bias pawl 48 to contact the exterior of elongated shaft 222 adjacent thereto . pawl 48 is preferably sized to fit within longitudinal slot 224 and to engage serration 225 therein . pawl 48 cooperates with first longitudinal slot 224 to prevent rotation of second handle 240 relative to spring 54 and pivot pin 52 cooperate with pawl 48 to allow longitudinal movement of second handle 240 towards first handle 230 . in a similar manner spring 54 , pivot pin 52 and pawl 48 cooperate with each other and serration 225 to prevent undesired movement of second handle 240 in the direction away from first handle 230 . as previously discussed for cable tensioner 20 , pawl 48 allows controlled movement of second handle 240 to tighten and loosen tension in a surgical cable attached to cable tensioner 220 . second handle 240 includes cleat 60 which is attached to the exterior of second handle 240 by pivot pin 62 . since second handle 240 is preferably formed from metal , plate 64 used with tensioner 20 is not required . torsion spring ( not shown , but identical to torsion spring 66 of fig2 ) is provided to bias cleat 60 into contact with shoulder 241 formed on second handle 240 . cleat 60 cooperates with shoulder 241 on second handle 220 to trap a portion of surgical cable 100 therebetween . cable tensioner 220 may be used with surgical cable 100 to secure first loop 102 with selected portions of a patient &# 39 ; s body such as vertebrae 104 and 106 . crimp 102 is preferably secured to one end of surgical cable 100 and loop 102 placed around the selected portion of the patent &# 39 ; s body . crimp 120 and the attached end of surgical cable 100 are then secured to the other end 226 of elongated shaft 222 opposite from first handle 230 . a portion of surgical cable 100 is placed within second longitudinal slot 229 in the exterior of elongated shaft 222 . second slot 229 in elongated shaft 22 aligns surgical cable 100 with elongated shaft 222 and assists with engagement of a portion of surgical cable 100 with cleat 60 . one of the differences between cable tensioner 220 and cable tensioner 20 includes providing gauge 250 , which indicates the amount of force applied to second handle 240 after a surgical cable has been secured to cable tensioner 220 . the force measured by gauge 250 is an approximation of the tension applied to the surgical cable . elongated shaft 222 comprises first portion 222a attached to first handle 230 and second portion 222b , which is slidably disposed within first portion 222a . as shown in fig5 second portion 222b of elongated shaft 222 preferably includes longitudinal passageway 236 extending partially therethrough . alignment rod 232 is preferably attached to first portion 222a and extends from first handle 230 into longitudinal passageway 236 . biasing means or spring 234 is preferably disposed on the exterior of alignment rod 232 between first portion 222a and second portion 222b . when one portion of a surgical cable is attached to end 226 of elongated shaft 222 and another portion of the surgical cable is attached to second handle 240 , movement of second handle 240 towards first handle 230 will result in longitudinal movement of second portion 222b relative to first portion 222a and compression of spring 234 . movement of second handle 240 towards first handle 230 will thus result in movement of gauge 250 relative to scale 252 . the amount of force required to move second handle 240 towards first handle 230 is proportional to the spring constant of biasing means 234 . therefore , the position of gauge 250 on scale 252 is an indication of the force being applied to second handle 240 and to the surgical cable attached to tensioner 220 . thus , cable tensioner 220 with gauge 250 provides an indication of the amount of tension being applied to a surgical loop around a selected portion of the patient &# 39 ; s body . scale 252 may be used to indicate increments of force such as 20 , 40 , 60 and 80 pounds . pawl 48 cooperates with second handle 240 to trap the desired amount of tension within the attached surgical cable as indicated by gauge 250 . an important feature of cable tensioner 220 is that spring 234 is located between second handle 240 and first handle 230 contained within second portion 222b of elongated shaft 222 . this position for spring 234 minimizes potential adverse consequences from a failure of spring 234 and associated components . cable tensioner 20 and 220 may be used with various types of surgical cable crimps , clamps and locks . cable tensioners 20 and 220 are not limited to use with crimp 120 . also , if cable tensioners 20 and 220 are used with self - locking crimps , pawls 48 may not be required for use with second handles 40 and 240 to hold the desired amount of tension in the surgical cable loop . although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims .	0
referring now to the drawings in detail , and initially to fig1 the electronic measuring system of the present invention employs a load cell 1 to measure the weight of an object . load cell 1 is a conventional load measuring device conventionally arranged in a bridge circuit . a pulsed voltage is applied across terminals a and b , to excite load cell 1 , and output terminals c and d register a voltage corresponding with the load applied to the cell . the excitation voltage driving load cell 1 is provided by a power supply 2 . power supply 2 may be any conventional dc power supply or battery , or any power supply which is altered to provide a d . c . voltage . for example , a conventional 120 volt , 60 hertz ac power supply could be rectified and converted to provide the desired dc voltage levels . switches 4 and 6 operatively determine when power is supplied to terminals a and b from power supply 2 . when switches 4 and 6 are enabled via a pulse signal line 10 , the voltage from power supply 2 is provided at terminals a and b . when pulse signal line 10 is deactivated , power supply 2 is isolated from load cell 1 . in a preferred embodiment , the constant dc voltage to switches 4 and 6 , by way of example , is + 5 v and - 5 v respectively . these voltages may vary provided that they are dc , and that the corresponding circuitry is modified accordingly , i . e . resistors and amplifiers adjusted to obtain the proper readings . it is readily foreseen that a power supply of any appropriate voltage for the system circuitry may be used . the system includes a conventional microprocessor 8 which handles many of the unique functions of the present invention . previous systems known to applicants , such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 238 , 784 , employed electronic circuitry which produced power pulses at a fixed frequency and duty cycle . the duty cycle of the system is the ratio of working time , the time during which power is being pulsed , to the total time . the frequency is the time between successive pulses . it has been found to be advantageous in portable applications to modify the frequency and duty cycle of the pulses at the load cell to maximize battery life while providing only the minimum necessary scale resolution . higher scale resolution requires a larger duty cycle to allow the circuitry sufficient time to accurately sample the load cell output . when the system is used to obtain higher resolution of the load , it consumes more power which results in shorter battery life . conversely , for lower resolution , the system requires a lower duty cycle . thus , lower resolution output results in increased system battery life . taking advantage of this principle , the system of the present invention preferably includes a program stored in rom 12 which allows the desired resolution of the scale to be preset via data entry device 14 located on a front panel of the system . if desired , the system could include factory preset resolution options , or interface with a computer device to receive such commands . in practice , the user will determine a preferred resolution of the scale to maximize informational importance while minimizing power consumption . for example , if the desired accuracy of the system is 1 / 1000th of the range ( i . e . range of 100 lbs ., accurate to the nearest pound ), the user would enter these values into the system via the keyboard 14 . the microprocessor 8 would then preferably utilize these values , plus other information described hereinafter to determine the minimum necessary pulse rate for the load cell . having determined the optimal frequency and duty cycle for the application , microprocessor 8 preferably sends a series of signals via pulse signal line 10 to switches 4 and 6 for preferably alternatively switching the power to load cell 1 on and off at the correct times . the system preserves power by pulsing the load cell only as necessary . thus , for high resolutions , the system may pulse several hundred times per second whereas it will pulse much slower for lower resolution applications . the analog output from load cell 1 at terminals c and d is amplified by operational amplifier 16 and is then applied to a drift correction circuit 18 . while the system is between pulses , drift correction circuit 18 stores in a capacitor any residual voltages which remain in the circuitry . since during a no - pulse , the amplifier output should be zero , any residual voltages would tend to render subsequent output voltage readings inaccurate . drift correction circuit 18 stores a reading of the residual voltages at the amplifier output , and subtracts this value from the output of the amplifier during the next pulse . thus , an accurate zero reading is provided . drift correction circuit 18 is preferably controlled by the zero signal 20 generated by microprocessor 8 . when the zero signal 20 is activated , a reading of voltage offsets will be taken . as the system duty cycle or frequency changes , microprocessor 8 preferably varies the timing signals to the system components accordingly . at higher duty cycles , zero corrections are needed more often . the output of the drift correction circuit 18 is fed to a sample - and - hold (&# 34 ; s / h &# 34 ;) circuit 22 . when signalled by microprocessor 8 via s / h signal line 24 , the s / h circuit 22 reads and stores the zeroed analog load cell output signal . once the amplified output has been stored in the s / h circuit 22 , microprocessor 8 may turn off the pulse signal line 10 and the s / h signal line 24 , and may thereafter engage the zero signal 20 . the output of the s / h circuit 22 is directed through low pass filter 26 . since the input voltage is dc , any signal content which is oscillating must be noise . generally , such noise is caused by physical oscillation of the scale , or by power supply noise . low pass filter 26 clips all noise above a very low frequency before directing the filtered output through two - input switch 28 into analog - to - digital (&# 34 ; a / d &# 34 ;) converter 30 . in order for a / d converter 30 to accurately convert the load cell output reading into digital form , this output voltage is preferably ratiometrically compared to the input voltage . thus , the magnitude of the pulse voltage which generated the load cell output is preferably stored for input into a / d converter 30 . when signalled by microprocessor 8 , pulse reference 32 measures and stores the voltage applied across terminals a - b . in a preferred embodiment , the signal which initiates storage of the reference voltage is the same as that of s / h signal line 24 . therefore , whenever a load cell output is sampled , pulse reference 32 will be signalled to record the reference voltage as well . the voltage is preferably stored in a capacitor . the reference voltage stored in pulse reference 32 is input into a / d converter 30 along with the filtered load cell output to provide the necessary ratiometric input . a / d converter 30 then converts the load cell analog voltage into a digital reading for the microprocessor 8 . all of the various electrical components of the present invention are preferably located in a common housing or in very close proximity . the heat generated tends to cause the load measurement to drift as a result of the heating effect of the various components , especially the analog devices . temperature sensor 34 is preferably placed in close proximity to the analog circuitry and load cell 1 to accurately approximate their temperatures . in a preferred embodiment , temperature sensor 34 is an integrated circuit which provides a voltage output proportional to temperature . it is readily foreseen that any appropriate conventional temperature sensor such as thermistor or other device may be utilized in the system of the present invention . the voltage output of the temperature sensor 34 , representative of the circuitry temperature , is selectively routed to a / d converter 30 through the second input of two - input switch 28 under the control of microprocessor 8 . the frequency with which a temperature reading is read may be a constant ( i . e . every 5 seconds ) or may be variable , determined by microprocessor 8 . since temperature changes occur very slowly in contrast with load changes , it is preferable that the temperature be read at a much lower rate than load cell readings . generally , one reading per minute or less is sufficient . however , in certain conditions it might be desirable to read the temperature value more often . if desired , microprocessor 8 might determine the rate of temperature change , and vary the frequency of temperature readings accordingly . for example , in an embodiment where power to the load cell is constant , i . e . not being pulsed , the load cell 1 will heat up and cause temperature related error . it may therefore be advantageous to take more frequent temperature readings . when no load is present , very infrequent or no temperature readings may be sufficient . once a / d converter 30 generates a digital value for the output of temperature sensor 34 , this value is read and stored by microprocessor 8 . microprocessor 8 is preferably conventionally programmed with the temperature response characteristics for the system . this is ordinarily accomplished in one of two ways . firstly , the entire housing may be placed in a temperature chamber where a look - up table is generated containing the temperature response characteristics for the system over a desired range of temperatures . this look - up table is preferably stored in eeprom 40 . alternatively , the transducer 1 may have an associated temperature response equation , or series of coefficients which relate the load cell output to applied load and temperature . these values , ordinarily provided by the load cell manufacturer are preferably stored in eeprom 40 . microprocessor 8 , having stored values for the system temperature and for the load cell output may determine the weight of the load applied to load cell . this is conventionally accomplished by utilizing either the look - up table or the coefficients as described above . the microprocessor is also able to utilize the system characteristics to compensate for zero drift or span errors , which occur when the load cell output varies with load and temperature . creep errors may likewise be compensated for . creep occurs when the load cell output varies with time , temperature and load . for example , to reduce creep , the microprocessor could store several consecutive output readings and conventionally utilize mathematical algorithms to smooth or average the readings . the use of the microprocessor 8 allows the system of the present invention to compensate for non - linearities in the system and to more accurately correct for span and creep errors . in order to display the computed load weight , a display 36 is provided . display 36 ordinarily comprises a plurality of conventional seven - segment lcd &# 39 ; s arranged to display a numerical value . microprocessor 8 preferably contains the necessary lcd driver circuitry to display the load value on the display . alternatively , driver devices may be provided to display the output in any conventionally known manner . if desired , however , the system of the present invention may be operated in a checkweight mode . when operated in this mode , a desired weight and desired acceptable range are preferably entered by the system user or may be preset into keys on the display panel . the lcd display circuitry may then preferably be utilized to relay messages to the user . rather than utilizing additional displays , or additional circuitry , microprocessor 8 may preferably reconfigure the lcd displays for displaying the over / under mode . if the weight present is below the desired tolerance range , the lcd &# 39 ; s preferably display lower case u &# 39 ; s such as shown in fig4 a . a vertical bar preferably indicates how far below the accept range the weight is . preferably , by way of example , each bar corresponds to 1 / 12 of the programmable limit . if the weight is within the accept range , preferably horizontal bars appear , with the vertical bars indicating where in the accept range the weight is , such as shown in fig4 b . a decimal point in the center of the display represents the target weight . preferably , there are six bars on each side of the target , and each one represents 1 / 12 of the programmable limit . if the weight exceeds the accept range , inverted o &# 39 ; s preferably appear , with a vertical bar indicating how far above the accept range the weight is , such as shown in fig4 c . preferably , each bar represents 1 / 12 of the programmable limit . preferably , microprocessor 8 includes the necessary driver circuitry to operate the lcd &# 39 ; s in this mode . for example , if it were desirable to have a scale with 0 . 5 lb . increments determine when a box was filled to within 12 lb . of 100 lb . target , the display as shown in fig4 a - 4c might be used . if the weight were 10 lbs . under the target , the under display indicated at fig4 a would be shown . fig4 b shows the accept display and indicates a weight 0 - 1 lbs . over the target value . fig4 c represents an over display , and shows approximately 6 lbs . over the target . while the system of the present invention includes various new and useful features , it is readily foreseen that a system may be designed which utilizes only certain of these features . for example , if power is not a consideration for the scale so that pulsing is less advantageous , it would still be useful to employ a single temperature sensor for compensating for all of the components , or to implement the present novel over / under indicator . as shown in fig2 microprocessor 8 must properly time the signals to the various devices for the system to operate correctly . in operation , microprocessor 8 would determine the optimal frequency and pulse width for the pulses to load cell 1 based upon desired resolution , battery life and other factors . to initiate the first pulse at time t1 , microprocessor 8 sends a dc signal through pulse signal line 10 which closes switches 4 and 6 and thereby supplies power to load cell 1 . a short time after the start of the pulse , at time t2 , microprocessor 8 sends a dc signal through s / h signal line 24 to sample the load cell output . substantially simultaneously , pulse reference 32 is signalled by the same s / h signal line 24 to take a measurement of the pulse voltage . if desired , microprocessor 8 may include a separate signal line for pulse reference 32 . time t2 may be any time after time t1 , provided that the load cell is still being pulsed until a stable sample is taken , and that the input amplifier , load cell and zero circuitry have had sufficient time to stabilize . after a sufficient time has passed to take an accurate sample , time t3 , s / h signal line 24 may be set to zero by microprocessor 8 . any time thereafter , at time t4 , pulse signal line 10 may be set to zero , and the pulse ended . thus time t1 - t4 represents the pulse - width of the pulse . after the pulse has ended , microprocessor 8 sends a dc signal through the zero signal line 20 at time t5 . this actuates a switch which will store residual voltages in a capacitor . this line must be kept on for a sufficient time , until time t6 , for the storage capacitor to charge . further , the zero reading must be taken sufficiently close to the next pulse so that the capacitor will not discharge before the next s / h reading . at time t7 , the pulse sequence begins again . thus the interval of pulses is t1 - t7 , and the frequency is 1 /( t1 - t7 ). the system of the present invention preferably includes an additional feature to preserve power . most scales are actually used for measurements only a small percentage of the time which power is actually on . therefore , the present invention preferably includes a sleep mode to conserve power during periods of non - use . the microprocessor 8 is preferably provided with a program to determine when to place the system in the sleep mode . for example , during periods of non - use longer than a desired threshold or in response to an input from the keyboard , microprocessor 8 may initiate the sleep mode . in the sleep mode , power is cut off from all circuitry which is not necessary . in a preferred embodiment , when the sleep mode is initiated the following events occur : 1 ) the power supply is signalled to reduce system voltage from + 5 vdc to + 3 vdc ; 2 ) power to the voltage inverter ( provides - 5 vdc source ) is shut off ; 3 ) all power to the load cell , the sample and hold , the amplifier , the zero circuitry , the pulse reference and the a / d converter is terminated . it is readily foreseen that various combinations of circuitry may be shut off while the system is in the sleep mode . while system response is slow in the sleep mode due to the reduced voltage to the microprocessor , power consumption is significantly reduced . the sleep mode may be terminated by either a user input , or by placing an object on the scale . if the system is attached to a separate computer , control signals to terminate the sleep mode may be externally provided . fig3 shows a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the system of fig1 . certain components have been placed in boxes for simplified reference . box a contains the amplifier circuitry for amplifying the load cell 1 ( not shown ) output . box b contains the drift correction circuitry , including capacitor c7 which stores the residual system voltages , and the zero signal line 20 . box c visualizes the sample - and - hold circuitry including the s / h signal line 24 . box d contains pulse reference 32 circuitry . the pulse reference voltage is stored in capacitor c16 . s / h signal line 24 is connected to a switch in both the s / h circuitry , and the pulse reference circuitry . therefore , when this line is activated , a sample of the load cell output is taken , and a sample of the pulse reference is taken . low - pass filter 26 is contained in box e . the filter output is connected to a / d converter 30 as is the pulse reference output . box f contains the temperature sensor 34 . the temperature sensor output is directed to a microprocessor controlled switch which determines if the temperature sensor output will be directed to a / d converter 30 . the power supply circuitry is substantially contained in box g . voltage regulator u7 controls the provision of the necessary dc voltages for the system to be operated , and the voltage inverter u11 provides the negative voltages for the system . these voltages are directed toward the pulse circuitry located in box h . fet &# 39 ; s q2 and q3 correspond with switches 4 and 6 as previously described . microprocessor 8 is connected to rom 12 for storing the fixed system program , and eeprom for storing any particular characteristics of the actual system ; i . e ., load cell coefficients or temperature sensor characteristics . a control line on pin 19 of microprocessor 8 handles multiple functions . when the microprocessor 8 determines that it is appropriate for the system to enter the sleep mode , this line is actuated to reduce the system voltage and to disengage the inverter u11 . however , if this line is only pulsed for a short time , it engages the switch connected to the temperature sensor 34 so that the temperature reading is directed to the a / d converter 30 . preferably , this signal line is not actuated long enough for the system voltage to change , or for the inverter u11 to turn off . another advantage of the electronic measuring system of the present invention is that it is suitable for use in high explosive environments . in such environments , it is necessary to prevent a spark from occurring anywhere on the circuit boards . since the present invention operates on low voltages and generates lower heat than previous scales , it is useful in such environments . as shown in fig5 by modifying the circuitry slightly , sparks even due to component failures are eliminated . redundant zener diodes d60 an d61 insure that if voltage regulator u7 fails , a resultant voltage spike will not result in a spark . further safety is achieved by placing current limiting resistors in series with any capacitor which could discharge with sufficient charge to spark . resistors r1 , r74 , r68 , r69 , r72 , r73 , and r70 , for example , help eliminate potentially catastrophic stray sparks . although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to certain embodiments and examples , variations and modifications exist which are within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims .	8
the term “ web 14 ” is used herein to refer to a thin membrane of photographic film , coated or uncoated paper or plastic , or other material . the web 14 has a uniform transverse dimension , within limits required for a particular use . the length of the web 14 is determinate or indeterminate , as appropriate for a particular use . for example , the web 14 can be a short sheet of known length or a long roll of unknown length . the term “ rotary element ” is used to refer to a rotating structure or endless belt that is capable of receiving the web 14 in a single turn or portion of a turn , or in a wrap or coil having multiple turns . for example , the “ rotary element ” can be a roller , a mandrel , or a core 20 or spool that can be removably mounted on a spindle . the invention is generally discussed herein in terms of embodiments in which the rotating element is a core 20 that is mounted on a spindle . the term “ fixes ” and like terms are used herein in the sense of an immobile rather than movable mounting . referring initially to fig1 - 2 , the winding apparatus 10 has a base 12 to which other components are attached . the base 12 is illustrated in the figures as a vertically aligned panel , but this is not critical . for example , the base 12 can be aligned horizontally or an assembly of smaller members ( not illustrated ) can be used instead of the panel . in the illustrated embodiments , features of the apparatus that contact a web 14 are arranged on the front side of the base 12 . this is a matter of convenience and can be changed to meet particular requirements . the invention is described in relation to and is particularly advantageous for the winding of photographic film . webs of other materials can be wound in a like manner . a winding spindle 16 is mounted to the base 12 . the winding spindle 16 defines a core space ( indicated by arrow 18 ) that receives a core 20 , when a core 20 is mounted on the winding spindle 16 . the spindle 16 is configured to hold and turn the core 20 without slippage . features for this purpose , such as square spindles and matching core openings , are well known to those of skill in the art . in the illustrated embodiment , the spindle 16 has a protrusion that extends radially outward and is complementary to a pocket on the winding core 20 . a web supply 22 is mounted to the base 12 in spaced relation to the winding spindle 16 . the configuration of the web supply 22 is not critical . in the figures , the web supply 22 is illustrated as an unwinding spindle 24 and a web roll 26 that is wound around an unwind core 20 a that is mounted on the unwinding spindle 24 . depending upon web materials and other factors , other configurations of web supply 22 , such as a bin of bifolded web , can be used instead . additional components can also be provided as a part of the web supply 22 or separate from the web supply 22 . for example , components such as idler rollers , tensioners , and cutters , can be provided . the apparatus 10 can be limited to the function of rewinding film ; however , other functions can also be provided between the web supply 22 and the winding spindle 16 . such functions are illustrated in fig1 - 2 by a function unit 28 in the shape of a box . examples of function units include , include components for : digital scanning , optical projection , chemical processing , coating , laminating , and printing . in the following , the core 20 positioned on the winding spindle 16 and the core 20 positioned on the unwinding spindle 24 are both the same ; however , for convenience in the following discussion , the core 20 on the winding spindle 16 is sometimes referred to as the “ winding core 20 ”. different reference designations , “ 20 a ” for the unwind core and “ 20 b ” for the winding core , are also used . the winding spindle 16 rotates about a winding axis 30 . this rotation is powered by a web drive 32 . additional components such as an unwinding spindle 24 can also be driven by the web drive 32 . the web drive 32 includes one or more motors 34 and can optionally include a gear train or trains , belt or belts , or other transmission ( not shown ). in the illustrated embodiment , the winding spindle 16 and unwinding spindle 24 are each directly driven by a separate electric motor 34 . an additional motor 36 is provided that rotates a pivot arm 38 . a microprocessor or other controller 40 is connected to the motors 34 , 36 and other controlled components by signal lines 42 . features and operation of suitable controllers for this purpose are well known to those of skill in the art . operations can also be sequenced manually using switches . a builder roller 44 is rotatable about a builder roller axis 46 ( see fig6 - 7 ) that is parallel to the winding axis 30 . the builder roller 44 is positioned adjoining the winding core 20 so as to form a nip 48 . in the illustrated embodiment , the builder roller 44 has a pair of opposed flanges 50 that adjoin either end of the winding core 20 adjacent the nip 48 . the roller 44 is rotatably mounted to a pivot arm 38 . the pivot arm 38 is pivotably mounted to the base 12 . the location of the winding spindle 16 does not change and the builder roller 44 thus pivots relative to the winding spindle 16 . the pivot arm motor 36 pivots the pivot arm 38 as needed to accommodate the growth of the web roll 26 on the winding core during winding . the rate of pivoting can be linked to spindle rotation or web travel or time and can be fixed or variable , as desired . suitable sensors and equipment for this purpose are well known to those of skill in the art . as an alternative , the pivot arm motor 36 can be replaced by a pivot bearing ( not shown ) and a biasing member ( not shown ) that allows the web roll 26 to push the pivot arm 38 about the bearing as the web roll 26 on the winding core 20 b grows . if the apparatus 10 is to be used for winding a web of photographic film , then the builder roller 44 can be configured to contact the film only at opposed lateral margins of the film . this reduces the risk of pressure marking in image areas of the film , since the film is not contacted between the lateral margins . in this case , the nip 48 can be considered to have two spaced apart segments ( not shown ) separated by an enlarged gap , in which the web 14 is not squeezed . for other types of web 14 , such as paper , that are not subject to pressure marking ; it is convenient to provide a nip 48 that is continuous from side to side and continuously contacts the web 14 between lateral margins . referring now to fig4 - 13 , cinching related components include a guide shoe 52 and a scroll guide 54 . both the guide shoe 52 and the scroll guide 54 are mounted to and pivot with the pivot arm 38 . in the embodiment shown in the figures , a first guide support 56 mounts the guide shoe 52 to the pivot arm 38 . a second guide support 58 mounts the scroll guide 54 to the guide shoe 52 . additional or alternative supports can be provided as needed for a particular use or as convenient . the scroll guide 54 and guide shoe 52 are movable in directions parallel to the winding axis 30 between a use position and a standby position . in the use position , both adjoin the builder roller 44 and winding core 20 or core space 18 . the inner end 60 of the guide shoe 52 is located between and closely adjoins the builder roller 44 and the winding core 20 or core space 18 . the outer end 62 is spaced from the builder roller 44 . in the stand - by position , both the guide shoe 52 and scroll guide 54 are disposed in spaced relation to the builder roller 44 and winding core 20 or core space 18 . movement of the scroll guide 54 and guide shoe 52 between positions is provided by a linear actuator 64 that is mounted to the first guide support 56 . the scroll guide 54 and guide shoe 52 can , alternatively , be movable independent of each other . this approach is more complex and not particularly desirable , unless there are other concerns , such as spatial constraints in a particular use . movement of the scroll guide 54 and guide shoe 52 can also be provided in other directions . for example , the guide shoe 52 can easily be moved in a plane that is perpendicular to the winding axis 30 . the scroll guide 54 can be made in separable pieces to allow similar movement . the guide shoe 52 has a body 66 that encloses a plenum 68 . the body 66 has a chute wall 70 that has an array of bores 72 that communicate with the plenum 68 . in the embodiments illustrated , the guide shoe 52 has a pair of opposed sidewalls 74 that laterally adjoin the chute wall 70 . the sidewalls 74 and chute wall 70 together form a chute that is sized to accommodate the web 14 . the guide shoe 52 is aligned with the nip 48 , that is , the chute wall 70 leads toward the nip 48 . the chute wall 70 is flat in the illustrated embodiments , but can be curved . the body 66 of the guide shoe 52 has a port 76 that extends through to the plenum 68 . a pressurized gas supply 78 is connected to the port 76 . the controller can be operatively connected to the pressurized gas supply to limit gas deliver to those times the guide shoe 52 is in the use position or cinching is being done . the number of bores 72 in the chute wall 70 depends upon the area and weight of a supported portion of the web 14 . in a particular embodiment , the bores 72 each have a diameter in the range of about 0 . 012 - 0 . 032 inch ( 0 . 030 - 0 . 081 cm ). the bores 72 are angled toward the nip 48 . an angle of the bores 72 to the chute wall 70 is in the range of 5 to 45 degrees . the scroll guide 54 has a deflector 80 that curves around the winding axis 30 and winding core 20 . the deflector 80 has a pair of opposed axial ends 82 , 84 . the deflector 80 has a uniform crescent - shaped cross - section . in the illustrated embodiments , an external reinforcing ridge 86 extends radially outward from the deflector 80 at the outer axial end of the deflector 80 . the position the reinforcing ridge can be varied . the deflector 80 has a deflecting wall 88 that faces the winding core 20 . the deflecting wall 88 defines an imaginary arc that is radial to the winding axis 30 . the deflecting wall 88 of the scroll guide 54 and the winding core 20 or core space 18 together define a scrolling space 90 having an entrance 92 adjoining the builder roller 44 and an exit 94 adjoining the inner end 60 of the chute wall 70 . in the illustrated embodiments , the deflecting wall 88 is continuous between an entrance margin 96 and an exit margin 98 . alternatively , the deflecting wall 88 can be discontinuous ; but this can present a risk of the web 14 hanging up in a discontinuity . the deflecting wall 88 can extend from end to end of the winding core 20 or can be larger or smaller ( in an axial direction ). in particular embodiments , the winding core 20 and deflecting wall 88 have the same axial length . the deflector 80 can have friction reducing features such as surface relief , pressurized gas jets , roller bearings , or the like . in particular embodiments , the scroll guide 54 has a limit stop 100 joined to the deflector 80 at one or both ends . in the illustrated embodiments , the limit stops 100 are roughly c - shaped and relatively thin , in an axial direction , in comparison to the deflector 80 . the limit stop or stops 100 extend inward from the deflector 80 toward the winding axis 30 . the limit stop or stops 100 prevent excessive lateral movement of the web 14 during cinching . the use of the limit stops 100 and the extent of lateral movement allowed by the stops 100 can be varied to meet the requirements of a particular use and the propensity of a particular web 14 to telescope or otherwise cinch improperly . in the illustrated embodiments , the outer limit stop 100 a can be conveniently fixed on the axial end of the deflector 80 and can be sized as desired . the inner limit stop 100 b can be fixed to the inner axial end of the deflector 80 , but is configured so as to permit withdrawal of the deflector 80 over the winding core 20 and initial turn or turns of the web 14 . the inner limit stop 100 can be considered to define a subdivision of the scrolling space 90 into an axially inner removal zone or hollow cylinder 102 , which has open axial ends ; and an axially outward blocked zone or hollow cylinder 104 , which has an inner axial end blocked by the inner limit stop 100 . in an alternative embodiment , the limit stop or stops 100 c are movable in a plane perpendicular to the winding axis 30 , between a retracted position and an extended position . in this embodiment , two stop portions 106 of each stop 100 c are pivoted about a pin 107 that is fixed to the deflector 80 . in the retracted position , the limit stop 100 c blocks lateral web movement . in the extended position , the limit stop 100 c is moved outward beyond the deflecting wall 88 . pivoting can be performed manually or by an automated device . in cinching , gas flow and winding core rotation are first started . the guide shoe 52 utilizes a flow of gas from the bores 72 to propel the free end of the web 14 into the nip 48 . the flow of gas causes a zone of reduced gas pressure to be formed between the chute wall 70 and the web 14 , in accordance with the bernoulli effect . this establishes a pressure differential across the web 14 and holds the web 14 in the guide shoe 52 on the film of flowing gas . the bernoulli effect retains the web 14 along the chute wall 70 . gas issuing from the bores 72 flows in a film along the chute wall 70 and floats the web 14 toward the nip 48 . the path of the gas flow is disrupted at the nip 48 , but the web 14 is then propelled by the rotating winding core 20 into the scrolling space 90 . the distance between the inner end 60 of the guide shoe 52 and the nip 48 is short . this , along with the flowing gas , causes the web 14 to act as a beam and to bridge the gap into the nip 48 . continuing movement of the web 14 along the guide shoe 52 pushes the web 14 around the scroll guide 54 and back into the gas flow over the guide shoe 52 . the free end is again entrained by the gas flow and reenters the nip 48 . continued rotation of the winding spindle 16 causes the loop of web 14 within the scroll guide 54 to tighten against the winding core 20 , resulting in cinching . the rotation of the winding spindle 16 is in the same direction as the movement of the web 14 around the scroll guide 54 . air jets , rollers , or the like ( not shown ) can be provided in the scroll guide 54 to reduce friction during the passage of the web 14 through the guide . in particular embodiments of the invention , the web supply 22 is spaced from the winding spindle 16 by an intermediate space 108 . the intermediate space 108 is free of idler rollers or guides or other features that would block movement of the web 14 in a plane that extends perpendicular to the winding axis 30 . in this embodiment , a slack loop 110 of web 14 is formed prior to manual insertion of the web 14 into the guide shoe 52 . the slack loop 110 is tightened away by growing web tension following cinching . the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown and described . for example , the scroll guide can be shortened ( not shown ). this eliminates cinching , but allows passage of a web through a nip , followed by a redirection of the web . in this case , the builder roller is retained , but is better designated as “ roller ”. the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention .	1
the inventor has recognized that although the conventional igniter assembly 110 illustrated in fig1 is designed to reduce an airflow passing through the opening 118 within the combustion liner 119 , the positioning of the igniter boss 115 around the igniter 114 introduces a radial gap 117 between the igniter boss 115 and the igniter 114 to facilitate an undesired air flow to pass through the opening 118 . additionally , the inventor has recognized that although the conventional igniter assembly 210 illustrated in fig2 is similarly designed to reduce an airflow passing through the opening 218 in the combustion liner 219 , the positioning of the igniter boss 215 proximate to the igniter housing base 226 introduces an axial gap 217 between the igniter boss 215 and the igniter housing base 226 to facilitate an undesired air flow to pass through the opening 218 . thus , the inventor has recognized that there is a need to provide an igniter assembly with an air seal to eliminate radial gaps and axial gaps within the igniter assembly which facilitate the passage of an undesired air flow through the opening in the combustion liner . the inventor has recognized that although the igniter assembly 38 of the wells et al . patent provides an air seal for a radial gap 40 in the combustion liner 16 , the air seal is limited to the igniter tip 44 being in an extended position beyond the combustion liner 16 . the inventor has recognized that if the igniter tip 44 of the wells et al . patent were to retract through the combustion liner 16 , a noticeable undesired air flow would be generated through the opening 40 and into the combustion chamber 14 . accordingly , the inventor has developed an igniter assembly featuring an air seal which prevents an air flow from entering the opening of the combustion liner , regardless of whether the igniter is in a retracted position or an extended position with respect to the combustion liner . additionally , the inventor has recognized that even if the igniter tip 44 remains in the extended position beyond the combustion liner 16 , the igniter assembly 38 provides no structure to prevent an air flow from passing through an axial gap in the igniter assembly 38 attributed to thermal growth properties in the axial direction of the outer casing 30 and the combustion liner 16 . for example , the lone pair of springs 42 , 52 surrounding the igniter do not provide an adequate air seal to prevent such an air flow . accordingly , the inventor has developed an igniter assembly with an air seal having the appropriate structural features to prevent an air flow from passing through a respective radial gap or axial gap within the igniter assembly attributed to thermal expansion properties . the inventors have additionally recognized that the pair of springs 42 , 52 in wells et al . are positioned within an open area of the igniter assembly 38 , thereby posing a risk in the event that a portion of a spring 42 , 52 were to break away and fall through the opening 40 into the combustion chamber 14 , or to interfere with the motion of the igniter 36 . accordingly , the inventor has developed an air seal featuring a spring which is captured within a stagnant volume , thereby reducing the risk posed by such a spring . fig9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an igniter assembly 10 of a gas turbine 12 . the igniter assembly 10 includes an igniter 14 disposed within an igniter housing 16 , which encircles the igniter 14 . although the exemplary embodiment of the igniter assembly 10 in fig3 features a circular igniter housing 16 and other circular components encircling the igniter 14 and the igniter cavity 13 , the igniter housing and the other components may be non - circular , polygon shaped components , for example . as illustrated in fig9 , the igniter tip 17 is positioned on a same side of a combustion liner 19 as the igniter housing 16 . the igniter 14 is extendable from the igniter housing 16 through an opening 18 in the combustion liner 19 to an extended position ( not shown ) on an opposite side of the combustion liner 19 than the igniter housing 16 . subsequent to extending the igniter 14 through the opening 18 to the extended position , the igniter 14 is retractable from the extended position back through the opening 18 to a retracted position 22 ( fig9 ) where the igniter tip 17 is positioned on the same side of the combustion liner 19 as the igniter housing 16 . the igniter assembly 10 of the present invention provides its notable advantageous features , including an air seal between the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 , when the igniter 14 is in the extended position , the retracted position , and all positions in between . however , an exemplary embodiment of the igniter assembly 10 may exclusively provide the advantageous features for one or more particular igniter positions , for example . as illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of fig9 , the igniter assembly 10 further includes a compressible assembly 24 disposed between a base 26 of the igniter housing 16 and the combustion liner 19 to form a sealed interface 15 with a perimeter 28 of the opening 18 in the combustion liner 19 . the compressible assembly 24 collectively restricts an air flow from passing between the igniter housing base 26 and the perimeter 28 of the opening 18 . in an exemplary embodiment of the igniter assembly 10 , the compressible assembly 24 is variable in length to accommodate a respective variation in a separation between the igniter housing base 26 and the opening 18 within the combustion liner 19 . the structural features of an exemplary embodiment of the compressible assembly 24 are discussed in further detail below . fig3 - 9 illustrate exemplary embodiments of the respective structural assembly steps for a compressible assembly 24 of the igniter assembly 10 . fig3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the igniter 14 encircled by the igniter housing 16 , and a top guide portion 36 which is slid up around the igniter tip 17 and into contact with the igniter housing base 26 ( fig4 ). as illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of fig3 , the top guide portion 36 includes an outer flange 40 to form a sealed interface 21 with the igniter housing base 26 ( fig4 ), an upper longitudinal portion 42 slidably engaged with an inner portion 44 of the igniter housing 16 , and a lower longitudinal portion 46 . as illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of fig4 , once the top guide portion 36 forms the sealed interface 21 with the igniter housing base 26 , and the upper longitudinal portion 42 is slidably engaged with the inner portion 44 , a cover 52 is passed up around the lower longitudinal portion 46 of the top guide portion 36 . as illustrated in fig5 , upon passing the cover 52 around the lower longitudinal portion 46 of the top guide portion 36 , a bottom guide portion 38 is passed up inside the cover 52 and aligned with the top guide portion 36 . the bottom guide portion 38 includes a spring flange 48 extending outwardly from a longitudinal portion 50 . the top guide portion 36 and bottom guide portion 38 are welded together , as illustrated in fig6 , at opposing ends , where the respective opposing ends are slanted in opposite directions to accommodate the welding process , as appreciated by one of skill in the art . upon welding the top guide portion 36 and bottom guide portion 38 , the cover 52 includes an outer portion 56 ( discussed below ) and a top portion 54 which is slidably engaged with an outer surface 58 of the longitudinal portion 50 of the bottom guide portion 38 and the lower longitudinal portion 46 of the top guide portion 36 . as illustrated in fig7 , a spring 66 is passed up into the cover 52 adjacent to an inner surface of the outer cover portion 56 and against the spring flange 48 of the bottom guide portion 38 . as illustrated in fig8 , upon positioning the spring 66 , a base 60 including a bottom portion 62 and a longitudinal portion 64 is passed upward , and the longitudinal portion 64 is passed into the cover 52 between the spring 66 and the longitudinal portion 50 of the bottom guide portion 38 . the bottom portion 62 is subsequently welded to the bottom end of the longitudinal portion 56 of the cover 52 ( fig9 ), and the bottom portion 62 forms a sealed interface 57 with the opening 18 . as illustrated in fig9 , the spring flange 48 , the outer cover portion 56 , the bottom base portion 62 and the longitudinal base portion 64 form a variable stagnant volume 68 in which the spring 66 is disposed to impart an upward force on the spring flange 48 such that the compressible assembly 24 forms an effective seal between the igniter housing base 26 and the opening 18 . although fig3 - 9 illustrate an exemplary set of assembly steps for the exemplary embodiment of the compressible assembly 24 utilizing a particular set of components , these assembly steps may be rearranged or supplemented using the same components so to provide an additional exemplary embodiment of a compressible assembly . additionally , the compressible assembly is not limited to the exemplary set of components illustrated in fig3 - 9 , but may include any set of components which may be assembled using any set of steps , provided that the compressible assembly restricts an air flow from passing between the igniter housing base 26 and the perimeter 28 of the opening 18 , and is variable in length to accommodate a respective variation in a separation between the igniter housing base 26 and the opening 18 within the combustion liner 19 . in the exemplary embodiment of the igniter assembly 10 illustrated in fig9 , the spring flange 48 contacts a top end 70 of the spring 66 disposed within the stagnant volume 68 . a variation in the separation between the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 causes the spring 66 to maintain an upward force on the spring flange 48 and vertically shift the spring flange 48 in the same relative shift direction as the igniter housing 16 during the separation variation . thus , the spring flange 48 forms a variable top portion of the stagnant volume 68 . additionally , the longitudinal base portion 64 disposed between the spring 66 and the longitudinal portion 50 of the bottom guide portion 38 forms an inner portion of the stagnant volume 68 . the stagnant volume 68 is further defined by the outer cover portion 56 positioned along an outer surface of the ring 66 , which forms an outer portion of the stagnant volume 68 . the bottom base portion 62 forms a bottom portion of the stagnant volume 68 . in an example of a variation in the separation between the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 , when the separation is minimized as illustrated in fig9 , the spring flange 48 imparts a downward force on the spring 66 and compresses the spring 66 to a compressed length 78 within the stagnant volume 68 such that the stagnant volume 68 is minimized . additionally , as the spring flange 48 is lowered to compress the spring 66 within the stagnant volume 68 , the top cover portion 54 slidably moves up and engages an upper portion 86 along the outer surface 58 of the longitudinal portion 50 and the lower longitudinal portion 46 , as illustrated in fig9 . from the minimal separation between the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 illustrated in fig9 , the separation may be increased to a maximum separation ( not shown ), in which the downward force imparted on the spring 66 by the spring flange 48 is reduced , and the spring 66 varies in length to an uncompressed length ( not shown ). additionally , as the spring flange 48 is raised to uncompress the spring 66 within the stagnant volume 68 , the top cover portion 54 slidably moves down and engages a lower portion 84 along the outer surface 58 of the longitudinal portion 50 and the lower longitudinal portion 46 , as illustrated in fig9 . although fig9 illustrates one spring 66 disposed within one stagnant volume 68 , the present invention is not limited to this arrangement and may include multiple springs disposed within a single stagnant volume , or multiple springs disposed within respective multiple stagnant volumes . additionally , the present invention may include the use of a non - spring compressible device disposed within the stagnant volume or within any portion of the compressible assembly , provided that the compressible device facilitates varying the compressible assembly length with the variance in the separation between the igniter housing and the opening in the combustion liner , and ensures that a sufficient minimal contact is maintained between the compressible assembly and the igniter housing and perimeter of the combustion liner opening , to maintain all sealed interfaces to prevent an undesired air flow from passing between the igniter housing and the combustion liner opening . regardless of the degree of separation between the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 , the top cover portion 54 forms a sealed interface 55 with the outer surface 58 to prevent air from passing between the top cover portion 54 and the top guide portion 36 or bottom guide portion 38 , depending on the separation between the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 . for example , when the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 are separated by the maximum separation , the top cover portion 54 slidably engages a lower portion 84 along the longitudinal portion 50 of the outer surface 58 and forms the sealed interface 55 between the top cover portion 54 and the longitudinal portion 50 . thus , for the maximum separation between the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 , the sealed interface 55 prevents an air flow from passing between the top cover portion 54 and the bottom guide portion 38 . in another example , when the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 are separated by a minimum separation , the top cover portion 54 slidably engages an upper portion 86 along the outer surface 58 , and forms the sealed interface between the top cover portion 54 and the longitudinal portion 50 . thus , for a minimum separation between the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 , the sealed interface 55 prevents an air flow from passing between the top cover portion 54 and the top guide portion 36 . as illustrated in fig9 , the compressible assembly 24 is configured to form a seal in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis 88 of the igniter 14 , where the seal extends from the igniter housing base 26 to the opening 18 to prevent the air flow from passing between the igniter housing base 26 and the opening 18 and through the opening when the igniter 14 is either in the retracted position ( fig9 ) or the extended position ( not shown ). in addition to the compressible assembly 24 illustrated in fig9 , the igniter assembly 10 features a landing 23 positioned between the base 60 and the combustion liner 19 to form a sealed interface 15 around the opening 18 . the compressible assembly 24 is disposed between the igniter housing base 26 and the landing 23 , and the compressible assembly 24 maintains a respective minimum contact level with the igniter housing base 26 and the landing 23 for a range of separations between the igniter housing 16 and the opening 18 sufficient to maintain the sealed interface 21 between the top guide portion 36 and the igniter housing base 26 , a sealed interface 57 between the bottom base portion 62 and the landing 23 , and the sealed interface 15 between the landing 23 and the combustion liner 19 . the sealed interface 21 prevents air from passing between the igniter housing 16 and the top guide portion 36 , into the igniter cavity 13 and through the opening 18 . the sealed interface 57 prevents air from passing between the bottom base portion 62 and the landing 23 and entering the opening 18 . the sealed interface 15 prevents air from passing between the landing 23 and the perimeter 28 of the opening 18 and into the opening 18 . as illustrated in fig9 , an opening 90 is provided in the igniter housing 16 to selectively supply an air flow into an igniter cavity 13 of the igniter housing 16 to purge the igniter cavity 13 . the opening 90 may be selectively opened ( using a controller or other control mechanism ) to purge air from the igniter cavity 13 , particularly when the temperature of the air within the igniter cavity 13 exceeds a predetermined threshold ( which may be measured by a temperature sensor , for example ). thus , purging the igniter cavity 13 through the opening 90 provides some protection against thermal damage to the interior of the igniter cavity 13 and the igniter assembly 24 when the air temperature within the igniter cavity 13 reaches a high level . while various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein , it will be obvious that such embodiments are provided by way of example only . numerous variations , changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the invention herein . accordingly , it is intended that the invention be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	5
referring now to the drawings fig1 depicts a prior - art system of using water as a cooling unit to cool a computer &# 39 ; s electronic components , including , but not limited , the computer &# 39 ; s central processing unit . the circuit board 30 [ motherboard ] has on it , among other electronics , a central processing unit 20 . in operation the central processing unit generates heat as described above . a water cooling unit 111 , above the central processing unit 20 cools the central processing unit . the prior - art water cooling unit has an intake port 13 to receive water from an external source [ radiator , not shown in this figure ] and from its outlet port 14 to return the water to the radiator . as described above , leaks to the water cooling unit will drip to the motherboard 30 and adversely affect the computer &# 39 ; s central processing unit and other electronic components resulting in damage , shorts , and loss of productivity . fig2 through 4 , reference character 10 generally designates a computer cooling system constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the computer cooling system of the present disclosure . the computer cooling system 10 has a cooling unit 11 which includes an inner chamber and a base 15 with an intake port 13 connected to the cooling unit 11 to permit entry of water from an external source [ radiator ]. water is discharged from the cooling unit 11 via the outlet port 14 returning expended water to the radiator . this base 15 acts largely like a heat sink , dissipating heat collected from the central processing unit 20 into the cooling fluid . this base 15 may have cooling fins [ not shown ] in the fluid chamber to increase the surface area of the base 15 ; i . e ., fluid junction . the materials best suited for the intended purpose would either be copper or aluminum , primarily because of their superior thermal conductivity , though any suited material having good thermal conductivity characteristics would generally suffice . a pump on the outlet side of the cooling unit 11 forces water from the cooling unit 11 back to the radiator and in the process , cycles water from the radiator back to the cooling unit 11 via the inlet port 13 . a reservoir in the computer cooling system , between the radiator and the intake port 13 acts to regulate the flow of water and to receive , retain , or release any excess or overflow water in the system . the unique aspect of this computer cooling system 10 is the inversion of the motherboard 30 such that it is above the central processing unit 20 rather then below it as in virtually computer motherboard 30 [ exception being where the motherboard 30 is configured vertically . with the motherboard 30 being above the central processing unit 20 , placement of the cooling unit 11 below the computer &# 39 ; s electronic components , and in particular , below and adjacent to its central processing unit 20 , will serve to enhance its cooling effect and to protect the computer &# 39 ; s electronic components from damage should a leak occur in the water cooling unit 11 or the entire computer cooling system 10 . in addition to inverting the motherboard 30 , another novel feature of this computer cooling system 10 is the drip collection pay 40 below the cooling unit 11 . the collection drip pan 40 serves to receive and retain any water dripping from the cooling unit 11 due to any leaks to and in the cooling unit 11 or the entire computer cooling system 10 for that matter . the drip pan 40 has a non - perforated bottom and upstanding walls around the bottom to contain therein any accumulating and accumulated water . a series of blades 41 extend and angle upward from the bottom . the series of blades 41 are substantially parallel to one another . each blade has a bottom end 45 and a top end 43 . the blades 41 are angled from the bottom of the drip pan 40 at approximately between 20 ° to approximately 60 ° and in such fashion that the top end 43 of one blade 41 extends beyond the bottom end 45 of the adjacent blade 41 . reference being made to fig3 , vertical line a - b . with this configuration of the drip pan 40 , the angling of the blades 41 will cause any water dripping from the cooling unit 11 to deflect away from the angle of the blade 41 , generally in the direction of arrow c , not rebound directly upward , and will also serve to diminish any splatter effect . the overlapping of the top ends 43 past the bottom ends 45 will also serve as a barrier from the deflections and splattering caused by the dripping water on the adjacent angled blade . in a vertical rack - type computer system with individual computer units above and below one another [ fig2 ], the drip pan 40 serves as protection for the entire computer system . computer unit z has a floor 60 , with drip pan 40 resting on its floor 60 . computer unit x is above computer unit z . computer x has a floor 60 ′ which in essence serves as the ceiling for computer unit z . below the floor 60 ′ of computer unit x is the inverted motherboard 30 , with central processing unit 20 below the motherboard 30 , of computer unit z . the computer cooling system 10 for computer unit z is below and adjacent to the central processing unit 20 of computer unit z . computer unit y is below computer unit z . each computer unit above and below that of computer unit z in configured in like fashion as that of computer unit z . each having a floor wherein the floor of a computer unit above [ example of computer x ] is the ceiling of the computer unit below [ example of computer unit z ]. each computer in this rack system therefore has its motherboard 30 inverted with a computer cooling system 10 below the respective central processing units 20 as described hereinabove . in addition , and for greater protection from leaks , the computer cooling system 10 has a water - absorbent member 17 around each intake port 13 and around each outlet port 14 at the points where the intake port 13 and the outlet port 14 connect to the respective cooling unit 11 . therefore , if a leak occurs , such generally would occur at weakest points , i . e ., connection points , and the water - absorbent member 17 would serve to retain the water and sound an alarm as an alert that a leak has occurred . if the leak is not corrected in a timely manner , leaking water will be retained by the water - absorbent member 17 until it becomes over - saturated at which point the water would drip down into the drip pan 40 . this water - absorbent member 17 may be of any conventionally available material suited to the intended purpose including , but not limited to , nylon or cotton or any combination thereof although any cloth substance capable of stemming the spray or flow of leaking water . the material may be but need not be water resistant . in this regard , the water - absorbent member 17 is designed to limit spraying that may occur in the case of a failure [ leak ] of the system 10 . the water - absorbent member 17 is not intended to primarily capture water , but rather it is intended to be capable of absorbing the kinetic energy of the leaking water , thereby allowing the water to fall into the drip pan 40 . the present disclosure includes that contained in the present claims as well as that of the foregoing description . although this computer cooling system of the present disclosure has been described in its preferred forms with a certain degree of particularity , it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred forms has been made only by way of example and numerous changes in the details of construction and combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the computer cooling system of the present disclosure . accordingly , the scope of the computer cooling system of the present disclosure should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated , but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents . applicant [ s ] have attempted to disclose all the embodiment [ s ] of the computer cooling system of the present disclosure that could be reasonably foreseen . it must be understood , however , that there may be unforeseeable insubstantial modifications to computer cooling system of the present disclosure that remain as equivalents and thereby falling within the scope of the computer cooling system of the present disclosure .	6
referring now to fig1 a , a schematic representation of one embodiment of the sensor 1 is shown having a pressure conduction composite 2 disposed between two conductive layers 5 , 6 . an optional pair of non - conductive layers 51 and 52 contact the conductive layers 5 and 6 , respectively , opposite of the pressure conduction composite 2 . conductive layers 5 , 6 include a variety of materials , such as metals and composites , and a variety of generally planar structures , including plates , foils , films , foams , weaves , and braids . the pressure conduction composite 2 is composed of conductive particles 3 within a non - conductive yet pliable and resilient matrix 4 . the matrix 4 is a generally planar solid that surrounds and isolates the conductive particles 3 so as to maximize resistance and minimize conductance thereby preventing current flow between conductive layers 5 , 6 at an ambient or biased pressure . non - conductive layers 51 , 52 isolate the sensor 1 so as to prevent electrical current loss from the sensor 1 and to shield the sensor 1 from electrical current external to the device . non - conductive layers 51 , 52 include a variety of non - conducting materials , such as polymers and composites , and a variety of generally planar structures , including plates , foils , films , foams , weaves , and braids . it is preferred for conductive layers 5 , 6 and non - conductive layers 51 , 52 to be pliable . referring now to fig1 b , the distance between conductive particles 3 decreases with increasing force 7 thereby increasing the effective conductance of the pressure conduction composite 2 . in the present invention , force 7 is a mechanical load partially interacting with at least one conductive layer 5 , 6 and optionally with at least one non - conductive layer 51 , 52 , as represented in fig1 b . maximum conductance is achieved when conductive particles 3 and conductive layers 5 , 6 are contacting . the matrix 4 should be sufficiently resilient to allow for its recovery after the force 7 is removed . it is preferred for the conductive particles 3 to return to their original or nearly original location within the matrix 4 . the term “ locally resilient ” refers to the movement of the pressure conduction composite 2 , one or more surrounding conductive layers 5 , 6 , and one or more optional non - conductive layers 51 , 52 under and adjacent to a mechanical load . for example , a compression event includes a volumetric reduction of the matrix 4 , spatial displacement of conductive particles 3 , and localized elastic deformation of conductive layers 5 , 6 and nonconductive layers 51 , 52 . a decompression event includes a volumetric expansion of the matrix 4 to its original or nearly original volume , spatial displacement of conductive particles 3 to their original or nearly original locations , and localized elastic recovery of conductive layers 5 , 6 and nonconductive layers 51 , 52 . compression and decompression may be assisted by a variety of mechanical , electromechanical , and magnetic devices . referring now to fig2 , resistance - force curves are shown for several exemplary pressure conduction composites 2 having titanium diboride particles within a polymer plate . in general , pressure conduction composites 2 exhibit an extremely large decrease in resistance over a relatively small range of force . the volume fraction of conductive particles 3 influences the resistance - to - force characteristics of the composition thereby allowing the material system to be tailored or tuned for ambient and operating pressures . it is likewise possible for the pressure conduction composite 2 to be actively biased as a function of constant or changing ambient pressure thereby requiring minimal pressure to produce the desired change in conductance . referring again to fig1 a , stoichiometry , thickness , and feedstock materials greatly influence the resistance - force profile via the properties of sensitivity , signal quality , and pressure range . stoichiometry relates to the density of particles 3 within the matrix 4 . the size and density of particles 3 greatly influence the sensitivity and pressure range . thickness of the pressure conduction composite 2 , conductive layers 5 , 6 and non - conductive layers 51 , 52 determine the pliability of the sensor 1 and its ability to couple mechanical loads into the material system . in general , it is preferred to have conductive particles 3 at a volume fraction at or near the critical percolation threshold of the material system . furthermore , it is generally preferred to have the conductive particles 3 randomly dispersed within the matrix 4 so as to avoid a continuous path between conductive layers 5 , 6 at initial conditions . likewise , it is preferred for matrix 4 , conductive layers 5 , 6 and non - conductive layers 51 , 52 to be sufficiently thin so as to insure a low profile , flexible sensor 1 for conformal applications . the critical percolation threshold is the pressure at and above which the pressure conduction composite 2 exhibits a very large decrease in resistance , which may be as large as six orders of magnitude . pressures near yet less than the critical percolation threshold ensure the conducting particles 3 to have a spatial separation sufficiently small so as to allow current flow between the conducting layers 5 , 6 . pressure conduction composites 2 operating near the critical percolation threshold ensure a sufficiently distinctive change in conduction over a range of pressures so as to allow for the precise measurement of pressure and / or stress . the matrix 4 may be composed of one or more electrically resistive , compressible and resilient materials including , but not limited to , polymers and elastomers . it is preferred for the matrix 4 to be temperature resistant . exemplary materials include formulations of polyethylene , polystyrene , polyvinyldifluoride , polyimide , epoxy , polytetrafluorethylene , silicon rubber , polyvinylchloride , and combinations thereof . preferred embodiments of the present invention were composed of the elastomer rtv r3145 manufactured by the dow corning company . conductive particles 3 may include one or more electrically conductive materials including , but not limited to , metals , metal - based oxides , nitrides , carbides , and borides , and carbon black . it is preferred that conductive particles 3 resist deformation when compressed and have a melt temperature sufficiently above the thermal conditions generated during current flow and interrupt . exemplary materials include aluminum , gold , silver , nickel , copper , platinum , tungsten , tantalum , iron , molybdenum , hafnium , combinations and alloys thereof , sr ( fe , mo ) o3 , ( la , ca ) mno3 , ba ( pb , bi ) o3 , vanadium oxide , antimony doped tin oxide , iron oxide , titanium diboride , titanium carbide , titanium nitride , tungsten carbide , and zirconium diboride . the pressure conduction composite 2 is fabricated via known methods . for example , the pressure conduction composite 2 may be prepared from high - purity feedstocks , mixed , pressed into a solid , and suffused with oil . conductive layers 5 , 6 are thereafter bonded to the pressure conduction composite 2 via an adhesive or vulcanization process . it was preferred to adhesively bond conductive layers 5 , 6 to the pressure conduction composite 2 via an electrically conductive epoxy . non - conductive layers 51 , 52 are likewise bonded to the conductive layers via a thermally resistant adhesive , preferably a pliable epoxy . feedstocks include both powders and liquids . conductive particles 3 were exclusively solid particulates . for example , it was preferred for the feedstock comprising the conductive particles 3 to be a fine , uniform powder , examples including 325 - mesh titanium diboride and titanium carbide . the non - conductive matrix 4 was fabricated with either a fine , uniform powder or a liquid with sufficient viscosity to achieve adequate dispersion of conductive particles 3 after mixing . powder - based formulations were mechanically mixed and compression molded using conventional methods . polytetrafluorethylene and other polymers may require sintering within an oven to achieve a structurally durable solid . powder - liquid formulations , examples including titanium diboride or titanium carbide and a silicone - based elastomer , were vulcanized and hardened within a die under low uniaxial loading at room temperature . in some embodiments , it may be desired to impregnate the pressure conduction composite 2 with a liquid via a method referred to as suffusion . the pressure conduction composite 2 is submerged within a bath of one or more inorganic oils , preferable silicone based , thereby allowing complete infiltration of the liquid into the otherwise solid pressure conduction composite 2 . the exposure time of the pressure conduction composite 2 is influenced by the dimensional properties and composition of the solid . for example , a pressure conduction composite 2 having a thickness of 0 . 125 - inch , a width of 0 . 200 - inch , and a length of 0 . 940 - inch and composed of titanium diboride or titanium carbide at a volume fraction of 66 percent and rtv r3145 at a volume fraction of 34 percent was adequately suffused after a 48 hour period . conductive layers 5 , 6 and non - conductive layers 51 , 52 are adhered to the pressure conduction composite 2 either before or after suffusion . if before suffusion , conductive layers 5 , 6 and non - conductive layers 51 , 52 are placed within a die along with sufficiently mixed composition comprising the pressure conduction composite 2 in the desired sequential order . for example , a matrix 4 composed of a silicone elastomer was adequately bonded to two 0 . 020 - inch thick brass plates and polymer non - conductive layer 51 , 52 by curing the otherwise liquid elastomer at room temperature between 3 to 24 hours or at an elevated temperature between 60 to 120 degrees celsius for 2 to 10 hours . if after suffusion , a silicone adhesive is applied between pressure conduction composite 2 and conductive layers 5 , 6 and non - conductive layers 51 , 52 and thereafter mechanically pressed until the adhesive is cured . in some embodiments , it may be advantageous for the pressure conduction composite 2 to be porous . porosity may be required to tailor the mechanical stiffness , elastic properties and cooling characteristics of the pressure conduction composite 2 without adversely degrading electrical conductance and resistance of the element . furthermore , porosity may improve the compliance and sensitivity of the sensor 1 . pores may include a variety of shapes including , but not limited to , spheres , ellipsoids , cylinders , and irregular shapes . referring now to fig3 , an exemplary planar disposed pressure compression composite 13 is shown having a plurality of cylindrically shaped perforations 15 traversing the thickness 14 of the element . the dimensions and spatial distribution of the perforations 15 are used to achieve the desired mechanical and electrical characteristics . pores may be formed by a variety of manufacturing methods . for example , cavities may be mechanically drilled into the pressure conduction composition 13 . pores may be introduced during mixing of matrix 4 and conductive particles 3 feedstocks via the introduction of gas bubbles . it is likewise possible to include microspheres composed of either a low - density foam or a gas or fluid filled spheres during the mixing process . also , cavities may be formed during curing of the matrix 4 in an oven whereby localized heating and phase transitions yield void formation and growth . in yet other embodiments , it may be advantageous to apply a waterproof or heat resistant coating known within the art over sensors 1 described herein to prevent direct contact with the surrounding medium . a more complex embodiment of the sensor 1 in fig1 a and 1 b may include two or more pressure conduction composites 2 bounded by three or more conductive layers 5 or 6 where the outermost conductive layers 5 or 6 each contact an optional non - conductive layer 51 or 52 opposite of the pressure conduction composite 2 . referring now to fig4 , an exemplary planar disposed embodiment is shown having four pressure conduction composites 19 a – 19 d separated by three inner conductive layers 18 a – 18 c and bounded by a paired arrangement of an outer conductive layer 17 a or 17 b and a non - conductive layer 53 or 54 . materials and fabrication methods described above are applicable to this embodiment . inner conductive layers 18 a – 18 c physically and electrically separate adjacent pressure conduction composites 19 a – 19 d within the multi - layer sensor 16 . a voltage is selectively applied to one or more outer conductive layers 17 a , 17 b and inner conductive layers 18 a – 18 c so as to allow for current flow to one or more outer conductive layers 17 a , 17 b and / or one or more inner conductive layers 18 a – 18 c . current flow across one or more pressure conduction composites 19 a – 19 d may be arranged to form a conduction logic circuit facilitating two or more sensitivity ranges for pressure and stress . for example , it may be desired to have two or more pressure conduction composites 19 a – 19 d tuned to one or more separate pressure - conduction or stress - conduction ranges . the multi - layer sensor 16 in fig4 may have a voltage applied to both outer conductive layers 17 a and 17 b and the center inner conductive layer 18 b so as to achieve four conduction pathways . compression of the pressure conduction composite 19 a allows current flow between outer conductive layer 17 a and inner conductive layer 18 a . compression of the pressure conduction composite 19 b allows currently flow between inner conductive layers 18 b and 18 a . compression of the pressure conduction composite 19 c allows currently flow between inner conductive layers 18 b and 18 c . compression of the pressure conduction composite 19 d allows currently flow between outer conductive layer 17 b and inner conductive layers 18 c . a variety of other conduction logic circuits are apparent from the example above . referring now to fig5 , it may be advantageous in some applications to have the pressure conduction composite 23 sealed from the surrounding environment . in this embodiment , the sensor 20 is shown having a pressure conduction composite 23 disposed between and electrically contacting a pair of electrical leads 24 and 25 and thereafter between a pair of outer layers 21 and 22 . materials and fabrication methods described above are applicable to this embodiment . it is preferred for the outer layers 21 and 22 to be composed of a flexible , thermally resistant , and non - conducting material , one example being a polyimide . outer layers 21 and 22 completely cover and surround the pressure conduction composite 23 and electrical leads 24 and 25 so as to prevent their contact with the surrounding environment . outer layers 21 and 22 are joined via an adhesive or thermally bonded so as to provide a continuous seam 28 about their mutual perimeters . electrical contacts 26 and 27 are electrically connected to the electrical leads 24 and 25 , respectively , and traverse the seam 28 between outer layers 21 and 22 without compromising the seal there between . electrical contacts 26 , 27 facilitate communication of sensor 20 data to acquisition equipment . in preferred embodiments , the pressure conduction composite 23 was hermetically sealed between a pair of kapton ® thin films , sold by the dupont corporation , having copper traces and contact pads along one side thereon so as to form the electrical contacts 26 and 27 . contact pads mechanically and electrically contacted the pressure conduction composite 23 within the sensor 20 . traces and pads were pre - etched onto the kapton thin film via known flex circuit techniques . kapton outer layers 21 and 22 were adhered to the pressure conduction composite 23 via a conductive silver epoxy . a pair of pads was provided along the thin film opposite of the pads contacting the pressure conduction composite 23 so as to form the electrical contacts 26 and 27 . the sensor 1 in fig1 a , multi - layer sensor 16 in fig4 , and sensor 20 in fig5 each require electrical connectivity to a circuit for the purpose of data retrieval and interpretation . referring now to fig6 , a sensor 29 , exemplary of the described devices above , is shown within a divider circuit , although a variety of other circuit designs are possible . the sensor 29 is electrically connected at one end to a resistor 30 in a serial arrangement . the second end of the sensor 29 and resistor 30 are electrically connected to a voltage source of known magnitude , one example being a battery . a buffer 31 is electrically connected at one end between the sensor 29 and resistor 30 at node “ a ” and at the other end to a communications circuit 32 . as described above , the sensor 29 has zero conduction and nearly infinite impedance when no mechanical load is applied across the sensor 29 . as such , the voltage at node “ a ” is zero . the conductance of the sensor 29 increases from zero as a mechanical load of increasing magnitude is applied . the increasing conductance causes the voltage at node “ a ” to increase accordingly . thereafter , the voltage at node “ a ” is amplified and / or filtered by a commercially available buffer 31 and communicated to a communications circuit 32 . the type , density , size , and mass fraction of the conductive particles 3 and matrix 4 within the pressure conduction composite 2 determine the functional relationship between pressure and voltage at node “ a ”. for example , it is possible for the pressure conduction composite 2 to communicate a voltage that is linearly proportional to the mechanically applied pressure within the sensor 29 . likewise , it is possible for the pressure conduction composite 2 to communicate a voltage that is non - linear in relation to the applied pressure . however , it was preferred for the change in conductance to be sufficiently large so as to be distinguishable from electrical noise within the circuit to minimize signal filtering and amplification . referring now to fig7 , one possible embodiment of the communications circuit 32 in fig6 is shown including an interface circuit 34 electrically connected to a microcontroller 35 , thereafter electrically connected to a wire interface 36 and / or a wireless interface 37 . the interface circuit 34 amplifies and / or filters the voltage output from the sensor 29 in fig6 prior to the microcontroller 35 . the microcontroller 35 converts the now analog signal to a digital signal , via an analog - to - digital converter ( adc ), samples the signal , and organizes the sampled signal data prior to its communication to the wire interface 36 and / or wireless interface 37 . the communications circuit 32 may be directly embedded onto or within the sensor 29 or separately disposed so as to provide a smart network of sensors 29 communicating to a master controller . direct coupling between communications circuit 32 and sensor 29 allows the sensor 29 to also function as a heat sink . while a variety of commercially available microcontrollers 35 are applicable to the present invention , the mps430 sold by texas instruments , inc . contains onboard adcs and communications interface required for remote data uploading to a master controller . the mps430 supports a variety of asynchronous serial communication protocols compatible with the present invention . the wire interface 36 may be attached to the mps430 controller as a flexible serial communications interface ( sci ). the sci allows for both synchronous and asynchronous communication protocols , including rs - 232 , rs422 , rs485 , spi and i2c . the wireless interface 37 may include , by way of example , a wi - port module sold by lantronix , inc . capable of communicating data in an asynchronous format over an 802 . 11b ethernet network . the wi - port also contains internal firmware allowing connection to a variety of tcp / ip protocol stacks including arp , udp , tcp , icmp , telnet , tftp , autoip , dhcp , http , and snmp with or without 128 bit wep encryption for security purposes . in some applications , it may be advantageous to limit external mechanical loads to one surface along the sensor 38 . referring now to fig8 , a sensor 38 , exemplary of those described herein , is shown contacting a rigid structure 39 along one surface and having a force 40 applied onto the opposite surface . it is preferred for the sensor 38 to be electrically isolated from the rigid structure 39 via either a non - conductive layer 51 , as described above , or a non - conducting epoxy applied between sensor 38 and rigid structure 39 . a solid , fluid , or gas impinges the surface opposite of the rigid structure 39 thereby providing either a point or distributed mechanical load . referring now to fig9 , a sensor 46 , exemplary of the devices described herein , is shown within a pipe 42 at two locations about a valve 41 to demonstrate one specific application of the present invention . the pliable nature of the sensor 46 allows it to conform to the contour of pipe 42 . sensors 46 are bonded via a non - conductive adhesive to the interior surface 47 of the pipe wall 43 . a hole is provided through the pipe wall 43 immediately adjacent to the sensor 46 so to allow the sensor 46 to cover and seal the hole and prevent leakage from the pipe 42 . electrical leads 44 , similar to those described above , traverse the hole and electrical connects the sensor 46 to a communications circuit 45 , as described above . likewise , the communications circuit 45 may be bonded via a non - conductive adhesive to the exterior surface 48 of the pipe wall 43 to further present leakage from the pipe 42 . two or more sensor 46 may be located within the pipe 42 so as to measure and record pressure , pressure drop , and flow . the low profile and compactness of the present invention lend itself to arrayed configurations . referring now to fig1 , a plurality of sensors 49 may be applied along a planar or non - planar rigid element 50 so as to provide a two - dimensional array . individual sensors 49 are electrically connected so as to communicate conductance data to a central computer via a row - column architecture similar to that used to control flat panel displays and to control active devices . the latter control architecture is described by the present inventors in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 823 , 237 , entitled matrix architecture switch controlled adjustable performance electromagnetic energy coupling mechanisms using digital controlled single source supply , co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 872 , 974 , entitled thin , nearly wireless adaptive optical device , and co - pending u . s . application ser . no . 10 / 894 , 150 , entitled pressure sensitive sensor for real - time reconfigurable sonar applications , the contents of which are incorporated by reference . the rigid element 50 may include a keyboard housing or a floor . in the former application , sensors 49 are applied to the housing so as to provide a plurality of touch sensitive keys or interact with conventional keys . in the latter application , sensors 49 are applied to a floor to form an intrusion detection system . sensors 49 may be covered by carpet or have an exterior finish representing a specific floor type and style . an intruder activates individual sensors 49 within the floor via the progression of footsteps . individual signals from the sensors 49 are thereafter communicated via wire or wireless means to a central computer so as to provide location , path and speed data to security personnel . the description above indicates that a great degree of flexibility is offered in terms of the present invention . although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof , other versions are possible . therefore , the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein .	6
according to the present invention , in the case of performing a waveshape calculation by the fourier calculation method , information to be obtained is divided into information by the calculation of a waveform varying with time , such as depressed key information by a key and a tablet ( mode i ), and information by the calculation of a fixed waveshape , such as information on a tone or key - state variation ( mode ii ). normally , the calculation is repeated in the mode i and , as required , mode i is switched to mode ii , in which the calculation is performed and , after its completion , mode i is repeated again in a new state . with this method , it is possible to quickly respond to a tone variation or key - state variation even if low - frequency clock pulses are employed . in the case where the number of sounds simultaneously produced when depressing keys on a keyboard is n , if a time tx is needed for calculating by a waveshape calculation unit one waveshape which varies with time , then n waveshapes can be calculated in a period of time n · tx . accordingly , the waveshape varying with time is always repeatedly calculated with a period of n · tx . if a new key is depressed during this time , then the fixed waveshape is calculated for a time tz ( tz being a time related to tx ) in the period n · tx . in the case of a tablet change , the fixed waveshape is calculated in a period n · tx for a time n · tz in which are calculated waveshapes of the same number n ( n ≦ n ) as the keys currently depressed . fig1 illustrates in block form the arrangement of an embodiment of the present invention . the present invention is intended to achieve a smooth waveshape variation without raising the frequency of clock pulses used , by dividing the waveshape calculation into the modes i and ii based on the concepts of the aforesaid u . s . pat . no . 4 , 085 , 644 entitled &# 34 ; polyphonic tone synthesizer &# 34 ;. fig1 a and 1b show a block diagram of fig1 of the above united states patent , indicating the correspondence between its block and those in fig1 by marking the former with the same reference numerals as the latter . other numerals of fig1 a and 1b are used as found in the mentioned u . s . patent . the correspondence between the blocks are as follows : in fig1 a key tablet switch 10 corresponds to instrument keyboard switches 12 in fig1 a and includes a tablet switch as well as key switches . a key tablet assignor 11 corresponds to a note detect and assignor and assigns tablet information as well as key information . a new key on generator 112 and a mode determining circuit 13 are requisite for the present invention . a mode i waveshape data generator 14 and a mode ii waveshape data generator 15 change the contents of harmonic coefficient memories 26 and 27 ( fig1 b ) with time or for each key . a waveshape calculator 18 includes a multiplier and an accumulator and multiplies each harmonic component and the sine and accumulates the multiplied value to perform a waveshape calculation . a control circuit 22 generates a timing signal for controlling the waveshape calculation and an address signal for addressing a predetermined memory area . a main memory 19 is one that allows read and write on a time - divided basis . a note memory 20 is shown by one block but has an area covering keys depressed and allows read and write on a time - divided basis . a note address generator 25 generates , as a read address , frequency information on a time - divided basis which corresponds to note clock pulses of the keys depressed . in fig1 and 1a , the key / tablet switch 10 is a switch group including keys and tablets ( which are generally tone select switches including draw bars ). signals detected by the depression of these switches are each assigned by the key / tablet assignor 11 to a time - division channel in which each key or tablet is open or closed . a key on signal from the key / tablet assignor 11 and the output from a new key on generator 112 which detects the key on signal are provided to the mode determining circuit 13 to provide therefrom a mode signal with a sign representing the state of the aforesaid mode ii . otherwise , a tablet event signal from the key / tablet assignor 11 is applied directly to the mode determining circuit 13 to derive therefrom the mode signal representing the mode ii for the waveshape calculation corresponding to the key being depressed . next , tablet information , the key on signal and key information from the key / tablet assignor 11 are fed to the mode i waveshape data generator 14 , wherein basic tone data is selected by the tablet information , data representing a waveshape variation with time is produced by the key on signal and data for changing the waveshape is generated by the key information . these data are for calculating or synthesizing a waveshape which undergoes variations with time . further , the tablet information and the key information from the key / tablet assignor 11 are applied to the mode ii waveshape data generator 15 , wherein basic tone data is selected by the tablet information and data for changing the waveshape is generated by the key information . these data are for calculating or synthesizing a fixed waveshape which undergoes no variations with time . the outputs from the mode i and mode ii waveshape data generators 14 and 15 are provided to a data selector 16 , wherein a selection is made by the mode signal from the aforesaid mode determining circuit 13 , whether data to be supplied to the waveshape calculator 18 will be mode i waveshape data varying with time or the mode ii waveshape data which does not vary with time . in other words , the mode i waveshape data is normally provided to the waveshape calculator 18 and , when the mode signal indicates mode ii , the mode ii waveshape data is provided instead of the mode i waveshape data . the waveshape calculator 18 performs the waveshape calculation by the fourier calculation method using data from a sinusoid table 17 and a harmonic coefficient selected as the output from the data selector 16 . amplitude value data synthesized at sample points calculated by the waveshape calculator 18 is applied to the main memory 19 , wherein it is written by a write address signal which is produced by controlling fundamental clock pulses from a main clock generator 21 by the control circuit 22 and selecting its output by an address selector 23 . at the same time , a content stored in the main memory 19 stored upon each sampling of a previously calculated waveshape is read out by a read address signal which is derived from the fundamental clock pulses from the main clock generator 21 as is the case with the abovesaid write address signal . the write and read steps are carried out on a time - divided basis . the waveshape amplitude value data read out from the main memory 19 is provided to the note memory 20 , wherein it is written by a write address signal supplied from the control circuit 22 and selected by an address selector 24 . next , waveshape amplitude value data at a frequency corresponding to a scale frequency , stored in the note memory 20 , is read out therefrom by a read address signal from the note address generator 25 applied thereto after being selected by the address selector 24 . the waveshape amplitude value data thus read out is converted by a d - a converter 126 into an analog signal , which is supplied to a sound system 127 . fig2 illustrates the arrangement of another embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the mode i and mode ii waveshape data generators 14 and 15 are respectively divided into upper keyboards 14 1 and 15 1 , lower keyboards 14 2 and 15 2 and pedal keyboards 14 3 and 15 3 to increase the number of states to be detected . the operation of this embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment depicted in fig1 . while in the foregoing the fourier calculation method is employed for the waveshape calculation , other calculation methods can also be used . as has been described in the foregoing , according to the present invention , the waveshape calculation by various methods is divided into the calculation of a waveshape which undergoes variations with time and the calculation of a waveshape which undergoes no variations with time and normally the waveshape calculation of the mode i for the waveshape varying with time is repeated with a short period and only when a new key is depressed or the state of the tone select switch changes , the waveshaped calculation of the mode ii takes place . accordingly , the present invention permits a rapid response to a new key depression or a change in the state of the tone select switch without the necessity of using sampling clock pulses of high frequency , and hence produces a musical sound similar to a natural one . moreover , since the sampling clock pulses used may be of low frequency , the electronic musical instruments of the present invention can be constituted by highly reliable and inexpensive circuit elements . it will be apparent that many modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of this invention .	6
referring now to the drawings , a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described . fig2 shows discharge voltage waveforms illustrating the detection principle according to the present invention , and the frequency spectrums thereof . in the case of the application of a voltage pulse only without an electric discharge , the spectrum can readily be expressed by a numerical formula ; for instance , the spectrum is given by ## equ1 ## where e = amplitude , t = period , τ = pulse width and ω = 2π / t . however , it is difficult to reduce the case where electric discharge takes place to an equation since the data change quite at random . the spectrum chart in fig2 refers to the case of t = 2τ . the spectrum distribution and discharge conditions make clear each of the following items : ( 1 ) irrespective of the spectrum , a very high output is exhibited at frequency fo , which is equivalent to the inverse of the period t . however , in comparison with other cases , the peak value is low in the case of normal electric discharge . ( 2 ) in the case of an electric discharge relating to an arc , there exists almost no high frequency component f h ( more than about 2 mhz ), but there is developed a high frequency component without attenuation up to almost 200 mhz in the case of normal electric discharge . ( 3 ) if the output is low at f o and sufficient at f h , the electric discharge will be assumed normal . the above described results make it clear that the discrimination of abnormal electric discharge will be possible if the state in ( 3 ) can be distinguished . fig3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the invention , and has basically the same construction as that of a spectrum analyser . the voltage signal f ( t ) in the interpole gap is mixed with an output signal f ( t ) of an fm modulator 51 , and only an intermediate frequency j ( t ) is taken out of the sum of the frequencies f ( t ) and f ( t ), and the difference between them is also indicated through heterodyne detection . subsequently , that frequency is amplified by an amplifier 53 for removing the intermediate frequency by means of a filter , whereas the amplified portion is detected by a detector 54 and amplified by a low frequency amplifier 55 . since the fm modulator has performed frequency modulation using an analog voltage av , the relation between time and frequency becomes linearized by changing the analog voltage av in proportion to time , so that the amplitude of the frequency spectrum larger by the frequency j ( t ) of the signal f ( t ) can be obtained as the output of the low frequency amplifier 55 on a time basis . consequently , the time required for the analog voltage av to become equivalent to the voltages at f o , f h can be distinguished by an accurate oscillator 56 and a counter 57 for counting the output thereof . there are also shown an f o discriminator 58 and an f h discriminator 59 . the contents of the counter 57 are converted into the analog voltage av by a d / a converter 60 and are used to modulate the modulator 51 . responding to a timing signal applied by the f o discriminator or f h discriminator , a level comparator 61 determines whether the signal amplitude being subjected to low frequency amplification is larger or smaller than a reference value at predetermined timing , that is , whether the frequency spectrum is large or small , and , based on the results of this determination , generates an output sa when an abnormal electric discharge is caused . if the fm modulator 51 is such that it covers a wide band range of 5 mhz when input power is at 0 v and 10 mhz when it is at 10 v , and with d / a conversion of the 16 - bit type , it is equivalent to a spectrum analyser having resolution of ± 80 hz . moreover , because f o is changed each time the machining condition is selected , the operation , f o = 1 / t ( the period t is the sum of the on and off times ) must be controlled . referring to a detailed view of the level comparator 61 in fig4 the above described output sa will be described in detail . the output of the low frequency amplifier 55 is arranged such that it is not connected to comparators 64 , 65 by analog switches 62 , 63 except at the timing for f o and f h discrimination . if the spectrum amplitude v o is greater than v 1 at the timing of f o discrimination , that is , if the amplitude at f o with respect to normal electric discharge is less than the actual value of v o at f o indicating an abnormality being initiated , the output of the comparator 64 will change to &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and let a counter 67 carry out an accumulating operation through an and gate 66 . on the other hand , if v o is greater than v 2 at the timing of f h discrimination , that is , if f h exists at the time indicating normal electric discharge , the output of the comparator 65 will become &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and reset the counter 67 through an and gate 68 . consequently , the contents of the counter 67 increase when the spectrum amplitude is large at f o and becomes zero when v o is large at f h . since these operations are repeated , the quality of the condition in the interpole gap can be discriminated , if the contents of the counter are converted into an analog voltage v o , using the d / a converter 40 , and are observed . in other words , if v o becomes large , the situation is approaching an abnormal electric discharge , because , for instance , sludge is gathered in the interpole gap because chips remain therein , carbon is generated by the thermal decomposition of the working liquid 16 caused by an abnormal arc , or broken pieces of the electrode are present in the interpole gap 20 . these operational problems are readily detectable . however , the presence of this voltage v o for a short time cannot always be employed to judge the condition of the interpole gap to be abnormal because the conditions therein can change within a short time . accordingly , whether or not the interpole gap is in a normal condition must be judged by detecting the fact that a value exceeding a prescribed output value of the digital / analog converter 40 has continued for a certain period of time . a voltage comparator 148 in fig5 is used to determine whether the output v o of the digital / analog converter 40 is larger or smaller than a predetermined value v11 . if v o & gt ; v11 , the output of the voltage comparator 148 will become negative , and turn on a switching transistor 152 through a base resistor 150 . thus , a capacitor 154 for time measurement is charged through a resistor 156 , and the voltage v31 across the ends of the capacitor 154 is expressed by the following equation : where r 2 = resistance of the resistor 156 ; c = capacitance of the capacitor and t = time . the voltage v31 of the capacitor 154 is compared with a reference voltage v21 by the voltage comparator 158 . since the output of the voltage comparator 158 does not become negative during the period when v31 & lt ; v21 , an led 160 will not light . when v31 & gt ; v21 , i . e ., after the condition v o & gt ; v11 continues for a predetermined period of time , the output of the voltage comparator 158 becomes negative and indicates the occurrence of an abnormal condition in the interpole gap by lighting the led 160 via a resistor 162 . a switch 164 is used to change the manner of determining the condition in the interpole gap from one using only a function of time ( on the 164b side ) to one dependent on the sum of the intensity and the time duration of the output , v o of the digital / analog converter 40 . in other words , for machining wherein it is difficult to distinguish an abnormal condition in the interpole gap by merely detecting the elapsed time , for instance , in the machining of a sintered hard alloy subject to instantaneous cracking due to an arc or to the dropping of broken tungsten pieces , the occurrence of an abnormal condition in the interpole gap can be quickly detected as a function of the sum of the output v o and time of the digital / analog converter 40 , if the switch 164 is turned to the contact point 164a . this is because , if the output v o is large , the current with which the capacitor 154 is charged will increase and the voltage v31 at the capacitor 154 will immediately reach the reference voltage v21 . in addition , it is clear that , by directly observing the voltage v o , the difference between the most recent and actual values can be directly observed , and this can also be used to monitor the condition of the interpole gap . although a primary delay circuit comprising the capacitor 154 and the resistor 156 is used to measure the worsening condition in the interpole gap in the above described embodiment , it is also easy to measure the time by providing an accurate integrating circuit and an operational amplifier , to secure an accurate time measurement . the embodiment of the present invention shown in fig2 through 5 makes it possible to accurately detect the quality of the condition of the interpole gap during electric discharge machining and , accordingly , to effectively prevent machining failure . as shown in fig6 the output of the detector for detecting abnormal conditions in the interpole gap is sent to a control device ( jmp ) for controlling the condition of the interpole gap , together with a binary digital value , i . e ., the output 2 °- 2 n of the counter 67 , and these signals are employed to force the interpole gap to be enlarged . the quantity of such enlargement is automatically controlled depending on the condition in the interpole gap . fig6 is a detailed view of the control device ( jmp ) for controlling the condition of the interpole gap , and , in this embodiment of the invention , the ratio of the quantity of the enlargement of the interpole gap and the machining time to the time required for the enlarging operation is controlled by controlling the time during which the signal used to forcibly enlarge the gap remains present . in fig6 when the abnormal detection signal sa is in the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; state , an or gate 227 is enabled through a one - shot - multivibrator to set the flip - flop 220 and to reset a counter 219 , whereby the q output of the flip - flop 220 becomes &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and a counter 219 is reset . the signal &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at the q output of the flip - flop 220 is fed to both one of the inputs of the and gate 226 and an analog switch 222 . in response to the signal &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; from the q output of the flip - flop 220 , the switch 222 is closed , thereby causing the interpole gap servo - circuits 24 and 26 to receive a signal s m to raise the electrode . to another input of the and gate 226 , the sa signal &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is fed through an inverter . hence , the clock pulses generated from a reference clock pulse generator 221 are fed to a cp terminal of the counter 219 . the time set by the counter 219 is equal to the product of the period of the clock pulse of the pulse generator 221 and the count number of the counter 219 . a multidigit coincidence circuit 228 ( digital comparator ) detects the coincidence of the value of the counter 67 for detecting abnormalities with that of the counter 219 . when such coincidence occurs , the r - s flip - flop 220 is reset and the signal &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; from the q output terminal thereof is applied to the analog switch 222 , thereby opening the latter and causing the lowering of the electrode . the q output of the flip - flop 220 remains at &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; only for a period of time corresponding to the value of the counter 67 , and the electrode is forced to rise during this time . moreover , the flip - flop 220 is reset by the output of the digital comparator 228 and thus the q output becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, whereupon the inverted output q becomes &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. consequently , a clock pulse input gate 224 of a counter 223 for determining the lowering time of the electrode is enabled to thereby permit the counter 223 to count the clock pulses from the clock generator 221 , and upon the elapse of a preset time set by a switch 225 , the flip - flop 220 is set through the or gate 227 . concurrently , the content of the counter 219 is reset . as a result , the switch 222 is rendered open to thereby raise the electrode . thus , the normal servo operation for the interpole gap is conducted on the basis of the difference between the interpole gap signal v s and the reference voltage v r . during the period of time when the signal sa remains at &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the switching operation of the analog switch 222 is repeated and thus a pumping action is achieved to generate a liquid flow in the interpole gap . a resistor r is used to protect the vs and v r generating circuits when the signal sm for raising the electrode is provided . the above operation is conducted only when the signal sa for detecting an abnormal condition in the interpole gap becomes &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, that is , when the gap is in an abnormal condition . the state of the detection signal sa is determined by the and gate 226 and the or gate 227 and , because the output of the or gate 227 is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; when the signal sa is at &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the flip - flop 220 is kept in a reset state and the signal sm for raising the electrode is not output , whereby the normal servo operation for the interpole gap is conducted . according to the example shown in fig6 the interpole gap is automatically set depending on the abnormal machining condition when the signal sa for detecting an abnormal condition in the interpole gap becomes ` 1 `. the greater the difference between the normal and abnormal conditions , the greater the time required for and the quantity of enlargement , so that the condition of the interpole gap may be improved . in addition , when the signal sa is ` 0 `, the electrode is not forcibly raised and the normal servo operation for controlling the interpole gap is conducted . in the above embodiment of the present invention , although a description has been given with respect to a case in which the time of raising the electrode is controlled , the object of the present invention is to control the gap between the electrode and the workpiece in a manner such as to improve the conditions of the interpole gap based on the signal for detecting the abnormal condition . it is not technically difficult to control the period of time for machining , the raising speed , the period of elevation and machining , the servo reference voltage and gain in the servo system as in the case of controlling the time required for raising the electrode . by means of the invention , such control is readily carried out . the continuous occurrence of an arc as the so - called failure of electric discharge is expected when electric discharges are concentrated at a point , and , in order to prevent such concentration , the most preferred method is to make it difficult for such an electric discharge to be generated . a description of a method of implementing the preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be given with reference to fig7 et seq . fig7 shows an inverting amplifier 101 , wherein like reference characters designate like component parts in fig4 . the device shown in fig8 is used to change the voltage applied across the interpole gap based on the above output signal sa , and , if the voltage applied for commencing the electric discharge is lowered , electric discharge will scarcely be caused , particularly at one spot in the same discharge gap . moreover , unless there is an electric discharge concentration , it is possible to easily conduct electric discharging in the same electric discharge gap by raising the voltage applied across the interpole gap . the amplifier 41 in fig8 is used to apply the analog voltage corresponding to the output of the counter 67 to an oscillator 100 , which controls transistor 151 , after amplifying the voltage . the voltage vg applied to the interpole gap is expressed as follows . ic is almost nearly equal ( about 99 %) to the current flowing to the emitter follower load , r 2 of the transistor 51 . ic is given by : assuming that r 1 = 30 kω , r 2 = 1 kω and the supply voltage = 300 v , the change of vb from 0 to 10 v causes a change in the output voltage of the transistor 151 from 0 to - 300 v . thus , if the electric discharges are concentrated , the output of the inverting amplifier 101 will decrease as the contents of the counter 67 increase , whereby the interpole gap voltage vg will decrease , thus preventing the concentration of electric discharges . although the voltage applied across the interpole gap is continuously changed according to the contents of the counter 67 in this example , it is not always necessary to make the contents of the counter proportional to the voltage . it has been confirmed through experiment that the transfer of the arc discharge is rather more effectively prevented by exponentially changing the voltage . as shown by examples in fig7 and 8 , there is realized a novel electric discharge machine , wherein an abnormal electric discharge is detected from the frequency spectrum of the discharge voltage waveform and , in addition , the value of the pulse voltage applied across the interpole gap is controlled to make the electric discharge condition normal . by prolonging the off time of the switching element 18b ( fig1 ) based on the output obtained by the detection circuit in fig4 the interval between electric discharges can be made longer so as to obtain a deionization effect and eliminate one of the factors causing electric discharge concentration . referring to fig9 a circuit and means for the above purpose will be described . an rs flip - flop 118 causes the switching element 18b to be turned on through an amplifier 119 when its output q is 1 . in other words , the transistor has an on time when q = 1 and off time when q = 0 . although the output of the and gate 120 remains &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; until the on time setting output τp of the counter 121 for setting on and off times becomes &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, q then becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; because the and gate resets the flip - flop 118 as τp becomes &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and causes off time . simultaneously at this time , the output of the and gate 120 operates to reset an oscillator osc and the counter 121 for time setting through the or gate 122 ; and thus counting is again initiated . when q = 0 is justified , q = 1 is also brought about , so that a q output of 1 may not be obtained until the output of the or gate 124 becomes &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the or gate 124 and and gates 125 , 126 operate to control the setting of the off time in two modes according to the signal sa , that is , to a value τ1 or to τ2 & gt ; τ1 . in other words , according to the present invention , machining is carried out with off time τ1 during normal electric discharge and with a long off time τ2 during abnormal electric discharge , whereby when the electric discharge is deemed abnormal , deionization is effected by sharply prolonging the quiescent time to prevent electric discharge concentration and to suppress the generation of an abnormal arc . the abnormal electric discharge condition is quickly determined by utilizing the change in the frequency spectrum at the time of discharge . although two off times τ1 , τ2 are referred to in the description above , the same effect can be made available by continuously setting the off time in accordance with the contents of the counter 67 detecting the number of concentrated electric discharges . by changing the interpole gap control , or the reference value v r of the interpole servo signal based on the output obtained from the detection circuit 61 ( fig4 ), the reference voltage may be made greater at the time of an abnormality , to increase the mean interpole gap voltage , and thus the length of the interpole gap is increased , that is , electric discharge may not readily occur while preventing electric discharge concentration . referring to fig1 , an exemplary embodiment for implementing this method is described in detail . since the output of an inverter 300 is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; when the detection signal sa given by the device shown in fig3 is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, or at the time of an abnormality , analog switches 301 and 302 are in on and off states , respectively . consequently , the input voltage of an integrating circuit comprising operational amplifier 303 , resistor r10 and capacitor c10 becomes ei =- e , and the voltage vr is expressed as follows : wherein v = initial value at t = 0 . accordingly , as long as sa continues to be &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the reference value vr will keep increasing with an increase in time t and , because an amplifier 24 drives an oil hydraulic servocoil 26 and raises the electrode , vs proportionally increases in the negative direction to an extent corresponding to the increase of vr . subsequently , when sa is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, or when electric discharge concentration is not present , both switches 301 , 302 are in an off state , whereby the input voltage ei of the operational amplifier 303 becomes 0 , so that the voltage stored in the integrating capacitor c10 is discharged . consequently , the voltage vr is decreased and the interpole gap is controlled so that it is increasingly narrowed while the frequency of electric discharge and machining speed are also increased . the resistor r10 and the capacitor c10 determine the time constant of integration , which should be a value on the order of roughly several tens of seconds ; if the voltage vr is controlled so that it is changed in a short period of time , the length of the interpole gap will be sharply changed resulting in inconveniences such as the hunting phenomenon and vibration of the electrode . the voltage value vr is limited to the zener voltage in the positive direction by a zener diode zd and to 0 in the negative direction . a power supply v e and a variable resistor r b are used to manually set a value , which assumes a central role in automatically controlling the interpole gap . an operational amplifier 304 , and resistors r3 , r4 perform as an inversion circuit and an attenuator for controlling the mean voltage vs of the interpole gap by adding it to the voltage vr . although the voltage vr is made to change by integrating the detection signal sa in the above described example , the voltage vr is much more minutely controllable by converting the digital data in the counter 67 into analog data through the primary delay circuit with a greater time constant . as already referred to , the exemplary embodiment shown in fig1 makes it possible to provide an electric discharge machine wherein a prescribed condition in the interpole gap is established by distinguishing between normal and abnormal conditions using frequency spectrum analysis and , to normalize the electric discharge condition , changing the reference value of the interpole gap servomechanism to reduce the frequency of the electric discharge by enlarging the size of the interpole gap at the time of an abnormality . on the other hand , if the supply of working liquid to the interpole gap is changed depending on the contents of the counter 67 , a normal condition in the interpole gap may be resumed in this manner . fig1 shows a control circuit for controlling the supply of the working liquid , wherein the output of a working liquid supply pump 416 is passed through a pipe 417 via variable displacement valves v1 , v2 , v3 , v4 , and then communicated with a jet channel 418 installed in the electrode 10 , so that the quantity of flowing liquid can be changed according to the opening and shutting of the valves v1 , v2 , v3 and v4 . the valves v1 - v4 are controlled such that they are opened and closed by the outputs 2 6 - 2 9 of the counter 67 . in this example , v1 , v2 , v3 and v4 are arranged to supply working liquid at rates of 100 cc / min , 200 cc / min , 400 cc / min and 800 cc / min , respectively , so that a quantity of liquid corresponding to the quality of the condition in the interpole gap can be supplied . for instance , because the output of 2 6 is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; when the contents of the counter 67 indicate 64 , v1 is opened and is used to supply 100 cc / min of working liquid , whereas v1 and v2 are opened and are used to supply 300 cc / min of liquid to the interpole gap when the outputs 2 6 and 2 7 are &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. when the counter content is too large , namely , more than 1024 , a forced jet valve v5 is opened so as to supply as much as several thousand cc / min of working liquid . on the contrary , when the difference is small , a proper small quantity of liquid , which is employed for ordinary machining , is supplied to the interpole gap from a manually operated valve vo . as noted above , electric discharge in an abnormal condition is detected by analysing the frequency spectrum of the electric discharge waveform and controlled by the quantity of flowing working liquid in the example shown in fig1 . as a result , the sludge produced in the interpole gap is efficiently discharged , so that the efficiency of electric discharge can be considerably improved . in other words , since a discharge arc generated between the electrode and workpiece passes through sludge if the same exists in the interpole gap , a great deal of discharge energy is consumed by the sludge and the machining efficiency is reduced . however , according to this aspect of the invention , the impedance in the interpole gap is not increased more than necessary , and the electric discharge for use in machining is stabilized , because the discharge energy is prevented from being wasted , and the liquid flow is reduced when the interpole gap is narrowed so as to effectively increase the machining speed . although the quantity of the flowing working liquid is made variable in the above example , the purpose is to effectively remove sludge from the interpole gap , and it is also possible to control the liquid pressure in proportion to the contents of the counter in order to obtain the same effect .	1
according to an embodiment of the invention , a magnet keeper - shield assembly is provided to attenuate the magnetic field of a permanent magnet in areas peripheral to one magnetic pole in an extended , operating position and attenuate the entire magnetic field in a retracted , storage position . the magnet keeper - shield assembly is suited to generate and position a high gradient , non - ionizing magnetic field into deep , targeted tumor sites . fig1 illustrates a magnet keeper - shield assembly 10 according to one embodiment . a keeper - shield 12 approximately 10 cm long is provided with a cylindrical bore 14 dimensioned to accept a cylindrical permanent magnet 16 . the material used in keeper - shield 12 is substantially permeable to magnetic flux . according to the present embodiment , a soft steel , preferably 1010 - 1018 steel , is used for keeper - shield 12 . other suitable shielding material includes , for example , mumetal ( 75 %/ ni - 5 % cu - 2 % cr - 18 % fe ) and supermalloy ( 79 % ni - 15 % fe - 5 % mo ). the keeper - shield material may be laminated . the side wall 18 of keeper - shield 12 has an inner diameter of 5 . 6 cm and an outer diameter of 8 . 1 cm . a sleeve 20 of nonmagnetic material is provided along the inner diameter of bore 14 to keep the magnet centered within the bore and prevent surface binding . a cap 22 may be provided to prevent magnetic objects and debris from magnetically adhering to a front face 24 ( north pole ) of the magnet . preferably cap 22 is a delran cap with an on - axis gaussmeter calibration port 21 . the port is a recessed well in the face of the cap positioned over the center axis of front face 24 of magnet 16 . the bottom of the port 21 is 10 cm from the front face 24 , in the retracted position . the port 21 accepts a probe 23 , for example a hall - effect sensor , of a gaussmeter 19 used to measuring the magnetic field at a calibrated distance from the magnet . a magnetic washer 31 can be embedded in the base of the cap to magnetically adhere the cap the keeper - shield 12 . according to an alternate embodiment , cap 22 is constructed from magnetic material and flier increases the volume enclosed with - in the 5 gauss line . magnet 16 can be fabricated from any high energy material including alnico , featuring rare earths ( atomic number 21 , 39 , and 57 - 71 ) compositions such as samariam - cobalt and neodymium - iron - boron amongst others , ceramics and ceramic oxides such as amongst others ferrite and garnet compositions and permanent magnet superconductor compositions . according to the present embodiment , magnet 16 is fabricated from a composition of neodymium - boron - iron magnet . the magnet is machined to 5 . 08 ± 0 . 1 cm dia . by 6 . 31 ± 0 . 1 cm length from a powdered metallurgy grade 39h ( bhmax at 39mgoe ) composition of nd 2 fe 14 b that is substantially free of barium and strontium bonding agents . fig2 illustrates the de - magnetization ( b - h ) curve for grade 39h neodymium - boron - iron composite . preferably a sealant is applied to the outer surface of magnet 16 to improve corrosion resistance . other compositions of ndfeb , and other rare earth , ceramic , or superconducting magnets may be suitable for magnet 16 . for example , stronger magnets may be used to produce a stronger field and increased depth of field at the target site . for example , on axis magnetic flux density of magnet 16 ( 39mgoe ), measured with a lakeshore , model 410 gaussmeter , is approximately 112 gauss with a magnetic flux density times magnetic gradient product of approximately 3 × 10 3 gauss 2 / cm and the flus density of the magnet 16 is approximately 4 . 5 gauss at 38 cm . the field strength of a magnet of approximately the same dimensions as magnet 16 with a 48 mgoe rating would produce 130 gauss and approximately 4 × 10 3 gauss 2 / cm at 10 cm and less than 5 gauss at 38 cm . fig1 illustrates the operating position of the keeper - shield assembly 10 in which magnet 16 extends about 3 . 5 cm from the front of the keeper - shield 12 . fig3 a illustrates the magnetic field strength profile around a magnetic module 25 with the magnet 16 in the extended position . the magnetic module 25 includes a dust cover 27 that covers the keeper - shield assembly 10 holding magnet 16 . the magnetic field is strongest at front surface 24 and a bottom surface 26 , corresponding respectively to the north and south poles of magnet 16 . front surface 24 may be flat or concave . a concave front face may be provided to focus the magnetic field of the north pole of the magnet . fig3 b is a more detailed graph of the magnetic field profile in the operating position . as shown in fig3 a and 3b the magnet produces ( on axis ) a magnetic flux density of greater than or equal to 50 gauss at 13 cm from the pole face and a magnetic flux density less than or equal to 5 gauss at 38 cm from the pole face 24 in the operating position . fig4 illustrates the magnet fully retracted in keeper - shield 12 for storage . the magnetically permeable material of the keeper - shield shunts the magnetic field lines , thereby attenuating the magnetic flux around the keeper - shield assembly 10 . in the retracted position , the magnet produces 5 gauss at about 22 cm from front face 24 . this attenuation of the magnetic flux makes handling and storing the keeper - shield assembly 10 easier , as the attenuation reduces the 5 gauss line to less than 10 cm from the rear of magnetic module 25 . further , the shunting action of the keeper - shield 12 provides long term protection from spurious losses of the field strength . according to the present embodiment , no measurable loss of field strength due to random domain realignment over the life time of the device is expected . the magnetic field at bottom face 26 ( south pole ) is comparable to that of front face 24 ( north pole ). the keeper - shield 12 attenuates the field at the south pole , which reduces radiation interference emission and magnetizable object concerns arising from the tendency of magnetic objects to fly toward the magnet &# 39 ; s poles . the attractive force between bottom face 26 ( south pole ) and base 28 of the keeper - shield 12 biases the magnet into the fully retracted position ( fig4 ). an actuator rod 30 is provided through the base 28 to push the magnet 16 out of bore 14 . according to the present embodiment , actuator rod 30 is driven by a manually powered screw drive mechanism 32 . this mechanism could be motor driven . due to the strength of the magnet 16 , the attractive force between the bottom face 26 and base 28 is very large , and increases at a rate that is approximately proportional to the inverse of the distance between the bottom face 26 and the base 28 . the attractive force is greatest in the fully retracted position , at which the attractive force is about 200 pounds . springs are provided to offset a large portion of this attractive force to ease the action of the actuator rod 30 . a relatively strong primary spring 34 is provided in the center of the base around actuator rod 30 . four secondary springs 36 are provided peripherally as shown in fig5 . secondary springs are longer than spring 34 and extend through the base 28 into external spring keeper - shield assemblies 38 . a nonmetallic spacer 40 may be provided on bottom face 26 to prevent the springs from magnetically adhering to the bottom face 26 of the magnet . the contribution of the springs is cumulative , as shown in fig6 . in the fully retracted position , the springs exert a combined force of about 225 pounds on the spacer 40 , the primary spring 34 contributing about 140 pounds and secondary springs 36 contributing about 85 pounds . the primary spring 34 contributes the most force up to about 0 . 25 cm from base 28 . after this point the secondary springs 36 contribute the most force . the springs only contact the spacer for a portion of the magnet &# 39 ; s travel through the bore . primary spring 34 extends about 0 . 425 cm into the bore 14 when fully extended , and secondary springs 36 extend about 1 . 2 cm into the bore 14 when filly extended . according to an embodiment shown in fig7 a secondary ( back - up ) actuator mechanism is provided to extend the magnet in case of failure of the primary actuator mechanism , that is , actuator rod 30 and screw drive mechanism 32 . in the event that the primary actuator mechanism fails , a screw that holds a secondary spring in place is removed , and a threaded secondary rod 40 of the same diameter and thread pitch as actuator rod 30 is inserted through the back of keeper - shield 12 . secondary rod 40 is driven by secondary screw drive mechanism to push the magnet 16 out of bore 14 . a sliding position indicator 44 can be attached to the magnet 16 to indicate its position relative to the housing . this allows the user to know the magnet is in the fully extended and fully retracted positions . a probe 46 for a gaussmeter 48 can be provided at the back of keeper - shield 12 . probe 46 that measures the magnetic field emanated from the back face ( south pole ) of magnet 16 at that position . as the magnet is extended , the measured field decreases . the measurement is used by a microcontroller 48 to calculate the magnetic field at 1 cm from north pole face 24 . this allows the user to select a magnetic field strength desired for a particular application continuously over the range of fields emanated between the filly extended and fully retracted magnet positions . fig8 illustrates a stand 50 according to an embodiment provided to ease positioning of keeper - shield assembly 10 . keeper - shield assembly 10 is encased in a cover 52 which is attached to a rolling stand 54 by a spring - loaded , counterbalanced articulated arm 56 that can be rotated in three dimensions . the articulated arms 56 and cover 52 may be locked in position to maintain magnet 16 at a desired height and orientation to facilitate precise alignment of the emanated magnetic field onto the targeted site . an articulated magnetic applicator of the type shown in fig8 is manufactured and supplied by ferx , incorporated under the name flexible magnet holder ( fmh ). the fmh houses and positions the magnetic keeper - shield assembly 10 . keeper - shield assembly 10 with magnet 16 may be used in conjunction with any magnetic particle for any application . typically , magnetic particles can be designed to deliver any given drug or diagnostic agent . the use of magnetic particles to deliver antitumor agents may useful . the treatment of solid tumors using chemotherapy has been limited by systemic toxicity resulting in sub - optimal dosing , and by multiple other mechanisms ( e . g . multiple drug resistance of the tumor cells , tumor architecture limiting access of drug to the tumor cells , volume of distribution for drug ) resulting in limited efficacy . although the magnet can operate to temperatures up to about 140 ° c ., the preferred operating range of the magnet is from about 10 ° c . to about 50 ° c . for such clinical applications . in order to enhance the effectiveness and diminish systemic toxicities of certain chemotherapeutic agents , investigators have attempted to target administration of these drugs by intra - arterial injection immediately proximal to the tumor . one possible reason why an enhancement of the therapeutic index of an agent like doxorubicin is not observed after administration into a tumor - feeding hepatic arteriole is the lack of retention of the agent at the site . normal clearance mechanisms lead to rapid elimination of the chemotherapeutic from the region of the tumor and , therefore , only transiently increased levels of the drug are regionally available to exert an antitumor effect . regional therapy achieved through targeted drug delivery using keeper - shield assembly 10 with magnet 16 could improve efficacy by increasing the drug concentration at the tumor while limiting systemic drug concentrations . the keeper - shield assembly 10 is positioned over a target site on the patient . the magnet is extended from the fully retracted position ( fig4 ) to the operating position ( fig1 ) by manipulating screw drive mechanism 32 . the keeper - shield assembly 10 and patient are maintained in this position for a prescribed time period that may be from several seconds to many hours . after sufficient exposure , the magnet is retracted to the fully retracted position for storage . fig9 shows the field strength ( on axis ) of the magnet 16 as a function of depth . magnetic targeted carriers ( mtcs ) are a proprietary microsphere composite of elemental iron and activated carbon . see for example , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 549 , 915 , 5 , 651 , 989 , 5 , 705 , 195 , and co - pending u . s . ser . nos . 09 / 003 , 286 and 09 / 226 , 818 . mtcs combine elemental iron and activated carbon in microspheres of 0 . 5 - 5 μm . the activated carbon is capable of adsorbing and desorbing a wide variety of drug substances . the elemental iron component of the microspheres allows targeting and local retention after hepatic arterial administration , by placement of an external magnet on the body surface . mtc - doxorubicin ( mtc - dox ) can thus be administered by selective catheterization of one of the hepatic arterioles feeding an hcc . placement of the external magnet over the region of the tumor allows for efficient targeting of the mtc - dox . mtc - dox ( doxorubicin ) is designed for the magnetically targeted site - specific delivery to a liver tumor in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field . eighteen swine were assigned to 6 - treatment groups including 3 control groups and 3 doses of the mtc - dox preparation . animals were given a single administration of test article and evaluated over 28 days and then sacrificed . there were no adverse effects in the dox alone group . biologically significant treatment - related gross and microscopic lesions were limited to the targeted area only of the liver in groups receiving ≧ 75 mg of mtc , and the “ no adverse effect level ” noael was determined to be 25 mg mtc / 2 mg dox . evidence for a possible synergistic effect between mtc and dox was observed , where parenchyma regenerating from the damage caused by targeted mtcs caused the dividing hepatocytes to be more sensitive to dox . the designation of the test article used was mtc - doxorubicin ( mtc - dox ). doxorubicin - hcl injection , usp was purchased from fujisawa usa . the drug carrier was mtc and manufactured by ferx incorporated . the mtcs were rendered sterile by gamma irradiation . the vehicle for injection is 10 % mannitol and 0 . 5 % carboxymethylcellulose in wfi . the designation of the magnet assembly is flexible magnet holder ( fmh ) and is manufactured and supplied by ferx incorporated . the drug substance ( doxorubicin ) and vehicle were supplied as sterile solutions , and the drug carrier was supplied as a sterile dry powder . the magnet ( 1 . 97 in ( w )× 2 . 5 in ( l )) housed in the fmh is a rare - earth ndfeb permanent magnet ( 5 kgauss at the pole face ) purchased from magnet sales , inc . of culver city , calif . for administration , a vial containing 100 mg of mtc drug carrier product was incubated at room temperature ( 18 to 25 ° c .) with 8 mg ( 4 ml ) of doxorubicin ( 2 mg / ml ) for 30 minutes . the mtc - doxorubicin solution was then diluted with 16 ml of vehicle for injection and sonicated for 30 seconds using a cole - palmer ultrasonic cleaner using the “ sonic degas ” setting prior to administration . the resulting dose solution had a concentration of 0 . 4 mg / ml of doxorubicin and 5 . 0 mg / ml of mtc drug carrier . yorkshire domestic swine used in this study were obtained from s & amp ; s farms ( san diego , calif .). the animals were laboratory bred and were experimentally naive at the outset of the study . animals selected for use in this study were as uniform in age and weight as possible . they were generally prepubertal to young adult animals approximately 3 to 4 months of age , and their body weights ranged from 23 to 29 kg . all animals were acclimated to laboratory conditions for a minimum of 7 days prior to study initiation . general description — a total of eighteen animals were randomly assigned to six treatment groups of three animals / group as shown in table 1 below . each animal received a single dose of test article by hepatic intra - arterial infusion . the animals were evaluated for changes in clinical signs , body weight , clinical pathology indices , and other parameters as described below . all animals were euthanized on day 29 , except for those animals that required early sacrifice . a full necropsy was conducted on all animals that survived to the end of the study , and a partial necropsy was conducted on those animals that were sacrificed early . a full panel of tissues was collected for histopathological evaluation . group assignments and dose levels — animals were dosed using a fixed concentration of the test article . the low , medium , and high mtc - dox doses varied as a function of the infusion volume . table 1 lists the total dose and the mg / kg dose based on the dose calculated from the average pig weight determined for the respective groups . catheterization procedure — the animals were fasted overnight ( approximately 12 - 15 prior to surgery . in preparation for the procedure , each animal was weighed and pre - anesthetized with 150 - mg ketamine and 150 mg xylazine . the right hind leg of each animal was disinfected with betadine solution and the surgical site was covered with a steridrape . all study personnel wore surgical gloves , gown or scrubs during the catheterization and administration procedure . under general anesthesia , a skin incision was made in the right inguinal area and the animals were cannulated via the femoral artery using standard percutaneous techniques . animals were administered 5000 iu of heparin ( elkins - sinn ) systemically prior to delivery as prophylaxis against catheter induced thrombosis . under fluoroscopy , a 5 - french angled glide catheter ( cook , inc ., bloomington , ind .) and a 0 . 035 inch angled glidewire ( meditech inc ., watertown , mass .) were inserted into the celiac artery . the common or proper hepatic artery was catheterized , and was performed to select a segmental branch of the hepatic artery that provided adequate accessibility to the desired lobe of the liver to which the test article was targeted . the right middle , or left hepatic artery , or segmental branch thereof , was then catheterized with a tracker 325 catheter ( target , inc ., freemont , calif .) and taper 22 wire ( target inc ., freemont , calif . ). angiography was then performed to verify catheter placement in the desired segment branch of the hepatic artery feeding the selected lobe of the liver . magnet placement and depth measurements — using angiography , placement of the magnet was determined by placing a 2 - inch diameter metal disk on the ventral surface of the pig positioned central to the capillary blush , and approximately 1 - 2 cm distal to the catheter tip . the disk &# 39 ; s position was verified under angiography , and the disk was outlined on the skin surface to guide placement of the magnet . once the magnet position was determined , a depth from the catheter tip to the center point of the magnet was determined by angiography . for groups 1 and 2 , a depth measurement was done by placing a metal ruler on the ventral surface of the skin , distal to the catheter position , and measured by angiography . following the angiography procedures , the north pole of the 5 kgauss rare - earth magnet housed in the flexible magnet keeper - shield assembly was centered in the marked position on the surface of the animal . the magnet was kept in position during the entire infusion procedure ( groups 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ) and for an additional 15 minutes following the completion of the infusion . test material infusion — the test article dose volume was infused as repeated cycles of 7 . 5 ml infusions at an infusion rate of 2 ml / min ( group 4 ( mtc - dox low dose group ) received a single 5 - ml injection ), as described in table 2 . the cycles were repeated every 15 minutes until all of the dose volume was administered . prior to each infusion cycle , the test article suspension was kept uniform by passing the material between two connected syringes 5 times . post infusion angiography — at the end of the infusion , an angiogram was done to verify the patency of the arteries in the selected lobe of the liver . angiography was performed through the tracker 325 catheter . the tracker 325 was then removed and repeat angiography of the common or proper hepatic artery was performed through the 5 - french glide catheter to determine the patency of the hepatic arterioles . toxicokinetic analysis — aliquots of approximately 2 . 0 ml of whole blood were collected in edta - containing tubes from all animals in groups 2 , 4 , 5 and 6 on day 0 prior to dosing , and at 15 , 30 , 45 , 60 , 90 , 120 and 180 minutes post dose . the samples were mixed immediately by inverting at least six times , and then centrifuged . analysis of plasma doxorubicin levels were quantitated by hplc . angiography — table 3 provides information on the location of the target region within the liver , including depth relative to catheter position , and degree of embolization as observed by angiography . toxicokinetic data — plasma concentrations of doxorubicin were analyzed by hplc . samples were taken from groups 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 prior to dosing and at 15 , 30 , 45 , 60 , 90 , 120 , and 180 minutes post - dose . results show that the mtc - dox groups as compared to the doxorubicin control group have little or no circulating doxorubicin as shown in fig1 . these results suggest that the drug remained localized primarily to the targeted site in the mtc - dox treatment groups . microscopic pathology , targeted liver — direct treatment related microscopic changes were primarily limited to the targeted region of the liver in those groups receiving mtc particles . in general , microscopic changes increased in severity in proportion to the increasing dose of mtc particles , with the most severe liver changes in both groups receiving the high dose of mtc particles ( groups 3 and 6 ). as a result of the use of the permanent magnet , extravasation of mtc particles into the portal area tissue ( including the walls of the hepatic artery branches ) was noted in all animals receiving mtc particles . mtc particles in the kupffer cells of the hepatic lobule was noted in all groups receiving mtc , although only in one of the three animals ( at a minimum severity ) in the group receiving the mtc - dox low dose ( group 4 ). in most animals , multinucleated giant cells were associated with the presence of mtc particles in the portal area tissue . several other treatment related changes were present affecting the portal regions of the targeted liver and were present in a dose - related fashion . portal fibrosis ( bridging ), a change characterized by bands of fibrous connective tissue connecting adjacent portal areas , was a prominent change except in the mtc - dox low dose group . bile duct hyperplasia consistently accompanied the bridging fibrosis . bile pigment , peribiliary fibrosis , neutrophilic inflammation of bile ducts and bile duct rupture were variably present in the groups receiving 75 mg of mtc particles or greater ( groups 3 , 5 , and 6 ). chronic / active inflammation was only seen in those animals receiving the high dose of mtc particles ( groups 3 and 6 ). of these changes , only mild focal peribiliary fibrosis was present in a single animal receiving the mtc - dox low dose . in the targeted liver , severe necrosis of entire hepatic lobules was present in the mtc - dox high dose group . the mtc control group had moderate necrosis of the targeted region and only one animal in the mtc - dox medium dose group had mild necrosis of the hepatic lobules in the targeted liver . areas of chronic / active inflammation surrounded the areas of necrosis in the mtc - dox high dose group only . this inflammatory reaction was a response by the body to surround and isolate the zones of necrosis . microscopic pathology , non - targeted liver — in the groups receiving the high dose of mtc particles ( groups 3 and 6 ), a mild to moderate presence of mtc particles were seen in the hepatic artery , portal areas and hepatic lobules ( kupffer cells ) in the non - targeted regions of the liver . the presence of these particles in the non - targeted region of the liver did not appear to cause any associated damage to the liver . moderate bile - stasis in the non - targeted region of the liver was present in only one animal receiving the mtc - dox high dose and was considered to be secondary to the severe changes occurring in the targeted region of the liver in that animal . no other groups had particles outside of the targeted region . microscopic pathology , other tissues — mtc particles were present within submucosal arteries in the stomach of a single animal in the mtc - dox high dose group . these particles were associated with a minimal accumulation of multinucleated giant cells but otherwise , there were no related changes in the stomach . changes indirectly related to treatment — microscopic changes indirectly related to treatment were found in the mtc - dox high dose group only . these changes were present in the lung , heart , and spleen . these changes were inflammatory in nature and likely developed secondary to the clinical deterioration of the animals resulting from the hepatic pathology . in the lung of two of the three animals from group 6 , there was severe lung inflammation with bacteria in the bronchi . these changes were characteristic of a bacterial bronchopneumonia developing either as an acquired infection or via aspiration . in one animal , pleural fibrosis and pleura inflammation was associated with the pneumonia . neutrophilic inflammation of the pericardium in one of the animals from this group was also most likely due to bacterial infection . granulomatous inflammation or neutrophilic inflammation in the spleen of 2 / 3 animals from this group were likely extensions of inflammation in other tissues of the body . eighteen female domestic swine were administered a pulsatile administration of one of the following treatments via the hepatic artery : vehicle control ( negative control ), 18 mg doxorubicin , 225 mg mtc , 25 mg mtc / 2 mg doxorubicin , 75 mg mtc / 6 mg doxorubicin , or 225 mg mtc / 18 mg doxorubicin . toxicokinetic results indicate that doxorubicin is not freely circulating in any of the mtc - dox groups , and therefore suggests that the drug has been localized to the targeted site through the use of the externally placed permanent magnet . based upon the gross and the microscopic pathology , the noael was 25 mg mtc / 2 mg doxorubicin . clinical engineering at the ucla medical center has evaluated the ferx flexible magnet holder lot number d002 . a three - part test was performed to determine its potential effect on the equipment that will be present in angiographic procedure room . the field strength of the magnet holder was set at 1 , 000 gauss . this test was made to determine the influence of the magnet to the image intensifier in various distances . a line pair resolution phantom was mounted to the center of the image intensifier and successive readings were made . all distance measurements are referenced to the central beam of the 1 . 1 . for the type of procedure to be performed , an evaluation was made using the 9 - inch and 12 - inch field modes . in both cases the magnet started to influence the tv image at a 36 - inch distance . at 12 - inch , the image resolution dropped off completely . various infusion devices were tested within close proximity to the flexible magnet holder . the baxter model 6201 , 6301 , and pcaii were the only devices affected by the flexible magnet holder . when the magnetic module was within one inch of these units it caused a “ door open ” alarm , stopping infusion . the marquette physiological monitoring system , model tramscope 12c , was tested within close proximity ( up to one inch ) to the device without any interference with monitoring performance . caution should be used when this device is in close proximity to the above equipment . when not in use , this device should be at least 36 inches from the x - ray image intensifier . it is not to be used in presence of any implantable devices or respiratory ventilators . note that since the maximum field strength of the magnet was measured to be 1 , 073 gauss , to increase the above mentioned “ safe ” distances by 10 % would be more than sufficient . it is clinical engineering &# 39 ; s recommendation that the flexible magnet holder is safe to be utilized with human subjects who are not on life support and / or saving devices , based on the specified criteria in the patient inclusion selection of the protocol # mtc - dox001 ( attached ). a number of embodiments of the invention have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims .	0
as shown in fig1 a frame 2 has a band 2a ( whose details being shown in fig3 ) fastened tight to a bicycle handlebar 1 . the frame 2 contains a wire takeup element 3 . the frame 2 includes a wire receiving case 4 formed integral therewith and having an outer holder 5 for supporting a control cable 6 extending from a change gear device ( not shown ) of the bicycle . the control cable 6 has an inner wire 6a guided from the outer holder 5 into the frame 2 by way of a plurality of guide rollers 7 arranged inside the wire receiving case 4 . the inner wire 6a is connected to the takeup element 3 . the takeup element 3 is rotatable by a control member 8 disposed outside the frame 2 . the takeup element 3 rotated to a selected position is retained in that position by an engaging mechanism 20 having a positioning element 21 mounted inside the frame 2 . a brake lever 10 is pivotally connected to a bracket 9 formed integral with and of the same material as the frame 2 . thus , the shifting apparatus may be attached along with the brake lever 10 to the handlebar 1 . in other words , this is a shifting apparatus having a brake lever . by operating the control member 8 to rotate the takeup element 3 , the inner wire 6a of the control cable 6 is pulled or relaxed to switch the change gear device of the bicycle . at the same time , an indicator 30 having a rotatable member 31 attached to the frame 2 allows the cyclist to discern a speed stage provided by the change gear device . details of this apparatus will be described hereinafter . as best shown in fig2 the control member 8 is a tubular member including a tubular inner portion 8a formed integral with the frame 2 , and an outer portion 8b mounted on the inner portion 8a . the control member 8 is rotatably mounted on a support tube 18 unrotatably supported by the frame 2 through a connecting member 17 and mounted on the handlebar 1 . specifically , the support tube 18 is mounted along with the frame 2 on the handlebar 1 , with the takeup element 3 mounted inwardly of a grip 11 of the handlebar 1 and inwardly of the control member 8 . thus , the cyclist may easily rotate the control member 8 forward or backward with the thumb and / or finger of the hand holding the grip 11 . when the control member 8 is rotated forward about substantially the same axis x as that of the handlebar 1 , the takeup element 3 also rotates forward with the control member 8 . then , the takeup element 3 winds the inner wire 6a thereon and pulls the inner wire 6a . when the control member 8 is rotated backward , the takeup element 3 also rotates backward to unwind the inner wire 6a therefrom and relax the inner wire 6a . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the engaging mechanism 20 includes an annular positioning element 21 rotatable with the takeup element 3 , and an engaging element 23 unrotatably supported by the support tube 18 . the positioning element 21 extends from the takeup element 3 away from the control member 8 , and the engaging element 23 is disposed inside the positioning element 21 . the positioning element 21 has a tongue 21a engaging one end of the takeup element 3 to be rotatable with the takeup element 3 . the positioning element 21 defines , on an inner peripheral wall thereof , ratchet teeth 24 having tooth bottoms 24a corresponding in number to the speed stages provided by the change gear device . when the takeup element 3 is rotated by a torque exceeding a predetermined force , the positioning element 21 rotates with the takeup element 3 . at this time , the engaging element 23 is elastically deformed by the pressure of a ratchet tooth 24 acting on an engaging pawl 23a of the engaging element 23 . the engaging pawl 23a moves from a bottom 24a onto a top of the ratchet tooth 24 . then , the engaging element 23 is temporarily disengaged from the positioning element 21 . when the takeup element 3 reaches a selected angular position , the engaging pawl 23a moves into a corresponding bottom between ratchet teeth 24 under an elastic restoring force of the engaging element 23 . then , the engaging element 23 engages the positioning element 21 , and stops the takeup element 3 through the positioning element 21 . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the indicator 30 includes the rotatable member 31 rotatably mounted on a support portion 2b of the frame 2 , and a fixed member 32 fastened to the frame 2 by mounting screws 35 . the rotatable member 31 includes a disk - shaped pointer portion 31a . the fixed member 32 includes a portion 32a formed of a transparent material and disposed above the pointer portion 31a . thus , a pointer 33 ( fig4 ) on the pointer portion 31a is seen from outside . the fixed member 32 acts also as a lid for closing an opening of the frame 2 which accommodates the rotatable member 31 . the rotatable member 31 is mounted on the support portion 2b to be rotatable about an axis y1 shown in fig2 . the rotatable member 31 has a crown gear 31b provided as an input thereof and meshed with a gear 3a of the takeup element 3 . when the takeup element 3 is rotated , the rotatable member 31 rotates about the axis y1 which extends substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis x of the control member 8 , and hence the pointer 33 also turns at the same time . when the takeup element 3 reaches a selected angular position to switch the change gear device to a selected speed stage , the pointer 33 turns to an angular position indicating one , corresponding to the selected speed stage of the change gear device , of a plurality of speed marks 34 provided on the fixed member 32 ( fig4 ). thus , the indicator 30 includes the rotatable member 31 which is separate from the control member 8 and takeup element 3 and mounted on the frame 2 , and the fixed member 32 attached to the frame 2 , and indicates a selected speed stage of the change gear device based on a combination of the pointer 33 on the rotatable member 31 and a speed mark 34 on the fixed member 32 . the rotatable member 31 is rotatable about the axis y1 extending substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis x of the control member 8 . further , the rotatable member 31 is interlocked to the takeup element 3 , so that a torque of the control member 8 is transmitted to the rotatable member 31 through the takeup element 3 . the indicator 30 has a rotational axis , which is the rotational axis y1 of the rotatable member 31 , extending substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis x of the control member 8 . where the handlebar 1 is a flat bar , the indicator 30 has a display plane facing rearward to facilitate view by the cyclist . furthermore , where the handlebar 1 is a flat bar , the rotational axis y1 and the brake lever 10 are in such a positional relationship that the display plane is inclined and extends obliquely upward to be seen with greater facility . fig5 shows a shifting apparatus having an indicator structure different from the first embodiment . in this embodiment , an indicator 30 has a rotatable member 31 supported by the support portion 2b of the frame 2 to be rotatable about an axis y2 substantially crossing at an angle to the rotational axis x of the control member 8 . the rotatable member 31 has an input 31c in the form of a bevel gear meshed with a bevel gear 3b of a takeup element 3 . thus , the rotatable member 31 is formed separately from the control member 8 , and interlocked to the takeup element 3 to be rotatable by a torque transmitted from the control member 8 through the takeup element 3 . the indicator 30 indicates a selected speed stage of the change gear device based on a combination of a pointer 33 on the rotatable member 31 and one of speed marks 34 on a fixed member 32 . the indicator 30 has a rotational axis , which is the rotational axis y2 of the rotatable member 31 , substantially crossing the rotational axis x of the control member 8 . where the handlebar 1 is a flat bar , the indicator 30 has a display plane facing rearwardly and extending obliquely upward to facilitate view by the cyclist . as shown in fig5 the display plane is inclined inwardly of the bicycle . in the foregoing embodiments , the takeup element 3 is disposed on the rotational axis x of the control member 8 . thus , the takeup element 3 and control member 8 may be assembled to the handlebar 1 as arranged along the rotational axis x . this construction provides the advantage of assembling the entire shifting apparatus compact on the handlebar 1 . however , the invention may be embodied as shown in fig6 through 8 . in the shifting apparatus for a bicycle shown in fig6 a frame 2 has a band 2a fastened tight to a bicycle handlebar 1 inwardly of a grip 11 . a control member 8 is rotatably mounted adjacent a side of the frame 2 . as shown in fig6 and 7 , the frame contains and covers a takeup element 3 and an engaging mechanism 20 arranged forwardly of the band 2a . an indicator 30 is disposed in a similar position . as clearly seen in fig8 rotation of the control member 8 is transmitted to the takeup element 3 and engaging mechanism 20 arranged forwardly , through a bevel gear 13 rotatable with the control member 8 , a bevel gear 14 meshed with the bevel gear 13 , a spur gear 15 rotatable with the bevel gear 14 , and a spur gear 16 meshed with the spur gear 15 . an outer tube of a control cable 6 extending from a change gear device of the bicycle is supported by an outer holder 5 provided on the frame 2 . an inner wire 6a of the control cable 6 extends into the frame to be connected to the takeup element 3 . by operating the control member 8 to rotate the takeup element 3 , the inner wire 6a of the control cable 6 is pulled or relaxed to switch the change gear device . an indicator 40 allows the cyclist to discern a speed stage provided by the change gear device . in this embodiment , the indicator 40 is rotatable about the same axis as the takeup element 3 . with use of both bevel gears and spur gears , the indicator 40 and takeup element 3 are spaced from the rotational axis of the control member 8 . this construction has the advantage of allowing a freedom for arranging the indicator 40 over the case of using only bevel gears so that the rotational axis of the indicator 40 crosses the rotational axis of the control member 8 . details of the construction of this embodiment are as follows . the control member 8 has a tubular configuration coaxial with a handlebar receiving bore of the band 2a , and is rotatably mounted on the handlebar 1 inwardly of the grip 11 . the control member 8 is rotatable forward and backward . as shown in fig8 the bevel gear 13 provided at one end of the control member 8 is interlocked through the bevel gear 14 and spur gear 15 to the spur gear 16 provided at a lower end of the takeup element 3 . thus , when the control member 8 is rotated forward , the takeup element 3 rotates forward about rotational axis y3 . the takeup element 3 then winds the inner wire 6a thereon and pulls the inner wire 6a . when the control member 8 is rotated backward , the takeup element 3 also rotates backward to unwind the inner wire 6a therefrom and relax the inner wire 6a . as shown in fig7 the engaging mechanism 20 includes ratchet teeth 24 formed peripherally of the takeup element 3 and having tooth bottoms 24a corresponding in number to the speed stages provided by the change gear device , and an elastic engaging element 23 mounted on an inner wall of the frame 2 . when the takeup element 3 is rotated by a torque exceeding a predetermined force , the engaging element 23 is elastically deformed by the pressure of a ratchet tooth 24 acting on an engaging pawl 23a of the engaging element 23 . the engaging pawl 23a moves from a bottom 24a onto a top of the ratchet tooth 24 . then , the engaging element 23 is temporarily disengaged from the ratchet teeth 24 . when the takeup element 3 reaches a selected angular position , the engaging pawl 23a moves into one of the tooth bottoms 24a under an elastic restoring force of the engaging element 23 . then , the engaging element 23 engages a ratchet tooth 24 to stop the takeup element 3 . as shown in fig6 and 8 , the indicator 40 includes a rotatable member 42 attached to an upper end of the takeup element 3 and having a pointer 41 as shown in fig6 and a fixed member 43 fastened to the frame 2 by screws . the fixed member 43 includes a portion 43a formed of a transparent material and disposed above the rotatable member 42 . thus , the pointer 41 is seen from outside . the fixed member 43 acts also as a lid for closing an opening of the frame 2 which accommodates the takeup element 3 . the rotatable member 42 is attached to the upper end of the takeup element 3 by screws . in addition , the rotatable member 42 is interlocked to the takeup element 3 through engagement between a stopper pin 42a on the rotatable member 42 and a mounting shank 3c on the takeup element 3 . when the takeup element 3 is rotated , the rotatable member 42 rotates with the takeup element 3 about the common axis y3 , and hence the pointer 41 also turns at the same time . when the takeup element 3 reaches a selected angular position to switch the change gear device to a selected speed stage , the pointer 41 turns to an angular position indicating one , corresponding to the selected speed stage of the change gear device , of a plurality of speed marks 44 provided on the fixed member 43 ( fig6 ). thus , the indicator 40 is formed separately from the control member 8 , and mounted on the frame 2 to be rotatable on the axis y3 different from the rotational axis x of the control member 8 . this indicator 40 includes the rotatable member 42 interlocked to the takeup element 3 , and the fixed member 43 attached to the frame 2 . the indicator 40 receives a torque from the control member 8 through the takeup element 3 . a speed stage of the change gear device is indicated by a combination of the pointer 41 on the rotatable member 31 and a speed mark 44 on the fixed member 43 . the indicator 40 has a rotational axis , which is the rotational axis y3 of the rotatable member 42 , different from the rotational axis x of the control member 8 . where the handlebar 1 is a flat bar , the indicator 40 has a display plane facing upward to facilitate view by the cyclist . fig9 shows a modified indicator structure applicable to the embodiment of fig6 through 8 . this indicator 40 is formed separately from the takeup element 3 , and may therefore be positioned with an increased degree of freedom . for example , the indicator 40 may be inclined with respect to the axis of the takeup element 3 . details of this construction are as follows . the indicator 40 has a rotatable member 42 attached to the frame 2 through a fixed member 43 to be rotatable about an axis y4 substantially crossing the rotational axis y3 of the takeup element 3 . the rotatable member 42 includes a pair of driven members in the form of tongues 42b formed on a reverse side thereof , while the takeup element 3 includes a drive member in the form of pin 3d having a distal end thereof extending to a position between the driven tongues 42b . thus , the rotatable member 42 is interlocked to the takeup element 3 , whereby rotation of the takeup element 3 causes the rotatable member 42 to rotate about the axis y4 . that is , when the takeup element 3 rotates , the drive pin 3d makes slidable contact with and presses one of the driven tongues 42b , thereby transmitting a torque from the takeup element 3 to the rotatable member 42 . although the rotational axes y3 and y4 cross each other , the rotatable member 42 is rotatable in response to rotation of the takeup element 3 . the pair of driven tongues 42b may be in the form of a cylinder opening downward . thus , the rotatable member 42 is formed separately from the control member 8 and takeup element 3 , and is interlocked to the takeup element 3 to be rotatable by a torque of the control member 8 transmitted through the takeup element 3 . a speed stage of the change gear device is indicated by a combination of a pointer 41 on the rotatable member 31 and a speed mark 44 on the fixed member 43 . the rotational axis y3 of the takeup element 3 is different from the rotational axis x of the control member 8 . furthermore , the rotational axis y4 of the rotatable member 42 , which is a rotational axis of the indicator 40 , is different from the rotational axis y3 of the takeup element 3 . consequently , the indicator 40 may be disposed with an increased degree of freedom . where the handlebar 1 is a flat bar , the indicator 40 has a display plane facing obliquely upward and inclined inwardly of the bicycle , as shown in fig9 to facilitate view by the cyclist . the engaging mechanism 20 may be replaced by a friction mechanism for applying a frictional resistance to the takeup element to retain the takeup element in a selected angular position . thus , these mechanisms are collectively called herein a positioning mechanism 20 . as shown in fig1 , the inner wire takeup element 3 may be modified to have a gear 3a disposed outside the takeup element 3 , i . e . between a wire winding portion and the control member 8 . this construction allows an increased freedom for selecting a position of an inner wire inlet leading to the takeup portion . that is , the inlet may be formed in a lateral wall instead of an outer periphery of the takeup element 3 to facilitate insertion of the inner wire 6a . at the same time , this construction allows the crown gear 31b and indicator 30 to be arranged closer to the control member 8 , thereby achieving compactness of the shifting apparatus . the indicator described has a pointer provided on the rotatable member , and speed marks on the fixed member . instead , the speed marks may be provided on the rotatable member , and the pointer on the fixed member . the present invention is applicable also to a shifting apparatus for use on a handlebar curved to have grips extending longitudinally of a bicycle . the invention is applicable also to a shifting apparatus attachable to a handlebar separately from a brake lever . further , the invention is applicable also to a shifting apparatus including a control member having such a length that an outward end thereof reaches one end of the handlebar , so that the control member acts as a rotatable grip in place of the handlebar grip 11 described hereinbefore .	1
preferred embodiments will now be illustrated with reference to specific photoconductive imaging members containing the azo compounds illustrated herein , it being noted that equivalent compositions are also embraced within the scope of the present invention . illustrated in fig2 is a photoconductive imaging member of the present invention comprised of a supporting substrate 1 , a photogenerating layer comprised of an azo pigment selected from the group consisting of those represented by formula i and preferably 2 , 7 - bis ( 1 &# 39 ;- azo - 2 &# 39 ;- hydroxy - 3 &# 39 ;- naphthanilide ) naphthalene 3 optionally dispersed in a resinous binder composition 4 , and a charge carrier hole transport layer 5 dispersed in an inactive resinous binder composition 9 . illustrated in fig3 is essentially the same member as shown in fig2 with the exception that the hole transport layer is situated between the supporting substrate and the photogenerating layer . more specifically , with reference to this figure , there is illustrated a photoconductive imaging member comprised of a supporting substrate 21 , a hole transport layer 23 comprised of a hole transport composition dispersed in an inactive resinous binder composition 25 , and a photogenerating layer 27 comprised of an azo of formula i , 28 optionally dispersed in a resinous binder composition 29 . illustrated in fig4 is a photoconductive imaging member of the present invention comprised of a supporting substrate 31 , a hole blocking metal oxide layer 33 , an optional adhesive layer 35 , an azo photogenerating layer 37 comprised of an azo compound of formula i , and a charge carrier or hole transport layer 39 . the photogenerating layer is generally comprised of the azo compound optionally dispersed in a resinous binder composition , and similarly the charge transport layer such as aryl diamines are dispersed in inactive resinous binder materials . other photoconductive imaging members not specifically illustrated are encompassed within the scope of the present invention including those wherein the azo compound is substantially equivalent to those illustrated herein . with further reference to fig2 to 4 , the substrates may comprise a layer of insulating material such as an inorganic or organic polymeric material , including mylar a commercially available polymer ; a layer of an organic or inorganic material having a semiconductive surface layer such as indium tin oxide or aluminum arranged thereon , or a conductive material such as , for example , aluminum , chromium , nickel , brass or the like . the substrate may be flexible or rigid and many have a number of many different configurations , such as for example , a plate , a cylindrical drum , a scroll , an endless flexible belt and the like . preferably , the substrate is in the form of an endless flexible belt . in some situations , it may be desirable to coat on the back of the substrate , particularly when the substrate is an organic polymeric material , an anti - curl layer , such as for example polycarbonate materials commercially available as makrolon . the thickness of the substrate layer depends on many factors , including economical considerations , thus this layer may be of substantial thickness , for example over 100 mils , or of minimum thickness providing there are no adverse effects on the system . in one preferred embodiment , the thickness of this layer is from about 3 mils to about 10 mils . also , the hole blocking metal oxide layers can be comprised of various suitable known materials including aluminum oxide and the like . the primary purpose of this layer is to provide hole blocking , that is , to prevent hole injection from the substrate during and after charging . typically , this layer is of a thickness of less than 50 angstroms . the adhesive layers are typically comprised of a polymeric material including polyesters , polyvinyl butyral , polyvinyl pyrrolidone and the like . typically , this layer is of a thickness of less than about 0 . 6 microns . examples of the photogenerating layers include the azo compounds as illustrated hereinbefore . generally , this layer is of a thickness of from about 0 . 05 microns to about 10 microns , or more ; and preferably is of a thickness of from about 0 . 1 microns to about 3 microns ; however , the thickness of this layer is primarily dependent on the photogenerating weight loading which may vary from about 5 to 100 percent . generally , it is desirable to provide this layer in a thickness which is sufficient to absorb about 90 percent or more of the incident radiation which is directed upon it , in the imagewise or printing exposure step . the maximum thickness of this layer is dependent primarily upon factors such as mechanical considerations , for example , whether a flexible photoconductive imaging member is desired , the thicknesses of the other layers , and the specific azo compound selected . various suitable charge transport layers can be selected for the photoconductive imaging member of the present invention , which layer has a thickness of from about 5 microns to about 50 microns ; and preferably is of a thickness of from about 10 microns to about 40 microns . in a preferred embodiment , this transport layer comprises aryl amine molecules of the following formula ## str2 ## dispersed in a highly insulating and transparent organic resinous binder wherein x is selected from the group consisting of ( ortho ) ch 3 , ( meta ) ch 3 , ( para ) ch 3 , ( ortho ) cl , ( meta ) cl , ( para ) cl . the highly insulating resin , which has a resistivity of at least 10 12 ohm - cm to prevent undue dark decay , is a material which is not necessarily capable of supporting the injection of holes . however , the insulating resin becomes electrically active when it contains from about 10 to 75 weight percent of the substituted n , n , n &# 39 ;, n &# 39 ;- tetraphenyl [ 1 , 1 - biphenyl ]- 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diamines corresponding to the foregoing formula . compounds corresponding to the above formula include , for example , n , n &# 39 ;- diphenyl - n , n &# 39 ;- bis ( alkylphenyl )-[ 1 , 1 - biphenyl ]- 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diamine wherein the alkyl is selected from the group consisting of methyl such as 2 - methyl , 3 - methyl and 4 - methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , hexyl and the like . with halo substitution , the amine is n , n &# 39 ;- diphenyl - n , n &# 39 ; bis ( halo phenyl )[ 1 , 1 &# 39 ;- biphenyl ]- 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diamine wherein halo is 2 - chloro , 3 - chloro or 4 - chloro . other electrically active small molecules which can be dispersed in the electrically inactive resin to form a layer which will transport holes include , bis ( 4 - diethylamino - 2 - methylphenyl ) phenyl methane ; 4 &# 39 ;, 4 &# 34 ;- bis ( diethylamino )- 2 &# 39 ;, 2 &# 34 ;- dimethyltriphenyl methane ; bis - 4 -( diethylaminophenyl ) phenyl methane ; and 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- bis ( diethylamino )- 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- dimethyltriphenyl methane . providing the objectives of the present invention are achieved , other charge carrier transport molecules can be selected for the photoconductive device of the present invention including those wherein x is other alkyl , or halogen substituents . examples of the highly insulating and transparent resinous material or inactive binder resinous material for the transport layers include materials such as those described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 121 , 006 , the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference . specific examples of organic resinous materials include polycarbonates , arcylate polymers , vinyl polymers , cellulose polymers , polyesters , polysiloxanes , polyamides , polyurethanes , and epoxies as well as block , random or alternating copolymers thereof . preferred electrically inactive binder materials are polycarbonate resins having a molecular weight ( mw ) of from about 20 , 000 to about 100 , 000 with a molecular weight in the range of from about 50 , 000 to about 100 , 000 being particularly preferred . generally , the resinous binder contains from about 10 to about 75 percent by weight of the active material corresponding to the foregoing formula , and preferably from about 35 percent to about 50 percent of this material . similar binder materials can be selected for the azo photogenerating layer , inclusive of those as illustrated in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 121 , 006 , the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference . a preferred binder material for the azo photogenerating layer is poly ( vinyl acetal ). also included within the scope of the present invention are methods of imaging with the photoresponsive devices illustrated herein . these methods of imaging generally involve the formation of an electrostatic latent image on the imaging member , followed by developing the image with known developer compositions , subsequently transfering the image to a suitable substrate and permanently affixing the image thereto . the azo compounds of general formula i were generally prepared by first tetrazotizing 2 , 7 - diaminonaphthalene with an excess amount of a metallic nitride , such as sodium nitrite at about - 10 ° to 20 ° c . in an aqueous , including hydrochloric acid , solution . the tetrazonium salts formed were usually isolated as fluoroborate or hexafluorophosphate salts , which was accomplished by adding hbf 4 or hpf 6 to the tetrazotization salt solution . the salts obtained were then dissolved in dimethylformamide ( dmf ) at 0 ° to 30 ° c ., and were allowed to react with about 2 equivalents of an azo coupler , such as 2 - hydroxy naphthanilide , at the same temperature . thereafter , the desired azo pigments were precipitated out of the solution when about 2 equivalents of a base , such as sodium acetate , was introduced therein . subsequently , azo pigments were isolated by filtration and purified by repetitive solvent washings . the azo products resulting were characterized by elemental analysis , melting point , and ir spectroscopy . the invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific preferred embodiments thereof , it being understood that these examples are intended to be illustrative only . the invention is not intended to be limited to the materials , conditions , or process parameters recited herein , it being noted that all parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated . there was prepared 2 , 7 - bis ( 1 &# 39 ;- azo - 2 &# 39 ;- hydroxy - 3 &# 39 ;- naphthanilide ) naphthalene by the tetrazotization reaction of 0 . 8 grams , 5 millimoles , of 2 , 7 - diaminonaphthalene at - 5 ° c . to 0 ° c . in 20 milliliters of 18 percent hydrochloric acid solution , which tetrazotization was affected with a 2 . 5 milliliters aqueous solution containing 1 gram of sodium nitrite . subsequent to the dissolution of the diamine compound , the unreacted 1 , 5 - diaminonaphthalene was removed by filtration . thereafter , 20 milliliters hpf 6 solution ( 60 % by weight ) was added to the filtrate . subsequently , the light orange precipitate resulting was collected by filtration and after washing with cold water , alcohol and ether , the tetrazonium salt obtained was air - dried . thereafter , this salt , ˜ 2 . 3 grams , was dissolved in 40 milliliters of ice - cold n , n - dimethylformamide in an ice - bath . subsequently , 2 . 89 grams of an azo coupler , 2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphthanilide , in 250 milliliters n , n - dimethylformamide was added slowly to the tetrazonium salt solution . this solution changed from a red color to a darker red . there was then added to the dark red solution 75 milliliters of an aqueous solution containing 5 grams of sodium acetate . subsequently , there was immediately formed the disazo compound product which was stirred at room temperature for three or more hours . after filtration , the product was washed with n , n - dimethylformamide ( 3 × 250 milliliters ), water ( 2 × 250 milliliters ), acetone ( 1 × 250 milliliters ) and diethyl ether ( 1 × 250 milliliters ), to yield 2 . 4 grams , 67 percent of the desired product 2 . 7 - bis ( 1 &# 39 ;- azo - 2 &# 39 ;- hydroxy - 3 &# 39 ;- naphthanilide ) naphthalene . there was prepared a photoconductive imaging member containing as the photogenerating azo compound the 2 , 7 - bis ( 1 &# 39 ;- azo - 2 &# 39 ;- hydroxy - 3 &# 39 ;- naphthanilide ) naphthalene prepared in accordance with the process of example i . the photogenerating pigment dispersion was prepared by first dissolving 52 . 8 milligrams of poly ( vinyl formal ) in 10 milliliters of tetrahydrofuran in a 1 oz . brown bottle . the above azo compound , 211 . 2 milligrams , and ˜ 90 grams of steel shots ( 1 / 8 inch diameter , # 302 grade ) were added to the polymer solution . the brown bottle was then placed in a red devil paint conditioner ( model 5100x ) and was shaken for 30 minutes . the resulting dispersion was coated onto a 7 . 5 inch × 10 inch aluminum substrate using a gardner mechanical drive film application with a 6 inch wide bird film applicator ( 0 . 5 mil wet gap ) inside a humidity - controlled glove box . the relative humidity of the glove box was controlled by dry air and was & lt ; 25 percent for all the coatings accomplished . the resulting carrier generation layer ( cgl ) was air - dried for ˜ 30 minutes and vacuum - dried at 100 ° c . for ˜ 1 hour before further coating . the thickness of the cgl was found to be ˜ 0 . 5 μm as estimated from tem micrographs . a transport layer composed of about 60 percent by weight of makrolon ® polycarbonate resin available from larbensabricken bayer ag , mixed with 40 percent by weight of n , n &# 39 ;- bis ( 3 - methylphenyl )- 1 , 1 &# 39 ;- biphenyl - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diamine was then prepared . this solution which was comprised of 4 . 2 grams of makrolon ®, 2 , 8 grams of the diamine , and 31 milliliters of methylene chloride was placed in an amber bottle and dissolved . the charge transport layer was obtained by coating the diamine solution onto the above azo photogenerating layer using a 5 mil wet gap bird film applicator . the thickness of the transport layer was ˜ 27 μm . the resulting photoconductive imaging member was air - dried for 1 hour and vacuum - dried for 6 hours or more . the xerographic properties of this device were then evaluated on a flat plate scanner text fixture . the results are summarized as follows : ______________________________________v . sub . ddp ( volts ) - 960 ( dark development potential ) dark decay ( volt / sec ) - 75e . sub . 0 . 5ddp at 600 nanometers ( erg / cm . sup . 2 ) 5 . 0 ( energy to discharge of the potential ) ______________________________________ there were prepared other photoconductive imaging members by repeating the procedure of example ii with the exception that other azo photogenerating pigments of formula i , reference fig1 - 1 to 1 - 22 , were selected . the xerographic properties of these imaging members were then evaluated on a flat plate scanner text fixture . the results are provided in the tables , fig1 a and 1b . the disclosure of related copending application ser . no . 851 , 051 entitled organic azo photoconductor imaging members is totally incorporated herein by reference . with further respect to the azo compounds of formula i , the phenyl ring attached to the hydroxy phenyl substituent can be replaced by other suitable groups including carbazole , naphthyl and anthryl . in the flat plate tests the photoconductor device was charged by a corotron maintained at a voltage of - 5 . 7 kilovolts . the dark development potential and dark decay values in all instances were determined by an electrometer probe ; and the photosensitivity was the energy required to discharge 1 / 2 of the development potential . also , other azo compounds were prepared by repeating the procedure of example i with the exception that there were selected as azo couplers 2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphtho - p - toluide ; 2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphtho - m - chloroanilide ; 2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphtho - p - fluoroanilide ; 2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphtho - o - nitroanilide ; 2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphtho - o - nitroanilide ; 2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphtho - m - anisidide ; 2 - hydroxy - n - 2 - naphthyl - 2 - naphthamide ; and other similar azo couplers . although the invention has been described with reference to specific preferred embodiments , it is not intended to be limited thereto , rather those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications may be made therein which are within the spirit of the present invention and within the intent of the following claims .	6
the epoxy resin composition of the present invention comprises ( 1 ) an epoxy resin prepared by mixing under heating 100 parts ( on a weight basis and all parts specified hereinafter are by weight of an epoxy resin having an epoxy equivalent of 200 or below with 0 . 5 - 10 parts of a phenoxy resin having formula ( i ): ## str1 ## where n is approximately 100 ; ( 2 ) a curing agent ; and ( 3 ) an inorganic filler . the curing agent may be a condensation product of 100 parts of a polybasic carboxylic acid anhydride and 40 - 60 parts of bisphenol a having formula ( ii ): ## str2 ## the epoxy resin for use in the present invention may be selected from among those which are liquid at low temperatures within the range of 20 °- 80 ° c ., and those which will become liquid at such low temperatures when mixed with the curing agent , especially the condensation product specified above . illustrative epoxy resins that meet one of these requirements include bisphenol a type epoxy resin , bisphenol f type epoxy resin , phenol novolak type epoxy resin , cresol novolak type epoxy resin , cycloaliphatic diglycidyl ester type epoxy resin , cycloaliphatic epoxy resin having an epoxy group in the ring , a spiro ring containing epoxy resin , and hydantoin epoxy resin . these epoxy resins may be used either independently or in combination . the epoxy resin for use in the present invention may be prepared by the following procedure : an epoxy resin having an epoxy equivalent of no higher than 200 and a phenoxy resin of formula ( i ) where n is approximately 100 are heated in a reactor at 110 °- 180 ° c . in a nitrogen gas atmosphere until the two reactants dissolve completely to form an intimate mixture . the phenoxy resin should be used in an amount of 0 . 5 - 10 parts for 100 parts of the epoxy resin having an epoxy equivalent of 200 or below . if the amount of the phenoxy resin added is less than 0 . 5 part for 100 parts of the epoxy resin , it is difficult to effectively prevent precipitation of the filler . if the amount of the phenoxy resin exceeds 10 parts for 100 parts of the epoxy resin , the mixture of the epoxy resin blend with the curing agent and the inorganic filler powder has a low - temperature viscosity that exceeds 10 5 cp ( cp stands for centipoises ) and cannot be easily injected into the mold through a pipeline for the purpose of casting the blend by the superatmospheric gelling method . suitable examples of the phenoxy that can be used in the present invention are pkhh and pkhg , both being the trade names of union carbide corporation . an example of the curing agent useful in the present invention is the condensation product of a polybasic carboxylic acid anhydride and a bisphenol a of formula ( ii ). this condensation product may be prepared by heating a polybasic carboxylic acid anhydride and bisphenol a of formula ( ii ) in a nitrogen - filled reactor at 100 °- 150 ° c . until they form a uniform liquid mixture . this reaction may be carried out in the presence of a metal salt of an organic carboxylic acid , a tertiary amine or any other suitable catalyst . any polybasic carboxylic acid anhydride that is liquid at low temperatures within the range of 20 °- 80 ° c . may be employed as the component to react with bisphenol a of formula ( ii ); suitable examples are hexahydrophthalic acid anhydride , methylhexahydrophthalic acid anhydride , tetrahydrophthalic anhydride , and methyltetrahydrophthalic acid anhydride , and these may be used either independently or in combination . in making the aforementioned condensation product , the bisphenol a of formula ( ii ) is used in an amount of 40 - 60 parts for 100 parts of the polybasic carboxylic acid anhydride . if the amount of the bisphenol a is less than 40 parts for 100 parts of the polybasic carboxylic acid anhydride , the cured resin blend will have an increased hdt ( heat deformation temperature ) but its resistance to thermal shock will be decreased . if the amount of the bisphenol a exceed 60 parts for 100 parts of the polybasic carboxylic acid anhydride , the mixture of the epoxy resin and the inorganic filler powder will have a low - temperature viscosity that exceeds 10 5 cp and cannot be easily injected into the mold through a pipeline for the purpose of casting the blend by the superatmospheric gelling method . in addition , the cured resin blend has an undesirably low hdt . any inorganic powder material that will not deteriorate the electrical or mechanical properties of the blend may be used as a filler in the present invention . suitable examples are alumina , hydrated alumina , quarts and fused quartz powders . one of the advantages of the resin composition of the present invention is that it effectively presents the precipitation of the filler and this advantage is particularly significant when the filler is an alumina powder having a high specific gravity . the epoxy resin composition of the present invention may be prepared and cast by the following procedures : the epoxy resin having an epoxy equivalent of 200 or below and the phenoxy resin of formula ( i ) where n is approximately 100 are heated until a uniform liquid mixture forms ; this mixture is blended with the condensation product of a polybasic carboxylic acid anhydride and bisphenol a of formula ( ii ), the inorganic filler powder and a suitable accelerator at 20 °- 80 ° c ., preferably under subatmospheric pressure , thereby making the epoxy resin composition ; the composition then is injected directly into a preheated mold ( 90 °- 160 ° c .) through a pipeline ; the mold is subsequently pressurized at 0 . 5 - 5 . 0 kg / cm 2 g for 1 - 30 minutes until curing of the composition is completed to produce a casting . the accelerator that may be incorporated in the epoxy resin composition is illustrated by , but by no means limited to , metal salts of organic carboxylic acids , tertiary amines , boron trifluoride amine complex , and imidazole . the amount of the accelerator added is to be adjusted to such a value that curing of the blend will be completed in 1 - 30 minutes at the mold temperature of 90 °- 160 ° c . the epoxy resin composition offered by the present invention may also contain a colorant , a coupling agent or an internal release agent on the condition that they will not deteriorate any of the desirable characteristics such as the viscosity , long pot life , and fast curing property of the resin blend , as well as the resistance to precipitation of the filler , absence of color unevenness , high hdt and thermal shock resistance of the cured product of the resin blend . the following examples and comparative examples are provided for the purpose of further illustrating the composition of the present invention . in the examples and comparatives , all parts were based on weight . an epoxy resin ( 102 parts ) prepared by heating 100 parts of a bisphenol a type epoxy resin ( gy - 260 of ciba geigy ) and 0 . 5 part of a phenoxy resin ( pkhh of union carbide corporation ) to form a uniform liquid mixture , 95 parts of a condensation product of 65 parts of methyl - thpa ( acid anhydride ) and 30 parts of bisphenol a , 1 part of zinc octylate and 510 parts of an alumina powder were agitated at 60 ° c . under vacuum so as to prepare an epoxy resin composition . the initial viscosity of the resin composition , its pot life , gelling time and time vs . viscosity profile were determined by the following methods . the results are summarized in the following table 1 and the accompanying figure (- -). three test pieces were prepared from the resin composition by first gelling it at 150 ° c . and by then curing at 130 ° c .× 24 hr . these test pieces were used in evaluation of crack resistance , hdt and filler precipitation , respectively , by the methods shown below . the results of evaluation are also summarized in table 1 . the epoxy resin composition was agitated at 60 ° c . for 40 minutes and its viscosity was measured . the viscosity of the epoxy resin composition was measured at 60 ° c . and at intervals of 30 minutes . the time required for the viscosity to increase to 5 × 10 4 cp was measured . the epoxy resin composition was put in a vessel held at 150 ° c . and heated in a separate oil bath held at 150 ° c . the time required for the resin composition to gel was measured . the epoxy resin composition was put in a vessel held at 60 ° c . and the vessel was placed in an oil bath also held at 60 ° c . viscosity measurement was done at 30 - min intervals for plotting the time - dependent variations in viscosity . a test piece of the epoxy resin composition was examined for its carck resistance by the method recommended by the international electrical commission in international electrical commission publication 455 - 2 . a test piece was prepared from the epoxy resin composition and evaluated in accordance with astm - d 648 . a test piece was sampled from the cured product of the epoxy resin composition and its resistance to filler precipitation was evaluated by the incineration method . the amount of filler precipitation was determined by subtracting the measured value of filling ( wt %) from the theoretical value ( wt %). table 1______________________________________ cured productresin composition filler initial gelling preci - viscosity pot life time crack hdt pitationrun no . ( cp ) ( hr ) ( min ) index (° c .) ( wt %) ______________________________________ex . 1 12 , 000 ≧ 5 15 8 115 - 3 . 82 15 , 000 ≧ 5 17 12 110 - 2 . 43 18 , 000 ≧ 5 19 16 105 - 1 . 0comp . ex . 1 20 , 000 3 20 4 95 - 162 15 , 000 3 18 3 105 - 20______________________________________ an epoxy resin ( 106 parts ) prepared by heating 100 parts of a bisphenol a type epoxy resin ( gy - 260 of ciba geigy ) and 5 parts of a phenoxy resin ( pkhh of union carbide corporation ) to form a uniform liquid mixture , 95 parts of the same condensation product as used in example 1 , 1 part of zinc octylate and 520 parts of an alumina powder were agitated under vacuum to prepare an epoxy resin composition . the characteristics of this composition and the cured product thereof were evaluated as in example 1 . the results are summarized in table 1 and the accompanying figure (- δ -). an epoxy resin ( 110 parts ) prepared by heating 100 parts of a bisphenol a type epoxy resin ( gy - 260 of ciba geigy ) and 10 parts of phenoxy resin ( pkhh of union carbide corporation ) to form a uniform liquid mixture , 95 parts of the same condensation product as used in example 1 , 1 part of zinc octylate and 530 parts of an alumina powder were agitated under vacuum to prepare an epoxy resin composition . the characteristics of this composition and the cured product thereof were evaluated as in example 1 . the results are summarized in table 1 and the accompanying figure (-□-). a hundred parts of a bisphenol - modified epoxy resin ( cy - 225 of ciba geigy ), 80 parts of a curing agent ( hy 225 , i . e ., a modified acid anhydride of ciba geigy ) and 460 parts of an alumina powder were agitated at 60 ° c . under vacuum so as to prepare an epoxy resin composition . the characteristics of this composition and the cured product thereof were evaluated as in example 1 . the results are summarized in table 1 and the accompanying figure (- -). a hundred parts of a bisphenol - modified epoxy resin ( cy - 225 of ciba geigy ), 95 parts of a curing agent ( 23 % methyl thpa incorporated in the curing agent used in comparative example 1 ) and 500 parts of an alumina powder were agitated at 60 ° c . under vacuum so as to prepare an epoxy resin composition . the characteristics of the composition and the cured product thereof were evaluated as in example 1 . the results are summarized in table 1 and the accompanying figure (- -). in examples 1 to 3 and comparative examples 1 and 2 , the filler occupied 44 % by volume of the epoxy resin composition . the amount of the curing agent used per equivalent amount of the epoxy resin was 1 in examples 1 - 3 , 0 . 7 in comparative example 1 and 0 . 9 in comparative example 2 . as is shown by the above data , the epoxy resin composition of the present invention has reactivity and curing properties that are optimal for the purpose of casting by the superatmospheric gelling method . one particular advantage of the composition is that it has minimum chance of experiencing filler precipitation during casting operations . other advantages of the composition are its high resistance to heat and thermal shock , as well as its high storage stability resulting from prolonged pot life at low temperatures . a casting may be formed from this epoxy resin composition , with loss of the resin during casting operations being minimized to ensure substantial saving of the resources .	7
the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . in the drawings , the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity . it will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; another layer or substrate , it can be directly on the other layer or substrate , or intervening layers may also be present . moreover , the terms &# 34 ; first conductivity type &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; second conductivity type &# 34 ; refer to opposite conductivity types such as n or p - type , however , each embodiment described and illustrated herein includes its complementary embodiment as well . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . referring now to fig3 an integrated power semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described . in particular , a unit cell 200 of a preferred integrated power semiconductor device has a predetermined width &# 34 ; w c &# 34 ; ( e . g ., 1 μm ) and comprises a highly doped drain layer 114 of first conductivity type ( e . g ., n +), a drift layer 112 of first conductivity type having a linearly graded doping concentration therein , a relatively thin base layer 116 of second conductivity type ( e . g ., p - type ) and a highly doped source layer 118 of first conductivity type ( e . g ., n +). a source electrode 128b and drain electrode 130 may also be provided at the first and second faces , in ohmic contact with the source layer 118 and drain layer 114 , respectively . the source electrode 128b also preferably forms an ohmic contact with the base layer 116 in a third dimension ( not shown ). the drift layer 112 may be formed by epitaxially growing an n - type in - situ doped monocrystalline silicon layer having a thickness of about 4 μm on an n - type drain layer 114 ( e . g ., n + substrate ) having a thickness of 100 μm and a first conductivity type doping concentration of greater than about 1 × 10 18 cm - 3 ( e . g . 1 × 10 19 cm - 3 ) therein . as illustrated , the drift layer 112 may have a linearly graded doping concentration therein with a maximum concentration of greater than about 5 × 10 16 cm - 3 ( e . g ., 3 × 10 17 cm - 3 at the n +/ n non - rectifying junction with the drain layer 114 and a minimum concentration of 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 at a depth of 1 μm and continuing at a uniform level to the upper face . the base layer 116 may be formed by implanting p - type dopants such as boron into the drift layer 112 at an energy of 100 kev and at a dose level of 1 × 10 14 cm 2 , for example . the p - type dopants may then be diffused to a depth of 0 . 5 μm into the drift layer 112 . an n - type dopant such as arsenic may then be implanted at an energy of 50 kev and at dose level of 1 × 10 15 cm - 2 . the n - type and p - type dopants are then diffused simultaneously to a depth of 0 . 5 μm and 1 . 0 μm , respectively , to form a composite semiconductor substrate containing the drain , drift , base and source layers . as illustrated by fig3 the first conductivity type ( e . g ., n - type ) doping concentration in the drift layer 112 is preferably less than about 5 × 10 16 cm - 3 at the p - n junction with the base layer 116 ( i . e ., second p - n junction ), and more preferably only about 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 at the p - n junction with the base layer 116 . the second conductivity type ( e . g ., p - type ) doping concentration in the base layer 116 is also preferably greater than about 5 × 10 16 cm - 3 at the p - n junction with the source layer 118 ( i . e ., first p - n junction ). furthermore , according to a preferred aspect of the present invention , the second conductivity type doping concentration in the base layer 116 at the first p - n junction ( e . g ., 1 × 10 17 cm - 3 ) is about ten times greater than the first conductivity type doping concentration in the drift region at the second p - n junction ( e . g ., 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 ). a stripe - shaped trench having a pair of opposing sidewalls 120a which extend in a third dimension ( not shown ) and a bottom 120b is then formed in the substrate . for a unit cell 100 having a width w c of 1 μm , the trench is preferably formed to have a width &# 34 ; w t &# 34 ; of 0 . 5 μm at the end of processing . a gate electrode / source electrode insulating region 125 , a gate electrode 127 ( e . g ., polysilicon ) and a trench - based source electrode 128a ( e . g ., polysilicon ) are also formed in the trench . because the gate electrode 127 is made relatively small and does not occupy the entire trench , the amount of gate charge required to drive the unit cell 200 during switching is much smaller than the amount of gate charge required to drive the unit cell 100 of fig2 ( assuming all other parameters and dimensions are equal ), as described more fully hereinbelow . here , the trench - based source electrode 128a is electrically connected to the source electrode 128b in a third dimension ( not shown ). the portion of the gate electrode / source electrode insulating region 125 extending adjacent the trench bottom 120b and the drift layer 112 may also have a thickness &# 34 ; t 1 &# 34 ; in a range between about 1500 å and 3000 å , for example , to inhibit the occurrence of high electric field crowding at the bottom corners of the trench and to provide a substantially uniform potential gradient along the trench sidewalls 120a . however , the portion of the gate electrode / source electrode insulating region 125 extending opposite the base layer 116 and the source layer 118 preferably has a thickness &# 34 ; t 2 &# 34 ; of of less than about 750 å , and more preferably about 500 å to maintain the threshold voltage of the device at about 2 - 3 volts . numerical simulations of the unit cell 200 of fig3 were performed using a drift region doping concentration which increased from a value of 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 at a depth of 1 micron to a value of 2 × 10 17 cm - 3 at a trench depth ( t d ) of 5 microns . the thin portion of the gate / source electrode insulating region 125 extended to 1 . 2 microns of a total trench depth of 4 . 7 microns and had a thickness of 500 å . the thick portion of the gate / source electrode insulating region 125 had a thickness of 3000 å . the n + source layer 118 depth was set to 0 . 3 microns , and the depth of the p - type base region 116 was set to 0 . 9 microns . a half - cell width of 1 micron was used based on 1 micron design rules . the polysilicon gate electrode 127 extended to 1 . 2 microns and the polysilicon source electrode 128a extended from 1 . 5 microns to 4 . 4 microns . based on these parameters , the specific on - resistance ( r on , sp ) at a gate bias of 15 volts was found to be 114 microohm cm 2 and the device blocked more than 60 volts . comparisons of the potential distributions and contours in the device of fig3 at a drain bias of 60 volts , against the device of fig2 indicated essentially no change in the electric field profile within the drift region . this finding suggests that the trench - based source electrode 128a does not upset the degree of charge coupling and field distribution required to obtain high performance operation . moreover , even though the specific on - resistance of the device of fig3 was about 20 % greater than the specific on - resistance of the device of fig2 the high frequency figure - of - merit ( hfom ), defined as ( r on , sp ( q gs + q gd )) - 1 , where q gs and q gd represent the gate - source and gate - drain charge per unit area , was also calculated to be three ( 3 ) times better than the hfom for the device of fig2 . this result means the device of fig3 is very suitable for high frequency operation . referring now to fig4 a - 4k , a preferred method of forming the integrated power semiconductor device of fig3 will be described . as illustrated best by fig4 a , the method begins with the step of forming a semiconductor substrate 10 by epitaxially growing a drift region 12 of first conductivity type ( e . g ., n - type ) on a highly doped drain region 14 of first conductivity type which has a doping concentration greater than 1 × 10 18 cm - 3 therein . computer controlled in - situ doping of the drift region 12 is also preferably performed during the epitaxial growth step so that the drift region 12 has a linearly graded ( or step graded ) first conductivity type doping concentration therein which decreases in a direction away from the drain region 14 . in particular , the drift region 12 is preferably doped so that the doping concentration of the drift region 12 at the abrupt non - rectifying junction ( j3 ) is greater than about 1 × 10 17 cm - 3 and more preferably about 3 × 10 17 cm - 3 , but less than 5 × 10 16 cm - 3 at the first face 15a and more preferably only about 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 at the first face 15a . referring now to fig4 b , a thin base region 16 is then formed in the substrate 10 by patterning a first implant mask ( not shown ) on the first face 15a and then performing an implant of second conductivity type dopants through the first mask . the implanted second conductivity type dopants can then be diffused into the drift region 12 to an initial depth of about 0 . 5 μm , for example . these steps are then preferably followed by the steps of patterning a second implant mask ( not shown ) on the first face 15a and performing an implant of first conductivity type dopants through the second mask . the second mask is also preferably patterned in a third dimension ( not shown ) so that portions of the underlying base region 16 do not receive the implanted source dopants . these portions of the base region 16 which extend to the first face 15a can be ohmically contacted by a source electrode at the end of processing . the implanted first conductivity type dopants and the second conductivity type dopants can then be diffused to a depth of about 0 . 5 μm and 1 . 0 μm , respectively , to provide a base region thickness &# 34 ; t c &# 34 ; of about 0 . 5 μm . preferably , boron ( b ) is used as a p - type dopant and is implanted at a dose level of about 1 × 10 14 cm - 2 and at an energy of 100 kev . arsenic ( as ) is preferably used as an n - type dopant and is implanted at a dose level of about 10 × 15 cm - 2 and at an energy of 50 kev . as will be understood by those skilled in the art , the implant and diffusion steps will cause the doping profile of the second conductivity type dopants in the substrate 10 to be generally gaussian in shape and have a maximum value at the first face 15a . the doping concentration in the base region 16 will also have a maximum value adjacent the source region 18 and a minimum value adjacent the drift region 12 . in particular , the implant and diffusion steps may be performed so that the first conductivity type dopant concentration of the source region 18 at the first face 15a is greater than 1 × 10 18 cm - 3 and the second conductivity type dopant concentration in the base region 16 is greater than about 1 × 10 17 cm - 3 at a first p - n junction ( j1 ) with the source region 18 , but less than about 5 × 10 16 cm - 3 and more preferably only about 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 at the second p - n junction ( j2 ) with the drift region 12 . to meet these criteria , the first conductivity type doping concentration in the drift region 12 should be about 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 at the second p - n junction ( j2 ). because of this relatively low value of 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 in the drift region 12 , the base region 16 can be made thin ( e . g ., 0 . 5 μm ) without being susceptible to parasitic reach - through breakdown and can be doped relatively low to maintain the transistor &# 39 ; s threshold voltage at about 2 - 3 volts . referring now to fig4 c , an etching mask 22 including a stress relief oxide layer 22a and an oxidation barrier layer 22b ( e . g ., si 3 n 4 ) is then patterned on the first face 15a to define openings which expose adjacent portions of the first face extending over the source and base regions 18 and 16 . the source , base and drift regions are then chemically etched to form a plurality of trenches 20 . as illustrated , each of the trenches has opposing vertical sidewalls 20a which define interfaces between the source , base and drift regions and an interior of the trench , and a trench bottom 20b in the drift region . facing sidewalls 20a of adjacent trenches also define respective mesas 17 which may have uniform widths of about 0 . 5 μm at the end of processing . the trenches 20 and mesas 17 , which extend in a third dimension , not shown , can be of stripe or similar geometry . the mesas 17 can also be polygonal ( e . g ., hexagonal ) in shaped with the trenches 20 defining a continuous mesh when viewed from a direction normal to the face 15a . as explained more fully hereinbelow , the widths of the mesas 17 can be selected to improve the blocking voltage capability of the transistor . in particular , the width of the mesas 17 ( at the end of processing ) and the doping concentration in the drift region 12 at j3 should be selected so that their product is within the range of 1 × 10 13 - 2 × 10 13 cm - 2 to obtain a preferred charge concentration in the drift region 12 . in addition , the width of the mesas 17 and the doping concentration in the drift region 12 at j2 should be selected so that their product is within the range of 1 × 10 11 - 2 × 10 12 cm - 2 . referring now to fig4 d which illustrates a cross - section of three adjacent mesas 17 , the method continues with the formation of a first electrically insulating region 24 ( e . g ., sio 2 ) having a first thickness greater than 1000 å and more preferably about 3000 å , on the trench sidewalls 20a and the trench bottom 20b of each trench 20 . this step is preferably performed by oxidizing the etched source , base and drift regions , using the oxidation barrier layer 22b as an oxidation mask . as will be understood by those skilled in the art , the growth of an oxide having a thickness of about 3000 å will typically consume about 0 . 1 μm or more of semiconductor material . accordingly , the initial widths of the mesas 17 should be selected so that at the end of processing the widths are at the desired value of about 0 . 5 μm . referring now to fig4 e - 4k , a conformal n - type first polycrystalline silicon region 26 is then deposited and etched until it is recessed in the trench to a depth just below the second p - n junction ( j2 ). this first polysilicon region 26 defines a trench - based source electrode . an oxide etching step is then performed to remove the first electrically insulating region 24 from the portions of the sidewalls 20a which extend adjacent the etched source and base regions 18 and 16 , as illustrated best by fig2 f . referring now to fig4 g , a second electrically insulating region 28 ( e . g ., sio 2 ) having a second thickness less than about 1000 å and more preferably about 500 å , is then formed on the exposed trench sidewalls 20a and on the polysilicon region 26 . referring now to fig2 h , a conformal second polycrystalline silicon region 30 is then deposited on the second electrically insulating region 28 . the second polycrystalline silicon region 30 is then etched until it is recessed in the trench to a depth just below the first face 15a . steps are also preferably performed to expose the first polysilicon region 26 in a third dimension ( not shown ) so that subsequent contact can be made to a source electrode on the face 15a . a third electrically insulating region 32 is then formed on the etched second polycrystalline silicon region 30 by oxidizing the second polycrystalline silicon region 30 , as illustrated by fig2 . the stress relief oxide layer 22a and the oxidation barrier layer 22b ( e . g ., si 3 n 4 ) are then etched to expose the source region 18 and base region 16 at the first face 15a , as illustrated by fig4 j . a source metal contact layer 34 is then deposited on the first face 15a and a drain metal contact layer 36 is deposited on an opposing second face 15b to form ohmic contacts to the source , base and first polysilicon regions ( 18 , 16 and 26 ) and drain region 14 , respectively , as illustrated by fig4 k . referring now to fig5 an integrated power semiconductor device 300 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described . as illustrated , this power device 300 includes an active device region and an edge termination region which may extend adjacent an outermost edge of a semiconductor substrate containing the power device 300 . according to one aspect of this embodiment , the active device region may include a plurality of unit cells which are similar to the unit cells 100 and 200 of fig2 and 3 , respectively . however , to improve edge termination characteristics , an edge termination trench is provided in the edge termination region and a uniformly thick first field plate insulating region 134 is provided which lines the sidewalls and bottom of the edge termination trench . a field plate 136 , comprising a material such as n - type polysilicon , is also provided on the first field plate insulating region 134 . in addition , a second field plate insulating region 138 is provided on the first face and this second field plate insulating region overlaps the first field plate insulating region 134 . to complete the field plate structure , a field plate extension 140 is provided . this field plate extension 140 , which is electrically connected to the field plate 136 , is provided on the second field plate insulating region 138 and extends opposite the face of the substrate , as illustrated . this field plate extension 140 may also comprise n - type polysilicon . the field plate 136 is also preferably connected to the source electrode 128b or gate electrode 126 . to improve the edge termination and breakdown characteristics of the integrated power device 300 even further , the edge termination trench is preferably positioned so that a transition mesa region is defined between opposing sidewalls of the edge termination trench and the trench corresponding to the outermost unit cell of the device 300 . however , unlike the mesa regions which are defined between trenches within the active device region of the integrated power device 300 , the transition mesa region is preferably formed to be devoid of a source region of first conductivity type . instead , a preferred breakdown shielding region 117 of second conductivity type ( e . g ., p - type ) is provided . the breakdown shielding region 117 may be formed at the same time the base region 116 is formed , for example . however , as illustrated best by fig6 which is a cross - sectional view of an integrated power semiconductor device 300 &# 39 ; according to a third embodiment of the present invention , the breakdown shielding region 117 &# 39 ; may also be formed deeper ( and more highly doped ) than the base region 116 to further increase the likelihood that avalanche breakdown will occur in the transition mesa region instead of within the active region . the use of breakdown shielding regions to improve the breakdown characteristics of power semiconductor devices is also described in commonly assigned u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 167 , 298 , filed oct . 6 , 1998 , entitled &# 34 ; rugged schottky barrier rectifiers having improved avalanche breakdown characteristics &# 34 ;, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . numerical simulations of the unit cell 300 of fig5 were performed using a drift region doping concentration which increased from a value of 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 at a depth of 1 micron to a value of 2 × 10 17 cm - 3 at a trench depth ( t d ) of 5 microns . the thin portion of the gate electrode insulating region 124 had a thickness of 500 å , the thick portion of the gate electrode insulating region 124 had a thickness of 3000 å and the first field plate insulating region 134 had a uniform thickness of 3000 å . based on these parameters , the simulated potential contours were shown to be uniformly spaced in both the active and termination regions . the simulated current flowlines also indicated that breakdown would occur simultaneously in both the active and termination regions so long as the breakdown shielding region 117 is electrically connected to the source electrode 128b . accordingly , breakdown in the integrated power device 300 of fig5 is not expected to be edge limited . moreover , in applications where the gd - mosfet unit cells in the active region are expected to be frequently driven into avalanche breakdown , it is preferable to move the location of avalanche breakdown to the more highly doped and deeper breakdown shielding region 117 &# 39 ; within the device 300 &# 39 ; of fig6 . in particular , by increasing the depth of the breakdown shielding region 117 &# 39 ;, the breakdown voltage can be decreased to a level which will provide sufficient protection to the unit cells in the active device area and improve the lifetime and reliability of the overall device 300 &# 39 ;. in addition , as described more fully hereinbelow with respect to fig7 the breakdown voltage and the specific on - resistance r sp , on can also be scaled downward by decreasing the epitaxial layer thickness of the drift region 112 . referring now to fig7 an integrated power semiconductor device 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described . as illustrated , this power device 400 is a hybrid device which may contain the gd - umosfet unit cells of fig2 and 3 ( having non - uniformly thick gate insulating regions therein ) extending adjacent one sidewall of each trench in the active region and a modified tmbs schottky rectifier ( acting as a flyback diode ) extending adjacent an opposing sidewall of each trench . in the modified tmbs schottky rectifier illustrated on the left side of the unit cell of fig7 preferred charge coupling is provided by a gate electrode within a trench having a non - uniformly thick gate insulating region therein , instead of an anode electrode and a uniformly thick insulating region . moreover , whereas conventional tmbs rectifiers , such as those disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 612 , 567 to baliga which is hereby incorporated herein by reference , include a linearly graded drift region doping concentration which extends all the way to the schottky rectifying junction at the face , a uniformly doped region extends adjacent the schottky rectifying junction in the modified tmbs rectifier of fig7 . as illustrated , this uniformly doped portion of the drift region has a doping concentration of 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 therein . the advantages of including a uniformly doped region adjacent the schottky rectifying junction in a tmbs device are more fully described in the aforementioned application entitled &# 34 ; rugged schottky barrier rectifiers having improved avalanche breakdown characteristics &# 34 ;. this hybrid power device 400 is designed so that the gd - mosfet unit cells have very low specific on - state resistance , the modified tmbs structure has very low leakage current and low on - state voltage drop and the combined hybrid structure exhibits very low parasitic inductance . in particular , simulations of the hybrid device of fig7 illustrate that the on - state voltage drop of both the gd - mosfet and modified tmbs are reduced because of improved current spreading in the n + substrate region 114 . the specific on - resistance r sp , on can also be scaled downward by decreasing the epitaxial layer thickness of the drift region 112 . this reduction in epitaxial layer thickness causes the non - rectifying junction formed between the drift region 112 and the drain region 114 &# 39 ; ( illustrated by the dotted line in fig7 ) to move up along the sidewalls of each trench , without any other modification in the process . accordingly , the reduction in epitaxial layer thickness ( or increase in trench depth ) results in the formation of an interface between the bottom of the trench 120b and the drain region 114 &# 39 ;. the simulations also indicate the possibility of higher temperature operation with smaller heat sinks because of an improvement in the leakage current characteristics . the hybrid device also limits the amount of parasitic inductance between the gd - mosfet and modified tmbs rectifiers within each unit cell . as further illustrated by fig7 an increase in the depth of the base region 116 to the level illustrated by the dotted line 116 &# 39 ; can also be used advantageously to suppress the degree of any impact ionization near the gate insulating region 124 which may arise in response to hot electron injection during avalanche breakdown . in particular , steps to form the gate insulating region so that there is an overlap between the thick portion of the gate insulating region 124 ( extending upward from the bottom of the trench ) and the base region 116 can be used to enhance the electric field contours at the corner of the gate between the thick and thin portions and thereby shield the gate insulating region from the effects of hot electron induced instabilities during avalanche breakdown . accordingly , the gate insulating region 124 may have a first thickness ( shown as t 2 ) of less than about 750 å as measured between the gate electrode 126 and a first intersection between the first sidewall and the p - n junction formed between the source region 118 and p - base region 116 . in addition , the gate insulating region 124 may have a second thickness ( shown as t 1 ) of greater than about 1500 å as measured between the gate electrode 126 and a second intersection between the first sidewall and the p - n junction formed between the p - base region 116 and the drift region 112 . moreover , because of the illustrated graded doping profile of the base region 116 which falls off near the base / drift region junction , it is still possible to form an inversion layer channel across the entire base region 116 even though the gate oxide thickness is relatively large ( e . g ., 3000 å ) at the drain side of the base region 116 . designing the unit cell to provide this gate shielding advantage may , however , result in some increase in the specific on - state resistance of the device . in the drawings and specification , there have been disclosed typical preferred embodiments of the invention and , although specific terms are employed , they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation , the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims .	7
in the following description , the automated licensing system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the figures listed below . fig1 shows a schematic overview of the automated license system in its entirety . a client service 11 can communicate over a communication network 14 to the server service 17 requesting licensing information for a given solution 10 installed on client ( embedded ) system . the communication network may comprise several lan &# 39 ; s 12 , 16 and wan 14 with attached firewalls 13 , 15 , but the communication is carried on by standardized protocols that are capable of bypassing firewalls 13 , 15 etc . and without causing a security threat to existing systems and technology . a solution 10 provides some kind of functionality to the client ( embedded ) system , but without proper license information , the functionality set is limited . to receive license information , it communicates internally within the client ( embedded ) system where the client service 11 is also present . if the client service 11 does not hold previous received license information for the solution 10 , it performs a communication process with the server service 17 , exchanging specific information about the solution 10 and the client ( embedded ) system . the server service 17 validates received information , possibly in cooperation with other administrative services 18 such as order and billing systems , and responds with license information to the client service 11 . the client service 11 has the option to store the license information , which will avoid the need for further communication with the server service 18 , referred to as a static licensing . dynamic licensing is also an option , where every request from solution 10 is validated by communicating with the server service 18 . static licensing enables continuous use of network - disconnected embedded systems which already have receive license information . fig2 shows a principal flow diagram of the client ( embedded ) system designated by numeral 101 in its entirety and describing the process pattern in steps 101 - 110 , in which the solution 10 communicates with the client service 11 . the specific data packages ( license information ) transmitted in requests and responses will be described later . initially both the solution 10 and the client service 11 are installed on the client ( embedded ) system . at certain intervals or by condition changes in the client ( embedded ) system , the solution 10 will send a request 101 for license information to the client service 11 . condition changes can be hardware conditioned such , as a reboot or reconfiguration of the client ( embedded ) system or simply invoked by the client service 11 or other occurring events . when the client service 11 receives the request 101 for license information , it first checks its own registry 102 to see if the solution 10 is known . if the solution 10 is already known , the client service 11 checks for license information , and if static licensing is allowed 104 . if so , the client service 11 responds 109 to the solution 10 with license information . if the solution 10 is not found in the registry , the client service 11 adds 103 the solution 10 . if the solution 10 was not found or static licensing was not allowed , the client service 11 will initiate a communication process with the server service 17 on the server system by sending a request 105 . dependent on selected network protocol for communication , bandwidth of physical network , amount of network hardware points to pass , the response time from the server service 17 can vary . when the client service 11 receives the response 106 from the server service 17 , it adds 108 the license information to its registry if static licensing is allowed 107 . finally , the client service 11 responds to the solution 10 with license information , and the solution can now take action upon the received license information . fig3 shows a principal flow diagram of the server system designated by numeral 201 in its entirety and describing the process pattern in steps 201 - 207 . the specific data packages ( license information ) transmitted in requests and responses will be described later . the server service 17 can handle requests 201 from multiple client services 11 . when a request is received , it validates 202 the license information , e . g . in cooperation with other administrative services , such as order and billing systems 203 . the result of the validation 204 may be either successful , thereby allowing generation of license information ( key ) with approval 206 , or unsuccessful , thereby declining the approval and generation of license information ( key ) with a denial 205 . in every circumstance , the license information is sent 207 back to the client service 11 , which then uses the license info . to respond to the solution 10 that originally requested the license information . in the previous descriptions , the license information was an abstract conception of data . the license information is representative differently when sent between services and systems . fig4 shows a representative diagram of the data packages ( license information ) exchanged in the client ( embedded ) system between the solution 10 and the client service 11 . representation of data is designated by numeral 301 . first of all , data in requests and responses in the client ( embedded ) system may be encrypted so malicious attackers will not be able to sniff requests or responses and make any sense of the data . when the solution 10 requests license information from the client service 11 , it sends a data package containing a unique request id 301 and information about the solution , its name 302 and version 303 . the request id 301 ensures authentication and that requests cannot be replayed by accident or by malicious attackers . the name 302 and version 303 are used to identify the solution 10 for both the client service 11 and in the possible communication with the server service 17 . the version 303 is important , because license approval can be dependent on solution version . when the client service 11 receives the request from the solution 10 , it first checks its own registry for stored license information . if this is found and static licensing is allowed , the client service 11 can respond to the solution 10 with a response containing again the request id 304 , name 305 and version 306 of the solution 10 which is identical to the request and then a security 307 . the security 307 is a solution - specific identification for the license mode that only the solution 10 understands . a security 307 with the value “ 0 ” could , e . g ., mean that the solution was denied , and the value “ 1 ” could mean that it was approved , performing its functionality in the client ( embedded ) system . this is part of the architecture of the solution 10 . fig5 shows a representative diagram of the data packages exchanged in the communication network between the client service 11 and the server service 17 . representation of data is designated by the numeral 401 . if no license information is found in the client service 11 registry or static licensing is not allowed upon a solution 10 request for license information , the client service 11 must initiate communication with the server service 17 . the request contains three blocks of data , solution information , embedded device information , and customer information . the solution information is identical to the data in requests and responses between the solution 10 and the client service 11 , name 401 and version 402 for the solution 10 . the embedded device information is specific information about the client ( embedded ) system that uniquely identifies it . the hardware address 403 is the physical network address , where model name 404 is a name separating different kinds of embedded devices used for license differentiation . the customer information is specific information about the customer that has bought the solution 10 . the name of company 406 , name of contact 407 and the contacts email 408 address are required . additional information 405 , 409 for both the embedded device and the customer is possible , but is not used directly for issuing approved license information in the server service 17 . when the server service 17 receives the request from client service 11 , it then starts to validate the license information , e . g ., in cooperation with other administrative services , such as order and billing systems . if required criteria for approval are met , the server service 17 generates a license key which is sent back to the client service 11 . otherwise an empty license key will be sent and inform the client service 11 that license validation was unsuccessful . a license key comprises four blocks of data . each block is encrypted . the first block is a key information block that contains a key version 410 so the client service 11 will know how to interpret the received license key . the version dependency 411 and version control 412 are used in static licensing mode to validate in the client service 11 if the solution 10 requesting version 303 is allowed to use security 307 . in case a new version of the solution 10 is installed on the client ( embedded ) system , the license conditions might be that this version is not allowed with an earlier - used license key . the security 413 is identical to the client service 11 response security 307 to the solution 10 . the security 413 is a solution specific identification for the license mode , which only the solution 10 understands . a security 413 with the value “ 0 ” could , e . g ., mean that the solution was denied , and the value “ 1 ” could mean that it was approved , performing its functionality in the client ( embedded ) system . this is part of the architecture of the solution 10 . the second block is the solution information with the solution 10 name 414 and the version 415 which the license is issued for . the third and fourth blocks are , respectively , embedded device information 416 and customer information 417 in hashed value . they are hashed to compress their size , and a hashed value is enough to check if embedded device information and customer information are valid . when the client service 11 receives the license key , it stores it in its registry and performs its own validation to ensure that the license key values of key information , solution information , embedded device information , and customer information matche the actual values on the client ( embedded ) system . finally , it responds with a response to the solution 10 .	7
embodiments of the present invention provide various embodiments for catch fence systems and methods . although the embodiments described , herein may be used in various venues , they are described in connection with a race track for ease of explanation . however , it should be understood that the catch systems and methods described herein may be useful in any other circumstance when a motorized vehicle , is to be stopped safely and effectively , in one embodiment , the fence poles are moved back from the edge of the race track , and they support a catch net and energy absorbers to absorb the energy of cars that have left the racetrack and become airborne . an example of such a system is shown in fig1 . this fence is designed to be engaged at an oblique angle . it can engage multiple cars , which is necessary , as cars are typically made airborne from multiple car contacts in a single crash . the fence is designed to be installed in sections that are temporarily connected to each other ( side by side ) so that one section engaged will absorb energy while an adjacent section ( or sections ) remains in place and ready to catch other cars . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , the net sections are divided by break - away c - clips that allow one section to detach from its neighbor section so that only the section that is needed is utilized . the fence also uses pivoting pulleys with a friction brake system mounted on the ground . the friction braking on the back pulleys particularly allows for softening the impact and can let out cable as needed . the top pulleys may rotate to guide the cable where it is needed most . secured by the pulleys is a catch netting . in the figure shown , the netting is designed as nylon netting with nylon straps , but it should be understood that any appropriate net material may be used , as long as it contains sufficient strength properties . it is shown that the net may be 30 - 40 feet high , but it should be understood that lower fences may be more realistic in practice , and as such , the fence may be up to 20 feet instead . a secondary safety steel mesh catch fence is provided as a back - up barrier to prevent debris from entering the spectator seating areas . the system is designed for high speed , short run outs , as compared to traditional road barriers that are designed for lower speeds and longer run outs . it is desirable that repair to a utilized fence section can be conducted quickly e . g ., in approximately 20 to 30 minutes and possibly less ), to allow a race to continue after a catching incident . in improving upon this fence design , further considerations were to construct a simpler fence , which could render it easier to accept by the industry , as well as easier to install at a particular venue . additionally , although safety is of particular concern , it is also desirable to not limit spectator sight lines , where possible . the space availability between the existing track wall and the grandstands is also different at every track , so it is desirable that the catch solution be modular and adjustable . further , rapid system reset after an accident is an additional important consideration . although not wishing to be bound to the following data , the following table provides the estimated magnitude of the forces involved in typical racetrack crashes and indicates the power that the catch systems are designed to contain . ( note that these are energies involved with straight - line impacts , and could be considered worst - case scenarios .) the magnitudes of force to be contained and thus designed around are shown below . a further embodiment of a catch fence system and method is referred to as the c - fence , and is shown in fig2 - 4 . the c - fence concept involves “ c ” shaped poles that connect at their bottom to the back of the existing racetrack wall at a pivot joint . the tops of the poles are free to pivot away from the track during an impact . each pole is connected to a large torsion spring or hydraulic cylinder at the bottom joint to dissipate energy . the main cables are suspended between the poles on vertical cables that run between the top and bottom of each “ c ” pole . the smaller mesh debris fencing may be installed along the back side of the “ c ” frame , or it could be integrated with the main cables out at the “ c ” opening . advantages of the c - fence include that the concrete wall at tracks is a consistent feature to build off of so it is a stable solution . the c - fence also does not take up valuable real estate , and it is considered to have a potentially simple , inexpensive construction . it can also be installed without major construction changes to the facility , and it eliminates poles from impact area . leaf - spring . a further embodiment is the leaf spring fence , shown in fig5 - 9 . the leaf spring concept involves a simple way to “ re - mount ” and suspend the main safety cables of a fencing system off of the existing support poles . without wishing to be bound by any theory , it is believed that by moving the support cables of the poles by some distance , more clearance can be created in front of the poles in situations where the driver &# 39 ; s side of the car contacts the catch fence . a “ u ” shaped bracket it could be square or round , depending on the pole style in use ) is mounted to the existing upright , and it is used in turn to mount a leaf spring assembly . the leaf spring assembly contains the cable via a sliding connection at its end , so that in the event of a crash , the leaf spring would flex while riding along the length of the cable . the main safety cables would be spaced via a simple “ u ” shaped bracket that also ties the ends of the leaf springs together . the leaf springs could be fabricated straight and be mounted to the pole at an angle , or they could be fabricated “ 5 ” shaped and be mounted parallel to the track wall as shown in fig5 . fig6 illustrates a side view of the leaf spring concept . fig7 - 9 illustrate further views of the leaf spring concept and show details of the leaf spring connection to the pole . potential advantages of the leaf spring concept are that is provides a relatively simple and elegant design , it is retrofittable , it can be implemented with a low cost , it can be designed to be self - resetting , it requires minimal changes to existing infrastructure such that it can work with existing fencing components . a further embodiment provides a catch net modification to the first embodiment shown above , but that provides to larger , less segmented system that addresses some of the issues identified with the first embodiment ( such as net complexity , determining what happens between the net sections , post integrity , and runout distance issues ). examples of the catch net are shown in fig1 - 11 . instead of a segmented net that would require joints between sections , the catch net embodiment is installed along the entire length of a racetrack curve , as shown in fig1 . the main horizontal safety cables are supported by vertical cables at each curved pole . once the cables extend past the covered safety area , they are routed together and are terminated at each end to an energy absorber . the vertical cables are rigidly anchored at the bottom to the back of the track safety wall , and are routed through a pulley at the top , then to an energy absorber located at the base of the pole . a smaller mesh debris fence may be integrated into the horizontal and vertical cables , or it may be mounted along the curved support posts at the back . during a crash event , the catch net system would flex and act like a web , deforming the most at the impact site . the energy absorbers at each end of the main horizontal cables may be textile brakes , allowing for easy replacement in the event of a crash , although any appropriate form of energy absorber may be used . for example , the energy absorbers on the vertical cables may be smaller textile brakes or tzc units , depending on the energy absorber capacity required . in either case , replacement of the vertical energy absorbers may be made easy as well . moreover , there may be enough flex in the main horizontal cables that an energy absorber may not be required at each end , if at all . some benefits of this catch net design are that it provides a relatively simple construction . there are not as many cables , pulleys and connection points as provided by the initial first embodiment . this solution also leverages a core competency of the developers by use of textile brakes or tzc ( transition zone control ) units . the cable system acts like a web , flexing most near impacts , but the system is also “ active ” at multiple points along the curve so that impacts from multiple cars could be absorbed . there are not any “ mechanisms ” or additional units required . the catch net deign also allows for built - in variability for different tracks and car sizes . the system could be mounted to the back of the safer barrier , or to the concrete retaining wall , or to both . ( it should be understood that in an alternate embodiment , the system need not be mounted to the safer barrier , which could minimize the wall to pole distance .) (“ safer ” stands for steel and foam energy reduction , and such walls are installed along curves of automobile race tracks and are intended to absorb and reduce kinetic energy during the impact of an accident , and thus , lessen injuries sustained to drivers .) the net is also easy to reset between events — replacement of energy absorber packs or tzc units is all that is required , plus mesh repair , if needed . in an alternate modification , it may be possible that only the bottom four or five horizontal cables are attached to an energy absorber . additionally , the horizontal cable stretch may possibly be used as the energy absorber . it is also possible to adapt this solution so that it can also be installed on a straight section of track , as well if desired . a fifth embodiment is an alternate cable mount . the alternate cable mount concept is an alternate method of connecting and aligning the horizontal safety cables of the system . it provides a method of spacing and holding the horizontal cables that provides more clearance space between each cable and the mounting point . one benefit of this design is that the cable can be held away from its mounting structure somewhat , allowing space between cables for a ear or driver to pass through in the event of an accident , as shown in fig1 , an angled pole secures a series of rolled or formed plates or springs that are bolted together to act as cable spacer , while bolted to a ground or wall anchor at the bottom . the purpose of the springs is to support the main horizontal cables and to provide clearance between them in the event of a car striking the fence . the cables provided between the angled pole and springs further prevent someone from standing between the springs and the pole . a further alternate the above alternate cable mount is the pillow spring mounting concept . the spring mounting concept provides a compliant mount for the cable held a distance away from the support post . an example is shown in fig1 . the figure shows that a rolled plate may be used as a pillow spring . a u - bolt on the outside of the spring provides a cable guide . one of the benefits of this design is the reduction of the impact area between horizontal members . a further embodiment is the hydraulically counteracted pivoting pole system , shown in fig1 . this is a concept that involves using the poles to absorb the energy of a car leaving the track . the poles are mounted on pivoting joints at some height above the ground . the height may be determined based on the racetrack conditions or other safety testing or requirements . the bottom end of the pole ( which could be underground ), is pivoted against a hydraulic cylinder with extremely high pressure capability . the piston rod may be depressed by the bottom end of the pole , and the fluid in the system is compressed to absorb the energy of the arrestment . the hardware for this system may be mounted above or below ground . this concept provides an alternate mounting orientation of the net involving mounting the bottom edge of the safety net / fence system to the inside top edge of the safer barrier . one example is shown in fig1 . in most instances , the safer barrier consists of structural steel tubes welded together in a flush mounting , strapped in place to the existing concrete retaining wall . ( behind these tubes are bundles of closed - cell polystyrene foam , placed between the barrier and wall . the theory behind the design is that the barrier absorbs a portion of the kinetic energy released when a race car makes contact with the wall and dissipates the energy along a longer portion of the wall , reducing the impact energy to the car and driver , and preventing the car from propelling back into traffic on the racing surface .) the purpose of mounting the net to the inside top edge of the safer barrier is to “ borrow ” some of the energy absorbing capacity of the existing safer barrier and use it for dissipating the energy of a car hitting the fence above . it would also solve a potential problem of a car leaving the track and becoming tangled in the gap behind the safer barrier , by closing - in the area in question with the lower edge of the fence . an additional benefit to mounting the net at this location is that an extra three feet ( approximately ) of runout could be added to the system by including the space above the foam cartridges and the wall as part of the fence system runout . in this concept , a large , horizontal textile brake is fastened to the pole structure at the top , and to the concrete wall or safer barrier at the bottom . an example is shown in fig1 . the net or fencing material in this embodiment is made integral to the “ tearing ” side of the textile brake , so that if a car leaves the track and contacts the net , the textile brake would shear at the top and bottom to absorb the energy of the impact . due to manufacturing limitations , the system may need to be made in sections , and the nets should be securely fastened to each other at net boundaries using any appropriate system or method . the system would be easy to reset after an impact , as a whole damaged section could be removed and replaced with a new one in a relatively short period of time . the pivoting top pole with leaf spring concept absorbing energy in the pole structure by providing a pivoting or flexible top portion of the pole . as shown in fig4 , in one embodiment , a two - part pole is made with a pivoting joint that allows the top portion to pivot ( or flex ) relative to the fixed bottom portion . the net or fence is rigidly fastened between the top movable portion of the pole and the fixed concrete wall below . a leaf spring may be anchored at the bottom , and made to contact the top portion so that as the net deflects to absorb the energy of a crash , the top portion of the pole pivots and deflects downward . the leaf spring would then apply force to the top portion of the pole , absorbing the energy of the crash , and assisting in returning the system to the upright position . for track installations with large catch fence areas that do not have spectator bleachers behind them , large , collapsible airbags may be used to cushion the impact of cars leaving the track . large , quick - deflating airbags could be installed above the safer barrier that have flaps that would break open upon impact and absorb the energy of a car hitting the bag . one example of such a configuration ( prior to deployment of an airbag ) is shown in fig1 . these airbags may be similar to airbags used in the movie industry to cushion stunt performers from falls . the large vertical surface area of the bags could present an ideal spot for sponsor advertising as well although multiple embodiments are described and provided above , it should be understood that other options may be designed that are considered within the scope of this invention . for example : changes and modifications , additions and deletions may be made to the structures and methods recited above and shown in the drawings without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention and the following claims .	4
embodiments of the 2 × 2 optical fiber switch in accordance with the present invention will now be described in more detail primarily with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 a is a top plan sectional view showing the embodiment of the 2 × 2 optical fiber switch in accordance with the present invention when it is in a first operating state wherein first and second optical fibers have been coupled and third and fourth optical fibers have been coupled as it will be discussed later . fig1 b is a longitudinal sectional view showing the embodiment in the foregoing operating state , and fig1 c is a side sectional view showing the embodiment in the foregoing operating state . fig2 a is a top plan sectional view showing the embodiment in a second operating state wherein first and third optical fibers have been coupled and second and fourth optical fibers have been coupled as it will be discussed later . fig2 b is a longitudinal sectional view showing the embodiment in the foregoing operating state , and fig2 c is a side sectional view showing the embodiment in the foregoing operating state . a lens holding member 16 has two parallel holes 17 and 18 in a lengthwise direction ( z ) with an interval maintained therebetween in a direction y . hereinafter , a plane , namely , a yz plane that includes the center of these holes will be referred to as a reference plane . the optical axes of the lenses and optical fibers that will be discussed later are disposed within this plane . a square through hole 19 is provided in a direction x axially at right angles to the parallel holes 17 and 18 . a first optical fiber assembly a with a lens is constructed by inserting an optical fiber 21a and a sleeve 22a in the central hole of a collimator lens 23a and by attaching a ferrule 20a with the optical fiber thereto axially . a second optical fiber assembly b with a lens is constructed by inserting an optical fiber 21b and a sleeve 22b in the central hole of a collimator lens 23b and by attaching a ferrule 20b with the optical fiber thereto coaxially . a third optical fiber assembly c with a lens and a fourth optical fiber assembly d with a lens are constructed in the same manner . as shown in the drawings , these four optical fiber assemblies a , b , c , and d with lenses are respectively inserted into the parallel holes 17 and 18 of the lens holding member 16 to fabricate a lens holder assembly . the optical axes of the respective optical fiber assemblies with lenses exist in the aforesaid reference plane . the light beam emitted through the collimator lens 23a enters a collimator lens 23c in parallel , and the light beam emitted through a collimator lens 23d enters a collimator lens 23b in parallel . the outside diameter of a prism holding member 24 is such that it enables the prism holding member to precisely and slidably fit in the square through hole 19 of the lens holding member . provided on one end of the prism holding member 24 are rectangular v grooves 27 and 28 wherein two rectangular prisms 25 and 26 are installed by bonding , and provided on the other end thereof is a drive member 29 which engages an actuator ( not shown ). the drive member 29 is equipped with an engaging groove 30 which engages an elastic pin 31 or the like of the actuator ( not shown ). the rectangular prisms 25 and 26 are installed in the rectangular v grooves 27 and 28 of the prism holding member 24 by bonding . the lens holding member and the prism holding member may be made by plastic injection molding or precision die casting process using an aluminum light alloy . to assemble the 2 × 2 optical fiber switch main body in accordance with the present invention , the prism holder assembly is precisely fitted in the square through hole 19 of the lens holder assembly , and the prism holder assembly is guided by the square through hole 19 of the lens holder assembly such that it may reciprocate . fig1 a through 1c show the prism holder assembly with the first and second optical fiber assemblies with lenses in a coupled state and the third and fourth optical fiber assemblies with lenses in a coupled state . as illustrated in fig1 b , a parallel beam emitted through the collimator lens 23a of the first optical fiber assembly a with the lens passes through a short side surface 32 of the rectangular prism 25 , a short side surface 33 of the rectangular prism 25 , and the collimator lens 23b of the second optical fiber assembly b with the lens in the order in which they are listed before reaching the optical fiber 21b as indicated by the white arrows . similarly , a parallel beam emitted through the collimator lens 23d of the fourth optical fiber assembly d with the lens passes through a short side surface 34 of the rectangular prism 26 , a short side surface 35 of the rectangular prism 26 , and the collimator lens 23c of the third optical fiber assembly c with the lens in the order in which they are listed before reaching the optical fiber 21c as indicated by the black arrows . fig2 a through 2c show the prism holder assembly with the first and third optical fiber assemblies with lenses in a coupled state and the second and fourth optical fiber assemblies with lenses in a coupled state . as illustrated in fig2 b , a parallel beam emitted through the collimator lens 23a of the first optical fiber assembly a with the lens passes through the collimator lens 23c of the third optical fiber assembly c with the lens and enters the optical fiber 21c as indicated by the white arrow . similarly , a parallel beam emitted through the collimator lens 23d of the fourth optical fiber assembly d with the lens passes through the collimator lens 23b of the second optical fiber assembly b with the lens and enters the optical fiber 21b as indicated by the black arrow . the 2 × 2 optical fiber switch in accordance with the present invention is installed to the prism holding member 24 so that long sides 36 and 37 of the two prisms 25 and 26 , respectively , are oriented in the longitudinal direction ( y ). the prism holding member 24 is allowed to reciprocate in the direction ( x ) perpendicular to the surface formed by the optical fiber lens assemblies a and b with lenses and the surface formed by the optical fiber lens assemblies c and d with lenses . this provides an advantage in that the insertion loss is not increased by a failure to align the central point of the prisms 25 and 26 with the optical axes of the optical fiber lens assemblies a , b and the optical fiber lens assemblies c , d when the prism holder assembly is in its advanced position . more specifically , if the mode field diameter of a light beam emitted from the collimator lens is denoted as ω 0 , and the width of the prism in a y - axis direction is denoted as l , then a permissible error range δ of the central position of the prisms 25 and 26 can be given by the following expression : for example , if it is assumed that the mode field diameter ω 0 of a collimator lens having a diameter of 2 mm is 0 . 3 mm and the width l in the y - axis direction of the rectangular prism is 3 mm , then it can be seen that the permissible error range δ of the central position of the prisms 25 and 26 when the prism holder assembly is in its advanced position will be 2 . 7 mm . in the case of the conventional 2 × 2 optical fiber switch constituted by using the collimator lenses and prisms , the insertion loss caused by a 0 . 025 mm decentering of the optical fiber axis when the rectangular prism is in its advanced position is 0 . 37 db as previously mentioned . in contrast to this , the 2 × 2 optical fiber switch in accordance with the present invention hardly develops insertion loss up to a 2 . 7 mm decentering of the optical axis when the rectangular prism is in its advanced position . this means that complicated assembling adjustment is no longer necessary . fig3 a is a front view illustrating a relationship between optical fibers with lenses and a lens holder of a second embodiment of the 2 × 2 optical fiber switch in accordance with the present invention , the optical fiber assemblies with lenses being shown in a sectional view . fig3 b is a longitudinal sectional view of the foregoing embodiment . provided in parallel in the lengthwise direction ( z ) on one end surface of a lens holding member 38 are v grooves 39 and 40 for aligning optical fiber lens assemblies e , f , g , and h , an interval being maintained between the v grooves in the direction y . a square through hole 41 in which the prism holder assembly is movably fitted is provided at the center of the lens holding member 38 in the direction ( x ) at right angles to the foregoing alignment v grooves 39 and 40 . the lens holder assembly is constructed by bonding and fixing the first , second , third , and fourth optical fiber lens assemblies e , f , g , and h with lenses into the alignment v grooves 39 and 40 of the lens holding member 38 . the first optical fiber assembly e with the lens is assembled by inserting an optical fiber 21e and a sleeve 22e into the central hole of a collimator lens 23e and by coaxially attaching a ferrule 20e with the optical fiber thereto . the end surfaces of both the ferrule 20e and a lens 23e may be polished and formed into inclined surfaces having an angle θ with respect to a surface perpendicular to an optical axis z . this is for minimizing the quantity of reflected and returned light at a boundary . the second , third , and fourth optical fiber assemblies f , g , and h with lenses are constructed in the same manner as set forth above . the composition of the prism holder assemblies ( not shown ) is identical to that of the embodiment described above . as in the case of the aforesaid embodiment , the prism holder assembly is precisely fitted in the square through hole 41 of the lens holder assembly 38 . the prism holder assembly is constructed so that it may reciprocate while being guided by the square through hole 41 of the lens holder assembly . the operation of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above ; hence , the description thereof will be omitted . although the invention has been described in detail above in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof , various modifications can be formed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for instance , convex lenses may be employed instead of the grin lenses . in the conventional 2 × 2 optical fiber switch , the inaccurate stopping positions of the prisms cause the insertion loss . the composition of the 2 × 2 optical fiber switch in accordance with the invention has completely solved the problem with the conventional device . in addition , the 2 × 2 optical fiber switch in accordance with the invention has completely obviates the need of adjustment .	6
according to the present invention , one preferred method for simultaneously reducing the nitrate and nicotine content of tobacco is to prepare an aqueous medium containing microorganisms . in the preparation of an aqueous medium , a nutrient agar ( first ) solution is prepared by adding a commercially available nutrient agar to distilled water , the amount of agar generally being at least 5 grams per liter . to this is added a nitrate - containing compound , preferably potassium nitrate , which is at least 0 . 1 percent by weight of nitrate per volume of water and is generally about 1 percent by weight of nitrate per volume of water . this solution is then sterilized as tubed slants ; that is , thest tubes containing the nutrient agar are placed at a slant to provide a slanted surface , in an autoclave for at least fifteen minutes and at least 15 psig and at least 121 ° c . the sterilized medium is then placed in a refrigerator for later use . a second solution is then prepared which includes nicotine and a nitrate containing substance therein which is to be treated by the culture grown in the sterilized medium . one such second solution may be a nutrient broth containing only nitrates therein which is prepared by dissolving a commercially available nutrient broth in distilled water , the amount of nutrient broth being from about 5 to 10 grams per liter . however , it is realized that those skilled in the art may vary the nutrient broth concentration and achieve a useable culture . this solution is also sterilized for at least 15 minutes at at least 15 psig and 121 ° c . or greater in an autoclave . potassium nitrate or other nitrate - containing compounds may be added to this solution prior to the sterilization . another example of a second solution may be a tobacco extract broth containing both nitrates and nicotine . the tobacco extract broth is prepared by taking usually about 100 grams of tobacco material , such as , a flue - cured burley stem mixture and mixing this with about 1 , 000 milliliters of water and then cooking the mixture in an autoclave for at least 30 to 60 minutes at at least 15 psig and 121 ° c . or greater . the resultant liquid extract is then removed and the liquid volume is adjusted to the original amount of the extract by adding distilled water . the extract is then mixed with yeast extract , the yeast extract being generally at least 0 . 3 percent by weight to volume of liquid . however , greater amounts of yeast extract may be used if desired . the mixture is dispensed into flasks that are cotton - plugged and sterilized for at least 15 minutes at 15 psig or greater and 121 ° c . or greater for subsequent culture propagation . prior to use for culture growth , the ph is adjusted with appropriate acid or base to about 7 . 2 . the microorganism , preferably cellulomonas sp ., is incubated on nutrient agar slants , including the nitrate - containing compound , for 3 to 5 days at 20 ° c . to 40 ° c . the resultant growth is then used to inoculate the tobacco extract broth , the inoculum being removed from the slants by washing the slant surface with a predetermined amount of sterile distilled water . the tobacco extract broth is then subjected to agitation for generally about 24 hours at about 20 ° c . to 40 ° c . to promote growth of the microorganism which was added . lesser or greater growth periods , up to as long as about 48 hours , are acceptable . the resultant inoculum is then ready for use in the treatment of additional tobacco materials to reduce the nitrate and nicotine content thereof . a more comprehensive understanding of the invention can be obtained by considering the following examples . however , it should be understood that the examples are not intended to be unduly limitative of the invention . the following example demonstrates the procedure that was followed in the preparation of inoculum . commercially prepared nutrient agar ( dehydrated form ) from difco laboratories was added to distilled water in the ratio of 23 grams per liter . the 23 grams of nutrient agar contained 3 grams of beef extract ; 5 grams of peptone and , 15 grams of agar . to this solution was added 1 % of potassium nitrate by weight to volume of water . the resulting solution had a final ph of 6 . 8 . this medium was then sterilized as tubed slants in an autoclave for 15 minutes at 15 psig and 121 ° c . and refrigerated for later use to grow cultures . a solution of nutrient broth media , was prepared by adding dehydrated nutrient broth from difco laboratories at a rate of 8 grams per liter to distilled water . the nutrient broth contained 5 grams of peptone and 3 grams of beef extract . the resulting aqueous medium was then sterilized for 15 minutes at 15 psig and 121 ° c . for later use in culture growth . a flue - cured / burley stem tobacco extract broth was prepared by adding 100 grams of flue - cured / burley stem to 1000 ml of water and cooked in an autoclave for 40 minutes at 15 psig and 121 ° c . the resultant liquor extract was removed and the liquid volume was adjusted to its original amount with distilled water . the liquor was then mixed with yeast extract at a rate of 0 . 5 % by weight of yeast extract per volume of liquor and the mixture dispensed into flasks which were then cotton - plugged and sterilized for 15 minutes at 15 psig and 121 ° c . for culture propagation . the microorganism , cellulomonas sp ., is incubated on the nutrient agar slants for from 3 to 5 days at 30 ° c . liquid media , for example , nutrient broth or flue - cured / burley stem tobacco extract broth are inoculated with a sterile water wash from slants at a 2 % ( v / v ) rate . the ph of the broth prior to inoculation is adjusted with hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide to a ph of 7 . 2 to 7 . 5 . the flasks are then subjected to rotary agitation for approximately 24 hours at 30 ° c . and 220 rpm . this example demonstrates the nitrate and nicotine degradation that occurs in burley stem extract at different ph levels . a water extract of burley stem was prepared according to the procedure described in example 1 ( c ) and dispensed into 500 ml erlenmeyer flasks at 250 ml / flask . these media were used to determine nitrate and nicotine degradation capabilities of cellulomonas sp . with the results shown below . ______________________________________ alkaloid no . sub . 3 ( nicotine ) ph ( μg / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ______________________________________burley stem extract broth - ph 7 . 2 0 hours 7 . 18 220 0 . 32 7 hours 7 . 08 80 0 . 0425 hours 7 . 75 0 0 . 0230 hours 8 . 15 0 0 . 02burley stem extract broth - ph 5 . 6 0 hours 5 . 60 295 0 . 41 7 hours 5 . 59 305 0 . 3925 hours 5 . 65 265 0 . 3930 hours 5 . 70 300 0 . 37burley stem extract broth - ph 4 . 8 0 hours 4 . 82 305 0 . 41 7 hours 4 . 85 310 0 . 4225 hours 4 . 90 285 0 . 4030 hours 4 . 80 300 0 . 40______________________________________ it can be seen from the above data that cellulomonas sp . at ph of 7 . 2 degraded most of the nitrate and nicotine available in the extract , whereas at a lower ph ( 5 . 6 and 4 . 8 ), very little , if any , degradation occurred . cellulomonas sp . was grown under the conditions described below in a nutrient broth + 0 . 1 % kno 3 medium using a new brunswick scientific fermentor ( mf214 ). the inoculating culture was prepared as in example 1 using the nutrient agar of example 1 ( a ) and the nicotine - free nutrient broth of example 1 ( b ). growth conditions were : ______________________________________growth time no . sub . 3 cell count ( hrs .) ( μg / ml ) ph (× 10 . sup . 6 ) ______________________________________inoculum 138 7 . 70 4 , 100 1 hr . after inoc . 126 6 . 90 53 2 hrs . after inoc . 120 7 . 00 350 4 hrs . after inoc . 114 7 . 20 1 , 600 6 hrs . after inoc . 108 7 . 20 1 , 10021 hrs . after inoc . 132 7 . 18 3 , 40029 hrs . after inoc . 0 7 . 05 3 , 10045 hrs . after inoc . 0 7 . 55 4 , 700______________________________________ it can be seen from the above data that nitrate was removed by the cellulomonas sp . culture prior to 29 hours at a ph of 7 . 0 - 7 . 2 . this example demonstrates the nitrate and nicotine degradation that occurs in burley extract broth having a relatively high nitrate concentration . cellulomonas sp . was grown in a new brunswick fermentor ( mf214 ) in burley extract broth prepared as in example 1 ( c ). conditions for growth were the same as in example 3 except that the growth medium was burley extract broth . ______________________________________ alkaloidgrowth time no . sub . 3 ( nicotine )( hrs .) ( μg / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ph______________________________________before inoculation 4 , 680 0 . 430 6 . 55inoculum 0 0 . 028 8 . 14after inoculation 4 , 380 0 . 240 7 . 02 1 hr . after inoc . 4 , 500 0 . 202 6 . 90 2 hrs . after inoc . 4 , 380 0 . 136 6 . 91 4 hrs . after inoc . 4 , 200 0 . 036 7 . 18 6 hrs . after inoc . 2 , 910 0 . 040 7 . 62 8 hrs . after inoc . 2 , 040 0 . 038 7 . 57 9 hrs . after inoc . 2 , 040 0 . 038 7 . 8224 hrs . after inoc . 1 , 350 0 . 040 7 . 2026 hrs . after inoc . 1 , 320 0 . 040 7 . 2230 hrs . after inoc . 1 , 380 0 . 036 7 . 2148 hrs . after inoc . 900 0 . 034 7 . 0550 hrs . after inoc . 900 0 . 034 7 . 00______________________________________ it can be seen from the above data that cellulomonas sp . degraded most of the nitrate and nicotine available in the extract . this example demonstrates different levels of a nitrate - containing compound that may be used in the growing of a microorganism for degrading nitrates . cellulomonas sp . was grown in a nicotine free nutrient broth ( nb )+ 0 . 1 % kno 3 prepared as in example 1 ( b ). the culture was used to inoculate nutrient broth with varying levels of kno 3 added on a wt / vol basis . the following changes occurred during agitation of these cultures at 30 ° c . and 160 rpm ( rotary ). ______________________________________no . sub . 3 ( μg / ml ) ph0 hrs . 25 hrs . 0 hrs . 25 hrs . ______________________________________inoculated 335 155 6 . 97 8 . 17 500 240 7 . 00 7 . 953 , 000 2 , 370 6 . 95 8 . 054 , 980 4 , 560 6 . 92 8 . 15control - uninoculated 460 400 6 . 99 7 . 19______________________________________ it can be seen that cellulomonas sp . degraded a portion of the nitrate at all initial nitrate concentrations from 335 μg / ml to 3000 μg / ml nitrate in nutrient broth and degraded a small amount of the nitrate about 4 , 980 μg / ml . the slight change in &# 34 ; control &# 34 ; nitrate concentration is close to analytical error . it was not due to microbial action since no culture was added to the control media . this example demonstrates the effect of aeration on the cultures growth in tobacco extract . cellulomonas sp . was grown in a water extract of flue - cured / burley stem , prepared as described in example 1 ( c ), under the following controlled conditions in a new brunswick scientific fermentor ( mf214 ): medium type -- water extract of flue - cured / burley stem . ph was controlled using 2n hcl and 2n naoh ______________________________________ alkaloid cell count nitrate ( nicotine ) time (× 10 . sup . 6 / ml ) ph ( μg / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ______________________________________before inoculation 0 7 . 31 1 , 534 0 . 32inoculum 5 , 000 8 . 17 0 0 . 02after inoculation 350 7 . 40 1 , 486 0 . 30 1 hr . after inoc . 490 7 . 40 1 , 448 0 . 27 3 hrs . after inoc . 640 7 . 41 1 , 491 0 . 20 5 hrs . after inoc . 1 , 220 7 . 35 1 , 449 0 . 0822 hrs . after inoc . 4 , 200 7 . 23 1 , 450 0 . 02______________________________________ the above data indicate that under the conditions used , specifically a high ( 8 , 000 cc / min ) aeration rate , nitrate is not degraded but alkaloids were degraded . the culture grown in this fashion was used to treat burley lamina as follows : ______________________________________tobacco dry wt . culture naoh ( 1n ) water ( lbs .) ( ml ) ( ml ) ( ml ) ______________________________________3 . 8 2 , 436 379 . 5 2 , 269______________________________________ treatment was conducted in a plastic bag ( non - aerated environment ) at 30 ° c . for 24 hours with the following results : ______________________________________treatment no . sub . 3 alkaloids moisturetime ( hrs .) (%) (%) (%) ph______________________________________ 0 3 . 54 1 . 42 74 . 4 7 . 3324 0 . 22 0 . 32 76 . 4 8 . 38______________________________________ it can be seen that in a non - aerated environment , the cellulomonas sp . degraded both nitrate and nicotine . the lowered nitrate and nicotine burley tobacco was blended with other tobacco materials and compared to a control blend containing untreated burley tobacco with results as shown below : ______________________________________blend chemical properties alkaloids no . sub . 3 ( nicotine ) (%) (%) ph______________________________________control ** 1 . 63 1 . 79 5 . 47experimental * 1 . 04 1 . 32 6 . 00______________________________________ ** contained untreated burley lamina * contained treated burley lamina these blends were manufactured into cigarettes and machine smoked with the following smoke delivery reductions in nitrogen oxides , hydrogen cyanide and nicotine . ______________________________________ per puff deliveries nox hcn nicotine ( μg ) ( μg ) ( mg ) puffs______________________________________control 54 28 . 4 0 . 13 7 . 3experimental 33 22 . 8 0 . 11 7 . 2______________________________________ the smoke data show : 38 . 8 % reduction in nitrogen oxides ( nox ); 19 . 7 % reduction in hydrogen cyanide and a 15 . 3 % reduction in nicotine . this example demonstrates the effect of aeration in the culture growth wherein reduced aeration provides the environment for nitrate degradation in liquid systems . cellulomonas sp . was grown in a water extract of flue - cured / burley stem , prepared as described in example 1 ( c ), under the following conditions in a new brunswick scientific fermentor ( mf214 ): ______________________________________ alkaloid cell count nitrate ( nicotine ) time (× 10 . sup . 6 ) ph ( μg / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ______________________________________before inoculation * 7 . 12 3 , 173 0 . 48inoculum 7 , 400 7 . 40 50 0 . 05after inoculation 155 7 . 27 n . d . n . d . 1 hr . after inoc . 430 7 . 25 n . d . n . d . 2 hrs . after inoc . 410 7 . 17 n . d . n . d . 3 hrs . after inoc . 840 7 . 14 2 , 534 n . d . 4 hrs . after inoc . 1 , 040 7 . 02 1 , 171 0 . 06 6 hrs . after inoc . 1 , 490 7 . 08 50 n . d . 8 hrs . after inoc . 2 , 500 7 . 15 50 0 . 0624 hrs . after inoc . 8 , 000 7 . 34 50 0 . 06______________________________________ * slight contamination n . d . = no analysis the above data indicate that under the conditions used , specifically an initial high aeration rate ( 4 hrs . ), and then no appreciable aeration ( 20 hrs . ), both nitrate and alkaloids were degraded . more specifically , it can be seen that the nitrate degradation started very soon after the aeration was discontinued . the culture grown as described in this example was used to treat a flue - cured / burley stem mixture for 27 hours by applying inoculum at a rate of 2 . 4 mls ./ gram tobacco weight and incubating the tobacco at 30 ° c . the following chemical changes typically occurred : ______________________________________treatment no . sub . 3 alkaloidstime ( hrs .) (%) (%) ______________________________________0 . 0 2 . 8 0 . 346 . 5 2 . 3 no data27 . 0 0 . 4 0 . 06______________________________________ the treated tobaccos were blended with other tobacco materials and compared to a control blend , which contained untreated stems , as shown below for two different inclusion levels of treated materials : ______________________________________blend chemical properties alkaloids stem no . sub . 3 ( nicotine ) sample inclusion levels (%) (%) ph______________________________________control normal 1 . 33 1 . 85 5 . 45 2 . 5 × normal 1 . 67 1 . 47 5 . 48experimental * normal 0 . 85 1 . 79 5 . 77 2 . 5 × normal 0 . 69 1 . 26 6 . 42______________________________________ * contained treated stem materials . these blends were manufactured into cigarettes and machine smoked with the following differences resulting between control and experimental products : ______________________________________ per puff deliveries stem nox hcn nicotinesample inclusion levels ( μg ) ( μg ) ( mg ) puffs______________________________________control normal 44 . 4 24 . 4 0 . 13 8 . 8 2 . 5 × normal 51 . 8 18 . 7 0 . 11 8 . 3experimental normal 32 . 2 19 . 1 0 . 13 9 . 5 2 . 5 × normal 20 . 7 7 . 4 0 . 09 10 . 0______________________________________ the smoke delivery data show : 27 % and 60 % reductions in nitrogen oxides and 21 . 7 % and 60 . 4 % reductions in hydrogen cyanide for normal and 2 . 5 × normal inclusion rates of treated stem material . the data also reflect a significant increase in puff number where treated materials were incorporated into the blend at 2 . 5 × normal rate . this example demonstrates the procedure used for extracting tobacco lamina with water to remove nitrate and nicotine , treating the extract with cellulomonas sp . to remove the nitrate and nicotine , followed by adding the modified extract back to the original tobacco . a tobacco extract was prepared by mixing 100 gms . of burley lamina with one liter of water and allowing it to stand at room conditions for two hours . at this point , the extract was collected by decanting the liquid and pressing the tobacco to remove additional liquid . the tobacco was spread to dry in room air while the extract ( 700 ml ) was subjected to microbial treatment as discussed hereinafter . a mature culture of cellulomonas sp . was grown in a separate tobacco extract medium , prepared as described in example 1 ( c ) and added to the tobacco extract as described above , at a 10 % ( v / v ) rate . prior to adding the culture , the extract ph was raised to 7 . 0 ± 0 . 1 . the culture was incubated in the extract in an erlenmeyer flask on a rotary shaker at 30 ° c . the following chemical changes occurred across the 18 hour incubation time : ______________________________________cellulomonas sp . treatment of burley lamina extract alkaloid no . sub . 3 ( nicotine ) ( μg / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ______________________________________burley lamina extract 1 , 872 1 . 47mature cellulomonas sp . culture 0 0extract after treatment 66 0 . 09______________________________________ it can be seen that nitrate and nicotine were almost completely degraded ( 96 . 5 % and 93 . 9 %, respectively ) in view of the treatment . after 18 hours , the treated extract was added back to the originally extracted tobacco in three stages because of the large amount of extract involved . this was done by adding a portion , mixing thoroughly , and air drying prior to the next addition . the following chemical changes occurred during these procedures : ______________________________________tobacco analysis alkaloid no . sub . 3 (%) ( nicotine ) (%) ______________________________________burley lamina before 1 . 96 2 . 46extractionburley lamina after 0 . 72 0 . 97extractionburley lamina after treated 0 . 39 0extract addback______________________________________ it can be seen that the nitrates and alkaloids ( nicotine ) are removed from the extract and , therefore , are significantly lowered in the tobacco to which treated extract is added back . 80 % of the nitrate and 100 % of the alkaloids were removed by this method . part of the nitrate and alkaloids are removed from the tobacco by the culture during drying following addback . the tobaccos resulting from this operation were usable in manufacturing type operations . this example demonstrates some differences in the final product which can be obtained by using ultrafiltration equipment in conjunction with tobacco extraction , extract treatment and extract addback as described in example 8 . tobacco used in this example was the same as that used in example 8 . a burley lamina extract was prepared as in example 8 . the extract was then filtered with a 0 . 2 micron pore size filter in an amicon ultrafiltration device ( model tcf10 ) prior to inoculating the filtered extract with cellulomonas sp . and treating it as described in example 8 . following treatment , the extract was again filtered before addback procedures were started . the materials retained on the filter during the first filtration were also added back to the extracted tobacco . the materials retained by the filter during the second filtration were not added back to the tobacco . the following chemical changes occurred in the extract : ______________________________________chemical changes across ultrafiltration and cellulomonas sp . treatment of burley extract alkaloid no . sub . 3 ( nicotine ) ( μg / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ______________________________________burley lamina extract 1 , 872 1 . 47mature cellulomonas sp . culture 0 0extract after filtration 2 , 028 1 . 48extract after cellulomonas sp . 110 0 . 12treatment______________________________________ the following chemical changes were measured in the extracted tobacco across extraction and treatment : ______________________________________tobacco analysis alkaloid ( nicotine ) burley lamina no . sub . 3 (%) (%) ______________________________________before extraction 1 . 96 2 . 46after extraction 0 . 72 0 . 79after treated extract added back 0 . 75 0 . 72______________________________________ it can be seen that nitrates and alkaloids ( nicotine ) are removed from the extract by cellulomonas sp . but , as opposed to example 8 , no further removal from the extracted tobacco occurs during addback procedures . in this example , the microbial culture never comes into contact with the tobacco , whereas in example 8 , the culture does contact the tobacco during addback . the tobaccos resulting from this operation were usable in manufacturing type operations . this example demonstrates the effectiveness of cellulomonas sp . in removing nitrate and nicotine from reconstituted tobacco materials . a water extract broth was prepared as follows : 150 g of reconstituted tobacco was pulped in one liter of water in a waring blender for one minute . following this pulping , the mixture was held at room temperature for 10 minutes after which the liquid was centrifugally separated and brought back to the original volume with distilled water for sterilization at 121 ° c . and 15 psig for 15 minutes . separate preparations were made to which yeast extract ( ye ) was added at 0 . 5 % ( wt / vol ) rate prior to sterilization . flue - cured / burley stem extract ( with 0 . 5 % yeast extract ) was prepared as in example 1 ( c ) and was used for &# 34 ; control &# 34 ; extract . the broths &# 39 ; ph was adjusted to 7 . 2 prior to inoculation with cellulomonas sp . ______________________________________ alkaloids ( nicotine ) growth time ( hrs .) no . sub . 3 ( mg / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ph______________________________________ control 0 2 , 246 0 . 23 7 . 3024 0 0 8 . 5048 0 0 8 . 12 experimentalwithout yeast extract 0 1 , 859 . 0 1 . 12 7 . 3424 1 , 641 . 0 0 . 88 7 . 4648 39 . 0 0 . 08 8 . 08with yeast extract 0 1 , 878 . 0 1 . 09 7 . 2124 0 . 28 0 . 35 8 . 0448 0 . 14 0 . 06 8 . 17______________________________________ it can be seen that the culture can effectively degrade the nitrate and alkaloids ( nicotine ) of reconstituted tobacco materials with or without the addition of yeast extract . this example demonstrates the effects of aerobic and anaerobic tobacco treatments . cellulomonas sp . was grown in flue - cured / burley extract broth , prepared as described in example 1 ( c ) but without yeast extract added , for 25 . 5 hrs . in a new brunswick scientific fermentor ( mf214 ) under the following conditions : ______________________________________agitation ( rpm ) - 600 ( 1st 4 hrs .) 300 ( last 21 . 5 hrs . ) aeration ( cc / min .) - 8 . 000 ( 1st 4 hrs .) 0 ( last 21 . 5 hrs . ) medium - flue - cured / burley extract brothmedium volume ( l ) - 8temperature (° c .) - 30ph - 7 . 0inoculum rate (% v / v ) - 5inoculum age ( hrs .) - 22antifoam - p - 1200 ( dow chemical ) inoculum agitation rate ( rpm ) - 160inoculum medium - flue - cured inoculum forburley extract broth mf214 growth cycle______________________________________ ______________________________________ alkaloidtime ( hrs .) ( μg / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ph______________________________________initial 3 , 565 2 . 84 7 . 1525 . 5 0 0 . 24 7 . 06______________________________________ at 25 . 5 hrs ., the culture was used to treat flue - cured / burley stem under aerobic and anaerobic conditions with the following results : ______________________________________ aerobic treatments time ( hrs .) 0 24 alkaloids alkaloids ph no . sub . 3 (%) (%) no . sub . 3 (%) (%) ______________________________________ 6 . 48 2 . 75 0 . 17 0 . 12 0 . 10treated 7 . 53 2 . 75 0 . 17 0 . 13 0 . 09control 5 . 20 2 . 75 0 . 17 2 . 72 0 . 12______________________________________ ______________________________________ anaerobic treatments time ( hrs .) 0 24 alkaloids alkaloids ph no . sub . 3 (%) (%) no . sub . 3 (%) (%) ______________________________________ 6 . 82 2 . 75 0 . 17 0 . 12 0 . 09treated 7 . 22 2 . 75 0 . 17 0 . 15 0 . 09control 5 . 20 2 . 75 0 . 17 2 . 78 0 . 19______________________________________ all treatments were at 75 % moisture content and conducted at 30 ° c . for 24 hours in plastic bags . also , anaerobic treatments were conducted in bbl ( baltimore biological laboratories ) &# 34 ; gaspak &# 34 ; anaerobic system jars using bbl catalyst for tying up atmospheric oxygen . it is seen from the above data that the present invention can be carried out under anaerobic conditions and under conditions when availability of oxygen is not controlled . this example demonstrates the effects of treating tobacco with cells as well as supernatant liquor from the cell growth . cellulomonas sp . was grown in flasks of flue - cured / burley stem extract broth , with 0 . 5 % ( wt / vol ) yeast extract added , prepared as in example 1 ( c ). flask inoculation and incubation were conducted as described in example 1 ( d ). at the end of the growth period , the culture was processed as shown in the fig1 . ## str1 ## table 1______________________________________culture preparation no . sub . 3 alkaloids ( μg . sup . 3 / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ph______________________________________flue - cured / burleyextract broth with 0 . 5 % yecontrol 0 hrs . 1618 0 . 290 7 . 13 ( uninoculated ) 24 hrs . 1550 0 . 290 7 . 04inoculated 0 hrs . 1559 0 . 280 7 . 11 24 hrs . 39 0 . 028 8 . 06resuspended cells 0 0 8 . 32supernatant 36 0 . 026 8 . 16filtered supernatant 40 0 . 026 8 . 27______________________________________ resuspended cells and filtered supernatant were used to inoculate separate fresh flasks of flue - cured / burley extract broth at 10 ml / flask ( 250 ml extract / 500 ml flask ) and incubated at 30 ° c . for 24 hours at 220 rpm . extract was prepared as in example 1 ( c ). the following was obtained : table 2______________________________________ no . sub . 3 alkaloids time ( hrs ) ( μg / ml ) ( mg / ml ) ph______________________________________resuspended cells 0 1482 0 . 27 7 . 02 24 0 0 8 . 15filtered supernatant 0 1522 0 . 27 7 . 21 24 1022 0 . 30 7 . 75______________________________________ resuspended cells , original culture , filtered supernatant and unfiltered supernatant were all used separately to treat 50 gm samples of flue - cured / burley stem at about 75 % moisture for 24 hours at 30 ° c . in plastic bags . a control sample was ph adjusted and water treated without inoculum . the following results were obtained : table 3______________________________________tobacco treatments time alkaloids ( hrs ) no . sub . 3 (%) ( nicotine ) (%) ph______________________________________control ( no inoculum ) 0 4 . 34 0 . 59 6 . 83 24 4 . 12 0 . 37 6 . 99original culture 0 4 . 48 0 . 56 7 . 22 24 0 . 61 0 . 05 8 . 54resuspended cells 0 4 . 33 0 . 56 7 . 03 24 2 . 72 0 . 18 8 . 06supernatant 0 4 . 65 0 . 56 7 . 25 24 4 . 51 0 . 42 7 . 24filtered supernatant 0 4 . 46 0 . 57 7 . 26 24 4 . 04 0 . 49 7 . 12______________________________________ it can be seen from the above data that the supernatant liquor when separated from the culture , does not provide the capability for degradation of nitrates and nicotine in tobacco .	0
visual messages generally are composed of one or more characters or symbols . the characters or symbols may include alphanumeric characters , phonemes , ideographs , pictographs , hieroglyphs , and other forms of visual communication . the present invention generates visual messages using symbols or symbol alphabets . in some embodiments , the symbols are trademarks , registered trademarks , service marks , registered service marks , well - known marks or symbols , logos or other proprietary symbols . as used in this specification , a well - known mark or symbol is one whose meaning or association is understood or recognized by a segment of the public . a well - known mark includes , but is not limited to , famous trademarks that may be protected under anti - dilution laws . for purposes of this specification , a well - known mark or symbol includes , as another example , marks or symbols that have acquired secondary meaning in a geographic area . the symbol messages or symbol alphabets according to the present invention — when comprising logos or other similar well - known marks or symbols — are useful for , among other things , increasing the visibility and familiarity of the incorporated symbols . they also are useful for branding the corresponding outlets , branding an entity in connection with that outlet , and branding an entity as part of a symbol message . such symbol messages or symbol alphabets may be displayed on or in , for example , billboards , print or electronic media , clothing , accessories , or novelty items . [ 0044 ] fig3 depicts a flow chart of an embodiment of the present invention . the embodiment depicted in fig3 comprises four steps for generating a grammar comprising symbols : generate at least one character subset from a set of characters step 301 ; generate associations between each character subset and a symbol subset of the set of symbols step 303 ; and steps 301 and 302 , respectively , comprise generating at least one character subset from a set of characters and generating a set of symbols . the set of characters comprises characters from existing grammars . for example , the set of characters might be the english alphabet and related phonemes , egyptian hieroglyphs , or arabic numerals . the set of symbols might be all trademarks , registered trademarks , service marks , registered service marks , or well - known marks . step 303 of the embodiment depicted in fig3 involves generating associations between each character subset and symbol subsets of the set of symbols . the associations preferably are made according to existing relationships — such as visual similarities , phonetic similarities , common initial sounds or characters , or common target audience associations — between the characters and the symbols as described in this specification or as is apparent in view of this specification to one of skill in the art . for example , a character subset may comprise letters from the english alphabet , and symbol subsets may comprise professional sports team emblems . each team emblem may be associated with the letter corresponding to the first letter of the team name . in the embodiment depicted in fig3 step 304 follows step 303 . step 304 comprises generating a lexicon using the associations generated in step 303 . for example , words and phrases may be generated by replacing each letter with the symbol associated with that letter . [ 0052 ] fig1 a depicts an example of a lexicon of the present invention , which lexicon was created using the embodiment of fig3 . fig1 a shows a set of characters 101 and a set of symbols 102 that have been generated . in this example , the character subset comprises the set of characters of the english alphabet , and the symbol associated with each character is a registered trademark . the associations between the two subsets are shown by designations ( a ) through ( z ). in this embodiment , these associations generate a symbol alphabet , which are used to generate a lexicon . for example , fig1 b shows a symbol message corresponding to the slogan “ virginia is for lovers ”®, and fig1 c shows a symbol message corresponding to the phrase “ happy birthday .” in other embodiments ( not depicted ), the characters may include words , phonemes , ideographs or other visual marks or depictions ; the symbols may include service marks or other well - known symbols , marks or depictions ; and there may be more than one symbol associated with one or more of the character subsets . [ 0053 ] fig4 depicts a flow chart of an embodiment of a method of the present invention . this embodiment comprises three steps for generating a symbol message from a selected message : divide the message into at least one message subset step 401 ; associate a symbol with each message subset step 402 ; and replace each message subset with the associated symbol step 403 . step 401 comprises dividing a selected message into one or more message subsets . a message subset may comprise the entire message or some smaller portion of the message ( for example , a syllable ). if more than one message subset is formed , the message subsets may be the same or different in size . for example , if the message is a word , certain message subsets may include a syllable , and other message subsets may include only a letter . step 402 of the embodiment depicted in fig4 comprises associating a symbol with each message subset . in other words , in the embodiment depicted in fig4 each message subset is assigned a symbol . the symbols preferably are trademarks , registered trademarks , service marks , registered service marks , well - known marks , or other proprietary symbols . these symbols optionally are associated with message subsets based on existing or apparent relationships or associations — such as visual similarities , phonetic similarities , common initial characters or sounds , or common target audience associations — between each message subset and each corresponding symbol . for example , if the message is a word and if the word is divided into its letters in step 401 , each letter may be assigned a symbol that the target audience associates with a company name beginning with the same letter . moreover , the same symbol preferably is associated with each message subset having the same value . thus , in some embodiments , the same letters in a word may be assigned the same symbols . step 402 may be implemented before or after step 401 . for example , one may first associate symbols with a variety of possible message subsets for a variety of possible messages and then divide the selected message into message subsets that have already been associated with symbols . alternatively , one may select a message , divide that message into message subsets , and then associate symbols with those message subsets . step 403 of the embodiment depicted in fig4 comprises replacing each message subset with the associated symbol . step 403 follows steps 401 and 402 and converts the selected message to a corresponding symbol message by replacing part or all of the message with symbols . [ 0061 ] fig5 depicts an example of the embodiment of the present invention depicted in fig4 . in this example , the message 501 is the word “ chicago .” this message is divided into three message subsets 502 , 503 , and 504 : “ chic ,” “ a ,” and “ go .” according to step 502 depicted in fig4 each message subset is then associated with a respective symbol 505 , 506 and 507 . “ chic ” 502 is associated with a registered trademark symbol 505 associated with chick - fil - a , inc . “ a ” 503 is associated with a registered trademark symbol 506 associated with apple computer , inc . “ go ” 504 is associated with a stoplight symbol 507 with the green light turned on . then each message subset 502 , 503 , and 504 is replaced with its respective associated symbol 505 , 506 and 507 , thus yielding the final symbol message 508 . [ 0062 ] fig6 depicts a flow chart of another embodiment of a method of the present invention . the embodiment depicted in fig6 comprises three steps for generating a symbol message from a selected plurality of characters : divide a plurality of characters into at least one character subset step 601 ; associate a symbol with each of the character subsets step 602 ; and generate a message comprising each associated symbol step 603 . step 601 comprises dividing a plurality of characters into one or more character subsets . each character subset may be one or more alphanumeric characters , phonemes , words , ideographs , or any other visual mark or symbol . for example , a plurality of characters could be a name , and that name could be divided into character subsets , with some subsets including a letter and other subsets including a phoneme . as another example , the plurality of characters could be an abbreviation . step 602 of the embodiment depicted in fig6 comprises associating a symbol with each of the character subsets . for example , each letter in a name may be assigned one or more symbols which a target audience might associate with that letter . in another example , each ideograph in a chinese text ( the plurality of characters ) could be associated with a registered trademark with visual similarity to the ideograph . in step 602 , symbols may be associated with character subsets based on existing or apparent relationships or associations — such as visual similarities , phonetic similarities , common initial characters or sounds , or common target audience associations — between each character subset and each corresponding symbol . step 602 may be implemented before or after step 601 . for example , one may first assign symbols to a range of potential character subsets . one may then divide the selected plurality of characters into character subsets to which symbols already have been assigned . alternatively one may select a plurality of characters , then divide it into character subsets , and then assign symbols to the character subsets . step 603 of the preferred embodiment depicted in fig6 comprises generating a message comprising the symbols associated with each of the character subsets . step 603 follows steps 601 and 602 and converts the plurality of characters into a corresponding symbol message . the associated symbols are substituted for the corresponding character subsets , thus yielding a symbol message . [ 0070 ] fig7 depicts an example of the embodiment depicted in fig6 . in the example depicted in fig7 the plurality of characters 701 is “ new york .” the plurality of characters 701 is divided into seven character subsets 702 , 703 , 704 , 705 , 706 , 707 , and 708 : “ n ,” “ e ,” “ w ,” “ y ,” “ o ,” “ r ,” and “ k ,” respectively . each character subset 702 , 703 , 704 , 705 , 706 , 707 and 708 is associated with a respective symbol 709 , 710 , 711 , 712 , 713 , 714 and 715 . in this example , each of the symbols are registered trademarks , and the character subsets and symbols are associated because the first letter of the brand name consumers associate with each symbol is the same as the corresponding character subset . other types of associations are described in this specification and would be apparent to one of skill in the art in view of this specification . as depicted in fig7 the symbol message 716 is generated by combining , in order , the associated symbols 709 , 710 , 711 , 712 , 713 , 714 and 715 . [ 0071 ] fig8 depicts a flow chart of another embodiment of the method of the present invention . the embodiment depicted in fig8 comprises six steps for generating a symbol message : divide a core set of message characters into at least one message subset step 801 ; associate each message subset with at least one target subset of a set of target symbols step 803 ; for each subset , select one of the associated target subsets step 804 ; replace each message subset with the selected target subset step 805 ; and step 801 comprises dividing a core set of message characters into at least one message subset . the core set of message characters may be all or part of a message , and each message subset may be all or part of the core set of message characters . for example , if a message is a sentence , the core set of message characters might be a word or a phrase of the sentence , or the entire sentence . if the core set of message characters is a word , a message subset might be a letter , a group of letters , a syllable , or the entire word . the message characters and message subsets may comprise alphanumeric characters , phonemes , words , ideographs , or any other visual mark . step 802 of the embodiment depicted in fig8 occurs after step 801 and involves displaying each resulting message subset . display of each message subset shows and confirms how the core set of message characters has been divided . step 803 associates each message subset with at least one target subset of a set of target symbols . for example , if a message subset is a phoneme , one or more target symbols associated by a target audience with company names beginning with the same phonetic sound as the phoneme might be associated with the message subset . the set of target symbols may be a closed set , or it may be an open set , for example , all registered trademarks . step 803 may be implemented before or after either or both of steps 801 and 802 . other ways to generate message subsets and target subsets of target symbols , and to associate message subsets with target subsets , are described in this specification and would be apparent to one of skill in the art in view of this specification . step 804 follows , or occurs at the same time as , step 803 . step 804 involves selecting one corresponding target subset for each message subset . for example , if five symbols are associated with one message subset , one of those five symbols would be selected to replace the corresponding message subset . step 805 follows steps 801 through 804 and comprises replacing each message subset with the target subset selected for the message subset in step 804 . step 805 converts the core set of message characters into a corresponding symbol message core . step 806 follows step 805 and involves the display of each selected target subset . step 806 may involve the display of one associated target subset for each message subset , or it may involve the display of all associated target subsets for each message subset . [ 0084 ] fig9 depicts an example of the embodiment depicted in fig6 . the message 901 in this example is “ welcome to memphis .” the core set of message characters 902 in this example is “ memphis .” the core set of message characters 902 is divided into message subsets 903 , 904 , 905 , 906 , 907 , 908 , and 909 : “ m ,” “ e ,” “ m ,” “ p ,” “ h ,” “ i ,” and “ s ,” and each message subset is displayed . as depicted in fig9 message subset 903 is associated with a target subset 921 including target symbols 910 , 911 and 912 ; message subset 904 is associated with a target subset 913 including target symbol 913 ; message subset 905 is associated with target subset 922 including target symbols 914 , 915 and 916 ; message subset 906 is associated with target subset 917 including target symbol 917 ; message subset 907 is associated with target subset 918 including target symbol 918 ; message subset 908 is associated with target 919 including target symbol 919 ; and message subset 909 is associated with target 920 including target symbol 920 . the target subsets depicted in fig9 were drawn from an open - ended target set of symbols comprising all proprietary symbols . in this example , all of the target symbols are registered trademarks . target symbols 911 , 913 , 916 , 917 , 918 , 919 , and 920 are then selected , one from each respective target subset 921 , 913 , 922 , 917 , 918 , 919 , and 920 , to correspond respectively to each message subset 903 , 904 , 905 , 906 , 907 , 908 , and 909 . each message subset 903 , 904 , 905 , 906 , 907 , 908 , and 909 is then replaced with the corresponding selected target subset , and result 923 is displayed . in the embodiment depicted in fig9 the final symbol message 924 is also displayed . other embodiments of the present invention include apparatuses configured for generating symbol messages or grammars according to the present invention . fig1 depicts five alternative embodiments . in each embodiment depicted in fig1 , the apparatus comprises an input device configured to receive a message , a visual display , a memory device configured to receive and store information , and a microprocessor in communication with the memory device , the input device , and the visual display . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 ( a ), an example of a desktop computer , the input device is stylus 1004 and pad 1003 for handwriting and drawing recognition and entry ; the visual display is monitor 1001 ; and tower 1002 houses a microprocessor and a memory , which are in communication with each other and pad 1003 and monitor 1001 . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 ( b ), an example of a personal digital assistant , the input device comprises screen display 1005 , buttons 1006 and stylus 1007 ; the visual display is screen display 1005 ; and the personal digital assistant houses a microprocessor and a memory , which are in communication with each other and buttons 1006 and screen display 1005 . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 ( c ), an example of a laptop computer , the input device is keyboard 1010 ; the visual display is screen 1008 ; and laptop 1009 houses a microprocessor and a memory , which are in communication with each other and keyboard 1010 and screen 1008 . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 ( d ), another example of a desktop computer , the input device is microphone 1012 ; the visual display is screen 1013 ; and chassis 1011 houses a microprocessor ( including voice recognition and generation hardware and software ) and a memory , which are in communication with each other and microphone 1012 and screen 1013 . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 ( e ), an example of a wireless telephone , the input devices are keypad 1016 , microphone 1018 , and receiver / antenna 1017 ; the visual display is screen 1014 ; and the wireless telephone 1015 houses a microprocessor and a memory , which are in communication with each other and keypad 1016 , microphone 1018 , receiver / antenna 1017 , and screen display 1014 . in an embodiment , the apparatus according to the present invention is configured to divide a message into at least one message subset , to associate symbols ( optionally symbols that are trademarks , registered trademarks , service marks , registered service marks , or well - known marks ) with each message subset , and to replace each message subset with the associated symbols . in an alternative embodiment , the apparatus according to the present invention is configured to divide a plurality of characters into at least one character subset , to associate symbols with each character subset , and to generate messages comprising the associated symbols . in another embodiment , the apparatus according to the present invention is configured to divide a core set of message characters into at least one message subset , to associate each message subset with at least one target symbol , to prompt the selection of one of the associated target symbols for each message subset , to replace each message subset with the selected target symbol , and to show each message subset and each selected target symbol . in another embodiment , the apparatus according to the present invention is configured to draw from a set of symbols , to generate an association between subsets of a set of characters and subsets of the set of symbols , and to generate a lexicon comprising such associations . more generally , available technology and information known in the art may be used to fabricate program and control components or devices capable of performing , or facilitating the performance of , the requisite tasks or steps for implementing the methods of the present invention . these components or devices include without limitation computers , computerized devices , cellular telephones , hand - held computerized devices , microprocessors , computerized devices , disk drives , floppy disks , cd - roms , cds , and other computerized devices . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to this invention of methods and apparatus for generating symbol messages and grammar without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention or of the claims . it is also intended that the present invention and appended claims cover modifications , variations and equivalents of the methods and apparatus for generating symbol messages and grammar of the present invention .	6
with reference to fig1 and 2 , the monitoring head 1 is provided with a casing 2 consisting of two equal shells 3 , 3 &# 39 ; interconnected by screws 8 . casing 2 encloses a yarn scanning structure or system comprising a plate - shaped piezoelectric transducer element 4 and a thereto cemented rod - shaped body or yarn guide means 5 made of a material of great surface hardness . transducer element 4 may be a so - called bimorph element as known in the art , consisting of two adjacent piezoelectric wafers and three electrodes , i . e ., one electrode at the interface of said wafers and one electrode on each of the exposed outer surfaces thereof . the direction of the yarn travel in fig1 is perpendicular to the drawing plane , and in fig2 in the drawing plane and tangential to rod - shaped body 5 , and running , e . g ., from left to right . since the components 4 , 5 are firmly cemented with one another , they form a system able to vibrate uniquely in a flexural mode . fig2 shows the small side of the piezoelectric transducer element 4 , the thickness of which is drawn greater than its natural thickness , for the sake of clearness . yarn guide means 5 is cemented to and extends along the upper edge of transducer element 4 as may be seen from fig1 and 2 . with reference to fig2 the casing comprises two equal shells 3 , 3 &# 39 ; and includes a rigid base member or block 6 which may be made of a heavy material , as brass , and in which the lower edge of transducer element 4 is rigidly clamped or cemented . when block 6 is made of an electrically conducting material , as metal , the electrodes ( not shown ) of piezoelectric transducer element 4 should be insulated from said block in order to avoid short - circuiting . by way of example , the mass of block 6 may be five times the mass of the yarn scanning structure comprising transducer element 4 and yarn guide 5 , however , that mass ratio should be chosen , depending upon the fundamental frequency of the yarn scanning structure and the desired magnitude of the signal - to - noise ratio and the parameters stated in the foregoing summary . of course , block 6 may be also made of a light or insulating material , however , the use of heavy material is favorable for a space - saving design of the monitoring head . block 6 is supported in casing 2 by soft elastic material 7 located between the inner walls of shells 3 , 3 &# 39 ; and the bottom and side walls of block 6 . as mentioned in the foregoing context , the soft elastic material 7 may be sponge rubber or other loose elastic material for absorbing shock and undesired machine vibrations conducted from the frame of the textile machine to the thereto fixed casing 2 . shells 3 , 3 &# 39 ; each have a tilted top 2 &# 39 ; and 2 &# 34 ;, respectively , the upper edges of which form an elongated opening between them for exposing yarn guide 5 to the traveling yarn , leaving only a tight slot on each longitudinal side of yarn guide 5 . thus , the sensitive piezoelectric transducer element 4 is shielded from dust , humidity and other chemical and mechanical influences from outside the casing . in order to attain a still better protection of transducer element 4 , the free space between the top of block 6 and the tilted tops 2 &# 39 ;, 2 &# 34 ; of casing 2 may be filled with an elastic sealing material of low density which , however , should not damp oscillation of transducer element 4 to a substantial degree . in view of the rigid interconnection of block 6 and piezoelectric transducer element 4 , the latter has a nodal line along its lower edge clamped in block 6 and thus performs a well defined flexural vibration in its fundamental frequency when excited by a yarn traveling over yarn guide 5 . because of the relatively heavy mass of block 6 and the energy reflection at the interface of transducer element 4 and block 6 , loss or dissipation of vibrational energy from transducer element 4 is avoided so that the latter is highly responsive to the motion of the traveling yarn . the design as illustrated in fig1 and 2 allows for the manufacture of yarn travel monitoring heads having practicable dimensions and frequency responses in a desirable kc / s order . fig3 and 4 illustrate an embodiment of a quadruple monitoring head 10 which exhibits an extremely low response to direct mechanical shock and vibration acting on its casing 12 . four individual yarn scanning structures 11 , fig4 are arranged in substantially parallel relationship to each other in the common elongated casing 12 . each of the yarn scanning structures 11 comprises a vibratory cantilever member 14 , a mechano - electrical or vibrato - electrical transducer element 13 , and a ring - shaped yarn guide 15 . cantilever member 14 is formed as a lamella of substantially rectangular shape which may be made of metal , e . g ., brass . yarn guide 15 is made of a hard material , as ceramic oxide , and fixed in an aperture near the upper free end of cantilever member 14 . an elongated rigid base member or bar 16 is located inside elongated casing 12 and bears said cantilever members 14 , the lower ends of which are rigidly fixed to rigid base member 16 , e . g ., by welding . each cantilever member 14 bears a mechano - electrical transducer element 13 which is cemented to one of the plane surfaces of cantilever member 14 within elongated casing 12 . when excited by a yarn traveling through yarn guide 15 , yarn scanning structure 11 vibrates as an integral unit in a flexural mode . elongated base member 16 is supported in elongated casing 12 by soft elastic vibration damping material 17 , 18 and 19 in a similar manner as block 6 is supported in casing 2 with the embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 . elongated casing 12 as viewed from the front side shown in fig3 has the shape of an oblong rectangle , whereas its cross section , fig4 is of rectangular or substantially quadratic shape . elongated casing 12 comprises a front shell 20 and a rear shell 21 both of l - shaped cross section , and two end walls 22 , 23 . shells 20 and 21 are connected with one another by screws 8 shown in fig3 and the end walls 22 , 23 may be integral with one of shells 20 , 21 or cemented or screwed to same . an oblong aperture 24 is formed between the upper and front edges of the two shells 20 , 21 , respectively , on top of casing 12 through which aperture the upper ends of the cantilever members 14 bearing the yarn guides 15 protrude . for reducing the influence of air transmitted noise and sound , it may be advantageous to design the monitoring head illustrated in fig3 and 4 such that the cantilever members 14 protrude over the top of casing 12 just enough to fully expose yarn guides 15 . the vibratory yarn scanning structures shown in fig1 and 2 , on the one hand , and fig3 and 4 , on the other hand , exhibit substantially different constructions . in the first case , said yarn scanning structure comprises two components 4 , 5 , namely a self - supporting piezoelectric transducer element 4 and a yarn guide 5 . yarn guide 5 is formed as a rod - shaped body and connected directly with transducer element 4 . in the second case , the yarn scanning structure 11 comprises three components 13 , 14 , 15 . transducer element 13 is not self - supporting and fixed to the relatively long vibratory cantilever member or lamella 14 which bears the ring - shaped yarn guide 15 . since the yarn scanning structure of the first mentioned embodiment comprises only two components 4 , 5 , the fundamental frequency of that yarn scanning structure is substantially dependent upon the physical properties and mounting of the piezoelectric transducer element 4 , whereas in the second embodiment comprising three components , generally cantilever member 14 is the component which substantially determines the fundamental or resonant frequency . further , with reference to fig2 transducer element 4 is attached or clamped to rigid block 6 , whereas in fig4 cantilever member 14 is fixed at rigid bar 16 . transducer elements other than those mentioned with reference to the drawings may be used with the yarn scanning structures of the invention , e . g ., transducers having a stress or shape dependent electric resistivity , as piezoresistive transducers , e . g ., strain gauges of semiconductor material , or electret films or plates and other capacitive transducers as used in condenser microphones and loudspeakers . particularly , such transducer elements shaped as thin layers or films which are not self - supporting may be provided at one or both sides of a flat vibratory cantilever member of the type shown in fig3 and 4 , in a similar manner as transducer element 13 which is cemented to one side of cantilever member 14 . of course , also piezoelectric flat or thin transducer elements may be provided at cantilever member 14 . further , the yarn guide means , as ring - shaped member 15 in fig3 and 4 , may be replaced by a simple hole or open slot in cantilever member 14 . in addition , a layer of hard material , as ceramic oxide , may be applied along the edges of such a hole or slot by methods known in the art . the invention allows for a multiplicity of structural changes with respect to the illustrated and above described preferred embodiments and thus it is possible to design the monitoring device of the invention for many particular and different uses and in a great variety of other and different advantageous embodiments . while there is shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention , it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto , but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims .	1
a tremolo device 1 for a stringed musical instrument ( fig1 and fig2 ) according to the present invention comprises a base plate 2 , on the upper surface of which are independently mounted saddle assemblies 3 , corresponding to the number of the strings 29 . each assembly 3 ( fig5 and fig6 ) including a front 4 and a rear 5 string saddle with asymmetrically projecting arms movably connected to each other via a saddle assembly shaft 7 located perpendicularly to the corresponding string 29 . to each saddle assembly 3 means are provided for their fixing on the base plate 2 , for fine tuning , intonation adjustment and string locking . in the front 4 string saddle ( fig7 ) a slot 4 a is formed housing a saddle mounting screw 9 mounted in a threaded opening in the base plate 2 . in the back portion of the rear 5 string saddle ( fig7 ) a rear slot 5 a is formed housing a fine tuning screw mounted in a threaded opening in the base plate 2 . in the screw 9 head ( fig3 ) crossed slots 9 a are formed , allowing fine tuning of the string 29 by guitar pick 33 or nail . in the front portion of the rear saddle 5 ( fig6 ) a string receiving recess 5 b is formed extending to the front slot 5 c , which axis is parallel to the axis of slot 4 a in the front 4 string saddle and to the axis of the rear slot 5 a . in the front slot 5 c a string lock insert 10 is mounted . from the front slot 5 c ( fig8 ) to the back wall of the rear string saddle 5 a lower threaded opening 5 e is extended , in which a string lock screw 11 is mounted and screwed up to the front slot 5 c and to the string lock insert 10 mounted in it . from the rear slot 5 a ( fig9 ) to the back wall of the rear string saddle 5 an upper threaded opening 5 d is formed , in which an adjustment screw 12 is disposed , contacting with the fine tuning screw 9 head . the axes of the slot 4 a in the front string saddle 4 ( fig6 ) and the rear slot 5 a in the rear string saddle 5 are parallel and displaced with respect to the axis of the corresponding string 29 . the string lock insert 10 ( fig2 ) is formed by a cylindrical body . in the lower portion of the string lock insert 10 a slot 10 a is formed ( fig8 ), reaching the rear part of the string lock screw 11 . the string lock insert 10 mounted so that the slot 10 a is at the height of the string lock screw 11 . the base plate 2 ( fig3 and fig1 ) abuts against a pivot assembly 13 , each one including a pivot stud 14 and a pivot insert 15 . in the base plate 2 front end circular recesses are provided , conically beveled at the upper and lower surface of the base plate 2 , so that with each circular slot a knife edge is formed engaged with a double conical recess below the head of each pivot stud 14 . to the lower surface of the base plate 2 ( fig4 and fig9 ) a sustain block 17 is mounted by means of block mounting screws 16 . in one side of the sustain block 17 ( fig2 ) a two step opening 17 a with an arm bush 19 is formed , through which a tremolo arm 18 passes with thread in its lower end , corresponding to that of the lower end of the opening 17 a . under the arm bush 19 ( fig1 ), an arm washer 20 and an arm spring 21 are consecutively disposed . in the base plate 2 ( fig4 ) a second opening for the tremolo arm 18 is formed symmetrically to the mid distance between the pivot assemblies 13 . to the lower side of the sustain block 17 a balancing mechanism 22 is mounted , inserted in a cavity provided on the lower side of the instrument body , including a number of springs which ends are fixed to the spring claw 25 , the other ends are immovably fixed to the sustain block 17 by means of hooks 23 a and spring fix screws 24 . the adjustment screw 12 ( fig9 ) is mounted in the upper threaded opening 5 d of the rear string saddle 5 . the rear string saddle 5 reaching the fine tuning spring 6 , which axis is perpendicular to the axis of the saddle assembly shaft 7 and the axes are at some distance from each other . in the front portion of the rear string saddle 5 an opening 5 f is formed , which axis is nonparallel to and does not intersect the saddle assembly shaft 7 axis and also the string 29 axis . in the opening 5 f the fine tuning spring 6 is disposed reaching the opening bottom with one end and with the other — the back wall of the front string saddle 4 . the tremolo device 1 ( fig1 and fig1 ) is movably mounted in a preliminary prepared cavity in the body 28 of the instrument 27 via a pair of pivot studs 14 and pivot inserts 15 fixed in the body 28 and balances by being pulled in one direction by the tensile force in the strings 29 , and in the other direction — by the force of springs 23 of the balancing mechanism 22 . controlled by spring claw screws 26 , regulating the tension in springs 23 , these two forces are balanced so that the tremolo surface is parallel to the plane of the body 28 of the instrument . the strings 29 are tightly fixed in the top lock device 32 or in the machine heads 30 , as well as in the tremolo device 1 . when the arm 18 is pressed to the body 28 of the instrument , the tremolo device 1 gets rotated around the pivot points axis in one direction so that the tensile force in the strings 29 decreases , causing lowering of strings 29 tone pitch . when the arm 18 is pulled in the opposite direction — the tensile force in the strings 29 gets increased , causing increase of strings 29 tone pitch . the designation of the fine tuning spring 6 ( fig1 ) is to create a torque around the saddle assembly shaft 7 axis through the force f and the perpendicular distance r from the rotation axis , so that the rear string saddle 5 surface located under the fine tuning screw 9 head , should always touch the surface of the lower side of the fine tuning screw 9 head , even in the cases when the arm 18 is pressed and the strings 29 are completely loose . the functions of the tremolo device according to the invention are as follows : locking one end of the strings 29 to the body 28 of the instrument ; adjusting the strings 29 height ; adjusting the strings 29 intonation ; fine tuning of the strings 29 ; smooth decrease or increase of the played tone by using the arm 18 . the advantage of the tremolo device for a stringed musical instrument 1 according to the invention is its simplified construction , finding expression in simplification of the sustain block and the base plate by forming a fine tuning spring opening 5 f in the front portion of the rear string saddles 5 . the easier usage of the device is achieved in the device assembly and maintenance due to the decreased number of parts and units . it is also expressed in dropping out of a number of free fine tuning springs . the improved sustain is achieved by elimination of a number of openings and recesses in the sustain block and base plate . thus the sustain block increases its mass , resulting in improved sustain .	6
before explaining in detail at least one embodiment of the invention in detail by way of exemplary drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . it is desirous to adapt gloves to the anatomy of the hand . by way of example , a previous glove has been suggested wherein the back portion of the glove has one or more parts that are extended with respect to the corresponding parts of the palm portion of the glove to adapt the glove to the form of the hand in its rest position or else in a position having one or more fingers curved . while this prior art glove does provide a more natural curving form , it does not address the flexibility of the glove in relation to the user &# 39 ; s hand and also does not overcome the amount of clasping force a user must exert in order to open and close the palm portion . furthermore , this prior art glove results in a bunching of material in the palm portion when the glove is used , providing the user with an uncomfortable and loose grip . referring to the drawings in general , and to fig1 and 3 in particular , shown therein and designated by the general reference numeral 10 is a precurved gusseted glove of the present invention , which includes a glove assembly 20 and an internal sleeve 100 . the glove assembly 20 includes a palm side 30 , a back side 40 , a thumb side 45 , a finger end 50 , a little finger side 55 , a wrist end 60 , and at least one means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position . the palm side 30 has an interior surface 32 and an exterior surface 34 . the back side 40 has an interior surface 42 and an exterior surface 44 . the finger end 50 includes four finger stalls 52 and a thumb stall 54 . the little finger side 55 has an interior surface 56 and an exterior surface 57 . the wrist end 60 has an interior surface 62 and an exterior surface 63 . the interior surface 32 of the palm side 30 , the interior surface 42 of the back side 40 , an interior surface 46 of the thumb side 45 , the interior surface 56 of the little finger side 55 , and the interior surface 62 of the wrist end 60 are operably connected to one another to thereby define an overall interior area 110 of the internal sleeve 100 of the glove assembly 20 . a user &# 39 ; s hand 70 , which includes a wrist 75 , a palm 80 , knuckle area 85 , and fingers 90 , is placed within the overall interior area 110 of the internal sleeve 100 when in use . the exterior surface 34 of the palm side 30 , the exterior surface 44 of the back side 40 , an exterior surface 47 of the thumb side 45 , the exterior surface 57 of the little finger side 55 , and the exterior surface 63 of the wrist end 60 are operably connected to one another to thereby define an overall exterior area 120 of the glove assembly 20 . the overall exterior area 120 of the glove assembly 20 is the area that is apparent on the user &# 39 ; s hand 70 as shown in fig1 - 5 . in one embodiment , and as shown in fig4 and 5 , each one of the four finger stalls 52 of the finger end 50 have an open end 53 and a length 58 such that each finger 90 of the user &# 39 ; s hand 70 is bare from a finger tip area 92 to a point 94 between the knuckle area 85 and a first finger joint 96 of the finger 90 . however , the glove assembly 20 may be constructed such that some or all of the four finger stalls 52 have any length 58 , from no length at all to full - finger length . full length four finger stalls 52 may be close - ended rather than open - ended . in similar fashion , the thumb stall 54 typically has an open end 200 and a length 210 such that a thumb 82 of the user &# 39 ; s hand 70 protrudes from the thumb stall 54 . however , the glove assembly 20 may be constructed such that the thumb stall 54 has any length 210 , from no length at all to full - thumb length . full length thumb stall 54 may be close - ended rather than open - ended . the palm side 30 of the glove assembly 20 may be padded substantially as shown in fig1 or in any other suitable manner so long as the padding does not interfere with the natural curled position of the precurved gusseted glove 10 . typically , the glove assembly 20 is padded with foam rubber or the like stitched into the palm side 30 of the glove assembly 20 . the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position is located on at least one of the thumb side 45 and / or the little finger side 55 of the glove assembly 20 . as shown in fig1 the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position is shown as being located between the palm side 30 and the back side 40 of the glove assembly 20 and extends along a first length 250 from the finger end 50 to the wrist end 60 of the glove assembly 20 . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position tapers from a first width 300 to a second width 320 along the first length 250 . in particular , the first width 300 is larger than the second width 320 such that the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position is effectively a gusset — thereby allowing the user &# 39 ; s hand 70 while wearing the glove assembly 20 to grip an object without a buildup of material or padding in the palm side 30 of the glove assembly 20 . similarly , as shown in fig3 the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position is located as being on the little finger side 55 of the glove assembly 20 . thus , it can be appreciated that the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position may be located solely on the thumb side 45 or the little finger side 55 or the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position may be located on both the thumb side 45 and the little finger side 55 . as shown in fig3 the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position is located on the little finger side 55 between the palm side 30 and the back side 40 of the glove assembly 20 . when on the little finger side 55 of the glove assembly 20 , the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 tapers from a third width 330 to a fourth width 340 along a second length 275 from the finger end 50 to the wrist end 60 of the glove assembly 20 . in particular , the third width 330 is larger than the fourth width 340 such that the means 65 for maintaining the glove assembly 20 in a natural curled position is effectively a gusset — thereby allowing the user &# 39 ; s hand 70 while wearing the glove assembly 20 to grip an object without a buildup of material or padding in the palm side 30 of the glove assembly 20 . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the wrist end 60 of the glove assembly 20 further includes a wrist cuff 500 and a securing strap 520 . the securing strap 520 has a bottom side 530 and a top side 540 . on the bottom side 530 of the securing strap 520 is a strip of material ( not shown ) that coordinates with a securing portion 550 of the wrist cuff 500 . this strip of material and the securing portion 550 of the wrist cuff 500 are typically made of complementary strips of hook and loop fasteners , such as velcro ® or the like . on the back side 40 of the glove assembly 20 , the glove assembly 20 may have a flexible fabric panel 600 . at the wrist cuff 500 of the glove assembly 20 , the flexible fabric panel 600 may have a slit 620 which allows for the user &# 39 ; s hand 70 to be more comfortably placed within the glove assembly 20 . also , slit 620 will also allow the securing strap 520 to be tightened and secured to the wrist cuff 500 via the strip of material ( not shown ) on the bottom side 530 of the securing strap 520 and the securing portion 550 of the wrist cuff 500 , such that the wrist cuff 500 is securely positioned around the wrist 75 of the user &# 39 ; s hand 70 . typically , the glove assembly 20 is constructed of leather or the like . however , the glove assembly 20 may be made of any material which has properties consistent with the purpose of the present invention . the use of the precurved gusseted glove 10 is not limited to weight lifting . the precurved gusseted glove 10 may be used in any sort of activity where the user &# 39 ; s hand is preferentially kept in a natural curled position when gripping an object and where it is desirous that the material of the chosen glove not bunch in the palm of the user when gripping the object . the precurved gusseted glove 10 is described hereinabove and illustrated in the drawings as a right - handed glove . however , it should be appreciated that the present invention contemplates and includes a left - handed precurved gusseted glove constructed in a manner consistent with the disclosure made herein . thus , in accordance with the present invention , there has been provided a precurved gusseted glove that fully satisfies the objectives and advantages set forth above . although the invention has been described in conjunction with the specific drawings and language set forth above , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , it is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the invention .	0
a most preferred ( a ) a silane cross - linking agent is the above - mentioned tris ( gamma - trimethoxysilylpropyl ) isocyanurate which is a methoxy - functional silane with triple trisubstituted silyl groups shaped as y . it is believed that silquest ® y - 11597 may greatly improve the adhesion on difficult treated surfaces . the molecules of silquest ® y - 11597 may schematically be described before being hydrolyzed as following : after hydrolyzing , molecules of silquest ® y - 11597 are activated and readily react to hydroxyl groups on a metal surface , silanol groups on other silane molecules including ones of silane coupling , and hydroxyl groups in a polymeric coating . triple trisubstituted molecules of hydrolyzed silquest ® y - 11597 establish stronger covalent bonding with mineral surfaces including metallic surfaces . it is believed , after being hydrolyzed , since a triple trisubstituted molecule of silquest ® y - 11597 carries more hydroxyl groups than a linear silane cross - linking agents , such as 1 , 2 - bis ( triethoxysilyl ) ethane ( btse ), molecules of silquest ® y - 11597 have greater potential to form hydrogen bonds with hydroxyl groups on mineral surfaces and eventually from stronger covalent bonds by liberating water during drying and / or curing , which may be illustrated as following bonding chain : triple trisubstituted molecules of silquest ® y - 11597 establish an well - orientated primering layer . it is also believed , since triple trisubstituted molecules of silquest ® y - 11597 immediate migrating onto mineral surface , hydroxyl groups carried by molecules of silquest ® y - 1 1597 partially react with hydroxyl groups on a mineral surface to form covalent bonds with mineral surface and most of them react to any oncoming hydroxyl groups carried by ( a ) silane crosslinking agent , ( b ) silane coupling agent , and even polymeric coating . furthermore , molecules of hydrolyzed silquest ® y - 11597 improve the distribution and number of hydroxyl groups on a mineral surface . since hydroxyl groups are active to hydrophilic groups and repellent to hydrophobic groups and more hydroxyl groups molecules of hydrolyzed silquest ® y - 11597 have , the more likely molecules of a silane coupling agent are orientated or stand up with hydrophobic head away form mineral surface . triple trisubstituted molecules of silquest ® y - 11597 establish long - range , irregularly three - dimensional , and nonreversible network by cross - linking functionality of silquest ® y - 11597 . the metal coating coupling composition of this invention establishes better adhesion to polymeric coating . hydrophobic or organofunctional groups in metal coating coupling composition concentrate outer layer of metal coating coupling , which are chemically reactive proportions to polymeric coatings and form covalent bonds with polymeric coatings . furthermore , the primer layer crosslinked by silquest ® y - 11597 is irregular , in which molecules of polymeric coating interdiffuse or interlock or interpenetrate with molecules of metal coating coupling composition to form strong physical bonds . a preferred ( b ) a silane coupling agent is vinyl - tris -( 2 - methoxyethoxy ) silane available form osi specialties and sold under the name silquest a - 172 . its molecules of silquest a - 172 may be described before hydrolyzed as following : examples of other vinyl silane coupling agents are vinylmethyldimethoxysilane , vinyltrichlorosilane , vinyltriethoxysilane , vinyltrisopropoxysilane , vinyltrimethoxysilane , vinyl - tris -( 2 - methoxyethoxy ) silane . they are also available from osi specialties . they are illustrated as follows : ( a ) the silane cross - linking agent and ( b ) silane coupling agents mentioned hereinbefore have to be partially or fully hydrolyzed , preferably fully hydrolyzed before being applied on a metallic surface , so that the silanes coupling agents and cross - linking agents are active to bond with each other , the metallic substrate , and the polymeric coating . during hydrolysis , r groups are replaced with a hydrogen atom . hydrolysis of silanes may be accomplished by mixing with water , more favorably deionized water and maybe some selected solvent , which preferably has some chemical formula with r groups and improve the solubility of silanes . the most preferred solvent for this invention is 2 - methyl - 2 , 4 - pentanediol . examples of other alcohol solvents include methanol , ethanol , 1 - propanol , 1 - butanol , isopropanol , isobutanol , sec - butanol , tert - butanol , 1 - pentanol , 2 - methyl - 1 - butanol , isopentyl alcohol , 2 - pentanol , 3 - pentanol , tert - pentyl alcohol , 1 - hexanol , 4 - methyl - 2 - pentanol , 2 - ethyl - 1 - butanol , 2 - methyl - 1 - pentanol , 1 - heptanol , 2 - heptanol , 3 - heptanol , 1 - octanol , 2 - octanol , 2 - ethyl hexanol , 3 , 5 , 5 - trimethylhexanol , 1 - nonanol , 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 4 - heptanol , 1 - decanol , 1 - undecanol , 5 - ethyl - 2nonanol , 1 - dodecanol , trimethylnonyl alcohol , tetradecanol , heptadecanol , 2 - methylpentane - 2 , 4 - diol , ethylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , 2 , 3 - butanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , 2 - butene - 1 , 4 - diol , 2 - ethyl - 1 , 3 - hexaediol , glycerine , hexadecanol , octadecanol , pinacol , pentaerythritol , cyclohexanol , α - phenylethyl alcohol , 2 - methylcyclohexanol , β - phenylethyl alcohol , benzyl alcohol , abietinol , and α - terpineol . the most preferred formulation of the metal coating coupling composition of this invention is as follows : the ph value of metal coating coupling solution of this invention is preferably adjusted below about 6 , more preferably between from 3 to 6 . acidifying the metal coating coupling solution will improve hydrolysis and stability of hydrolyzed silane solution to longer shelf and / or service life during stocking / operating . the higher the ph , specifically above 6 , has the greater potential to polymerization or gelation of the metal coating coupling solution . it is important to select a proper chemical to adjust the ph value of this metal coating coupling solution . in general , both organic and inorganic ( mineral ) acids are usable to adjust ph value of the metal coating coupling solution , but most organic acids interfere the performance of the metal coating coupling composition and stain or colorize metallic substrates , so a preferred ph adjusters for this metal coating coupling composition are inorganic acids . the most preferred acid is hexafluorotitanic acid . the most preferred ph ranges for immersion and spray application are 3 . 5 - 4 . 5 and 4 . 5 - 5 . 5 , respectively , because any corrosion product or flash rust will prevent active the metal coating coupling composition of this invention from forming bonding with metallic surfaces . when preparing the metal coating coupling composition of the present invention , it is generally preferred to employ ( a ) the silane cross - linking agent and ( b ) the silane coupling agent in a ratio of 1 : 10 to 10 : 1 . the best preferred ratio is 1 : 1 . the concentration of ( a ) the silane cross - linking agent and ( b ) the silane coupling agent of the present invention may be varied from 0 . 0001 to 40 . 0 %/ wt ., respectively . the best preferred concentration of the metal coating coupling composition in a dilute aqueous solution in a working tank is from 0 . 01 to 20 . 0 %/ wt . in another preferred manner , the concentration of the silane cross - linking agent and coupling agent in an aqueous solution is 0 . 001 to 10 %/ wt . and the concentration of solvent is 0 . 01 to 40 % in weight . in the metal coating coupling formula described in table 5 , the amount of 2 - methyl - 2 , 4 - pentanedial is designated at 90 %/ wt . this amount can vary from 0 . 01 to 99 . 9 % in weight to provide very dilute aqueous solutions . a method of making a concentrated metal coating coupling composition is provided which is readily dilutable into an aqueous solution . the concentrated composition has more than a 12 - month shelf life and a 200 ° f . flash point . this example illustrates the preparation of the metal coating coupling solution . a typical procedure for the preparation of the metal coating coupling solution of this invention is as follows : a clean container is charged with 99 . 89 units of water , preferable soft water , the most preferable deionized water , then adjust with hexafluorotitanic acid . 0 . 1 units of the metal coating coupling composition shown in table 5 then is added in the acidic water . if the solution is applied by spray , the ph value should be adjusted with hexafluorotitanic acid to about 3 . 5 - 4 . 5 . if immersion , about 4 . 5 - 5 . 5 . however , this can vary from 1 . 0 to 12 . 0 . contacting time with metallic substrate is longer than 5 seconds and the most preferable contacting time is about 30 - 60 seconds . the applying temperature is from ambient to boiling temperature . the most preferable applying temperature is ambient temperature . this example demonstrates the effectiveness of present invention as this metal coating coupling composition to be applied on bare metallic substrates , which were coated and reacted with polyester / tgic and their hybrid coatings . metal panels , standard cold - rolled steel panels were made available from q - panel lab , were cleaned with alkaline cleaner liquid mc - 726 as made available for johnsondiversey , inc . ( about 2 ounces of cleaner per gallon of tap water at about 145 0f ). immersing or spraying the metal panels by liquid mc - 726 , rinsing with water , achieved the cleanliness of cold - rolled steel panels . the clean metal panels were sprayed ( for about 20 - 70 seconds ) or immersed in the in use the metal coating coupling composition prepared by the procedures shown in example 1 at ambient temperature for about 60 seconds , and then dried by forced air or with an oven at temperature about from ambient to 400 0f for about at least 5 seconds . the resulting primed panels were subsequently painted ( homogeneously coated with a polyester / tgic paint ). panels were then scribed and salt fogged per astm b 117 for 840 hours . the tested panels were subjected to a tape pull and knife scrape in a manner described by astm d 1654 procedure a , method 2 . mean creepage ( coating lift ) along the scribe was recorded in terms of time ( hours ) and millimeters of creepage . the data has been recorded in the following table 6 and shows that the metal coating coupling composition of the present invention has good adhesion and corrosion resistant properties . the preferable operation range is at a concentration of 0 . 01 - 2 . 0 %/ wt . it is not necessary to rinse the parts after the metal coating coupling composition is applied . the ph of the water is adjusted to 3 . 0 - 5 . 0 using an acidic material before adding the composition . the ph of the chemical solution should be maintained between 3 . 5 - 6 . 0 . normally , the ph will remain stable . however , if it needs to be adjusted , acidic material is used to lower it and alkaline material to raise it . higher temperature operation does not diminish the performance but will shorten the tank life by condensing reactive ingredients and changing the ratio of active functional groups and reactive sites on substrate . higher spray pressure is always preferable . lower ph will cause metal corrosion and higher ph will potentially cause solution gelling . this example demonstrates the effectiveness of present invention as a metal coating coupling composition to replace iron - phosphate / non - chromate processes . all treated panels were coated with polyester / tgic coatings . procedures to pretreat all panels is as follows : metal panels were cleaned , if applied , with alkaline cleaner liquid mc - 726 as made available for johnsondiversey , inc . ( about 2 . 0 ounces of cleaner per gallon of tap water at about 145 0f ); rinsed by water at ambient for 40 seconds ; pickled , if applied , with acid cleaner fac - 106 as made available for johnsondiversey , inc . ( about 2 . 0 ounces of cleaner per gallon of tap water at about ambient temperature ); rinsed by water at ambient for 40 seconds ; iron - phosphated , if applied , with secure tec es as made available for johnsondiversey , inc . ( about 3 ounces of cleaner per gallon of tap water at about 145 0f for 60 seconds ); rinsed by water at ambient for 40 seconds . then treated metal panels were sprayed ( for about 20 - 70 seconds ) or immersed in the in use metal coating coupling solution prepared by the procedures shown in example 1 at ambient temperature for about 60 seconds , and then dried by forced air or with an oven at about from ambient to 400 0f for about at lease 5 second . the resulting primed panels were subsequently painted ( homogeneously coated with a polyester / tgic paint ) and then scribed and salt fogged per astm b 117 for 552 hours . the four panels in table 7 purchased from act laboratories , inc ., which are used as comparison and pretreated with bonderite 1000 ™, the most commonly used type of industrial iron phosphate , and primed with parcolene 95 ™, the most commonly used type of industrial non - chromate metal coating coupling . iron phosphated panels have a coating weight of 40 - 60 mg / ft2 . the purchased panels were subsequently painted ( homogeneously coated with a polyester / tgic paint such as ferro , sp - 2006 and morton , 40 - 7008 ) and then scribed and salt fogged per astm b 117 for 552 hours . the resulting test panels were subjected to a tape pull and knife scrape in a manner described by astm d 1654 procedure a , method 2 . mean creepage ( coating lift ) along the scribe was recorded in terms of time ( hours ) and millimeters of creepage . the data has been recorded in the following table 8 and shows that the metal coating coupling composition of the present invention has good adhesion and corrosion resistant properties . as indicated in example 1 , hexafluorotitanic acid is employed to adjust the ph value . if desired , any inorganic compound could be employed which could contain titanium and / or zirconium ions . it will thus be seen that there is now provided a coupling composition which affords improved priming of metal . while examples and certain embodiments are disclosed , others can be employed provided they afford the desired coupling capabilities . other variations and modifications of this invention will be obvious to those skilled in this art . this invention is not to be limited except as set forth in the following claims .	2
referring to fig1 a combustible gas is passed through conduit 10 to a flare 28 where the combustible gas is burned . the passing of a combustible gas through conduit 10 is detected by measuring a first differential pressure using a pitot venturi 12 and transmitting the first differential pressure as a first signal by transmitter 14 through conduit 15 , check valve 16 and conduit 18 to flow controller 20 . a by - pass valve 36 is in parallel with check valve 16 . a set point signal from a set point signal source 38 is transmitted via conduit 19 to flow controller 20 . flow controller 20 compares the set point signal with the first signal and transmits a steam flow control signal through conduit 22 to open steam flow control valve 24 which is located in steam line 26 which is attached to flare 28 . flow controller 20 as shown in this embodiment is a proportional - integral controller , thus where the first signal is greater than the set point signal , the steam flow control signal opens steam flow control valve 24 to the full open position , allowing steam to flow to flare 28 . flow controller 20 could also be a proportional position controller or a ratio controller , then in response to the first signal , the steam flow control signal opens steam flow control valve 24 in proportion to the magnitude of the first signal . the first signal terminates when the pitot venturi 12 stops detecting a first differential pressure . in accordance with the invention a conduit 30 attached to conduit 18 connects a restrictor 32 to conduit 15 via conduit 34 . restrictor 32 permits the flow of the signal medium only in the opposite direction to that of check valve 16 and at an adjustable rate . therefore , when the flow of combustible gases in conduit 10 is terminated as indicated by the first signal generated by transmitter 14 which measures the first pressure differential across the pitot venturi 12 , restrictor 32 permits the first signal as seen by the flow controller 20 to slowly decrease by flowing through conduit 18 , conduit 30 , restrictor 32 , conduit 34 , conduit 15 and to bleed off to the atmosphere at transmitter 14 . this maintains steam flow control valve 24 at least partially open for a predetermined period of time depending upon the opening of restrictor 32 . referring to fig2 a combustible gas is passed through conduit 10 to a flare 28 where the combustible gas is burned . passing of a combustible gas through conduit 10 is detected by measuring a first differential pressure using a pitot venturi 12 and transmitting the first differential pressure as a first signal by transmitter 14 through conduit 15 , check valve 16 and conduit 18 to flow controller 21 . a by - pass valve 36 is in parallel with check valve 16 . a set point signal from a set point signal source 38 is transmitted via conduit 19 to flow controller 21 and in this respect the process and apparatus as described thus far and shown in fig2 is the same as that described in connection with fig1 . steam passes through conduit 40 to flow control valve 21 to flare 28 . steam passing through conduit 40 is monotored by measuring a second differential pressure using an orifice 42 and transmitting the second differential pressure as a second signal by transmitter 44 , through conduit 40 , to flow controller 21 . flow controller 21 compares the first signal , with the second signal and with the set point signal and transmits a steam adjustment signal through conduit 46 , to open steam flow control valve 24 , which is located in steam line 26 which is attached to flare 28 . in accordance with the invention a conduit 30 attached to conduit 16 connects a restrictor 32 to conduit 18 via conduit 34 . restrictor 32 permits the flow of the signal medium only in the opposite direction to that of check valve 16 and at an adjustable rate . therefore when the flow of combustible gases through conduit 10 is terminated as indicated by the first signal generated by transmitter 14 which measures the first pressure differential across the pitot venturi 12 , restrictor 32 , permits the first signal as seen by flow controller 21 to slowly decrease by flowing through conduit 18 , conduit 34 , restrictor 32 , conduit 30 , conduit 15 and to bleed off to the atmosphere at transmitter 14 . this maintains steam flow control valve 24 at least partially open for a predetermined period of time depending upon the opening of restrictor 32 . the advantage of the flare control system shown in fig2 is that it allows the steam to flow to the flare at a rate which is consistently proportional to the magnitude of the first signal received by controller 17 . referring to fig3 a combustible gas is passed through conduit 10 to a flare 28 where the combustible gas is burned . the passing of a combustible gas through conduit 10 is detected by measuring a first differential pressure using a pitot venturi 12 and transmitting the first differential pressure as a first signal by transmitter 14 through conduit 15 to flow controller 20 . a by - pass valve 58 is in parallel with check valve 58 . a set point signal from a set point signal souce 38 is transmitted via conduit 19 to flow controller 20 . flow controller 20 compares the set point signal with the first signal and transmits a steam flow control signal through conduit 18 , through check valve 50 and conduit 22 , to open steam flow control valve 24 located in steam line 26 which is attached to flare 28 . flow controller 20 is a proportional - integral controller , thus , when the first signal is greater than set point signal , steam flow control means signal opens steam flow control valve 24 to the full open position , allowing steam to flow to flare 28 . flow controller 20 could also be a proportional position controller or a ratio controller , then , in response to the first signal , steam flow control means opens steam flow control valve 24 in proportion to the magnitude of the first signal . in accordance with the invention a conduit 52 attached to conduit 22 connects a restrictor 54 to conduit 18 via conduit 56 . restrictor 54 permits the flow of a signal medium only in the opposite direction to that of check valve 50 and at an adjustable rate . therefore when the flow of combustible gases through conduit 10 is terminated as indicated by the first signal generated by transmitter 14 which measures the first pressure differential across the pitot venturi 12 , restrictor 54 , permits the first signal as seen by flow controller 20 to slowly decrease by flowing through conduit 22 , conduit 52 , adjustable restrictor 54 , conduit 56 , conduit 18 flow controller 20 , conduit 15 and to bleed off to the atmosphere at transmitter 14 . this maintains steam flow control valve 24 at least partially open for a predetermined period of time depending upon the opening of restrictor 54 . the rate of steam passed to the flare depends on the identity of the combustible gas being burned . unsaturated combustible gases require a greater amount of steam to obtain complete burning efficiency . generally the rate of steam for unsaturated hydrocarbon combustible gases is within the range of 0 . 9 pounds to 1 . 3 pounds of steam per pound of combustible gas and for unsaturated hydrocarbon combustible gases is within the range of 0 . 3 pounds to 0 . 8 pounds of steam per pound of combustible gas . the restrictor can be adjusted for any predetermined period of time . generally , the restrictor is adjusted for a predetermined period of time of from about 15 seconds to about 3 minutes but more often the predetermined period of time is from about 30 seconds to about one minute . in a specific example of the invention , an embodiment as shown in fig1 was employed to flare combustible gases comprising hydrogen , methane , ethane , ethylene , propane and propylene . the steam employed was saturated steam and the steam rate was 0 . 4 pounds of steam per pound of combustible gas . the means employed for detecting the passing of combustible gases to the flare was a pitot venturi no . 88s 79 manufactured by the taylor instruments company , rochester , n . y . the differential pressure detected by the pitot venturi in conjunction with a foxboro differential pressure transmitter model 15a1 , manufactured by the foxboro instrument company , foxboro , mass . was transmitted to a foxboro flow controller model 43ap through a check valve model 1119b - 2tp , manufactured by circle seal controls located in anaheim , calif . the signal generated by the foxboro flow controller model 43ap was then transmitted to the steam control valve to open or close the valve . an adjustable restrictor model no . c132aa , manufactured by foxboro instrument company was connected on either side of the check valve to permit flow of the signal medium from the downstream side of the check valve to the upstream side of the check valve in order to permit exhausting the signal medium ( air ) to the atmosphere when the flow of combustible gases detected by the differential pressure transmitter and the pitot venturi is reduced or terminated . the adjustable restrictor was set to permit the flow of steam to the flare for a period of 60 seconds following the termination of passing combustible gases to the flare . since the period of time beginning with the termination of flow of combustible gases to the flare and ending with the start of passing combustible gases to the flare was less than 60 seconds except occasionally , the practice of the present invention essentially eliminated the presence of smoke emanating from the flare at the beginning of each discharge of combustible gases to the flare without the necessity of passing steam to the flare on a continuous basis .	5
referring now to fig2 and fig3 c showing an exemplary design of a 2 . 5 inch , or smaller , head stack assembly 50 manufactured in accordance with this invention . in the embodiment shown , the head stack assembly was designed for a disk drive with two disks . the embodiment further includes head assemblies 51 a , 51 b , 51 c and 51 d with each suspension 52 a - 52 d distally carrying thin - film magnetic head elements 59 used to read and write information on both sides of these two disks . the details of the four head arm assemblies are best illustrated in fig3 c and 6 - 8 . referring now to both fig2 and 3 c , a stacked sequence of the above multiplicity of parts are as follows : starting from the bottom of the head stack assembly 50 , there is head arm assembly 51 d , a primary spacer 53 , two more head arm assemblies 51 c and 51 b , a secondary spacer 54 and the forth head arm assembly 51 a . the lower primary spacer 53 also incorporates a coil , which , along with a magnetic structure mounted to the drive base - plate ( not shown ), is used to rotate the actuator and move the heads across the disk surfaces . the arms 51 a - 51 d and spacers 53 , 54 are slipped over a flanged bearing housing 57 containing cylindrical ball bearings making up the pivot assembly 56 shown in a cross - sectional view in fig3 b . a bowed snap ring 58 is placed within a receiving groove located opposite the flanged end of the flanged bearing housing 57 . the above mentioned stacked sequence of parts are fixed firmly in place by the applied clamping force provided by the bowed snap ring 58 . no other fasteners are needed for the actuator assembly . as previously mentioned , the proper application of geometrics , kinematics and semi - kinematics design principles are at the center of the present invention . applying these principles while integrating parts serve the assembly and improves reliability of the pivoting actuator . the design principles provide the full natural tolerance and constraint balance for the assembly of parts . parts they produce are easier to make , also , function much better as an assembly with zero - stress location . referring now to fig4 showing the primary spacer 53 , and fig5 showing the secondary spacer 54 are each designed with self - fixturing features . the most critical alignment in a disk drive actuator is accurate and stable azimuth alignment of the various arms and spacers . if the alignment is not accurate the various heads will not all reach the outer and inner radii of the disk surfaces at the same time . this reduces the size of the available recording area on the disks and thereby reduces the maximum amount of data that can be stored by the disk drive . further , if this alignment is not stable , it is possible that the drive will not be able to read back previously written data , which makes it an unacceptable condition . in a self - fixturing design , the azimuth alignment is created and maintained by features intrinsic to the suspension arms 51 a , 51 b , 51 c and 51 d and spacers 53 , 54 . fig4 thru 8 illustrate the self - fixturing properties . fig4 and 5 show designs of the spacers 53 and 54 with basic self - fixturing features . preferably , both primary and secondary spacers 53 and 54 respectively , are molded of a rigid plastic which includes , on the primary spacer 53 , an over - mold feature 26 for securing a motor coil element . applying geometric design and statistical process control , directs the design of the primary spacer 53 as a receiving element for which the other parts , namely , arm assemblies 51 a - 51 d , spacer 54 , and flanged bearing housing 57 cooperate . fig4 shows the design of the primary spacer 53 as the central building block for the entire head stack assembly 50 in accordance with this invention . locating pins 21 , 22 , 23 and 24 are essential elements in the actuator assembly . pins 21 and 24 , shown in a partial cut - away , are positioned coaxially , one over the other , as are pins 22 and 23 , as illustrated in fig4 . in fig5 , the secondary spacer 54 also receives head arm assemblies . as described earlier , and illustrated in fig2 and 3 c , the head stack assembly is designed for a disk drive with two disks . four head arm assemblies 51 a - 51 d with attached suspensions 52 a - 52 d with attached thin - film magnetic head elements 59 used to read and write magnetic information on both sides of these two disks . the perspective view of the head stack assembly in fig2 best shows the overall design package . the assembly configuration of the four head arm assemblies and associated spacers and cartridge bearing is best illustrated in fig3 c , 4 and 5 . an exemplary sequence starts from the bottom of the head stack assembly 50 . firstly , head arm assembly 51 d is inverted and urged onto shorter molded pins 23 , 24 disposed under the primary spacer 53 , shown in fig4 . the shorter pins are coaxially in line with the upper pins 21 , 22 . secondly , arm 51 c is urged , right side up , onto the longer molded pins 21 , 22 disposed on the topside of primary spacer 53 . thirdly , arm 51 b is inverted and urged onto the longer molded pins 21 , 22 on top of arm 51 c previously assembled onto primary spacer 53 . right side - side up implies an orientation such that the slider containing the magnetic head element is on the lower face of the head arm assembly . secondary spacer 54 , refer to fig5 , is urged onto the upper pins 21 , 22 of primary spacer 53 over the previously assembled arms 51 c and 51 b , therein sandwiching the two arms between spacers 53 , 54 . the slotted hole 32 a and squared hole 31 a disposed at the underside of secondary spacer 54 as shown in fig5 a , are coaxially in line with molded pins 21 , 22 of primary spacer 53 and the upper and shorter molded pins 31 and 32 of secondary spacer 54 . the combination of slotted hole and square hole along with bearing bore 33 , also shown in fig5 , provide freedom allowing the head suspension assembly to thermally expand , between holes 32 a and 32 b relative to the pivot bearing bore 33 , permitting ease for assembly and disassembly of the head suspension assembly . the head suspension assembly 51 a is placed right side up and urged onto pins 31 and 32 . in a self - fixturing design , the azimuth alignment is created and maintained by features provided on the suspension arms 51 and spacers 53 , 54 . referring now to fig3 a , 3 c and 6 - 8 showing the design of the suspension arm 51 . fig3 a illustrates a top view of the suspension arm having two square stamped alignment holes 63 , and 64 , and one stamped alignment slot 62 in each of the suspension arms . only one of the square holes 63 is used in combination with the alignment slot 62 . this allows a single production tool to be used for suspension arms designed for both right - side - up and inverted use . each suspension arm 51 a - 51 d is located in the x and y directions by a molded pin on a spacer passing through the alignment hole in the suspension arms . the azimuth alignment of each arm relative to the spacers is controlled by a molded pin on a spacer going through the alignment slot in the suspension arm . in both of these two interfaces there is a small amount of interference between the pins and the corresponding features on the suspensions arms so that the positions of the arms are explicitly set and controlled . during the assembly of the suspension arms , an interference between the holes in suspensions 51 and the locating pins in the primary spacer 53 and secondary spacer 54 requires a force to urge the suspension arm over the pins . in the case of a slot sliding over a pin , the force is greatly reduced because there is only contact between the pins and slot at two linear areas on opposite sides of the pins . to reduce the force required to urge the holes over the pins , square holes are used in the suspension arms instead of round holes , thereby reducing the contact to only four linear areas of contact . in fig6 , 7 and 8 showing a top view of a typical suspension according to the invention , a side view , and a bottom view respectively . with this combination of geometrics and kinematics and semi - kinematics design principles , all of the suspension arms and both spacers are accurately and securely aligned to each other and the alignment is not dependant on external tooling . moreover , because of the interference at the interfaces , the azimuth alignment of the various parts is well controlled and will not shift over time . in summary therefore , is a rotary actuator assembly for a 2 . 5 inch disk drive or smaller . the disk drive having a support base and a pivot bearing assembly . the rotary actuator assembly includes a primary spacer standard having a top surface separated from a bottom surface . the primary spacer standard receives at least one suspension arm assembly standard and one secondary spacer standard . the primary spacer is designed having a semi - kinematic arrangement for controlling azimuth alignment . the primary spacer standard includes a datum hole having a pivot axis , the datum hole receives the pivot bearing assembly . a plurality of locator pins are disposed on the top surface and are coaxially aligned with locator pins on the bottom surface . the locator pins receive suspension arm assemblies and a secondary spacer . accommodation is made for an included coil assembly . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions .	6
referring to the figures , fig1 shows a perspective view of an apparatus in accordance with our invention which comprises an outrigger holder portion designated generally 10 secured to a mounting plate 12 mounted on top of a structural portion 14 of a boat . a retractable , rotatable key portion designated generally 16 is positioned below the structural portion 14 of the boat . a retractable , rotatable key portion 16 comprises a handle means 18 , a driver tube 20 attached thereto , a pin base 22 affixed to the other end of the driver tube 20 and a plurality of pins 24 fixed to and extending upwardly from the pin base 22 . each pin 24 is frustro - conical to allow for insertion into mating holes in the upper portion as will be more fully described herein after . as can be seen more clearly in fig2 , a bearing bushing 26 is positioned about the drive tube 20 to provide a bearing surface between the mounting plate 12 . the bushing has an outwardly extending flange to rest it on the upper surface of the mounting plate . resting upon the bushing 26 is a spring cup 28 . positioned about the drive tube 20 and within the confines of the upwardly extending cylindrical wall of the cup is a spring 30 . when the apparatus is in a fixed position , the spring 30 is collapsed and exerts a force against the bottom of the spring cup and the undersurface of the annular pin base 22 , thus driving the pin base into engagement with a mating part in the outrigger holder portion 10 . the outrigger holder portion 10 comprises a housing 32 fig3 . extending through this part is a driven tube 34 terminating in a forked end portion designated 36 which provides an open slot 38 at the end of the tube 34 . the upper end of the driven tube 34 terminates in a mating portion of the outrigger holder vertical adjustment assembly , designated generally 40 . a bearing bushing 42 is positioned about the driven tube 34 to provide a bearing surface between the driven tube 34 and the housing 32 . the bushing 42 has an outwardly extending flange to rest it on the under surface of a relieved portion of the mounting housing 32 . there is a hole 44 on a diameter through the cylindrical wall of the driven tube 34 . mounted through and extending from this hole is a support pin 46 . embracing the driven tube 34 is a segment seat 48 with a half - circular detent 50 formed on a diameter in the seat 48 and dimensioned to embrace the support pin 46 . a bearing bushing 52 is positioned about the driven tube 34 to provide a bearing surface between the driven tube and the flower 54 . the bushing 52 has an outwardly extending flange to rest it on the upper surface of the flower 54 . the inside housing 32 is configured with inwardly extending ribs 56 . the flower 54 has a peripheral configuration to mate with the ribbed configuration of the housing 32 . thus the flower 54 is keyed into the inner walls of the housing 32 , by its complementary configured outer periphery ; which prevents it from being rotated in the assembled condition . a “ c ” spring clip 55 is retained in a groove 57 in the ribs 56 of the housing 32 . when the flower 54 is positioned within the housing 32 , the spring clip 55 is compressed slightly and inserted into the grooves and released , to thereby retain the flower in the housing . the flower 54 has holes 56 therein on its lower surface . these holes are positioned to mate with the pins 24 of the drive tube 20 , in the fixed condition of the apparatus as shown in fig1 . there is a diametrically extending hole 60 fig2 through the cylindrical wall of the drive tube 20 . fixedly mounted through this hole in the wall of the tube 20 is a drive pin 62 . the drive pin 62 is positioned and dimensioned to fit within the slot 38 of the driven tube the housing 32 is fixedly mounted to the mounting plate 12 . with the apparatus in the fixed position as shown in fig1 , the pins 24 are in engagement with the holes 56 in the flower 54 and thus prevent the drive tube 20 from rotating . this is its normal , at rest condition . to rotate the driven tube 34 and thus reposition the outrigger holder in a horizontal plane , the handle 18 is first pulled down until the pins 24 are disengaged from the flower 54 . the handle and drive tube 20 can now be rotated . upon rotation , the drive pin 62 engages the driven tube 34 and rotates it see fig4 . during this rotation , the weight of the outrigger holder and outrigger , is absorbed by the bearing surfaces provided by the lower surface of the segment seat 48 and the upper surface of the bearing bushing 52 . any downward force is expended against the resistance provided by the fixed structure of the flower 54 retained in the housing 32 . thus the force is absorbed above the structure of the boat upon which the outrigger holder is mounted . when one stops exerting a downward force on the handle 18 , the force of the spring 30 takes over and moves the key portion upwardly to a position for re - engagement of the pins 24 within the holes 56 of the flower 54 . thus we have provided an indexing means whereby an outrigger holder can be rotated horizontally to move an outrigger inboard or outboard to a plurality of fixed positions , without contending with the weight of the outrigger . our invention comprises , a mounting means for mounting an outrigger holder on a structural part of a boat ; said mounting means further comprising a housing means for fixedly mounting the outrigger holder apparatus on said structural part ; an outrigger holder means mounted in said housing means for rotation therein ; a bearing means engaging said outrigger holder and said housing means for providing a bearing there between positioned above the structural part to bear the weight of the outrigger holder above the structural part upon rotation of the outrigger holder ; said mounting means for the outrigger holder further comprising an indexing means for adjusting the position of the outrigger holder means to a plurality of fixed positions in a horizontal plane from underneath the structural part upon which the outrigger holder means is mounted ; said indexing means having a first portion engaging said housing means and a second portion for selectively engaging and disengaging with said first portion ; said second portion when disengaged from said first portion being positioned to engage and rotate said outrigger holder means without bearing the weight of the outrigger holder means . the outrigger holder apparatus further comprising a release and turning mechanism engaging said mounting means for the outrigger holder means for moving the outrigger holder to and holding the outrigger holder in , a plurality of fixed horizontal positions . we have invented an outrigger holder apparatus wherein the release and turning mechanism further comprises a lock engaging said outrigger holder and said mounting means ; and a key being movable to disengage from said lock said and mounting means and thereby allow said key to be rotated in a horizontal plane to rotate the outrigger holder to a different fixed position . we have invented an outrigger holder apparatus wherein said lock comprises a flower engaging said housing ; said flower having a plurality of holes therein ; said key having a plurality of pins extending therefrom being positioned for insertion into and retraction from said holes in said flower . we have further invented an outrigger holder apparatus wherein said lock comprises a flower engaging said housing ; and said apparatus further comprises a bearing mounted in and extending above said flower ; and a segmented seat positioned above said bearing to rest upon said bearing ; said outrigger holder having a tube portion extending through said housing and a pin extending through the wall of said tube ; said seat having a detent therein and said pin being disposed in said detent to bear upon said seat . we have further invented an outrigger holder apparatus wherein said key further comprises a tube portion and a pin extending through the wall of said tube portion ; and said outrigger holder further comprising a tube portion with a slot therein ; said tube portions being juxtaposed such that the pin in the tube portion of the key is in the slot of the tube portion of the outrigger holder . we have further invented an outrigger holder apparatus wherein said lock comprises a flower in the housing means having a plurality of holes therein ; said key further comprising a tube portion with a pin base at one having a plurality of pins extending therefrom being positioned for insertion into and retraction from said holes in said flower ; said tube portion having a handle at an end opposite from the end with the pin base ; a bushing mounted about said tube portion for insertion through the structural part of the boat to provide a bearing between the tube portion and the structural part ; said bearing having a lip extending therefrom above the structural part ; a spring cup embracing said tube portion above said bushing and said lip and resting upon said lip and containing a spring which is positioned about said tube portion ; said spring engaging said pin base ; whereby when said handle is pulled in an axial direction with respect to said tube portion , the pin base compresses said spring as the pins in the base are disengaged from said lock . we have used the term “ flower ” for the part numbered 54 . however , it will be understood by those in the art that this part may have other shapes , so long as it can be fixedly mounted in the housing and perform the same functions of support and locking as this part .	1
referring first to drawing fig2 a , a cell container 40 is shown at an early stage of manufacturing . it is noted that manufacture of such cells is carried out with respect to multiple cells and cell containers 40 substantially simultaneously ; however , for sake of clarity , only one such cell container is depicted in the drawings . the cell container 40 is formed above a conductive plug 10 and a planarized insulating layer 18 similar to that previously discussed . however , for sake of convenience , various other components associated with the memory cell such as the word lines , active areas , or the semiconductor substrate are not shown in drawing fig2 a through 2f . to form the cell container 40 , a structural layer 20 , such as bpsg , is deposited above the planarized insulating layer 18 utilizing techniques and processes known by those of skill in the art . a masked etching process then forms several openings , typically cylindrical in geometry , contiguous with the conductive plug 10 and having sidewalls 24 which extend upwards therefrom . as shown in drawing fig2 b , a layer 26 of hsg polysilicon is deposited over the structural layer 20 . the hsg layer 26 may be formed by various methods known in the art , including low pressure cvd ( lpcvd ) and silicon deposition followed by vacuum anneal under specified temperature and pressure conditions . the hsg layer 26 may also be doped for greater conductivity . the formation of an hsg layer 26 is discussed in greater detail in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 090 , 655 issued to zahurak et al ., assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein . as discussed above , the hsg layer 26 provides a rough or textured surface , thus increasing the surface area , as well as the capacitance of the cell container 40 . the grain size of the hsg layer may vary depending on the volume of the cell container 40 and the desired surface area of the container . subsequent to the formation of the hsg layer 26 , the layer 26 maybe planarized for isolation of the memory cells on the array as shown in drawing fig2 c , thus again exposing the upper surface 42 of the structural layer 20 in preparation for further processing . a dielectric layer 28 ( also referred to as nitride layer 28 ) is then deposited over the hsg layer 26 as well as the planarized structural layer 20 as seen in drawing fig2 d . the dielectric layer 28 is conformally deposited according to the methods and processes known to those of skill in the art . it is contemplated that the dielectric layer 28 is formed of silicon nitride , such as si 3 n 4 ; however , it is noted that other suitable dielectric materials may be utilized in conjunction with the present invention , such as oxynitride . after the dielectric layer 28 has been deposited , a thin barrier layer 44 , such as aluminum , is deposited such that it covers the dielectric layer 28 above the upper surface 42 of the structural layer 20 as well as partially into the cell container 40 about the rim 46 thereof . such deposition may be accomplished by a low - step - coverage sputtering process after the dielectric layer 28 has been deposited . techniques such as low - angle or high - vacuum application may be used in the sputtering process to ensure that the metallic layer is deposited on the top part or rim 46 area of the cell container 40 without significantly depositing metal along the sidewalls or bottom surface of the cell container 40 . while aluminum is contemplated for use as the metallic layer , other metals may be properly utilized in conjunction with the present invention . for example , tantalum , zirconium , hafnium , tungsten , titanium , aluminum nitride , and their oxides may be used for the barrier layer 44 . it should be understood that the barrier layer 44 will form an oxygen barrier for those areas that it covers . to form the desired oxygen barrier , the barrier layer can be formed by one of at least two methods . the barrier layer 44 may be formed by directly sputtering a metallic layer to cover the dielectric layer 28 above the upper surface 42 of the structural layer 20 as well as partially into the cell container 40 about the rim 46 thereof and then converting the metallic layer to a metallic oxide barrier layer 44 by an oxidation process . when the metallic barrier layer 44 , a conductive layer , is converted by oxidation from a metallic barrier layer 44 to a metallic oxide barrier layer 44 , the metallic oxide barrier layer 44 becomes an insulation layer and is no longer conductive . if the barrier layer 44 is to be formed as a metallic oxide layer in - situ , such a metallic oxide barrier layer 44 may be formed by the reactive sputtering of metal in an oxidizing ambient atmosphere . in either event , whether the barrier layer 44 is either sputtered and then converted to a metallic oxide layer by an external oxidation process or is formed in - situ by the reactive sputtering of a metal in an oxidizing ambient atmosphere , the resulting metallic oxide barrier layer 44 has a higher dielectric constant than that of silicon nitride . therefore , the formation of the metallic oxide barrier layer 44 does not affect the electrical performance of the capacitor cell container 40 but , rather , functions as an oxygen diffusion barrier regarding the surrounding areas that the metallic oxide barrier layer 44 covers after formation to prevent the diffusion of oxygen thereinto . when the metallic barrier layer 44 is deposited as a metal and subjected to an external oxidation process , the metallic barrier layer 44 of the cell container 40 is oxidized at relatively low temperatures in an oxidizing ambient environment , such as o 2 , o 3 , n 2 o or h 2 o with or without the aid of plasma enhancement . thus , for example , deposited aluminum barrier layer 44 would be oxidized to form aluminum oxide ( al 2 o 3 ). the aluminum oxide may also be formed after the aluminum barrier layer 44 is deposited during a followed cell nitride re - oxidation step , thus eliminating the need for an extra oxidation step . subsequent oxidation of the metallic barrier layer 44 converts the metallic barrier layer 44 to a metallic oxide layer which has a high dielectric constant , preferably higher than the nitride layer 28 upon which it is deposited . additionally , it is expected that the resulting thickness of the metallic oxide barrier layer 44 be in the range of approximately 20 - 200 å . the existence of the barrier layer 44 allows for oxidation of the cell container 40 , including the nitride layer 28 , to take place without oxygen leaking through the structural layer 20 . as noted previously , oxygen leaking through the structural layer 20 would result in damage to the bottom cell layer such as the hsg layer 26 . furthermore , the barrier layer 44 serves as a barrier to current leakage through the edge or rim 46 area of the cell container 40 , thus improving the efficiency of the cell container in operation . it is noted that while sputtering of the barrier layer 44 allows for deposition of the material in a manner which does not sufficiently form an extraneous layer within the cell container itself ( i . e ., the cell walls and floor ), formation of such would not be detrimental to the operative capacity or does not affect the operative characteristics of the memory cell using cell container 40 . the barrier layer 44 has no discernible or minimum impact , if any at all , upon cell capacitance in the case that limited material is formed within the cell container 40 itself . further , the limited material falling into the cell container will be converted into a metallic oxide in the oxidation step or process . as such , the metallic oxide layer of material for the metals described herein will have a higher dielectric constant than the silicon nitride and , therefore , will have little effect on the capacitor electrical performance . a conductive top electrode layer 48 is deposited in the cell container 40 and above the metallic barrier layer 44 to form the resulting capacitive memory cell 50 . the top electrode layer 48 may be formed , for example , of polysilicon , titanium nitride or even a silicide according to processes understood by those of skill in the art . while the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms , specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein . however , it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed . rather , the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims .	7
reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . embodiments relate to a softening apparatus that softens raw water containing a hardness component and a washing machine including the same . in this specification , supply water containing a hardness component introduced into the softening apparatus is referred to as raw water , raw water , from which the hardness component has been removed , discharged from a softening unit is referred to as soft water , supply water having high concentration of hydrogen ions ( h + ) electrolyzed and supplied to an ion exchange material is referred to as regeneration water , and regeneration water having high concentration of a hardness component through a regeneration process is referred to as condensed water for the convenience of description . the hardness component may include positive ions , such as calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ), having positive charges . hereinafter , a description will be given on the assumption that the hardness component includes calcium ions and magnesium ions for the convenience of description . hereinafter , embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a view showing construction of a softening apparatus 100 according to an embodiment . referring to fig1 , the softening apparatus 100 includes a housing 110 having an inlet port 101 and an outlet port 102 , a softening unit 120 having an ion exchange material 121 to convert raw water into soft water , a regeneration unit 130 to regenerate the ion exchange material 121 using hydrogen ions ( h ) generated during electrolysis of water , and channel units 141 , 142 , and 143 to guide soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 or condensed water discharged from the regeneration unit 130 . in addition , the softening apparatus 100 may further include a detergent supply device 150 to supply detergent to the soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 . the softening unit 120 and the regeneration unit 130 are provided for softening and regeneration , respectively . the softening unit 120 and the regeneration unit 130 may be separated from each other . in this embodiment , however , a softening and regeneration element is integrally formed in the housing 110 . consequently , the softening and regeneration device is referred to as the softening unit 120 when generating soft water through a softening process and as regeneration unit 130 when performing a regeneration process . hereinafter , the respective elements of the softening apparatus 100 will be described in more detail . the housing 110 includes an inlet port 101 connected to a raw water pipe to allow raw water to be introduced therethrough and an outlet port 102 connected to a water discharge pipe to allow soft water to be discharged therethrough . the inlet port 101 may be formed at a central axis of the top of the housing 110 and the outlet port 102 may be formed at a central axis of the bottom of the housing 110 . the inlet port 101 and the outlet port 102 are provided with valves 140 to allow or block flow of raw water to be introduced into the inlet port 101 and soft water to be discharged to the inlet port 101 . during operation of the softening apparatus 100 , the valves 140 may be controlled to properly adjust introduction of raw water and discharge of soft water . the softening unit 120 is provided in the housing 110 . the softening unit 120 is an element to remove a hardness component from raw water introduced through the inlet port 101 of the softening apparatus 100 to soften the raw water . the softening unit 120 softens water based on ion exchange capability of the ion exchange material 121 . the softening unit 120 may be integrally formed with or separated from the regeneration unit 130 . in fig1 , the softening unit 120 is integrally formed with the regeneration unit 130 . the ion exchange material 121 may be , for example of a bead type or a powder type , but is not limited to those types . the ion exchange material 121 may fill the softening unit 120 . the ion exchange material 121 may be coupled to one side of an electrode 131 , specifically the surface of an anode via a binder . at least one selected from a group consisting of an inorganic binder and a porous binder may be used as the binder to increase the ion exchange amount of the ion exchange material 121 . a bead type zeolite compound is obtained by adding a binder to powder type zeolite particles ( z ) and forming the powder type zeolite particles in a spherical shape . water easily passes through the bead type zeolite compound since gaps among the particles are large . however , the bead type zeolite compound has a smaller specific surface area than a powder type zeolite compound with the result that softening performance per unit weight may be deteriorated . the powder type zeolite compound has a large specific surface area with the result that softening performance per unit weight is excellent . however , gaps among the particles are small . when water passes through the powder type zeolite compound , therefore , differential pressure may greatly increase . consequently , a proper sized zeolite compound may be used for the above reasons . furthermore , activated carbon ( c ) may be coupled to the zeolite compound or the housing 110 may be designed to have a cyclone structure . in fig1 and 2 , the ion exchange material 121 is formed by coupling the activated carbon ( c ) to the zeolite compound . in addition , the ion exchange material 121 may include at least one selected from a group consisting of an ion exchange material having zeolite , ion exchange resin , ion exchange thin film , ion exchange fiber , and at least one inorganic metal ion selected from a group consisting of aluminum ( al ), zirconium ( zr ), and silicon ( si ) as central atoms and an ion exchangeable site on the surface thereof , a material formed by introducing a functional group or a polymer compound to the surface of zeolite or ion exchange resin , a compound formed by introducing an ion exchange group including zeolite to at least one selected from a group consisting of platinum ( pt ), titanium ( ti ), titanium oxide ( tio 2 ), manganese ( mn ), carbon black , and zeocarbon . the regeneration unit 130 is an element to electrolyze raw water to remove hard impurities from the ion exchange material 121 . more specifically , the regeneration unit 130 supplies hydrogen ions ( h + ) generated during electrolysis of water to the ion exchange material 121 to regenerate the ion exchange material 121 . the regeneration unit 130 includes an electrode 131 to electrolyze raw water . the electrode 131 includes an anode 131 a and a cathode 131 b spaced apart from the anode 131 a . at least one anode 131 a and at least one cathode 131 b may be provided . more specifically , the anode 131 a and the cathode 131 b each may be formed in the shape , for example , of a circular electrode , a bar electrode , or a plate electrode . in fig1 , the anode 131 a and the cathode 131 b each are formed in the shape of a plate electrode for the convenience of description . alternatively , the anode 131 a may be formed in the shape of a circular electrode such that the anode 131 a extends in a longitudinal direction and the cathode 131 b may be formed in the shape of a bar electrode such that the cathode 131 b is disposed inside the anode 131 a . in addition , pluralities of anodes 131 a and cathodes 131 b may be provided such that the anodes 131 a and the cathodes 131 b are alternately arranged . in addition , the regeneration unit 130 may include a diaphragm 160 disposed between the anode 131 a and the cathode 131 b to selectively transmit ions . the diaphragm 160 may include at least one selected from a group consisting of non - woven fabric , membrane , and ion exchange film . as needed , a plurality of regeneration units 130 may be provided to constitute a regeneration module . in this case , regeneration may be more rapidly and effectively performed . the channel units 141 , 142 , and 143 guide soft water or condensed water discharged from the softening unit 120 or the regeneration unit 130 . referring to fig1 , acid soft water obtained by removing a hardness component from raw material and condensed water containing a hardness component separated from the ion exchange material 121 may be discharged from the anode 131 a side based on the diaphragm 160 and alkali water may be discharged from the cathode 131 b side . the channel units 141 , 142 , and 143 guide soft water discharged from the softening apparatus 100 such that the soft water is properly supplied as described above . components of soft water and condensed water will be explained in detail when operation of the softening apparatus 100 is described below . the channel units 141 , 142 , and 143 may include a first channel unit 141 , a second channel unit 142 , and a third channel unit 143 . the first channel unit 141 guides acid soft water to be supplied to a supply unit of the detergent supply device 150 . the second channel unit 142 guides acid soft water to be moved to a position where sterilization and descaling are performed . the third channel unit 143 guides condensed water and alkali water to be discharged outside . the detergent supply device 150 is provided in the vicinity of the first channel unit 141 . the softening apparatus 100 supplies softened wash water to an apparatus connected to the softening apparatus 100 or including the softening apparatus 100 . the softening apparatus 100 may supply detergent to soft water through the detergent supply device 150 . hereinafter , softening and regeneration processes and principles of the softening apparatus 100 with the above - stated construction according to the embodiment will be described in detail . fig2 is a view showing a softening process of the softening apparatus 100 according to the embodiment , fig3 is a view showing a regeneration process of the softening apparatus 100 according to the embodiment , and fig4 is a view showing the softening and regeneration processes performed in fig2 and 3 as a chemical reaction formula . referring to fig2 , when raw water is introduced into the softening unit 120 through the inlet port 101 , the raw water reaches the ion exchange material 121 filling the softening unit 120 . when the raw water reaches the ion exchange material 121 , a hardness component ( calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) or magnesium ions ( mg 2 + )) contained in the raw water is removed by the ion exchange material 121 and soft water is discharged through an outlet port 102 a of the housing 110 . that is , the raw water softening process is performed such that the hardness component of the raw water is adsorbed by the ion exchange material 121 and , at the same time , a positive ion component is separated from the ion exchange material 121 . the principle of ion exchange in the ion exchange material 121 is related to the structure of the ion exchange material 121 . in one embodiment , the ion exchange material 121 includes a zeolite particle ( z ) represented by structural formula 1 . referring to structural formula 1 , the zeolite particle ( z ) has silicon and aluminum as central atoms . the aluminum component of the zeolite particle ( z ) partially has negative charges and , therefore , may adsorb positive ions having positive charges . when raw water containing a hardness component ( calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and magnesium ions ( mg 2 + )) is introduced to an initial zeolite particle ( z ) coupled to hydrogen ions ( h + ) or sodium ions ( nat ), therefore , ion exchange is performed between the hydrogen ions ( h + ) and the calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and the magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ). in addition , ion exchange is performed between the sodium ions ( nat ) and the calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and the magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ). chemical reaction formulas 1 and 2 show a process in which the hardness component is adsorbed by the zeolite particle ( z ). the initial zeolite particle ( z ) may include sodium ions ( nat ) or hydrogen ions ( h + ) based on kind thereof . however , the regeneration process is performed through ion exchange between high - concentration hydrogen ions ( h + ) generated during electrolysis of water and calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ). as the regeneration process and the softening process are repeatedly performed , ion exchange is repeatedly performed between the hydrogen ions ( h + ) and the calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and the magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ). during ion exchange at the regeneration process and the softening process , the hydrogen ions ( h + ) are mainly intervened . as concentration of hydrogen ions ( h + ) of water increases , ph of the water decreases and the water is acidified . acid is corrosive . the ion exchange material 121 may be corroded due to such corrosiveness of acid . in the softening apparatus 100 , zeolite is repeatedly regenerated and used for a long period of time . consequently , zeolite stable against acid may be used as the ion exchange material 121 . when the softening process is performed for a predetermined amount of water , the regeneration process may be performed to remove impurities from the ion exchange material 121 . that is , hard impurities may be removed from the ion exchange material 121 through the regeneration process such that the softening apparatus 100 is continuously usable . referring to fig3 , when raw water is introduced into the softening apparatus 100 through the inlet port 101 during the regeneration process , current is applied to the anode 131 a and the cathode 131 b of the regeneration unit 130 . as a result , the raw water is electrolyzed to generate hydrogen positive ions . when electric energy is applied to water such that the water is electrolyzed to perform an oxidation - reduction reaction , a reaction represented by chemical reaction formula 3 occurs at the anode 131 a and a reaction represented by chemical reaction formula 4 occurs at the cathode 131 b . h 2 o → ½o 2 + 2h + + 2 e − chemical reaction formula 3 2h 2 o + 2 e − → h 2 + 2oh − chemical reaction formula 4 referring to chemical reaction formulas 3 and 4 , regeneration water having high concentration of hydrogen ions ( h + ) is generated from the anode 131 a . when the regeneration water is supplied to the ion exchange material 121 provided in the vicinity of the anode 131 a , calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ) adsorbed by the ion exchange material 121 are exchanged with the high - concentration hydrogen ions ( h + ) to regenerate the ion exchange material 121 . meanwhile , a compound formed by coupling activated carbon ( c ) to zeolite particles ( z ) may be used as the ion exchange material 121 . activated carbon ( c ) has a large specific surface area and high electric conductivity . when a compound formed by coupling activated carbon ( c ) to zeolite particles ( z ) is used as the ion exchange material 121 , therefore , the electrode 131 may have a large specific surface area . that is , when activated carbon ( c ) is not coupled to zeolite particles ( z ), hydrogen ions ( h + ) are mainly generated at the surface of the electrode . on the other hand , when activated carbon ( c ) is coupled to zeolite particles ( z ), hydrogen ions ( h + ) may be generated in the vicinity of the activated carbon ( c ) in addition to at the surface of the electrode . as a result , regeneration water having high - concentration hydrogen ions ( h + ) may be obtained , thereby achieving more rapid regeneration of zeolite . a softening and regeneration cycle as shown in fig4 is derived from combination of the principles shown in fig2 and 3 . in fig4 , a solid line indicates a softening process and a dotted line indicates a regeneration process . referring to fig4 , zeolite particles ( z ) may have a form of h x y ( s ) or na r y ( s ). when raw water containing a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) is supplied to zeolite particles ( z ) of the softening unit 120 , calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) or magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ) are adsorbed by the zeolite particles ( z ) and , at the same time , a positive ion component , such as hydrogen ions ( h + ) or sodium ions ( nat ), is separated from the ion exchange material 121 . after completion of the softening process , therefore , soft water is discharged from the anode 131 a side . after completion of the softening process , a regeneration process may be periodically performed as needed . the regeneration process uses high - concentration hydrogen ions ( h + ) generated during electrolysis of water . that is , a large amount of hydrogen ions ( h + ) are generated from the anode 131 a side during electrolysis of water . the hydrogen ions ( h + ) are exchanged with the calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) or magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ) adsorbed by the ion exchange material 121 to regenerate the zeolite particles ( z ). after completion of the regeneration process , therefore , condensed water containing calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ) is discharged from the anode 131 a side and alkali water containing a large amount of hydroxyl ions ( oh ) is discharged from the cathode 131 b side . as a result , acid soft water containing hydrogen ions ( h + ) generated after completion of the softening process may be used to sterilize or descale another apparatus connected to the softening apparatus 100 or detergent may be supplied to the soft water through the detergent supply device 150 such that the soft water may be used as wash water . meanwhile , the condensed water and the alkali water generated after completion of the regeneration process are discharged outside through a drain . next , construction and operation of a softening apparatus 100 including a heater 160 according to an embodiment will be described in detail . fig5 is a view showing construction of a softening apparatus 100 including a heater 160 according to an embodiment , fig6 a to 6c are views showing positions where the heater 160 may be installed in the softening apparatus , fig7 is a graph showing the average adsorption amount of sodium ions ( nat ) based on concentration of sodium chloride per temperature , and fig8 is a graph showing a dissociation constant of water based on temperature . referring to fig5 , the softening apparatus 100 may further include a heater 160 in addition to the construction shown in fig1 and a repeated description thereof corresponding to fig1 will be omitted . the heater 160 is an element to heat raw water supplied to the regeneration unit 130 . during the regeneration process , the heater 160 may heat raw water supplied to the ion exchange material 121 such that the raw water is easily electrolyzed . when the temperature of the ion exchange material 121 is increased , calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) or magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ) may be easily separated from the ion exchange material 121 . consequently , a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) may be easily separated from the ion exchange material 121 using this principle . more specifically , when temperature is changed from room temperature to high temperature , a dissociation constant of water is abruptly increased with the result that the water is easily electrolyzed . as the electrolysis result of the water , concentration of hydrogen ions ( h + ) is increased and , therefore , the hydrogen ions ( h + ) may be actively exchanged with the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) coupled to the ion exchange material 121 . referring to fig6 a to 6c , the heater 160 may be installed before the regeneration unit 130 and / or the softening unit 120 or in the vicinity of the regeneration unit 130 and / or the softening unit 120 . fig6 a shows that the regeneration unit 130 and the softening unit 120 are integrally formed and fig6 b and 6c show that the regeneration unit 130 generates and supplies hydrogen ions ( h + ) to the softening unit 120 to perform regeneration . when the heater 160 is provided before the regeneration unit 130 and the softening unit 120 as shown in fig6 a , raw water heated by the heater 160 is supplied to the regeneration unit 130 such that the raw water is electrolyzed by the regeneration unit 130 . consequently , hydrogen ions ( h + ) may be more easily obtained on the anode 131 a side and regeneration water having a large amount of hydrogen ions ( h + ) through electrolysis may be supplied to the ion exchange material 121 such that a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) is easily separated from the ion exchange material 121 . in addition , even when the heater 160 is provided in the vicinity of the regeneration unit 130 and the softening unit 120 as shown in fig6 b , the above effects may be obtained . as previously described , the heater 160 may be provided at the softening unit 120 or the regeneration unit 130 . for example , as shown in fig6 c , the heater 160 may be installed in the vicinity of the softening unit 120 . in this case , room - temperature raw water is supplied to the regeneration unit 130 such that the raw water is electrolyzed by the regeneration unit 130 and regeneration water obtained through electrolysis is supplied to the softening unit 120 such that the regeneration water is heated by the heater 160 . the heated regeneration water may be supplied to the ion exchange material 121 such that a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) is easily separated from the ion exchange material 121 . referring to fig7 , the adsorption amount of sodium is greater at high temperature than at low temperature . this is because motive power is thermodynamically increased to the heat at high temperature and , therefore , an ion separation property is increased . the same principle may be applied to calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ). that is , when the ion exchange material 121 is regenerated using high - temperature regeneration water during the regeneration process , an ion separation property of calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ) is increased . consequently , calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ) may be easily removed from the ion exchange material 121 . referring to fig8 , a dissociation constant of water is abruptly increased when temperature is changed from room temperature to high temperature . consequently , higher concentration of hydrogen ions ( h + ) may be obtained at high temperature and , therefore , regeneration may be easily achieved . for example , a dissociation constant of water is 0 . 68 * 10 (− 14 ) at 20 ° c . on the other hand , a dissociation constant of water is 33 * 10 (− 14 ) , which is about 48 times that at 20 ° c ., at 85 ° c . when the heater 160 is installed such that high - temperature raw water is supplied to the ion exchange material 121 containing high concentration of hydrogen ions ( h + ) during the regeneration process , therefore , calcium ions ( ca 2 + ) and magnesium ions ( mg 2 + ) may be easily separated from the ion exchange material 121 . next , a softening apparatus 100 including a storage tank 170 according to an embodiment will be described in detail . fig9 is a view showing construction of a softening apparatus 100 including a storage tank 170 according to an embodiment . referring to fig9 , the softening apparatus 100 may further include a storage tank 170 in addition to the construction shown in fig1 and a repeated description thereof corresponding to fig1 will be omitted for the convenience of description . the storage tank 170 stores soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 such that the soft water is supplied to the regeneration unit 130 during the regeneration process . in the softening apparatus 100 shown in fig1 and 6 , raw water containing a large amount of a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) is supplied to the regeneration unit 130 . however , the regeneration process is performed such that high - concentration hydrogen ions ( h + ) generated during electrolysis of water are supplied to the ion exchange material 121 . when the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) is supplied to the ion exchange material 121 during the regeneration process , therefore , ion exchange may be more effectively performed . in this embodiment , therefore , soft water is stored in the storage tank 170 during the softening process and then the soft water stored in the storage tank 170 is supplied to the regeneration unit 130 during the regeneration process . consequently , the regeneration process may be more easily performed . next , a softening apparatus 100 including a softening unit 120 and a regeneration unit 130 , which are separated from each other , according to an embodiment will be described in detail . fig1 is a view showing a softening apparatus 100 including a softening unit 120 and a regeneration unit 130 , which are separated from each other , according to an embodiment . referring to fig1 , the softening apparatus 100 includes the construction shown in fig1 . however , the regeneration unit 130 is installed before the softening unit 120 . that is , the regeneration unit 130 and the softening unit 120 are separated from each other . consequently , external appearances of the softening unit 120 and the regeneration unit 130 are defined by housings 110 a and 110 b . a bead type zeolite compound is used as the ion exchange material 121 . the ion exchange material 121 fills a gap between the inlet port 101 and the outlet unit 102 inside the housing 110 a of the softening unit 120 . the electrode 131 includes a plate - shaped anode 131 a and a plate - shaped cathode 131 b provided in the housing 110 b of the regeneration unit 130 . the anode 131 a and the cathode 131 b are spaced apart from each other in a state in which the diaphragm 160 is disposed between the anode 131 a and the cathode 131 b . operation of the softening apparatus 100 is as follows . during the softening process of the softening apparatus 100 , raw water having passed through the regeneration unit 130 installed before the softening unit 120 is introduced into the softening unit 120 . at this time , electric power is not supplied to the electrode 131 of the regeneration unit 130 . as a result , the raw water introduced into the regeneration unit 130 passes through the regeneration unit 130 and is introduced into the softening unit 120 . the raw water introduced into the softening unit 120 is softened according to the same principle as shown in fig2 . after the softening process is performed several times , it may be necessary to regenerate the ion exchange material 121 of the softening apparatus 100 . during the regeneration process of the ion exchange material 121 , electric power is supplied to the electrode 131 of the regeneration unit 130 such that raw water introduced into the regeneration unit 130 is electrolyzed . when the raw water is electrolyzed , regeneration water having high concentration of hydrogen ions ( h + ) is obtained . the regeneration water is supplied to the ion exchange material 121 of the softening unit 120 . the hydrogen ions ( h + ) of the regeneration water supplied to the ion exchange material 121 are exchanged with a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) adsorbed by the ion exchange material 121 to regenerate the ion exchange material 121 . next , a softening apparatus 100 according to an embodiment will be described in detail . fig1 is a view showing a cyclone type softening apparatus 100 according to an embodiment . referring to fig1 , the softening apparatus 100 is configured such that the softening unit 120 and the regeneration unit 130 are integrally formed , the housing 110 is designed to have a cyclone structure , and a power type zeolite compound fills the housing 110 . in addition , the inlet port 101 is formed at one side of the housing 110 and the outlet port 102 is formed at the top of the housing 110 . operation of the softening apparatus 100 with the above - stated construction is as follows . when raw water containing a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) is introduced into the housing 110 through the inlet port 101 during the softening process , cyclone is generated in the housing 110 . as a result , zeolite particles ( z ) sink and the water , which is lighter than the zeolite particles ( z ), is softened and discharged through the outlet port 102 due to the difference in density between the zeolite particles ( z ) and the water after the softening process is performed several times , it may be necessary to regenerate the ion exchange material 121 of the softening apparatus 100 . when raw water is introduced through the inlet port 101 of the housing 110 and electric power is supplied to the electrode 131 of the regeneration unit 130 to regenerate the ion exchange material 121 , the raw water supplied to the regeneration unit 130 is electrolyzed and regeneration water having high concentration of hydrogen ions ( h + ) is obtained . the regeneration water obtained by the regeneration unit 130 is supplied to the ion exchange material 121 to regenerate the ion exchange material 121 . next , a washing machine including the softening apparatus 100 shown in fig1 will be described in detail . however , the softening apparatus 100 can be applied to any appliance , for example , a dishwasher or refrigerator , or a device that can benefit from softened water . the washing machine may include a washing device , a softening apparatus 100 , and a controller to control operation of the washing device and the softening apparatus 100 . the softening apparatus 100 may include a regeneration unit 130 to generate regeneration water containing hydrogen ions ( h + ) and a softening unit 120 , including an ion exchange material which is regenerated by the regeneration water , to convert raw water containing a hardness component into soft water containing hydrogen ions ( h + ). the washing machine may include all kinds of apparatuses , such as a washer and a dishwasher , using for washing . hereinafter , a washer will be described in detail by way of example for the convenience of description . fig1 is a view showing a washing machine 200 including the softening apparatus 100 of fig1 and fig1 is a control block diagram of the washing machine 200 shown in fig1 . the washing machine 200 may include any one of the softening apparatuses 100 shown in fig1 , 5 , and 9 to 11 . hereinafter , the washing machine 200 including the softening apparatus 100 shown in fig1 will be described in detail by way of example for the convenience of description . referring to fig1 and 13 , the washing machine 200 includes a softening apparatus 100 , channel units 141 , 142 , and 143 to guide soft water discharged from the softening apparatus 100 , a plurality of valves 140 to allow or block flow of the soft water in the channel units 141 , 142 , and 143 , an input unit 205 to allow input of a command to control the washing machine 200 , a sensor unit 210 to determine regeneration time , a washing tub 290 to perform washing , a drive unit 220 to drive the washing tub 290 and the softening apparatus 100 , and a controller 230 to control operation of the washing tub 290 and the softening apparatus 100 . in addition , the washing machine 200 may further include a drain 190 , which is a discharge passage of wash water discharged from the washing tub 290 and concentrated water and alkali water discharged from the softening apparatus 100 and a detergent supply device 150 to supply detergent to soft water generated by the softening apparatus 100 . the softening apparatus 100 includes a housing 110 having an inlet port 101 and an outlet port 102 , a softening unit 120 having an ion exchange material 121 to convert raw water into soft water , and a regeneration unit 130 to electrolyze water to generate hydrogen ions ( h +) and to supply the generated hydrogen ions ( h + ) to the ion exchange material 121 to regenerate the ion exchange material 121 . hereinafter , a repeated description of the softening apparatus 100 corresponding to fig1 will be omitted for the convenience of description . the input unit 205 is an element to allow input of a control command of the washing machine 200 . the input unit 205 may be of a button type or a touch type . the washing machine 200 may be operated in a sterilization mode , a washing mode , and a regeneration mode . correspondingly , the input unit 205 may include a sterilization mode input unit 205 , a washing mode input unit 205 , and a regeneration mode input unit 205 . the sensor unit 210 may be provided in the housing 110 of the softening apparatus 100 or around the outlet port 102 a to determine regeneration time of the softening apparatus 100 . more specifically , when the softening process is performed for a predetermined amount of water , the regeneration process may be performed to remove impurities from the ion exchange material 121 . the sensor unit 210 senses a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) of soft water to determine regeneration time of the softening apparatus 100 . the sensor unit 210 may include at least one selected from among a hardness sensor , an electric conductivity sensor , a capacitive sensor , and a flow rate sensor . the hardness sensor senses a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) of soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 . the electric conductivity sensor senses change in electric conductivity based on the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) of the soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 . the flow rate sensor senses the amount of soft water treated by the softening unit 120 and outputs the sensing result to the controller 230 . the controller 230 controls the washing device to be operated in the sterilization mode , the washing mode , and the regeneration mode . after the softening and regeneration processes , the controller 230 controls flow of soft water and condensed water through the valves 140 . when a sterilization command is input through the input unit 205 , the sterilization mode may be executed . when the washing machine 200 is operated in the sterilization mode , the softening unit 120 may generate soft water containing hydrogen ions ( h + ) such that the soft water is used to sterilize or descale the washing tub 290 . when a washing command is input through the input unit 205 , the washing mode may be executed . when the washing machine 200 is operated in the washing mode , soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 may be mixed with detergent supplied from the detergent supply device 150 such that the mixture is supplied to the washing tub 290 . when a regeneration command is input through the input unit 205 or it is determined according to a predetermined criterion that the regeneration mode is to be executed , the regeneration mode may be executed . when the washing machine 200 is operated in the regeneration mode , the regeneration unit 130 may generate regeneration water containing hydrogen ions ( h + ) and supply the regeneration water to the softening unit 120 to regenerate the ion exchange material . hereinafter , a detailed description will be given of a regeneration time determination method of the washing machine 200 excluding a case in which the regeneration command is input through the input unit 205 . when the sensing result of the hardness sensor is output , the controller 230 may determine a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) of soft water according to the output signal of the hardness sensor . when the output of the hardness sensor reaches predetermined first reference hardness , the controller 230 may control the regeneration unit 130 to perform the regeneration process . in addition , when the sensing result of the electric conductivity sensor is output , the controller 230 may determine a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) of soft water according to the output signal of the electric conductivity sensor . when the output of the electric conductivity sensor reaches predetermined second reference conductivity , the controller 230 may control the regeneration unit 130 to perform the regeneration process . in addition , when the sensing result of the flow rate sensor is output , the controller 230 may check the amount of soft water treated by the softening unit 120 according to the output signal of the flow rate sensor . when the output of the flow rate sensor reaches predetermined third reference flow rate , the controller 230 may control the regeneration unit 130 to perform the regeneration process . next , a description will be given of a soft water and condensed water flow control process after the softening process and the regeneration process . when the sterilization mode is input , soft water containing hydrogen ions ( h + ) discharge from the softening unit 120 is supplied to a position where sterilization or descaling is needed . as previously described , the soft water is acid water containing a large amount of hydrogen ions ( h + ). consequently , the soft water may be introduced into the washing tub 290 through the second channel unit 142 to sterilize and descale the washing tub 290 . when the washing mode is input , soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 may be mixed with detergent supplied from the detergent supply device 150 such that the mixture is supplied to the washing tub 290 . in this case , soft water containing a large amount of hydrogen ions ( h +) may be used as wash water . when the regeneration mode is input or it is determined that the regeneration mode is to be executed , electric power is applied to the electrode 131 to electrolyze water . regeneration water containing high - concentration hydrogen ions ( h + ) may be obtained through electrolysis of water . concentrated water discharged after completion of the regeneration process may be discharged outside through the drain . hereinafter , an operation method of the washing machine 200 will be described . the operation method of the washing machine 200 includes an operation of supplying raw water containing a hardness component to the softening apparatus 100 to generate soft water containing hydrogen ions and an operation of providing the generated soft water to wash or sterilize the washing device . the operation of providing the generated soft water to wash the washing device may further include an operation of supplying detergent to the generated soft water and providing the soft water containing the detergent to the washing device to wash the washing device . in addition , it may be necessary to periodically regenerate the ion exchange material of the softening apparatus 100 included in the washing machine 200 after the softening process is performed several times . upon determining that the ion exchange material is to be regenerated , an operation of regenerating the softening apparatus 100 may be performed . fig1 is a flowchart showing an operation method of a washing machine 200 according to an embodiment . hereinafter , the operation method of the washing machine 200 as a washer will be described in more detail by way of example . referring to fig1 , when raw water is supplied to the washing machine 200 , the softening unit 120 softens the raw water into soft water . that is , a hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) is removed from the raw water while the raw water passes through the softening unit 120 ( 310 and 320 ). the hardness sensor senses hardness of the soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 . at an early stage of the softening process , the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) is hardly sensed . as the softening process is performed several times , the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) accumulates in the ion exchange material 121 . as a result , hardness having a predetermined value or more may be sensed . consequently , the hardness sensor periodically senses the hardness of the soft water output from the softening unit 120 and outputs the sensing result to the controller 230 ( 330 ). upon receiving the output of the hardness sensor , the controller 230 determines an output value of the hardness sensor . upon determining that the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) of the soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 has reached the predetermined first reference hardness , the controller 230 controls the regeneration unit to perform the regeneration process . on the other hand , upon determining that the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) of the soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 has not reached the predetermined first reference hardness , the controller 230 determines whether the sterilization mode has been input ( 340 and 350 ). upon determining that the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) of the soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 has reached the predetermined first reference hardness , it is determined that the regeneration process is to be performed . consequently , electric power is supplied to the electrode 131 of the regeneration unit 130 such that raw water introduced into the regeneration unit 130 is electrolyzed . when the raw water is electrolyzed , hydrogen ions ( h + ) are generated and the hydrogen ions ( h + ) are exchanged with the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) coupled to the ion exchange material 121 to perform the regeneration process . when the regeneration process is completed , raw water is supplied to the softening unit 120 and the raw water is softened by the regenerated ion exchange material 121 ( 342 , 344 , 310 , and 320 ). concentrated water and alkali water generated during the regeneration process are discharged through the drain 190 via the third channel unit 143 . in addition , prestored soft water may be supplied to perform the regeneration process as previously described with reference to fig9 . upon determining that the hardness component ( ca 2 + or mg 2 + ) of the soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 has not reached the predetermined first reference hardness , the soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 is supplied to execute the sterilization mode or the washing mode ( 350 ). upon determining that the sterilization mode has been input through the input unit 205 , the soft water discharged from the softening unit 120 is supplied to the washing tub 290 via the second channel unit 142 such that the soft water is used to sterilize and descale the washing tub 290 ( 350 , 352 , and 354 ). upon determining that the sterilization mode has not been input through the input unit 205 , it is determined that the washing mode has been input . consequently , detergent is supplied to the soft water introduced into the first channel unit 141 through the detergent supply device 150 . the soft water containing the detergent is supplied to the washing tub 290 such that the soft water is provided for washing ( 350 , 360 , 362 , and 364 ). the operation method of the washing machine 200 is not limited to that shown in fig1 . the regeneration process may be performed after the washing process or the regeneration process may be directly performed through the input unit 205 . that is , the above - described operation method of the washing machine 200 may include all processes within a scope easily changeable by those skilled in the art . as is apparent from the above description , the softening apparatus and the washing machine according to the embodiments may have the following effects . first , a zeolite compound that has been used to perform ion exchange may be regenerated using hydrogen ions ( h + ) generated using an electrochemical method such that the zeolite compound may be repeatedly used . in addition , the zeolite compound may be continuously regenerated without supply of an additional regeneration agent , thereby improving economical efficiency . furthermore , hydrogen ions ( h + ) generated during a softening process may be used for sterilization and descaling , thereby executing a sterilization mode separately from a washing mode . although a few embodiments have been shown and described , it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention , the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents .	3
a sheet material 10 to be saturated with a fast - reacting saturant 12 passes under trough 14 . the sheet material 10 to be saturated may be any conventional and well known sheet materials such as felt , glass fiber paper , spun - bonded polyester fabric , and woven fabrics of jute or cotton and may be of any desired width . in this example , the sheet material 10 is a carrier felt made by needlepunching two polyester webs with an open - glass scrim between them . this felt contains 9 oz ./ sq . yd . ( 0 . 30 kg / m 2 ) of polyester , with the glass scrim bringing the total weight of the felt to approximately 11 oz ./ sq . yd . ( 0 . 37 kg / m 2 ) and has a length of approximately 21 &# 34 ; ( 53 . 34 cm ) and a thickness in the range of approximately 0 . 120 to 0 . 140 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 304 to 0 . 366 cm ). the fast - reacting saturant 12 in this example is the product of mixing two solutions in an equal unit ratio and is marketed under the trademark poly - chem of poly - chem industries , inc . solution 16 is a formaldehyde - melamine - urea resin solution having the following formula , with one unit having 50 . 8 % solids : solution 18 is a urea - titanium tetrachloride solution having the following formula , with one unit having 57 . 6 % solids : solutions 16 and 18 are stored in any conventional storage tanks 20 and 22 respectively . solutions 16 and 18 are each individually fed to a conventional mixing head 24 in any conventional manner , such as by pumps , gravity , or some other conventional means . although not shown in fig1 and not an essential part of the invention , means for preventing the mixing of solutions 16 and 18 such as valving means in the lines between the storage tanks and mixing head or means for recirculating solutions 16 and 18 back to their individual storage tanks 20 and 22 respectively could be used with this apparatus if it were desired . any conventional valving or recirculation means known to those skilled in the art could be used for this purpose . use of the valving or recirculating means would prevent the solutions from being mixed , and therefore , from forming a fast - reacting saturant having a set - up or cure time of approximately 1 minute at ambient temperature , this time being critical since the saturant 12 must be metered onto the sheet material 10 prior to the passing of this time period . although the poly - chem fast - reacting saturant is described above , other fast - reacting , multiple component saturants such as low viscosity urethanes , epoxies , polyesters , phenols , ureas , or melamines can be used in the method and apparatus of this invention . the mixing head 24 is the mixing head portion of a urethane foam dispensing machine , such as the lake erie machine co ., model 510 unifoam , which has an air - driven impeller . although this mixing head has solenoid controlled valving which could be used in conjunction with a recirculation system , such valving is not an essential part of this invention . in fact , any conventional mixing head known to those skilled in the art which could accommodate the number of components being mixed and provides adequate mixing capability will suffice . when the solutions 16 and 18 are mixed together in the mixing head 24 , they produce the poly - chem fast - reacting saturant 12 which has a water - like consistency . from the time that the saturant 12 is produced in mixing head 24 until the saturant is metered onto the sheet material 10 , the time that elapses should be no greater than the time that it takes for the fast - reacting saturant to set - up or cure . for this reason , it is important that the amount of saturant being mixed in the mixing head be equal to or only slightly greater than the amount being metered onto the moving sheet material . as the saturant 12 exits from mixing head 24 , it enters dispensing hose 26 . this hose 26 has an inside diameter of approximately 1 / 4 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 64 cm ). the opening 28 of dispensing hose 26 is positioned above the threaded rod 30 positioned in trough 14 . at some convenient point between the end of hose 26 attached to mixing head 24 and the end of hose 26 having opening 28 therein , the hose is attached to a conventional reciprocating device 32 . any such conventional device which will cause the opening 28 of hose 26 to reciprocate between ends 34 of trough 14 and which is known to those skilled in the art will suffice as the reciprocating device . the loop 36 represents that excess amount of hose 26 which is needed to allow the end of hose 26 having opening 28 therein to reciprocate between the ends 34 of trough 14 . the trough 14 is positioned above and perpendicularly across the sheet material 10 travelling thereunder . the length of trough 14 should preferably be several inches longer than the width of sheet material 10 . in this example , with a felted fabric sheet material 21 &# 34 ; ( 53 . 34 cm ) wide , the trough is approximately 24 &# 34 ; ( 60 . 96 cm ) long . in this example , the trough is made of copper and has a cross - section of a semi - cylinder having an inside diameter of approximately 2 &# 34 ; ( 5 . 08 cm ). troughs having other cross - sections could also be used so long as there is no portion of the trough which would prevent some of the fast - acting saturant from being allowed to exit through the slot 38 through the bottom of trough 14 . also , the trough can be made of any desired material so long as it is resistant to any corrosive action which may be caused by the saturant 10 . slot 38 in the bottom of trough 14 should preferably be the same length as the width of sheet material 10 . however , if desired , slot 38 could be slightly shorter , by some small distance , approximately 1 &# 34 ; ( 2 . 54 cm ), than the felted fabric being saturated . in this latter situation , an unsaturated selvage would remain at the edges of the felted fabric and would probably require subsequent trimming from the sheet . in this example , slot 38 is approximately 21 &# 34 ; ( 53 . 34 cm ) long , the width of the fabric being saturated . the width of slot 38 may range from approximately 1 / 16 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 159 cm ) to 3 / 16 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 476 cm ). in this example , slot 38 had a width of approximately 1 / 8 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 318 cm ). threaded rod 30 in this example is made of steel , but could be made of any other material which is resistant to any corrosive action caused by being in contact with fast - reacting saturant 12 . although rod 30 has conventional helical threads thereon , any rod having relatively closely spaced circumferential grooves would also suffice as the metering device 30 . the outside diameter of the threaded metering rod 30 may range from about 1 / 4 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 635 cm ) to 7 / 16 &# 34 ; ( 1 . 111 cm ). in this example , threaded metering rod 30 is approximately 3 / 8 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 953 cm ). rod 30 should be only slightly shorter than the length of slot 38 , the clearance between the ends of rod 30 and the ends of slot 38 being minimal . in this example , the metering rod is approximately 21 &# 34 ; ( 53 . 34 cm ) long , the approximate length of slot 38 of trough 14 . threaded metering rod 30 is positioned in slot 38 in the bottom of trough 14 . since rod 30 has a length shorter than the length of slot 38 , rod 30 contacts and is supported by the upper longitudinal edges of slot 38 . although not necessary , it may be desirable to have a hold down means at each end of trough 34 for holding metering rod 30 against the upper longitudinal edges of slot 38 in the bottom of trough 14 . any conventional hold down device known to those skilled in the art can be used for the purpose of holding rod 30 against the bottom of trough 14 . in this example , a rigid strip of metal 40 is fixedly attached to each end 34 of trough 14 . strip 40 extends above the top of trough 14 any conveniently desirable length . a second rigid strip of metal 42 is rotatably fastened at its top to the top of strip 40 with any conventional hinge - type device 44 . another rigid strip of metal 46 is fixedly attached perpendicular to the bottom of strip 42 so that strip 46 is in a horizontal plane when strip 42 is in a vertical plane . the distance between the tops of strips 40 and 42 and the top of threaded metering rod 30 when rod 30 is positioned in the bottom of trough 14 should be the length of strip 42 . when strips 42 and 46 are rotated into the position shown in fig1 they act as a simple hold down means for the threaded metering rod 30 . since strips 42 and 46 can be rotatably moved out of the position shown in fig1 it is a very simple matter to remove threaded metering rod 30 if it is desired for any reason . a new or cleaned metering rod may be inserted into the bottom of the trough just as easily as a used metering rod can be removed therefrom by simply reversing the removal procedure . after the saturant 12 moves through dispensing tube 26 and exits from opening 28 therein , the saturant 12 is dispensed into trough 14 by being dispensed onto the top of metering rod 30 as the dispensing tube is traversing the trough . in this example , the traverse of the dispensing tube is approximately equal to the length of slot 38 which is approximately 21 &# 34 ; ( 53 . 34 cm ). the poly - chem fast - reacting saturant 12 deposited on the top of threaded metering rod 30 from the dispensing tube longitudinally reciprocating over the trough 14 flows approximately equally to both sides of rod 30 . the fast - reacting saturant 12 which has flowed to either side of rod 30 is metered between the upper longitudinal edges of slot 38 and the threaded circumference of metering rod 30 . this metering action between these threads or grooves and upper longitudinal edges tends to break up the stream of material which is dispensed into the trough so that the saturant is uniformly metered through slot 38 onto moving sheet material 10 . it is desirable that approximately the same amount of saturant is metered through the slot and onto the moving web of sheet material as is dispensed into the trough . this keeps to a minimum the possibility that the saturant will set - up or cure before it has been metered onto the moving web . in this example , the sheet material moves over roll 48 , under but in contact with at least the lower longitudinal edges of slot 38 of trough 14 , and over roll 50 . the elevation of rolls 48 and 50 at those points on these rolls at which the sheet material 10 passes over these rolls should be at least the same as the elevation of the lower longitudinal edges of slot 38 of trough 14 . this would assure at least a slight upward pressure of the sheet material against the lower longitudinal edges of the slot . preferably , the elevation of rolls 48 and 50 at those points on these rolls at which the sheet material 10 passes over these rolls should be somewhat higher than the elevation of the lower longitudinal edges of slot 38 of trough 14 . after saturant 12 has been metered onto moving sheet material 10 and the sheet 10 so treated passes over roll 50 , it may be desirable to pass the sheet through a pair of squeeze rolls for further uniformly distributing the saturant within the sheet . it may also be desired to thermally treat the saturated sheet to cure the saturant therein . however , neither of these additional steps are essential for the proper functioning of the apparatus and method of the invention herein . although it is desired that essentially all of the material dispensed into trough 14 be metered through the slot in the bottom of the trough onto the moving sheet material which is to be saturated with the saturant before the saturant cures or sets - up in the trough , over a period of time there may be some buildup of the saturant possibly in the trough but more probably on the metering rod 30 . if such buildup does occur on metering rod 30 , whether the simple hold down means 39 is used or no hold down means are used , the metering rod can easily be removed from the trough for cleaning and a replacement metering rod can immediately be positioned in the bottom of the trough with essentially no interruption to the metering of saturant onto the sheet material .	1
fig1 shows a webtop software module 10 which provides for the customized view of the user files and applications on the internet . the webtop 10 may be housed on any machine that offers dynamic program load over the internet 14 . the dynamic program load may be implemented with a java - enabled web browser . webbase 11 is an internet - accessible server system consisting of some processes and databases , used for the integration and automation of web applications 12 . users may log in to the webbase 11 through the webtop 10 . webbase 11 has means to access web applications 12 controlled by web server 13 and distributed over the internet 14 . web application interface repository 22 contains the definitions of the functional interfaces between the web sites and web applications 12 that may be accessed by the webbase 11 . the webbase 11 acts as an intermediary between users of the webtop 10 and web applications 12 and uses a set of webtop management processes 16 to perform tasks for managing users of webtop 10 and web applications 12 . webtop management processes 16 are shown in detail in fig2 as including : a webtop interface process 40 , a file management process 41 , a webtop application process 42 , and an application registration process 43 . each of the webtop management processes 16 interface with one another and access a set of databases 49 in order to perform the overall webbase management functions . particularly , webbase 11 maintains the following databases : application registry database 47 used to register webbase applications . key parameters required to run an application are registered in this database . similar to a desktop operating system registry , the application registry database 47 contains application specific settings and configuration information . moreover , unlike registry files or initialization files in a desktop system , this database also contains interface information about web sites to be accessed during runtime . local user and application files and folders database 44 includes all the user and application local files and folders . these local files residing in this database 44 are accessed by the file management process 41 and users may perform all the file manipulations from their webtops 10 by using traditional gui methods such as dragging and dropping files into folders . applications may also access and manipulate these files through file management process 41 , which manages a local file system in the webbase 11 . such a file system encompasses information about users , e . g ., folders , user documents and objects , user views , etc ., and applications , such as handles to applications , application state , application code , application interfaces , etc . web tops profile database 45 is a repository for the customized webtop views of individual users . a typical item in this database is the description of the webtop view with types of icons used , their locations , sizes and associations . after the initial login and the authentication process , the most recent webtop view that is used and saved by the user is brought back to the webtop . a user may have multiple webtop views . user profiles database 46 is a repository for the user preference and profile information . a typical item in this database may contain user identification and authentication information , application preferences or passcodes , user location and contact information , user connectivity options , etc . the webtop user interface process 40 provides webtop users with conventional windows , icons , and menus . there are one or more distinguished windows , known as webtop root windows , only one of which may be open at all times . when open , a root window fills the screen display , and which may not be hidden and may not obscure any other window . the webtop 10 offers a special interface to switch among root windows . aside from these root windows restrictions , windows may overlap each other arbitrarily . windows represent ordered icon collections , where icons can represent either web - hosted applications or data objects . the webtop 10 provides means for users to change the order of the icons in a window . icons are arranged in rows for display purposes . icon collections may be nested within each other . a collection within another collection is represented as a folder icon . folders and their contents are stored for each user in the local data store 44 . icons may be dragged from one collection and dropped into another , which signifies a copy from one collection to another . an icon dragged onto an application icon , signifies invocation of the application with the dragged object as a parameter . icon operations include : i . selection ; ii . invocation ; and iii . drag - and - drop . webtop 10 additionally provides means to query the webbase 11 for presentation of a list of allowable operations on the object which may be selected by a user , e . g ., by single - clicking of a computer pointing device such as a mouse . the selected operation may be the input to a future operation , e . g ., through clicking of the right - most mouse button . webbase 11 provides means of associating an icon object with an application from the application &# 39 ; s entry in application registry database 47 . the webbase 11 returns a list of operations that may be performed on the object represented by the selected icon . upon double - clicking on an application icon , the webtop 10 requests that the webbase 11 launch ( invoke , load ) the application represented by the icon . web applications are invoked by the webbase 11 through the execution of automation applications such as macros and batch files . for each webtop 10 web application , there is a corresponding automation application in the webbase 11 that is invoked when the web application is activated from the webtop . the webbase 11 then retrieves the application code from the application registry database 47 , and starts a new web top application process 42 in which the automation application will run . automation applications have two primary purposes . the first purpose is to automate what would otherwise be manual sequences of web requests , such as logging in and navigating through a series of web pages . automation applications have access to user information stored in the webbase , such as application - specific user ids and passwords . the second purpose is to integrate independent web applications by retrieving information from one or more of them , do some intermediate processing on the retrieved data , and invoke other applications using this retrieved data . automation applications may be written in a generally - purpose programming language such a java . as shown in fig2 the webtop interface process 40 manages the interaction between the webtop 10 and the webbase 11 . such an interaction may include the management of user &# 39 ; s sessions , user authentication , webtop capabilities negotiation , handling of user requests and logging user activity . the user requests are received and responses are sent by the webtop interface process 40 . as an example , a user &# 39 ; s request to invoke a web application 12 is first received by the webtop interface process 40 . the request is then passed to application registration processes 43 to check if the web application is registered in application registry database 47 . if the web application 12 ( fig1 ) to be invoked is not registered , then the user &# 39 ; s request to invoke the web application 12 ( fig1 ) is passed to the application registry process 43 . the application registration process 43 handles the registration of web applications 12 ( fig1 ) to the application registry database 47 within the webbase 11 . the application registration process involves storing information in the webbase 11 about the location of the web application 12 ( fig1 ), the protocol , i . e ., a sequence of steps , for accessing such an application , and the interface specification for the application . the registry information is either received directly from the web site or from a repository on the internet . web application interface repository 22 ( fig1 ) is such a repository for accepting and storing the registry information of the web sites . new web applications are registered with the web application interface repository 22 ( fig1 ) to allow fast and effective access to them . if the web application 12 ( fig1 ) is registered in the application registry database 47 , then the application registry process 43 reads the interface requirements of the web application 12 ( fig1 ) from the application registry database 47 as well as the user profile information to be used for invocation from the user profiles database 46 . the information regarding the user and the web site is then passed to the webtop application process 42 which checks in to the web site over the internet 14 on behalf of the user , performs the required transactions , and returns the results to the user &# 39 ; s webtop 10 via webtop interface process 40 . the results may be returned in the form of a web page . if the web site or the web application 12 ( fig1 ) is neither registered to web application interface repository 22 ( fig1 ) nor contains any registry information , then application registration process 43 extracts the application interface information by parsing the html pages that are retrieved from the web application site . if the web application process 42 needs user intervention , it sends a request to user &# 39 ; s webtop regarding the required user information to be filled in by the user . customized webtop application processes 42 may be used to integrate different web applications 12 ( fig1 ). web application process 42 invokes the first application by using the application interface information , that may be retrieved from the application registry database 47 , receives and passes the result of the first invocation to be used as input to the second application . as an example , let first application be an e - mail application . web application process 42 logs in to e - mail web application 12 ( fig1 ), such as yahoo mail , hotmail , usa . net , etc ., retrieves the e - mail on behalf of the user and passes it to the webtop 10 . the user highlights a word that is in the body of the mail and sends a request to the web application process 42 to invoke a second web application to do a search on the highlighted word on a particular search engine . the web application process 42 receives the highlighted word and the name of the search engine , reads the selected search engine application interfaces from the application registry database 47 and invokes the search engine with the highlighted word being the key word . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to illustrative and preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention that should be limited only by the scope of the appended claims .	7
referring now to fig1 one embodiment of the thermostatically controlled valve 10 is illustrated . the three major elements of the valve are an elongated cylindrical shell 12 , a temperature - responsive bellows 14 , and a piston 16 . the bellows 14 is of conventional construction and comprises a fluted expansible member with a fluid hermetically sealed between the bellows and the wall of the shell 12 . the fluid has a high coefficient of expansion , thus causing the bellows assembly to expand and contract along its axis in response to changes in temperature . one end 14a of the bellows is affixed to the shell at a location spaced from the lower end 12a of the cylindrical shell . the other end 14b of the bellows is positioned between the first end 14a and the lower end 12a of the shell . this end of the cylindrical shell 12 is inserted into a fluid stream , the temperature of which is to be sensed . fluid flowing past the thermally conductive surface of the shell 12 causes the fluid between the shell and the bellows to expand or contract as the case may be . a piston rod 20 is affixed to the other end 14b of the bellows assembly 14 and extends upwardly through the bellows 14 and slidably through a divider 22 mounted in the central portion of the cylindrical assembly . the piston rod thus can reciprocate in the divider in reaction to expansion and contraction of the bellows assembly 14 . the piston 16 is mounted for reciprocation in the end of the cylindrical shell that is on the opposite side of the divider 22 from the bellows 14 . the upper end of the cylinder carries a piston ring 24 that seals the upper end of the piston against the walls of the cylinder assembly . an end cap 25 threadably engages the end of the cylindrical shell 12 adjacent the piston 16 . a spring 26 is interposed between the end cap 25 and the top of the piston 16 so as to bias the piston in a downward direction against the upwardly directed expansion force of the bellows 14 to assist the bellows in retracting upon a reduction in temperature of the sensed fluid . ports 28 are located in the cylindrical shell between the end cap 25 and the upper end of the piston 16 . the ports 28 are provided to equalize the pressure in the upper end of the shell 12 with that of the atmosphere so that pressure variances in the upper end of the shell 12 do not inhibit free movement of the piston 16 . first and second control ports 30 and 32 are positioned in the side walls of the cylindrical shell 12 below but adjacent the upper surface 16a of the piston 16 . control port 30 is coupled to a conduit 34 containing a flow restrictor 36 . conduit 34 is coupled to a source ( not shown ) of pressurized control fluid . another conduit 38 is coupled to the first conduit 34 between the control port 30 and the restrictor 36 . the other end of the conduit 38 is coupled to a device ( not shown ) to be controlled by an increase and decrease in the control pressure present in conduit 38 . similarly , the control port 32 is coupled to another conduit 40 containing a restrictor 42 . the conduit 40 is in turn coupled to a source ( not shown ) of pressurized control fluid . another conduit 44 , coupled to a second device ( not shown ) to be controlled , is in turn coupled to the conduit 40 between the control port 32 and the restrictor 42 . referring now to fig1 and 4 , a passage 46 is formed on one of the sides of the piston 16 . passage 46 is notched into the side of the piston 16 so that in this embodiment , the notch begins at a triangular apex 46a spaced axially downwardly from the upper surface 16a of the piston 16 . the bottom end 46b of the passage communicates along the side of the piston with the bottom of the piston . referring to fig5 a similar passage 48 is formed on the opposite side of the piston 16 . the apex 48a of the passage 48 is , however , positioned axially further down the side of the piston than was the apex 46a of the passage 46 . likewise , the bottom 48b of the passage 48 communicates with the bottom end of the piston . referring back to fig1 piston 16 is shown in a lowermost position corresponding to a given low temperature . in this position , both control ports 30 and 32 are blocked by the upper reaches of the piston 16 . as the temperature of the fluid surrounding the shell 12 increases , the bellows 14 will be foreshortened , exerting an upward force on the piston rod 20 and thus raising the piston 16 upwardly against the biasing force of spring 26 toward the position as shown in fig2 . as the piston 16 rises to this position , the apex 46a of the passage 46 is circumferentially positioned on the piston 16 such that it passes across control port 30 . as it does , the pressurized control fluid present in conduit 38 is bled through passage 46 and vented to the atmosphere through ambient vents 50 in the side wall of the cylindrical shell 12 below the piston 16 . similarly , as the temperature continues to increase , the piston rises further toward the position shown in fig3 . the apex 48a of the other passage 48 is circumferentially positioned on the piston 16 such that it passes across the control port 32 , thus bleeding pressurized control fluid from the conduit 44 through passage 48 . in this manner , the elements to be controlled by the pressurized control fluid in conduits 38 and 44 can be actuated in response to a temperature change sensed by the fluid surrounding the bellows 14 . as the temperature of the fluid surrounding the shell 12 decreases , the bellows will increase in length under the influence of the biasing spring 26 . as it does so , the piston 16 travels downwardly first closing control port 32 then control port 30 . when the ports are closed , control fluid pressure once again rises in the conduits 44 and 38 to actuate the devices being controlled . one of ordinary skill will be able to effect various changes , substitutions of equivalents , and other alterations without departing from the broad concepts disclosed . for example , the rate and linearity of bleed - off of pressurized control fluid through the control ports can be varied by varying or changing the shape of the passage 46 . the passages illustrated in connection with the disclosed embodiment initially provide for a slow bleed - off that increases in rate as the temperature increases . if a faster initial control fluid bleed were desired , the passages can be shaped so that a greater area of the control port is initially exposed as the piston rises . as another example , with relatively simple plumbing modifications , the control valve of the present invention can be utilized to cause an increase in control fluid pressure at the device to be controlled in resopnse to a rise in temperature . it is also possible by varying the locations of the passages 46 and 48 to provide for simultaneous control of a plurality of devices , or to vary the interval between control of the devices in response to temperature changes . and as a last example , any desired number of devices can be controlled by increasing the number of passages and corresponding control parts . it is accordingly intended that the scope of letters patent granted hereon be limited only by the definition contained in the appended claims and equivalents thereof .	8
a description will now be given of a cd - rom driver and an operational processing apparatus having such a cd - rom driver therein of a first embodiment according to the present invention with reference to fig4 to 6 . same elements will be designated by the same corresponding reference numerals , and the description thereof will be given once . the operational processing apparatus 10 according to the present invention comprises a housing 10 a , a personal computer ( not shown ) accommodated in the housing 10 a , an accommodation case 12 accommodated in the housing , and a cd - rom driver 11 insertable into the accommodation case 12 and / or projectable therefrom . the cd - rom driver 11 drives a cd - rom 13 when the cd - rom driver 11 is inserted into the accommodation case 12 . therefore , it may be said that the cd - rom driver 11 accommodated in the accommodation case 12 corresponds to the cd - rom driver 1 shown in fig1 . the cd - rom driver 11 is projected from the accommodation case 12 when the cd - rom 13 is to be inserted into the cd - rom driver 11 and / or ejected therefrom , and the cd - rom driver 11 is inserted into the accommodation case 12 when the cd - rom 13 is to be driven . since the cd - rom driver 11 is integrated and electrically connected with the personal computer in the housing 10 a via the accommodation case 12 , the operational processing apparatus 10 can be located in a relatively small space . since the cd - rom driver 11 and the accommodation case 12 are accommodated in the housing 10 a , a display unit ( not shown ) can be placed on the housing 10 a . moreover , the cd - rom driver 11 uses the top - loading mechanism which is less complicated than the front - loading mechanism so that the cost of the operational processing apparatus is kept inexpensive . a description will now be given of the operation of the cd - rom driver 11 . as shown in fig4 the cd - rom driver 11 is located at a first position where the cd - rom 11 driver is projected from the accommodation case 12 when the cd - rom 13 is to be inserted into the cd - rom driver 11 and / or ejected therefrom . on the other hand , the cd - rom driver 11 is located at a second position where the cd - rom driver 11 is inserted into the accommodation case 12 when the cd - rom 13 is to be driven . the cd - rom driver 11 is movable between the first position and the second position . incidentally , the cd - rom driver 11 according to the embodiment has a lid 19 at a top surface thereof , and the cd - rom 13 is inserted into the cd - rom driver 11 and / or ejected therefrom via the lid 19 . whether the lid 19 is provided or not is a matter of choice . the lid 19 can be opened and / or closed around an axis 22 by hand . the cd - rom 13 is placed at a disk table 20 of a driving part 14 , and is driven there . after the cd - rom 13 is placed on the disk table 20 and the lid 19 is closed , then the front part 14 a of the driving part 14 is pushed by hand s that the cd - rom driver 11 is inserted into the accommodation case 12 . the cd - rom 13 is fixed on the disk table 20 by a clamper 21 . a description will now be given of the movement between the first position and the second position of the cd - rom driver 11 . the cd - rom driver 11 moves with a rail 15 mounted on a side surface thereof . the accommodation case 12 has rollers 16 which determine a path of the rail 15 . the rollers 16 hold and support the rail 15 from the top and the bottom so that the path of the rail 15 is positioned by the rollers 16 . the cd - rom driver 11 can slide between the first position and the second position by the guidance of the rail 15 and the rollers 16 . the number and the location of the roller 16 can be changable . incidentally , the path of the rail 15 may be determined , not by the rollers 16 , but by a section at an engagement part 12 a of the accommodation case 12 which is engagable with the rail 15 , as shown in fig5 . the cd - rom driver 11 is inserted into the accommodation case 12 and / or projected therefrom via an insertion opening 12 b . the cd - rom driver 11 is attracted to a magnet rod 18 when the cd - rom driver 11 is moved to the second position , as shown in fig6 . the magnet rod 18 is fixed to the accommodation case 12 via the magnet supporter 17 . the magnet rod 18 magnetically fixes the cd - rom driver 11 to protect it from the inclination of the housing 10 a and the external vibration . the cd - rom driver 11 can be moved from the second position to the first position by further pushing the front part 14 a . as shown in fig7 the magnet rod 18 is fixed to the magnet supporter by a latch mechanism . the fixation by the latch mechanism is released by further pushing the magnet rod 18 . therefore , if the front part 14 a is further pushed while the cd - rom driver 11 is located at the second position , the magnet rod 18 is released from the fixation so that it is projected forward , consequently , the cd - rom driver 11 is also projected from the accommodation case 12 . then the cd - rom driver 11 may be moved to the first position by hand . it is possible to move the cd - rom driver automatically from the second position to the first position , and thus open the lid in synchronization with the release of the latch mechanism . a description will now be given of an operational processing apparatus of a third embodiment according to the present invention with reference to fig8 to 10 . the operational processing apparatus 30 of the embodiment comprises a projection mechanism 34 , a spring 27 which forces a lid 28 in an opening direction ( direction a ), a lock mechanism 23 , and a lock release mechanism 40 . in this embodiment , the lid 28 has a hook 26 . the hook 26 is engagable with the lock mechanism 23 to lock the lid 28 in order to keep the lid closed . the spring 27 is engaged with the axis 22 . the projection mechanism 34 is a mechanism for automatically moving the cd - rom driver 29 from the second position to the first position in synchronization with the release of the latch mechanism . the projection mechanism 34 comprises a pin 31 mounted on the side surface 29 a of the cd - rom driver 29 , a pin 32 mounted on the accommodation case 12 , and tension coiled spring 33 stretched between the pins 31 and 32 . the strength of the spring 33 is adjustable by changing the location of the pins 31 and 32 . thus , the cd - rom driver 29 is forced in the direction x 2 as it is moved from the second position to the first position . the projection mechanism 34 may comprise the pin 31 mounted on the accommodation case 12 , the pin 32 mounted on the side surface 29 a , and compression coiled spring stretched therebetween . in addition , a mechanism for reeling a wire by a spring like take - up reel may be applicable to the projection mechanism 34 instead of the using a coiled spring . moreover , another mechanism may be used for the projection mechanism 34 as long as it forces the cd - rom driver 29 in the direction x 2 as it is moved from the second position to the first position . the lock mechanism 23 is a mechanism for locking the lid 28 by cooperating with the hook 26 . the lock mechanism 23 comprises a hook lever 24 to engage with the hook 26 and a spring 25 forcing the hook lever 24 in an engagement direction . in this embodiment , since the engagement direction corresponds to a clockwise direction , the spring 25 forces the hook lever 24 clockwise via a pin 35 . the lock release mechanism 40 is a mechanism for releasing the lock of the lock mechanism 23 . the lock mechanism 40 comprises a projection 44 projecting from the accommodation case 12 in the vicinity of the insertion opening 12 b , a lever 42 mounted on the side surface 29 a via a pin 41 , and a connection rod 43 connecting the lever 42 to the hook lever 24 . the lever 42 engages with the projection 44 when the cd - rom driver 29 is approximately moved to the first position . when the lever 42 engages with the projection 44 , as shown in fig1 , the lever 42 rotates clockwise . thus , the lever 42 rotates the hook lever 24 counterclockwise via the connection rod 43 so that the lock of the lock mechanism 23 is released . accordingly , when the cd - rom driver 29 is located at the second position shown in fig9 the lid 28 is locked by the engagement of the hook 26 and the hook lever 24 . and the cd - rom driver 29 is forced in the direction x 2 by the spring 33 . when the front part 14 a is pushed in a direction x 1 , the fixation of the magnet supporter 17 is released . thus , the cd - rom driver 29 is moved in the direction x 2 by the spring 33 until the lever 42 engages with the projection 44 . the engagement of the lever 42 and the projection 44 releases the lock of the lock mechanism 23 . the the lid 28 is opened by the spring 27 in synchronization with the releasing of the lock . therefore , the pushing of the front part 14 a moves the cd - rom driver 29 automatically from the second position to the first position , and opens the lid 28 automatically , too . incidentally , the lid 28 has a bumper ( not shown ) so that the lid 28 is opened and / or closed softly . whether the bumper is provided or not is a matter of choice . it is possible to open and / or close the lid automatically in synchronization with the movement of the cd - rom driver . a description will now be given of a cd - rom driver of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the lid 37 is forced in the opening direction by the spring 27 , as in the third embodiment . and the lid 37 is smoothly closed by rollers 38 in synchronization with the movement of the cd - rom driver 36 from the first position to the second position . the lid 37 has an engagement portion 37 a into which two rollers 38 located in the accommodation case 12 are inserted to be engaged therewith . a plurality of bearings may be provided in the vicinity of the insertion opening 12 b of the accommodation case 12 . fig1 is an enlarged view of a part of the cd - rom driver 36 with a lid 37 closed viewed from the direction b shown in fig1 . each of the rollers 38 is provided in the vicinity of the insertion opening 12 b . therefore , the lid 37 gets smoothly closed by the engagement of the lid 37 with the rollers 38 as the cd - rom driver 36 moves from the first position to the second position . incidentally , whether the spring 27 is provided or not is a matter of choice . if the spring 27 is not provided , only the automatic closing of the lid is possible . the cd - rom diver 36 has a concave part 36 a , as shown in fig8 which functions as an opening and / or closing space for the lid 37 . the accommodation case 12 in fig4 comprises , as shown in fig1 , a back surface 12 c having the magnet supporter 17 thereon fixed in the housing 10 a , a top surface 12 d , a bottom surface 12 e , and side surfaces 12 f and 12 g which can be inserted and / or ejected via an mouth 51 of the housing 10 a . it is desirable to position the insertion opening 12 b of the accommodation case 12 at the center of the mouth 51 . accordingly , the present invention also provides a positioning member which positions the insertion opening 12 b at the center of the mouth 51 . a description will be given of a cd - rom driver of a fifth embodiment according to the present invention with reference to fig1 to 19 . in this embodiment , the accommodation case 12 comprises positioning members 52 and 53 in the vicinity of the insertion opening 12 b . because of the positioning members 52 and 53 , the accommodation case 12 can be adequately engaged with the mouth 51 in the vicinity of the insertion opening 12 b so that the insertion opening 12 b is located at the center of the mouth 51 . fig1 shows a cd - rom driver 60 of the fifth embodiment according to the present invention . the positioning members 52 and 53 have square pillar shapes made of synthetic resin , respectively , top surfaces which project from the top surface 12 d by “ a ”, bottom surfaces which project from the bottom surface 12 e by “ b ”, side surfaces which project respectively from the side surfaces 12 f and 12 g by “ c ” and by “ d ”, as shown in fig1 to 17 . the spans “ e ” of the positioning members 52 and 53 are equal to the height “ f ” of the mouth 51 and the height “ i ” of the front part 14 a . the distance “ g ” between the side surfaces 52 c and 53 c is equal to the width “ h ” of of the mouth 51 . the width “ j ” of the front part 14 a is equal to the distance “ k ” between the top surfaces 52 a and 53 a . fig1 and 19 show the accommodation case 12 accommodated in the housing 60 a . the top surfaces 52 a and 53 a make contact with the top surface 51 a of the mouth 51 , the bottom surfaces 52 b and 53 b make contact with the bottom surface 51 b thereof , side surfaces 52 c and 53 c contact with the side surfaces 51 c and 51 d thereof , respectively . thus , the aperture 55 between the accommodation case 12 and the housing 10 a is uniformized so that the insertion opening 16 is positioned at the center of the mouth 51 . further , the present invention is not limited to these embodiments , but various variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention .	6
methods for sensitive measurements of the growth of new blood vessels in the myocardium are accomplished in accordance with this disclosure by administering a polymeric contrast agent to a subject and obtaining at least two images of the heart . the use of polymeric contrast agents and imaging techniques allows for rapid imaging and hence rapid feedback on a course of treatment being administered to treat myocardial angiogenesis . suitable polymeric contrast agents include a paramagnetic entity complexed with a substituted polypeptide carrier molecule . the polymeric contrast agents have a length that is 5 to 500 times greater than their diameter , a net negative charge , and form a worm - like chain conformation with a long persistence length the worm - like configuration of the complex molecule is achieved by attaching a sufficient number of steric hindrance molecules along the polypeptide chain to eliminate or reduce intra - chain ionic bonds as well to allow charge repulsion between chelating moieties to unfold and extend the polymer chain . the amount of substitutions ( also referred to as the degree of conjugation ) thus affects the configuration of the resulting complex , with a higher degree of conjugation providing a more consistent extended structure and better diagnosis . a degree of conjugation of above 90 % is typically required for the proper polymer configuration to be realized in the case of a carrier molecule having a lysine homopolymer backbone . lower degrees of conjugation can be tolerated for certain carrier molecules having an amino acid copolymer backbone , such as , for example , a backbone that is a copolymer containing lysine and either glutamic or aspartic acid . the present carrier molecules include a polymer backbone that is substituted with steric hindrance molecules which facilitate the attachment of a paramagnetic entity and which , due to their physical size , provide a physical restraint on polymer bending . the nature of the polymer backbone is not critical , provided that the polymer has pendant groups which can be reacted with an activated steric hindrance molecule (“ shm ”) as described below to provide a polymer - shm copolymer having an elongated structure . suitable pendant groups which may be present ion the polymer include , but are not limited to amine groups , carboxyl groups and hydroxyl groups . useful polymers include homo - and co - polymers of poly ( amino acids ), poly ( vinyl amine ), poly ( 4 - aminostyrene ), poly ( acrylic acid ), poly ( methacrylic acid ), poly ( carboxynorbomene ), and dextran . preferably , the polymer is a polypeptide . the polypeptide can be an amino acid homopolymer or a copolymer of two or more amino acids . preferably , the polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of polylysine , polyglutamic acid , polyaspartic acid , copolymers of lysine and either glutamic acid or aspartic acid . other polymers may be used provided that after reaction with the shm , the resulting copolymer has an elongated structure characterized by a molecular length that is 5 to 500 times the cross - sectional diameter of the copolymer molecule and a net negative charge in an aqueous environment . in addition , the polymer preferably is of sufficient length to increase the time in which the product circulates in the blood . for polypeptides , the polymer backbone can advantageously be from 35 to 1500 amino acid residues long . because the polymeric backbone is synthetic , the length can be tailored to provide desired residence times in the body . clearance from the blood is rapid for short molecules , resulting in a short plasma lifetime . plasma lifetime increases rapidly as the polymers increase in length . for example , where the polymer is a polypeptide , a plateau is reached for a molecular length of about 500 residues and little further change in lifetime occurs . not only does the use of a synthetic polypeptide provide the ability to modify the polymer length so as to change the blood circulation times to smaller values , but the ability to modify the polymer length to probe small permeability modulations is also provided . where a copolymer forms the backbone of the carrier molecule , the copolymer preferably contains lysine units and either glutamic acid units , aspartic acid units , or both . glutamic and / or aspartic acid units may constitute from about 20 to about 60 percent of the copolymer . preferably , the copolymer is a glutamic acid - lysine copolymer . particularly useful copolymers have glu : lys ratios of about 1 : 4 for long (& gt ; 400 residue ) polymer constructs and ratios of about 6 : 4 for short (& lt ; 200 residue ) polymer constructs . a high content of lysine is believed advantageous for imaging as it allows a high loading of the copolymer with paramagnetic ions . without wishing to be bound by any theory , it is believed that the presence of glutamic acid residues in the copolymer backbone accomplishes two things . first , it is believed that the glutamic acid residues provide a stiffer initial copolymer backbone for the synthesis of the complete construct . second , it is believed that the presence of glutamic acid residues in the copolymer promotes extension of the final polymer through charge repulsion . at least a portion of the polymer backbone have steric hindrance molecules substituted thereon . the steric hindrance molecule (“ shm ”) can be any molecule that by its physical size enforces an elongated conformation by providing steric hindrance between neighboring steric hindrance molecules . preferably the shm is neutral in charge or presents negative charges in an aqueous environment along the polymer chain to assist in keeping the polymer backbone straight through coulombic repulsion . in particularly useful embodiments , the shm contains or chelates an imaging producing entity . suitable imaging producing entities include paramagnetic entities , entities which undergo nuclear reaction resulting in release of detectable radiation . non - limiting examples include ions which release alpha particles , gamma particles , beta particles , or positrons . such image producing entities are known to those skilled in the art . gamma emitters include , for example , 111 in and 153 gd . positron emitters include , for example , 89 zr , which may be employed in positron emission tomography ( pet ) imaging . particularly preferred steric hindrance molecules are molecules that chelate with paramagnetic entities . as those skilled in the art will appreciate , paramagnetic entities include certain transition metals and lanthanide ions . any molecule known to complex with paramagnetic entities and which is of sufficient size to provide steric hindrance against polymer bending can be used as the shm . preferably , the shm has a net negative charge . suitable lanthanide ion chelating molecules include , but are not limited to diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid ( dtpa ), 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraazacyclododecane - 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraacetic acid ( dota ), 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraazacyclododecane - 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetrakis ( 2 - propionic acid ) ( dotma ), 1 , 4 , 8 , 11 - tetraazacyclotetradecane - 1 , 4 , 8 , 11 - tetraacetic acid ( teta ), 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraazacyclododecane - 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetrakis [ 3 -( 4 - carboxyl )- butanoic acid ], 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraazacyclododecane - 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetrakis ( acetic acid - methyl amide ), 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraazacyclododecane , 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetrakis ( methylene phosphonic acid ), and p - isothiocyanatobenzyl - 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraazacyclododecane - 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraacetic acid ( p - scn - bz - dota ). ligands useful for chelating for other ions ( such as , for example , fe ( iii ), mn ( ii ), cu ( ii ), etc .) include bis ( thiosemicarbazone ) and derivatives , porphyrins and derivatives , 2 , 3 - bis ( 2 - thioacetamido ) propionates and derivatives , n , n ′- bis ( mercaptoacetyl )- 2 , 3 - diaminopropanoate , and bis ( aminoethanethiol ) and derivatives . to attach the shm to the polymer , an activating group is provided on the shm . the activating group present on the shm can be any group which will react with a polymer . suitable groups include , but are not limited to mixed carbonate carbonic anhydride groups , succinimidyl groups , amine groups and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( dcc ) groups . those skilled in the art will readily envision reaction schemes for providing an activating group on any given shm . in one embodiment , the shm is dtpa and the activating groups are mixed carbonate carbonic anhydride groups . in particularly useful embodiments , a substantially mono - activated shm is provided . the term “ activated ” means that a functional group is present on the molecule which permits covalent bonding of the molecule to appropriate amino acids . by the term “ substantially mono - activated ” it is meant that about 90 % or more of the steric hindrance molecules contain only a single activated site . mono - activation is believed to more consistently result in high levels of conjugation . a typical reaction scheme for activating dtpa and reacting it with a polypeptide backbone is shown in fig1 . as seen therein , a monoanhydride - dtpa is first prepared . specifically , a flask is charged with acetonitrile and dtpa . triethylamine is then added via syringe . the solution is warmed to 60 ° c . under a nitrogen atmosphere . the mixture is stirred until homogeneous . the clear solution is then cooled to − 45 ° c . under nitrogen atmosphere and isobutyl chloroformate is slowly added to result in the mono - anhydride of dtpa . as those skilled in the art will appreciate , dtpa has five acid groups available for conversion to anhydride . however , since substantially mono - activated dtpa is desired , only one of these acid sites should be converted to anhydride . it has unexpectedly been found that the slow addition of the chloroformate while cooling below − 40 ° c . accomplishes this result , i . e ., that about 90 % or more of the dtpa is a monoanhydride of dtpa . the activated shm is then reacted with the polymer backbone . the precise conditions for reacting the polymer with the activated shm will depend upon a number of factors including the particular polymer chosen and the specific shm used . those skilled in the art will readily envision reaction schemes for any given pair of materials to produce the desired substituted polymer product . in a particularly useful embodiment , for example , the monoanhydride - dtpa described above is simply added dropwise to an aqueous solution of polylysine under ambient atmospheric conditions . in another example , where the reactive pendant groups on the polymer backbone are electrophilic groups ( such as , for example , a carboxylic acid groups ), the anhydride of dtpa described above can be reacted overnight with a diamine ( in which the diamine is in large excess to the anhydride ). ethylene diamine is a suitable choice , giving in the end a dtpa linkage of the desired length to achieve proper steric hindrance against polymer chain bending . the product is separated from the diamine and from dtpa which was not reacted , by ion exchange chromatography . the product is substantially mono - amine dtpa . where the substantially mono - activated steric hindrance molecule is the foregoing monoamine - dtpa , it can be linked to a carboxyl group containing polymer ( such as , for example , poly - glutamic acid ) by a carboxyl coupling method . the carboxy acid groups of the polymer are activated by a coupling reagent , such as , for example , 1 ethyl - 3 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl ) carbodiimide hydrochloride ( edc ) ( pierce , rockford , ill .). the activated carboxy acid groups on the polymer are then combined with the monoamine - dtpa to produce an amide linkage of the dtpa to the polymer backbone as a sidechain which acts as a steric hindrance straightening the polymer backbone . the resulting polymer - steric hindrance molecule copolymer is then purified . during purification , the polymer - shm copolymer is separated from the volatile solvents and other impurities . any known techniques can be used to purify the polymer - shm copolymers . in a particularly useful embodiment , where a polypeptide backbone is used , a purification scheme is employed which does not result in complete drying of the polymer - shm copolymer . it has unexpectedly been determined that excessive dryness affects the configuration of the copolymer and interferes with the determination of degree of conjugation . a preferred purification scheme involves first exposing the reaction mixture to reduced pressure to remove impurities that are more volatile than water . care should be taken not to remove all water from the reaction mixture during this step . the next step in this preferred purification scheme is to centrifuge the remaining reaction mixture . soluble impurities remain in the supernatant fluid . the retentate from the centrifuge step is resuspended and subjected to dialysis . optionally , ultrafiltration is performed on the dialyzed polymer . techniques for these processes are within the purview of those skilled in the art . the resulting product can then be characterized using any technique known to those skilled in the art , such as , for example , high performance liquid chromatography ( hplc ). once the polymer - shm copolymer is obtained , an image producing entity is incorporated into the conjugated polymer . thus , for example , to achieve a mr active agent , a paramagnetic ion ( such as , for example , gadolinium ) can be incorporated into the product polymer chelating dtpa groups by dropwise addition of a solution containing an gadolinium salt such as , for example , gadolinium chloride or gadolinium citrate . the dropwise addition of gd continues until a slight indication of free gd ( not chelated by available dtpa groups ) is noted ( small aliquots of polymer solution added to 10 micromolar of arzenzo iiii in acetate buffer — free gd turns the dye solution blue ). the gd - loaded highly conjugated polymer is then ready for introduction into a blood vessel of the subject . in certain embodiments , the conjugated polymer can also be used for delivery of a therapeutic agent . it is also contemplated that a therapeutic agent can be attached at a few sites along the substituted polymer chain . the therapeutic entity can be attached to the conjugated polymer using techniques known to those skilled in the art . it is also contemplated that , the polymer backbone can be highly conjugated with a non - therapeutic shm which chelates an imaging agent and a therapeutic agent can be bound to the shm at a few sites along the substituted polymer chain , rather than being bound directly to the polymer backbone . in the event that the pores of the angiogenic blood vessels are not simple channels , a process called reptation allows elongated worm - like molecules to wiggle around obstacles , and to pass through restricted openings , that globular or coiled molecules would be unable to pass through . the present polymeric contrast agent molecules have a cross sectional diameter which is larger than that of the pores of normal blood vessels such that they are contained within the blood vessels in the normal state but have a cross sectional diameter smaller than that of the pores of newly formed vessels produced during angiogenesis such that they may readily pass out of the capillary and into the surrounding tissue . polymeric contrast agents having a diameter of approximate 20 – 50 angstroms ( å ) generally pass through pore structures of the new vessels , but not that of normal vessels . in order to be effective at concentrating outside of angiogenic blood vessels , the polymeric contrast agent molecules also advantageously can have a length long enough to increase the time in which they circulate in the blood , but small enough to pass out of the vessel . once outside the vessel , longer molecules tend to remain there . in addition , very large macromolecular agents may not provide enough signal due to the changes in capillary permeability , while the small agents presently in clinical use penetrate normal capillaries to begin with so that changes would be more difficult to detect . an elongated , worm - like conformation of a macromolecule results in greater uptake than other conformations , such as folded , or globular conformations . conformation may be measured by determining the radius of gyration and persistence length of the molecule . this may be determined by light scattering . conformation is a result of intra - chain charge interaction , and rigidity of the molecule . the polymeric contrast agent molecules are selected to be polypeptides . however , many polypeptides tend to fold into tight random coils due to the relatively free rotation around each peptide bond . also , if each polypeptide is composed of opposite charge amino acids , then intra - chain charge interaction as shown by bond 21 in fig2 . inter - chain charge interaction between chains may also occur as shown by bond 23 of fig2 . if there is significant intra - chain charge interactions , the polymeric contrast agent molecules may assume a globular , or folded , conformation . the conformation attained by the present polymeric contrast agents is that of a worm - like shape being essentially a stretched out , extended chain with little folding . a measure of the “ straightness ” of a molecule is a persistence length . persistence length is related to a radius of gyration , measured by light scattering experiments . a folded polypeptide such as poly - l - lysine ( pll ) with little or no substitution , has a low persistence length of about 10 angstroms ( å ), and is not suitable for monitoring angiogenesis . therefore , the present polymeric contrast agents preferably have a persistence lengths of 100 – 600 å . it is sometimes difficult to measure the persistence length of certain molecules by light scattering to determine their conformation because of the effects of contaminant particles in the test solutions . however , it was found that by measuring the magnetic resonance ( mr ) t 1 relaxation of a paramagnetic entity attached to the carrier , one could infer the conformation of the molecules of interest . this is performed by attaching paramagnetic ions , such as gadolinium , to the chelators along the polymer chain when the carrier molecule is in an elongated conformation , the chelator / mr active entity is free to rotate about its attachment point to the main chain , allowing a long t 1 relaxation time of the surrounding water protons which are the source of the mr signal . when the carrier molecule is in a globular or highly folded conformation , steric hindrance , and molecular crowding causes interaction with the chelator / mr active entity restricting rotation about its bond to the main chain . thus , the chelator / mr active entity moves only with the general slow motion of the carrier molecule . this produces a short t 1 relaxation time . a high relaxivity is associated with a molecule which folds upon itself into a globular conformation , such as albumen , at about 15 sec . − 1 millimolar − 1 ( sec − 1 mm − 1 ). a low relaxivity is associated with an elongated molecule such as highly substituted gd - dtpa pll h in which the gd can rotate rapidly , having a relaxivity of about 8 sec . − 1 mm − 1 . the optimum conformation of the present invention is associated with a relaxivity of 7 – 8 sec . − 1 mm − 1 . when the relaxivity of a peptide agent was high , the uptake coefficient of such an agent was invariably low , evidently due to the absence of the reptation mechanism . since many in - vivo chemical entities have a negative charge , molecules introduced into the subject can advantageously have a net negative charge to reduce agglutination and to allow for stable long circulation in the blood plasma . it is known that negatively charged dextran molecules undergo glomerular filtration at a much slower rate than equivalent dextran molecules of positive charge or neutral charge . the high net negative charge is also desirable since it also assists in the polymeric contrast agent molecules to retaining their elongated , worm - like conformation . in fig3 a polymeric contrast agent having a plurality of side chains substituting the hydrogen atoms is shown . the polymeric contrast agent is comprised of a plurality of amino acids 31 , each linked end to end through a polypeptide bond . a plurality of side residues 33 are attached which cause steric hindrances and repulsion to straighten the copolymer chain . it may be that in some applications , long blood circulation times would be undesirable . the present methods / materials provide the ability to reliably make short polymers of the desired worm - like conformation which allows the possible tailoring of blood circulation time to certain target levels . blood circulation time is directly dependent on polymer chain length . the response is fast ( less than 1 hour ) and the clearance from the blood circulation is rapid for shorter polymer lengths , both of which may be desirable in certain clinical procedures . the polymeric contrast agent molecules used in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure do not normally accumulate in other organs such as muscle , kidney or liver . therefore , the present agents are particularly well suited for imaging of newly formed , angiogenic blood vessels compared to over other imaging agents that are based on globular proteins or coiled polymers , which tend to show accumulation in liver and kidneys of animal models . in order to perform one preferred embodiment of the invention , a subject is first imaged and then the polymeric contrast agent is introduced into the subject by injecting the contrast agent intravenously . the dose of the polymeric contrast agent can be in the range of about 0 . 01 mmoles gd / kg to about 0 . 1 mmoles gd / kg . the myocardium is then imaged . techniques for mr imaging are known and include , for example , the methods disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 121 , 775 . in a particularly useful method , images are obtained beginning immediately after injection and at certain timed intervals . preferably , the timed intervals are shortly after injection ( within 10 minutes ) and up to 1 hour post injection . for highest sensitivity of permeability , an image at 24 hours may also be acquired . to determine changes in blood volume , imaging should take place within 10 minutes of contrast agent injection . fig4 shows the major components of a preferred mri system which can be used in practicing the invention . operation of the system is controlled from an operator console 100 which includes a keyboard and control panel 102 and a display 104 . console 100 communicates through a link 116 with a separate computer system 107 that enables an operator to control the production and display of images on the screen of display 104 . computer system 107 includes a number of modules which communicate with each other through a backplane 120 . these include an image processor module 106 , a central processing unit ( cpu ) module 108 and a memory module 113 , known in the art as a frame buffer for storing image data arrays . computer system 107 is linked to a disk storage 111 and a tape drive 112 for storage of image data and programs , and communicates with a separate system control 122 through a high speed serial link 115 . system control 122 includes a set of modules connected together by a backplane 118 . these include a cpu module 119 and a pulse generator module 121 which is coupled to operator console 100 through a serial link 125 . through link 125 , system control 122 receives commands from the operator which determine the scan sequence that is to be performed . pulse generator module 121 operates the system components to carry out the desired scan sequence , and produces data which determine the timing , strength and shape of the rf pulses to be produced , and the timing and length of the data acquisition window . pulse generator module 121 is coupled to a set of gradient amplifiers 127 , to determine the timing and shape of the gradient pulses to be produced during the scan . pulse generator module 121 also receives patient data from a physiological acquisition controller 129 that receives signals from a number of different sensors attached to the patient , such as electrocardiogram ( ecg ) signals from electrodes or respiratory signals from a bellows . pulse generator module 121 is also coupled to a scan room interface circuit 133 which receives signals from various sensors associated with the condition of the patient and the magnet system . through scan room interface circuit 133 , a patient positioning system 134 receives commands to move the patient to the desired position for the scan . gradient amplifier system 127 that receives gradient waveforms from pulse generator module 121 is comprised of g x , g y and g z amplifiers . each gradient amplifier excites a corresponding gradient coil in an assembly 139 to produce the magnetic field gradients used for position encoding acquired signals . gradient coil assembly 139 forms part of a magnet assembly 141 which includes a polarizing magnet 140 and a whole - body rf coil 152 . a transceiver module 150 in system control 122 produces pulses which are amplified by an rf amplifier 151 and coupled to rf coil 152 by a transmit / receive switch 154 . the resulting signals radiated by the excited nuclei in the patient may be sensed by the same rf coil 152 and coupled through transmit / receive switch 154 to a preamplifier 153 . the amplified nmr signals are demodulated , filtered , and digitized in the receiver section of the transceiver 150 . transmit / receive switch 154 is controlled by a signal from pulse generator module 121 to electrically connect rf amplifier 151 to coil 152 during the transmit mode and to connect preamplifier 153 to coil 152 during the receive mode . transmit / receive switch 154 also enables a separate rf coil ( for example , a head coil or surface coil ) to be used in either the transmit or receive mode . the nmr signals picked up by rf coil 152 are digitized by transceiver module 150 and transferred to a memory module 160 in system control 122 . when the scan is completed and an entire array of data has been acquired in memory module 160 , an array processor 161 operates to fourier transform the data into an array of image data . these image data are conveyed through serial link 115 to computer system 107 where they are stored in disk storage 111 . in response to commands received from operator console 100 , these image data may be archived on tape drive 112 , or may be further processed by image processor 106 and conveyed to operator console 100 for presentation on display 104 . the polymeric contrast agent molecules do not penetrate normal blood vessels . thus if new blood vessels are formed , the neovascularization may be detected by an increase of signal in the tissue being examined over that to be expected from blood volume effects alone in that tissue . thus , the present methods provide clear direct signals of the quantity of interest - namely , the existence and extent of angiogenesis . the present methods can be used with a number of different pulse sequences . an exemplary pulse sequence suitable for use in imaging myocardium is gated fast cardiac inversion recovery sequence available with the ge signa scanner sold by the general electric company , milwaukee , wis . an alternative embodiment employs a fast 3d ( three dimensional ) rf ( radio frequency ) phase spoiled gradient recalled echo pulse sequence , depicted in fig5 , to acquire the nmr image data . the pulse sequence “ 3dfgre ” available on the general electric 1 . 5 tesla mr scanner sold by general electric company , milwaukee , wis ., under the trademark “ signa ” with revision level 5 . 5 system software is used . as shown in fig5 , an rf excitation pulse 220 having a flip angle of from 40 ° to 60 ° is produced in the presence of a slab select gradient pulse 222 to produce transverse magnetization in the three - dimensional ( 3d ) volume of interest as taught in edelstein et al . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 431 , 968 assigned to the instant assignee . this is followed by a slice encoding gradient pulse 224 directed along the z axis and a phase encoding gradient pulse 226 directed along the y axis . a readout gradient pulse 228 directed along the x axis follows , and a partial echo ( 60 %) nmr signal 230 is acquired and digitized as described above . after the acquisition , rewinder gradient pulses 232 and 234 rephase the magnetization before the pulse sequence is repeated as taught in glover et al . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 665 , 365 assigned to the instant assignee . as is well known in the art , the pulse sequence is repeated and the respective slice and phase encoding gradient pulses 224 and 226 are stepped through a series of values to sample the 3d k - space . the acquired 3d k - space data set is fourier transformed along all three axes and a magnitude image is produced in which the brightness of each image pixel indicates the nmr signal strength from each corresponding voxel in the 3d volume of interest . an initial signal is then compared with the signal enhancement observed at selected times , preferably a short time after injection ( within 10 minutes ) and then at several time points up to 60 minutes post injection . for highest sensitivity to measure capillary permeability , a subsequent image at about 24 hours may also be taken . the initial image after injection ( within 10 minutes ) provides a measure of blood volume or microvascular density , for each pixel of the image . subsequent images then establish the rate of passage of the polymeric contrast agent into the tissue surrounding the blood vessel , again on a pixel by pixel basis . maps of blood volume and of neovascularization may then be generated and displayed as an image or overlaid on the mr image directly . both anatomical and physiological features will then be displayed simultaneously , giving radiologists not only the amount of angiogenesis as an average quantity but also its activity as a function of position — a very desirable feature for monitoring the efficacy of myocardial angiogenesis therapy . signal enhancements at the endpoint of about 24 hours , that are below some threshold value , preferably about 10 % ( for the canonical dose of 0 . 025 mmoles gd / kg ), signify minimal angiogenic activity . higher signal values ( preferably 75 %, most preferably 90 %) imply ever increasing angiogenesis . the endpoint signals at 24 hours are due to passage of the polymeric contrast agent through the walls of newly formed blood vessels , as blood concentration levels at that time will be negligibly small for the contrast agents described here , i . e ., the reptating polymeric contrast agents . while specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is realized that modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art . it is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	0
in preparing an enhanced reactive vegetable oil wherein the polyoxyalkylene chain contains a propylene oxide , an amount of propylene oxide calculated to provide the desired degree of propoxylation is introduced and the resulting mixture is allowed to react until the propylene oxide is consumed , as indicated by , for example , a drop in reaction pressure . usually , the final product is treated with weak acid to neutralize any basic catalyst residues to provide the commercial product having the primary alcohols on the molecule . in preparing an enhanced reactive vegetable oil wherein the polyoxyalkylene chain contains a ethylene oxide , an amount of ethylene oxide calculated to provide the desired degree of ethoxylation is introduced and the resulting mixture is allowed to react until the ethylene oxide is consumed , as indicated by , for example , a drop in reaction pressure . usually , the final product is treated with weak acid to neutralize any basic catalyst residues to provide the commercial product having the primary alcohols on the molecule . in preparing an enhanced reactive vegetable oil wherein the polyoxyalkylene chain contains a propylene oxide first block and an ethylene oxide second block , an amount of propylene oxide calculated to provide the desired degree of propoxylation is introduced and the resulting mixture is allowed to react until the propylene oxide is consumed , as indicated by , for example , a drop in reaction pressure . a similar introduction and reaction of a calculated amount of ethylene oxide serves to provide the second block that completes the reaction . usually , the final product is treated with weak acid to neutralize any basic catalyst residues to provide the commercial product having the primary alcohols on the molecule . it should be understood that each separate procedure serves to introduce a desired average number of alkylene oxide units per vegetable oil molecule . thus , for example , the initial treatment of an hydroxylated vegetable oil mixture with q moles of propylene oxide per mole of hydroxylated vegetable oil serves to effect the propoxylation of each hydroxy group with propylene oxide to an average of m propylene oxide moieties per hydroxy group on the vegetable oil , although some hydroxy groups will have become combined with more than m propylene oxide moieties and some will have become combined with less than m . in general , the maximum number of propylene units in a single molecule will not exceed 8 and the number of ethylene units in a single molecule will not exceed 30 . the variation in the number of alkylene oxide moieties is not critical as long as the average for the number of units in each block is within the limits set out above . each reaction is conducted at an elevated temperature and pressure . suitable reaction temperatures are from about 120 ° c . to about 220 ° c ., preferably , 130 ° c . to 180 ° c . and more preferably , 140 ° c . to 150 ° c . a suitable reaction pressure is achieved by introducing to the reaction vessel the required amount of propylene oxide or ethylene oxide , each of which has a high vapor pressure at the desired reaction temperature . the pressure serves as a measure of the degree of reaction and each reaction is considered to be complete when the pressure no longer decreases with time . for best results , it is desirable to carry out the reactions under relatively moisture - free conditions and to avoid side reactions that form water . to dry the reaction vessel and connection , they may be swept out with dry , oxygen - free gas , for example nitrogen , before introducing the charge of alkylene oxides . the catalyst or catalyst mixtures should also be dry , or substantially dry . the propylene oxide and ethylene oxide should preferably be purified to remove moisture and any impurities that are capable of entering into side reactions that yield water . catalysts that are useful in this invention are alkali metal hydroxide , such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide , sodium ethoxide , sodium methoxides , alkali metal acetates , lewis acids , such as bf 3 , and amines , such as trimethyl amine , or other tertiary amines , and mixtures thereof . preferred catalysts are the alkali metal hydroxides and the sodium ethoxide and sodium methoxide and much preferred catalysts are sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide . catalysts used in this invention should be used in the range of from about 0 . 2 weight % to 1 . 0 weight %, and preferred is a use in the range of about 0 . 3 weight % to 0 . 75 weight %, the amount of catalyst being based on the total amount of the reactive components of the reaction . typically in this invention the catalysts are added to the hydroxylated vegetable oil prior to the introduction of the alkylene oxides . the instant process serves to provide high molecular weight enhanced reactive vegetable oils . what is meant by “ high molecular weight ” for purposes of this invention , is that the final products should have a molecular weight in excess of 2500 average molecular units and ranges up to about 8000 average molecular units . fig1 shows a schematic of a formula for the starting material of this invention wherein the molecular weight of about 1100 average molecular units is shown . a twenty gallon autoclave was charged with a total of 16 , 185 grams ( 13 . 9 mols ) of a material of fig1 and 80 grams of 45 weight % potassium hydroxide solution . an agitator located in the reactor was turned on and set to a speed of 75 rpm . a total of three pressure release cycles to 50 psig were performed with nitrogen and the reactor was heated to about 120 ° c . during the heat up , the nitrogen was sparged through the reaction mass to help remove water that was introduced with the catalytic koh and the starting material . the reactor temperature was held at 120 ° c . for one hour with a nitrogen sparge . by the end of this hold time , the water content of the reaction mass was determined to be 80 ppm . after the reaction mass in example 1 had been dried , the reactor temperature was increased to 155 ° c . and the agitator rate was increased to 300 rpm . once this temperature had been achieved , the reactor pressure was increased to 10 psig with nitrogen , and one pound of propylene oxide was introduced to the reactor through a dip tube . the resulting pressure was 30 psig . after five minutes the reactor pressure started to drop and a mild exotherm was observed . at this point a continuous propylene oxide feed was started at a rate to keep the temperature between 150 ° c . and 160 ° c . and a pressure at or below 75 psig . a total of 33 , 056 grams ( 570 mols ) of propylene oxide was fed to the reactor over a 4 . 5 hour period . this amount provides an average of 38 . 735 moles of propylene oxide per mole of the starting material . each arm of the triglyceride has about 17 . 3 successively linked propylene oxide segments to form the polyether chain , terminating in a secondary alcohol . when the propylene oxide feed was complete , the reaction mass was held at 155 ° c . for one hour . during this hold period the reactor pressure dropped from just under 75 psig to near 10 psig . at this point , a sample was taken and the hydroxyl value of the sample was determined to be 50 . 8 . this is the material shown schematically in fig2 . at this time , the reactor was cooled to 60 ° c . and the reaction mass from example 2 was drained into five gallon pails . a total of 47 , 942 grams of product was recovered . of this amount , 22 , 755 grams of product was returned to the reactor and heated to 155 ° c . after three pressure release cycles with nitrogen were performed . after heating the reactor was then pressured to 10 psig with nitrogen , the agitator was set to 300 rpm and 930 grams of ethylene oxide was charged through the dip tube . the resulting pressure was 60 psig . over a fifteen minute period the pressure in the reactor had returned to 10 psig . the reaction mass was then held at 155 ° c . for an additional 30 minutes . the agitator was slowed to 75 rpm and the reactor was cooled to 90 ° c . when the temperature reached 90 ° c ., 50 grams of glacial acetic acid was introduced into the reactor through the dip tube . this was allowed to react for ten minutes . after this neutralization step , the reactor was again heated to 120 ° c . and a nitrogen sparge was started . the reactor was held at these conditions for one hour then cooled to 60 ° c . and then packaged . a total of 23 , 540 grams of the final product was recovered . this is the material shown schematically in fig3 . ethylene oxide capping provides the polyether chain just as described above , but instead of the chain terminating with secondary alcohol , it terminates with a primary alcohol . primary alcohols are more reactive than secondary alcohols , and provide the correct type of reactivity desired .	2
there are three main puzzles that face designers when creating hardware implementations of montgomery multiplication . the first is the “ true ” multiplication operation internal to the montgomery algorithm . today , most mid - level fpga boards have dedicated logic for several parallel 64 × 64 bit multiplications . similarly , asic implementations of such multipliers are relatively automated . so , one puzzle is how to take advantage of such parallel multipliers efficiently in the context of large inputs . the second significant puzzle is how to manage addition . repeated addition operations are required for montgomery multiplication , wherein the size of the addends is the strength of the encryption system . thus , for 1024 bit rsa encryption , at least two 1024 bit additions are needed per iteration of the main loop of the algorithm , where the number of iterations depends on the radix . the carry propagation for full adders would be a significant bottleneck . hence , the second puzzle is how to avoid carry propagation while adding such large data . the third puzzle is how to keep area requirements at a minimum . in a straightforward implementation of montgomery multiplication , very large and complex circuits are needed to implement the necessary additions . even in an implementation such as the mcivor et al . that exploits carry - save adders , the device uses four separate carry - save adders . the area requirements for these adders is quite high and appears unavoidable in other devices that implement the montgomery multiplication using similar techniques . this invention deals with these three puzzles together by factoring the computation of sub - products into four parts and the computation of an accumulated sum into four carry - save additions . the specific choice of sub - products avoids carries completely and allows the invention to exploit parallel multipliers , while the novel use of carry - save adders does not propagate any carries . furthermore , because the two main sub - computations ( product and carry - save addition ) are factored this way , the device can exploit a pipeline to compute these in parallel , thus allowing a single carry - save adder to be reused for all four additions . the carry - save adder and multipliers are operated in four phases per each word of the input a , i . e ., in l iterations and are configured to avoid all carry - propagation during these iterations . at the end of computation , a partial sum and partial carry are added to generate an approximate result . finally , if needed a final addition is carried out to correct the approximate result . hence , the costly carry propagation of full adders is completely eliminated from the main loop of the algorithm and is incurred at most twice per use of the invention . moreover , the potential second full addition is only needed in case the first addition results in a carry out , not as a result of an expensive comparison to n . in order to understand the present invention , it is helpful to fix notation and terminology and to review the fundamental idea of the montgomery algorithm . throughout this document , we write x ≡ y z to indicate that the natural numbers x and z are congruent modulo the natural number y . that is , x − z is an integer multiple of y . we also write x % y to denote the remainder of division x / y . the residual modular multiplication depends on a predetermined natural number r , referred to as the residual . given a modulus n , a multiplier a , and a multiplicand b , residual modular multiplication seeks a value u with the property u · r ≡ n a · b . to ensure that a · b can be uniquely recovered ( up to congruence ) from u , the modulus and residual must be relatively prime . in most applications , the modulus is assumed to be odd , so a residual that is a power of two guarantees this basic property . in the basic montgomery algorithm , a , b , and u are further required to be less than the modulus n , and the modulus is required to be less than the residual . residual modular multiplication can be used to produce the true modular product of two values . specifically , let x y denote the result of residual modular multiplication . that is ( x y )· r is congruent to x · y . then ( x y ) r 2 is congruent to x · y . hence two uses of residual modular multiplication ( with pre - computed value r 2 ) yields standard ( non - residual ) modular multiplication . this , nevertheless , still eliminates division , so it can be faster than a more direct computation . on the other hand , more complicated modular computations such as exponentiation can be implemented directly on residual representations , thus saving a significant number of divisions . a typical exponentiation algorithm , implemented using a modified “ square - and - multiply ” algorithm , is discussed below . given residual r and modulus n , euclid &# 39 ; s algorithm can be used to produce a value n ′ such that n · n ′+ 1 ≡ r 0 . now setting u ′= a · b +( a · b · n ′% r ) n , the result is clearly congruent to a · b modulo n , and also congruent to 0 modulo r . so setting u = u ′/ r results in a value so that u · r is congruent to a · b modulo n . all that remains is to note that u ′& lt ; n 2 + r · n , so u & lt ; 2n . thus one further subtraction of n may be needed to produce the desired value . the basic montgomery algorithm extends to larger moduli and larger multipliers and multiplicands by representing these inputs in radix r and taking the residual r to be a power of r . this is natural because ( i ) r is a predetermined value and ( ii ) r itself is typically taken to be a very large power of two , so that radix r representation simply means that the inputs are represented as arrays of words . let us assume that a , b , and n are represented as l digit radix r values . we allow for leading 0 &# 39 ; s in these representations as needed . thus , in the above description , r = r l . to be explicit , a is given to us in l values a 0 , a 1 , . . . , a l − 1 so that a = a 0 + a 1 · r + a 2 · r 2 + . . . + a l − 1 · r l − 1 . the values band n are given similarly . to make the following notation simpler , for 0 ≦ j ≦ i ≦ l , we define a ( i , j ]= a j · r j + a j + 1 · r j + 1 + a j + 2 · r j + 2 + . . . + a i − 1 · r i − 1 . in particular , a ( l , 0 ]= a and , as one expects , a ( i , i ]= 0 . the basic algorithm adapts to radix r by computing at each stage i , a value u & lt ; 2n such that u · r i ≡ n a ( i , 0 ]· b . ( 1 ) when i = l , r i = r and a ( i , 0 ]= a . so after l iterations and after adjusting to ensure u & lt ; r , u is the desired result . for this algorithm , we need a value n ′ so that n · n ′+ 1 ≡ r 0 and n ′& lt ; r . the value of n ′ depends only on the least significant word of n and can be computed easily using euclid &# 39 ; s algorithm . now , suppose that u satisfies ( 1 ). let h =( u 0 + a i · b 0 )· n ′% r . by our choice of n ′, must hold . hence setting u ′= u + a i · b + h · n , we have u ′· r i ≡ n u · r i + a i · b · r i . the later is equal to a ( i + 1 , 0 ] by the assumption , so u ′/ r is the desired value . this multi - word version of montgomery &# 39 ; s algorithm is summarized as follows : h =( u 0 + a i · b )· n ′% r , to avoid carry propagation in the above algorithm , this invention uses carry - redundant representations and carry - save adders . that is , for three values x , y , and z and a carry - in c , a carry - redundant representation is a pair of values s and t so that s + t = x + y + z + c . a carry - save adder is a device that produces a carry - redundant representation from these four inputs . typically a carry - save adder is embodied as an array of k parallel one bit full adders , wherein adder number i has inputs x i , y i , and z i and has the sum output to s i and carry output to t i + 1 and by setting t 0 = c . other embodiments of carry - save adders are possible for use in this invention , and are considered equivalent for the purposes of this invention , provided the above invariant is maintained . note that in general , the value twill be one bit longer than s , but under many assumptions about the three main inputs , a carry - save adder may actually be guaranteed not to generate a 1 in the most significant bit of t . this invention uses some number theoretic facts about the multi - word algorithm to simplify the use of a carry - save adder , and to use parallel w × w multiplication to exploit the resources available on most fpgas , asics or custom circuits . the idea is to adapt the invariant of the basic algorithm of fig2 so that at each stage , the following conditions hold : ( s + t ) r i ≡ n a ( i , 0 ]· b suppose we are given s , t , and i satisfying the above conditions . then let h =( s 0 + t 0 + a i · b 0 ) n ′% r . then the same reasoning applies as in the basic multi - word algorithm . that is , two carry - save adders can be used to compute s ′ and t ′ as a carry - redundant representation of the sum s + t + a i · b + h · n , avoiding carry propagation . thus , ( s ′+ t ′) is evenly divisible by r . notice that the least significant digit of s ′ is therefore zero if and only if the least significant digit of t ′ is zero . if this is the case , then ( s ′+ t ′)/ r = s ′/ r + t ′/ r . otherwise , ( s ′+ t ′)/ r =└ s ′/ r ┘+└ t ′/ r ┘+ 1 . if we compute the two products a i · b and h · n in the obvious way , they will also incur carry propagation . take h · n as an example , the result should be h · n 0 + h · n 1 · r + h · n 2 · r 2 + . . . + h · n l − 1 · r l − 1 , but because each sub - product is two words long , this involves carries . on the other hand , if l is even we can put h · n in a form suitable for carry - save manipulation by defining q 1 = h · n 1 + h · n 3 · r 2 + h · n 5 · r 4 + h · n l − 1 · r l − 2 so h · n = q 0 + q 1 · r . none of the sub - products in these sums overlap , so no carries are involved . the sub - products can be computed in parallel within the capability of specific hardware resources . we define p 0 and p 1 similarly for the product a i · b . thus , s + t + p 0 + p 1 · r + q 0 + q 1 · r ≡ n u + a i · b ( 7 ) notice that the terms p 1 · r and q 1 · r can be omitted from equation ( 4 ) because each is congruent to 0 modulo r . the sum s + t + p 0 + p 1 · r + q 0 + q 1 · r can , in principle , be implemented in any of twenty - four orderings of the four partial sub - products . all of these orderings result in alternative embodiments of the invention . however , because the values q 0 and q 1 depend on h =( s 0 + t 0 + p 0 0 )· n % r , the preferred embodiments stage computations so that p 0 is obtained first , so that the least significant word can then be used to compute the value h . this leaves six possible orderings of the above sum . of these , two are preferred : the advantage of ( 8 ) is that computation of m can be implemented in parallel with computation of p 1 · r and its addition . this can reduce latency if the actual number of available hardware multipliers is m + 1 . the disadvantage is that p 1 · r is 2 km + 1 words long . so the carry - save adder must be larger . the advantage of ( 9 ) is that both of the values p 1 · r and q 1 · r can be added after dividing by r . this keeps the size of the carry - save adder as small as possible . the disadvantage is that computation of h must occur prior to q 0 and after the least significant word of p 0 . in both orderings , once q 0 is added ( via a carry - save adder ) the result is a carry - redundant representation that is equivalent to the full sum modulo r . at that point , the carry - redundant form may be shifted down by one word ( that is , divided by r ). to describe the methods determined by ( 8 ) and ( 9 ), we use the following notation : definition list 1 term definition s , t = csa ( x , y , z , c ) ( s , t ) is a carry - redundant representation of the sum x + y + z + c p = pmu ( x , y ) p is the 2 kmw bit result of multiplying the w bit value x by each w bit word of the km word value y h = hu ( x , y , z , v ) h is the result of taking the least significant word of ( x + y + z ) · v x & gt ;& gt ; w x is shifted down by w bits and padded with leading zeros . x & lt ;& lt ; w x is shifted up by w bits with least significant w bits filled with zeros . x 0 ≠ 0 single bit result of comparing least significant word of x to 0 . msb ( x ) most significant bit of x x [ i : j ] bits indexed i , i − 1 , i − 2 , . . . , j the first ordering ( 8 ) leads to a method of computation involving intermediate values s , t , p , hand u having the following bit - widths : value bit width s ( 2 km + 1 ) w t ( 2 km + 1 ) w + 1 p 2 kmw h w u 2 kmw + 1 for i in the range 0 to 2 km − 1 , operate in four phases : the second ordering ( 9 ) leads to a method of computation involving intermediate values s , t , p , h and u having the following bit - widths : value bit width s 2 kmw t 2 kmw + 1 p 2 kmw h w u 2 kmw + 1 for i in the range 0 to 2 km − 1 , operate in five phases : fig1 , 2 , 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d , and 4 — non - pipeline embodiment orderings ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) lead to embodiments in which the carry - save logic is duplicated , and not pipelined . although the preferred embodiments to follow save area by re - using the carry - save logic , we include a non - pipeline embodiment based on ordering ( 9 ) to illustrate an alternative to pipelining . fig1 shows details of the sub - unit ( 100 ) for calculating the value h . it operates as follows signal multiplexer ( 101 ) to send input labeled a 0 to multiplier ( 103 ), signal multiplexer ( 102 ) to send input labeled b 0 to multiplier ( 103 ), signal demultiplexer ( 104 ) to send output to multiplexer ( 105 ), signal multiplier ( 103 ) to compute ; signal multiplexer ( 106 ) to send input labeled s 0 to adder ( 107 ), signal multiplexer ( 105 ) to send input from demultiplexer ( 104 ) to full adder ( 107 ), signal demultiplexer ( 108 ) to send output to multiplexer ( 105 ), signal adder ( 107 ) to compute ; signal multiplexer to send input labeled to adder ( 107 ), signal multiplexer ( 105 ) to send input from demultiplexer ( 108 ) to adder ( 107 ), signal demultiplexer to send output to multiplexer ( 102 ), signal adder ( 107 ) to compute ; signal multiplexer ( 101 ) to send input labeled n ′ to multiplier ( 103 ), signal multiplexer ( 102 ) to send input from demultiplexer ( 108 ) to multiplier ( 103 ), signal demultiplexer ( 104 ) to send output to line output of the unit ( h ). fig2 illustrates computation of the four partial sub - products po , p 1 , q 0 and q 1 . this device operates in 4 k phases , a0 , b0 , c0 , d0 , a1 , b1 , c1 , d2 , etc ., as follows : signal multiplexer ( 201 ) to send input from a i to multiplexer ( 203 ), signal multiplexer ( 203 ) to send input from multiplexer ( 201 ) to multipliers ( 300 ), signal multiplexer ( 202 ) to send input from b 0 to multiplexer ( 204 ), signal multiplexer ( 204 ) to send input b 0 j , signal demultiplexer to send output to p 0 2j + 1 : p 0 2j , signal multipliers ( 301 , . . . ) to compute ; signal multiplexer ( 201 ) to send input from a i to multiplexer ( 203 ), signal multiplexer ( 203 ) to send input from multiplexer ( 201 ) to multipliers ( 300 ), signal multiplexer ( 202 ) to send input from b 1 to multiplexer ( 204 ), signal multiplexer ( 204 ) to send input b 1 j , signal demultiplexer to send output to p 1 2j + 1 : p 1 2j , signal multipliers ( 301 , . . . ) to compute ; signal multiplexer ( 203 ) to send input from input labeled h to multipliers ( 300 ), signal multiplexer ( 202 ) to send input from n 0 to multiplexer ( 204 ), signal multiplexer ( 204 ) to send input n 0 j , signal demultiplexer to send output to q 0 2j + 1 : q 0 2j , signal multipliers ( 301 , . . . ) to compute ; signal multiplexer ( 203 ) to send input from input labeled h to multipliers ( 300 ), signal multiplexer ( 202 ) to send input from n 1 to multiplexer ( 204 ), signal multiplexer ( 204 ) to send input n 1 j , signal demultiplexer to send output to q 1 2j + 1 : q 1 2j , signal multipliers ( 301 , . . . ) to compute . fig3 illustrates in more detail the routing of words to multipliers in fig2 . fig4 shows the overall configuration for the non - pipeline embodiment implementing ordering ( 9 ). in this non - pipeline embodiment , four carry - save adders are configured in a cascade as detailed in fig4 . this operates as follows : signal to hu ( 100 ) to compute , storing result in register h ( 412 ), signal to the pmu control logic ( 200 ) to compute values p 0 , p 1 , q 0 and q 1 , storing results in registers ( 403 ), ( 405 ), ( 407 ) and ( 411 ), respectively , signal csa units ( 404 ), ( 406 ), ( 410 ) and ( 412 ) to compute in sequence , storing result in registers ( 401 ) and ( 402 ), signal finalization unit ( 1000 ) to compute , sending result to output of the device . during operation , the embodiments of fig8 and 9 require calculation of a value h , computation of which can be embodied as a separate unit ( hu ) or by any other functionally equivalent means . in fig5 , a preferred embodiment of the hu operates as follows : signal multiplexer ( 501 ) to send input labeled to full adder ( 503 ), signal multiplexer ( 502 ) to send input labeled s 0 to full adder ( 503 ), signal demultiplexer ( 504 ) to send output of full adder ( 503 ) to multiplexer ( 501 ); signal full adder ( 503 ) to compute ; signal multiplexer ( 501 ) to send input from demultiplexer ( 504 ) to full adder ( 503 ), signal multiplexer ( 502 ) to send input labeled p 0 to full adder ( 503 ), signal demultiplexer ( 504 ) to send output of full adder ( 503 ) to multiplier ( 505 ); signal full adder to compute ; signal multiplier ( 505 ) to compute , recording the lower w bits of the result to output ( h ) of the unit . this embodiment of hu re - uses a single w - bit full adder . other functionally equivalent embodiments may employ two adders in a cascaded configuration . fig6 , 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , and 7 d — plural multiplier unit for preferred embodiments preferred embodiments of fig8 and 9 comprise a plural multiplier unit , which is a sub - system that computes the partial sub - products p 0 , p 1 , q 0 and q 1 . this sub - system can be embodied as a distinct sub - apparatus or any other functionally equivalent means . the plural multiplier unit assumes a predetermined plurality of m hardware multipliers capable of calculating a w × w bit product , where the radix r is 2 w for a predetermined word size w . as noted earlier , we also assume that the bit width is k = 2 kmw for some predetermined value of k . thus , l = 2 km and the radix is 2 w . in this way , the number of w × w bit products that comprise the value p 0 ( as well as the others ) is km = l / 2 . the multiplier unit selects either a i or has a w bit multiplicand . the other multiplicand is selected from either b 0 , b 1 , n 0 , or n 1 as kmw bits . hence , these kmw bits grouped into k blocks of m words each , and are handled in k iterations consecutively . for example , in the case of b 0 , in the j - th iteration multiplier m receives b 0 jm + m − 1 , multiplier m − 1 receives b 0 jm + m − 2 , . . . , multiplier 2 receives b 0 jm + 1 , and multiplier 1 receives b 0 jm . the products of such multiplications are 2 w bits in length each and are grouped together and assigned to the register pas a single l word value . for example , following the above case of b 0 , the corresponding storage locations in p would be p l − 1 : p l − 2 for multiplier m , p l − 3 : p l − 4 for multiplier m − 1 , . . . , p 3 : p 2 for multiplier 2 , and p 1 : p 0 for multiplier 1 . fig6 shows the circuit diagram for this process . the preferred embodiment iterates through k groupings of m words each selecting one group at a time via multiplexer ( 604 ). thus at each iteration , the bit locations advance by mw bits . the results of the multiplications are then sent to the appropriate 2 m words of the output via demultiplexer ( 605 ). fig7 a , 7 b , 7 c and 7 d provide details of the sources and destination of words in this unit . as can be seen , when k & gt ; 1 , the multiplication required completes in k cycles . when k = 1 , all of the multiplications are performed in one cycle , so the multiplexer ( 604 ) and demultiplexer ( 605 ) can be eliminated . the ordering ( 8 ) leads to an embodiment of the apparatus of this invention that is shown in fig8 . 7 . in this embodiment , the apparatus operates as follows : for i in the range 0 to 2 km , operate in four phases : signal multiplexer ( 807 ) to send input from shifted register t ( 804 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 808 ) to send input from shifted register s ( 805 ) to csa ( 711 ), signal multiplexer ( 809 ) to send input from register p ( 803 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 810 ) to send signal from result of the comparison s 0 ≠ 0 to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 601 ) in pmu control logic ( 600 ) to send input from a i to multiplexer ( 603 ), signal multiplexer ( 603 ) to send input from multiplexer ( 601 ) to pmu ( 700 ) and signal multiplexer ( 604 ) to send input from b 0 to pmu ( 700 ); signal csa ( 711 ), pmu ( 700 ) and hu ( 500 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 801 ), s ( 802 ), p ( 803 ) and h ( 812 ). signal multiplexer ( 807 ) to send input from register t ( 804 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 808 ) to send input from register s ( 805 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 809 ) to send input from register p ( 803 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 810 ) to send 0 to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 601 ) in pmu control logic ( 600 ) to send input from a i to multiplexer ( 603 ), signal multiplexer ( 603 ) to send input from multiplexer ( 601 ) to pmu ( 700 ) and signal multiplexer ( 604 ) to send input from b 1 to pmu ( 700 ); signal csa ( 711 ) and pmu ( 700 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 801 ), s ( 802 ) and p ( 803 ). signal multiplexer ( 807 ) to send input from register t ( 801 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 808 ) to send input from register s ( 802 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 809 ) to send input from shifted register p ( 803 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 603 ) to send input from register h ( 812 ) to pmu ( 700 ) and signal multiplexer ( 602 ) to send input from n 0 to pmu ( 700 ); signal csa ( 711 ) and pmu ( 700 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 801 ), s ( 802 ) and p ( 803 ). signal multiplexer ( 807 ) to send input from register t ( 801 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 808 ) to send input from register s ( 802 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 809 ) to send input from register p ( 803 ) to csa ( 711 ), signal multiplexer ( 603 ) to send input from register h ( 812 ) to pmu ( 700 ) and signal multiplexer ( 602 ) to send input from n 1 to pmu ( 700 ); signal csa ( 711 ) and pmu ( 700 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 801 ), s ( 802 ) and p ( 803 ). signal multiplexer ( 807 ) to send input from shifted register t ( 804 ) to csa ( 811 ), signal multiplexer ( 808 ) to send input from shifted register s ( 805 ) to csa ( 811 ); signal csa ( 811 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 801 ) and s ( 802 ); signal finalization unit ( 1000 ) to compute , sending result to output of the device . the ordering ( 9 ) leads to an embodiment of the apparatus of this invention that is shown in fig9 . in this embodiment , the apparatus operates as follows : for i in the range 0 to 2 km , operate in five phases : signal multiplexer ( 907 ) to send input from register t ( 901 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 908 ) to send input from register s ( 902 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 910 ) to send 0 to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 601 ) to send input from a i to multiplexer ( 603 ), signal multiplexer ( 603 ) to send input from multiplexer ( 601 ) to pmu ( 700 ) and signal multiplexer ( 602 ) to send input from b 0 to pmu ( 700 ); signal csa ( 911 ), pmu ( 700 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 901 ), s ( 902 ), p ( 903 ) and h ( 912 ); signal hu ( 500 ) to compute , storing result in register h ( 912 ); signal multiplexer ( 907 ) to send input from register t ( 904 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 908 ) to send input from register s ( 905 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 910 ) to send 0 to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 603 ) to send input from register h to pmu ( 700 ) and signal multiplexer ( 604 ) to send input from n 0 to pmu ( 700 ); signal csa ( 911 ) and pmu ( 700 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 901 ), s ( 902 ) and p ( 903 ); signal multiplexer ( 907 ) to send input from register t ( 901 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 908 ) to send input from register s ( 902 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 910 ) to send 0 to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 601 ) to send input from a i to multiplexer ( 603 ), signal multiplexer ( 603 ) to send input from multiplexer ( 601 ) to pmu ( 700 ) and signal multiplexer ( 602 ) to send input from b 1 to pmu ( 700 ); signal csa ( 911 ) and pmu ( 700 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 901 ), s ( 902 ) and p ( 903 ); signal multiplexer ( 907 ) to send input from shifted register t ( 904 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 908 ) to send input from shifted register s ( 905 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 910 ) to send input from comparison s ≠ 0 to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 603 ) to send input from register h ( 912 ) to pmu ( 700 ) and signal multiplexer ( 602 ) to send input from n 1 to pmu ( 700 ); signal csa ( 911 ) and pmu ( 700 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 901 ), s ( 902 ) and p ( 903 ); signal multiplexer ( 907 ) to send input from shifted register t ( 904 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 908 ) to send input from shifted register s ( 905 ) to csa ( 911 ), signal multiplexer ( 910 ) to send signal from comparison w - bit s ≠ 0 to csa ( 911 ); signal csa ( 911 ) to compute , storing results in registers t ( 901 ) and s ( 902 ); signal finalization unit ( 1000 ) to compute , sending result to output of the device . the last stage of operation of the above embodiments invokes a finalization sub - unit , which can be embodied as a separate unit or by any other functionally equivalent means . in fig1 , a preferred embodiment of the finalization unit , employing a single full adder , operates as follows : signal multiplexer ( 1001 ) to send input from input labeled t to first input to adder ( 1003 ) and signal multiplexer ( 1002 ) to send input from input labeled s to second input to adder ( 1003 ), signal adder ( 1003 ) to compute ; if either the carry out bit of t or the carry out bit of adder ( 1003 ) is set , signal demultiplexer ( 1004 ) to send output to multiplexer ( 1001 ), otherwise signal demultiplexer ( 1004 ) to send output to the output of the sub - unit ( res ), if demultiplexer ( 1004 ) is set to send output to multiplexer ( 1001 ), then signal multiplexer ( 1001 ) to send input from demultiplexer ( 1004 ), signal multiplexer ( 1002 ) to send input labeled - n , signal adder ( 1003 ) to compute , signal demultiplexer ( 1004 ) to send output to the output of the sub - unit ( res ). in alternative embodiments of finalization , functionally equivalent embodiments may employ a second full adder in a cascaded configuration . the most common use of montgomery multiplication is in application to modular exponentiation . we illustrate the use of this invention in such an application . because the apparatus of the present invention provides a wider range of operability than prior art solutions , the exponentiation algorithm must be modified slightly to account for this difference . the principle difference between this and other solutions is that the intermediate results are not guaranteed to be less than the modulus . thus a final comparison and possible subtraction are needed . for the exponentiation algorithm , recall that n is the modulus . the algorithm computes a value less than n that is congruent to me modulo n . letting monpro ( a , b , n , n ′) denote the result of the present invention , we are guaranteed that monpro ( a , b , n , n ′) r is congruent to a · b modulo n , assuming that values a , b , and n are l word values , n ′ is a single word value and n · n ′ is congruent to − 1 modulo r . also recall that r = 2 lw . for exponentiation , we also require precomputed values r 1 and r 2 so that r 1 is less than r and congruent to r modulo n and r 2 is less than r and congruent to r 2 modulo n . with these , the exponentiation algorithm operates via square — and multiply using residual representations : p = monpro ( p , p , n , n ′)// p is residual representation of ( m 2 ) i if e [ i ] c = monpro ( l , q , n , n ′)// c is congruent to me modulo n and less than r the specific embodiments of the invention that have been described herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention , but merely illustrating the feasibility and currently preferred embodiments of this invention . the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents . obvious variations , modifications or improvements to the specified embodiments do not depart from the invention or scope of the appended claims .	6
a back rest for a motor vehicle seat includes two side beams 1 and 2 , which are formed as mirror images of each other relative to the center of the back rest . these side beams 1 and 2 are connected in the vicinity of their lower ends with the upholstery support of the associated seat element by means of a schematically illustrated known hinge fitting in such a manner as to be pivotable and capable of being fixed in a selectable pivot position . the steel sheet side beams 1 and 2 have a c - shaped cross section , as shown in fig3 and 4 , whereby the two shanks 1 &# 39 ; and 1 &# 34 ; and 2 &# 39 ; and 2 &# 34 ; run parallel to each other and are directed toward the other side beam . the yoke portion of the shaped beam , which is relatively wide in relation to the length of the shanks , is stiffened by an inwardly pressed , wide reinforcing crease or groove . the side beams 1 and 2 therefore have a high stiffness ( resistance to bending ) in their pivot direction and a limited stiffness relative to a bending toward the other side beam . as shown in fig2 a bending and kinking resistant spacer 3 is arranged between the two side beams 1 and 2 , whose distance from each other decreases toward their upper ends , at a point near these upper ends . this spacer 3 is inserted between the side beams 1 and 2 from behind and is a plastic injection molded element . the angle of the side surfaces 4 of the spacer 3 is adapted to the angle of the side beams 1 and 2 . the spacer 3 can therefore not be moved upward out of its position between the side beams 1 and 2 , even though it is not connected with the side beams 1 and 2 by means of screws or other connecting elements . respective fillets 5 formed in one piece with the spacer 3 project over the two side surfaces 4 . these fillets 5 are open toward the front for manufacturing reasons and are stiffened by cross members 6 . these fillets 5 , which are identical mirror images and whose rear limiting wall 5 &# 39 ; lies in the surface defined by the rear limiting wall of the spacer 3 , become thinner toward their lower end . the height of the side wall 5 &# 34 ; therefore decreases toward the bottom , as shown in fig5 . the forwardly directed surface of the side wall 5 &# 34 ; of the fillets 5 lies against the rearwardly directed side of the rear shank 1 &# 39 ; and 2 &# 39 ; of the two side beams 1 and 2 . to the extend that these two shanks 1 &# 39 ; and 2 &# 39 ; project into the area of the cross members 6 , these cross members 6 also abut the shanks 1 &# 39 ; and 2 &# 39 ;. the spacer 3 , including the fillets 5 , thus projects over the side beams 1 and 2 toward the rear , namely , in accordance with the thickness of the fillets 5 . as shown particularly in fig3 and 4 , a thin , flexible piece of sheet metal 7 , which in the exemplary embodiment has a thickness of about 0 . 4 mm , lies against the back side of the spacer 3 . the piece of sheet metal 7 is guided over and past the fillets 5 to the side beams 1 and 2 . the rearward projection of the fillets 5 over the side beams 1 and 2 and the distance by which the fillets 5 are displaced toward the center of the back rest relative to the side beams 1 and 2 , i . e ., their distance from each other is smaller than the distance of the side beams 1 and 2 from each other , are selected such that the two sections of the sheet metal 7 extending from the fillets 5 to the adjacent side beam 1 or 2 form an acute angle with the longitudinal center plane of the back rest , which angle has the size necessary for a torsionfree loading of the side beams 1 and 2 . the zones of the sheet metal 7 which experience a deflection by the fillets 5 and the side beams 1 and 2 thus form hinge - like areas which make possible an adjustment of the sheet metal 7 to the correct angle . the sheet metal 7 lies against the side beams 1 and 2 , namely on its edge at the transition from the yoke section by spot welding or in another manner in the area between this shank and the reinforcing crease . by this means , in conjunction with the downward tapering of the fillets 5 , the spacer 3 wedges itself between the side beams and the sheet metal 7 during a downward movement relative to the two side beams 1 and 2 . above all , however , this design has the effect that , even under heavy loads on the back rest from the front , the side beams 1 and 2 are not subjected to any torsional loading but only to a bending load , whereby the spacer 3 prevents the distance between the two side beams 1 and 2 from decreasing , i . e ., from bending toward each other . in this manner , the sheet metal 7 , even under a heavy load from the front , does not appreciably bend toward the rear . as shown in fig1 a step 7 &# 39 ;, which projects rearwardly and extends over the entire width , is provided on the back side of the spacer 3 near its upper edge . this step 7 &# 39 ; lies on the upper edge of the sheet metal 7 . the spacer 3 therefore supports itself on the sheet metal 7 under a load from above . in addition , screws 8 , which penetrate the sheet metal 7 are screwed into the spacer 3 , assure the spacer 3 against a backward shifting . in addition , the screws 8 hold the sheet metal 7 in contact with the back side of the spacer 3 . it would also be possible , however , to angle the upper edge of the sheet metal 7 toward the front in the vicinity of the spacer 3 and to allow these forwardly projecting edge strips to engage in the spacer 3 . another possibility would be to provide a groove in the step 7 &# 39 ; which overlaps the upper edge of the sheet metal 7 , which groove would receive the upper edge . in both instances , in addition to the contact against the back side of the spacer 3 by the tension of the sheet metal 7 , it would also be assured that the upper edge of the sheet metal 7 is always covered by the spacer 3 , even when the step 7 &# 39 ; is provided on the spacer 3 is very narrow , which narrowness is desired for safety reasons . a cap 15 is formed on the upper ends of both fillets 5 , which caps 15 cover the upper ends of the side beams 1 and 2 , so that the side beams 1 and 2 can be open upward . the sheet metal 7 extends downward into the vicinity of that area of the side beams 1 and 2 in which the side beams 1 and 2 support the hinge fitting . in this manner , the sheet metal 7 , together with the side beams 1 and 2 and the spacer 3 , forms a shell - like upholstery support for the upholstery 9 illustrated in fig1 with a broken line . of course , if the upholstery 9 is pulled forward in the lower back and hip area , as shown in fig1 respective side cheek frames or the like can be attached to the side beams 1 and 2 . the spacer 3 includes not only stiffening ribs 10 shown in fig2 and 3 , for stiffening the essentially rectangular front side which faces the back of the seat user , but also , as shown particularly in fig3 and 4 , the spacer 3 is provided with two parallel , vertical guide channels 11 running the full length thereof , in which the support bars of a head rest can be inserted . the guide channels 11 have a square cross section , whereby the side length is selected to be equal to the diameter of the usually round support bars , so that these support bars lie in the guide channels 11 with practically no play . as shown in fig6 toward the front and back , the guide channels 11 are limited by cross members 12 , which lie in the longitudinal channel direction at intervals equal to the cross member width . the cross members 12 arranged thusly on the front side are aligned with the holes between the cross members 12 on the back side and vice versa . this embodiment of the guide channels 11 results in the support bars being able to have relatively large tolerances . the setting of the support bars at the desired height takes place in a known manner by means of respective shank springs , which can engage in the detents in the support bars and which lie on the upper side of the spacer 3 . instead of the guide channels 11 , the spacer 3 could have a mount for a shoulder support , in which corresponding guide channels 11 for the support bars of a head rest could then be provided . in addition , the activating elements necessary in a back rest which can be folded forward to release the locking mechanism that prevents such a folding can be provided in the spacer 3 . these embodiments of the present invention are considered to be illustrative only since other modifications will be readily discerned by those skilled in the pertinent art . in any event , the scope of the invention is intended to be covered by both the letter and the spirit of the claims appended hereto .	1
fig1 shows substrate lens antenna in cross section , comprising a substrate 10 , a conductor layer 12 on substrate 10 and a lens shaped dielectric body 14 and an electrical conductor layer 12 . conductor layer 12 is intersected by a slot 20 . fig2 shows a top view of an embodiment of conductor layer 12 . slot 20 is shown , with a feed 22 at a point in slot 20 , the point corresponding to a focal point of lens shaped dielectric body 14 . slot 20 has two branches extending in mutually opposite directions from feed 22 . lens shaped dielectric body 14 is made of a material that has a dielectric constant that is higher than that of air and of substrate 10 . slot 20 serves as a feed antenna . although an embodiment is shown with a single slot 20 , it should be realized that alternatively other structures may be used as a feed antenna . a pair of parallel slots may be used for example , or a conductor in a dielectric layer instead of conductor layer 12 , or a pair of conductors etc . as may be noted the surface of conductor layer 12 forms a substantially flat plane . this simplifies the construction of the antenna . lens shaped dielectric body 14 may have any shape . lens shaped dielectric body 14 may be cylindrically symmetric around an axis through its focal point and perpendicular to electrical conductor layer 12 . this also simplifies construction . a surface corresponding to an ellipse with its main axis coinciding with the symmetry axis and rotated around that axis may be used , or an approximation of such a surface , as shown in the figure . more generally , the possible shapes of lens shaped dielectric body 14 may be defined in terms of their refractive effect upon notional rays from the feed point . in one embodiment the lens shape is a focussing lens shape . the shape is said to be focussing lens shaped at least if all notional rays from the feed point refract to a direction closer a focus direction ( the direction perpendicular to the upper plane of substrate 10 in the case of the figure ). as is well known refraction obeys snellius &# 39 ; s law in terms of the angle of incidence and refracted angle of the notional ray and the ratio of the dielectric constants of lens shaped dielectric body 14 and that of the space outside the body . for an ideal focussing lens shape , all rays from the feed point refract to rays in the focus direction at the surface of the body . but a non ideal focussing lens shape may be used , wherein all rays merely refract a direction closer a focus direction , or at least when this applies to rays over a range of directions wherein a majority of the radiated power is radiated , in the case of use in transmission . thus , the shape should avoid refracting rays from the fee point away from the focus direction , except possibly at points where little ray intensity occurs . typically , a notional hemispherical surface with its origin at the feed point can be used to define a boundary between surface that have this refractive property and surface that do no have this property . convex surfaces that slope down more rapidly than the sphere at directions away from the apex direction of the sphere have the required refractive effect . instead of an ellipsoidal dielectric body 14 , a dielectric body 14 with the shape of a half sphere on top of a cylinder may be used , or a half - ellipsoid on top of a cylinder . preferably , the cylinder and the half sphere or half ellipsoid of such bodies 14 have corresponding cross - sections where the cylinder meets the half sphere or half ellipsoid . in a further embodiment the lens shaped dielectric body 14 may have the shape of a half sphere only , i . e . without a dielectric cylinder between it and substrate 10 . as in this embodiment the radiated leaky waves reach the surface of such a half sphere perpendicularly to the surface , the radiated waves do not break at the surface , the lens is not a focussing lens . in this way a more omnidirectional pattern may be formed , the half spherical dielectric body serving to enable radiation of the leaky wave from the feed structure , over a very wide bandwidth that can be a plurality of octaves . a generator or receiver may be used to feed or receive signals to or from the antenna at frequencies distributed over such a band of a plurality of octaves , corresponding to non resonant propagation wavelengths that are much smaller ( e . g . at least a factor of five smaller ) than the fundamental resonance wavelength of the feed structure . fig3 shows a communication device comprising a signal generator 30 and an antenna structure 32 according to fig1 and 2 , with an output of signal generator 30 coupled to feed 22 . slot 20 serves as a leaky wave antenna structure . in operation , slot 20 supports excitation of waves at feed 22 by means of the signal from signal generator 30 and propagation of the wave along slot 20 along the two branches of slot 20 in two directions from feed 22 . slot 20 has a length that equal to at least three wavelengths of waves propagating along slot 20 . lens shaped dielectric body 14 has a diameter that larger than six wavelengths and preferably much larger , for example fifty wavelengths . during propagation along the slot , power from the wave leaks out into lens shaped dielectric body 14 . the wave - front direction of this leaking radiation is centred along two virtual cones around slot 20 . the two cones correspond to the waves in the two directions from the feed point . the cones have an axis along slot 20 and the surfaces of the cones extend at an angle to slot 20 that is determined by the speed of propagation in substrate 10 and lens shaped dielectric body 14 . because of its focussing effect , lens shaped dielectric body 14 redirects internal radiation with a direction along the cones to external radiation in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of conductor layer 12 . thus , both cones result in radiation in substantially the same direction , producing a single beam in that direction . as a result , wave propagation in two directions from the feed point can be used to produce an antenna lobe in one direction , broadside from the surface of conductor layer 12 . it may be noted that the cones define the directions of propagation of wave - fronts rather than the direction of rays and that the cones define the direction wherein maximum power wave - fronts occur , rather than lines along which maximum power occurs . however , it has been found that due to the ideal or non - ideal lens shape such wave - fronts will be refracted more closely towards the focus direction everywhere on the wave - front , so that a focussing effect is provided . the refracted wave - fronts from the two cones ( corresponding to the leaky waves in the two directions from the feed point ) will interfere constructively in the direction perpendicular to the plane of substrate 10 . thus an antenna lobe with peak sensitivity is created in this direction and lens shaped dielectric body 14 acts to increase the amplitude of the peak . fig4 shows a further embodiment of a substrate lens antenna . in this embodiment spacers 40 are provided between the surfaces of conductor layer 12 and lens shaped dielectric body 14 that face each other . thus , a gap 42 is realized between these surfaces . gap 42 may be air filled , or vacuum or filled with another gas . gap 42 serves to increase the speed of propagation of the waves along slot 20 , compared to the situation if fig1 where lens shaped dielectric body 14 is placed directly on conductor layer 12 . the increased speed results in increased spread of emerging radiation energy density at the exterior surface of lens shaped dielectric body 14 , which reduces side lobes in the antenna pattern . in the situation of fig1 the energy density is concentrated in two areas on opposite sides of lens shaped dielectric body 14 . radiation from these areas interferes constructively in the direction of the main lobe ( broadside ). but because lens shaped dielectric body 14 has a diameter of many wavelengths , there are also side lobes dues constructive interference at one or more angles relative to the broadside direction . with the increased spread of the energy density due to gap 42 , such constructive interferences are reduced , which reduces the side lobes . the speed of propagation of the waves along slot is determined mainly by the near field of slot 20 ( the capacitive field component ) rather than the far field ( the radiative field component ). the speed of propagation is determined by an average of the bulk speed values of the media directly above and below conductor layer 12 . by using an air filled gap 42 instead of dielectric material directly above conductor layer 12 the speed is increased . of course the same holds for any other medium instead of air , or vacuum , wherein the speed of electromagnetic wave propagation is high . the propagation speed of electromagnetic waves along slot 20 is a function of the height of gap ( the distance between conductor layer 12 and lens shaped dielectric body 14 ). this function may be determined experimentally or by means of model calculations . most of the increase of the propagation speed occurs for small gap heights up to a height of the same order of magnitude as the transversal size of slot 20 . this is because the speed of propagation along slot 20 mainly depends on the properties of the medium in this range of distances to slot 20 . the contribution of properties of the medium at larger distances drops of quickly with distance . the same holds for other propagation structures , such as conductor lines , pairs of slots , etc . : it the gap height is at least equal to the lateral features size of the propagation structure ( i . e . the width of a slot or slots used in the structure , or the width of a conductor or conductors used in the structure ), a significant increase in propagation speed is realized . the height of the gap is preferably selected at a value where a substantial increase of the propagation speed compared to the absence of a gap ( zero height ) is realized , that is at least ten percent of the total increase to the value for a gap with infinite height . more preferably , the height of the gap is selected at a value where the increase is at least fifty percent of the total increase . in an embodiment the distance is at least equal to the lateral size of slot 20 . preferably the height of the gap is kept limited to substantially less than a quarter of the bulk wavelength of the radiated signal in the medium in gap 42 . this reduces the effect of reflection off the lower surface of lens shaped dielectric body 14 , which effect would reduce the front to back ratio of the antenna . in an embodiment a height of less than a tenth of a wavelength is used . in another embodiment the height of the gap is less than ten times and preferably than twice the lateral size of slot 20 . in this way a substantial increase in speed , with the accompanying reduction of the side lobes , can be combined with a high front to back ratio . spacers 40 may be protrusions that for an integral part of lens shaped dielectric body 14 , or integral protrusions from conductor layer 12 , or additional elements inserted between lens shaped dielectric body 14 and conductor layer 12 . although an embodiment is shown wherein the gap extends over most of the surface of conductor layer 12 , it suffices that the gap extends laterally to a distance of at least the height of the gap from slot 20 along a majority of the length of slot 20 . the presence of a gap at a greater distance has little influence on the speed . spacers 40 may be located anywhere in gap 42 , but it is preferred that they are provided a distance at least a size of slot 20 apart from slot 20 , or only at the end or ends of slot 20 . spacers 40 may take the form of a rim around an area that contains conductor layer 12 and slot 20 , but any other form of spacing may be used . although an example of a gas or vacuum in gap 42 has been shown , it should be realized that alternatively solid or even liquid material may be provided in gap 42 , as long as it provides for a material with a higher speed of propagation of electromagnetic waves than of the material of lens shaped dielectric body 14 . in an embodiment signal generator 30 is a wide band signal generator , configured to apply signals at frequencies over at least an octave bandwidth to feed 22 and preferably a plurality of octaves bandwidth . because a leaky wave structure is used as a feed the antenna it is possible to realize a substrate lens antenna that operates efficiently over such a broad frequency range . transmission at these frequencies may be realized by switching between different frequency channels within this bandwidth , or by simultaneously using a plurality of channels at a mutual distance distributed within the bandwidth , or by using wideband modulation techniques etc . where the present specification speaks of wavelengths to define a minimum or maximum size , for the gap size or length of the feed antenna or size of lens shaped dielectric body 14 or other dimensions , the wavelength of the highest frequency channel used by signal generator 30 is intended for maximum sizes and the wavelength of the lowest frequency channel used by signal generator 30 is intended for minimum sizes . although an embodiment with a signal generator 30 has been shown , it should be appreciated that signal generator 30 may be replaced by a signal receiver . in view of reciprocity , the reception and transmission antenna pattern are the same , so that the substrate lens antenna also realized a broadband reception antenna . in this embodiment the signal receiver may configured to receive signals at frequencies over at least an octave bandwidth from feed 22 and preferably a plurality of octaves bandwidth . reception at these frequencies may be realized by tuning the signal receiver successively to different frequencies in this bandwidth , or by simultaneously receiving a plurality of signals at a mutual frequency distance corresponding to the bandwidth , or by using wideband demodulation techniques etc . in a further embodiment a transceiver device may be realized by coupling both a signal generator 30 and signal receiver to feed 22 . this signal generator 30 and signal receiver may be configured to operate simultaneously or successively at transmission and reception frequencies that are at least an octave bandwidth apart from each other , and in a further embodiment a plurality of bandwidths apart . also each of the signal generator 30 and signal receiver may operate at a plurality of frequencies at such a bandwidth . the lateral dimension of slot 20 ( its width ) and the thickness of conductor layer 12 are preferably substantially smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation propagating along slot 20 . this keeps the bandwidth high . although an embodiment has been shown wherein the feed antenna is a single slot , it should be appreciated that other leaky wave type feed antennas may be used . fig5 shows an embodiment wherein a pair of slots 50 , 52 is used as a leaky wave type feed antenna . in this case , when a gap 42 is used , the size of gap 42 is preferably at least equal to a distance between the slots 50 , 52 plus a lateral dimension of the slots 50 , 52 . similarly , other types of feed antenna may be used , for example a single conductor track or a pair of parallel conductor tracks . to realize a large bandwidth the distance between slots 50 and 52 is preferably substantially less than the maximum wavelength . in each embodiment the lateral dimension of the feed antenna is preferably substantially smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation propagating along the length of the leaky wave antenna structure . this keeps the bandwidth high . although an embodiment has been described wherein focussing perpendicular to the plane of the feed antenna is used , it should be appreciated that focussing in other directions is possible . for example , an ellipsoid shaped lens focussed in the direction of the axis through its focal points . by using an ellipsoid that is cut - off through tilted plane through its focal point at a non - perpendicular angle to this axis , a lens may be realized that focuses in a tilted direction . although an embodiment has been described wherein two wave propagation structures ( e . g . slots ) extend in mutually opposite directions from the feed point , it should be realized that a greater number of wave propagation structures ( e . g . slots ) may be used extending starwise from the feed point . also two wave propagation structures may be used that extend at an angle to each other , rather than in mutually opposite directions . when the lens shaped dielectric body is rotationally symmetric , its focussing effect does not depend on the direction component of the leaky wave in the plane of the feed structure .	7
illustrated in fig1 of the drawings is a rapidly flowing liquid portion 3 adjacent a slowly flowing or quiescent portion 4 and separated from the latter by a wall 1 . the wall 1 is provided with an aperture whose rim defines the contact surface 11 between the two liquid portions . generated within the aperture in the wall 1 is a vortex 5 with the aid of a deflector plate 2 which is fastened to the wall 1 . the vortex 5 , which distinguishes itself through intensive velocity components 12 and 13 which extend perpendicular to the contact surface 11 , projects into the region of the flow 3 as well as into the relatively quiescent liquid portion 4 . due to the mass exchange between itself and the flowing liquid portion 3 , the vortex takes up the bubble - laden liquid in the zone 6 , conducts this as a result of the velocity component 13 through the aperture in the wall 1 and again gives this up in the region 7 within the context of the mass exchange between itself and the relatively quiescent liquid portion 4 . furthermore , within the context of the mass exchange between itself and the relatively quiescent liquid portion 4 , the vortex takes up degasified liquid in the region 8 , conducts the liquid through the window due to the velocity components 12 and gives the liquid up in the region 9 within the context of the mass exchange between itself and the flowing liquid portion 3 . the gas bubbles which are received in the region 10 can now rise to the surface of the relatively quiescent liquid portion and naturally or spontaneously separate from the liquid . the possibility also exists that measures can be met so as to conduct away the bubbles appearing in the region 10 into a chamber in which they can spontaneously separate from the liquid . these measures are further elucidated in detail hereinbelow . in fig2 and the subsequent drawing figures , the elements which are identical or similar to each other and / or to those illustrated in fig1 are designated by the same reference numerals . as illustrated in fig2 of the drawings , arranged superimposed in the upper part of a cooler for the liquid circuit of an internal combustion engine , is the flowing liquid portion 3 and the relatively quiescent liquid portion 4 . the upper part of the cooler is also designated as the upper radiator . through suitable configuration of the deflector plate 2 , the vortex 5 can rotate only so rapidly that the gas bubbles contained therein can also rise upwardly opposite to the downwardly directed flow in the vortex , so as to ensure that , on the one hand , the gas bubbles rising in the relatively quiescent liquid portion 4 will rapidly separate from the vortex zone and thereby there will be reduced the tendency of conductance of the bubbles by the vortex back into the flowing liquid part 3 and , on the other hand , for a slowly revolving vortex 5 the bubbles will separate out of the entire vortex zone and rise to the surface so as to intensify the degasifying procedure . the following possibilities are present for limiting the relatively quiescent liquid portion 4 upwardly : when a larger volume is available through the contact surface 11 , this can be imparted the role of an expansion tank in which there is found the liquid level 15 with the requirement that this liquid level does not fall below the contact surface 11 since , otherwise , gas will enter into the flowing portion 3 . this possibility is illustrated in fig2 . when the space which is available above the contact surface is small , then the entire space can be filled with liquid and the gas bubbles received in the region 10 or in the immediate neighborhood thereof can be conducted away through a side or overhead aperture and through a conduit which is connected to the aperture . illustrated in fig2 is an overhead aperture which is designated by the reference numeral 14 . in the arrangements of the two liquid portions 3 and 4 and of the vortex 5 as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the vortex 5 as viewed from its inception belongs to the flowing liquid portion 3 , since a part of the flowing liquid portion 3 is diverted by means of the plate 2 . this solution has the drawback that a part of the flowing liquid portion 3 and the energy thereof is required for the generation of the vortex 5 and that thereby through the deflector plate 2 which projects into the flow , there is reduced its flow cross - section whereby there will be produced disadvantageous effects acting on the liquid flow circuit . this drawback is avoided in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 showing the construction of an upper radiator of the cooler for the liquid cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine . assumed hereby is the condition that occurring in each liquid flow circuit are flow deflections or reversals which will produce turbulences by means of which there are sustained losses . in general , through suitable design of the installation it is attempted to hold these losses as small as possible . inventively , there is proposed that in the region of that type of flow deflection in which such a vortex necessarily occurs , through constructional measures there be created flow conditions , such as is illustrated in fig1 or 2 , for the conducting away of the received gas bubbles and to thereby attain the desired goal of bubble separation , without the need to introduce additional flow hindrances and resistances such as , for instance , the deflector plate 2 , into the flow circuit . in the embodiment pursuant to fig3 of the drawings , in an upper part 18 of a cooler for the cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine there is obtained a deflection of that kind in the flow through the arrangement of the liquid inlet aperture in relation to the liquid outlet apertures . thusly , the necessarily generated vortex 5 is a secondary effect of the flow deflection . the vortex can also be designated as a secondary flow . the primary flow is then the liquid portion flowing through the upper radiator . for the conducting away of the gas bubbles received in the region 10 there is utilized a sidewise arranged connector 14a or an overhead arranged connector 14 . the connectors 14 or 14a are connected to a conduit which leads to an expansion tank 16 , which is arranged above the cooler . the expansion tank 16 illustrated in fig4 and the conduit which connects the expansion tank 16 with the upper portion of the cooler , are filled with stationary liquid . the entire reconveyance of degasified liquid into the flowing liquid portion is carried out in the embodiment according to fig4 only on the basis of the mass exchange and the crossflow in the zone of the vortex . the expansion tank 16 which is illustrated in fig5 is connected with the cooling circuit by means of a further conduit 17 . through the further conduit 17 degasified liquid is reconveyed into the flowing liquid portion so as to effect a continual degasifying of the flowing liquid portion . in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 there thus reigns a small flow through the conduit connecting the expansion tank 16 with the upper part of the cooler , through the expansion tank 16 and through the return conduit 17 , in the direction indicated by the arrows . by means of this flow , a liquid - gas mixture which is extensively enriched with gas bubbles is conveyed from the upper portion of the cooler into the expansion tank 16 , in which the gas bubbles will spontaneously separate out of the liquid under the effect of the buoyant force . the liquid flowing through the tank 16 represents only a small portion of the total liquid circulating through the cooling circuit so that in the tank 16 there reign the low flow velocities required for a complete separation of the gas bubbles also for small tank dimension . the liquid which is reconveyed through the conduit 17 is completely free of bubbles . instead of allowing the liquid to flow in the illustrated direction from the upper part 18 of the cooler into the expansion tank 16 , there also exists the possibility to permit the liquid to flow in the reverse direction from the expansion tank into the upper part 18 of the cooler . the flow velocity in the conduit which connects the expansion tank 16 with the upper part 18 of the cooler must thereby be so low that the gas bubbles can still rise in opposition to the flow . however , in general , it is better that the liquid be permitted to flow in the direction illustrated in fig5 of the drawings . the inlet and outlet apertures of the expansion tank 16 may be so arranged adjacent each other that during the passage through the expansion tank 16 there is produced a flow in the tank 16 circulating about a vertical axis . the velocity of the circulating flow is so measured that sufficient time remains for the gas bubbles to rise upwardly under the effect of the buoyant force . in the modified embodiments of the upper cooler part illustrated in fig6 through 10 of the drawings , the expansion tanks are presently closed off by means of a cap . in the embodiments illustrated in fig6 through 8 and 10 , the cap is identified by reference numeral 19 . the cap 20 in the embodiment of fig9 is a combined closure for two apertures . utilized in the embodiment illustrated in fig6 is a relatively large - volumed upper radiator in which the expansion volume is arranged above the separating wall 1 . in the embodiment according to fig7 there is utilized a horizontal radiator of low height without an expansion volume . fig8 indicates a construction with an upstanding radiator of low height and without an expansion volume . in the embodiment according to fig9 the radiator is large - volumed and arranged upstandingly . in this radiator the expansion volume is arranged sideways . fig1 illustrates an embodiment with a horizontally arranged large - volumed radiator in which the expansion volume arranged above the separating wall 1 is enlarged by an auxiliary expansion tank 16 . all described constructions of the upper cooler part have in common that the contact surface 11 is always completely covered with liquid so as to afford a satisfactory separation of the gas bubbles from the liquid . for the conducting away of the gas bubbles or of the liquid gas mixture from the region 10 for a small - volumed radiator , as illustrated in fig3 a connector is preferably utilized , as illustrated in fig1 . this connector has a part 21 located externally of the radiator , which is provided with a circular or elliptical cross - section . the cross - section of the part 21 located externally of the radiator may also be so constructed as to provide a transition from the shape of an ellipse at the radiator into a circular shape at the connector for the connecting conduit leading to the expansion tank . the connector has a part 22 located within the radiator which is fastened to the side wall of the radiator opposite to the inlet so as to impart a high degree of mechanical rigidity to the connector . the part of the connector located within the radiator is so constructed that a cross - section has the shape of a circular segment ( fig1 ) or an elliptical segment ( fig1 ). for the two connector constructions it is valid in that the cross - section of the connector for the conducting away of the received gas bubbles is sufficiently large and that the distance between the edge 26 of the connector and the edge 29 of the outlet from the radiator is sufficiently large in order to allow for the formation of the desired flow relationships . furthermore , the edge 26 of the connector is in the region of the perpendicular axis of the circle or of the ellipse and includes a window 24 which is open over the entire radiator width so as to facilitate the mass passage of gas and liquid . this window 24 is limited by the connector edge 25 , which is arranged as closely as possible to the wall 27 of the radiator . the spacing of the connector from the wall 28 of the radiator , as well as the height of the radiator is hereby so selected that there will be obtained the desired flow relationships . provided in the connector part extending into the radiator , is a small window 23 which has the task to conduct gas out of the radiator during the filling of the installation with liquid and for an idling installation . this window 23 is arranged as closely as possible to the wall 27 of the radiator . in its design the two following criteria must be considered : the window is held so large whereby the gas in an idling installation can escape within a desired time period , and is so small that the desired flow pattern and the gas separation procedure will not be influenced . for this reason the window 23 is also held shorter than the width of the radiator and is arranged as closely as possible on the side wall of the radiator which is located opposite of the connector inlet .	5
in accordance with the present invention biocompatible and hemocompatible polymeric adsorbents having a basically hydrophobic porous interior and a hydrophilic outer covering , are prepared in a “ one - pot ” or “ one - step ”. the inventive method includes preparing an organic phase composed of water insoluble monounsaturated and polyunsaturated comonomers and a porogen ; preparing an aqueous phase composed of a mixture of water soluble monounsaturated and polyunsaturated comonomers ; forming a dispersion of the organic phase and the aqueous phase in a single vessel ; and creating conditions for first polymerizing of said organic phase and formation of said hydrophobic porous core part and thereafter polymerizing of said aqueous phase and formation of said hydrophilic porous shell part which coats said core part . in accordance with the invention the two procedures of formation of the polymeric adsorbent bead and coating of the latter are combined into a simple procedure carried out simultaneously or as a sequence of two steps in one single reactor . in the inventive method polymerization must start within the dispersed phase . otherwise , the spherical shape of the particles will be destroyed or distorted . the crosslinking density of the core must be higher than that of the shell . otherwise , the mechanical stability of the shell is endangered . to meet the first requirement , the radical polymerization initiator is initially added to the dispersed phase , not the dispersion medium . the second radical initiator is added to the dispersion medium only after the major part of the comonomers in the dispersed phase converts into polymeric material . in some cases , no second radical initiator is needed , at all . this is because many growing polymer chains with their chain - end radicals show up at the phase interface and can initiate the polymerization in the dispersion medium . moreover , the first radical initiator , like benzoyl peroxide , generates radicals relatively slowly . this initiator is only partially consumed during the formation of beads even after several hours of polymerization . this initiator easily moves toward the surface of the bead and activates there the surface exposed pendant vinyl groups of the divinylbenzene moiety of the bead , thus initiating the graft : polymerization of the water soluble monomers . the dispersed organic phase contains water immisible organic solvents , porogens . thermodynamically good solvents for the growing polymer chains favor formation of microporous copolymers , θ - solvents favor formation of predominantly mesoporous structure ( pore diameters 2 . 0 to 20 . 0 nm ), whereas non - solvents result in the formation of conventional macroporous beads . all three kinds of the above porogens can be used in the above described simultaneous or step - wise procedures of preparation of the core - shell type adsorbing material . there is a principal difference between the conventional separate - step coating of the beads and the here described one - step or one - pot procedure . the principal difference is the presence of the porogen within the porous beads that form in the dispersed phase . for this reason , the grafting of the polymeric chains from the dispersion medium can only proceed on the outer surface of the bead , whereas in the case of previously used protocols , all larger pores of the pre - formed polymer appear accessible to the monomers to be grafted . therefore , the materials prepared in the conventional separate and the here suggested combined version of grafting polymerization are basically different . the difference mainly results in the full hydrophobicity of macro pores in the product of the combined polymerization conducted in accordance with the present invention . contrary , when receiving the coating in a conventional separate grafting polymerization step , the macropores of the adsorbent get coated as well . finally , it turned to be possible to realize the same one - step and one - pot procedures with inverted “ water - in - oil ” suspensions . aqueous solution that contains water soluble comonomers and crosslinking agent , when dispersed in an organic media , can receive during the polymerization in the dispersed droplets a hydrophobic coating , by grafting hydrophobic comonomers , for example , styrene from the organic dispersion medium . 7 . 2 l of water was placed in 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c ., 13 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 14 . 0 g , of monosodium phosphate , 46 . 8 g of disodium phosphate , 28 . 7 g of trisodium phosphate , 72 g of sodium chloride and 150 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 11 . 1 g of benzoyl peroxide in 935 ml of divinylbenzene , 765 ml of ethylstyrene , 1600 ml of isooctane and 1120 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . after 1 . 5 hours of stirring at 80 ° c . a solution of 54 . 2 ml of n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone in 200 ml of water was added . the polymerization was afterwards carried out for 9 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . inner surface area of the polymer amounted to 650 m 2 / g , average pore size ; was 200 å , the polymer was easily wetted with water . 7 . 2 l of water were placed in 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 13 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 14 . 0 g of monosodium phosphate , 46 . 8 g of disodium phosphate , 28 . 7 g of trisodium phosphate , 72 g of sodium chloride and 150 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 11 . 1 g of benzoyl peroxide in 1720 ml of 55 % divinylbenzene , 1600 ml of iso - octane and 1120 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . in 3 hours of stirring at 80 ° c . the solution of 15 ml of n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone in 200 ml of water was added . the polymerization was carried out for 6 hours more at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . inner surface area if the polymer amounted to 650 m 2 , average pore size was 230_ , the polymer was easily wetted with water . 4 . 9 l of water were placed in 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 12 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 9 . 1 g of monosodium phosphate , 30 . 3 g of disodium phosphate , 17 . 3 g of trisodium phosphate , 47 . 0 g of sodium chloride and 100 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 18 . 6 g of benzoyl peroxide in 945 ml of divinylbenzene , 655 ml of ethylstyrene , 1500 ml of isooctane and 10500 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . after 12 hours of stirring at 80 ° c ., 27 . 3 g of ammonium persulfate were introduced into the aqueous phase . in 5 min the solution of 19 . 6 ml of n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone in 100 ml of water was added . the polymerization was additionally carried out for 3 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . inner surface are of the polymer amounted to 650 m 2 / g , the polymer was wetted with water . 5 l of water were placed in 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 12 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 50 g of sodium bicarbonate and 200 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 18 . 6 g of benzoyl peroxide in 1500 ml of 63 % divinylbenzene , 1500 ml of iso - octane and 10500 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . afer 12 hours of stirring at 80 ° c ., 27 . 3 g of ammonium persulfate were introduced into the aqueous phase . in 15 min the solution of 26 ml of n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone in 100 ml of water were added . the polymerization was carried out for 3 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer was wetted with water . 5 l of water were placed in a 4 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 12 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 9 . 1 g of monosodium phosphate , 30 . 3 g of disodium phosphate , 17 . 3 g of trisodium phosphate , 47 . 0 g of sodium chloride and 100 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 18 . 6 g of benzoyl peroxide in 1500 ml of 63 % divinylbenzene , 1500 ml of iso - octane and 10500 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . in 12 hours of stirring at 80 ° c . 27 . 3 g of ammonium persulfate were introduced into aqueous phase . in 10 min the solution of 41 g of acrylamide in 100 ml of water was added . the polymerization was additionally carried out for 3 . 5 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer is wetted with water . 5 l of water were placed in a 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 12 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 25 g of sodium carbonate and 200 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 18 . 6 g of benzoyl peroxide in 1500 ml of 63 % divinylbenzene , 1500 ml of iso - octane and 10500 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . in 12 hours of stirring at 80 ° c . 27 . 3 g of ammonium persulfate were introduced into the aqueous phase . in 5 min the solution of 41 g of 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate in 150 ml of water were added . the polymerization was carried out for 3 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer is wetted with water . 7 . 2 l of water were placed in a 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 13 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 9 . 1 g of monosodium phosphate , 30 . 3 g of disodium phosphate , 17 . 3 g of trisodium phosphate , 47 . 0 g of sodium chloride and 100 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 11 . 1 g of benzoyl peroxide in 1720 ml of 55 % divinylbenzene , 1600 ml of iso - octane and 1120 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . in 12 hours of stirring at 80 ° c . the temperature was lowered to 40 ° c . and the solution of 40 . 6 g ammonium persulfate in 100 ml of water was added . in several minutes 35 ml of tetramethyl ethylene diamine were introduced and afterwards the solution of 54 . 2 ml of n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone in 200 ml of water was added . the grafting was carried out for 2 hours at 40 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer is wetted with water . 5 l of water were placed in a 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 60 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 12 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 25 g of sodium carbonate and 200 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 13 . 5 g of vazo - 52 in 800 ml of styrene , 700 ml of 63 % divinylbenzene , 1500 ml of cyclohexane was dispe sed in the above aqueous phase . in 4 hours of stirring at 60 ° c . the solution of 41 g of 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate in 150 ml of water were added . the polymerization was carried out for 4 hours at 60 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . inner surface area of the polymer amounts to 88 m 2 / g , the polymer contains micropores of about 20 å and mesopores of about 100 å diameter , the polymer is wetted with water . 5 l of water were placed in a 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 14 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 35 g of sodium carbonate and 200 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 20 g of benzoyl peroxide in 900 ml of buthyl methacrylate , 700 ml of 63 % divinylbenzene , 1250 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . in 3 hours of stirring at 80 ° c . the solution of 41 g of 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate in 100 ml of water was added . the polymerization was carried out for 9 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer is wetted with water . 5 l of water were placed in a 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 15 . 5 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 25 g of sodium carbonate and 200 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 20 g of benzoyl peroxide in 945 ml of divinylbenzene , 555 ml of ethylstyrene , 3000 ml of iso - octane was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . in 4 hours of stirring at 80 ° c . the solution of 41 g of 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate in 150 ml of water were added . the polymerization was carried out for 3 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . inner surface area of the polymer amounts to 560 m 2 / g , average pore size of macropores amounts to 350 å , the polymer is wetted with water . 7 . 2 l of water were placed in a 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 13 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 14 . 0 g of monosodium phosphate , 46 . 8 g of disodium phosphate , 28 . 7 g of trisodium phosphate , 72 g of sodium chloride and 150 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 11 . 1 g of benzoyl peroxide in 1500 ml of trivinylbenzene , 1500 ml of iso - octane and 1000 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . in tree hours of stirring at 80 ° c . the solution of 54 . 2 ml of n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone in 200 ml of water were added . the polymerization was afterwards carried out for 9 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . inner surface area of the polymer is 900 m 2 / g . the polymer is wetted with water . 7 . 2 l of water were placed in a 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 13 . 0 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 14 . 0 g of monosodium phosphate , 46 . 8 g of disodium phosphate , 28 . 7 g of trisodium phosphate , 72 g of sodium chloride and 150 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 11 . 1 g of benzoyl peroxide in 900 ml of a - methylstyrene , 300 ml of diisopropenylbenzene , 1700 ml of heptane and 930 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . in three hours of stirring at 80 ° c . the solution of 70 . 3 ml of n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone in 200 ml of water was added . the polymerization was afterwards carried out for 9 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer is wefted with water . 5 l of water were placed in a 14 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature reached 60 ° c . 15 . 5 g of stabilizer , airvol 523 , were added . the stabilizer was dissolved within 40 min on stirring . then 20 g of sodium carbonate and 300 mg of sodium nitrite were added . after complete dissolution of the chemicals the solution of 20 g of benzoyl peroxide in 1000 ml of buthyl methacrylate , 350 ml of ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate , 1800 ml of toluene was dispersed in the above aqueous phase . in 4 hours of stirring at 80 ° c . the solution of 41 g of 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate in 150 ml of water was added . the polymerization was carried out for 3 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , beads were washed rigorously with hot water , methanol and cold water . the beads were filtered out and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer obtained contains mostly micropores of 10 to 20 å in diameter and a small portion of mesopores around 150 å . the polymer is wetted with water . 4 l xylene ( a mixture of isomers ) is placed in a 10 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and reflux condenser and heated to 70 ° c . when the temperature is reached , 10 . 0 g of sorbite monostearate is added . the stabilizer is dissolved within 30 min . then the solution of 31 . 2 g of potassium persulfate , 1300 g of 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate and 259 g of methylene - bis ( acryl amide ) in 1500 ml of water is introduced on stirring . in two hours 30 g of azo - bis - isobuthyronitrile are added to the organic phase followed by the addition of 78 g of styrene . the mixture is agitated for 10 hours at 70 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , the beads obtained are washed with xylene and methanol and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer obtained is easily wetted and dispersed in heptane . 4 l xylene ( a mixture of isomers ) is placed in a 10 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and reflux condenser and heated to 50 ° c . when the temperature is reached , 10 . 0 g of sorbite monostearate is added . the stabilizer is dissolved within 40 min . then the solution of 31 . 2 g of potassium persulfate , 1300 g of n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone and 260 g of methylene - bis ( acryl amide ) in 1500 ml of water is introduced on stirring . in 1 . 5 hours the temperature increases till 80 ° c . and 30 g of benzoyl peroxide is added to the organic phase followed by the addition of 63 g of methyl methacrylate in 10 min . the slurry is agitated for 8 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , the beads obtained are washed with xylene , methanol , the mixture of methanol and water and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer obtained is wetted with heptane . 4 l xylene ( a mixture of isomers ) is placed in a 10 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and reflux condenser and heated to 50 ° c . when the temperature is reached , 10 . 0 g of sorbite monostearate is added . the stabilizer is dissolved within 30 min . then the solution of 43 g of potassium persulphate , 1750 g of tris ( hydroxymethyl ) methylacrylamide and 440 g of methylene - bis ( acryl amide ) in 1200 ml of water is introduced on stirring . in 1 . 5 hours the temperature increased till 80 ° c . and 48 g of benzoyl peroxide is added to the organic phase followed by the addition of 21 . 3 g of styrene in 10 min . the slurry is agitated for 8 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , the beads obtained are washed with xylene , methanol , the mixture of methanol and water and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer contains micro - and mesopores around 20 and 160 å in diameter . the polymer is wetted with heptane . 4 l xylene ( a mixture of isomers ) is placed in a 10 l glass vessel equipped with a stirrer and reflux condenser and heated to 50 ° c . when the temperature is reached , 10 . 0 g of sorbite monostearate is added . the stabilizer is dissolved within 30 min . then the solution of 43 g of potassium persulfate , 1750 g of tris -( hydroxymethyl ) methylacrylamide and 87 . 5 g of methylenebis -( acryl amide ) in 1300 ml of water is introduced on stirring . in 2 hours the temperature increases till 80 ° c and 48 g of benzoyl peroxide is added to the organic phase followed by the addition of 21 . 3 g of styrene in 10 min . the slurry is agitated for 8 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , the beads obtained are washed with xylene , methanol , the mixture of methanol and water and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the polymer is wetted with heptane . 50 ml of water is placed in a 100 ml vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser and heated till 80 ° c . when the temperature is reached 0 . 2 g of airvol 523 is added . after complete dissolution of the stabilizer 2 mg of sodium nitrite and 0 . 65 g of acrylamide are added . afterwards the solution of 0 . 39 g of benzoyl peroxide and 13 g of pure p - divinylbenzene in 26 ml of toluene is dispersed in the above aqueous phase . the polymerization is carried out for 9 hours at 80 ° c . upon accomplishing the reaction , the beads obtained are washed with hot water , methanol and cold water and dried in oven at 60 to 80 ° c . the beads are wetted with water . what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims :	1
neutralized silicone elastomer dispersions useful herein are prepared by adding a basic neutralizing agent to a silicone elastomer dispersion . the neutralizing agent can be added to the elastomer prior to its formation or after its formation in either the gel or paste form . the silicone elastomer dispersions are known in the art and are described in , for example , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 654 , 362 , 5 , 811 , 487 and 6 , 200 , 581 herein incorporated by reference for their teaching of silicone elastomers and methods of making . many of these silicone elastomer dispersions are commercially available such as ( a ) a dimethicone / vinyldimethicone crosspolymer composition made by reacting in the presence of a catalyst a polymethylhydrogensiloxane with an alpha , omega - divinylpolydimethyl siloxane for which the dimethicone / vinyldimethicone crosspolymer composition is used at a concentration of 4 - 10 % in cyclomethicone ( i . e . ksg - 15 silicone elastomer dispersion from shin - etsu silicones of america , akron , ohio ); ( b ) a cyclomethicone ( and ) dimethicone crosspolymer made with an sih containing polysiloxane and an alpha , omega - diene of formula ch 2 ═ ch ( ch 2 ) x ch ═ ch 2 , where x = 1 - 20 , to form a gel by crosslinking and addition of sih across double bonds in the alpha , omega diene , typically with a nonvolatile content of 8 - 18 % in cyclomethicone ( for example a d4 or d5 cyclomethicone , ( i . e . dow corning ® 9040 elastomer blend from dow corning corporation , midland , mich .) with other types of such silicone elastomers dispersions as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 654 , 362 incorporated by reference herein . particular examples of suitable elastomer dispersions are sfe 167 , a cetearyl dimethicone / vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer from ge silicones ( waterford , n . y . ); sfe168 , a cyclomethicone and dimethicone / vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer from ge silicones ; vinyl dimethicone crosspolymers such as those available from shin etsu silicones of america , akron , ohio under trade names ksg - 15 ( cyclomethicone and dimethicone / vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer ), ksg - 16 ( dimethicone and dimethicone / vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer ), ksg - 17 ( cyclomethicone and dimethicone / vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer ), ksg - 18 ( phenyl dimethicone ( and dimethicone / phenyl vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer ); and ksg - 20 ( dimethicone copolyol crosspolymer ; dimethicone / vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer from dow corning corporation , midland , mich . under trade name dow corning 9506 cosmetic powder , dc - 9040 , dc - 9041 , dc - 9045 elastomers in cyclomethicone from dow corning ; and a mixture of cyclomethicone and stearyl - vinyl / hydromethylsiloxane copolymer available from grant industries , inc ., elmwood park , n . j .) under the trade name gransil sr - cyc . one method in particular for producing the silicone elastomer dispersions comprises a crosslinking reaction between ( a ) a multi functional sih containing polysiloxane and ( b ) an c = c containing reactant such as an alpha , omega - diene in the presence of a platinum catalyst in the presence of ( c ) a solvent . the elastomers are swollen with the solvent . one method for making the silicone elastomer dispersion comprises a crosslinking reaction between ( a ) a multi functional sih containing polysiloxane and ( b ) an alpha , omega - diene in the presence of a platinum catalyst in the presence of ( c ) a solvent as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 654 , 362 . in this method the sih containing polysiloxane ( a ) is represented by compounds of the formula r 3 sio ( r ′ 2 sio ) a ( r ″ hsio ) b sir 3 designated herein as type a 1 and compounds of the formula hr 2 sio ( r ′ 2 sio ) c sir 2 h or formula hr 2 sio ( r ′ 2 sio ) a ( r ″ hsio ) b sir 2 h designated herein as type a 2 . in these formulas , r , r ′, and r ″, are alkyl groups with 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; a is 0 - 250 ; b is 2 - 250 ; and c is 0 - 250 . the molar ratio of compounds a 2 : a 1 is 0 - 20 , typically 0 - 5 . typically compounds of types a 1 and a 2 are both used in the reaction ; however , it is possible to successfully conduct the reaction using only compounds . the alpha , omega - diene ( b ) is a compound of the formula ch 2 ═ ch ( ch 2 ) x ch ═ ch 2 where x is 1 - 20 . representative examples of suitable alpha , omega - dienes for use herein are 1 , 4 - pentadiene ; 1 , 5 - hexadiene ; 1 , 6 - heptadiene ; 1 , 7 - octadiene ; 1 , 8 - nonadiene ; 1 , 9 - decadiene ; 1 , 11 - dodecadiene ; 1 , 13 - tetradecadiene ; and 1 , 19 - eicosadiene . the addition and crosslinking reaction requires a catalyst to effect the reaction between the sih containing polysiloxane and the alpha , omega - diene . suitable catalysts are group viii transition metals , i . e ., the noble metals . such noble metal catalysts are described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 923 , 705 , incorporated herein by reference to show platinum catalysts . one preferred platinum catalyst is karstedt &# 39 ; s catalyst , which is described in karstedt &# 39 ; s u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 715 , 334 and 3 , 814 , 730 , incorporated herein by reference . karstedt &# 39 ; s catalyst is a platinum divinyl tetramethyl disiloxane complex typically containing about one weight percent of platinum in a solvent such as toluene . another preferred platinum catalyst is a reaction product of chloroplatinic acid and an organosilicon compound containing terminal aliphatic unsaturation . it is described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 419 , 593 , incorporated herein by reference . the noble metal catalysts are used in amounts from 0 . 00001 - 0 . 5 parts per 100 weight parts of the sih containing polysiloxane , preferably 0 . 00001 - 0 . 02 parts , most preferably 0 . 00001 - 0 . 002 parts . the reaction between ( a ) and ( b ) is carried out in the presence of a solvent ( c ). typically the solvent is a low molecular weight silicone . the phrase low molecular weight silicone is intended to include ( ci ) low molecular weight linear and cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes , ( cii ) low molecular weight linear and cyclic volatile and non - volatile alkyl and aryl siloxanes , and ( ciii ) low molecular weight linear and cyclic functional siloxanes . typically used are is ( ci ) low molecular weight linear and cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (“ vms ”). vms compounds correspond to the average unit formula ( ch 3 ) a sio ( 4 - a )/ 2 in which a has an average value of two to three . the compounds contain siloxane units joined by — si — o — si — bonds . representative units are monofunctional “ m ” units ( ch 3 ) 3 sio 1 / 2 and difunctional “ d ” units ( ch 3 ) 2 sio 2 / 2 . the presence of trifunctional “ t ” units ch 3 sio 3 / 2 results in the formation of branched linear or cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes . the presence of tetrafunctional “ q ” units sio 4 / 2 results in the formation of branched linear or cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes . linear vms have the formula ( ch 3 ) 3 sio {( ch 3 ) 3 sio } y si ( ch 3 ) 3 . the value of y is 0 - 5 . cyclic vms have the formula {( ch 3 ) 2 sio } z . the value of z is 4 - 6 . typically , these volatile methyl siloxanes have boiling points less than about 250 ° c . and viscosities of about 0 . 65 - 5 . 0 centistokes ( mm 2 / s ). examples of linear vms are hexamethyldisiloxane ( mm ) octamethyltrisiloxane ( mdm ) decamethyltetrasiloxane ( md 2 m ) dodecamethylpentasiloxane tetradecamethylhexasiloxane ( md 4 m ) and hexadecamethylheptasiloxane ( md 5 m ). examples of cyclic vms are octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane ( d4 ); decamethylcyclopentasiloxane ( d5 ) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane ( d6 ) examples of branched vms are heptamethyl - 3 -{( trimethylsilyl ) oxy } trisiloxane ( m 3 t ); hexamethyl - 3 , 3 , bis {( trimethylsilyl ) oxy } trisiloxane ( m 4 q ); and pentamethyl {( trimethylsilyl ) oxy } cyclotrisiloxane ( md 3 ). the low molecular weight linear and cyclic volatile and non - volatile alkyl and aryl siloxanes ( cii ) include linear polysiloxanes are compounds of the formula r 3 sio ( r 2 sio ) y sir 3 , and cyclic polysiloxanes are compounds of the formula ( r 2 sio ) z where r is an alkyl group of 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or an aryl group such as phenyl , y has a value of 0 - 80 , typically 0 - 20 and z has a value of 4 - 9 , typically 4 - 6 . these polysiloxanes have viscosities generally in the range of about 1 - 100 centistokes ( mm 2 / s ). examples of ( cii ) are polydimethylsiloxane , polydiethylsiloxane , polymethylethylsiloxane , polymethylphenylsiloxane , and polydiphenylsiloxane . low molecular weight linear and cyclic functional siloxanes ( ciii ) can be represented by acrylamide functional siloxane fluids , acrylate functional siloxane fluids , carbinol functional siloxane fluids , chloroalkyl functional siloxane fluids , epoxy functional siloxane fluids , glycol functional siloxane fluids , ketal functional siloxane fluids , methyl ester functional siloxane fluids , perfluoro functional siloxane fluids , and silanol functional siloxanes . other types of solvents can swell the silicone elastomer . thus , a single solvent or a mixture of solvents may be used . examples of other solvents are those materials used on an industrial scale to dissolve , suspend , or change the physical properties of other materials and include ( civ ) organic compounds , ( cv ) compounds containing a silicon atom , ( cvi ) mixtures of organic compounds , ( cvii ) mixtures of compounds containing a silicon atom , or ( cviii ) mixtures of organic compounds and compounds containing a silicon atom . in general , the organic compounds are aromatic hydrocarbons , aliphatic hydrocarbons , alcohols , aldehydes , ketones , amines , esters , ethers , glycols , glycol ethers , alkyl halides , or aromatic halides . representative of some common organic solvents are alcohols such as methanol , ethanol , 1 - propanol , cyclohexanol , benzyl alcohol , 2 - octanol , ethylene glycol , propylene glycol , and glycerol ; aliphatic hydrocarbons such as pentane , cyclohexane , heptane , vm & amp ; p solvent , and mineral spirits ; alkyl halides such as chloroform , carbon tetrachloride , perchloroethylene , ethyl chloride , and chlorobenzene ; amines such as isopropylamine , cyclohexylamine , ethanolamine , and diethanolamine ; aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene , toluene , ethylbenzene , and xylene ; esters such as ethyl acetate , isopropyl acetate , ethyl acetoacetate , amyl acetate , isobutyl isobutyrate , and benzyl acetate ; ethers such as ethyl ether , n - butyl ether , tetrahydrofuran , and 1 , 4 - dioxane ; glycol ethers such as ethylene glycol monomethyl ether , ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate , diethylene glycol monobutyl ether , and propylene glycol monophenyl ether ; ketones such as acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , cyclohexanone , diacetone alcohol , methyl amyl ketone , and diisobutyl ketone ; petroleum hydrocarbons such as mineral oil , gasoline , naphtha , kerosene , gas oil , heavy oil , and crude oil ; lubricating oils such as spindle oil and turbine oil ; and fatty oils such as corn oil , soybean oil , olive oil , rape seed oil , cotton seed oil , sardine oil , herring oil , and whale oil . “ other ” miscellaneous organic solvents can also be used , such as acetonitrile , nitromethane , dimethylformamide , trioctyl phosphate , butyrolactone , furfural , pine oil , turpentine , and m - creosol . the solvent used will depend on the application and whether it is pharmaceutically or cosmetically acceptable . the neutralized silicone elastomer dispersions are produced by combining sih containing polysiloxane ( s ), c = c containing reactant , the solvent , and the catalyst ; and mixing these ingredients at room temperature until a gel is formed . heat may be applied to the reaction mixture to speed up the process . neutralization can take place prior to , during or after the silicone elastomer dispersion is produced . for example , neutralization may take place prior to the formation of the silicone elastomer dispersion by passing all the reactants through a filter treated with a basic neutralizing agent . or the basic neutralizing agent may be added directly to the reactant ( s ) and thereafter removed by , for example , filtration or centrifuge . when neutralization takes place prior to the formation of the silicone elastomer dispersion the basic neutralizing agent must be such that it does not react or complex with any of the reactants . neutralization may also take place after the silicone elastomer dispersion is produced . for example , it may be desirable to add small amounts of a basic neutralizing agent such as sodium bicarbonate or cysteine to the silicone elastomer dispersion . neutralizing after the reaction may take place with the silicone elastomer dispersion in the gel form or after further processing of the gel into a paste . typically 0 . 001 to 1 . 0 wt % based on the weight of the silicone elastomer dispersion of neutralizing agent is added to the silicone elastomer dispersion . alternatively 0 . 01 to 0 . 1 wt % of the neutralizing agent is used . typically , the neutralized silicone elastomer dispersions are produced using a 1 : 1 molar ratio of sih containing polysiloxane and c = c containing reactant . it is expected that useful materials may also be prepared by carrying out the process with an excess of the sih containing polysiloxane or the c = c containing reactant , but this would be considered a less efficient use of the materials . the remainder of the composition comprises the low molecular weight silicone or other solvent in amounts generally within the range of about 65 - 98 percent by weight of the composition , preferably about 80 - 98 percent by weight . additional amounts of the low molecular weight silicone or solvent can be added to the gel , and the resulting mixture is subjected to shear force to form a paste . any type of mixing and shearing equipment may be used to perform these steps such as a batch mixer , planetary mixer , single or multiple screw extruder , dynamic or static mixer , colloid mill , homogenizer , sonolator , or a combination thereof . other ingredients such as those that complex residual platinum may be added to the silicone elastomer dispersion . these ingredients are taught in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 977 , 280 and 5 , 929 , 164 herein incorporated by reference . additionally , it might be desirable to use ingredients that can complex residual platinum and also produce by - products that can act to neutralize the acid . the neutralized silicone elastomer dispersions are useful in pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications where an acid sensitive active is used . typically the acid sensitive active is added in amount of 0 . 001 to 5 wt % based on the weight of the silicone elastomer dispersion . typically the acid sensitive active is mixed in with the silicone elastomer dispersions using common mixing techniques . other ingredients may be added to the neutralized silicone elastomer dispersion and acid sensitive active to make the composition suitable for use . for example , the pharmaceutical or cosmetic composition may be in the form of a liquid , paste , gel , cream , or lotion and appropriate ingredients may be added to maintain the neutralized silicone elastomer dispersion / acid sensitive active in that form . the following examples are included to demonstrate embodiments of the invention . it should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the techniques disclosed in the examples which follow represent techniques discovered by the inventor to function well in the practice of the invention , and thus can be considered to constitute preferred modes for its practice . 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 . all weights are given parts per 100 parts in the composition . stability is the loss of active as measured by chromatography . in the following examples the samples were prepared by adding the solvent for the actives into the reaction vessel . to the solvent added active 1 , active 2 and preservative . the mixture was stirred until all of the solids appeared dissolved . the cyclomethicone , elastomer dispersion and sodium bicarbonate were combined and the active mixture was added to this combination . if cysteine was being added to mixtures , the cysteine was added into ethanol and mixed appropriately with the elastomer dispersion . the amounts of the ingredients are given in the tables . table 1 shows the % active loss when no neutralizing agent is present , when only sodium bicarbonate is used , when only cysteine is used and when a combination of cysteine and sodium bicarbonate are used . differing lots of silicone elastomer dispersion were used in the comparative examples ( c2 - c7 ). in example c1 no silicone elastomer dispersion was used to verify if the loss of active was related to the presence of the silicone elastomer dispersion . table 2 shows the results of the time of mixing has on the loss of active . in table 3 the components used in formulating the silicone elastomer dispersion were mixed with the actives to determine if the reactant groups on the components ( i . e . residual sih or c = c ) were causing the loss of active . table 4 demonstrates that the basic neutralizing agent may require an equilibrium time period before adding the active solution to the silicone elastomer dispersion . table 5 shows the results of a study that was carried out to confirm that residual acid in some capacity is responsible for the degradation of the actives . in c18 a commercially available form of the silicone elastomer dispersion was used . in c19 the silicone elastomer dispersion was filtered prior to its use . in c20 the silicone elastomer dispersion was an alsop filtered elastomer . in c21 the silicone elastomer dispersion was an alsop filtered elastomer plus 5 wt % mgso 4 was added . in c22 the silicone elastomer dispersion was an alsop filtered elastomer plus 5 wt % nahco 3 was added . in c23 the silicone elastomer dispersion was an alsop filtered elastomer plus 5 wt % mgso 4 and 5 wt % nahco 3 were added . in example c24 cyclomethicone 5nf was used in place of the silicone elastomer dispersion .	2
[ 0031 ] fig1 shows a block diagram of an architecture for a remote service delivery system 100 that meets the needs of both the service provider and the customer . the architecture of the present invention is modularized to provide broad support for both the customer and the service provider in terms of evolution of service functionality to the architecture and within the architecture . the architecture is broadly comprised of the remote service infrastructure 102 , a group of service modules 103 and a plurality of communications modules 110 . the remote services infrastructure 102 provides reliable remote service delivery and data management . the remote services infrastructure 102 supports the needs of a service creator by focusing the service creator on the needs and the design of the service by eliminating the need for the service creator to be concerned about how data is transferred and managed to and from a customer site . the remote services infrastructure 102 provides an interface to support the development of services that use a set of common service parameters to develop customized services for a specific service provider or customer . the infrastructure 102 is separately segmented from , but actively interacts with , the service modules 103 . within the group of software modules 103 are individual software modules that analyze data collected by the remote services infrastructure 102 and provides service value based on that data to a customer . thus , the remote services infrastructure 102 and the service modules 103 can be differentiated as follows : the remote services infrastructure 102 is concerned with how data is collected , while the service module 103 is concerned with what is done with the data . the remote services infrastructure 102 includes an infrastructure services portion 104 and an infrastructure communications portion 106 . the infrastructure services portion 104 interacts with the plurality of service modules 103 , as described in greater detail below . the remote services infrastructure 102 provides a set of application program interfaces ( api &# 39 ; s ) that are used by a service module developer to leverage common services of the infrastructure such as database access , software delivery and notification services . the infrastructure communications portion 106 includes a plurality of communications modules 110 . the infrastructure services portion 104 interacts with a plurality of service modules 103 . examples of service modules that the remote services architecture may include are an administration and notification interface module 120 , an installation , registration and change management module 122 , an integration into system management platforms module 124 , an integration into existing business systems module 126 and an api &# 39 ; s for service module creation module 128 . the administration and notification interface 120 allows a customer and service provider to control the remote services infrastructure . the installation , registration and change management module 122 supports the infrastructure and service modules deployed on top of the infrastructure . the module 122 may include automatic registration of new software components , delivery of software and detection of changes within an environment . the integration into systems management platforms module 124 provides an integration point to systems management platforms in general . the integration into existing business systems module 126 allows the remote services infrastructure 102 to integrate into existing business systems to leverage data , processing capacities , knowledge and operational process . the module 126 allows the infrastructure 102 to integrate into the required business systems and provides interfaces to the service module creator to use those systems . the api &# 39 ; s for service module creation module 128 allows a service module creator to abstract the complexity of remote data management . the module 128 provides an api of abstracted services to the service module creator . the infrastructure communications portion 106 provides an abstraction of different protocol and physical network options . examples of protocol options include an http protocol and an email protocol . examples of physical network options include internet based communications , private network based communications and fax communications . the different protocol and physical network options are provided to meet the needs of as many customers as possible . the infrastructure communications portion 106 supports a number of plug - in communications modules 110 . examples of the communications modules 110 include a communications authentication module 130 , an encryption module 132 , a queuing module 134 , and a prioritization module 136 . the communications authentication module 130 is related to the communications protocol that is used and provides the customer with authentication of a communication session . the encryption module 132 is related to the protocol being used and provides encryption of the data stream . the queuing module 134 provides the ability of the infrastructure to queue data being sent through the infrastructure to provide data communications integrity . the prioritization module 136 provides the ability for data within the system to be prioritized for delivery . referring to fig2 the remote services infrastructure architecture 205 includes a plurality of components . more specifically , the remote services infrastructure architecture 205 includes a remote services proxy 210 , a remote services system management integrator 212 , a remote services communications module 214 , an intermediate mid level manager ( mlm ) 216 ( which may be a customer mlm or an aggregation mlm ), an applications mlm 218 , a certificate management system 220 , a bandwidth management system 222 , a remote services content generation mlm 224 , a remote services application server 226 . the remote services infrastructure architecture 205 interacts with a plurality of external service modules 103 . the remote services proxy 210 provides an api to the systems management systems . this api supports data normalization to the remote services data format . the remote services proxy 210 also provides receptors for the communications modules and in turn provides communications flow management using queuing . the remote services proxy 210 also manages allocation of remote services identifiers ( id &# 39 ; s ), which are allocated to each component of the remote services infrastructure , and the support instances that are registered with the remote services system 100 . the remote services system management integrators 212 are written to a remote services integrator api supported by the remote services proxy 210 . one remote services proxy 210 can support many integrators ( also referred to as integration modules ). the integration modules provide the glue between the remote services system 100 and the systems management platform . there is at least one integration module for each support systems management platform . the remote services communications modules 214 provide protocol , encryption and communications authentication . these modules plug - in through a semi - private interface into the remote services proxy 210 , the intermediate mlm 216 and the remote services application mlm 218 . the intermediate mlm 216 may be either a customer mlm or an aggregation mlm . the remote services customer mlm is an optional deployable component . the remote services customer mlm provides a higher level of assurance to the customer - deployed environment , providing transaction integrity , redundancy and data queue management . the remote services customer mlm also provides an extensible environment through an api where service module components can be deployed . when no customer mlm is deployed , the aggregation mlm , hosted by the remote services provider and handling multiple customers , provides the data queue management , transaction integrity and redundancy . while the customer mlm is very similar to an aggregation mlm , a customer mlm may be required by a service module that needs to be localized . an aggregation mlm , being shared by multiple customers , may not be customizable . the applications mlm 218 provides a series of functions that can exist on different mlm instantiations as applicable . the applications module provides data normalization , integration with the mail server data flow and integration with the certificate management system 220 . this module acts as the gateway to the remote services application server 226 and controls data access . the certificate management system 220 provides management of certificates to verify connection authentication for the remote services system 100 . the certificate management system 220 may be horizontally scaled as necessary to meet the load or performance needs of the remote services system 100 . the bandwidth management system 222 provides control over bandwidth usage and data prioritization . the bandwidth management system 222 may be horizontally scaled as necessary to meet the load or performance needs of the remote services system 100 . the remote services content generation mlm 224 provides html content based on the data held within the remote services application server 226 . this module provides a high level of html caching to reduce the hit rate on the application server for data . accordingly , visualization of the data is done through the content generation mlm 224 . separating the visualization processing in the content generation mlm 224 from the data processing in the applications server 226 provides two separate scale points . the remote services application server 226 provides the persistent storage of remote services infrastructure information . the application server 226 also provides the data processing logic on the remote services infrastructure information as well as support for the service module api to create service module processing within the application server 226 . the application server 226 provides access to directory services which support among other things , ip name lookup for private network ip management . the application server 226 also provides access to the service modules 103 . in operation , the remote services proxy 210 uses the communication module 214 to connect to the intermediate mlm 216 , whether the intermediate mlm is a customer mlm or an aggregation mlm . the applications mlm 218 and the intermediate mlm 216 use the certificate management system 220 to validate connections from customers . dataflow bandwidth between the intermediate mlm 216 and the applications mlm 218 is controlled by the bandwidth management system 222 . data that has been formatted by the applications mlm 218 is sent on to the application server 226 for processing and persistent storage . the content generation mlm 224 provides visualization and content creation for users of the remote services system 100 . remote services infrastructure administration portal logic is deployed to the content generation mlm 224 to provide users of the remote services system 100 with the ability to manage the remote services system 100 . all of the remote services components are identified by a unique remote services identifier ( id ). a unique customer remote services id is generated at customer registration . for remote services infrastructure components , remote services ids are generated , based on the customer remote services id , at a component registration phase . for remote services entities reporting to a remote services proxy 210 , such as a support instance or an integration module , the remote services id is allocated by the proxy 210 itself , based on the remote services id of the proxy 210 . within the remote services architecture , there are instances where detection , collection and management logic ( also referred to as systems management logic ) may have already been created by another service module . in this instance , the service module creator reuses this functionality . the reuse then creates a more complex relationship within the system to be managed . the segmentation and re - use of data is available within the architecture . instrumentation is made up of a large number of small data types . these data types are shared by the different service modules 103 using a publish and subscribe model . in a publish and subscribe model , the remote services proxies ( and therefore the systems management systems ) publish their data to a service provider . the service modules 103 register interest in specific types of data that are needed to fulfill the respective service module processing . fig3 provides an example of the publish and subscribe model using example data and services . more specifically , data from a systems management instrumentation proxy 306 may include patch information , operating system package information , disk configuration information , system configuration information , system alarms information , storage alarms information and performance information . this information is published via , e . g ., a wide area network ( wan ) to a management tier 310 . various service modules 103 then subscribe to the information in which they are respectively interested . for example , a patch management service module 330 might be interested in , and thus subscribe to , patch information and operating system package information . a configuration management service module 332 might be interested in , and thus subscribe to , the disk configuration information , the patch information , the operating system package information and the system configuration information . a storage monitoring service module 334 might be interested in , and thus subscribe to , disk configuration information and storage alarms information . thus , with a publish and subscribe model , many different types of data are published by a customer using the remote services customer deployed infrastructure . service modules then subscribe to these data types . more than one service module 103 can subscribe to the same data . by constructing the instrumentation data in a well segmented manner , the data can be shared across many services . sharing data across many services reduces duplication of instrumentation . by making data available to newly developed service modules , those service modules need to only identify instrumentation that does not exist and reuse and potentially improve existing instrumentation . sharing data across multiple services also reduces load on customer systems . removing the duplication reduces the processing load on the customer &# 39 ; s systems . sharing data across multiple services also reduces development time of service modules 103 . as more instrumentation is created and refined , service modules 103 reuse the data collected and may focus on developing intelligent knowledge based analysis systems to make use of the data . accordingly , the separation and segmentation of the infrastructure from the service modules enables services to be created in a standardized manner ultimately providing greater value to the customer . referring to fig4 the remote services architecture includes a remote services api 402 which may be conceptualized in two areas , systems management api &# 39 ; s 410 and remote services infrastructure api &# 39 ; s 412 . the systems management api &# 39 ; s 410 includes systems management api &# 39 ; s 418 , integrator 212 and proxy integrators api 430 . the proxy integrator api 430 interfaces with integrator module service logic . the integrator module service logic is a general term for the configuration rules that are imparted on the systems management system to collect or detect the information for the integrator 212 . while the proxy integrator api &# 39 ; s 430 are not technically a part of the remote services system 100 , the proxy integrator api 430 is used within the integration modules which form the boundary between the remote services system 100 and the system management . the integration module creator provides the instrumentation to fulfill the collection and detection needs of the service via the systems management api 418 . the proxy integrators api 430 provides an interface between the systems management system and the remote services infrastructure 102 . this interface provides a normalization point where data is normalized from the system management representation to a remote services standard . by normalizing the data , the remote services system 100 may manage similar data from different systems management systems in the same way . the proxy integrators api 430 interfaces with the remote services proxy 210 as well as the systems management integrator 212 . the remote services infrastructure api &# 39 ; s are used by a service module creator and the systems management integrator 212 . the remote services infrastructure api &# 39 ; s 412 include an intermediate mlm service module api 432 , an applications mlm api 434 and an applications server service module api 436 as well as a content generation mlm service module api 438 . these api &# 39 ; s provide the interface with the remote services infrastructure 102 . the intermediate mlm service module api 432 describes a distributed component of the infrastructure . the intermediate mlm service module api 432 allows modules to be loaded into this distributed component that provides mid data stream services such as data aggregation , filtering , etc . the intermediate mlm service module api 432 provides access and control over the data that flows through the intermediate mlm 216 to the service module provider . the intermediate mlm service module api 432 allows intercept of data upstream and on the back - channel to mutation , action and potential blocking by the service modules 103 . the intermediate mlm service module api 432 interfaces with a service module creator as well as with the intermediate mlm 216 and intermediate mlm based service modules . the applications mlm api 434 allows additional modules to be loaded on the applications mlms . the applications mlm api 424 allows modules to be built into the applications mlms 218 such as data normalization . the applications mlm api 424 interfaces with the applications mlms 218 and modules within the applications mlm 218 . the applications server service module api 436 provides all of the needs of a data processing service module . the applications server service module api 436 provides access to many functions including data collected through a database and access to a full authorization schema . the applications service module api 436 is based around the j2ee api . the applications service module api 436 provides a rich interface for service module creators to interact with and build services based on enterprise java beans ( ejb &# 39 ; s ) and data available to them . the application server service module api 436 interfaces with the remote services application server 226 and the service modules 103 . the content generation mlm api 438 is based around the j2ee web container and provides the service module creator a way of building a browser based presentation . the content generation api 428 interfaces with the content generation mlm 224 as well as with mlm generation based service modules . the remote services infrastructure api &# 39 ; s 412 also include a plurality of communication interfaces which are based around the extendibility of the remote services communications system . the communication interfaces include a communication protocol module 440 , a communication encryption module 442 and an mlm infrastructure services portion 444 . the communications interfaces interface with the remote services proxy 210 as well as all of the remote services system mlm &# 39 ; s . the communications interfaces provide an interface between the communications modules and the components that use the communications modules . the communications protocol module 440 provides support of the application level protocol that is used for the communication through the system . modules of this type interface to support the use of email and http communications protocols . the communication protocol module 440 interfaces with remote services communications engineering personnel . the communications encryption module 442 supports plug - in encryption modules . the plug - in encryption modules can either provide encryption at the protocol level or encryption of the data within the protocol . the communication encryption module 442 interfaces with remote services communications engineering personnel . the mlm infrastructure services portion 444 represent a number of services that are included within the mlm that provide services that are relevant to the infrastructure 102 . these services manage and manipulate the data as it passes through the different parts of the architecture . these services , such as queuing , utilize an api to access and manipulate the api . [ 0070 ] fig5 a and 5b show a more detailed block diagram of the remote services architecture depicted in fig2 . within this more detailed block diagram , the remote services communications modules 214 are shown distributed across the remote services proxy 210 , the intermediate mlm 214 and the applications mlm 218 . the remote services proxy 210 includes a remote services proxy foundation module 510 which is coupled to a communications module 214 as well as to a remote services proxy integrator api module 430 , a remote services proxy id management module 514 and a remote services proxy queuing module 516 . the remote services system management integrator 212 includes a systems management api 418 and a remote services integrator 212 . the remote services integrator 212 is coupled to the remote services proxy integrators api module 430 of the remote services proxy 210 . each communication module 214 includes a communications protocol module 520 and a communications crypto module 522 . a communications module 214 may also include a communications authentication module 524 . the intermediate mlm 216 includes an intermediate remote services mlm foundation module 540 which is coupled between communication modules 214 . the intermediate remote services mlm foundation module 540 is also coupled to a mlm queue and connection management module 542 and an intermediate service module api module 432 . communications modules 214 couple the intermediate mlm 216 to the remote services proxy 210 and the applications mlm 218 . bandwidth management system 222 controls bandwidth usage and data prioritization on the communications between intermediate mlm 216 and applications mlm 218 . certificate management system 220 is coupled between the communications authentication modules 524 for the intermediate mlm communications module 214 and the applications mlm 218 communications module 214 . the applications mlm 218 includes a remote services mlm foundation module 550 that is coupled to the communications module 214 for the applications mlm 218 . the remote services mlm foundation module 550 is also coupled to an mlm queue and connection management module 552 and the applications mlm api module 434 as well as a web server application server plug - in module 554 . content generation mlm 224 includes a composition mlm foundation module 560 . the composition mlm foundation module 560 is coupled to a service content generation module api module 438 and a remote services administration portal 564 as well as a web server application server plug - in module 566 . remote services application server 226 includes an application server module 570 coupled to an application server service module api 436 and an infrastructure data management module 574 . the application server module 570 is also coupled to relational database management system ( rdbms ) 576 . the infrastructure data management module 574 is coupled to a directory services module 578 . the directory services module 578 is coupled to a data authorization system module 580 and user authentication modules 582 . the user authentication modules 582 are coupled to human resources ( hr ) authentication module 590 . the remote services application server 226 is coupled to a plurality of external service modules 230 . [ 0079 ] fig6 , 8 , 9 and 10 show expanded views of the remote services proxy 210 and remote services system management integrator 212 , intermediate mlm 216 , applications mlm 218 , applications server 226 and content generation mlm 224 , respectively . [ 0080 ] fig6 shows a block diagram of the remote services proxy 210 and the remote services system management integrator 212 . the block diagram shows the delineation between the systems management software and the remote services system components as indicated by line 610 . the remote services proxy 210 provides an api via remote services proxy integrators api 430 which communicates using the operating system &# 39 ; s inter - process communication ( ipc ) implementation with the remote services proxy foundation module 510 . this communication allows the api to be implemented with a number of different languages to meet the needs of the systems management developers while leaving a single native implementation of the remote services proxy foundation module 510 . examples of the languages used for the api include java and c ++. the remote services proxy foundation module 510 , together with the api 430 , manage data normalization tasks . this ensures that systems management data is carried independently through the system . for example , an event from one type of service , such as a sunmc service , would have the same structure as an event from another type of service , such as the rasagent service . accordingly , the service modules may deal with the data types that are specific to the respective service and are independent of their source . in the remote services architecture , the integrator 212 and proxy 210 are represented by two separate processes ( e . g ., address spaces ). by representing the integrator 212 and the proxy 210 as two separate processes , a faulty integrator 212 is prevented from taking down the whole proxy 210 . the remote services proxy queuing module 516 allows data to be queued for transmission when communications to the intermediate mlm ( s ) 216 become unavailable . this queuing is lightweight and efficient which in turn reduces the capabilities of length of time data can be queued and of reconnection management . the remote services proxy queuing module 516 provides a number of features that can be used to manage the queue , such as priority and time for data to live . the remote services proxy id management module 514 manages the allocation of unique identifiers for the proxy 210 itself and any support instances that are registered through the api . the remote services system 100 relies on the creation of unique id &# 39 ; s to manage individual support instances . this function is provided within the proxy 210 because there is no unique cross platform identifier available within the remote services system 100 . the proxy 210 manages the mapping between the systems management id ( e . g ., ip address ) and the remote services id , which is keyed off the unique customer id provided at installation time within the deployed system . [ 0086 ] fig7 shows a block diagram of the remote services intermediate mlm 216 . the intermediate mlm may be a customer mlm or an aggregation mlm . the customer mlm is an optional component that can be deployed to support scaling of both support instances and services as well as provide enhanced availability features for a deployed remote services environment . the intermediate mlm 216 receives information via the http protocol from the remote services proxy 210 . this information may optionally be encrypted . connections are not authenticated by default on the server side , as it is assumed that the connection between the intermediate mlm 216 and the proxy 210 is secure . the intermediate remote services mlm foundation module 540 exposes the data flow to the service module api 432 where registered service modules can listen for new data of specific types and mutate the data as required . examples of this function include filtering of certain types of data or data aggregation . the customer mlm does not keep state from an infrastructure perspective . however , the service module could choose to keep persistent state information . the recoverability fail - over support of that state , however , is in the domain of the service module , although the basic session replication features that provide the redundancy features of the infrastructure data flow may be reused . the queue and connection management module 542 provides a highly reliable secure connection across the wide area network to the service provider based mlm farms . the queue manager portion of module 542 also manages back - channel data that may be intended for specific remote services proxies as well as for the applications mlm 218 itself . the intermediate remote services mlm foundation module 540 manages the rest of the mlm &# 39 ; s roles such as session management , fail - over management and shared queuing for the back - channel . aggregation mlm &# 39 ; s , while provided by the service provider , function much the same as customer mlm &# 39 ; s . strong security is turned on by default between such mlm &# 39 ; s and the remote services proxy 210 . accordingly , a communications authentication module 524 is used on the receiving portion of the intermediate mlm 216 . referring to fig8 the remote services application mlm 218 provides several functions ( applications ) for the remote services system 100 . the remote services application 218 hosts applications as well as functioning as a content creation mlm . the host applications within the application mlm 218 include data normalization , customer queue management and remote access proxy . the data normalization application supports normalization and formatting of data being sent to the application server 226 . the customer queue management application handles general connections to and from customer remote services deployments . the customer queue management application also manages back - channel requests and incoming request . the remote access proxy application provides a remote access point as well as functioning as a shared shell rendezvous point . the applications mlm 218 uses the application server plug - in to communicate directly with the application server 226 . the communications authentication module 554 communicates with the certification management system 220 to validate incoming connections from customers . each customer is provided a certificate by default although more granular allocations are available . certificates are distributed at installation time as part of the installation package for both the remoter services proxy module and for the remoter services customer mlm . referring to fig9 the application server 226 manages the persistence and data processing of the remote services infrastructure 102 and the service modules 103 . the application server 226 provides the core service module api 436 to the service module creator . the service module api 436 is based upon the j2ee api . the service module api 436 allows the service module creator to register for certain types of data as the data arrives and is instantiated . this data can then be processed using the support of the application server 226 or alternatively exported from the remote services system 100 for external processing . the infrastructure data is held within the application server 226 and stored within the rdbms 576 associated with the application server 226 . access to this data is available via the service module api 436 and is managed via the infrastructure data management module 574 . the directory services implementation supports user authentication , data authorization and private network data support . user authentication uses a pluggable authentication module ( pam ) so support a plurality of authentication methods such as a lightweight directory assistance protocol ( ldap ) method for service provider employees and a local login method for a remote services based login schema . other methods may be added . the ldap login is processed using a replicated copy of an ldap server running within the remote services infrastructure 102 . data authorization is designed to protect the data held within the application server 226 to specific groups of users . this protection allows customers to grant or deny access to their service data to specific users . this data protection is managed down to the service module granularity . so for example , a customer could grant information about advanced monitoring on a subset of their support instances to members of a service provider monitoring staff . referring to fig1 , the remote services content generation mlm 224 provides html generation bases on the data held within the application server 226 . the content generation mlm 224 provides a service module api 438 for service module creators to develop content composition for their data which is processed by the application server 226 . the content is in the form of j2ee web container which supports java servlets and java servlet pages ( jsp ) api &# 39 ; s . the content generation mlm 224 communicates with the application server 226 using the same netscape api ( nsapi ) plug - in as the remote services applications mlm 218 . instances of these two mlms make up an mlm farm . the composition remote services foundation layer provides support for caching of html pages and associated data to reduce the data request hit back to the application server 226 . the remote services administration portal 564 provides control of the deployed customer infrastructure to the customer and control over the total infrastructure to trusted users . [ 0102 ] fig1 shows a flow diagram of communications within a remote services architecture . in one embodiment , the communications between a customer and a service provider is via a wide area network ( wan ). communications within the remote service architecture includes three tiers , a remote services proxy tier 1110 , an intermediate mlm tier 1112 and an application mlm and server tier 1114 . communication is established and connections are made from the bottom tier ( the remote services proxy tier ) to the top tier . the remote services architecture supports two application protocols for the majority of its services classification support : http and email messaging . there are a plurality of service module classifications that each have specific communications protocol relationships . more specifically , the service module classifications include a data collection classification , a monitoring classification , a remote access classification and an infrastructure administration classification . with the data collection classification , the connection orientation is message based , the physical connection support may be internet , private network or fax , and the protocols supported may be email or http . examples of service modules of this classification include an inventory management service module and a performance management service module . with the monitoring classification , the connection orientation is message based , the physical connection support may be internet , private network or fax , and the protocols supported may be email or http . examples of service modules of this classification include basic self service monitoring and full hardware monitoring with service action . with the remote access classification , the connection orientation is session based , the physical connection support may be internet , private network or fax , and the protocol supported is http . the session based connection orientation is one way initiation from the customer . examples of service modules of this classification include remote dial in analysis and remote core file analysis . with the infrastructure administration classification , the connection orientation is session based or off - line installation , the physical connection support may be internet , private network or fax , and the protocol supported includes http , email or physical ( e . g ., telephone or cd ). the session based connection orientation is one way initiation from the customer and the off - line installation is via , e . g ., a cd . examples of service modules of this classification include remote services administration , installation , updates , configuration and notification . encryption options are related to the protocol . a secure socket layer ( ssl ) protocol , for example , is likely to be the chosen protocol for an http transmission , i . e ., an https transmission . the remote services communication architecture does not enforce this however . so , for example , data could be sent by encrypting the body of an http stream . this provides an advantage when a customer &# 39 ; s https proxy infrastructure is not as resilient as their http proxy infrastructure . email uses an email encryption option such as s - mime or encrypting the body using a third party encryption method such as pgp . encryption is optional at all stages . if the customer does not require encryption , then encryption need not be used . authentication of the remote services communication is standard for all protocols . accordingly , the service provider may validate the sender of data and the customer may validate that the service provider is the receiver . authentication is managed via certificates . certificates are used in both the client and server to authenticate a communications session . client certificates are generated during the customer registration process and are built into the remote services proxy and the customer mlm . by default , each customer is provided a client certificate . the customer can , however , define specific security groups within their service domain and request additional client certificates for those domains . remote services processes include a certificate distribution mechanism , supporting either the creation of a new security group within an existing customer or the redeployment of a new certificate after a certificate is compromised . [ 0112 ] fig1 shows a block diagram of the data blocks that comprise the data that flows through the remote services infrastructure . each system management system conforms to the data definitions that are part of the remote services proxy integrators api 430 . the remote services communications architecture provides a normalized view of the data , regardless of in which systems management framework the data originated . data block header 1202 is common to all data types . data block header 1202 contains items such as source , routing information , time to transmit and source type . data block header 1202 is used to route the data correctly through the remote services system 100 to the correct service module 103 . data block header 1202 is used to provide diagnostic and quality of service measurement built into the system . infrastructure data block 1204 provides data classification service classification specific data . infrastructure data block 1204 removes systems management specific data . service module data block 1206 provides format based on each service classification that drives the system the systems management normalization of the data that flows through the system . for example , alarm data includes general characteristics defined such as severity , state and originating support instance . [ 0116 ] fig1 a and 13b show an example of the component relationships of a remote services system 100 that is configured according to the remote services architecture . various components of the remote services system 100 execute modules of the remote services infrastructure architecture 205 . remote services system 100 includes customer deployment portion 1302 a , 1302 b , network portion 1304 , data access portal 1306 a , 1306 b , mid level manager ( mlm ) portion 1308 , and application server portion 309 . customer deployment portion 1302 a sets forth an example customer deployment . more specifically , customer deployment portion 1302 a includes sunmc server 1310 , wbem agent 1312 , and netconnect agent 1314 . sunmc agents 1316 a , 1316 b are coupled to sunmc server 1310 . server 1310 , agent 1312 and agent 1314 are each coupled to a respective remote services proxy 1320 a , 1320 b , 1320 c . remote services proxies 1320 a , 1320 b , 1320 c are coupled to network portion 1304 , either directly , as shown with proxy 1320 c , or via customer mlm 1322 , as shown with proxies 1320 a and 1320 b . proxies 1320 a and 1320 b may also be directly coupled to network portion 304 without the mlm 1322 present . the sunmc server is a provider specific systems management server ( i . e ., health management server ). the sunmc agents are provider specific systems management agents ( i . e ., health management agents ). the webm agent is a web based enterprise management agent . the netconnect agent is a basic collection agent . customer deployment portion 1302 a illustrates that the systems management may be 2 - tier ( e . g ., agent , console ) or 3 - tier ( e . g ., agent , server , console ). customer deployment portion 1302 b sets forth another example customer deployment . more specifically , customer deployment portion 1302 b includes rasagent 1330 , sunmc agent 1332 , ns server 1334 and netconnect agent 1336 . rasagent 1340 is coupled to rasagent 1330 . sunmc agent 1342 is coupled to sunmc agent 1332 . nsagent 1344 is coupled to netconnect agent 1336 . rasagent 1330 and sunmc agent 1332 are coupled to remote services proxy 1350 a . metropolis server 1334 is coupled to remote service proxy 1350 b . netconnect agent 1336 is coupled to remote services proxy 1350 c . remote services proxies 1350 a , 1350 b , 1350 c are coupled to network portion 1304 either via customer mlm 1352 or directly . the rasagent is a reliability , availability , serviceability agent . the nsagent is a network storage agent and the ns server is a network storage server . both the nsagent and the ns server are reliability , availability , serviceability type devices . network portion 1304 includes at least one interconnection network such as the internet 1354 and / or a private dedicated network 1355 . internet 1354 is assumed to be an existing connection that is reused by the remote services system . the private dedicated network 1355 is a dedicated link that is used exclusively by the remote services system to connect the customer to the service provider . the data to manage the private network is provided by directory services technology held within the application server portion 1308 . the directory services technology handles all of the domain name service ( dns ) services used to manage name to allocated internet protocol ( ip ) information . the remote services infrastructure also offers transmission over fax from the customer &# 39 ; s environment ( not shown ). the fax communication is for service modules where the fax transmission makes sense . for example , fax transmission may be used in a military site which does not allow electronic information to be transmitted from it . data access portal portions 1306 a and 1306 b provide access to the remote services system 100 . more specifically , data access portal portion 1306 a includes a service access portion 1360 , a customer access portion 1362 and a field information appliance ( fia ) 1364 . data access portal portion 1306 b includes a partner access portion 1366 and a system management interface ( smi ) data access portion 1368 . mid level manager portion 1308 includes load balancers 1370 a , 1370 b , mlm webservers 1372 a , 1372 b , 1372 c and communication authentication ( ca ) and de - encryption server 1374 . application server portion 1309 includes a plurality of application servers 1380 a - 1380 f . application servers 1380 a , 1380 b are associated with transactional and infrastructure data storage 1384 a . application servers 1380 c , 1380 d are associated with transactional and infrastructure data storage 1384 b . application servers 1380 e , 1380 f are associated with transactional and infrastructure data storage 1384 c . application server portion 1309 also includes knowledge base 1390 a , 1390 b . application server portion 1309 integrates with service applications as well as via generic data export ( such as , e . g ., xml ). remote services proxies 1320 , 1350 provide a system management integrators api . using this api , system management products can integrate their customized handling of data into the common data format that is used by the remote services architecture . accordingly , the system management component of the overall system is effectively segmented away from the remote services architecture . additionally , by using the remote services proxies 1320 , 1350 , the remote services architecture leverages much of a pre - existing instrumentation and data collection mechanisms that already exist . accordingly , already deployed instrumentation agents within a remote service provider existing system such as those from sunmc and netconnect may be integrated into a remote services system . additionally , third party systems management systems may also be supported and integrated via the remote services proxies . customer deployment portions 1302 a , 1302 b each show an optional customer mlm component deployed to the customers environment . whether to deploy the customer mlm component depends on a number of factors . more specifically , one factor is the number of support instances installed in the customer &# 39 ; s environment and the number of services being utilized by the customer . a deployed mlm component can allow greater scale capabilities . another factor is the type of services deployed within the customer environment . some services are optimized when an mlm component is deployed to the customer environment to support service specific tasks such as filtering and data aggregation . another factor is the quality of service . deploying an mlm component provides a greater level of quality of service because the mlm component provides enhanced data communications technology within the mlm infrastructure modules . the decision of whether to deploy a remote services mlm component ( or more ) to the customer &# 39 ; s environment is a deployment decision . there are a number of architecture deployment classes which are used to meet the varying customer needs . the remote services system communicates via two main protocols , http and email . security considerations for these protocols can be chosen by the customer and plugged into the system . for example , the http protocol may use ssl . additionally , the email protocol may use some well known form of encryption . the connections from the customer deployment portion 1302 feed into mlm farms which reside within the smi service provide environment . these mlm farms are sets of redundant web servers 1372 that are balanced using conventional load balancing technologies . alongside these web servers 1372 are infrastructure servers 1374 which provide specific infrastructure acceleration for decryption and distribution of certificates for communications authentication . these mlm farms provide a plurality of functions . the mlm server farms provide remote proxy connections . in deployments when an mlm is not deployed to the customer , the customer &# 39 ; s proxy connects to the mlm farms within mlm portion 1308 . also , in deployments when a customer mlm 1322 , 1372 is present , the mlm farm communicates and manages communication with the deployed customer mlm 1322 , 1372 . also , the mlm server farms provide data processing capabilities , e . g ., the mlm farms provide application specific tasks to prepare data for passing to the remote services application server portion 1309 . also , the mlm server farms provide access points for the customer and service personnel via browser like connections . the mlm farm generates the html that is presented to the browser . the mlm technology is based upon known web server technology such as that available from sun microsystems under the trade designation iplanet . plug - in functionality is provided by the servlet and jsp interfaces available as part of the web server technology . the remote services application servers 1380 provide data processing and storage for the remote services infrastructure as well as for any hosted service modules . the remote services application servers 1380 are based upon known application server technology such as that available from sun microsystems under the trade designation iplanet application server 6 . 0 . the remote services application server 1380 provides support for horizontal scalability , redundancy and load balancing . thus providing the back - end components of the remote services architecture with a high level of built in assurance and flexibility . application partitioning of the application servers 1380 provides processing distribution to ensure that heavy processing that may be required by more complex services are handled appropriately without affecting the remainder of the remote services architecture . application server portion 1309 provides integration into existing business systems , generic data export and tight integration with existing knowledge base implementations 1390 . data export is handled through structured xml , data can be exported asynchronously by a client registering to receive data of a particular type or synchronously by the application server 1380 accepting a request from a client . the core service module api is provided by the application server 1380 using a j2ee implement api . the basic container services of j2ee are extended to provide remote services specific functions and to create the basis of the api . accordingly , a service module creator can rely on a number of provided for services , such as database persistency , high levels of atomic , consistent , isolated , and durable ( acid ) properties , directory service access , authorization protection for the data and access to the data collected by the remote services infrastructure itself . the creation of a service module , which provides the technology to support a specific remote service , involves at least one of the following components : a creation of detection / collection logic component ; a mid - stream analysis and management of data component ; an analysis and storage of data component ; and , a presentation and management of the data / knowledge component . the detection / collection logic is created within the domain of a systems management toolkit . the mid - stream analysis and management of data is an optional step and effectively provides analysis of the data within the customer &# 39 ; s environment . inclusion of this logic would mean that the mid - stream analysis and management of data service module would have a remote services mlm deployed to the customer &# 39 ; s environment 1302 a , 1302 b . the deployment of the remote services mlm to the customer &# 39 ; s environment reduces and manages the data being sent over the wan to the remote services provider . the analysis and storage of data component is performed within the application servers domain ( the component may be exported ). this analysis and storage of data component turns data into knowledge and service value that can then be presented back to the customer . the presentation and management of the data / knowledge component is where the data and knowledge that is developed from the analysis and storage of data component is presented to the customer or service personnel . the presentation and management of data / knowledge component may include interactive support to provide modification of the data values . the remote services delivery system communication module 214 provides the communications layer for the system . it hides details relating to the underlying technologies from the caller . the communications module 214 takes an xml message as input and delivers it to the appropriate system component . all the parameters , including the identity which should be used , the communication parameters ( protocols , specific settings for firewall or gateway ) and the destination are extracted from the remote services delivery system component &# 39 ; s configuration file and not provided by the caller . the remote services delivery system communication module 214 is used by all remote services delivery system components . when an xml short message is sent , the communication module 214 serves to coordinate transfer of the message to the next infrastructure component . likewise , when an xml short message is received , the communication module 214 serves to forward the message to the appropriate destination software component in the remote service system 100 . the communication module 214 also serves a central function in the coordination of back - channel messages . for example , the communication module 214 coordinates the process of sending or receiving a back - channel message from the proxy &# 39 ; s intermediate mlm . this function is part of the procedure for sending or receiving an xml short message . authentication , data privacy and data integrity in the messaging processes discussed above , are provided by a cryptographic module through the communication module 214 in all remote service delivery system components . the communication module 214 acts as a relay between the local system component it is linked to ( e . g ., system proxy or intermediate mlm ) and the communication module 214 of the remote system component ( e . g ., intermediate mlm , or application mlm ). its function is to transfer data , hiding the complexity of the authentication , session mode type and data privacy from its caller . it provides transport for forward and backward messages , if any back - channel messages were waiting . the following table shows the interaction of local system component and the communication module 214 , while sending or receiving information : remote service system infrastructure component communication function where the module is used provided by the module remote service system proxy sending short message receiving back - channel message intermediate mlm sending short message sending a back - channel message receiving short message receiving back - channel message application mlm sending short message sending a back - channel message receiving short message receiving back - channel message the privacy and authorization process employed in the communication module employs a pluggable cryptographic module , via two function calls , sign ( xml_message ) and encrypt ( xml_message ). sll is used as a built - in cryptographic module working only over a session mode connection . the cryptographic module may implement null encryption or signature , to meet customer or local country law requirements . [ 0141 ] fig1 is a flow chart illustration of the processing step implemented by the communication module 214 in the sending mode . in step 1400 the communication module 214 receives an xml message and information relating to the destination of the message . in step 1402 , a test is conducted to determine whether ssl has been used in connection with the transmission of the message . if the result of the test in step 1402 indicates that ssl was used , processing proceeds to step 1404 where an instruction is issued to “ put xml ” over ssl and the message is directed to the remote service system component in step 1406 . if the test conducted in step 1402 indicates that ssl was not used , processing proceeds to step 1408 where the module executes instructions to “ sign ( xml )” and “ encrypt ( xml )” as discussed above . processing then proceeds to step 1410 where a test is performed to determine whether the message is in http format . if the message is in http format , processing proceeds to step 1412 where the module issues an instruction to “ put encrypted xml ” over http and the message is forwarded to the remote system component 1406 . if the test in step 1410 indicates that the message is in http format , processing proceeds to step 1414 where the message is emailed as an encrypted xml file to the remote system component 1406 . the xml message and status code confirmation is returned to the sender beginning with processing step 1416 where a test is conducted to determine whether ssl was used in transmission of the message . if the test in step 1416 indicates that ssl was not used , processing proceeds to step 1418 where the module issues instructions to “ decrypt ( xml ) and verify ( xml ).” if the test in step 1416 indicates that ssl was used , processing proceeds to step 1420 where the message and status code are returned . the communication module 214 may receive back - channel data while resending data ( client ) but the process is different to when the communication module 214 is used to receive data ( server ). when the communication module 214 is used to receive data , the communication module 214 records the identity claimed by the client at the cryptographic authentication layer in the “ signedby ” xml field to enable upper layer applications to compare it to the xml identification field filled by the sender , thus helping to avoid identity spoofing on the data . [ 0143 ] fig1 is a flowchart illustration of the processing steps followed by the communication module privacy and authorization feature operating in receive mode . a message 1500 is transmitted by a remote system component 1502 and a test is performed in step 1504 to determine whether the message was transmitted using ssl . if the test in step 1504 indicates that the message was not transmitted with ssl , processing proceeds to step 1506 where the module issues instructions to “ decrypt ( xml )” and “ verify ( xmp )” to extract the identity of the sender 1509 returned by “ verify ( )” and processing proceeds to step 1508 . if the test in step 1504 indicates that ssl was used , the identity of the ssl client 1507 is extracted and processing proceeds to step 1508 where the module performs data authentication and verification . processing then proceeds to step 1510 where the message 1500 is forwarded to a remote system mlm 1512 . the “ data authentication verification ” process 1508 discussed above in fig1 is used to prevent “ spoofing ” of the identity of a customer . fig1 is a flow chart illustration of the data authentication verification process 1508 identified in the flow chart illustration of fig1 . an xml message 1600 is tested in step 1602 to determine if the message was forwarded by an intermediate mlm or an application mlm . if the test in step 1602 indicates that the message was forwarded by an intermediate mlm , processing proceeds to step 1604 to determine if “ signedby ” exists . if the result of test 1604 indicates that “ signedby ” exists , an error condition is indicated in step 1606 ; otherwise , processing proceeds to step 1608 for a determination of whether the authentication is a cn or ip . if the test indicates the authentication is an ip , processing continues to step 1610 to determine if the source relates to a customer or an aggregation mlm . if the test in step 1610 indicates the source to be an mlm , an error condition is indicated in step 1606 . if , however , the test in step 1610 indicates the source of the authentication is verified in step 1614 . if the test in step 1608 indicates an authentication cn , processing proceeds to step 1612 to determine if the customer number cn is the source . if the result of this test is negative , an error condition is indicated in step 1606 . if the result of the test in step 1612 indicates that the cn is the source , authentication is verified in step 1614 . returning to the test in step 1602 , if the result of that test indicates that the message was forwarded by an application mlm , processing proceeds to step 1605 to determine whether the source of the message was a proxy or an mlm . if the result of test 1605 indicates that the source was an mlm , processing proceeds to step 1616 which determines whether “ signedby ” exists . if the test in step 1616 indicates that “ signedby ” does exist , an error condition is issued in step 1606 . otherwise , processing continues to step 1618 for a determination of whether the authentication is a cn or ip . if the test indicates the authentication is an ip , processing continues to step 1620 to determine if the cn is the source . if the result of the test is negative , an error condition is indicated in step 1606 . if , however , the result of the test in step 1620 indicates that the cn is the source , authentication is verified in step 1614 . returning to step 1605 , if the result of that test indicates that the source is a proxy , processing continues to step 1622 to determine if “ signedby ” exists . if the result of the test in step 1622 indicates that “ signedby ” does not exist , an error message is returned in step 1606 . otherwise , processing proceeds to step 1624 to determine whether the authentication is a cn or ip . if the test in step 1624 indicates the authentication is an ip , an error condition is indicated in step 1606 . otherwise processing continues to step 1626 to confirm that the source &# 39 ; s mlm group . specifically , this test determines whether the source &# 39 ; s proxy group has a destination that is a mlm group that includes the intermediate mlm identified in the “ verify ( )” call and that the identified mlm group is in the database model . if the result of the test in step 1620 is negative , an error condition is indicated in step 1606 . if , however , the test result is affirmative , authentication is verified in step 1614 .	7
referring to the drawings an embodiment of the present invention will be detailed in the following . fig1 is an internal block diagram of an electronic still camera which is an embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 , the optical system 1 focuses the image of an object on the image pickup device ( not shown in the drawings ) in the image - capturing section 2 . the image - capturing section outputs electric signals from the picked - up image to the image - processing section 3 . the image - processing section 3 receives the electric signals , color - process on the signals is performed , and outputs image signals to the liquid - crystal display section 4 to preview the image on the liquid - crystal display section 4 before the release button ( not shown in the drawings ) is pressed . the liquid - crystal display section 4 displays the inputted image signal on the lcd screen ( not shown in the drawings ). when the release button ( not shown in the drawings ) is pressed , the camera controller 5 comprising a cpu or others detects the operation of the release , and instructs the image - processing section 3 and the image - capturing section 2 to capture a high - resolution image . upon the instruction , the image - processing section 3 takes the data of the high - resolution raw image , temporarily stores the image in the image buffer 6 which comprises sdram or others , performs color - processing and gradation control on the raw image , and displays it as a post - view image on the liquid - crystal display section 4 . images are compressed , for example , in form of the jpeg format and temporarily stored in the image buffer 6 . when the image compression is complete , the image - processing section 3 informs the camera controller 5 of the completion of the image compression . upon the notification , the camera controller reads the compressed image data from the image buffer 6 through the image - processing section 3 and stores the compressed image data of a preset file format in the memory card 8 through the card interface 7 . or when a command is issued in order of image data recording in internal memory , the camera controller 5 stores image data in flash rom 9 , which also contains a program memory area . when the electronic still camera is connected to an external personal computer 20 through usb interface 10 , the camera controller 5 communicates with the personal computer 20 in a protocol through the usb interface 10 . simultaneously , when a command is issued to read image data from the memory card 8 or write image data in the memory card 8 or to read or write built - in image data , the camera controller 5 controls transfer of data to and from appropriate blocks . the cpu work memory block 11 is a memory block such as sram , which can be read -/ write - accessed fast . fig2 is a memory mapping of flash rom of fig1 . conventionally , flash memory ( the flash memory block 9 here ) takes a lot of time to write or erase . so it is impossible to read from flash memory immediately after data is written there . to rewrite programs , external ram is provided . the user rewrites programs after locating an executable program on ram . recently , some flash memory manufacturers have put , on the market , multi - bank type flash memory chips which allows reading from one memory bank while writing or erasing in another memory bank . due to this memory technology , it is possible to locate both program code space and a memory space for storage of images and / or camera control values in manufacturing processes in the same memory device . as an example , functions of a multi - bank flash memory chip , using a 4 mb multi - bank flash memory chip , will be detailed in the following . this example shows that the leading 2m bytes as bank 1 is used to store programs and the trailing 2m bytes as bank 2 is used to store image data and camera control data ( in the manufacturing processes ). the top eight 8k blocks in bank 1 are assigned a booting program to start up the cpu in the camera controller 5 . these blocks are followed by seven 64k blocks ( 448 kb ), which store programs to control the whole electronic still camera . the trailing twenty - four 64kb blocks ( 1536 kb ) of bank 1 contain programs and kind of scriptors for personal computers to install a specific device driver in the personal computer 20 . this storage area for storing scriptors and programs for a personal computer is the first storage area built in the electronic still camera in accordance with the present invention . storage areas called bank 1 and bank 2 are large rewritable storage units ( first and second storage areas ) of the present invention and smaller 64 - and 8 - kb storage blocks are small rewritable storage units . as for large rewritable storage units , one large storage unit can be read while the other large storage unit is written . however , since smaller storage units belong to one large storage unit , one small storage unit cannot be read while another small storage unit is written . the top eight 64k block in bank 2 stores data ( or camera control data ) to compensate a product - specific difference in production of the camera such as correction values due to optical characteristics and sensitivity characteristics of the image - capturing section 2 and driving information for automatic focus control . this camera control data area is followed by an internal image memory area . as this example uses built - in flash memory of a limited storage capacitance , the built - in image memory area is not so wide enough . this is because the flash memory technology has just begun . the low storage capacity , however , has nothing with the effect of the present invention . the most important point here is that the boot program area and the camera control program area are provided in a bank which contains neither the image memory area nor the camera control data area . in other words , the boot program area and the camera control program area are required for the cpu in the camera controller 5 to use continuously . if the camera controller 5 cannot read any program code while rewriting image data or camera control data , the electronic still camera may fall into out - of - order condition . further , another important point is that the camera control data is stored in a block ( small storage area ) outside the image memory area . considering about integrity of data , it is recommended to locate these two areas separately in different banks , but it is not economical . for data integrity , it is enough to locate these two areas separately in different banks . with this , the camera control data essential to the electronic still camera can be protected against damages by unexpected operations from the personal computer . among usb device classes , human interface devices such as mice and keyboards and mass storage devices have bee standardized from earlier stages and supported by various operating systems up to date . the cd - rom devices as one of mass storage devices are often used to install software and have been provided of various functions of automatic installation than the other mass storage devices . particularly , the “ autorun ” function of the cd - rom devices is remarkable . fig3 and fig4 are examples of initial protocols ( descriptors ) used for connection of an electronic still camera which is an embodiment of the present invention to a personal computer 20 through an usb interface 10 . when the electronic still camera is connected to a personal computer 20 through a usb interface block 10 , the personal computer 20 issues a get descriptor command to the electronic still camera after hardware handshaking . in response of receiving this command , the electronic still camera replies the descriptor to the personal computer . fig3 shows an example of initial protocol to report that the electronic still camera is a cd - rom mass storage unit . the detailed explanation of the descriptor is omitted here because people in this field can easily understand the descriptor . only the striking features of the descriptor are described below . in the device descriptor ( the upper table of fig3 ), offset 4 declares that the device class of this device will be described with the interface descriptor . offset 5 and offset 6 specify the required values . offset 10 specifies “ 0 × 0750 ” as the unique usb product id given to the electronic still camera by the manufacturer of the product . ( the manufacturers also should have their unique usb product ids .) the id value is given by “ idvendor ” of offset 8 . when combined with the vendor id , the product id becomes more specific and the os of a personal computer to which the product is connected can easily identify the product by the id . the interface descriptor ( the lower table of fig3 ) describes the device class of the product ( electronic still camera ) according to the content of “ bdeviceclass ” ( offset 4 ) of the device descriptor . offset 5 ( blnterfaceclass ) specifies “ oxo8 ” as the class code of the storage class and offset 6 ( blnterfacesubclass ) specifies that the interface uses the sff - 8020i command set which is widely used by cdroms . offset 7 ( blnterfaceprotocol ) describes that the interface uses the cbi ( control / bulk / interrupt transfer ) function as the usb mass storage protocol . with this , the sff - 8020i command is executed as a cd - rom command with the command contained in bulk transfer packets of the usb . in this way , the electronic still camera is recognized as a cdrom device by the personal computer 20 . fig4 is an example of an initial protocol ( descriptor ) used for initial reconnection of the electronic still camera to the personal computer 20 after the electronic still camera is connected as a cd - rom drive to the personal computer 20 and loads a still - image class device driver ( which is a device class for controlling electronic camera devices ) to the personal computer . an operation to cause the electronic still camera as a device other than the storage device in this embodiment is to install a still - image class device driver to a personal computer . as the device descriptor for installation uses a product id of “ 0 × 0750 ” in primary connection as a cd - rom drive , the device descriptor for the still - image class operation uses a product id of “ 0 × 075 ” to prevent confusion . this product id is a device id code which is referred to by this embodiment . the interface descriptor ( the lower table of fig4 ) specifies a still - image class in offset 5 ( blnterfaceclass ), an image pickup device in offset 6 ( blnterfacesubclass ), and use of a pma 15740 command set in offset 7 ( blnterfaceprotocol ). as explained above , the sample protocols ( descriptors ) of fig3 are used to connect the electronic still camera as a cd - rom drive ( a storage device ) to a personal computer and to cause the personal computer to recognize the electronic still camera as a device ( an electronic still camera ) other than the storage device ). therefore , the camera controller 5 is in charge of operation , processing , and selection in accordance with the present invention . fig5 shows a table of directories of files to be detected by the personal computer when the electronic still camera is connected as a cd - rom drive ( a storage device ) to a personal computer . in this example , the personal computer 20 detects an “ autorun . inf ” file ( 43 bytes long ), a “ setup . exe ” file ( 365123 bytes long ), and a “ setup . ico ” file ( 2238 bytes long ). the “ autorun . inf ” file is a script file for automatic startup . in general , when the operating system ( os ) of a personal computer 20 finds this script file in searching of file information in the cd - rom , the os automatically performs pre - determined operations according to the description . in other words , this function causes a pre - determined operation to be automatically executed by the personal computer when recognized by the personal computer . the camera controller 5 for detecting and executing this internal file is the means for allowing the personal computer to access the first memory area and the means for causing the personal computer to execute programs in accordance with the present invention . although the above example describes an area in the built - in flash memory ( flash rom 9 ) as the first memory area , it is apparent that the first memory area need not be built - in memory , for example , a memory area in an external memory card 8 as far as the memory area is under control of the cpu in the camera controller 5 . in this case , there can be some units ( flash memory rom 9 and memory card 8 here ) equivalent to a cd - rom drive having the “ autorun ” function . it is possible to use a setup menu of the electronic still camera to select the memory area . when a memory area is selected on the setup menu by an operation button ( not shown in the drawings ) and a means is used to determine whether the first memory area is accessed by the personal computer , the camera controller 5 is the setting means . fig6 shows the content of a sample “ autorun . inf ” file . the “ icon =” line in the “[ autorun ]” section specifies to use the icon data ( setup . ico ) as a volume display icon of cd - rom ( flash memory 9 in this example ) and the “ open =” line specifies to execute the setup . exe file in the root directory of the specified cd - rom ( flash memory 9 in this example ). according to this description , the operating system ( os ) of the personal computer 20 runs the setup . exe file , which is the installer of a driver required for operation of the still - image class . fig7 shows possible combinations of bank operations of multi - bank flash memory which is used by an embodiment of the present invention . fig8 shows an operational flow of setting the status of the storage unit of the present embodiment , enabling installation of a driver for a still image device which works differently from the storage unit , detecting interfacing status by cable connection and power setting , and resetting to the original still image device . when the user sets a read mode at step s 101 of fig8 , the camera controller 5 checks whether installation to the personal computer 20 has been selected at step s 102 . if the installation has not been selected , the operation flow ends . when the installation is already selected , the camera controller 5 prepares to cause the personal computer to recognize the program area for the personal computer as cdrom . at step s 104 , the camera controller 5 checks whether a signal is detected from a connector ( not shown in the drawings ), which connects the electronic still camera to the personal computer 20 . if no signal is detected , the camera controller 5 waits for a pre - determined time period at step s 105 , resets to the still - image class , and ends the flow . when detecting a signal indicating the connection between the electronic still camera and the personal computer from the connector , the camera controller 5 makes sure that the connector is not disconnected at step s 107 . ( if the connector is disconnected , the camera controller 5 changes to the still - image class at step s 115 and ends the operation flow .) further the camera controller 5 makes sure that the power supply has not been turned off at step s 108 . ( if the power supply is turned off , the camera controller 5 changes to the still - image class at step s 113 and performs the power - off operation at step s 114 .) furthermore , the camera controller 5 checks whether a pre - determined time period has passed at step s 109 . when the pre - determined time period already passed , the camera controller 5 performs an operation to turn off the connectiontransistor , changes to the still - image class at step s 111 , performs an operation to turn on the connection transistor at step s 112 , and ends the operation flow . the means for detecting the end of connection to cause the personal computer 20 to read data for recognition of a device other than a storage device and for automatically changing to cause the electronic still camera to perform as a device other than a storage device is accomplished by the camera controller 5 which detects connector - off and power - off by the user . further , the cpu ( with a built - in clock ) in the camera controller 5 can work as timer , comparing , switching , and changing means . with these means , the camera controller 5 measures the time passed after the electronic still camera is connected as cd - rom , checks whether the electronic still camera is connected to an os that cannot support the usb connection , the automatic installation failed , or reconnection is not completed although installation is complete when the connection continues longer than the predetermined time period , automatically changes connections , and turns on and off the connection transistor . fig9 shows an operational flow of the personal computer 20 . at step s 201 , the personal computer 20 searches the first memory area of the electronic still camera , which is to be recognized as cd - rom . at step s 202 , the personal computer 20 checks whether the first memory area of the electronic still camera contains the “ autorun . inf ” file and ends the operation flow when finding no “ autorun . inf ” file . when finding the “ autorun . inf ” file , the personal computer executes the install program specified in the “ autorun . inf ” file at step s 203 and installs the still - image class driver to the work memory of the personal computer 20 . with this , the personal computer can read image data from the electronic still camera . fig1 shows sample lcd displays of the electronic still camera for setting a mode to install a still image device driver to a personal computer 20 . the mode switch sw 12 ( shown in fig1 , fig1 ) of the electronic still camera is used to select a setup mode and set an operation mode . when the user selects “ pc install ” on the menu by the menu selection key , the “ execute ” submenu appears . ( shown in fig1 ( a )) select “ execute .” the install mode is set and the electronic still camera can work as a storage device . when the user select “ location set ,” the user can set whether the personal computer 20 is allowed to access the first memory area as the storage area or the other area such as a memory card 8 . when the user select “ execute ” on the menu , a dialog box ( shown in fig1 ( b )) appears on - screen to ensure whether the user actually wants to change modes . the user clicks the ok button b 1 in the dialog box to select installation to the personal computer or the cancel button b 2 to return to the menu screen ( shown in fig1 ( a )). fig1 is a circuit drawings of the usb interface connector 10 and its related parts . when the connector 10 a is connected to a personal computer , the transistor q 2 turns on and activates a connection detected signal . when the transistor q 1 turns on , the d + signal is pulled up and information of connection is delivered to the personal computer ( as a host ). when the transistor q 1 is turned off , the electric connection is canceled . fig1 is an operational flow of selecting images to be removed when the built - in image memory is full and removing the selected images . after taking a picture at step s 301 of fig1 , the camera controller 5 checks whether the image data is to be recorded in the built - in memory at step s 302 . when judging that the image data should not be recorded in the built - in memory ( flash memory rom 9 ), the camera controller 5 saves the captured image data in memory card 8 at step 303 . when judging that the image data should be recorded in the built - in memory , the camera controller 5 as a detecting means checks whether the remaining storage area in the built - in memory ( flash memory rom 9 ) is more than a pre - determined value . when the remaining storage area is enough ( more than a preset value ), the camera controller 5 saves the captured image data in the built - in memory at step s 305 . when the remaining storage area ( flash memory rom 9 ) is not enough ( less than a pre - determined value ), the camera controller 5 searches image data that has been stored in the built - in memory longest ( or image data of the oldest shooting / storage date ) at step s 306 . further at step s 307 , the camera controller 5 as a erasing means checks whether there are two or more image data frames of the same shooting / storage date . when there is only one frame of the oldest date , the camera controller 5 selects it and erases it at step s 311 . when there are two or more image data frames of the same shooting / storage date , the camera controller 5 as a counting means gets read - counts of the frames at step s 308 and compares them by a pre - determined count at step s 309 . if their counts are different , the camera controller 5 selects and removes a image data frame of the less count value at step s 311 . if their counts are the same , the camera controller 5 selects the image data frames of the oldest shooting / storage time at step s 310 and erases them at step s 311 . it is possible to set the prohibit mode by a related menu button ( not visible in the drawings ) and to suppress automatic removal of image data of the oldest shooting / storage date or to output a reconfirmation message such as “ are you sure to delete ?” before the automatic removal of image data and to remove the image data only when the user clicks the ok button . this can protect necessary image data from deletion . fig1 is a perspective view of an electronic still camera which is an embodiment of the present invention . the electronic still camera has a mode switch 12 , a release button 13 , and a power switch 14 on the top of the camera body , a lens assembly 1 , a finder 15 a , and a flash light 16 on the front of the camera body , and a slot 19 for memory card 8 ( shown in fig1 ) and a usb connector 10 a ( not shown in the drawings ) for connection with the personal computer on the side of the camera body . fig1 is a rear view of an electronic still camera which is an embodiment of the present invention . the rear panel of the electronic still camera has a display screen 4 a of the liquid - crystal display section 4 ( shown in fig1 ), a lcd display on / off button 4 b , menu selection keys 4 c , and a finder 15 b . the latest - released general - purpose operating systems ( oss ) have supported common storage device drivers by usb interface . however , in this configuration , image data in the electronic still camera as a storage device is treated only as files on a drive . therefore , this configuration cannot use functions that allow the personal computer to control the electronic still camera directly , for example , by a twain device driver , and a function that allows user to customize the camera operation . further , it is not possible to transfer image data to the personal computer without storing image data in the memory card at the electronic still camera . contrarily , by installing a device driver for a device other than a storage device as stated in this embodiment , the electronic still camera can handle captured image data and enable the personal computer to perform the above added functions . with those and other objects in view , it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments . further it is understood that various changes and modifications , within the scope of the claims , may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention . the first embodiment of the present invention can provide a convenient electronic still camera even when storage capacity is increased . the second embodiment of the present invention can provide in - expensive electronic still camera with compact size and low power consumption . disclosed embodiment can be varied by a skilled person without varying from the spirit and scope of the invention .	7
a mobile radio used in an automotive environment , of which a cellular radiotelephone is a convenient example , provides an appropriate setting for describing the preferred embodiment of the invention . a cellular radiotelephone mobile subscriber unit has two major parts : a control unit and a transceiver unit . the transceiver portion houses the circuits for receiving and transmitting the radio signals and may be mounted in the vehicle remote from the user . the control unit provides the user interface to the transceiver and is typically mounted within the passenger compartment of the vehicle . a control cable couples the units together . the complexity of the control functions may require many control and audio signals to pass between the units ; multiplexing of signals within the control cable reduces the burdens of dense cabling . installations that use multiple control units create particular problems , which the invention also addresses . fig1 shows a typical vehicular radiotelephone installation . box 100 represents the control unit ; box 200 represents the transceiver unit . a microphone 2 transduces voice input and produces electrical output that couples through an audio amplification and signal processing chain to a line driver amplifier 4 . the line driver , operated at a typical quiescent point of 5 vdc , couples an amplified audio signal through resistor 6 and blocking capacitor 8 onto the interconnection cable at 14 . the control unit includes a push button 10 , which can ground resistor 12 . to activate logic circuitry in the transceiver , for example to turn the transceiver on or off , the user momentarily pushes the button . a logic interface circuit 30 in the transceiver detects the momentary contact closure and provides a fast logic output signal ( 36 ) in response . connections to the interface circuit permit audio to be multiplexed with the contact closure signal on the control cable and to be picked - off at point 20 . fig1 shows only the pertinent portions of the transceiver , including connections to the dc power source , designated as &# 34 ; a +,&# 34 ; ( 38 ), and miscellaneous coupling components , ( 22 , 24 , 26 , and 28 ). it shows further that more than one control unit may be coupled to the transceiver at the same time , as indicated by control unit 100 &# 39 ;, output line 14 &# 39 ;, and the dotted connection to cable 16 . the quiescent state of the interface circuit is &# 34 ; off .&# 34 ; resistor 28 ( 100 kilohms nominal ) holds input pin 34 at the a + potential , which is well above the logic threshold of approximately half - supply . closing the push - button pulls resistor 12 ( 4700 ohms ) to ground , which causes input 34 to fall below the logic threshold as capacitor 24 discharges . however , as the input goes below threshold , the interface circuit sources current , from input 34 , which flows through resistor 12 and develops sufficient voltage to maintain a positive bias across capacitor 8 relative to the output voltage of the line driver amplifier 4 . fig2 shows details of the logic interface circuit . the interface circuit has two major parts a threshold circuit , which senses the input voltage at pin 34 and produces an output current at collector terminal 56 ; and a signal conditioner ( 60 ), which speeds up the current transitions generated by the threshold circuit and produces a fast logic output signal at 36 . the incremental input impedance of the threshold circuit has a nonlinear characteristic : for inputs above threshold , it is very high , so the circuit has very little loading effect ; as the input signal falls below threshold , the impedance switches to a very low value that loads the external circuit and prevents the input from being able to fall substantially below threshold . the threshold circuit itself comprises current mirror 40 , devices 48 , 52 , and 54 , resistor 46 ( 50 kilohms nominal ), and resistor 50 ( 100 kilohms nominal ). as input 34 goes below the a + voltage applied to power pin 32 , the current mirror control branch 42 turns on and produces an incremental input impedance equal to the nominal 50 kilohms of resistor 46 in series with diode 48 and the emitter - base diode of mirror branch 42 . mirror current through branch 44 into resistor 50 pulls the base of device 52 upwards . the circuit reaches threshold when the base of device 52 has risen above the voltage at input 34 by approximately two base - emitter diode drops , at which point , devices 52 and 54 turn on , and collector 56 develops output current . as the input goes below threshold , the incremental input impedance of the threshold circuit becomes very low , and it supplies current to the external circuit through the low impedance path of common - collector device 52 in series with the emitter - base junction of device 54 . the ratio between resistor 50 and resistor 46 and the configuration of diode 48 and base - emitter junctions in devices 52 and 54 sets the logic threshold slightly above half - supply this threshold remains at approximately half - supply to provide maximum noise immunity regardless of supply variations . responding to the level of an input signal , rather than to its transitions , provides additional immunity against noise transients and also permits an audio signal of restricted amplitude to be superimposed on the input without triggering the interface circuit . device 52 can supply current to the external circuit through the base - emitter junction of device 54 as necessary to prevent reverse biasing of the control unit blocking capacitor . inherent collector current limiting at about 6 ma in the pnp devices used for this embodiment prevented currents from exceeding safe values . to provide a stable and predictable input threshold , the circuit relies on matching of the respective resistors and semiconductor devices , which a monolithic realization conveniently provides . under such conditions , the input threshold remains at approximately half - supply over a wide range of supply voltages . in particular , the circuit will operate from at least 6 vdc to 16 . 3 vdc . this voltage range allows the circuit to be used in portable transceiver applications , which rely on battery voltages that can reach as low as 6 volts at &# 34 ; end - of - life ,&# 34 ; as well as in vehicular applications , for which high - limit a + voltage is typically specified as 16 . 3 volts dc . the signal conditioner circuit ( 60 ) for this embodiment is an integrated - injection logic ( i 2 l ) design , comprising injector 62 , dual output device 64 , input device 66 , and current sink 68 . feedback through collector 70 provides hysteresis . to turn on the circuit , current from collector 56 must exceed the combination of sink current 68 and the current drawn by collector 70 . once device 66 turns on , it diverts injector current 62 and cuts off collector 70 , so the circuit remains on until input current at 56 falls below the level of sink current 68 alone . hysteresis provides immunity from minor noise fluctuations in the trigger current , causes fast regenerative transitions between , states , and makes the rate of output transitions substantially independent of the rate of input transitions . the components external to circuit block 30 provide additional immunity from the inherent electrical noise of the automotive environment , such as transient loading from engine cranking during engine cranking , the a + voltage may drop by several volts , but diode 26 prevents capacitor 24 from discharging . the voltages on pins 32 and 34 both decrease ; when cranking terminates and the a + voltage suddenly rises to its normal value , both pins follow the increase in voltage . diode 26 , which isolates capacitor 24 , allows the capacitor to remain at the quiescent a + voltage for a considerably longer time than the expected duration of cranking . when the voltage returns to normal , capacitor 24 will not have discharged and , therefore , will not hold pin 34 at a lower voltage . otherwise , the reduced voltage on pin 32 might be sufficiently low to cause the voltage on pin 34 to be below the threshold voltage of the logic interface circuit and would cause a logic output signal to change state . the circuit will also tolerate certain expected overvoltage transients without false triggering or device breakdown . first , if the a + voltage suddenly increases but stays within approximately twice normal value , the half - supply input threshold remains below the voltage at pin 34 , so the circuit will not trigger . second , the circuit configuration allows the various bipolar devices to withstand high voltage transients . in the semiconductor fabrication process used for the preferred embodiment , npn devices typically exhibit breakdown bv ceo of less than 22 volts , whereas bv cbo exceeds 65 volts . in the quiescent state , push - button 10 is open , which allows resistor 28 to apply a + voltage to pin 34 and keep current mirror 40 off . without mirror current flowing , resistor 50 holds the base of device 52 at ground potential . meanwhile , the base of device 54 is at a + potential , so the emitter - base junctions of both devices are reverse biased . upon sudden a + increases , the voltage on pin 32 increases , but that on pin 34 does not , being held by capacitor 24 . this increased voltage appears across the collector / emitter of npn device 52 through the reverse biased emitter - base diode of device 54 . the path through resistor 50 allows device 52 to withstand this voltage in the bv cbo mode and support large transient overvoltage . the other devices subject to a + transients are pnp devices , which , for this process , have greater bv ceo breakdown voltage than do the npn devices . the process specifications illustrated here are merely exemplary ; it will be understood that the invention relates to a circuit configuration that operates devices in a high breakdown voltage mode . the circuit constructed according to this invention draws very little current in the standby mode . when the push - button is open , the interface circuit draws no current through current mirror 40 ; the signal conditioner draws only the small injector current for the i 2 l . the injector current affects the speed of the circuit , but , for a relatively slow signal such as a manual push - button contact , injector current on the order of 1 microampere suffices . during contact closure , the circuit draws additional current momentarily as necessary to prevent reverse biasing of the coupling capacitors . another aspect of the invention is to allow audio information to appear on the control unit line , which is normally biased to a +. this requires that the logic interface circuit neither false trigger nor breakdown in the presence of an ac signal on the trigger line and that it not clip the audio signal at its input . the logic threshold of approximately half - supply allows audio signals on the input to swing below the quiescent voltage a + without triggering the circuit or allowing the current mirror to conduct current and affect the audio signals . as the audio drives the voltage across capacitor 24 above the a + voltage , diodes 26 and 48 and device 54 reverse bias and prevent clipping of the audio . for this embodiment , the base - emitter breakdown voltages were approximately 6v for npn devices and 84v for pnp devices , sufficient for the levels of audio signals . circuitry ( not shown ) in the transceiver can translate an audio signal biased at a + to a quiescent voltage suitable for audio processing in the transceiver . the impedance of resistor 22 in series with capacitor 24 is sufficiently low relative to the source impedance of a control unit that audio levels do not vary appreciably if an additional control unit is coupled in parallel as an additional audio source . the time constant r 6 c 8 matches the time constant r 22 c 24 , which provides flat frequency response over the voice band of 300 - 3000 hz . typical components values are :	7
the utilization of the present invention applies to volatile as well as nonvolatile memories . implementation in stand alone memory devices , soc ( system on chip ), sip ( system in package ), sic ( system in chip ), dimm &# 39 ; s ( dual in line memory modules ), simm &# 39 ; s ( single in line memory modules ) and other combinations are possible . furthermore , “ page ” architecture is widely used in dram &# 39 ; s and flash memories , the operations of the latter being described in detail in the available literature and therefore will not be discussed in any detail here . “ precharge ” is widely used for dynamic devices like dram &# 39 ; s , feram &# 39 ; s ( ferroelectric ram &# 39 ; s ), etc . “ page ” architecture is also expected to influence future memory products like mag ram &# 39 ; s , plastic ram &# 39 ; s , cnt ram &# 39 ; s ( carbon nano tube ), organic memories , phase - change memories , molecular memories and similar products . as such , the implementation of the present invention encompasses all such devices , as well as other memory devices that employ a page architecture . fig1 through 6 illustrate block diagrams of high level architectures for existing dram &# 39 ; s commercially available from micron technology , inc . these block diagrams are merely intended to be representative of known dram architectures , and not a limitation to the discussion and application of the present invention . fig7 depicts one embodiment of the invention , represented as a modification of the architecture of fig1 . in fig7 , a precharge counter ( operable to count ( system ) clock cycles ) is shown as being incorporated in the row path of the memory architecture . the counter is similar in its operation to counters employed in vlsi design , though its function and utility are applied to provide a posted precharge for the dram memory device of fig7 . more specifically , while counters are used in ddr dram &# 39 ; s to refresh data by row and prefetch “ burst ” bits in the column path , the precharge counter of the present invention is placed in the row path to perform a posted precharge operation as described below . the precharge counter of this invention has two basic functions . first , when a row address is latched ( as a result of a bank active command ) and a page is opened , the counter locks into that row address until reset . second , when a posted precharge command is asserted , an internal activation for precharge after ‘ n ’ number of cycles is activated . the value of n can be programmed or fixed . alternatively , n could be set in the mode register set ( mrs ). unlike current dram &# 39 ; s that employ an auto - precharge command to automatically close a page , the posted precharge of this invention enables an open page ( p 1 ) to remain open ( available ) through the use of latches coupled to the sense amplifier associated with the bank on which the page is located , thereby permitting the storage of data read — from or written — to the sense amplifier . for example , a page can be kept open for 100 cycles or more . in this manner , the precharge counter of this invention enables the ‘ current page in a specific bank ( p 1 ) to be open ’ for a set time , while permitting the activation of another bank in the same ic and the opening of a different page in a different bank . in addition , by issuing an appropriate command , the current page open time can be extended further ( without violating other constraints , such as refresh ), by interrupting a posted precharge activation ( internally ) if the memory system decides to extend the current open page . in view of the above , until n number of cycles is completed on the precharge counter , if a need arises to go from a current page p 2 to a previously opened page ( p 1 ), the previously opened page is available as a result of being held open by the precharge counter . after n cycles , if a new row is to be opened in the same bank , the bank goes into precharge after the page ( p 1 ) is closed . the present invention further offers the ability to reset the precharge counter if the same row is accessed in a consecutive bank activation cycle . in this manner , the ‘ n cycle open page ’ can be extended for as long as the memory system requires it . the precharge ( internal ) delay provided by the precharge counter — namely , from the time the precharge command is posted to the time the precharge for that particular bank is initiated — can be programably set to any number of desired clock cycles ( to maximize bus efficiency ). fig8 shows an embodiment of the invention similar to that of fig7 , except that an sram ( static random access memory ) is inserted next to the sense amplifiers . a benefit of this optional feature of the invention is the ability to achieve an ultra low cas ( column address strobe ) latency . in computing systems where sdram &# 39 ; s are used as system memory , there is an overwhelming imbalance between reads and writes ( reads far outweigh writes ), and thus one register dedicated only to reads is preferred . in communication systems where sdram &# 39 ; s are used for packet buffering , reads and writes are balanced ; hence , separate sram registers for reads and writes are recommended . in communications memories where sdram &# 39 ; s are used as table lookup memory , reads dominate writes . graphic memory , 3d mapping , texture memory , and search engine memories in general belong to the “ unbalanced access ” class . although a cpu , npu , or their associated chip set / cache memory ( both on and off - chip ) may contain an sram , placing the sram on the sdram chip itself ( as represented in fig8 ) provides unparalleled effectiveness in reducing power consumption and bus turnaround times by avoiding “ off - dram ” transactions . because the posted precharge function provided by the present invention allows more than one page open per dram ic , bus turnaround times are reduced . fig9 and 10 represent application of the invention to additional ramj devices , with fig1 illustrating the application of the invention to a network centric dram . a specialty case of dram &# 39 ; s is 1t sram &# 39 ; s or pseudo - sram &# 39 ; s that use dram cores but a non - multiplexed sram interface . these specialty ram &# 39 ; s are used mostly in the general field of network memory where random accesses are the dominating type of access . pseudo - sram &# 39 ; s are limited foremost by the row cycle time or the ras pulse width , and usually employ a read — auto - precharge scheme to close the bank as early as possible ( i . e ., after the output of data to the i / o buffers ) in order to speed up such devices by enabling subsequent accesses to different rows . with this operating scheme , a precharge occurs in the background while a different row is in the process of being opened . however , a problem arises if a subsequent read request falls into the same row , in which case the request will collide with the ongoing closing of the bank ( precharge ) and cause the device to malfunction or crash . advantageously , by delaying ( posting ) a precharge with the precharge counter of this invention , any subsequent access of the same bank would find it open and would , therefore , be executed without additional row access latencies while concomitantly pushing out the precharge further . if the subsequent access were to go to a different row , the precharge of the first row would occur after the additive latency of the posted precharge . as such , with the flexible internally - timed posted precharge capability of this invention , it is possible to eliminate a notable problem encountered by pseuo - dram &# 39 ; s , because a subsequent access to the same page simply results in delaying of the precharge . in another embodiment of the invention , instead of an sram register , one can use an additional set of sense amplifiers in each bank . preferably the sense amplifiers are identical , though this is not essential . the ‘ page select addresses ’ operate on one set of sense amplifiers , while the sdram memory bank operates on the other set . there is only one control for both sense amplifier blocks , so that any ambiguity is eliminated . it should be understood that the same concept can be applied to all other sdram &# 39 ; s , including future sdram &# 39 ; s comprising more than 4 or 8 banks and sdram &# 39 ; s of architectures evolving beyond ddr - ii . fig1 and 12 compare the advantages of the present invention to current state - of - the - art dram devices , though it will be understood from the foregoing that the “ multiple open pages ” capability of this invention is easily extendable to flash and other memories . in addition to permitting multiple pages to be held open on different banks , another advantage of this invention is the ability to avoid idle bus cycles . with the memory controller under the supervision of the cpu / npu ( or its chip set ), pages can be opened in the memory subsystem sdram ic &# 39 ; s ahead of processor requirements . pages can also be closed quickly , such as where a speculative instruction execution does not yield the desired result . a counter can also be used to keep track of when a page can be closed , so that a posted precharge can be activated for continuous , peak bandwidth operation . another advantage of this invention is the ability to make a previously accessed page available even while a new bank / row address is presented ( about 3 clock cycles ). this operation improves effective bandwidth when data are written across page boundaries . the invention as described above has the ability to solve most known performance issues of sdram &# 39 ; s ( standalone memory devices and memory modules ). each of the disclosed embodiments can be implemented on a memory controller controlling a memory module containing memory devices . it is also possible to design an asic to be mounted on such a memory module that contains the functions described above . there are numerous nc ( no connect ) pins available in commercial sdram &# 39 ; s for implementing the invention . if it is a 4 - bank sdram , 2 additional page - select pins can be used to switch among open pages within a sdram . an 8 - bank sdram will require use of 3 pins . reads / writes , cas and other commands require no changes . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to particular illustrative embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details are within the scope of the invention . therefore , the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims .	6
fig1 illustrates a system for measuring sub - micron particle size distribution in petroleum fluids . the system includes a container generally designated 10 for holding the fluid while measurements are being taken ( the fluid is not shown ), a fibre optic probe generally designated 50 mounted to side wall 12 of the container , a sub - micron particle analyzer 200 connected to probe 50 by means of a fibre optic cable 205 and to a computer 300 by means of an electrical cable 210 . computer 300 includes a display monitor 305 . sub - micron particle analyzer 200 and associated cables 205 , 210 are commercially available instrumentation and related parts available from brookhaven instrument corp . as noted above . computer 300 may be any suitable pc compatible with the brookhaven instrument and software ( e . g . an ibm 486 dx with math coprocessor ). probe 50 is an optical transceiver . as best seen in fig2 and 3 ( the former of which shows dotted line area 2 of fig1 in more detail ), probe 50 includes an elongated cylindrical housing 55 extending from a first end 56 to a second end 57 . a disk shaped optical window 70 is held proximate to end 57 between a pair of flanges 58 , 59 . a first window surface 71 of window 70 faces outside the housing and a second window surface 72 faces inside the housing . since the probe may be subjected to relatively high temperatures and fluid pressures , housing 50 is fabricated from stainless steel or the like . optical window 70 is fabricated from sapphire , and is relatively thick between surfaces 71 , 72 to withstand high fluid pressures which may be imposed on surface 71 . to facilitate the placement of window 70 during assembly of probe 50 , it will be noted that end 57 of housing 55 has threaded engagement with the remainder of the housing . a sealing ring 65 assists to seal window 70 against the passage of fluid from container 10 into the housing when window surface 71 is immersed by fluid in the container . a sealing means is desirable because , as is discussed in more detail below , the fluid pressure inside container 10 may be substantial . sealing ring 65 , and other sealing rings which are referred to hereinafter , should be fabricated from a material which does not degrade under the conditions of temperature , pressure and fluid type to which it will be exposed . for most petroleum fluid applications , a synthetic polymer material such as viton ® material should be suitable . for more demanding applications such as petroleum fluid containing hydrogen sulphide other material may be required -- for example , a nitrile seal . viton is a trademark of e . i . dupont de nemours and company , inc . probe 50 also includes a transmitting optical fibre means comprising optical fibre line 80 and a receiving optical fibre means comprising optical fibre line 81 . both lines are a part of cable 205 which extends longitudinally into probe 50 through end 56 . line 80 , which includes a portion extending inside housing 55 from end 56 to window 70 , receives input laser light signals from particle analyzer 200 and , as indicated by dashed lines in fig2 directs such signals through the window to a scattering volume centered at point f outside the housing . conversely , line 81 , which includes a portion extending inside housing 55 from window 70 to end 56 , receives as an input light signals scattered back through the window from the scattering volume , and provides the scattered back signals as an output back to particle analyzer 200 . the portion of cable 205 which extends within housing 55 is insulated from the housing by an annular layer of heat insulating material 67 contained just inside inner wall 60 of the housing . such insulation may not be required in all situations . however , in situations where probe 50 is exposed to relatively high temperature fluids in container 10 , heat insulation may be considered desirable to protect lines 80 , 81 or the cable sheath which carries and supports the lines . with the foregoing construction , probe 50 is particularly adapted for use in conjunction with the measurement of particle size distribution in petroleum fluids . more particularly , end 57 of housing 55 together with outer surface 71 of window 70 may be immersed in the fluid . the fluid may be at relatively high temperature and the fluid pressure acting outside the probe on housing end 71 and window surface 71 may be substantially greater than ambient pressure inside housing 55 . such immersability is important because it permits a construction where center point f is established relatively close to window surface 71 of window 70 . as such , the absorption of light signals by the colored or opaque petroleum fluid will be minimized , and the strength of signals scattered back from the scattering volume will be maximized . of course , it will be understood that the light signals are required to have a frequency or wavelength which will pass the fluid . in this regard , the approximately 633 nanometer wavelength signals as produced by a class 3 neon -- helium laser as used in the brookhaven instrument have been found to work suitably for petroleum fluids . the tolerance for relatively high fluid temperatures and pressures is important because it permits measurements to be taken under conditions of temperature and / or pressure which may be found to exist in a petroleum field reservoir or , as well , under conditions of temperature and / or pressure which may be engineered in the design of recovery and processing systems for handling the fluid when extracted from the reservoir . preferably , housing 50 and window 70 should be rated for working pressures up to 10 , 000 psi ( about 70 mpa ). the dimensions of probe 50 are generally not critical . however , to put some perspective on a typical size , the main body of housing 55 may have an outside diameter of about 9 . 525 mm ( viz . about 0 . 375 inches ) and an inside diameter of about 6 . 223 mm ( viz . about 0 . 245 inches ). for a 10 , 000 psi ( 70 mpa ) rating , sapphire window 70 should have a thickness of about 5 mm ( viz . about 0 . 197 inches ). optical lines 80 , 81 may be angled at the window to establish a center point f at about 1 mm ( viz . about 0 . 04 inches ) and preferably not more than about 2 mm ( viz . about 0 . 08 inches ) beyond window surface 71 . probe 50 is designed to be used in substitution for the probe supplied with the brookhaven sub - micron particle analyzer referred to above . the principles which underlie the operation of probe 50 are the same as those of the brookhaven probe . since such principles are known and will be readily understood by those skilled in the art , they will not be described here in any detail . essentially , however , and as indicated by broken lines in fig2 the outward path for light from optical line 80 and the inward path for light scattered back to optical line 81 intersect to define a scattering volume centered at point f . with the longitudinal extent indicated by arrows a 1 , a 2 , the scattering volume may be seen as the intersection of two cylinders having the transverse cross - sectional area of lines 80 , 81 . as best seen in fig2 housing 55 of probe 50 is secured in a partially threaded shouldered opening 13 which extends through side wall 12 of container 10 . threads 14 and two - step shoulder 15 of opening 13 are designed to accept a conventional swagelok ® ` o ` ring straight thread connector fitting 40 having an inside diameter corresponding to the outside diameter of housing 55 . swagelok is a trademark of swagelok , co . of solon , ohio . when fitting 40 is tightened , sealing ring 41 seals opening 13 against the passage of fluid between wall 12 and the fitting . housing 55 is tightly secured in the position shown when nut 42 is tightened against compression ring 43 . compression ring 43 then bears against fitting 40 and radially inward against housing 55 to securely grip the housing . the tightened engagement which results also establishes an effective seal against the passage of fluid between housing 55 and the fitting . container 10 is a high pressure cylindrical vessel and , as in the case of probe 50 , is preferably fabricated from stainless steel rated for working pressures up to about 10 , 000 psi ( 70 mpa ). its volume capacity is not critical , but may typically be in the range of 50 cc to 100 cc . as can be seen in fig1 container 10 includes a top 16 which is removably secured to side wall 12 by means of bolts 11 . a sealing ring 17 is positioned between top 16 and side wall 12 to provide an effective seal under conditions of high pressure . top 16 is removable in order to permit the interior of container 10 to be cleaned and , as well , to allow the positioning of a magnetic stirrer blade 31 inside the container . as shown in fig1 stirrer blade 31 is operated by a magnetic stirrer drive 30 positioned outside the container . both blade 31 and drive 30 are well known apparatus commercially available from various sources ( for example , fisher scientific co . of pittsburgh , pa .). container 10 further includes an inlet port 18 and inlet valve 19 to permit fluid filling and an outlet port 20 and outlet valve 21 to permit fluid draining . as well , it includes a port 22 to receive a temperature sensor 23 . typically , ports 18 , 20 and 22 may have standard npt ( national pipe taper ) threads ( e . g . 0 . 125 inches or about 3 . 175 mm ) for mounting commercially available pressure fittings such as swagelok fittings of the type described above . temperature sensor 23 is a thermocouple sensor which is part of a means for controlling the temperature of fluid within container 10 and which provides a signal corresponding to temperature controller 180 along line 182 . controller 180 in turn provides an on / off signal along line 184 to an electrical heating means 25 depending upon whether the sensed temperature is above or below a value set with the controller . such temperature control apparatus is commonplace . one suitable supplier is omron electronics inc . of schaumburg , ill . the system shown in fig1 also includes an arrangement for pumping petroleum fluid from a high pressure capture cell 100 into container 10 . shown in more detail in fig4 capture cell 100 is a conventional device used in the petroleum industry to transfer samples of petroleum fluid recovered from petroleum field reservoirs . fabricated from stainless steel and preferably rated for working pressures up to about 10 , 000 psi ( 70 mpa ), it includes a cylindrical housing 101 threadingly capped at opposed ends by caps 103 . an opposed pair of valve connectors 102 and an intermediate floating piston 105 are guided within housing 101 along the longitudinal axis of the housing . seals 106 , one each set around the outer perimeter of valve connectors 102 , and two set around the outer perimeter of piston 105 , prevent the passage of air or fluid between the inside wall of the housing and the piston or valve connectors , as the case may be . each valve connector 102 includes an inlet / outlet opening 104 for allowing fluid through an associated valve ( not shown in fig4 ) to be directed into or out of the housing , and each includes a threaded end 107 for connection to the valve . when fluid is directed into cell 100 through an inlet / outlet 104 , piston 105 will be forced towards the downstream end of housing 101 where it will ultimately bear against the valve connector 102 at the downstream end -- the connector in turn bracing against the cap 103 which is at the downstream end . as shown in fig1 capture cell 100 is connected through valve 120 , pipe 130 and valve 19 with inlet port 18 of container 10 . as well , the cell is connected through valve 115 and pipe 135 to the output of a high pressure pump 160 . however , before the connections to pipes 130 and 135 have been made , the cell must first be filled with a petroleum fluid sample . in practice , this normally will be achieved at a well site where fluid recovered under pressure from an underlying petroleum field reservoir is transferred to the cell . cell 100 , with valves 115 and 120 attached and initially closed , will be placed in fluid connection with the recovery tool . then , the valves will be opened to permit the cell to fill with fluid via valve 120 . once the cell has been filled , the valves will be closed until the connections shown in fig1 have been made . with fluid in capture cell 100 and valves 115 , 120 and 19 open , pump 160 then serves to transfer the fluid from the cell to container 10 . as well , pump 160 serves to maintain a desired pressure such as reservoir pressure in the container . however , in order to establish and maintain elevated pressures with a piston driven capture cell as shown in fig4 it will be understood that the initial volume of fluid within the cell must be more than sufficient to fill container 10 and backwards through pipe 130 into housing 101 . otherwise , if piston 105 is driven to the full end of its piston stroke by pump 160 , the piston will be unable to apply increasing pump pressure to the fluid . various commercially available pumps are suitable for this application ; for example , the 100d syringe pump manufactured or supplied by isco , inc . of lincoln , nebr . thus , it will be apparent that the apparatus shown in the figures is particularly suitable for the measurement of particle size distribution in petroleum fluids , including the distribution which exists under reservoir conditions . as a first step , a fluid sample is recovered from the reservoir . then the sample is transferred to capture cell 100 under conditions of pressure prevailing in the reservoir . the cell is then connected in line between pump 160 and container 10 , and the sample is then pumped from the cell to the container . in the process , the end of probe 50 which extends inside the container ( including outer surface 71 of window 70 ) becomes immersed by the fluid . the output pressure of the pump is set to correspond to the reservoir pressure . using the temperature control and heating means described above , the temperature within the container is set to correspond to that of the reservoir . while in the container , the fluid sample is agitated by operation of magnetic stirrer drive 30 and blade 31 to better maintain the suspension of solids in the fluid . with the end of probe 50 immersed by the fluid sample in container 10 , a laser light signal generated by particle analyzer 200 is transmitted over cable 205 ( line 80 ) and directed at the sample from the probe . light scattered back from the sample is detected by the probe and carried back to particle analyzer 200 over cable 205 ( line 81 ). particle size distribution is then determined by particle analyzer 200 working with computer 300 in a conventional way obviously , the pressure of fluid within container 10 need not be the reservoir pressure . likewise , the temperature need not be the reservoir temperature . other values , including ambient values , may be established . further , under any conditions of temperature and pressure which may be established , the apparatus may be used to measure particle size distribution in a petroleum fluid which has been mixed with a solvent . in this regard , it is well known to those skilled in the art that various selected solvents when mixed with a petroleum fluid may have an effect on asphaltene particle size . depending upon the circumstances , the effect may be one which would serve to enhance petroleum recovery . one convenient way to measure and study the effect of a selected solvent on asphaltene particle size is illustrated in fig5 which represents a minor modification to the apparatus shown in fig1 . here , a pipe tee 195 and a valve 190 connected to one side 196 of the tee is interposed between pipe 130 and valve 19 . the other side 197 of tee 195 is connected through another valve 191 to a source of solvent s ( not shown ). stem 198 of the tee is connected to valve 19 . when valves 19 and 190 are open and valve 191 is closed , petroleum fluid may be added to container 10 in the same manner as previously described using pump 160 . similarly , when valves 19 and 191 are open and valve 190 is closed , the selected solvent then may be added to container 10 from the solvent source . of course , the actual amount of solvent will be dependent upon the size of the petroleum fluid sample within container 10 and the desired concentration of solvent in the resulting mixture . as well , in those cases where measurements are to be taken with the contents of container 10 under pressure , it will be understood that the solvent must from source s must be added under pressure to the container . for this purpose , a pumping arrangement the same as that described above for the petroleum fluid may be used . thus the apparatus shown in fig1 may be used to examine petroleum fluids and measure particle size distribution under a wide variety of temperature , pressure and / or solvent mixture conditions including not only those which may prevail in a petroleum reservoir but also under controllable conditions which are engineered in recovery and processing systems designed to handle the fluid . of course , in those situations where the conditions of pressure of immediate interest are ambient conditions , then the use of a high pressure vessel such as container 10 and related equipment may be avoided . however , the use of probe 50 supported by an appropriate means to ensure that outer surface 71 of window 70 is immersed in the fluid when measurements are taken will remain important in order to maximize the amount of light which is scattered back to the probe . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . the apparatus and methodology which have been described are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not as restrictive . while such apparatus and methodology are particularly illustrative in relation to the measurement of particle size distribution in petroleum fluids , it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications are possible not only for measurements in relation to petroleum fluids but also for measurements in relation to other fluids including other fluids which are colored or opaque and strongly absorptive of incident light . accordingly , the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description . all changes or modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are considered to be embraced within their scope .	6
the method of the present invention preferably involves using a conventional magnetron sputter deposition chamber within the following process parameters : the operation of the magnetron sputter deposition chamber generally involves applying the direct current power between the cathode ( in this case the aluminum target ) and the anode ( substrate ) to create the plasma . the chamber is maintained within the above pressure range and with an appropriate mixture of argon gas and hydrogen gas . the aluminum - containing films resulting from this method have between about a trace amount and 12 % ( atomic ) oxygen in the form of aluminum oxide ( al 2 o 3 ) with the remainder being aluminum . it is believed that the primary hillock prevention mechanism is the presence of the hydrogen in the system , since it has been found that even using the system with no oxygen or virtually no oxygen present ( trace amounts that are unmeasurable by present equipment and techniques ) results in a hillock - free aluminum - containing film . it is also believed that the presence of oxygen in the film is primarily responsible for a smooth ( less rough ) aluminum - containing film , since roughness generally decreases with an increase in oxygen content in the film . it is understood that the sputter deposition system of the present invention will usually always have a trace amount of oxygen . this trace amount of oxygen will be incorporated into the aluminum containing film in the presence of hydrogen , even though the very low amount of oxygen within the aluminum film cannot be detected by present analysis equipment . this trace amount of oxygen may come from two potential sources : incomplete chamber evacuation and / or inherent trace oxygen contamination in the argon or hydrogen gas feeds . the first source , incomplete chamber evacuation , comes from the fact that no vacuum is a perfect vacuum . there will also be some residual gas in the system , whether a purge gas or atmospheric gas , no matter how extreme the vacuum evacuation . the second source is a result of inherent trace gas contamination in industrial grade gases , such as the argon and hydrogen used in the present invention . the oxygen impurity content specification for the argon gas used is 1 ppm and the hydrogen gas is 3 ppm . thus , a high flow rate of the argon and hydrogen into the system will present more trace oxygen to be scavenged from the gas streams and integrated into the aluminum - containing film . therefore , even though present equipment cannot measure the content of the oxygen in the aluminum - containing film when it exists below 0 . 1 %, a trace amount below 0 . 1 % may be incorporated into the aluminum - containing film . a control sample of an aluminum film coating on a semiconductor substrate was formed in a manner exemplary of prior art processes ( i . e ., no hydrogen gas present ) using a kurdex — dc sputtering system to deposit aluminum from an aluminum target onto a soda - lime glass substrate . the substrate was loaded in a load lock chamber of the sputtering system and evacuated to about 5 × 10 − 3 torr . the load lock was opened and a main deposition chamber was evacuated to about 10 − 7 torr before the substrate was moved into the main deposition chamber for the sputtering process . the evacuation was throttled and specific gases were delivered into the main deposition chamber . in the control deposition , argon gas alone was used for the sputtering process . once a predetermined amount of argon gas stabilized ( about 5 minutes ) in the main deposition chamber , about 2 kilowatts of direct current power was applied between a cathode ( in this case the aluminum target ) and the anode ( substrate ) to create the plasma , as discussed above . the substrate was moved in front of the plasma from between about 8 and 10 minutes to form an aluminum - containing film having a thickness of about 1800 angstroms . table 1 discloses the operating parameters of the sputtering equipment and the characteristics of the aluminum film formed by this process . the measurements for the characterization parameters and properties were taken as follows : thickness — stylus profilometer and scanning electron microscopy ; stress — tencor flx using laser scanning ; roughness — atomic force microscopy ; resistivity — two point probe ; grain size — scanning electron microscopy ; and hillock density — scanning electron microscopy . fig1 is an illustration of a scanning electron micrograph of the surface of the aluminum film produced under the process parameters before annealing . fig2 is an illustration of a scanning electron micrograph of the surface of the aluminum - containing film produced under the process parameters after annealing . both fig1 and 2 show substantial hillock formation ( discrete bumps on the aluminum film surface ) both before and after annealing two test samples ( test sample 1 and test sample 2 ) of an aluminum film coating on a semiconductor substrate were fabricated using the method of the present invention . these two test samples were also formed using the kurdex — dc sputtering system with an aluminum target depositing on a soda - lime glass substrate . the operating procedures of the sputtering system were essentially the same as the control sample , as discussed above , with the exception that the gas content vented into the main deposition chamber included argon and hydrogen . additionally , the pressure in the main deposition chamber during the deposition and the thickness of the aluminum - containing film was varied from the control sample pressure for each of the test samples . table 2 discloses the operating parameters of the sputtering equipment and the characteristics of the two aluminum films formed by the process of the present invention . fig3 is an illustration of a scanning electron micrograph of the surface of the test sample 1 before annealing . fig4 is an illustration of a scanning electron micrograph of the surface of the test sample 1 after annealing . fig5 is an illustration of a scanning electron micrograph of the surface of the test sample 2 before annealing . fig6 is an illustration of a scanning electron micrograph of the surface of the test sample 2 after annealing . as it can be seen from fig3 - 6 , no hillocks formed on either sample whether annealed or not . a number of aluminum - containing films were made at different ratios of ar / h 2 and various system pressures were measured for oxygen content within the films . the power was held constant at 2 kw . the oxygen content was measure by xps ( x - ray photoelectron spectroscopy ). the results of the measurements are shown in table 3 . an xps depth profile for sample 3 ( ar / h 2 ( sccm )= 50 / 90 , pressure = 1 . 27 ) is illustrated in fig7 which shows the oxygen content to be on average about 3 % ( atomic ) through the depth of the film . fig8 illustrates the roughness of the two aluminum - containing film samples . as fig8 generally illustrates , the higher the amount of hydrogen gas delivered to the sputter deposition chamber ( i . e ., the lower the ar / h 2 ratio — x - axis ), the smoother the aluminum - containing film ( i . e ., lower roughness — y - axis ). it is noted that the “ jog ” in the graph could be experimental error or could be a result of the difference in the amount of argon introduced into the system or by the difference in the system pressure for sample number 3 . fig9 illustrates a thin film transistor 120 utilizing a gate electrode and source / drain electrodes which may be formed from an aluminum - containing film produced by a method of the present invention . the thin film transistor 120 comprises a substrate 122 having an aluminum - containing gate electrode 124 thereon which may be produced by a method of the present invention . the aluminum - containing gate electrode 124 is covered by an insulating layer 126 . a channel 128 is formed on the insulating layer 126 over the aluminum - containing gate electrode 124 with an etch stop 130 and contact 132 formed atop the channel 128 . an aluminum - containing source / drain electrode 134 which may be produced by a method of the present invention is formed atop the contact 132 and the insulating layer 126 , and contacts a picture cell electrode 136 . the aluminum - containing source / drain electrode 134 is covered and the picture cell electrode 136 is partially covered by a passivation layer 138 . fig1 is a schematic of a standard active matrix liquid crystal display layout 150 utilizing column buses 152 and row buses 154 formed from an aluminum - containing film produced by a method of the present invention . the column buses 152 and row buses 154 are in electrical communication with pixel areas 156 ( known in the art ) to form the active matrix liquid crystal display layout 150 . having thus described in detail preferred embodiments of the present invention , it is to be understood that the invention defined by the appended claims is not to be limited by particular details set forth in the above description , as many apparent variations are possible without departing from the spirit or scope thereof .	8
fig3 is a block diagram of a multi - pass printer system in accordance with the invention . the system 300 includes a host 310 , an image processor 320 , a band buffer 330 , a band buffer manager 340 and a print engine 350 . the host 310 can be a personal computer ( pc ) or workstation with a screen to display pictures for communication with a user . to print a picture that is displayed on the screen , the host 310 sends the picture data to the image processor 320 for conversion rgb format into cmyk format and producing halftone data to print . the image processor 320 sends halftone data to the band buffer 330 . before storing the data to the band buffer 330 , the data is masked . the band buffer manager 340 reversely masks data in the band buffer 330 in accordance with the data to be printed and then sends it to the print engine 350 for printing . fig4 is a block diagram of a band buffer 330 of fig3 in accordance with the invention . as shown , a four - pass print is given as an example . as shown in fig4 , the band buffer 330 consists of first to fifth sub - band buffers 331 – 335 . sub - band buffers 331 and 332 have a size of ¼ swath buffer each , sub - band buffers 333 – 335 have a respective size of 3 / 16 , 2 / 16 and 1 / 16 swath buffer . after passing image processor 320 , the data to be printed are performed with masking operation follows in accordance with the number of masks used by a multi - pass print . for example , for n - pass , n - time masking is processed independently to each other without any correlation . in each mask , only ¼ ( 1 / n ) mask elements are logic 1 and the remaining mask elements are logic 0 , thus and operation is performed only on the input data and a respective mask element with logic 1 . fig5 shows four - pass operation of input data and masks in accordance with the invention . the input data has a size of 4 × 4 . a printer prints the four - pass result on a paper , wherein each pass has a respective mask to perform an and operation on the printed input data . at first pass , an and operation is performed on the input data and the respective mask , which results in partial input data of acik . at second pass , an and operation is performed on the input data and the respective mask , which results in partial input data of fhnp . similarly , the remainder of the input data is obtained at third pass and fourth pass respectively . at last , a four - pass result is obtained by combining all printing input data and thus the input data is printed completely . each of partial input data ( masked data ) is stored in a respective buffer such that for each pass , the respective buffer can be empty for another data store when the respective masked data is read and reconstructed to the respective original data , thereby reducing required memory . fig6 – 9 show data flows in the band buffer 330 with a four - pass print in accordance with the invention . the band buffer manager 340 applies a first band data ‘ abcdefghijklmnop ’ to first to fourth masks for masking operation , thereby respectively obtaining four masked data of ‘ acik ’, ‘ fhnp ’, ‘ bdjl ’, ‘ egmo ’. the four masked data is written in the first sub - band buffer 331 and copied to the second sub - band buffer 332 . after the data copy is complete , the manager 340 signals the print engine 350 to print . in this case , the third to fifth sub - band buffers 333 – 335 have no data , so as to only data of egmo is printed after the fourth mask is applied . in fig7 , the manager 340 copies masked data of ‘ acik ’, ‘ fhnp ’, ‘ bdjl ’ that are not printed from the second sub - band buffer 332 to the third sub - band buffer 333 and also discards the data of egmo printed . as such , the size of third sub - band buffer 333 can reduce 1 / 16 swath as compared to the size of second sub - band buffer 332 . further , the band buffer manager 340 applies a second band data ‘ abcdefghijklmnop ’ to the first to fourth masks for masking operation , thereby respectively obtaining four masked data of ‘ acik ’, ‘ fhnp ’, ‘ bdjl ’, ‘ egmo ’. the four masked data is written in the first sub - band buffer 331 and copied to the second sub - band buffer 332 . after the data copy is complete , the manager 340 signals the print engine 350 to print . in this case , data of bdjl is printed that was masked by the third mask and data of ‘ egmo ’ is printed that was masked by the fourth mask . in fig8 , the manager 340 copies masked data of ‘ acik ’, ‘ fhnp ’ not printed from the third sub - band buffer 333 to the fourth sub - band buffer 334 and discards the data of bdjl printed . as such , the size of fourth sub - band buffer 334 can reduce 1 / 16 swath as compared to the size of third sub - band buffer 333 . the manager 340 further copies masked data of ‘ acik ’, ‘ fhnp ’, ‘ bdjl ’ not printed from the second sub - band buffer 332 to the third sub - band buffer 333 and discards the data of egmo printed . further , the band buffer manager 340 applies a third band data ‘ 1r2sv5w63t4u7x8y ’ to the first to fourth masks for masking operation , thereby respectively obtaining four masked data of ‘ 1234 ’, ‘ 5678 ’, ‘ rstu ’, ‘ vwxy ’. the four masked data is written in the first sub - band buffer 331 and copied to the second sub - band buffer 332 . after the data copy is complete , the manager 340 signals the print engine 350 to print . in this case , data of ‘ fhnp ’ that is masked by the second mask is printed , data of ‘ bdjl ’ that is masked by the third mask is printed , and data of ‘ vwxy ’ that is masked by the fourth mask is printed . in fig9 , the manager 340 copies masked data of ‘ acik ’ that is not printed from the fourth sub - band buffer 334 to the fifth sub - band buffer 335 and discards the data of ‘ fhnp ’ printed . as such , the size of fifth sub - band buffer 335 can reduce 1 / 16 swath as compared to the size of fourth sub - band buffer 334 . the manager 340 further copies masked data of ‘ acik ’, ‘ fhnp ’ from the third sub - band buffer 333 to the fourth sub - band buffer 334 and masked data of ‘ 1234 ’, ‘ 5678 ’, ‘ rstu ’ that are not printed from the sub - second band buffer 332 to the third sub - band buffer 333 . further , the manager 340 applies a fourth band data ‘ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ’ to the first to fourth masks for masking operation , thereby respectively obtaining four masked data of ‘ zzzz ’, ‘ zzzz ’, ‘ zzzz ’, ‘ zzzz ’. the four masked data is written in the first sub - band buffer 331 and copied to the second sub - band buffer 332 . after the data copy is complete , the manager 340 signals the print engine 350 to print . in this case , data of ‘ acik ’ of the first band data that is masked by the first mask is printed , data of ‘ fhnp ’ of the second band data that is masked by the second mask is printed , data of ‘ rstu ’ of the third band data that is masked by the third mask is printed , and data of ‘ zzzz ’ of the fourth band data that is masked by the fourth mask is printed . such a printing can be continued in the same manner . fig1 shows a masking implementation on a four - pass print , which has different masks applied to different band data for each pass print . as shown in fig1 , the first pass prints the data of ‘ egmo ’ obtained by applying the fourth mask to the first band data for masking operation . the second pass prints both the data of ‘ bdjl ’ obtained by applying the third mask to the first band data for masking operation and the data of ‘ egmo ’ obtained by applying the fourth mask to the second band data for masking operation . the third pass prints the data of ‘ fhnp ’ obtained by applying the second mask to the first band data for masking operation , the data of ‘ bdjl ’ obtained by applying the third mask to the second band data for masking operation , and the data of ‘ vwxy ’ obtained by applying the fourth mask to the third band data for masking operation . similar operations are applied to the remaining data . fig1 shows a memory management applied in fig1 . upon analysis of fig4 , required buffer is a total size of 14 / 16 swath buffer ([ 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 4 ]/ 16 = 14 / 16 ). accordingly , a memory is divided into 14 equal parts ( mem 1 to mem 14 ), each having a size of 1 / 16 swath buffer , such that each band data is partitioned into p 1 to p 4 ( such as notations of b 1 p 1 , b 1 p 2 , b 1 p 3 , b 1 p 4 ) in accordance with the masks required by the passes when storing in the memory . in this case , the input data must be a unit of a band , which occupies four memory parts . for example , the first band data ( i . e ., notations of b 1 p 1 , b 1 p 2 , b 1 p 3 , b 1 p 4 ) uses memory parts of mem 1 to mem 4 to input . as shown , data read status of each pass is represented in a horizontal direction , and x black represents a memory area has been released . at first pass , only the first band data ( b 1 p 1 , b 1 p 2 , b 1 p 3 and b 1 p 4 ) is ready to output . when outputting pass 4 data ( b 1 p 4 ) of the first band data ( b 1 p 4 ), the second band data ( b 2 p 1 , b 2 p 2 , b 2 p 3 , b 2 p 4 ) is also ready to output . accordingly , at second pass , when outputting pass 3 data ( b 1 p 3 ) of the first band data and pass 4 data ( b 2 p 4 ) of the second band data , the third band data ( b 3 p 1 , b 3 p 2 , b 3 p 3 , b 3 p 4 ) is also ready to output . at third pass , when outputting pass 2 data ( b 1 p 2 ) of the first band data , pass 3 data ( b 2 p 3 ) of the second band data and pass 4 data ( b 3 p 4 ) of the third band data , the fourth band data ( b 4 p 1 , b 4 p 2 , b 4 p 3 , b 4 p 4 ) is also ready to output . however , the fourth band data has to be stored in previous used memory , e . g ., mem 3 and mem 4 in this embodiment , thereby achieving memory use efficiency . the remainders on memory management are alike . fig1 shows another masking implementation on a four - pass print , wherein different passes have respective masks and accordingly each band data is masked based on the passes . as shown , at first print , data of ‘ acik ’ obtained by applying the first mask to the first band data for masking operation is printed . at second print , both data of ‘ bdjl ’ obtained by applying the second mask to the first band data for masking operation and data of ‘ fhnp ’ obtained by applying the second mask to the second band data for masking operation are printed . at third print , data of ‘ fhnp ’ obtained by applying the third mask to the first band data for masking operation , data of ‘ bdjl ’ obtained by applying the third mask to the second band data for masking operation , and data of ‘ rstu ’ obtained by applying the third mask to the third band data for masking operation are printed . the remainders are alike . fig1 shows a memory management applied in fig1 . upon analysis of fig4 , required buffer is a total size of 14 / 16 swath buffer ([ 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 4 ]/ 16 = 14 / 16 ). accordingly , a memory is divided into 14 equal parts ( mem 1 to mem 14 ), each having a size of 1 / 16 swath buffer , such that each band data is partitioned into p 1 to p 4 ( such as notations of b 1 p 1 , b 1 p 2 , b 1 p 3 , b 1 p 4 ) in accordance with the masks required by the passes when storing in the memory . in this case , the input data must be a unit of band , which occupies four memory parts . for example , the first band data ( i . e ., notations of bip 1 , b 1 p 2 , b 1 p 3 , b 1 p 4 ) uses memory parts of mem 1 to mem 4 to input . in the figure , data read status of each pass is represented in a horizontal direction , and x black represents a memory area has been released at first pass , only the first band data ( b 1 p 1 , b 1 p 2 , b 1 p 3 and b 1 p 4 ) is ready to output . when outputting pass 1 data ( b 1 p 1 ) of the first band data ( b 1 p 4 ), the second band data ( b 2 p 1 , b 2 p 2 , b 2 p 3 , b 2 p 4 ) is also ready to output . accordingly , at second pass , when outputting pass 2 data ( b 1 p 2 ) of the first band data and pass 2 data ( b 2 p 2 ) of the second band data , the third band data ( b 3 p 1 , b 3 p 2 , b 3 p 3 , b 3 p 4 ) is also ready to output . at third pass , when outputting pass 3 data ( b 1 p 3 ) of the first band data , pass 3 data ( b 2 p 3 ) of the second band data and pass 3 data ( b 3 p 3 ) of the third band data , the fourth band data ( b 4 p 1 , b 4 p 2 , b 4 p 3 , b 4 p 4 ) is also ready to output . however , pass 3 and pass 4 data in the fourth band data has to be stored in previous used memory , e . g ., mem 1 and mem 2 in this embodiment , thereby achieving memory use efficiency . the remainders on memory management are alike . the invention is described in a given example of 4 - pass for bettering understanding , not for limit , and accordingly required buffer is a total size of 14 / 16 swath buffer ([ 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 4 ]/ 16 = 14 / 16 ). therefor , the invention can also be applied for other multi - pass prints such as 6 - pass and 8 - pass prints . required buffer for a 6 - pass print is a total size of 27 / 36 swath buffer ([ 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 6 ]/ 36 = 27 / 36 ). required buffer for an 8 - pass print is a total size of [ 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 8 ]/ 64 = 44 / 64 swath buffer . in view of the foregoing , the invention discards printed data , other than stored in the prior art until four passes are complete . accordingly , the invention has more efficient management method of buffer than the prior art , and thus hardware cost is relatively reduced . although the present 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 as hereinafter claimed .	6
[ 0019 ] fig1 is a frontal view of the musical bench 100 . the bench has an enclosed radio component attached to one backing 110 . two speakers are present ; one speaker occupies the same enclosure as the radio component 110 , while the other speaker occupies a separate enclosure 120 located on an opposite backing . the speakers may face forward , or may face inward . each enclosure is attached to the bench , either by a highly non - degradable adhesive , or by metal screws . an amplifier is also present , and may be located in either enclosure , but is typically located in the same enclosure as the radio . three wire leads extend from the amplifier ; one lead is the input signal from the radio , while the other two leads each extend to a speaker . the amplifier lead that extends from the enclosure where the amplifier is located , to the other enclosure , passes inside one of the backing panels 130 , of the bench to the other speaker . in another embodiment , one enclosure contains an amplifier and speaker , while the other enclosure contains a speaker . the amplifier receives a signal input through an adapter from an external source , such as , a cd player or cell phone . in another embodiment , the enclosures 210 , 220 are mounted top to bottom as shown in fig2 . the radio consists of a single chip fm , am or both , tuner chip such as the om5 6 1 0 from phillips . the tuner is mounted on a printed wire circuit board ( pcb ) with controls interfaced to the case of an electronics module , for example the 1000 model produced by dca of cushing , okla . this is accomplished by building a wiring harness with switches that mate directly to the molded housing . an alternate method is to connect the harness to the membrane control panel that integrates the basic functions . the typical operating environment for the musical bench is outdoors , for example , as patio or lawn furniture . the musical bench is designed to operate in all seasons . one design goal is to ensure that the radio can operate in a temperature range from 0 to 70 ′ c . the radio , amplifier and speaker unit ( unit ) can fail in several ways , two of which are , electrical circuitry failure or speaker failure . the power source consists of a battery source providing an input voltage from 2 . 7 - 9 . 0 volts . a voltage from 2 . 7 - 9 volts is ideal to prevent overheating of the circuitry at extremely high temperatures ( discussed infra ). the batteries can be three lithium batteries . in another embodiment , nicad batteries are used . the nicad batteries are continually recharged by solar panels attached to the top of the backrest of the bench 140 . the solar panels are attached to the nicad batteries through copper wires . the copper wires pass from the solar panels , through holes within the backrest , through holes in the back of the enclosure , to the location of the batteries within the enclosure . typically , the batteries are located in the upper portion of the enclosure . an automatic switch prevents charging of the batteries when they have reached a full charge . a zener diode is present to prevent a reverse current from damaging the solar panels . electrical failure occurs when the circuitry overheats causing melting ; or if the circuitry drops to too low a temperature , then the circuitry can become brittle and crack . there are twp main forms of heat transfer , conduction and convection . the enclosure is formed out of plastic , typically abs plastic or fiberglass . plastic has a low conductance , thus heat or cold from the metal portions of the bench will have a low conductance to the radio circuitry inside the enclosure . the enclosure is also designed to be air and watertight . keeping moving air out , reduces hot or cold convective elements from affecting the radio circuitry . the air tightness also prevents moisture from entering the enclosure . moisture causes shorts , in addition to frost damage . the circuitry can also be vacuum - sealed in an impermeable plastic wrap . the speaker is constructed to resist cracking , and for superior sound quality . polypropylene is a type of plastic that provides good acoustical performance while also having good weather resistance . also , a weather resistant epoxy resin such as epoxy systems product # 401 urethane coating can be used to adhere the polypropylene to the frame . the speaker is mounted within the enclosure by screws or is adhesively attached by a weather resistant epoxy . the speaker 310 is typically located on the lower portion of the enclosure as shown in fig3 . in another embodiment , the speaker has an attachable front grill 320 . the front grill is designed to fit shapely with the frontal area of the enclosure . the front grill also contains a contoured portion on the backside of the grill where the front portion of the speaker 310 may rest upon . the contoured portion prevents movement of the speaker in the vertical and horizontal direction . the perimeter 330 of the front grill is lined with rubber so that a watertight seal is formed . the contoured portion of the grill that holds the speaker also has a rubber watertight seal . [ 0029 ] fig4 illustrates another embodiment , where flat panel speakers 420 are used . unlike conventional speakers which use a magnet to vibrate a membrane as a whole , flat panel speakers use an electronic “ exciter ” 410 on the back of a speaker material . the exciter sends electronic “ taps ” along the surface of the speaker material . by changing and regulating each electronic tap , the exciter creates different volumes and frequencies that vibrate through the panel . the resulting vibrations are heard as sound . the flat panel speakers are integrated with the front cover 400 of the enclosure . the outer perimeter 440 of the front cover is composed of plastic , while the inner area 450 is a weather resistant material such as plastic or polypropylene . a side 460 of the cover is hingedly affixed to a side of the enclosure . an exciter 410 is attached to the center of the cover . in operation , the exciter receives a signal and reproduces the signal by tapping the inner area of the cover . [ 0031 ] fig5 illustrates another embodiment , where the exciter 510 is attached to the backrest portion 520 of the bench 500 . the backrest 520 is typically constructed of iron , steel , aluminum , or wood . the exciter 510 taps along the surface of the backrest 520 to produce sound . multiple exciters may be used to improve sound quality . when multiple exciters are used with wood , the differences in material density should be mapped to ensure proper placement . since different densities produce different sounds or tonal qualities , each exciter should be placed to account for the changes . with proper placement of the exciters , an accurate reproduction of the input signal will be achieved . for example , in fig6 the bench backrest is constructed of wood . the right portion of the upper bar has a higher density , lower resonance than the left portion . to compensate , two exciters 611 , 612 are place on the right side while only one exciter 613 , is placed on the left . the result is balanced stereo sound . alternatively , the multiple exciters 711 , 712 , 713 , 714 can be placed in uniform positions , such as the shape of a square as shown in fig7 a . to achieve an accurate signal reproduction , each exciter is calibrated to compensate for the variations in density . for example , in fig7 b , a wooden knot 740 , lies close to an emitter 724 . the wooden knot is higher in density than the rest of the backrest , and the higher density causes a lower resonance response for low frequency is vibrations . the wooden knot does not effect higher frequency vibrations . thus , lower frequency sounds , such as bass , will be difficult to produce at the knot &# 39 ; s location . the high frequency signals of the four exciters are calibrated to interact with each other based upon the shape of the square that they form . this produces a uniform sound for high frequencies . however , the low frequency signals are calibrated to be produced mainly by three exciters 721 , 722 , 723 , which are not in close proximity to the high - density wood knot 740 . this produces a uniform sound for lower frequencies . [ 0036 ] fig7 c , illustrates another embodiment , where the exciters are calibrated to produce concentrated volume nodes around the wooden knot 740 . concentrated volume nodes can be produced where peak values of intersecting sound waves 771 , 772 , 773 , 774 meet . the emitters 761 , 762 , 763 , 764 are designed to produce signals such that their sound waves will have intersecting peak values at predetermined locations . the distribution of several volume nodes around the wooden knot 740 will compensate for the low resonance area , and produce an even sound reproduction . in another embodiment , the musical bench contains an integrated sensor chip that is integrated with the unit . the sensor chip is used to detect when someone is sitting on the bench . attached to the sensor chip is a sensor device . one type of sensor device is an infrared sensor . the infrared sensor has an infrared emitter and receiver . fig8 illustrates how the emitter 810 and receiver 815 are placed on the side of each enclosure 820 , 830 , facing each other . the emitter 810 emits an infrared beam so the receiver 815 can receive the beam . when a user sits on the bench 100 , he causes the beam stream to break . when the receiver no longer receives the beam , it causes a trigger in the sensor ship . this trigger turns on the radio . in another embodiment , the unit has a receiver for receiving a microchip containing prerecorded sounds . the prerecorded sounds can consist of music , but a typical application would be a recorded nursery rhyme . when integrated with the sensor embodiment , a child can merely sit on the bench and hear a prerecorded nursery rhyme . the unit also contains a memory that can bookmark a position on the nursery rhyme . if the play of a nursery rhyme ends before it is finished , the memory will save the position and will start from that saved position when activated again . in another embodiment , the unit has microphone and rca inputs so that an external signal can be input from an external source such as a tape recorder or cd player . an auxiliary switch on the unit is used to switch to an auxiliary mode . in auxiliary mode , the external input signal is amplified and played through the unit &# 39 ; s amplifier and speakers . there is also an adapter so that a signal from a cell phone can be played on the unit &# 39 ; s speakers . in another embodiment , a radio transmitter / receiver ( tr ) is integrated with the unit . the unit can receive external data flow from a personal digital assistant ( pda ) or from a computer through a connector means such as a serial , parallel , or t - based connector . the tr is compliant with mobile phone protocols , thus a user can connect a computer to the tr and connect to the internet through a dial - up process . in another embodiment the unit acts as a wireless intercom . the tr can be configured to communicate with a local intercom system . the intercom system is enabled to receive radio signals produced by the tr , and the intercom system also sends radio signals that are received by the tr . both the unit and intercom system , are set to receive when they are not transmitting . the unit is set to transmit either by the depression of an on button , or may have a voice activated on switch . although the invention is described herein with reference to the preferred embodiment , one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other applications may be substituted for those set forth herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . accordingly , the invention should only be limited by the claims included below .	7
fig2 is a flow diagram for explaining routing optimization according a preferred embodiment of the invention . specifically , the process illustrated in fig2 concerns optimization of an initial global routing . however , it should be understood that the present invention also is applicable to optimization of detailed routing and to any other situation where an initial routing is provided . briefly according to fig2 the initial routing is input , together with an iteration parameter ; initial areas are specified ; area - nets are defined ; a counter k is initialized ; for each shift of several different shifts , the area - nets are re - routed and the previous areas are shifted to obtain new area - nets ; and finally , after all iterations of k have been completed , the nets are re - created from the area - nets . in more detail , in step 72 the initial routing description and an iteration parameter are input . preferably , the initial routing description is a global routing description which was generated using a maze routing technique , such as the maze routing technique described in the &# 39 ; 246 application . however , the present invention is not limited to such an initial routing , and initial global routing generated by any other technique , such as a steiner tree based technique , instead be used . similarly , the invention may also apply to an initial detailed routing . the input iteration parameter is described in more detail below . in step 74 , a surface area of the integrated circuit chip is divided into initial areas . in the preferred embodiment , the initial areas are all rectangular - shaped , contiguous and identical in dimensions . thus , in the preferred embodiment , the initial areas can be specified by superimposing a regular rectangular grid over the desired surface area of the chip . preferably , the characteristic size ( e . g ., with respect to a rectangle , the length and the width ) of each of the areas is chosen to be approximately twice the average expected net size in each corresponding dimension . division of a portion of the chip in this manner is illustrated in fig3 a . specifically , in fig3 a , chip area portion 130 is divided into 9 rectangular areas , such as areas 132 to 136 . located in portion 130 of the ic chip is a net which includes net pins 141 to 153 , as well as wire or trace segments 165 that interconnect the net pins . it should be noted that while rectangular - shaped areas are preferred , any other shapes may instead be used . referring again to fig2 in step 76 an area - net is defined within each of the areas for each net that is at least partially located in that area . an area - net is generally described as the portion of a net lying in the subject area , together with any boundary pins ( described below ). as an intermediate step in defining an area - net , boundary points are located where the net intersects boundaries of the areas . each of these boundary points is then defined as a boundary pin for each area whose boundary the boundary point lies on . the net pins and boundary pins within a given area for a particular net , together with the interconnections between such boundary pins and net pins , constitute an area - net . an example of the application of step 76 is shown in fig3 b . specifically , fig3 b illustrates the chip portion and the net illustrated in fig3 a , and shows how some of the area - nets corresponding to that net are defined . initially , points 181 to 185 are identified where the net intersects the area boundaries . because boundary point 181 lies on the boundary between area 134 and area 136 , a boundary pin 181 is included in each of areas 134 and 136 . similarly , because boundary points 182 and 183 are located on the boundary between areas 134 and 135 , boundary pins 182 and 183 are included in each of such areas . therefore , the area - net corresponding to the depicted net for area 134 includes net pins 146 to 149 , boundary pins 181 to 183 , and all the interconnections between those net pins and boundary pins . it is noted that all such interconnections also lie within area 134 . in a similar manner , the area - net corresponding to the illustrated net for area 136 includes net pins 142 to 145 , boundary pins 181 and 184 , and the interconnections between these net pins and boundary pins . once again , it is noted that all such interconnections lie within area 136 . returning again to fig2 in step 78 a counter k is initialized to 0 , beginning a loop which will be repeated a number of times specified by the iteration parameter input in step 72 . in step 80 , a loop is begun which will repeat for each of a right shift , down shift , left shift and up shift , as such shifts are described below . in step 82 , the area - nets in each area are re - routed . in particular , in the preferred embodiment , those portions of the area - nets passing through overly congested areas are re - routed . preferably , the re - routing in this step is performed using a technique similar to the technique used to generate the initial routing . thus , in the preferred embodiment , re - routing is performed using a maze routing technique , such as the technique described in the &# 39 ; 246 application . however , other types of re - routing may instead be used . preferably , if a connection needs to be re - routed , but can not be adequately re - routed within the subject area , the connection is re - routed to a position nearer to the edge of the subject area . this will tend to facilitate further movement of the problem connections in later steps of the processing . it is also preferable that each area is processed in this step independently of the processing performed in other areas . accordingly , in the preferred embodiment , each area can be re - routed at the same time using a different processor . during re - routing of the area - nets , all of the pins in a given area remain fixed while the interconnections are re - routed within that area . it is noted that use of boundary pins in the manner described above insures that the nets can be reconstructed upon completion of such parallel re - routing processing . in step 84 , the boundaries of the current areas are shifted so as to obtain new areas . in the preferred embodiment , as indicated above , the current shift depends upon which pass of the loop begun in step 80 the process is currently performing . thus , in the first pass all of the current boundaries are shifted to the right ; in the second pass , all of the current boundaries are shifted down ; in the third pass , all of the current boundaries are shifted to the left ; and in the last pass all of the current boundaries are shifted up . preferably , the amount of each shift is equal to approximately one - half of the dimension of each area in the shifting direction . more preferably , the amount of the shift is equal to exactly one - half of this dimension . accordingly , in the preferred embodiment , when the boundaries are shifted to the right ( i . e ., in the x direction ), the shift amount is equal to one - half of the x dimension of one of the areas . as noted above , in the preferred embodiment the new areas are generated by shifting the boundaries of the previous areas . however , that particular method of generating new areas is not essential and various . other methods of generating a different area pattern may instead be used . in any event , it is preferable that each new area overlaps at least two of the previous areas and each previous area overlaps at least two of the new areas . as will be seen below , this will help ensure that congested areas near boundaries also will be appropriately re - routed . once the new areas have been located , new area - nets also are defined in this step . in order to define the new area - nets in this step , the boundary pins corresponding to the previous areas are first eliminated . thus , if the net includes a connection routed from net pin a to boundary pin b and another connection routed from boundary pin b to net pin c , the foregoing arrangement is replaced by a single connection from net pin a to net pin c . thereafter , new boundary pins are identified at the boundary points where the nets intersect the boundaries of the new areas . then , the new area - net for a given net and a given area is defined as the net pins within that area , the new boundary pins within that area , and all interconnections between such net pins and new boundary pins . in step 86 it is determined whether the current shift is the last shift ( i . e ., “ up ” in the preferred embodiment ). if it is not the last shift , then processing proceeds to step 82 to re - route the new area - nets . otherwise , processing proceeds to step 88 . in order to clarify the foregoing process , the area shifting pattern according to the preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to fig4 a through 4d . specifically , fig4 a illustrates the initial area pattern for a portion of an integrated circuit chip , in which the subject chip portion is divided into 9 different initial areas . one such initial area is area 200 having boundaries 201 , 202 , 203 and 204 . other initial areas include areas 208 and 209 . according to the preferred embodiment of the invention , each of the areas depicted in fig4 a is processed independently so as to re - route the area - nets contained in it . in the first pass of the loop , the areas shown in fig4 b are obtained by right shifting the boundaries of the areas shown in fig4 a by a distance equal to one - half of the length of one of the areas in the x dimension . thus , for example , fig4 b shows new areas 211 and 212 , as well as a portion of new area 213 . for reference purposes , the initial boundaries 201 to 204 of initial area 200 are also shown in fig4 b . as can be seen by referring to fig4 b , the space previously occupied by area 200 is now occupied by areas 211 and 212 . moreover , boundary 202 of previous area 200 now lies in the middle of area 212 and boundary 204 of previous area 200 now lies in the middle of area 211 . in the second pass , the areas shown in fig4 c are generated by shifting the boundaries of the areas shown in fig4 b down by a distance equal to one - half the length of an area in the y dimension . as shown in fig4 c , the space previously occupied by area 200 is now occupied by four different areas , i . e ., areas 221 to 224 . in the third pass , the boundaries of the areas shown in fig4 c are shifted left a distance equal to one - half the length of an area in the x dimension , so as to provide the areas shown in fig4 d . as shown in fig4 d , the space previously occupied by area 200 is now occupied by areas 231 and 232 . finally , in the fourth pass the boundaries of the areas shown in fig4 d are shifted up one - half the length of an area in the y direction , so as to generate the original area pattern shown in fig4 a . by shifting areas in this manner , spaces on the surface the integrated circuit chip are covered by different pre - defined areas . accordingly , if it is not possible to re - route within a particular initial area , it may be possible to re - route in a new area during a subsequent pass . specifically , use of different area configurations according to the invention can permit routing to be dispersed over a larger area . moreover , repeating the pattern a number of times equal to the iterations parameter generally will permit even greater dispersion of congested routing . thus , even if all congestion still can not be cleared up using immediately adjacent areas , repeating the pattern of different area configurations a sufficient number of times generally will permit enough routing to be dispersed far enough away from the congested areas so as to result in an acceptable solution . returning to fig2 in step 88 it is determined whether the current iteration is the last . if not , processing proceeds to step 90 to increment the k counter and then to step 80 to begin the shift pattern for the new iteration . otherwise , processing proceeds to step 92 . it is noted that in the preferred embodiment a pre - defined fixed number . of iterations of the chosen shift pattern is utilized . however , the pattern may instead be repeated until one or more end criteria have - been satisfied . in the preferred embodiment , the number of iterations preferably is determined empirically as a trade - off between speed of optimization and quality of the final result . a typical number of iterations is 3 , although more iterations might provide better results . in step 92 , the nets are re - created from the area - nets by eliminating the boundary pins in a manner similar to that described in step 84 . by dividing nets in the manner described above , the present invention an permit different pre - defined areas on a surface to be re - routed independently , regardless of the configurations of individual nets included in the initial routing . in addition , dividing nets in this manner will often significantly reduce the aggregate processing time required to re - route large nets , particularly when techniques such as maze - type techniques are utilized . in this regard , it will generally be faster to , process a number of small matrices than a single large matrix . in addition , by utilizing different area configurations as described above , over a number of iterations the present invention typically will disperse routing away from overly congested areas . accordingly , the present invention can permit re - routing using parallel processing on different pre - defined areas , while at the same time frequently permitting connections to be re - routed to different regions of the chip , largely unconstrained by the boundaries of the areas assigned to individual processors . finally , the present invention has been described above with respect to re - routing wire connections during integrated circuit design . however , it should be understood that the invention is also applicable to routing optimization for other types of initial wire routings , such as wire routing on a printed circuit board . moreover , the invention is applicable not only to wire routing optimization , but to any other routing optimization problem as well . thus , while the terms “ cell ”, “ net ”, “ pin ” and “ netlist ” have been described above in the context of integrated circuit design , unless otherwise expressly limited to that context , those terms should be understood in their most general sense . for instance , a “ pin ” might be any connection terminal , a “ cell ” might be any type of device or object that includes at least one connection terminal , a “ net ” might be any group of connected pins , and a “ netlist ” might be a list of any type of cells and nets . generally , the methods described herein with respect to ic design will be practiced with a general purpose computer , either with a single processor or multiple processors . fig5 is a block diagram of a general purpose computer system , representing one of many suitable computer platforms for implementing the methods described above . fig5 shows a general purpose computer system 450 in accordance with the present invention . as shown in fig5 computer system 450 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 452 , read - only memory ( rom ) 454 , random access memory ( ram ) 456 , expansion ram 458 , input / output ( i / o ) circuitry 460 , display assembly 462 , input device 464 , and expansion bus 466 . computer system 450 may also optionally include a mass storage unit 468 such as a disk drive unit or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and a real - time clock 470 . cpu 452 is coupled to rom 454 by a data bus 472 , control bus 474 , and address bus 476 . rom 454 contains the basic operating system for the computer system 450 . cpu 452 is also connected to ram 456 by busses 472 , 474 , and 476 . expansion ram 458 is optionally coupled to ram 456 for use by cpu 452 . cpu 452 is also coupled to the i / o circuitry 460 by data bus 472 , control bus 474 , and address bus 476 to permit data transfers with peripheral devices . i / o circuitry 460 typically includes a number of latches , registers and direct memory access ( dma ) controllers . the purpose of i / o circuitry 460 is to provide an interface between cpu 452 and such peripheral devices as display assembly 462 , input device 464 , and mass storage 468 . display assembly 462 of computer system 450 is an output device coupled to i / o circuitry 460 by a data bus 478 . display assembly 462 receives data from i / o circuitry 460 via bus 478 and displays that data on a suitable screen . the screen for display assembly 462 can be a device that uses a cathode - ray tube ( crt ), liquid crystal display ( lcd ), or the like , of the types commercially available from a variety of manufacturers . input device 464 can be a keyboard , a mouse , a stylus working in cooperation with a position - sensing display , or the like . the aforementioned input devices are available from a variety of vendors and are well known in the art . some type of mass storage 468 is generally considered desirable . however , mass storage 468 can be eliminated by providing a sufficient mount of ram 456 and expansion ram 458 to store user application programs and data . in that case , rams 456 and 458 can optionally be provided with a backup battery to prevent the loss of data even when computer system 450 is turned off . however , it is generally desirable to have some type of long term mass storage 468 such as a commercially available hard disk drive , nonvolatile memory such as flash memory , battery backed ram , pc - data cards , or the like . a removable storage read / write device 469 may be coupled to i / o circuitry 460 to read from and to write to a removable storage media 471 . removable storage media 471 may represent , for example , a magnetic disk , a magnetic tape , an opto - magnetic disk , an optical disk , or the like . instructions for implementing the inventive method may be provided , in one embodiment , to a network via such a removable storage media . in operation , information is input into the computer system 450 by typing on a keyboard , manipulating a mouse or trackball , or “ writing ” on a tablet or on position - sensing screen of display assembly 462 . cpu 452 then processes the data under control of an operating system and an application program , such as a program to perform steps of the inventive method described above , stored in rom 454 and / or ram 456 . cpu 452 then typically produces data which is output to the display assembly 462 to produce appropriate images on its screen . expansion bus 466 is coupled to data bus 472 , control bus 474 , and address bus 476 . expansion bus 466 provides extra ports to couple devices such as network interface circuits , modems , display switches , microphones , speakers , etc . to cpu 452 . network communication is accomplished through the network interface circuit and an appropriate network . suitable computers for use in implementing the present invention may be obtained from various vendors . various computers , however , may be used depending upon the size and complexity of the opc tasks . suitable computers include mainframe computers , multiprocessor computers , workstations or personal computers . in addition , although a general purpose computer system has been described above , a special - purpose computer may also be used . it should be understood that the present invention also relates to machine readable media on which are stored program instructions for performing the methods of this invention . such media include , by way of example , magnetic disks , magnetic tape , optically readable media such as cd roms , semiconductor memory such as pcmcia cards , etc . in each case , the medium may take the form of a portable item such as a small disk , diskette , cassette , etc ., or it may take the form of a relatively larger or immobile item such as a hard disk drive or ram provided in a computer . although the present invention has been described in detail with regard to the exemplary embodiments and drawings thereof , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations and modifications of the present invention may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in the drawings and described in detail above . therefore , it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the claims appended hereto . in the following claims , those elements which do not include the words “ means for ” are intended not to be interpreted under 35 u . s . c . § 112 ¶ 6 .	6
hereinafter , an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . as shown in fig1 , a communication system according to this exemplary embodiment includes a core network ( 3gpp network ), and a plurality of mtc ues 10 which connect to the core network through a ran ( radio access network ). while the illustration is omitted , the ran is formed by a plurality of base stations ( i . e ., enbs ). the mtc ues 10 attach to the core network . the mtc ues 10 can host one or multiple mtc applications . the corresponding mtc applications are hosted on one or multiple ass ( application servers ). further , the core network includes , as network elements , an mme 30 , an hss 40 and an mtc - iwf 50 . the mtc - iwf 50 serves as a gateway to the core network for an scs 60 . the hss 40 stores subscription information on a group of mtc ues . the mme 30 , as well as an sgsn and an msc relay traffic between the mtc ues 10 and the mtc - iwf 50 . furthermore , a group gw 20 shown in fig2 and 3 serves as a gateway to the core network for the mtc ues 10 . the group gw 20 may be an independent node placed within the core network or the ran , or may be a logical function installed in the enb , mme , sgsn , msc , hss or mtc - iwf . next , operations in this exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to fig2 and 3 . fig2 and 3 gives detailed message sequence description of how the scs 60 activates a group of devices ( mtc ues ) which are pre - configured with a local group id . step s 1 : scs 60 has stored the external group id . step s 2 : hss 40 has subscription information of a group and its member ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n ( n ≧ 2 ). step s 3 : each of ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n in the group has pre - configured local group id and optionally public group key . step s 4 : scs 60 sends a trigger to mtc - iwf 50 , with trigger type of activate group , including external group id , scs id and trigger id . step s 5 : mtc - iwf 50 sends subscriber information request , reuse the message disclosed in npl 1 , with external group id , indication of activate group request and the source scs id . step s 6 : hss 40 performs the verification of whether the external group id is valid , whether any data available about this group , if scs can trigger to activate the group , is there already a local group id mapped to it . step s 7 : after proper verification , hss 40 sends the subscriber information response message to mtc - iwf 50 , with local group id and serving mmes . step s 8 : optionally , hss 40 can send information necessary for the verification and mtc - iwf 50 performs the verification . step s 9 : mtc - iwf 50 forwards the trigger message to mme 30 , with local group id and trigger method of broadcast . step s 10 : mme 30 retrieves the mtc ue subscription data and the private group key . step s 11 : mme 30 forwards the trigger to group gw 20 . step s 12 : group gw 20 broadcast the trigger , with a trigger type of e . g . callattach , which ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n can understand . the trigger includes local group id and trigger id . step s 13 : when each of ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n receives the trigger , it verifies if the local group id in the broadcast trigger is the same with the one it has pre - configured . if not , it ignores the broadcast . if the group id is the same , each of ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n starts the attach procedure . step s 14 : ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n which have the same local group id send attach request with imsi as in standardized attach request and also the trigger id it received . step s 15 : group gw 20 sends a concatenated attach request to mme 30 , it contains the attach request messages from all the ues . step s 16 : mme 30 performs the verification of whether the timer of response is expired , whether the ues whom responded belong to the group and which are the ues have not responded yet . step s 17 : mme 30 sends authentication request ( reusing standardized message disclosed in npl 2 , but in a concatenated message . step s 18 : group gw 20 distributes the authentication request to the ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n , this can be optionally protected by private group key such that ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n can verify whether the group gw 20 is an authenticated network element , with their pre - configured public group key . step s 19 : each of ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n responds authentication response . step s 20 : group gw 20 sends authentication response from all the ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n in a concatenated message . step s 21 : mme 30 performs authentication for the ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n . step s 22 : mme 30 sends authentication reject messages to ue , if the authentication failed . steps s 23 and s 24 : mme 30 reports authentication failure to scs 60 through mtc - iwf 50 . step s 25 : nas ( non access stratum ) and as key management according to standardized procedure disclosed in npl 2 , with mme 30 sending the concatenated message and group gw 20 distributing it to ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n for downlink and group gw 20 concatenating the messages from ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n and sending to mme 30 for uplink . step s 26 a : mme 30 sends nas smc ( security mode command ) messages in concatenated message which includes the new group keys encrypted by nas key . step s 26 b : group gw 20 distributes the nas smc message containing encrypted new group keys to the ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n . step s 27 a : mme 30 sends attach accept messages in concatenated message which includes the new group keys . step s 27 b : group gw 20 distributes the attach accept message with new group keys to the ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n . note that the new group keys in step s 26 and step s 27 are the same as in our previous patent file ptl 1 , that they are a pair of keys for confidentiality and integrity protection . next , configuration examples of the mtc ue 10 , the group gw 20 , the mme 30 , the hss 40 , the mtc - iwf 50 and the scs 60 according to this exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to fig4 to 9 . note that in the following explanation , there will be described only elements which specific to this exemplary embodiment . however , it will be understood that the mtc ue 10 , the group gw 20 , the mme 30 , the hss 40 , the mtc - iwf 50 and the scs 60 also include elements for functioning as typical mtc ue , gw , mme , hss , mtc - iwf and scs , respectively . as shown in fig4 , the mtc ue 10 includes an inclusion unit 11 . the inclusion unit 11 includes the received trigger id in the attach request message as shown at step s 14 in fig3 . this inclusion unit 11 can be configured by , for example , a transceiver which conducts communication with the scs 60 through the core network , and a controller such as a cpu ( central processing unit ) which controls this transceiver . as shown in fig5 , the group gw 20 includes at least one of an addition unit 21 and a protection unit 22 . the addition unit 21 adds the indication of trigger type =“ callattach ” to the trigger message as shown at step s 12 in fig2 . the protection unit 22 protects the authentication request message with the private group key as shown at step s 18 in fig3 . note that these units 21 and 22 are mutually connected with each other through a bus or the like . these units 21 and 22 can be configured by , for example , a transceiver which conducts communication with the mtc ue 10 , and a controller such as a cpu which controls this transceiver . as shown in fig6 , the mme 30 includes at least an inclusion unit 31 . for example , the inclusion unit 31 includes the new group keys in the attach accept message as shown at step s 27 in fig3 . alternatively , the inclusion unit 31 includes the new group keys in the nas smc message as shown at step s 26 in fig3 . in the latter case , it is preferable that the mme 30 further includes an encryption unit 34 . the encryption unit 34 encrypts the new group keys with the nas keys . in addition to or as a substitute for the encryption unit 34 , the mme 30 can include a concatenation unit 32 and a send unit 33 . the concatenation unit 32 concatenates the messages addressed to the mtc ues 10 _ 1 to 10 — n as shown at steps s 17 and s 25 in fig3 . the send unit 33 sends the concatenated message to the group gw 20 . note that these units 31 to 34 are mutually connected with each other through a bus or the like . these units 31 to 34 can be configured by , for example , a transceiver which conducts communication with the mtc ue 10 through the group gw 20 , and a controller such as a cpu which controls this transceiver . as shown in fig7 , the hss 40 includes a verification unit 41 which performs the verification as shown at step s 6 in fig2 . this verification unit 41 can be configured by , for example , a transceiver which conducts communication with the mtc - iwf 50 , and a controller such as a cpu which controls this transceiver . as shown in fig8 , the mtc - iwf 50 includes an instruction unit 51 . the instruction unit 51 instructs the group gw 20 to broadcast the trigger message , for example by using the indication of trigger method =“ broadcast ” as shown at step s 9 in fig2 . this instruction unit 51 can be configured by , for example , a transceiver which conducts communication with the group gw 20 through the mme 30 , and a controller such as a cpu which controls this transceiver . as shown in fig9 , the scs 60 includes a send unit 61 . the send unit 61 sends , to the mtc - iwf 50 , the trigger message includes the indication of trigger type =“ activate group ” as shown at step s 4 in fig2 . this send unit 61 can be configured by , for example , a transceiver which conducts communication with the mtc ue 10 through the core network , and a controller such as a cpu which controls this transceiver . note that the present invention is not limited to the above - mentioned exemplary embodiment , and it is obvious that various modifications can be made by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the recitation of the claims . the whole or part of the exemplary embodiment disclosed above can be described as , but not limited to , the following supplementary notes . introduced a new trigger type “ activate group ” in the trigger message , which is sent over interface tsp , t5 , and the interface between mme / sgsn / msc and ue . introduced trigger field in the broadcasting message to indicate it is to call mtc ue to start attach procedure . new function for hss of verification to determine whether the external group is valid . or sending the new group keys in attach accept message which has nas security protection . this application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from japanese patent application no . 2012 - 267255 , filed on dec . 6 , 2012 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference .	7
fig1 ( prior art ) is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional setup for multiple - breath inert gas wash - in / wash - out tests for determination of frc and ventilation distribution ( lci ) as known in the art . the setup includes a bias flow of a mixture containing a non - resident inert tracer gas for wash - in in the flowpast assembly 107 . a test subject 101 having the nose occluded with a nose clip 102 breathes through a mouthpiece 103 , a bacterial filter 104 , a respiratory flowmeter 105 and a non - rebreathing valve assembly 106 . the gas reservoir 108 is coupled to a flowpast assembly 107 via a gas line . flowmeter connection ( s ) 109 and a gas sample line 110 are also part of the setup . to perform a multiple - breath inert gas wash - in / wash - out test , the test subject 101 inspires the non - resident inert tracer gas from the flowpast assembly 107 through the non - rebreathing valve assembly 106 . the non - rebreathing valve assembly 106 is constructed by one - way valves allowing gas to flow in one direction only . because of the construction of the valve 106 , the test subject does not breathe the non - resident inert tracer gas back to the flowpast assembly 107 during exhalation . instead the test subject expires to the surrounding air . the test subject 101 may use a face mask instead of nose clip 102 and mouthpiece 103 . the analyser unit 111 consists of a measuring apparatus comprising flowmeter electronics and at least one gas analyser . a typical test consists of a period where the test subject inspires from the flowpast and exhales to the surrounding air a number of times until the concentration of the tracer gas is constant e . g . below a predetermined threshold fluctuation ( wash - in period ) followed by a period where the test subject is breathing fresh air ( wash - out period ). during the testing ( both during the wash - in and the wash - out period ) the concentration in the inhaled and / or exhaled air of the inert gas in the mixture is measured by a fast responding gas analyser . instead of gas concentration the gas analyser may equally well measure the partial pressure of the gas . the partial pressure can be obtained from the fractional concentration of dry gas or any other measure of gas concentration or pressure using appropriate conversion factors as known in the art . also the flow of the inhaled and / or exhaled air is measured by means of the flowmeter 105 . these measurements are made continuously . fig2 ( prior art ) outlines a curve from a conventional multibreath wash - in / wash - out test from where lci can be determined . the insoluble gas , sf 6 , has become the gas of choice for measurement of lci . the concentration of sf 6 is monitored and when the concentration is constant ( below a predetermined threshold fluctuation ) 201 , the first time period called wash - in 202 is over . hereafter the wash - out period 203 begins where the concentration of sf 6 is monitored until the concentration has reached 1 / 40 of the concentration in the beginning of the wash - out period 204 . the cumulative expired volume ( v ce ) required to clear the lungs of the gas down to 1 / 40 of its start concentration can then be used in combination with the functional residual capacity ( frc ) to determine the lci of the test subject . in the conventional mbw test the frc is calculated from the net volume of inert gas exhaled divided by the difference in end - tidal concentration at the start and end of the wash - out : as the net volume of inert gas exhaled ( numerator ) is obtained by integration of the product of respiratory flow and tracer gas concentration ( i . e . expired and re - inspired tracer gas volumes on a breath - by - breath basis ), accurate determination of the frc requires a rapid dynamic response and data acquisition rate of the gas analyser . proper alignment in time of the respiratory flow signal and tracer gas concentration prior to the calculation is also critical . this makes demands on the performance of the gas analyser and the calibration of the equipment . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a setup for wash - in / wash - out tests using inert gas rebreathing for determination of frc and ventilation distribution ( lci ) as used in conjunction with the disclosed invention . a test subject 301 having the nose occluded with a nose clip 302 breathes through a mouthpiece 303 , a bacterial filter 304 , a respiratory flowmeter 305 and one port 306 of a rebreathing valve assembly 307 . a rebreathing bag 308 is connected to the valve assembly and evacuated and pre - filled with a gas mixture from a gas reservoir 309 via a gas line 310 . flowmeter connection ( s ) 311 and a gas sample line 312 are also part of the setup . to perform a rebreathing test the valve assembly 307 is switched ( e . g . automatically by controlling line 313 ) to allow the test subject 301 to inspire and rebreathe to and from the bag 308 for a certain amount of time until the valve assembly 307 is switched back again . the test subject 301 may use a face mask instead of nose clip 302 and mouthpiece 303 . the control system 314 of the measuring apparatus consists of flowmeter electronics 315 , at least one gas analyser 316 , a valve control unit 317 ( unless the valve assembly is manually driven ) and a gas control unit 318 ( unless the bag is prepared manually ). a control unit 319 is also included , comprising a computing / processing unit ( cpu ) 320 with control interfaces 321 , one or more program and data storage devices 322 and user interfaces for example comprising a display 323 and a keyboard , touch screen or similar input device 324 . a data input / output module 325 may also be included . the processing unit ( cpu ) can e . g . comprise processing means for determining lci of the lungs of a test subject using the obtained fractional concentration of the inert tracer gas measured by the gas analysers and the gas flow measured by the flowmeter and associated flowmeter electronics . also , the processing unit can e . g . comprise processing means for determining frc based on gas analysis alone and processing means for determining v ce required to clear the inert tracer gas concentration from the lungs below 1 / 40th of the starting concentration . prior to the rebreathing tests the rebreathing bag is filled with a known volume of an inert gas mixture . during the testing the test subject is breathing through the respiration valve , which allows switching from breathing air to rebreathing the inert gas mixture from the bag and switching back again . a typical test consists of a period where the test subject is breathing to and from the bag ( rebreathing period ) followed by a period where the test subject is breathing fresh air ( wash - out period ). during the testing ( both during the rebreathing and the wash - out period ) the concentration in the inhaled and / or exhaled air of the inert gas in the mixture is measured by a fast responding gas analyser 316 . instead of gas concentration the gas analyser may equally well measure the partial pressure of the gas . the partial pressure can be obtained from the fractional concentration of dry gas or any other measure of gas concentration or pressure using appropriate conversion factors as known in the art . also the flow of the inhaled and / or exhaled air is measured by means of the flowmeter 315 . these measurements are made continuously . fig4 is an example comparing the wash - in curve of an inert tracer gas by conventional multibreath wash - in 401 ( dotted line ) with the wash - in curve of an inert tracer gas by rebreathing wash - in 402 ( solid line ) as used in conjunction with the disclosed invention , respectively . the simulation is based on the single compartment lung model and the example is performed using the following input values : frc = 3 . 0 l , deadspace v d = 0 . 2 l , and bag volume v rb = tidal volume v t = 0 . 8 l . it can be seen that the rebreathing wash - in method 402 reaches equilibration 404 much faster , 5 - 10 times ( ratio between wash - in breaths n mbw / n rb = 6 in this example ), than the conventional multibreath wash - in 401 , 403 , and since the conventional open - circuit wash - in phase lasts longer than the subsequent wash - out phase this means a reduction of total test time by typically more than 50 %. fig5 is a typical example of a test sequence as used in conjunction with one embodiment of the disclosed invention comprising two pulmonary gas exchange techniques for determination of lci . lci represents the number of lung volume turnovers ( i . e . frcs ) that the subject must breathe to clear the lungs from the tracer gas ( by convention , to an end - tidal concentration of 1 / 40th of the starting concentration over three subsequent breaths ). disregarding the correction for external dead space the equation is : inert gas rebreathing manoeuvre 501 is used for rapid wash - in of the inert tracer gas followed by a subsequent multiple - breath wash - out period 502 . the concentration of the inert tracer gas is monitored and when the concentration is constant 503 ( below a predetermined threshold value regarding the fluctuation of the concentration ), the first time period called wash - in 501 , is over . hereafter the wash - out period 502 begins where the concentration of the inert tracer gas is monitored until the concentration has reached 1 / 40 of the concentration in the beginning of the wash - out period 504 . the wash - in period is used for accurate determination of the functional residual capacity ( frc ) which is calculated by inert gas dilution alone according to the equation below : v rb = initial rebreathing bag volume c rb , i = initial fractional concentration of insoluble gas in the rebreathing bag c eq , i = equilibrium fractional concentration of insoluble gas obtained after mixing in the interest of brevity dead spaces on each side of the valve are not accounted for , but these can easily be incorporated . the multiple - breath wash - out ( mbw ) is used for determination of the cumulative expired volume ( v ce ) required to clear the inert tracer gas from the lungs . v ce is determined by integrating the part of the wash - out flow curve which has a sign corresponding to expiration ( e . g . all positive flow signals ) over time . by integrating flow ( l / s ) over time ( s ), a volume ( l ) is obtained . the gas dilution technique by inert gas rebreathing is more robust than the traditional wash - out technique for determination of frc , because it is independent of the critical time alignment between gas analyser and flowmeter signals . further , it relaxes the requirements to rise time of the gas analyser because only end - tidal concentrations are needed in determining the gas dilution , whereas in the open - circuit method a short rise time and accurate time alignment prior to integrating the product of flow and gas concentration signals are important in order to obtain accurate values of the flux of sf 6 in the rapid transitions during the beginning of expiration ( phase ii of the breath ) and inspiration . it should be noted that the above - mentioned means of implementation illustrate rather than limit the invention , and that those skilled in the art will be able to suggest many alternative means of implementation without departing from the scope of the appended claims . rather , the words used in the specification are & lt ; words of description rather than limitation , and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention . the word ‘ comprising ’ does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed in a claim . the invention can be implemented by means of hardware and software comprising several distinct elements , and by means of a suitably programmed computer . in a device claim enumerating several means , several of these means can be implemented by one and the same item of hardware or software . the mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage .	0
[ 0042 ] fig1 depicts the system architecture of billboard based video license utilization system ( bbvlu ) consisting of multiple local license distributors ( lld ) and a global license distributor ( gld ). the main objectives of bbvlu are to provide billboard based services to the subscribers for real time selection of movies made available by different llds , to achieve efficient overall utilization of licenses available with different llds by distributing the licenses to subscribers across different llds , to get a fair price for the surplus licenses traded by the llds , and to retain subscriber loyalty to the billboard services by providing any movie selected by the subscriber from those shown on billboard on best effort basis . some of the bb services ( 102 ) include current booking , advance booking , and plan booking . billboard guaranties a subscriber to provide with a billboard view whenever the subscriber logs on to the billboard service . each billboard view consists of a pre - determined number of movie posters with the relevant information related to the movies . billboard provides the subscriber with an option to request for a preview of any movie shown on the billboard or select a movie for viewing . the subscriber may also choose to view a new set of posters by clicking on “ browse posters ” button . each lld is associated with a local billboard subsystem ( lbb ) ( 104 ), which directly interacts with billboard subscribers and with the central billboard . lbb creates customized billboards for each subscriber who has logged on to the billboard service based on the past viewing history of the subscriber . the past viewing data that is logged is based on specific permissions granted by the subscriber and further , the use of past viewing history to customize the billboard is also based on the permissions granted by the subscriber . the process of customization uses the viewing history to select movies for the billboard views such that the subscriber is not shown any of the movies , which the subscriber has already viewed . further , a movie poster shown during a billboard session is not repeated in the same session , thereby enhancing the subscriber &# 39 ; s interest in the billboard service . lbb manages the movie distribution to different billboards of subscribers in response to the fresh logins and logouts . lbb also manages the licenses being released by different billboards as a result of time expiry of billboard views . lbb manages the subscribers who are currently logged on to the system by providing appropriate responses to their actions such as preview requests , movie selections , or cancellation of selected movies . lbb performs the license management to suit the consequences arising out of the subscriber actions . one of the aspects of the license management is to ensure that the licenses are available when the subscriber selects a movie from the billboard . in order to achieve this , the licenses related to the posters of a billboard are held bound to this subscriber and released either based on explicit subscriber actions such as “ browse posters ” or log out . also , when the subscriber chooses to preview a movie , the licenses related to the other posters of the billboard are released so as to optimally utilize the available licenses . central billboard ( cbb ) ( 106 ) facilitates the collection of surplus licenses from different llds and distribution of them to lbbs for providing them to the billboard subscribers . the objective of cbb is to achieve efficient utilization of licenses available with different llds by addressing the real time demands generated by the billboard service across different llds . cbb provides a platform for trading of surplus licenses between the llds . each of the surplus licenses is assigned a factor signifying the time left before the license expires . to minimize the non - utilization of licenses , the licenses with immediate expiry are required to be distributed on priority , and such licenses are traded between llds through regulated trading in which the cbb regulates the prices of the licenses . rest of the licenses that have no immediate license expiry are traded between llds as part of unregulated trading in which the final prices are decided by demand - supply situation prevailing at that time . cbb conducts the unregulated trading between the llds . cbb uses the price history database to estimate current market price that is used to regulate the license price for regulated trading . cbb also does the collection of licenses from the llds for serving the demands arising from the fresh logins . even after the on - demand collection of licenses , if the requirement for licenses is not completely fulfilled , then cbb requests additional licenses from the gld . in order to ensure a continuous activity to maximize license utilization , cbb periodically requests llds to provide such licenses that can be traded across multiple llds to achieve better distribution . the periodicity , also called as “ slot ,” is a configurable parameter and indicates the following : at the beginning of every slot , cbb requests for licenses from llds to be distributed to llds to trade as part of the billboard services in the next immediate slot ; slot duration also indicates the maximum time within which the streaming of movies , related to current booking requests through billboard , are initiated ; further , at the beginning of every slot , llds receive additional licenses from cbb and use the same to achieve better distribution of movies to billboards . license assessment subsystem ( las )( 108 ) is a part of every lld and manages the trading related functions of individual llds . every lld participates in the trading of licenses either in the role of a buyer , seller or as both , and depending on these roles , las performs appropriate trade related functions for the lld . las identifies the surplus of licenses and the identification is based on the assessment of the current license allocation plan for the confirmed demand , the forecasted license demand , and assessment of the available licenses and their expiry information . the license allocation plan and forecasting are related to meet the demand for licenses arising due to non - billboard distribution services . further to the identification of the surplus , las assigns perishability factors to each of these licenses , based on “ time to expire ” of licenses and the current license utilization plan , to enable an efficient of utilization of available licenses . in both buyer and seller roles , the llds are required to quote a price for the licenses they wish to trade . las estimates the price for each of the licenses . price estimation is based on several factors such as the base price at which the lld acquired the license from gld , the perishability factor , and the risk associated with selling and repurchasing of the licenses . this estimated price is quoted as the starting price for trade negotiation between buying and selling llds . las facilitates price negotiation between buying and selling llds via cbb to close the deal to the satisfaction of buyers and sellers . [ 0052 ] fig1 a provides a brief description of a few important elements of bbvlu databases . 120 represents subscriber information related database and consists of information such as percentage of free movies that can be viewed through billboard and time restrictions on the usage of billboard . note that these two elements are a part of subscriber - specific sla . 122 represents login information related database and consists of information such as number of posters in the current billboard and cumulative provisioning delay . the first element is used to either increase or decrease the number of posters in a billboard based on the number of available licenses . the second element is used ensure fairness when there is a shortage of licenses . 124 represents license information related database and consists of number of licenses with pf being 0 and pf not being 0 obtained from several llds for different movies . 126 represents movie viewing information related database and consists of information such as date and time of a movie viewed by a subscriber along with whether billboard was used to request for the movie . 128 represents price information related database and consists of details of every deal in terms of the type of license and the deal price . 130 represents demand schedule information related database and consists of information such as the availability of licenses in various slots taking into account confirmed and expected demands . the availability of licenses takes into account two different kinds of licenses , namely , group and unit licenses where a group license is a packaging of n unsplittable unit licenses . 132 represents configuration database and consists of information related to various configurable parameters . [ 0053 ] fig1 b describes typical workflows related to bbvlu system . 140 describes a typical subscriber - related workflow providing registration and billboard interaction scenarios . 142 describes a typical lbb - related workflow involving buying and selling of licenses . 144 describes a typical cbb - related workflow facilitating trading of licenses . [ 0054 ] fig2 describes overall network architecture of the bbvlu system consisting of multiple branch operators and one central operator . the system comprises of multiple subscribers connected to local license distributor ( lld ) ( 202 ) through a local network and such multiple llds are connected to a global license distributor ( gld ) ( 204 ) through a global network . an lld , using lbb and las , manages the billboard display to subscribers who are part of the same local network and manages the database that is used to compute surplus licenses to be traded during each slot , buying / selling of licenses to meet near video on demand requests , and to construct subscriber - specific most preferred billboards . gld , using cbb and pld , interacts with llds who are part of the same global network to obtain licenses for trading purposes and manages the database to facilitate trading of obtained licenses . [ 0055 ] fig3 describes the procedure for billboard subscription which consists of three distinct tasks , one , a subscriber &# 39 ; s registration for billboard services , two , sla modification which can be done by a subscriber at any time , and three , unregistration of a subscriber when the subscriber desires not to avail billboard services . subscriber &# 39 ; s registration consists of determining the type of subscription desired by the subscriber ( 302 ) followed by obtaining the response of the subscriber on the percentage of free movies that can be viewed using billboard ( 304 ) and this is dependent on the type of subscription . as part of the registration , the subscriber can negotiate with the operator regarding the possible time slots for billboard access ( 306 ). the total time allowed for a subscriber per day and the time slots for billboard access depends on the sla type of the subscription . on completion of the registration procedure , the subscriber database and the sla database are updated ( 308 ). as part of the sla modification , the subscriber can modify the percentage of the free movies the subscriber can view through the billboard ( 314 ) and modify the options on billboard access time ( 316 ) after a negotiation with the operator . the modifications are updated onto the sla database ( 318 ). when the subscriber unsubscribes the billboard services , the same is updated onto the subscriber database ( 320 ). [ 0059 ] fig4 describes billboard management related to subscriber interactions . step 402 is a procedure for handling subscriber action on “ browse posters .” in step 404 , lbb recovers the licenses related to the currently displayed billboard and in step 406 , a new billboard is created and displayed . this billboard creation involves the selection of subscriber - specific posters and the number of posters depend on the availability of licenses with lbb at that point of time . step 408 is related to the action taken by the system if there is prolonged subscriber inactivity . the system waits for a pre - specified idle time ( 410 ) before recovering the licenses ( 404 ) and initiating the creation of new billboard ( 406 ). step 412 is related to the action taken by the system when a subscriber chooses to preview a poster . in step 414 , lbb recovers the licenses of the movies related to the poster other than the selected poster for redistribution purposes . a preview associated with a poster consists of multiple preview clips and based on the subscriber prior previewing sessions , a most appropriate preview clip is selected ( 416 ). lld initiates the streaming of the selected preview ( 418 ) and waits for further actions of the subscriber ( 420 ). if subscriber chooses “ browse posters ,” the system creates and displays a new billboard ( 406 ). on selecting to view a movie , step 422 checks whether the subscriber intends to view the movie right away ( current booking ) or would like to make an advance booking . in case of advance booking , lld checks the availability of license for the requested date and time ( 424 and 426 ) and if available , lld notifies the confirmation of the booking and updates the license and schedule related databases ( 428 ). if the license is not available , lld negotiates with the subscriber for an alternative movie / slot ( 430 ). on the other hand , in case of current booking , lld initiates buying negotiation for obtaining the license from cbb for the selected movie ( 432 ). if license cannot be obtained , step 430 is performed . if license is obtained from cbb , lld generates relevant billing information to the selling lld ( 436 ), updates license information database with the current transaction details ( 438 ), and schedules the streaming of the movie at the next immediate slot ( 440 ). step 442 is related to the action taken by the system when a subscriber chooses to view a movie . in step 444 , lbb recovers the licenses of the movies related to the billboard other than the selected poster for redistribution purposes and performs from step 422 onwards . during the course of interaction , if a subscriber chooses to cancel a previously made selection ( 446 ), lld , if necessary , initiates the procedure for the cancellation of billing transaction ( 448 ) and creates and displays a new billboard ( 449 ). [ 0063 ] fig4 a describes steps involved in the creation of a billboard . in step 452 , lbb receives a new login request requiring the creation of billboard . in step 454 , lbb needs to create a billboard in response to subscriber &# 39 ; s action of selecting to browse posters . similarly , in step 456 , lbb creates a billboard when subscriber cancels a selection made to view a movie . in step 458 , lbb calculates the number of licenses along with their multiplicity ( la ) and the determination of multiplicity is essential as a subscriber is not shown the same poster of a movie in the same session . in step 460 , lbb determines the number of current number of subscribers who logged into the billboard service ( n ). this step is performed in order to ensure that each subscriber is shown a number of poster that is in between t 1 , and t 2 parameters . in step 462 , lbb computes the average number ( p ) of posters per subscriber based on la and n . steps 464 - 468 are performed to ensure that the poster of a recently watched movie by a subscriber is not shown as part of the billboard being created . in step 464 , lbb obtains the list of movies viewed by the subscriber for a predefined number of past weeks ( w p ) and in step 466 , lbb obtains information related to previews already shown to the subscriber in the current billboard session . in step 468 , lbb filters movies are viewed by the subscriber in the recent past ( w p ) and the previews that have already been shown from the available list of licenses . finally , in step 470 , lbb creates a billboard for the subscriber either with p posters or with a number that is between t 1 , and p . [ 0064 ] fig5 describes the login / logout management . when a subscriber logs into the system ( 502 ), lbb updates the count of subscribers logged in ( 504 ) and this information is communicated to cbb ( 506 ). in step 508 , lbb checks if the number of available licenses is less that t 2 * m ( number of currently logged in subscribers ) where m is the multiplication factor . if adequate licenses are available , lbb creates a billboard and displays the same ( 510 ). on the other hand , if adequate number of licenses are not available , lbb requests cbb for additional licenses ( 512 ). if obtained ( 512 ), lbb proceeds to step 510 , else lbb enables only plan booking option ( 516 ). whenever a subscriber logs out ( 520 ), lbb recovers all the licenses allotted to the current billboard ( 522 ). in step 524 , lbb updates the count of number of subscribers logged in and in step 526 , this information is communicated to cbb . in step 530 , lbb identifies the movies that are in excess of t 3 m ( number of subscribers currently logged in ) and returns them to cbb . [ 0065 ] fig6 describes the license management performed by lbb . on recovering licenses from a billboard due to the events such as logout ( 602 ), on receiving licenses from cbb at the beginning of a slot ( 604 ), or on receiving licenses from cbb in response to a demand ( 606 ), lbb updates license information database ( 608 ). let the total number of available licenses be l . in step 610 , lbb determines the current number of logged in subscribers ( s ) and in step 612 , lbb estimates the limit number of required licenses ( s 1 ) as s m * t 3 where m is the multiplicity factor and t 3 is the limit number of posters per billboard . if l & gt ; s 1 ( 614 ), then this indicates that there are excess number of licenses and hence , lbb releases these excess licenses to cbb . lbb orders licenses in the decreasing order of number of currently logged in subscribers to whom the associated posters have been shown ( 616 ) and in step 618 , lbb releases the top l − s 1 licenses to cbb . [ 0066 ] fig7 describes two distinct ways of identifying licenses for trading purposes . in step 702 , lbb analyses and identifies the surplus licenses periodically at the beginning of each slot and in step 704 , lbb identifies surplus licenses in response to a demand for licenses from cbb . [ 0067 ] fig7 a describes proactive license identification by lbb . in step 710 , lbb identifies surplus licenses at the beginning of billboard slot that is the next immediate slot and in step 712 , lbb estimates the price for each of these licenses . finally , in step 714 , lbb communicates surplus licenses and their related information to cbb . [ 0068 ] fig7 b describes the steps involved in on - demand surplus license identification by lbb . on receiving request for l licenses from cbb ( 720 ), in step 722 , lbb updates license information and determines the number of available licenses ( l 1 ). in step 724 , lbb determines the number of subscribers currently logged in ( s ) and in step 726 , lbb estimates the maximum number of required licenses as s 1 = s * m * t 2 where m is the multiplicity factor and t 2 is the maximum number of posters per billboard . if the number of available licenses ( l 1 ) is greater than the required number of minimum licenses ( s 1 ) ( 728 ), then in step 730 , lbb orders the available licenses in the decreasing order of number of currently logged in subscribers to whom the associated posters have already been shown . if the number of excess licenses is greater than the required number of licenses ( l ) to be made available to cbb ( 732 ), then in step 733 , lbb releases top l licenses and execution proceeds to step 750 . on other hand , if only some portion of l can be made available , then in step 734 , lbb releases this excess portion ( l 1 − s 1 ). in step 735 , l is set to the remaining number of licenses that need to be released to meet the demand from cbb ( l ← l −( l 1 − s 1 )) and execution to proceeds step 736 . on the other hand , in step 728 , if it is determined that the number of available licenses is less than or equal to the required minimum number of licenses , then in steps 736 through 752 , lbb computes the surplus beyond what it would have computed at the beginning of the current slot . in step 736 , the surplus computation begins from next immediate slot , namely , bb - slot . in step 738 , lbb identifies surplus for bb - slot , and let this number be m . if the required number of licenses ( l ) is greater than m ( 740 ), then a check is made to ensure that the number of iterations so far doesn &# 39 ; t exceed a pre - specified threshold ( 742 ). in step 744 , surplus is identified for the next subsequent slot and total surplus is accumulated in m . in step 746 , under the condition that the pre - specified number of iterations are completed , if m is zero , then lbb indicates to cbb that it cannot release any license ( 747 ). if , on the other hand , m & gt ;, then lbb indicates to cbb it cannot meet the demand completely and in step 750 , lbb estimates the price of the surplus licenses . finally , in step 752 , lbb communicates the surplus license and the related information to cbb . if in step 740 , if the number of licenses required is less than the surplus , cbb performs steps 750 and 752 to price and release the demanded number of licenses . [ 0070 ] fig8 describes the procedure involved in the surplus license identification for a given slot . gld distributes licenses to multiple llds and each of these llds uses the licenses to meet the subscriber demands . gld does two kinds of license distribution : distribution to meet demand due to billboard services ; distribution to address non - billboard services . non - billboard services provide subscribers an opportunity to plan their movie viewing needs and lld appropriately plans and obtains licenses from gld . the billboard service is offered to subscribers as an additional service through which the subscriber can place near video on demand requests . the procedure described in fig8 makes use of license - related planned ( including both confirmed and expected ) and utilization information , and derived license inventory information that contains consolidated license allocation information and information such as expiry date . one of the objectives of surplus identification procedure is to identify all the unallocated licenses that shall , if unused , expire in the next k slots . billboard system is used for trading these surplus licenses amongst llds based on the demands from the subscribers who are the users of the billboard system . in step 802 , surplus licenses are identified based on the nature of license allocation information . in this step , group licenses that have been committed to particular slots but are partially being used are identified and the unused licenses of group licenses are marked as surplus . specifically , if a group license has been marked to be used in the current slot and the confirmed requests account for about 60 % of the number of licenses , then it is appropriate to identify the remaining licenses as surplus to enhance the utilization of the available licenses . note that “ current slot ” mentioned above is the slot in which near video on demand requests from the subscribers through billboard system are streamed and is , typically , the next immediate slot . in step 804 , licenses that are allocated but not used during the previous slots are marked as surplus . in this step , the past allocation plan is analyzed based on the up - to - the - minute requests to identify those requests that were expected but were not received . these licenses are used to meet the online demand requests from the subscribers through billboard system . in step 806 , licenses that are about to expire in the next immediate slot , also called as billboard slot , are identified as surplus . in step 808 , lld calculates the average variation in the past predicted demand and actual license utilization and in step 810 , lld calculates the revised demand projection based on the above calculation . the excess , if any , arising due to over planning and the revised projection are marked as surplus . gld distributes licenses to each of the llds . let { n 1 , n 2 , . . . , n 1 }, where n i denotes licenses of i th movie , be the licenses allotted to an lld for a particular slot . based on the demand for the slot and possible future demands , gld distributes adequate number of group and unit licenses to each lld . each lld maintains a demand schedule table that contains the slot - wise , inclusive of both confirmed and predicted , demands . let { d 1 , d 2 , . . . , d k }, where d i denotes the predicted and confirmed demands for i th slot , be the licenses predicted for usage in k slots . lld also maintains license utilization table that contains slot - wise actual license usage data . let { a 1 , a 2 , . . . , a k }, where a i denotes the licenses that were used in i th slot , be the actual license usage for k slots . the difference between actual usage and demand schedule gives the deviation from prediction . in step 508 , this deviation from prediction is calculated . let { δ 1 , δ 2 , . . , δ k }, where δ i = d i − a i , be the deviation from the prediction for k slots . let δ be the average deviation from the prediction for k slots . in step 810 , the revised demand schedule table based on δ correction is constructed . by using the revised demand schedule table and the license inventory information , a license allocation plan is derived and is used to compute possible surplus licenses . in step 812 , lld uses the license inventory information ( that indicates the latest status on the availability of licenses ) to identify and consolidate the surplus licenses in steps 814 through 820 . las assigns perishablility factor ( pf ) for each unused license depending on license expiration information . a license with pf of 0 means that the license , unless used , will expire in the billboard slot and a license with pf of 1 will expire unless used in the billboard or the next immediate time slot . in the case of usage of a group license of a movie in a slot , all the unused unit licenses will expire if sufficient demand in that slot for that movie doesn &# 39 ; t exist . in step 814 , all the unused unit licenses of a group license slotted for the billboard slot are assigned pf of 0 . in step 816 , all the unit licenses that are expiring in the billboard slot are assigned pf of 0 . in step 818 , all the other licenses expiring in the subsequent k ( s a ) time slots are assigned pf from 1 to k depending on expiration time of the licenses . considering a license as surplus and submitting the surplus license to billboard means the lld decides to utilize that license through billboard system . k is a configurable parameter and denotes that the lld identifies the license the number of time slots before the expiry of the license as surplus and to be utilized through billboard system . in step 822 , all the licenses with pf less than or equal to k are considered as surplus . [ 0075 ] fig9 describes the steps involved in pricing the identified surplus licenses . completion of surplus identification triggers a sequence of steps for price estimation ( 902 ). as first step , the pf value of the license is checked ( 904 ) and if it is zero , then instead of estimating the price , lld sets selling price as blank and the license along with price is submitted to cbb ( 908 ). in step 904 , if pf value of the license is non - zero , then lld checks if the license is to be sold on priority for reasons such as an expected fall in demand in the near future ( 906 ). in case the lld chooses to sell the license on priority , then it sets the selling price as blank indicating that it is ready to sell the license at the best possible price and in this case , the market demand will decide the price of the license and the license along with price is communicated to cbb ( 928 ). if no such priority exists , then lld further checks if the necessary data required for price estimation of the license is available ( 910 ) and if the data is not available , lld sets the selling price as blank ( 928 ). if sufficient data is available , lld proceeds with further steps in estimating the selling price for the license . lld obtains the base price , the price at which the lld procured the license from gld ( 912 ). lld then calculates the profit factor for the license ( 914 ) which is based on the pf of the license . a license with higher pf means that it doesn &# 39 ; t expire too soon and hence , there is more opportunity for trading . as a consequence , the profit factors can be high indicating that the selling lld is not desperate to sell the license . for similar reasoning , the licenses with lower pf value will tend to have lower profit margins . lld calculates the risk factor associated with selling of the license ( 916 ). this risk is in terms of selling the license at a price and being required to buy a license for the same movie at a later time at a higher price . this calculation is based on the predicted demand for this license in the next few slots and the average deviation of the prediction from the actual usages in the past . let { δ 1 , δ 2 , . . , δ k }, where δ i = d i − a i , be the deviation from the prediction for k slots . let δ be the average deviation from prediction for k slots . risk factor is calculated as an inverse proportion of the calculated deviation : risk factor ( r f )= c / δ i where c is a configurable parameter specific to an lld . as a next step ( 918 ), lld calculates the inventory price as the sum of the base price and a price based on the above factors . lld obtains the current market price for the license ( 920 ) and further compares the computed inventory price with the current market price ( 922 ). if the computed inventory price is greater than the current market price , the inventory price is set as the initial selling price ( 924 ) and lld submits the license along with price to cbb ( 926 ). on the other hand , in step 922 , if the computed inventory price is less than or equal to the current market price , then lld sets the selling price as market price ( 923 ) and the license is submitted to cbb ( 926 ). [ 0076 ] fig1 describes the steps involved in pricing a license of the movie selected by a subscriber using billboard . in step 1002 , subscriber selects a movie for viewing for which the lld has to negotiate with cbb for the purchase of the same . in step 1004 , lld checks if a license ought to be purchased based on factors such as sla type of the subscriber and unavailability of licenses . if so , lld sets the buying price as blank ( 1022 ) and submits the bid to cbb ( 1024 ). in step 1006 , lld checks and determines if sufficient data is available for calculating the buying price . if sufficient data is not available , then lld sets the buying price as blank ( 1022 ) and submits the bid to cbb ( 1024 ). on the other hand , if sufficient data is available ( 1006 ), in step 1008 , lld obtains the base price and in step 1010 , lld calculates the risk factor . this risk is in terms of buying the license at a price and being required to sell a license for the same movie at a later time at a lower price . in step 1012 , the inventory price is computed as the sum of the base price and a price based on the above risk factor . in step 1014 , lld obtains the market price from cbb and checks if the inventory price is less than or equal to the current market price ( 1016 ). if so , lld sets the initial buying price as inventory price ( 1018 ) and submits the bid to cbb ( 1024 ). on the other hand , if it is cheaper to buy at current market price ( 1016 ), then in step 1020 , lld sets the initial buying price as current market price ( 1020 ) and the bid is submitted to cbb ( 1024 ). [ 0077 ] fig1 describes the steps involved in the negotiation to buy a license of a movie during trading process . in step 1102 , lld submits a bid with an initial buying price ( bp ) and waits for a notification from cbb . if the bid is accepted ( 1104 ), lld receives a notification from cbb about the allotment of the movie license from the selling lld ( 1106 ). in step 1108 , lld updates the billing information based on deal price and in step 110 , lld establishes connection with selling lld for initiating the movie streaming . on the other hand , if the bid is not accepted ( 1104 ), lld initiates the buy price negotiation to close the deal as quickly as possible . in step 1112 , lld determines the available time ( tn ) for negotiation . note that the buying lld is keen to get a license before the end of the current time slot so that the subscriber &# 39 ; s request to view a movie in the next time slot can be met . if there is still time for negotiation ( 1114 ), then in step 1116 , lld computes negotiation margin ( nm ) as the difference between inventory price and current market price . in step 1118 , lld computes buy price increment ( bi ) based on nm and tn . in step 1120 , lld computes the revised buy price ( rbp ) as the sum of bp and bi . in step 1122 , a check is made to determine whether the increments in the buying price has resulted in a case where the inventory price is lower than the buying bid price . if it is not so , then in step 1124 , lld submits the revised bid price to cbb . if on the other hand , if it is the case that the inventory price is lower than the buy price , then in step 1126 , a check is made to determine whether the lld can make use of its own license . this is because of the reason that using the license from lld &# 39 ; s own inventory has become more profitable than obtaining the same from cbb . if the license is available , then lld stops the bidding process and uses the license from its inventory ( 1128 ). on the other hand , if the license is not available locally ( 1126 ), then in step 1130 , a check is made if license is available with cbb and if available , in step 1132 , the bid price is set to blank so as to obtain the license at any cost and this revised bid is submitted to cbb . if license is not available even globally , then in step 1134 , lld negotiates with the subscriber to choose an alternative slot and / or movie . if there is no more time for negotiation ( 1114 ), then the steps 1126 through 1134 are performed . [ 0078 ] fig1 describes the steps involved in the negotiation to sell a license of a movie during trading process . in step 1202 , lld submits a bid with an initial selling price ( sp ) and waits for a notification from cbb . if the bid is accepted ( 1204 ), lld receives a notification from cbb about the allotment of the movie license to the buying lld ( 1206 ). in step 1206 , lld updates the billing information based on deal price and in step 1210 , lld makes provision for streaming of the allotted movie in the allotted slot to the buying lld . on the other hand , if the bid is not accepted ( 1204 ), lld initiates the sell price negotiation to close the deal as quickly as possible . in step 1212 , lld determines the available time ( tn ) for negotiation . note that the selling lld is keen to sell the license before any possible license expiry . if there is still time for negotiation ( 1214 ), then in step 1216 , lld computes negotiation margin ( nm ) as the difference between current market price and base price . in step 1218 , lld computes sell price decrement ( sd ) based on nm and tn . in step 1220 , lld computes revised sell price ( rsp ) as the difference of sp and sd . in step 1222 , a check is made to determine whether the increments in the selling price has resulted in a case where the selling bid price is lower than the base price . if it is not so , then in step 1224 , lld submits the revised bid price to cbb . if on the other hand , if it is the case that the revised sell price is lower than the base price , then in step 1226 , lld sets the selling price as blank , thereby claiming market dynamics advantage if any . in step 1228 , lld submits the revised bid to cbb . if there is no more time for negotiation ( 1214 ), then the steps 1226 and 1228 are performed . [ 0079 ] fig1 describes the steps involved in obtaining licenses from different llds by cbb . there are two distinct ways by which cbb obtains the licenses ( 1302 ). the first way is to obtain the licenses at the beginning of a slot ( 1304 ). at the beginning of a slot , llds identify the surplus licenses , assign pf factor to them , and communicate these surplus licenses to cbb for trading purposes . in step 1306 , cbb updates surplus license db ( 1328 ) that contains information related to the surplus licenses such as the associated movie , owner lld , license kind , and available number of licenses . the second way of obtaining licenses is to demand for surplus licenses from llds and is described in the steps 1308 through 1328 . in step 1308 , whenever there is an event of a subscriber logging into to the system , cbb determines the total number of currently logged in subscribers ( s ). in step 1310 , cbb determines the number of available licenses ( l ). this number indicates the licenses that are available and can be allocated to the subscribers requesting for a movie through billboard . in step 1312 , cbb determines , heuristically , whether l is adequate . this is done by computing t 2 * m * s where t 2 is the number of posters per billboard and m is the multiplicity factor . m indicates the impact of having multiple licenses for the same movie and hence cannot as flexibly used as multiple single licenses for distinct movies . if adequate licenses are available , cbb does not demand additional licenses from llds . on the other hand , if the number of licenses available falls short , cbb , in step 1314 , determines overall license requirements based on the number of subscribers logged in per lld ( t 2 * m * number of logged in subscribers ). in step 1316 , cbb calculates the number of licenses to be requested from each lld . one of the ways of computing is to apportion the need based on the portion of the number of licenses currently distributed to the llds . alternatively , the required number of licenses can be distributed equally among the llds . in step 1318 , cbb requests llds to provide the computed number of licenses . in step 1320 , cbb receives the licenses from the llds . in step 1322 , a check is made to determine whether sufficient licenses were received from llds . if not , in step 1324 , cbb requests gld to provide the remaining number of licenses . finally , in step 1326 , cbb updates surplus license db . [ 0080 ] fig1 describes the steps involved in distributing the licenses to the various llds . in step 1402 , at the beginning of a slot , cbb determines the number of logged in subscribers per lld . in step 1404 , on the event of new logins , cbb determines the number of logged in subscribers per lld . and in step 1406 , on the event of logouts , cbb determines the number of logged in subscribers per lld . in step 1408 , cbb determines the number of licenses available for distribution using surplus license db . in step 1410 , cbb determines average number of licenses ( a l ) with an lld based on the number of subscribers logged in and number of licenses presently allotted to the lld . in step 1412 , cbb computes the number of licenses to be distributed to each lld so as to equalize the average number ( a l ) of licenses across llds . this will ensure that the available licenses are distributed in a fair manner to the competing llds . in step 1414 , cbb determines the most appropriate licenses on per lld basis and distributes licenses to each lbb . one of the ways to ensure appropriateness is to avoid providing the license of a movie to an lld that already has one or more licenses for that movie . [ 0081 ] fig1 describes the steps involved in pricing of licenses by cbb . in step 1502 , different ways of global pricing of a license of a movie are described . in step 1504 , pricing of licenses with pf equal to 0 is described . in step 1506 , the base price of a license is determined . in step 1508 , the number of licenses of the movie with pf equal to 0 is determined . in step 1510 , discount factor for the movie with pf equal to 0 is determined . this discount is computed based on factors such as the number of license of the movie with pf = 0 that are currently available in the market . this factor is in direct proportion to the number of licenses available in the market indicating that if currently there are large numbers of these licenses , then the discount has to be set higher to stimulate the demand for such licenses . in step 1512 , the number of licenses with pf greater than 0 is determined and in step 1514 , pf discount factor is computed . the pf discount factor is estimated as a function of the number of license of the movie with pf not equal to zero that are currently available in the market . this factor is in direct proportion to the number of licenses available in the market indicating that if currently there are large number of these license , then the discount has to set higher to stimulate the demand for such licenses . in step 1516 , total discount , pf 0 and pf discounts , is computed and the pf 0 price of the license is determined as the difference of the base price and the total discount . in step 1520 , market price for a license of a movie is computed . this market price is used in trading whenever the buy or sell price is set to blank by bidders . in step 1522 , cbb obtains the past k sale prices of a license of the movie during past trading sessions where k is a configurable parameter . if sufficient data is available for analysis ( 1524 ), then in step 1526 , cbb calculates the weighted average of above k values and cbb sets current market price of the movie to this average price ( 1528 ). on the other hand , if sufficient data is not available ( 1524 ), then in step 1530 , cbb sets current market price of the movie to the price obtained from gld . [ 0083 ] fig1 describes the various steps involved in trading . in step 1602 , cbb receives buyer &# 39 ; s bids . the trading is initiated whenever one or more buyers submit their bids . in step 1604 , cbb checks the availability of licenses with pf equal to zero . if such licenses are not available , then in step 1606 , cbb analyses the bids from multiple sellers and selects a least bidding seller on first come first served basis . if there is no bid with blank sale bid ( 1608 ), then in step 1610 , cbb analyses the bid from the buyer . if this bid is not blank , then in step 1612 , cbb checks whether the buyer &# 39 ; s bid exceeds the seller &# 39 ; s bid . if so , then in step 1614 , cbb assigns buyer &# 39 ; s bid price as deal price and selects the seller with least bid price as a winner . if there are multiple sellers with the same least bid price , the winner is selected based on first - come - first - served basis . in step 1616 , cbb notifies the deal price to the buying and selling llds and in step 1618 , cbb updates surplus license db with the deal information . on the other hand , if in step 1612 , the buyer &# 39 ; s bid did not exceed any of the sellers &# 39 ; bids , then in step 1620 , cbb notifies deal failure to the buying and selling llds inviting them to revise their bids . on the other hand , in step 1610 , if the buyer &# 39 ; s bid is blank , then in step 1622 , cbb selects the least sale bid as the deal price , selects the seller with the least bid price as the winner , and performs the steps 1616 and 1618 . on the other hand , in step 1608 , if there is a sale bid with blank price , then if the buyer &# 39 ; s bid is not blank ( 1624 ), then in step 1626 , cbb assigns the buyer &# 39 ; s bid price as the deal price and performs steps 1616 and 1618 . otherwise , that is , the buyer &# 39 ; s bid price is also blank ( 1624 ), then in step 1628 , cbb assigns the current market price as the deal price and performs the steps 1616 and 1618 . on the other hand , in step 1604 , if there are some licenses with pf equal to zero , then in step 1630 , cbb assigns pf 0 price as the deal price , selects the seller on first - come - first - served basis , and performs the steps 1616 and 1618 . thus , a system and method for maximizing video license utilization based on billboard service to centrally manage available licenses in real - time has been disclosed . although the present invention has been described particularly with reference to the figures , it will be apparent to one of the ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may appear in any number of systems that perform video license distribution . it is further contemplated that many changes and modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention .	6
the embodiments of the present invention described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description . rather , the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art can appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present invention . fig1 and 2 depict one embodiment of the polymeric or composite veneering product of the present invention comprising a veneering panel 10 including a front surface 12 having relief and / or texture and a back surface 14 having one or more attachment platforms 16 for securing the veneering panel 10 to a surface . it is noted that the attachment platforms 16 may be alternatively adjoined to the sides of the panel 10 rather than positioned on the back surface 14 depending on the type of attachment means or panel designs . the front surface 12 of the veneering product may comprise one or more colors , textures , degrees of relief and / or designs . for example , as depicted in fig1 , one embodiment of the veneering panel 10 may appear as a single cut stone . in many embodiments of the present invention , the front surface design is obtained by imaging a natural surface , such as stone , rock , wood or brick . imaging a natural surface provides a panel that simulates the natural surface and give the most aesthetic appearance . an explanation of imaging is provides below . fig2 , 3 and 4 depict three embodiments of a back surface 14 of the veneering panels 10 of the present invention . in various embodiments of the present invention , the back surface 14 may be cored or hollowed , thereby reducing the amount of raw material , such as plastic resin , bulk molding compound and / or fiberglass utilized in the panel 10 . the coring of the back surface 14 further provides channels 18 and reservoirs 20 for the free movement of air behind each panel . such channels 18 and reservoirs 20 assist in preventing the presence and buildup of moisture behind the veneering product , which may deteriorate the building materials positioned behind each panel 10 . in some embodiments of the present invention the hollowed back surface may be filled with a sound deadening and / or insulating material . for example , an insulating foam ( e . g . a polyurethane foam ) may be sprayed or applied to the back surface of each panel to provide additional sound and / or thermal insulation . in various embodiments of the present invention , the back surface 14 may be cored or hollowed in a similar replica image of the front surface 12 by including a back surface plate in the mold that has at least a partial replica image of the front surface 12 of the panel 10 . in production , the melted resin would be injected between the front and back surface plates to form each panel 10 . as previously mentioned , the hollowing of the back surface 14 reduces raw materials and in some embodiments provides a substantial uniform thickness for the panel , thereby maintaining the strength and durability of the panel 10 . the uniform thickness also provides benefits in molding the panels 10 by evening the cooling of all portions of the panel 10 during molding . in other embodiments of the present invention the cored back surface 14 may further include one or more ribs 22 , as depicted in fig5 , that extend from the top of the panel 10 to the bottom of the panel and / or from one side to the other side . such ribs 22 allow for additional stability and structure to the panel and provides additional durability to address unwanted impacts with the panel 10 . the general plastic thickness of the panels of the present invention may vary depending upon the desired rigidity and also the manufacturing process ( e . g . panels of structural foam will generally be thicker than panels that are high pressure injection molded ). however , various embodiments of the panels of the present invention will have an average thickness of approximately 50 mils to 500 mils . in various embodiments the average thickness will be approximately 80 mils to 300 mils . in additional embodiments the average thickness of the panels will be approximately 120 mils to 250 mils . it is noted that portions of the panel , such as the attachment platforms or ribs , may be of a greater thickness , but a majority of the panel 10 will generally include the thinner wall thickness . furthermore , the front surface of each panel 10 may include various degrees of relief , thereby in some embodiments , providing the appearance of natural cut stone , rock or wood . the degrees of relief generally highlight the texture of the surface and are exhibited by the peaks and valleys present . the degrees of relief may vary depending upon the desired appearance . for example , various embodiments of the present invention may include large amounts of relief ( e . g . up to 10 cm from high point to low point ) providing a very rough texture . in other embodiments , the relief may be of average degree ( e . g . up to 5 cm ). and in yet other embodiments , the relief may be somewhat mild ( e . g . up to 1 . 5 cm ). in various embodiment of the present invention , the front surface 12 of the panel 10 may be flat , rounded or beveled . the front surface 12 of this embodiment may include a beveled front having one or more bends , slants or creases in the front surface 12 . in some embodiments the beveled front surface 12 takes on a tri - panel appearance , such as a beveling or slanting down at the edges . it is noted that the front surface 12 may also be rounded , substantially flat and / or include positions of relief to provide a more natural appearance . as previously mentioned , embodiments of the front surface may be flat , rounded , include texture and relief and / or beveled to accommodate molding or fabrication ( e . g . lamination , painting , photo or thermal activated coating ) to provide the desired appearance . in various embodiments of the present invention the front surface is produced by imaging an actual natural surface , such as natural stone , rock , brick or wood . the imaging of the natural surface can be performed by processes such as cast imaging of the natural surface or by digital scanning the natural surface . when cast imaging the natural surface a mirror image of the surface can be produced by providing a casting material , such as silicone , ceramics or fine sand , and casting it over and / or around the natural surface . once the casting material sets or has formed a mirror image of the natural surface the object casted is removed from the newly formed mold of the natural surface and an opposite image or negative of the natural surface has been produced . next the negative image can be cast again with a solidifying material to produce the positive image of the natural surface . such a process produces a casting that captures the texture and relief of the natural surface . once the casted mirror images ( i . e . positive and negative ) are produced , a mold and / or a mold insert manufactured from a suitable mold material , such as aluminum , steel or a ceramic , can be produced for mass manufacture by administering the mold material to the positive and / or negative casting to form the production mold . in various embodiments of the present invention sand or ceramic is used to provide a detailed negative and / or positive image thereby providing the desired detail found in the natural surface which then can be transferred to a more durable steel or aluminum production mold for mass manufacture of panels having one or more natural surface images . cast imaging of the natural surface may be performed by a cast foundry . foundries that may be used to prepare such castings include but are not limited to arrow pattern and foundry company , 9725 south industrial drive , bridgeview ill . and wk industries , 6120 millett ave ., sterling heights , mich . alternatively , a mold may be prepared by digitally scanning the natural surface , such that the surface of a stone , brick or piece of wood . once scanned , a mold can be produced from a suitable mold material for mass manufacture of the front panels or fascias having a front surface supporting the scanned image . it is noted that the core side of the mold may be produced by either digitally scanning or casting the natural surface . such imaging provides a core that will substantially mirror the front surface of the mold and thereby provide a manufactured panel 10 that is relatively uniform in thickness . as previously mentioned the panels of the present invention may take on the image of a single stone , brick or piece of wood . alternatively , as depicted in fig5 a - c , the veneering panel 10 may have the appearance of multiple stones . for example , a single panel may appear as a ledgestone configuration having a plurality of cut stones as depicted in fig5 a . in yet another embodiment , as depicted in fig5 b and 5 c the veneering panel 10 may appear to include a plurality of field stones or a plurality of cut stones in a random ashlar pattern . additionally , as previously suggested , the front surface 12 may include one or more colors , textures and / or degrees of relief to provide a natural stone , brick or wood appearance . when covering a wall with panels that have the image of multiple items , such as stones , wood or brick , it is important to avoid the appearance of a reoccurring pattern . when utilizing such products it is not uncommon that visually unacceptable straight lines are formed when individual items , such as stones , are aligned , thereby forming long vertical or horizontal breaks in the wall wherein a series of stones or wood planks end in the same location . such breaks are perceived as being an unacceptable pattern . therefore , embodiments of the present invention are designed to provide imaged items , such as stones , brick or wood planks , in positions which break designated fields or planes . in such embodiments , individual stones are positioned on a majority of the panels ( e . g . & gt ; 50 % of the panels or in other embodiment & gt ; 75 % of the panels ) so as to break at least two or more fields / planes that extend partially along the perimeter of the panel , but also pass through the interior of the panel . in other embodiments of the present invention , individual stones are positioned on a majority of the panels ( e . g . & gt ; 50 % of the panels or in other embodiment & gt ; 75 % of the panels ) so as to break at least three or more fields / planes that extend partially along the perimeter of the panel , but also pass through the interior of the panel . in yet other embodiments of the present invention , individual stones are positioned on a majority of the panels ( e . g . & gt ; 50 % of the panels or in other embodiment & gt ; 75 % of the panels ) so as to break at least four or more fields / planes that extend partially along the perimeter of the panel , but also pass through the interior of the panel . if such fields are not broken by a strategically placed stone a reoccurring break pattern on the wall may become recognizable . fig5 a depicts a t - unit panel 10 that includes four fields or planes that extend along the periphery of the panel 10 , but also pass through the interior of the panel . in the t - unit depicted in fig5 a at least one individual stone is found to break each of the four fields . the fields are designated by dashed lines and the field breaks are outlined with boxes . for example , stone 2 breaks field 1 ; stone 4 breaks field 2 ; stone 3 breaks field 3 and stones 3 and 5 break field 4 . fig5 b depicts another embodiment of the present invention wherein individual imaged items , such as stones , are positioned on a z - unit panel 10 . the z - unit panel of this embodiment generally has 3 fields / units wherein one or more imaged items breaks each of the fields . for example , stone 1 breaks field 1 ; stone 2 breaks field 3 and stone 3 breaks field 2 . the fields are designated with dashed lines and the breaks are designated in the boxes . finally , fig5 c depicts a partial wall having at least 4 different z - unit panels 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and a few finishing panels a , b , c , d and i , ii , iii . as can be seen in the wall , a wall constructed utilizing a majority of panels that break the fields avoid the unacceptable straight line breaks in the wall . various embodiments of the panels of the present invention may further include interlocking members that allow the panels to overlap and / or secure to each other . fig6 a depicts one embodiment of the present invention wherein the panel 10 includes a front overlap 30 and a back overlap 32 . it is noted that such interlocking panels may also be found on the sides of the panels 10 rather than or in addition to being positioned on the top and bottom of the panels 10 . additionally , the front overlap 30 and back overlap 32 may have fastening devices to mechanically interconnect the panels to each other . examples of fastening devices include , but are not limited to snaps , peg and slots , clips , adhesives , screws , rivets , nails and combinations thereof . in various embodiments screws , adhesives and combinations of these are utilized to secure the panels to the substrate . further explanation of such panels are identified below . fig6 b - 6 g depict embodiments of the present invention that may be secured to a substrate , such as a wall with adhesives alone or with adhesives and screws , nails or rivets . as depicted in fig6 b and 6 c a t - unit panel 10 having a front surface 12 and an attachment platform 16 may be secured to a substrate , such as a wall , with one or more strips of adhesive 15 and secured to the panel above with a second strip or strips of tape / adhesive 17 . alternatively , rather than utilizing adhesive to secure each panel to the substrate , screws , nails , or rivets may be used to secure each panel 10 to the substrate by passing the screw , nail or rivet through one or more fastening apertures 19 positioned on the attachment platform 16 . in various embodiments , screws , nails or rivets can simply be passed through the polymer attachment platform 16 without fastening apertures 19 . it is noted that a depression 13 approximately the same width as or slightly greater in width than the attachment platform 16 may be positioned on the back bottom side of the panel 10 to nest the extra width of the tape 17 and / or attachment platform 16 of the adjacent panel , thereby allowing for a more flush system . a back perspective view that illustrates the depression 13 is depicted in fig6 c . fig6 d and 6 e depict another embodiment of the present invention , wherein a z - unit panel 10 having a front surface 12 and an attachment platform 16 may be secured to a substrate with one or more strips of adhesive / tape 17 and secured to the panel above with a second strip or strips of adhesive 17 . alternatively , similar to the t - unit described above , screws , nails , or rivets may be utilized to secure each panel 10 to a substrate by passing the screw nail or rivet through one or more fastening apertures 19 positioned on the attachment platform 16 . in various embodiments , screws , nails or rivets can simply be passed through the polymer attachment platform 16 without fastening apertures 19 . similar to the t - unit embodiment , a depression 13 approximately the same width as or slightly greater in width than the attachment platform 16 may be positioned on the back bottom side of the panel 10 to nest the extra width of the tape and fastening ridge of adjacent units thereby allowing for a more flush system . a back perspective view that illustrates the depression 13 on a z - unit panel is depicted in fig6 e . other embodiments of the present invention may be secured to a wall or substrate utilizing one or more mechanical fasteners , such as screws , nails , rivets and / or clips . fig7 and 7 a depict other embodiments of the present invention wherein securing spacers 34 are adjoined to the sides of the panels 10 to provide another means for attachment of the panel 10 to a wall or substrate and further to provide the desired spacing when a mortared wall appearance is desired . the spacer 34 may include one or more securing apertures 36 for passing a screw through the spacer 34 , thereby securing the panel to the wall or support . the spacers 34 may also function to provide adequate spacing between panels to accommodate the application of a grout caulk between the panels to provide the appearance of a mortared wall . any tile or grout caulk may be utilized with the present invention . for example an acrylic or silicone grout caulk ( e . g . a sanded tile and grout caulk ), such as one manufactured by colorfast industries , inc ., 350 west h street , colton , calif . 92324 may be utilized with the present invention . additionally , one or more of the spacers 34 , as depicted in fig7 may further include a spacer ridge 40 for setting the distance between panels by acting as a stop when inserting such spacers 34 into spacer apertures 38 . the spacer apertures may be generally positioned on an adjacent panel 10 to accept and interlock the panels being adjoined . fig7 b depicts a bottom view of the panel embodiment of fig7 , wherein the panel 10 further includes a spacer aperture 38 for accommodating the insertion of one of the spacers 34 positioned on the top side of such a panel 10 . such apertures 38 are generally utilized when adjacent rows of panels 10 are staggered thereby requiring the nesting of the top portion of a t - shaped spacer in a panel positioned above . the spacer apertures may be include in any embodiment of the present invention to provide the potential to establish a morterless appearance . it is noted that all such embodiments may further include securing platforms , similar to those depicted in fig2 , 4 and 5 for either securing the panels 10 with an adhesive , such as glue or two sided tape , or securing the panels 10 with both adhesives and screws , rivets or nails . fig7 c and 7 d depict yet another embodiment of a panel of the present invention , wherein the panel 10 further includes spacers 34 that may be utilized to provide spacing for grout application or that may be inserted substantially within apertures 38 of adjacent panels 10 to provide a stone on stone appearance ( no grout ). in such embodiments , each panel 10 includes spacers 34 and spacer apertures 38 that can accommodate the spacing and interlocking of adjacent panels 10 . in various embodiments , the spacers may include a spacer ridge 40 that may butt up against an adjacent panel to provide for proper spacing when grouting is desired . alternatively , the spacer 34 may be pushed pass the ridge 40 and further into the aperture to accommodate a stone on stone appearance . additionally , the spacers may include securing apertures 36 for passing a screw , rivet , nail or other securing means into the wall or substrate behind each panel . each spacer 34 may further include a score line 42 for breaking off the spacers 34 if they are not utilized . fig8 a depicts another embodiment of the invention that includes a tongue and groove panel attachment . the z - unit panel 10 of fig8 a includes attachment platform 16 on the male end 11 and a depression 13 for accepting the attachment platform 16 positioned on the female end 15 of the panel 10 . the attachment platform 16 may include one or more apertures 19 that are configured to accept screws , nails or rivets for securing the panel 10 to a substrate , such as a wall . fig8 b depicts a side view of the panel of fig8 a wherein the panel 10 includes a tongue 21 positioned on the female end 15 and a groove 23 positioned on the male end 11 . it is noted that the tongue 21 may comprise multiple tabs rather than a single elongated tongue that extends along the majority of one or more sides of the panel 10 . furthermore , the groove 23 may be a series of apertures positioned along one or more sides of the panel 10 rather than a groove 23 that extends across the entire length of the one or more sides . however , it is generally recommended that the groove 23 extend along the entire length of the one or more sides to provide more forgiveness in assembly . during assembly of a wall using the embodiment depicted in fig8 a - b , a first panel 10 is positioned over a second panel that has been secured onto a wall . next , the tongue 21 of the first panel is inserted into the groove of the second panel and the first panel is pushed down into the groove until the panel is in the proper positions . next the first panel is secured to the wall by adhering the attachment platform 16 to the substrate , such as a wall , with adhesive / tape or by screwing , nailing or riveting the attachment platform 16 to the substrate with screws , nails or rivets . other embodiments may utilize securing clips to attach panels of the present invention to a wall or substrate . fig9 - 14 c depict embodiments of the present invention , wherein the panels 10 are secured to a wall or substrate with a securing clip . in various embodiments of the present invention , the securing clip is a barb clip 44 . fig9 a - d depict various views of one embodiment of a panel 10 of the present invention that utilize a barb clip for securing the panels to a substrate , such as a wall . fig9 a and 9 b depicts front and back views of one embodiment of the present invention wherein the panel 10 includes a front surface 12 with beveled edges and a back surface 14 . a ridge 48 extends along the periphery of two or more sides of the panel 10 thereby creating a slot 50 positioned between the front surface 12 and the ridge 48 . see fig9 c and 9 d . the ridge 48 and slot 50 provide a means for inserting the ridge 48 between the barbs of one or more barb clips 44 , thereby securing the panel to the wall or substrate and the adjacent panels 10 . it is noted that in other embodiments , the ridge 48 may include one or more barbs that can be utilized to further secure the panel to the barb clip 44 . fig1 a - 10 c depict one embodiment of a barb clip 44 that may be utilized in securing the panels 10 of the present invention to a wall or substrate and to adjacent panels . the barb clip 44 of this embodiment generally includes a front plate 52 including one or more barbs 54 operably adjoined to a backing plate 56 by a clip spacer 58 . in such embodiments , the clip spacer 58 adjoins the front plate 52 and back plate 56 to form a channel 72 for accepting the ridge 48 of the panel 10 . the front plate 52 and back plate may further include an aperture or depression 62 positioned to accept a securing fastener 60 , such as screws , rivets , nails and the like . however , other securing means may be utilized such as adhesives ( e . g . glues or two sided tapes ). the barb clip may be made of any suitable material such as plastics , ceramics , metals , alloys and the like . for example , the barb clip 44 may be manufactured with a metal or alloy , such as aluminum or stainless steel , a plastic , such as a polyester or a polycarbonate , or bulk molding compound ( thermoset ). additionally , in various embodiments the spacing of the barbs 54 on the front plate 52 may be utilized to set the spacing of the panels 10 during installation . for example , by inserting the ridge 48 past the first or second barbs 54 , a panel 10 may be spaced from existing panels at the proper distance to accept grout caulk between . each barb 54 acts to restrict the further movement of the panel in a direction closer to the adjacent panels . alternatively , by inserting the ridge 48 past the last barb 54 on the barb clip 44 , a panel 10 may be positioned contiguously against the side of the adjacent panels 10 . fig1 a - 11 c depict a starter clip 63 , which operates in a similar way to the barb clip 44 previously described , but may be utilized at wall or substrate edges . the starter clip 63 generally includes a front plate 52 that includes one or more barbs 54 operably adjoined to a backing plate 56 with a clip spacer 58 . similar to the barb clip 44 , in various embodiments , the starter clip 63 may be secured to a wall or substrate by passing a fastener , such as a screw , nail or rivet , through an aperture or depression 62 . alternatively , the starter clip 63 may be secured to the substrate with an adhesive , such as a sealant or two sided tape . in operation , as depicted in the back view of fig1 , a panel 10 of this embodiment is secured to a substrate , such as a wall , by inserting the ridge 48 of the bottom of a panel 10 into the channel 72 of one or more starter clip ( s ) 63 that have been already secured to the substrate . next , the ridge 48 on the top of the panel 10 is inserted into the channel ( s ) 72 between the front plate 52 and backing plate 54 of one or more barb clip ( s ) 44 . once the barb clips 44 are secured to the panel ( s ) 10 , the clips 44 are secured to the wall or substrate with one or more fasteners 60 , such as screws or adhesives . this process is repeated until the bottom row of the wall is secured to the substrate , such as a wall . once the bottom row is secured , a panel 10 of this embodiment is secured to a wall or substrate by inserting the ridge 48 of on the top of a panel 10 into the channel 72 of a barb clip 44 and next inserting the ridge 48 on the bottom of the panel 10 into the channel 72 between the front plate 52 and backing plate 54 of the barb clip ( s ) secured to the panel ( s ) positioned below . next a fastener 60 is placed in the aperture of the first barb clip 44 positioned on the top of the panel 10 and the barb clip 44 is fastened to the wall or substrate , thereby securing the panel 10 to the wall or substrate . this process is continued until the wall is covered with panels 10 . it is noted that this process may be altered by securing the panels 10 from the top of the wall or substrate downward or securing the panels on one side of a wall or substrate and moving to the other side of the wall or substrate . fig1 a - 13 e depict one embodiment of a corner panel 64 that may be utilized with the panels 10 and barb clips 44 described above . in this embodiment , the corner panel 64 generally includes a plurality of stones 66 molded into the front surface 12 . however , in other embodiments , the corner panel 64 may also be molded to feature only a single stone . in some embodiments that include a plurality of stones in a single panel , the panel may include a stone projection 68 that may be positioned between two panels 10 and / or a recess 70 that may receive a regular panel 10 . it is noted that the corner panel projection 68 may be inserted into a corner panel recess 70 to complete the covering of a wrap around corner . similar to the panels described above , the corner panels 64 may include ridges 48 that extend along one or more sides of the corner panel 64 that may be inserted into barb clips 44 or starter clips 63 to adjoin the corner panels 64 to adjacent panels 10 and secure the corner panels 64 to the substrate . fig1 a - 14 c depict the corner panel 64 incorporated into a wall assembly with a wrap around corner that includes a plurality of panels 10 adjoined by barb clips 44 . as previously suggested , each corner panel 64 and / or each panel 10 of the present invention may take on the appearance of a single stone , rock , timber and the like or may take on the appearance of a plurality of stones , rocks , timbers and the like . fig1 - 24 e depict embodiments of the present invention , wherein the panels 10 are secured to a wall or substrate with a securing clip in the form of a radius clip . fig1 a - c depict various views of one embodiment of a panel 10 of the present invention that utilize a radius clip for securing the panels 10 to a substrate , such as a wall . fig1 a - 15 c depicts back perspective , side and top views of one embodiment of the present invention wherein the panel 10 includes a front surface 12 with beveled edges and a back surface 14 . in various embodiments of the present invention , a plurality of sockets 74 extend across the periphery of two or more of the top , bottom and / or sides of the panel 10 thereby creating a plurality of attachment points to adjoin each panel 10 with the wall or substrate . the sockets 74 may be of any shape or size , but all provide a means for securing the panel 10 to the wall or substrate and also to the adjacent panels 10 . in various embodiments of the present invention the sockets are circular or elliptical in shape and have a radius of approximately 1 inches to 2 . 5 inches . in various embodiments the radius of the sockets 74 approximately 15 inches to 1 . 5 inches and in other embodiments the radius of the sockets are 0 . 3 inches to 1 inch . it is noted that any socket shape may be utilized . for example , shapes such as polygonal , rectangular , square may be utilized as socket shapes . fig1 a - 16 c depict one embodiment of a radius clip 76 that may be utilized in securing the panels 10 of the present invention to a wall or substrate and to adjacent panels . the radius clip 76 of this embodiment generally includes two or more attachment members 78 adjoined by a clip neck 80 . each attachment member 78 is generally shaped and sized to be accepted by the sockets 72 positioned on the edges of the panels 10 . furthermore , the attachment members 78 may further include an aperture or depression 62 positioned to accept a securing fastener 60 , such as screws , rivets , nails and the like . however , other securing means may be utilized such as adhesives ( e . g . glues / sealants or two sided tapes ). the radius clip 76 may be made of any suitable material such as plastics , ceramics , metals , alloys and the like . for example , the radius clip 76 may be manufactured with a metal or alloy , such as aluminum or stainless steel , a plastic , such as a polyester , polyethylene , polypropylene or a polycarbonate , or a fiberglass or bulk molding compound ( thermoset ). in various embodiments , the radius clip 76 may be of a length that positions panels 10 in a proximate position to adjacent and / or surrounding panels 10 , thereby providing little to no gaps between panels . however , in other embodiments , the radius clip 76 may be of a longer length to provide gaps between adjacent panels . when utilizing the longer radius clips 76 , the gaps may be filled with a grout caulk to provide a mortared wall appearance . fig1 a - 17 c depict one embodiment of a radius clip 76 that may be utilized to provide the desired gaps between adjacent panels 10 . in this embodiment , the clip neck 80 is extended to provide additional length to the radius clip 76 thereby providing the desired gaps when the panels 10 are assembled on the wall or substrate . additionally , in various embodiments , as depicted in fig1 a and 17 a , the clip neck 80 has a width that is less than the width of the attachment members 78 . fig1 a - 18 c depict one embodiment of a molding panel 82 , which operates in a similar way to the radius clip panels previously described , but may be utilized at wall or substrate edges ( e . g . top , bottom , sides ). the molding panel 82 generally includes a front surface 12 and a back surface 14 . the back surface 14 of this embodiment supports a plurality of sockets 74 that may be utilized to accept one or more attachment members for securing the molding panel 84 to the wall , substrate and / or adjacent panels . finally , as depicted in fig1 a - 18 c , corner moldings 86 may be utilized to provide borders on the various corners of a wall or substrate . it is noted that all embodiments , including the barb clip embodiments , may include molding panels and corner moldings to provide a border on the wall or substrate . in operation , as depicted in the back view of fig2 , a molding panels ( not shown ) and corner panels ( not shown ) are secured to the base , top and / or side of a wall by radius clips 76 . once the molding is secured , a panel 10 of this embodiment is secured to a wall or substrate by first inserting one or more attachment members 78 of one or more radius clips 76 into one or more sockets 74 on the top and / or side ( s ) of the panel 10 . it is noted the radius clip ( s ) 76 may optionally be adjoined to the wall or substrate first prior to inserting the attachment members 78 into the sockets 74 of the molding panels 84 , corner moldings 86 or panels 10 . once the clips 76 are secured to the panel ( s ) 84 , 86 , 10 , the panels are secured to the radius clips adjoined to the molding panels and corner panels and the radius clips 76 on the top and side surfaces of the panels 10 are secured to the substrate , such as a wall , with one or more fasteners 60 . this process is repeated until the bottom row of the wall is secured to the wall or substrate . once the bottom row is secured , another one or more radius clips 76 are inserted into the sockets 74 on the top edge of another panel of this embodiment and that panel is secured to a wall or substrate by inserting the attachment member 78 secured to the wall or substrate into a socket 74 on the bottom edge of a panel 10 to be attached to the wall or substrate . next a fastener 60 is placed in the aperture of the radius clip 76 positioned on the top of the panel 10 and the radius clip 76 is fastened to the wall or substrate , thereby securing the panel 10 to the wall or substrate . this process is continued until the wall is covered with panels 10 . it is noted that this process may be altered by securing the panels 10 from the top of the wall or substrate downward or securing the panels on one side of a wall or substrate and moving to the other side of the wall or substrate . in yet another embodiment of the present invention , a radius clip snap grid 88 may be secured to the wall or substrate and a panel 10 or wall cap may be secured to the snap grid 88 . fig2 a and 21 b depict one embodiment of a snap grid 88 that may be utilized with the present invention . in general , the snap grid 88 of this embodiment includes a sheet 90 having a plurality of sockets 74 aligning one or more edges . the snap grid may be secured to the wall or substrate by any means know in the art including but not limited to screws , nails , rivets , adhesives and the like . once secured to the wall , a panel 10 or wall cap may be adjoined to the snap grid 88 with one or more radius clip ( s ) 76 . fig2 a - 22 c depict one embodiment of a wall cap 92 that may be secured to a snap grid of the present invention . in various embodiments , the wall cap 92 includes a front surface 12 and a back surface 14 . in the depicted embodiments , the back surface 14 includes a plurality of ribs 94 to provide additional stability and structure to the wall cap 92 . in some embodiments , a plurality of radius clips 76 may be secured to the back surface 14 and / or ribs 94 of the wall cap 92 and subsequently snapped into the snap grid 88 already positioned on the wall . fig2 a - 23 e depict one embodiment of a corner panel 64 that may be utilized with the panels and radius clips 76 described above . in this embodiment , the corner panel 64 generally includes a plurality of stones 66 molded into the front surface 12 . however , in other embodiments , the corner panel 64 may also be molded to feature only a single stone . in some embodiments that include a plurality of stones in a single panel , the panel may include a stone projection 68 that may intersect with one or more regular panels 10 or a recess 70 of another adjacent corner panel when covering a wrap around wall . it is noted that the recess 70 may be used to receive a regular panel 10 when covering a corner . similar to the panels described above , the corner panel 64 includes sockets 74 that extend along the top , bottom and / or one or more sides of the corner panel 64 that may be utilized to adjoin the corner panels 64 to adjacent panels 10 . fig2 a - 24 d depict the corner panel 64 incorporated into a wall assembly that includes a plurality of panels 10 adjoined by radius clips 76 . as previously suggested , each corner panel 64 and / or each panel 10 of the present invention may take on the appearance of a single stone , rock , timber and the like or may take on the appearance of a plurality of stones , rocks , timbers and the like . various embodiments of the present invention may be formed in a single part by processes that have manufacturing benefits , such as injection molding , structural foam molding ( e . g . low pressure multi - nozzle structural foam ), injection molding using chemical and other foaming agents , extrusion , blow molding or thermoforming . in many embodiments of the present invention , the panels 10 are foamed panels manufactured utilizing a foaming process , such as structural foam molding ( e . g . low pressure multi - nozzle structural foam , or injection molding using chemical and other foaming agents . such foamed panels provide a sturdy and rigid structure that establishes a protective barrier to the substrate and is capable of sustaining high impact . other embodiments of the present invention may be wall covering systems formed with multiple parts . for example , a veneering system may include a plurality of panels of the present invention adjoined to a grid system or backing that has been attached to a substrate surface , such as a wall surface . in certain circumstances it may be beneficial to attach a grid system or backing , such as an attachment grid , snap grid , plywood , particle board or drywall , to the surface of a wall or other structure to support one or more panels of the present invention . for example , a wall that is uneven , such as a corrugated metal sided building or an old brick or concrete building , may require a grid system , such as metal or plastic grid , snap grid , plywood or drywall , to be attached to its surface to better accept the panels of the present invention . however , it is again noted that such a grid system or backing may not be necessary . furthermore , a grid system or backing may be utilized to protect the substrate beneath when it is desired to limit the damage to such a substrate . for example , a grid system may be secured to drywall or a plastered wall in a limited number of attachment locations rather than the multiple locations required to adjoin a plurality of panels to the same drywall or plastered wall . fig2 depicts one embodiment of a grid system or backing 24 of the present invention . the grid system 24 of this embodiment includes a grid 26 comprising a plurality of intersecting horizontal and vertical members . the grid system 24 may be attached to a substrate , such as a wall , by utilizing one or more substrate fasteners 28 . examples of substrate fasteners 28 include , but are not limited to screws , bolts , adhesives , rivets , nails , and combinations thereof . in the example depicted in fig7 , the grid system 24 is adjoined to the wall surface with a plurality of screws , bolts or rivets that function as the substrate fastener 28 . fig2 depicts another alternative grid system or backing 24 that may be utilized in the present application . the grid system 24 comprises a peg board that functions in a similar fashion as the receiving portion of legos ®. the panels 10 used in this embodiment would include a plurality of pegs ( not shown ) that would be received by the peg board of this embodiment . in an alternate , but similar embodiment of the present invention , the substrate 24 and panels 10 may include the male and female components that are similar to velcro ®. fig2 depicts another embodiment of a grid system 24 that may be secured to a wall or other surface . in this embodiment , a grid system comprised of a series of tracks including a top slide bracket 34 and bottom slide bracket 36 are positioned on a substrate , such as a wall . the top slide bracket 34 and bottom slide bracket 36 are generally configured to receive one or more top slide members 38 and bottom slide members 40 positioned on the back surface 14 of a panel 10 as depicted in fig2 . it is noted that in various embodiments the one or more sets of top slide brackets and bottom slide brackets may be secured directly to the wall or surface being covered rather than securing them first to a substrate . the panels of the present invention may take the form of any shape and may be of any size . for example , as previously mentioned , the panel may be shaped in a rectangle , circular , elliptical or “ z ” configuration . panels may also be shaped to wrap around corners or fit into or onto irregular shapes . fig2 and 30 depict two embodiments of corner panels 64 that can be utilized in outside and inside 90 degree corners . the panels 10 and corner panels 64 may also be of varying size . in some embodiments of the present invention the panels 10 are greater than eight square feet . in yet other embodiments of the present invention the panels 10 are approximately two to eight square feet . in still other embodiments the panels 10 are approximately ¼ to four square feet or are ½ to 3 square feet . additionally different size panels may be utilized to provide an irregular pattern ( e . g . ashlar or ledgestone patterns ). as previously identified , any wall may be covered with the veneering product of the present invention . for example , segmental retaining wall block may be adapted to accept and secure a veneering panel of the present invention . such a panel would provide additional durability , deterioration resistance and aesthetic appearance to the normally problematic concrete product . fig3 a - e depict one embodiment of the panel 10 that may be utilized to cover a concrete block . the panel 10 of this embodiment of the present invention , generally includes a front face 12 adjoined to one or more groove attachments 96 . the front face 12 may be molded and / or fabricated as described herein to include a colored and textured surface that replicates a natural appearances , such as stone or wood . for example , in various embodiments of the present invention , a stone or wood plank may be imaged to capture the desired face and then coated with one or more polymer paints to capture the natural appearance . it is noted that other fabrication processes , such as in - mold decoration or solid surface coating , may be utilized in manufacturing the block panels of the present invention . in this embodiment , the panel 10 may extend around the side of a concrete block 100 wherein the one or more groove attachments 96 are configured to insert and secure into a groove 98 positioned on the concrete block 100 . the groove attachments 96 and accepting grooves 98 may be of a variety of shapes and sizes . another example of a panel 10 that may be utilized to cover concrete blocks is depicted in fig3 a - c . in this embodiment , the groove 98 and groove attachment 96 are in the shape of a dove tail or dogbone , thereby providing for the secure attachment of the panel 10 . fig3 b depicts the back view of a panel that includes two groove attachments 96 that are shaped in a dogbone configuration and a panel 10 that includes wrap around edges 102 . each of the panels of the present invention may be textured and include color and / or other additives ( e . g . u . v . inhibitor , texture enhancer , metal or glass particulates and the like ) to provide protection to the panels and / or provide the desired natural appearance . generally , the surface visible to the observer will include a molded and / or fabricated texture and / or pattern in the deterioration resistant material . in various embodiments of the present invention the exposed surface of the panel 10 will have a natural appearance . for example , the exposed surface of the front surface 12 may be textured and colored to have the appearance of rock , natural stone , sand , soil , clay , wood , trees and foliage , water , or any other natural earthen appearance . additionally , in other embodiments , the exposed surface of the veneering product , such as the front surface 12 may further include one or more designs ( e . g . symbols , company names , logos , images ) that may be positioned in the natural appearance texture and color ( e . g . a company logo embedded in a stone color and texture ). also , in other embodiments of the present invention , the front surface 12 may further include a design , such as the appearance of multiple bricks , stones , timbers or blocks . this allows for the installation of larger panels in a wall that appear to include a multitude of bricks , stones , blocks , timbers and the like . in many embodiments of the present invention , the appearance of the front surface 12 the other portions of the panel 10 that are intended to be seen , generally include a natural appearance . this may be accomplished in a number of ways including but not limited to thermal molding , lamination and / or coating ( e . g . solid surface coating , such as u . v . activated coating , or polymer painting ). for example , the relief , texture and color of each panel 10 may be formed by thermal molding one or more resins that include colors and other additives in a mold that has a desired texture . such a process may be performed by any process known in the art , such as thermoforming , extrusion , rotomolding , injection molding , structural foam molding , injection molding using chemical and other foaming agents , vacuum molding or any combination thereof . in many embodiments of the present invention the panels 10 are formed using a foamed process , such as structural foam molding or injection molding using foaming agents . such parts made by using a foamed process provides a part that is durable , rigid and possesses a desirable texture . in other embodiments , the texture may also be imprinted on the panel 10 in a secondary process after formation of the panel 10 by rolling a die that imprints the texture on the polymeric front surface 12 . in other embodiments of the present invention , the natural appearance can be achieved through a lamination process . in various embodiments , a sheet of polymeric material having the desired natural appearance and including the desired color and additives ( e . g . uv inhibitor , natural or synthetic stone particles . . . ) is laminated over the portions of the panel 10 , such as the front face 12 . in various embodiments of the present invention a sheet of polymeric material may include natural or synthetic particles ( e . g . granite , marble , aluminum trihydrate , aluminum oxide . . . ). generally , in the lamination process , the front surface 12 may have a sheet of polymeric material heat welded or adhered to the front surface 12 . such a lamination step may happen in a secondary step after formation of the panel 10 . alternatively , the laminated plastic sheet may be inserted into the front side of a mold and formed over the resin that is administered into the mold . for example , a sheet of polymeric material may be placed in the front end of an injection molding mold and subsequently thermoformed or vacuum formed to the front surface of the mold prior to filling the mold with resin when manufacturing the panel 10 . next , melted resin is shot into the injection mold , thereby integrating the laminated sheet into the front of the panel 10 and optionally top of the other parts of the panel 10 intended to be seen . in yet other embodiments of the present invention , the natural appearance may be achieved by utilizing a solid surface coating . the solid surface coating generally includes one or more natural mineral or fiber fillers , one or more polymeric binder resins and one or more initiators . the natural mineral or fiber fillers may include but are not limited to natural stone or rock filler ( e . g . granite , marble , quartz , limestone , shale particles ), wood fiber , hydrated alumina ( e . g . aluminum trihydrate ), ground silica , acrylic chips , calcium carbonate , aluminum oxide with pigmented polymer coated quartz , sand , and any other filler that would provide a natural stone , brick or wood appearance . various embodiments of the present invention include one or more polymerizable binder resins . in one embodiment , the present invention provides a system comprising initiators and one or more polymerizable binder resins , each binder resin bearing one or more polymerizable groups . in accordance with this embodiment , the photoinitiator group serves to initiate polymerization of the polymerizable groups , thereby forming a polymeric coating , e . g ., in the form of a layer covalently bound to the front surface of the panel via the one or more initiators . as used herein , “ polymerizable group ” shall generally refer to a group that is adapted to be polymerized by initiation via free radical generation , and more preferably by photoinitiators activated by visible or long wavelength ultraviolet radiation . suitable polymerizable compounds are selected from monomeric polymerizable molecules ( e . g ., organic monomers ), and macromeric polymerizable molecules ( e . g ., organic macromers ). as used herein , “ macromer ” shall refer to a macromolecular monomer having a molecular weight of about 250 to about 25 , 000 , and preferably from about 1 , 000 to about 5 , 000 . for purposes of the present invention , and unless specified otherwise , the term “ monomer ” when used in this respect shall generally refer to monomeric and / or macromolecular polymerizable molecules . in yet another embodiment , the polymerizable monomer compounds of the present invention comprise macromeric polymerizable molecules . suitable macromers can be synthesized from monomers such as those illustrated above . according to the present invention , polymerizable functional components ( e . g ., vinyl groups ) of the macromer can be located at either terminus of the polymer chain , or at one or more points along the polymer chain , in a random or nonrandom structural manner . examples of some polymerizable binder resins that may be utilized in the present invention include , but are not limited to , polyurethanes , polyepoxides , epoxy - acrylates , epoxide and epoxy resins , urethane acrylates , methacrylates , unsaturated polyesters , polyols , acrylics and monomers and oligomers having similar backbone structures of these resins . the coatings also include one or more initiators . generally the initiators are polybifunctional reagents of the invention carry one or more pendent latent reactive ( e . g . photoreactive or thermoreactive ) moieties covalently bonded to the resin . various embodiments of the coatings of the present invention include one or more photoreactive moieties that are sufficiently stable to be stored under conditions in which they retain such properties . latent reactive moieties can be chosen that are responsive to various portions of the electromagnetic spectrum , with those responsive to ultraviolet and visible portions of the spectrum ( referred to herein as “ photoreactive ”) being particularly preferred . photoreactive moieties respond to specific applied external stimuli to undergo active specie generation with resultant covalent boding to an adjacent chemical structure , e . g ., as provided by the same or a different molecule . photoreactive moieties are those groups of atoms in a molecule that retain their covalent bonds unchanged under conditions of storage but that , upon activation by an external energy source , form covalent bonds with other molecules . the photoreactive moieties generate active species such as free radicals and particularly nitrenes , carbenes , and excited states of ketones upon absorption of external electric , electromagnetic or kinetic ( thermal ) energy . photoreactive moieties may be chosen to be responsive to various portions of the electromagnetic spectrum , and photoreactive moieties that are responsive to e . g ., ultraviolet and visible portions of the spectrum are preferred and are referred to herein occasionally as “ photochemical ” moiety . photoreactive aryl ketones , such as acetophenone , benzophenone , anthraquinone , anthrone , and anthrone - like heterocycles ( i . e ., heterocyclic analogues of anthrone such as those having n , o , or s in the 10 - position ), or their substituted ( e . g ., ring substituted ) derivatives are utilized in some embodiments of the present invention . the functional groups of such ketones are preferred since they are readily capable of undergoing the activation / inactivation / reactivation cycle described herein . benzophenone is one photoreactive moiety that may be utilized , since it is capable of photochemical excitation with the initial formation of an excited singlet state that undergoes intersystem crossing to the triplet state . the excited triplet state can insert into carbon - hydrogen bonds by abstraction of a hydrogen atom ( from a support surface , for example ), thus creating a radical pair . subsequent collapse of the radical pair leads to formation of a new carbon - carbon bond . if a reactive bond ( e . g ., carbon - hydrogen ) is not available for bonding , the ultraviolet light - induced excitation of the benzophenone group is reversible and the molecule returns to ground state energy level upon removal of the energy source . photoactivatable aryl ketones such as benzophenone , thioxanthone , camphorpyinone and acetophenone are of particular importance inasmuch as these groups are subject to multiple reactivation in water and hence provide increased coating efficiency . other initiator may include one or more photointiated reagents including four or more reactive groups . examples of such initiators include tetrakis ( 4 - benzoylbenzyl ether ), the tetrakis ( 4 - benzoylbenzoate ester ) of pentaerythritol , and an acylated derivative of tetraphenylmethane . the azides constitute another class of latent reactive moieties and include arylazides ( c 6 r 5 n 3 ) such as phenyl azide and particularly 4 - fluoro - 3 - nitrophenyl azide , acyl azides (— co — n 3 ) such as benzoyl azide and p - methylbenzoyl azide , azido formates (— o — co — n 3 ) such as ethyl azidoformate , phenyl azidoformate , sulfonyl azides (— so 2 — n 3 ) such as benzenesulfonyl azide , and phosphoryl azides ( ro ) 2 pon 3 such as diphenyl phosphoryl azide and diethyl phosphoryl azide . diazo compounds constitute another class of photoreactive moieties and include diazoalkanes (— chn 2 ) such as diazomethane and diphenyldiazomethane , diazoketones (— co — chn 2 ) such as diazoacetophenone and 1 - trifluoromethyl - 1 - diazo - 2 - pentanone , diazoacetates (— o — co — chn 2 ) such as t - butyl diazoacetate and phenyl diazoacetate , and beta - keto - alpha - diazoacetates (— co — cn 2 — co — o —) such as t - butyl alpha diazoacetoacetate . other photoreactive moieties include the aliphatic azo compounds such as azobisisobutyronitrile , the diazirines (— chn 2 ) such as 3 - trifluoromethyl - 3 - phenyldiazirine , the ketenes (— ch ═ c ═ o ) such as ketene and diphenylketene . the solid surface coating may be applied to the surface of the veneering product of the present invention by any type of process that would provide substantial coverage of the product surface and secure attachment of the coating , such as spray coating , dip coating and the like . in various embodiments of the present invention , the solid surface coating may be administered to the product surface in a one step or two step process . for example , in a one step process , a substantially homogenous mixture of the filler , polymerizable resin and initiators are administered to the surface of the product and the initiators then subsequently activated to polymerize the resin and attach the coating to the surface . alternatively , a two step or grafting process may be utilized to administer the solid surface coating . in such a process , the initiator is first administered to the surface and activated to attach the initiator to the surface . once the initiator is attached , a substantially homogenous mixture of the filler and polymerizable resin is administered to the surface and the initiator is again activated to polymerize the resin and attach the mixture to the surface . it is noted that in various embodiments of the present invention , a tie - in layer may be applied to the surface to facilitate better attachment of the solid surface coating . for example , one or more layers , such as a silane , siloxane and / or parylene layer ( s ) may be applied to the surface prior to administration of the solid surface coating . in other embodiments of the present invention , the veneering products may be colored and further textured utilizing a painting process . one such painting process that may be used with various embodiments of the present invention is a polymer adhesion painting process wherein a polymer adhering paint is applied to the surface of the veneering product . in some embodiments of the present invention the polymer adhering paint is applied to the front surface 12 after the front surface 12 has been flame treated or plasma or corona treated . alternatively , adhesion promoters may be utilized to promote adhesion of the polymer paints rather than flaming , plasma or corona treatment . however , it is noted that the adhesion promoter may be included in the base coat or may be the base coat applied to the front surface 12 . in various embodiments of the present invention the polymer adhering paint may be a solvent or water based paint . examples of such paints are identified below . however , many of the embodiments of the present invention utilize a polymer adhering paint that has a very low gloss . for example , in embodiments of the present invention the gloss rating of the paint utilizing a 60 ° gloss meter is less than 5 and may be between 0 and 4 . in various embodiments the gloss is between 1 and 3 . in one polymer adhesion painting method , the front surface 12 of the panel 10 is manufactured utilizing a process , such as injection molding , structural foam molding ( e . g . low pressure multi - nozzle structural foam ), injection molding using chemical and other foaming agents , rotomolding , thermoforming , extrusion or any other process . next , all surfaces of the panel 10 intended to be painted may be flame treated , plasma or corona treated or treated with adhesion promoter prior to applying paint . the flame treating may be performed with any gas torch system , such as propane , acetylene and the like . plasma treatment may also be performed by any device that forms a gas plasma that can be directed to the polymeric surface . the flame or plasma treated surface should be painted within 24 hours , optionally within 8 hours and further optionally within 5 hours . once the surface has been flame , plasma , corona , or adhesion promoter treated , a polymer adhering paint , such as a polyurethane based paint mixed with a crosslinker or a waterbase paint is applied to the surface or surfaces of the panel 10 . it is noted that the polymer adhering paint mixture should be applied shortly after mixing ; in some embodiments almost immediately . one example of the types of polymer paints that may be utilized with embodiments of the present invention is a two - component polyurethane that generally includes a mix ratio of three to five parts colored paint with one to two parts crosslinker ( e . g . xl - 003 crosslinker or an isocynate ). two examples of two such polyurethane based paints are as follows : medium solids allphatic polyurethane 121 series description the 121 series is a medium solids , low temperature cure two component polyurethane for use on metal and plastic . it is used for industrial and automotive applications . this system has excellent chemical , stain , and water soak resistance . it has good adhesion to many substrates with good mar and abrasion resistance and it has 2h hardness . characteristics density - lbs / gal : 7 . 92 - 11 . 0 solids , wt . %: 45 - 67 solids , volume : 37 - 48 viscosity : 45 sec zahn # 2 flash point ° f . 78 application method : hvlp ; conv . reduction for application : 4 - base ; 1 - xl009 5 - base ; 1 - xl003 pot life : 2 hrs @ 70 ° f . cure schedule : 35 min @ 160 ° f ., air dry tack free 40 min gloss 60 °: flat to 96 voc as supplied - lbs / gallon : 3 . 6 - 4 . 3 voc as applied - lbs / gallon : 3 . 37 - 4 . 0 both polymer adhesion paints of examples 1 and 2 are manufactured and distributed by : prime coatings 1002 hickory street pewaukee , wis . 53072 www . primecoatings . net telephone : ( 262 ) 691 - 1930 alternative polymer adhesion paints that may be utilized with the present invention include solvent based paints and waterborne paints produced for low surface energy polymers , such as polypropylene and polyethylene . examples of such solvent and water based paints that may be utilized with the cells of the present invention include , but are not limited to the polyurethane based paints ( e . g . 2k high solids urethane base coat products ) produced by redspot paint & amp ; varnish company , inc . of evansville , ind . or the polyurethane , waterborne or powder based paints , such as polane ® polyurethane systems , polane ® or kem ® aquawaterborne systems , powdura ® powder coating systems , all produced by sherwin williams . two examples of waterborne paints that do not require flame , plasma or corona treatment of the panel surface prior to application are as follows : low voc waterborne coating for use on metal and plastic . it is used chemical , stain , and water soak resistance . it has good adhesion to nubond ™ description the nubond ™ ( id code : awor - 2447 ) is a medium solids , low voc waterborne coating for use on metal and plastic . it is used for industrial and automotive applications . this system has excellent chemical , stain , and water soak resistance . it has good adhesion to many substrates with good mar and abrasion resistance . code awor - 2447 description one - component waterborne coating for tpo name of product stone gray color no . n / a packaged viscosity 30 - 40 seconds # 3 zahn ( ez ) cup weight / gallon 9 . 25 ± 0 . 50 % weight solids 42 . 60 ± 2 . 00 % volume solids 34 . 85 ± 2 . 00 % gloss 2 . 0 - 2 . 2 on a 60 ° glossmeter package v . o . c . 1 . 85 ± 0 . 15 lb / gal ( minus exempt ) 0 . 85 ± 0 . 15 lb / gal ( including exempt ) method of application hvlp or conventional spray application viscosity as is reduction up to 5 % with water thinner water substrate tpo and / or polypropylene clean - up thinner water until dry / switch to mek curing conditions 30 minutes @ 200 ° f . flash time 3 - 5 minutes dry film thickness 1 . 0 ± 0 . 2 mils both polymer adhesion paints of examples 3 and 4 are manufactured and distributed by : united paint , inc . 24671 telegraph road southfield , mich . 48033 - 3035 tel : 248 . 353 . 3035 fax : 248 . 353 . 4865 www . unitedpaint . com the polymer adhering paints may further include one or more additives to provide additional beneficial characteristics . for example , additional texture may be applied to the surface of a panel 10 by including additives to the paint in fine , medium or course particulate form . such particulate additives may be selected from any suitable texture additives such as mica , sand , perlite , pumice , silica , metal , acrylic or glass beads and fibers , or any other paint texture additive . the paint additives may be included in the paint or applied in the painting process . for example , paint textures such as mica , sand , pumice and the like may be propelled ( e . g . propelled toward the surface using a device , such as a sandblaster ) or sifted ( e . g . sprinkled onto the surface using a sieve ) onto the surface of the panel while simultaneously applying the base coat and / or secondary coat ( s ) of paint . such a process disperses and entraps the texture in the coating , thereby giving a fine , medium or course textured surface . the polymer adhesion paints may be applied in any manner known in the art including , but not limited to , spraying , dipping , brushing , sponging and any other paint application method . in various embodiments polymer adhesion paint is applied by spraying . generally , less than 10 mils of paint are applied to the surface intended to be painted . in other embodiments less than 5 mils of paint is applied and in other embodiments less than 5 mils of paint is applied to the surface intended to be painted . in various examples , approximately 0 . 2 to 2 . 5 mils or 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 mils dry film thickness of base color was applied to the entire surface of panels . once the base paint has been applied , secondary colors may optionally be applied to the wet or dry base coat as desired . such secondary colors may be applied in similar ways as the base paint , such as spraying , dipping , brushing , sponging and any other spray technique known in the art . it is also noted that a primer layer may be applied to the substrate surface prior to applying the paints described herein . for example , a coating of binel , parylene or another primer coat may be applied to the surface prior to applying the paint to promote optimum adhesion . once the paint has been applied to the desired surface of the veneering panels , the product is then cured . in various embodiments of the present invention , the product is oven cured following painting at a temperature of 220 ° f . and less ( e . g . 175 ° f . to 220 ° f . ); in other embodiments 185 ° f . and less ( e . g . 150 ° f . to 185 ° f . ); and in still other embodiments 160 ° f . and less ( e . g . 100 ° f . to 150 ° f .). in various embodiments the paint , is cured at the above mentioned temperatures for a period of 2 minutes to 4 hours ; in other embodiments 5 minutes to 2 hours and in still other embodiments 5 minutes to 30 minutes . the product is then allowed to air dry . once air dried , the veneering products are ready for installation . it is noted that the curing process may be performed at room temperatures , but the curing time usually will be lengthened accordingly . again , as previously mentioned the solid surface coating , a polymeric sheet or polymer adhesion paint may be administered or laminated to any veneering product comprised of a deterioration resistant material ( e . g . plastic resin , thermoset , fiberglass , etc .). in such embodiments , the solid surface coating , polymeric sheet or polymer adhesion paint is applied to one or more surfaces of the veneering product . as previously mentioned , the veneering products of the present invention may be manufactured from a deterioration resistant , substantially rigid composite or polymeric material including , but not limited to , plastic ( e . g . recycled or virgin ), a rubber composition , fiberglass , or any other similar material or a combination thereof . preferable materials comprise light - weight and slightly flexible polymers , such as high and low density polyethylene ( hdpe or ldpe ) and polypropylene ( pp ). it is noted that a polypropylene copolymer may be utilized with the present invention , but it is recommend that the polypropylene copolymer have a polyethylene content no greater than 30 % polyethylene and in other embodiments no greater than 20 % polyethylene . however , other plastics may also be used . examples of other plastics include , but are not limited to acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene ( abs ), poly ( butylene terephthalate ) ( pbt ), poly ( cyclohexanedimethylene terephthalate ) ( pct ), styrene - acrylonitrile copolymers ( san ), polystyrene , polycarbonate , polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), polyurethane , copolymers and combinations thereof . it is also noted that the deterioration polymeric materials may also be utilized with filler materials or recycled filler materials , such as titanium , carbon fibers , talc , glass , saw dust , cellulose fibers , paper byproducts and the like . generally , the embodiments of the present invention may comprise any type of material that would have the similar characteristics to plastic , vinyl , silicone , fiberglass , rubber or a combination of these materials . one other material that may be utilized with the present invention may be a thermoset . for example , a bulk molding compound ( bmc ) or thermoset that includes one or more polyester resins , glass fibers and other additives may be utilized to manufacture one or more components of the present invention . various embodiments of thermosets and bmc is manufactured and / or molded by bulk molding compounds , inc . 1600 powis court west , chicago ill . 60185 and kenro incorporated , a carlisle company , 200 industrial drive , fredonia , wis . 53021 . it is noted that the material utilized in the present invention should be rigid enough to hold its form upon installation , impact and / or when placed in contact with other objects . another material may be comprised of a material similar to that utilized in the production of some types of garbage cans or the utilization of recycled rubber from objects such as tires . such materials would be capable of holding rigidity and still offer flexibility upon impact . also , such materials have the ability to regain its original form when the impact force has been removed or completed . embodiments of the present invention may also vary in appearance . since embodiments of the present invention may be manufactured by a process such as injection molding , structural foam molding , injection molding using chemical and other foaming agents , extrusion , thermo - forming , compression molding , roto - molding and the like , the molds may include any type of design , size and shape . furthermore , the front surfaces 12 of the panels 10 could be molded in almost any type of texture , relief and / or configuration . for example , the panels may be designed to appear like a plurality of field stones , cut stones , bricks , wood planks , or any other natural wall construction material . in other embodiments , multiple panels 10 could be molded to include designs that , when positioned on a retaining wall , would complete a larger single design , such as the spelling of a company or school name in large letters or the completion of a large image . it is noted that embodiments of the present invention may also be used in conjunction with other wall products , such as vinyl siding , bricks , stones and the like . furthermore , since the present invention may be manufactured from and / or include a number of different products , such as plastic , a rubber composition or fiberglass , the panels may include any color or a multitude of colors . the utilization of any color or a multitude of colors in the veneering products of the present invention allows ease in matching colors with the conventional wall building materials or surroundings because the materials utilized to manufacture the present invention can be colored and designed to match virtually any type of wall construction material or surrounding environment . for example , the panels of a wall installed in a beach setting may be manufactured of a plastic or rubber product and be colored to take on the appearance of sand or natural stone walls . as previously suggested the veneering product of the present invention may be utilized in the construction of any type of wall or surfacing project wherein a natural appearance , such as stone , brick or wood , is desired . in application , a substrate surface may be veneered with various panel 10 embodiments of the present invention by applying one or more of the panels to a surface of a substrate . in a number of embodiments of the present invention the process begins by preparing the substrate to be resurfaced by cleaning the substrate surface . the substrate surface may be a wall , such as an existing wall that is substantially planar and made of one or more materials , such as wood , drywall , masonry , sheathing , sheet metal , insulation ( e . g . foam insulation ), poured concrete , cinder and concrete block , segmental retaining wall block , brick and the like . in other embodiments , the substrate may be prepared by securing a grid system or backing to the substrate surface . upon identifying the substrate , one or more panels are administered to the surface of the substrate or an attached grid system or backing previously applied to the substrate surface . in various embodiments of the present invention a pattern can first be placed on the substrate surface to be covered with panels of differing shapes . for example , a pattern , such as an ashlar pattern may be applied to the wall by a rubbing or stencil , thereby leaving an image of the desired placement positions of the various shaped panels . once the stencil pattern is administered to the wall or surface , the equivalent shaped and sized panel is applied to the pattern similar to the placement of puzzle pieces in a jigsaw puzzle . it is noted that more than one pattern may be applied to the same wall thereby giving a random final appearance . the panels of the present invention may be administered to the surface or the grid system or backing by one for more fasteners , such as adhesives , rivets , screws , nails , two sided tapes , ball and socket attachments , snaps , hook and pile attachments , sliding brackets , clipping devices ( e . g . barb clip and radius clips ) sliding brackets , structural velcro ® or other attachment means known in the art that would secure the panels of the present invention to the substrate or grid system or backing . it is noted that combinations of the fasteners may also be utilized to secure the panels of the present invention . for example , various embodiments may utilize a combination of screws , nails or rivets with one or more adhesives to secure the panels to a substrate or the grid system or backing . in a number of embodiments of the present invention each panel is adhered to the substrate and / or adjacent panel with a two sided tape that includes an adhesive that has an affinity to polymeric materials . for example various embodiments of the panels may be secured with adhesives , such as the two sided vhb and acrylic or polyurethane foam tapes produced by 3m . in such embodiments of the present invention , the two sided tape may be adhered to the attachment platforms on the back surface of each panel . the backing of the two sided tape is removed and the panel is attached to the wall or substrate in the desired location . examples of such tapes that may be utilized with the panels 10 of the present invention include 4952 , 5952 , 5925 and 5962 vhb two sided adhesive tapes manufactured by 3m , 3m center , st . paul , minn . 55144 - 1000 . another adhesive tape that may be utilized includes , but is not limited to , the 4466w double coated polyethylene foam tape manufactured by 3m . other examples of suitable two sided tapes that may be utilized with the panels of the present invention include , but are not limited to , 3m ® double coated polyethylene foam tape 4492w and 4462w , 3m ® vhb ® acrylic foam tape 5952 and 5925 and 3m ® double coated urethane foam tape 4016 . additionally adhesive sealants , such as the 4000 and 5200 sealants produced by 3m may also be used to secure the panels 10 to a substrate , such as a wall . the sealants may be applied on the substrate surface or on the back surface of the panel prior to pressing the panel to the surface of the substrate by any means known in the art ( e . g . spraying or spreading ). however , it is important that the adhesive ( e . g . tape or sealant ) utilized be appropriate to adhere a resin based product . the examples listed above provide this feature . in general , the curing of the adhesive properly affixes the panel to the substrate . curing times vary depending on the adhesive , but many will cure within less than 72 hours . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , such an illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character , it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected .	8
in the following description of the preferred embodiment , reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the invention may be practiced . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . in fig3 , a block diagram of an example implementation of a broadband cable network (“ bcn ”) 300 utilizing common bit - loading within a customer premises (“ cp ”) 302 is shown . the cp 302 may be a building such as a home or office having a plurality of customer premises equipment (“ cpe ”) 304 , 306 and 308 in signal communication with the bcn 300 via a plurality of corresponding cpe signal paths 310 , 312 and 314 . the bcn 300 may be in signal communication optionally with an external antenna ( not shown ), cable provider ( not shown ) and / or direct broadcast satellite (“ dbs ”) provider ( not shown ) via external bcn path 316 . the bcn 300 may include a point - of - entry (“ poe ”) 320 , a splitter network 322 and a plurality of nodes such as node a 324 , node b 326 and node c 328 . the splitter network 322 may be in signal communication with the poe 320 , via signal path 330 , and the plurality of nodes 324 , 326 and 328 via signal paths 332 , 334 and 336 , respectively . the nodes 324 , 326 and 328 may be in signal communication with the cpes 304 , 306 and 308 via signal paths 310 , 312 and 314 , respectively . in an example operation , the bcn 300 receives input radio frequency (“ rf ”) signals from optionally the external antenna ( not shown ), cable provider ( not shown ) and / or direct broadcast satellite (“ dbs ”) provider ( not shown ) at the poe 320 via external bcn path 316 . the bcn 300 then passes the input rf signals from poe 320 to the splitter network 322 , via signal path 330 , and the splitter network 322 splits the input rf signal into split rf signals that are passed to the nodes 324 , 326 and 328 via signal paths 332 , 334 and 336 , respectively . it is appreciated by those skilled in the art that the bcn 300 may be implemented as a coaxial cable network utilizing coaxial cables and components . in fig4 , a functional diagram 400 showing the communication between various nodes 402 , 404 and 406 corresponding to the nodes in the bcn 300 , fig3 , is shown . the nodes 402 , 404 and 406 may be interconnected between node pairs utilizing corresponding inter - node channels between the node pairs . it is appreciated by those skilled in the art that even if the nodes are individually connected with one another via a signal inter - node channel between the node pairs , each inter - node channel between node pairs may be asymmetric . therefore , inter - node channels between node a 402 , node b 404 and node c 406 may be asymmetric and therefore utilize different bit - loading modulation schemes depending on the direction of the signals between the nodes . as a result , the typically asymmetric inter - node channels between node a 402 , node b 404 and node c 406 may be described by the corresponding direction - dependent node channels ab , ba , ac , ca , bc and cb . as an example , node a 402 is in signal communication with node b 404 via signal paths 408 and 410 . signal path 408 corresponds to the ab channel and signal path 410 corresponds to the ba channel . additionally , node a 402 is also in signal communication with node c 406 via signal paths 412 and 414 . signal path 412 corresponds to the ac channel and signal path 414 corresponds to the ca channel . similarly , node b 404 is also in signal communication with node c 406 via signal paths 416 and 418 . signal path 416 corresponds to the bc channel and signal path 418 corresponds to the cb channel . in this example , the ab channel corresponds to the channel utilized by node a 402 transmitting to node b 404 along signal path 408 . the ba channel corresponds to the reverse channel utilized by node b 404 transmitting to node a 402 along signal path 410 . similarly , the ac channel corresponds to the channel utilized by node a 402 transmitting to node c 406 along signal path 412 . the ca channel corresponds to the reverse channel utilized by node c 406 transmitting to node a 402 along signal path 414 . moreover , the bc channel corresponds to the channel utilized by node b 404 transmitting to node c 406 along signal path 416 . the cb channel corresponds to the reverse channel utilized by node c 406 transmitting to node b 404 along signal path 418 . in example of operation , in order for node a 402 to transmit the same message to both node b 404 and node c 406 using the ab channel along signal path 408 and ac channel along signal path 412 , node a 402 will need to transmit ( i . e ., “ unicast ”) the same message twice , once to node b 404 and a second time to node c 406 because channel ab and channel ac may utilize different bit - loading modulation schemes . in fig5 , another functional diagram 500 showing the communication between various nodes 502 , 504 and 506 corresponding to the nodes in the bcn 300 , fig3 , is shown . in fig5 , node a 502 may transmit a message in a broadcast mode ( also known as a “ multicast ” mode ) simultaneously to node b 504 and node c 506 using an a - bc channel via signal path 508 . the message transmission utilizing the a - bc channel , along signal path 508 , is the equivalent of simultaneously transmitting a broadcast message from node a 502 to node b 504 via an ab channel along signal path 510 and to node c 506 via an ac channel along signal path 512 in a fashion that is similar to transmission described in fig4 . however , in order to insure that both node b 504 and node c 506 receive the transmissions broadcast signal from node a 502 , node a 502 utilizes a bit - loading modulation scheme that is known as a common bit - loaded modulation scheme . the common bit - loaded modulation scheme transmitted via the a - bc channel , along signal path 508 , is a combination of the bit - loading modulation scheme transmitted via the ab channel , along signal path 510 , and the ac channel , along signal path 512 . it is appreciated by those skilled in the art that the different channels typically utilize different bit - loading modulation schemes because the channels are physically and electrically different in the cable network . physically the channels typically vary in length between nodes and electrically vary because of the paths through and reflections from the various cables , switches , terminals , connections and other electrical components in the cable network . bit - loading is the process of optimizing the bit distribution to each of the channels to increase throughput . a bit - loading scheme is described in u . s . utility application ser . no . 10 / 322 , 834 titled “ broadband network for coaxial cable using multi - carrier modulation ,” filed dec . 18 , 2002 , which is incorporated herein , in its entirety , by reference . the bcn may operate with waveforms that utilize bit - loaded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ( ofdm ). therefore , the bcn may transmit multiple carrier signals ( i . e , signals with different carrier frequencies ) with different qam constellations on each carrier . as an example , over a bandwidth of about 50 mhz , the bcn may have 256 different carriers which in the best circumstances would utilize up to 256 qam modulation carriers . if instead the channel is poor , the bcn may utilize bpsk on all the carriers instead of qam . if the channel is good in some places and poor in others , the bcn may utilize high qam in some parts and lower types modulation in others . as an example , in fig6 , a block diagram of an example implementation of the bcn 600 is shown . the bcn 600 may be in signal communication with a cable provider ( not shown ), satellite tv dish ( not shown ), and / or external antenna ( not shown ) via a signal path 602 such as a main coaxial cable from the customer premises to a cable connection switch ( not shown ) outside of the customer premises . the bcn 600 may include a poe 604 and main splitter 606 , a sub - splitter 608 , nodes a 610 , b 612 and c 614 , and stbs a 616 , b 618 and c 620 . within the bcn 600 , the poe 604 may be in signal communication with main splitter 606 via signal path 622 . the poe 604 may be the connection point from the cable provider which is located external to the customer premises of the bcn 600 . the poe 604 may be implemented as a coaxial cable connector , transformer and / or filter . the main splitter 606 may be in signal communication with sub - splitter 608 and node c 614 via signal paths 624 and 626 , respectively . the sub - splitter 608 may be in signal communication with node a 610 and node b 612 via signal paths 628 and 630 , respectively . the main splitter 606 and sub - splitter 608 may be implemented as coaxial cable splitters . node a 610 may be in signal communication with stb a 616 via signal path 632 . similarly , node b 612 may be in signal communication with stb b 618 via signal path 634 . moreover , node c 614 may be in signal communication with stb c 620 via signal path 636 . stbs a 616 , b 618 and c 620 may be implemented by numerous well known stb coaxial units such as cable television set - top boxes and / or satellite television set - top boxes . typically , the signal paths 602 , 622 , 624 , 626 , 628 , 630 , 632 , 634 and 636 may be implemented utilizing coaxial cables . as an example of operation , if node a 610 transmits a message to node b 612 , the message will propagate through two transmission paths from node a 610 to node b 612 . the first transmission path 640 travels from node a 610 through signal path 628 , sub - splitter 608 and signal path 630 to node b 612 . the second transmission path includes transmission sub - paths 642 and 644 . the first sub - path 642 travels from node a 610 through signal path 628 , sub - splitter 608 , signal path 624 , main splitter 606 and signal path 622 to poe 604 . the second sub - path 644 travels from poe 604 , through signal path 622 , main splitter 606 , signal path 624 , sub - splitter 608 and signal path 630 . the first transmission path 640 is typically very lossy and experiences a high amount of attenuation because of the isolation between the outputs of sub - splitter 608 . the second transmission path , however , does not experience the attenuation of the first transmission path 640 . the second transmission path results from the transmission of message signal 646 from node a 610 to the poe 604 along the first sub - path 642 which results in a reflected message signal 648 from the poe 604 . the reflected message signal 648 results from impedance mismatches between the poe 604 and the rest of the bcn 600 . as another example , in fig7 , another block diagram of an example implementation of the bcn 700 is shown . similar to fig6 , in fig7 , the bcn 700 may be in signal communication with a cable provider ( not shown ), satellite tv dish ( not shown ), and / or external antenna ( not shown ) via a signal path 702 such as a main coaxial cable from the customer premises to a cable connection switch ( not shown ) outside of the customer premises . the bcn 700 may include a poe 704 and main splitter 706 , a sub - splitter 708 , nodes a 710 , b 712 and c 714 , and stbs a 716 , b 718 and c 720 . within the bcn 700 , the poe 704 may be in signal communication with main splitter 706 via signal path 722 . the poe 704 may be the connection point from the cable provider which is located external to the customer premises of the bcn 700 . the poe 704 may be implemented as a coaxial cable connector , transformer and / or filter . the main splitter 706 may be in signal communication with sub - splitter 708 and node c 714 via signal paths 724 and 726 , respectively . the sub - splitter 708 may be in signal communication with node a 710 and node b 712 via signal paths 728 and 730 , respectively . the main splitter 706 and sub - splitter 708 may be implemented as coaxial cable splitters . node a 710 may be in signal communication with stb a 716 via signal path 732 . similarly , node b 712 may be in signal communication with stb b 718 via signal path 734 . moreover , node c 714 may be in signal communication with stb c 720 via signal path 736 . stbs a 716 , b 718 and c 720 may be implemented by numerous well known stb coaxial units such as cable television set - top boxes and / or satellite television set - top boxes . typically , the signal paths 702 , 722 , 724 , 726 , 728 , 730 , 732 , 734 and 736 may be implemented utilizing coaxial cables . as an example of operation , if node a 710 transmits a message to node c 714 , the message will propagate through two transmission paths from node a 710 to node c 714 . the first transmission path 740 travels from node a 710 through signal path 728 , sub - splitter 708 , signal path 724 , main splitter 706 and signal path 726 to node c 714 . the second transmission path includes transmission sub - paths 742 and 744 . the first sub - path 742 travels from node a 710 through signal path 728 , sub - splitter 708 , signal path 724 , main splitter 706 and signal path 722 to poe 704 . the second sub - path 744 travels from poe 704 , through signal path 722 , main splitter 706 , and signal path 726 to node c 714 . the first transmission path 740 is typically very lossy and experiences a high amount of attenuation because of the isolation between the outputs of sub - splitter 708 and main splitter 706 . the second transmission path , however , does not experience the attenuation of the first transmission path 740 . the second transmission path results from the transmission of message signal 746 from node a 710 to the poe 704 along the first sub - path 742 which results in a reflected message signal 748 from the poe 704 . the reflected message signal 748 results from mismatches between the poe 704 and therest of the bcn 700 . as still another example , in fig8 , another block diagram of an example implementation of the bcn 800 is shown . similar to fig6 and 7 , in fig8 , the bcn 800 may be in signal communication with a cable provider ( not shown ), satellite tv dish ( not shown ), and / or external antenna ( not shown ) via a signal path 802 such as a main coaxial cable from the customer premises to a cable connection switch ( not shown ) outside of the customer premises . the bcn 800 may include a poe 804 and main splitter 806 , a sub - splitter 808 , nodes a 810 , b 812 and c 814 , and stbs a 816 , b 818 and c 820 . within the bcn 800 , the poe 804 may be in signal communication with main splitter 806 via signal path 822 . the poe 804 may be the connection point from the cable provider which is located external to the customer premises of the bcn 800 . the poe 804 may be implemented as a coaxial cable connector , transformer and / or filter . the main splitter 806 may be in signal communication with sub - splitter 808 and node c 814 via signal paths 824 and 826 , respectively . the sub - splitter 808 may be in signal communication with node a 810 and node b 812 via signal paths 828 and 830 , respectively . the main splitter 806 and sub - splitter 808 may be implemented as coaxial cable splitters . node a 810 may be in signal communication with stb a 816 via signal path 832 . similarly , node b 812 may be in signal communication with stb b 818 via signal path 834 . moreover , node c 814 may be in signal communication with stb c 820 via signal path 836 . stbs a 816 , b 818 and c 820 may be implemented by numerous well known stb coaxial units such as cable television set - top boxes and / or satellite television set - top boxes . typically , the signal paths 802 , 822 , 824 , 826 , 828 , 830 , 832 , 834 and 836 may be implemented utilizing coaxial cables . as an example of operation , if node c 814 transmits a message to node b 812 , the message will propagate through two transmission paths from node c 814 to node b 812 . the first transmission path 840 travels from node c 814 through signal path 826 , main splitter 806 , signal path 824 , sub - splitter 808 and signal path 830 to node b 812 . the second transmission path includes two transmission sub - paths 842 and 844 . the first sub - path 842 travels from node c 814 through signal path 826 , main splitter 806 , and signal path 822 to poe 804 . the second sub - path 844 travels from poe 804 , through signal path 822 , main splitter 806 , signal path 824 , sub - splitter 808 and signal path 830 to node b 812 . the first transmission path 840 is typically very lossy and experiences a high amount of attenuation because of the isolation between the outputs of sub - splitter 808 and main splitter 806 . the second transmission path , however , does not experience the attenuation of the first transmission path 840 . the second transmission path results from the transmission of message signal 846 from node c 814 to the poe 804 along the first sub - path 842 which results in a reflected message signal 848 from the poe 804 . the reflected message signal 848 results from mismatches between the poe 804 and rest of the bcn 800 . in fig9 , a plot 900 of the maximum bit - loading constellation 902 versus frequency 904 is shown for the channel path utilized by node a to transmit to node b and the channel path utilized by node a to transmit to node c . line 906 represents the ab channel and line 908 represents the ac channel . the ab channel has a null 910 that represents the reflection distance from the poe to node b . the ac channel has nulls 912 and 914 . null 912 represents the reflection distance from the poe to node c and null 914 represents a harmonic that is a multiple value of the value of null 912 . in general , the nulls are caused by the properties , e . g ., amplitudes and time delays , that are unique to each transmission path in the network . returning to fig5 , the bcn , in order to insure that both node b 504 and node c 506 are able to receive a broadcast signal transmitted from node a 502 , utilizes a bit - loading modulation scheme that is known as the common bit - loaded modulation scheme . the common bit - loaded modulation scheme transmitted via the a - bc channel , along signal path 508 , is a combination of the bit - loading modulation scheme transmitted via the ab channel , along signal path 510 , and the ac channel , along signal path 512 . therefore , in fig1 a , a plot 1000 of carrier frequency signals of various bit - loading constellations 1002 versus carrier number 1004 for the ab channel path between node a and node b is shown . line 1006 represents the ab channel and follows an envelope of the constellation sizes of the 8 different carrier number signals within the ab channel . as an example , within the ab channel carrier number signals 1 and 8 may transmit at a constellation size of 256 qam , carrier number signals 2 , 3 and 7 may transmit at a constellation size of 128 qam , carrier number signals 4 and 6 may transmit at a constellation size of 64 qam , and carrier number signal 5 may be off ( i . e ., no carrier signal of any constellation size may be transmitted because of the null in the channel characteristics ). similarly in fig1 b , a plot 1008 of carrier frequency signals of various bit - loading constellations 1010 versus carrier number 1012 for the ac channel path between node a and node c is shown . line 1014 represents the ac channel and follows an envelope of the constellation sizes of the 8 different carrier number signals within the ac channel . as an example , within the ac channel carrier number signals 1 , 2 , 4 , 6 and 8 may transmit at a constellation size of 128 qam , carrier number signal 5 may transmit at a constellation size of 256 qam , and carrier number signals 3 and 7 may be off ( again , no carrier signals may be transmitted because of nulls in the channel characteristics ). in fig1 c , a plot 1016 of the common carrier frequency signals of various bit - loading constellations 1018 versus carrier number 1020 for the a - bc channel path between node a and nodes b and c is shown . in this example , plot 1016 shows that within the a - bc channel , carrier number signals 1 , 2 and 8 may transmit at a constellation size of 128 qam , carrier number signals 4 and 6 may transmit at a constellation size of 64 qam , and carrier number signals 3 , 5 and 7 are off . these carrier number signal values are the result of comparing the carrier number signals from the ab channel in fig1 a and the corresponding carrier number signals from the ac channel in fig1 b and choosing the lowest corresponding modulation value for each carrier number . the resulting common carrier frequency signals in fig1 c graphically represent signals utilizing the common bit - loaded modulation scheme . these signals would be able to transmit information from node a to node b and node c simultaneously . fig1 shows a flowchart 1100 illustrating the method performed by the bcn shown in fig3 . in fig1 , the process starts in step 1102 . in step 1104 , a transmitting node transmits a probe signal from the transmitting node to a plurality of receiving nodes . in response , the receiving nodes receive the probe signal from the transmitting node . in step 1106 , a receiving node of the plurality of receiving nodes receives the probe signal through the appropriate channel path of transmission . the receiving node then determines the transmission characteristics of the channel path from the transmitting node to the receiving node in step 1108 and in response to the determined transmission characteristics of the channel path , the receiving node determines a bit - loaded modulation scheme for the transmission characteristics of the channel path in step 1110 . it is appreciate by those skilled in the art that the transmission characteristics of the channel path may be determined by measuring the metric values of the channel path . examples of the metric values may include the signal - to - noise ratio ( also known as the “ snr ” and “ s / n ”) and / or the bit - error rate (“ ber ”) or product error rate ( per ), or power level or similar measurement of the received signal at the corresponding remote device . additionally , other signal performance metric values are also possible without departing from the scope of the invention . the receiving node then , in step 1112 , transmits a response signal to the transmitting node , informing the transmitting node of the recently - determined bit - loaded modulation scheme . the transmitting node then receives a plurality of response signals , in step 1114 , from the corresponding receiving nodes wherein each of the response signals informs the transmitting node of the corresponding bit - loaded modulation scheme determined by each of the plurality of receiving nodes . in response to receiving the plurality of response signals , the transmitting node , in step 1116 , compares the plurality of bit - loaded modulation schemes from the corresponding received plurality of response signals and , in step 1118 , determines the common bit - loaded modulation scheme . once the transmitting node determines the common bit - loaded modulation scheme , the transmitting node , in step 1120 , transmits a broadcast signal relaying the common bit - loaded modulation scheme to the plurality of receiving nodes . this broadcast signal may either contain handshake information from the transmitting node to the plurality of receiving nodes or it may actually be a communication message containing information such as video , music , voice and / or other data . in decision step 1122 , if all the nodes in bcn have performed the handshake process that determines the common bit - loaded modulation scheme in steps 1102 through 1120 , the handshake process is complete and process ends in step 1124 , at which time the bcn may begin to freely transmit information between the various nodes . if instead , there are still nodes in the bcn that have not performed the handshake process that determines the common bit - loaded modulation scheme in steps 1102 through 1120 , the process then returns to step 1126 . in step 1126 , the bcn selects the next node in the bcn and the process steps 1102 to 1122 repeat again . once all the nodes in the bcn have preformed the handshake process , the handshake process is complete and process ends in step 1124 at which time the bcn may begin to freely transmit information between the various nodes . the process in fig1 may be performed by hardware or software . if the process is performed by software , the software may reside in software memory ( not shown ) in the bcn . the software in software memory may include an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions ( i . e ., “ logic ” that may be implemented either in digital form such as digital circuitry or source code or in analog form such as analog circuitry or an analog source such as an analog electrical , sound or video signal ), may selectively be embodied in any computer - readable ( or signal - bearing ) 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 may selectively fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device and execute the instructions . in the context of this document , a “ computer - readable medium ” and / or “ signal - bearing medium ” is any means that may contain , store , communicate , propagate , or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . the computer readable medium may selectively be , for example but not limited to , an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system , apparatus , device , or propagation medium . more specific examples , that is “ a non - exhaustive list ” of the computer - readable media , would include the following : an electrical connection ( electronic ) having one or more wires , a portable computer diskette ( magnetic ), a ram ( electronic ), a read - only memory “ rom ” ( electronic ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom or flash memory ) ( electronic ), an optical fiber ( optical ), and a portable compact disc read - only memory “ cdrom ” ( optical ). note that the computer - readable medium may even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed , as the program can be electronically captured , via for instance , optical scanning of the paper or other medium , then compiled , interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary , and then stored in a computer memory . while various embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention .	7
a simplified sectional side view drawing of the bill receiving and payout device 20 is shown in fig1 having a bill validation passage 22 with its associated sensors and circuitry placed the general location 24 for the validation of inserted bills . within the elongate portion 26 of the device 20 , a validated bill is directed upward in a passage first direction 28 along the one side of a first bill receiving chamber 30 having a bill payback outlet 32 . the passage first direction 28 is redirected around at path 34 and extends in the opposite passage second direction 36 along the rear side of the first bill receiving chamber 30 . the second bill receiving chamber 38 extends along the outer side of the passage second direction 36 across from , and aligned with the first bill receiving chamber 30 . the bill conveying apparatus for conveying a bill to the passage first or second directions 28 or 36 is accomplished by belts ( not shown ) moved along the passageways by pulleys 40 through 60 which support the left portion of the bills . a corresponding set of pulleys and belts ( not shown and directly behind ) are located to support the right portion of the said bills . the space between the left and right belt supported edges is sufficient to transfer bills out from the bill passage way 28 or 36 and into the first or second bill receiving chamber 30 or 38 , respectively . a bill pushing member 62 ( slightly less in width than the space between the bill supported edges in the passages ) moves in a reciprocating motion across the passage first direction 28 to place a bill in the first bill receiving chamber 30 when the bill is positioned in front of the bill pushing member 62 , and is controlled by the scissor mechanism 64 and driven by the motor / gear reciprocating device ( not shown ) in location 66 . a bill is pushed in the second bill receiving chamber 38 when it is in a predetermined position in the passage second direction 36 by the bill pushing member 70 located at the rear of the first bill receiving chamber 30 . the bill pushing member 70 is moved by the bill pushing member 62 pushing the stacked bills of the first bill receiving chamber 30 with its projection 72 pushing the scissor mechanism 74 . this moves the pushing member 70 ( which is slightly less in width than the unsupported central portion of the bill ) to move the bill from the passage 36 and into the second receiving chamber 38 . typically only the lowest denomination bills are stacked in the first receiving chamber 30 for bill payback . this is provided by removing a rearmost stacked bill 96 ( shown in fig4 in more detail ) from the first bill receiving chamber 30 by moving it through the bill payback outlet 32 via the path 78 to the passages 34 , 28 and the bill validation passage 22 by operating the bill conveying apparatus in the reverse direction to convey the bill out to the bill inlet 80 for customer payback . the driving rollers 82 and 84 are geared together with the conveying apparatus of first and second passages 28 and 36 by pulley 40 to convey the bill while in the validation passage 22 . the idler rollers 86 and 88 maintain a bill &# 39 ; s contact with the driven pulley 82 when being moved between the passages 28 and 22 . idler roller 85 maintains a bill &# 39 ; s contact with driving roller 84 . the cross sectional left side view of the preferred embodiment in fig2 shows further details of the bill inlet 80 , the conveying belt 90 with its pulleys 40 and 42 , and pressure rollers 92 and 94 . the conveyer belt 90 is directed around the pulleys and rollers 40 , 42 , 92 , 94 , to convey the bill along the passage first direction 28 . the second conveyor belt 91 is positioned for the redirected passage 34 and the opposite passage second direction 36 controlled by pulleys and rollers 44 through 60 . the pulleys 82 and 84 with pressure rollers 86 and 88 are geared with the driven pulley 40 to transport the bill between the bill inlet 80 ( outlet ) at the validation passage 22 and passage first direction 28 . the belts , pulleys and rollers for conveying the bill &# 39 ; s right edge is directly behind the ones shown herein for the left side . the bill pushing member 62 connected to the scissor mechanism 64 ( shown in repose position ) is driven by the motor / gear reciprocating device in location 66 to transfer a bill from the passage first direction 28 to the first bill receiving chamber 30 . the press plate 95 is provided for pushing bills received in the bill receiving chamber 30 inwardly by the force of spring 97 . in fig3 the scissor mechanism 64 is shown in the extended position moving its bill pushing member 62 to transfer a bill 96 into the first bill receiving chamber 30 which also pushes the spring loaded press plate 95 with its projection 72 to operate the scissor mechanism 74 at the rear of the receiving chamber 30 . this moves the pushing member 70 and will transfer a bill when it is conveyed to the passage 36 for transferring into the second receiving chamber 38 . the rollers 98 , 100 and 102 will extract the rearmost bill 96 to the path 78 as will be detailed next . fig4 is a cross sectional left side view just past the left conveying belts showing the bill rollers for paying out bills from the first bill receiving chamber 30 . the separation cam roller 98 is geared with driving rollers 100 and 102 and geared with the payout motor located at the location 108 . during the first step for bill payback , the bill stack 104 is pushed against the upper bill retainer 106 by the pusher plate 62 ( shown in fig3 ) and places the rearmost bill 96 in close relationship to the separation cam roller 98 which has a contact surface which consists of a material of a large coefficient of friction such as rubber . in fig5 the second step for bill payback occurs with the separation cam roller 98 rotating clockwise ( together with rollers 100 and 102 ) to engage and retract the upper portion of the rearmost bill 96 from between the bill stack 104 and the upper bill retainer 106 until it extends around and below it to break a light beam coming from the emitting surface 109 and entering the sensor surface 110 . this guarantees that the bill 96 edge 97 has been removed from between the upper bill retainer 106 and the bill stack 104 . in fig6 the third step for bill back starts by rotating the separation cam roller 98 in the counterclockwise direction which moves the released upper edge of the bill 96 upward to enter between the roller 100 and its idler roller 112 . the upper bill retainer 106 serves to guide the upper edge of the extracted bill 96 that then continues upwards to the drive roller 102 and its idler roller 114 , and outwards through the passages 78 , 34 , 28 and into the validation passage 22 ( shown in fig2 ). the diverter gate 116 moves to open the path to the passage way 34 during payback by friction from the driving roller 102 , and close it during the time that the bills are being directed to the bill receiving chamber 38 ( shown in fig3 ). the conveying belts are operated in the reverse direction during the three steps of bill payback until the bill 96 extends out from the bill entrance 80 ( fig2 ) sufficiently to be received by the customer yet retained to prevent accidental discharge . fig7 is a side view showing the modularity feature of the preferred embodiment with its center module 118 having the first bill receiving chamber 30 , with the payback and conveying provisions . the bill validation and stacking module 120 consists of the bill entry 80 , microprocessor , primary stacker plate 62 , conveyor assembly , interconnection fingers 121 and other associated components . the left module 122 is the bill receiving chamber 38 with its spring biased bill plate and has simple means to be attached to the center module 118 attachment fingers 119 . this feature provides for the conversion of the bill validator with bill payback to one without , by simply disconnecting the center module 118 , and connecting only a bill receiving module like the left module 122 . the right and left surfaces 124 and 126 of the center module 118 are at the passage first direction 28 along the one side of a first bill receiving chamber 30 having a bill payback outlet 32 , and the opposite passage second direction 36 along the rear side of the first bill receiving chamber 30 . when the center module 118 is not used , and the bill receiving module 38 is attached to the bill receiving and validation module 120 , only the passage first direction 28 is reinstated with the primary stacker plate 62 stacking the bills directly into the bill receiving module 38 . in this instance the bill receiving module may be of a larger expandable type . conversion from validating and stacking of bills only , to include the bill payback provision of module 118 , is likewise made very easily . the following describes a defense mechanism to deter theft due to fishing a bill validator when power is removed from the unit . the theft scenario could be described as follows . a customer modifies a valid bill with a loop made of material that is difficult to detect by the bill validator and does not prevent validation of the bill . this bill is inserted and accepted by the bill validator and the customer receives credit for the bill and ultimately change or product from the vending machine . the customer then removes power from the machine by pulling the ac power cord . while the machine and thus the unit are un - powered , the customer inserts a “ hook ” tool in the inlet , up to the cash box and hooks the loop on the previously inserted bill . this allows the customer to pull the bill out of the cash box and the bill inlet . the operation for this improved level security is that while the unit is “ idle ”, the primary stacker plate 62 is moved into a position that blocks the path to the cash box used to insert the hook tool but still allows the cash box to be removed while in this position . this prevents the customer from “ fishing ” an un - powered unit . fig8 is an isometric view of the lower section of the validator inlet in the preferred embodiment of the invention showing the skew sensors 1 , validation and position sensors 2 , cross channel sensors 3 , position rear clear sensors 4 . after receives power the validator conducts a “ power on ” self test ( post ) that cycles the primary stacker plate 62 to verify proper operation . this cycle returns the plate to the “ home ” position . the home position is defined as the position of the plate which allows a bill to transport through the unit without obstruction . in this position the plate is fully retracted into main housing 66 . once post has been completed , the primary stacker plate 62 will be moved forward a predetermined number of tachometer steps . the number of steps will be chosen with the assumption that the path 26 to the cash box is blocked and the cash box is capable of being removed . because there is no sensor that allows the software to accurately locate this “ blocking ” position , the resting position of the plate for blocking purposes will vary depending on the unit and environmental conditions . under normal operations if the unit detects either of the skew sensors are broken it starts transporting the bill for data collection which places a significant amount of the bill is in the cash box . at the same time the primary stacker plate 62 will have to be retracted before the bill moves to the data collection process . the primary stacker plate 62 remains retracted until the bill is returned or stacked . if the bill is returned , the primary stacker plate 62 will be placed in the blocking position by moving it forward the predetermined number of tachometer steps . if the bill is stacked , the primary stacker plate 62 is returned to home and then moved to the blocking position . the following describes an improvement to the cross channel sensor used to protect the unit against bills with an attached string . a bill validator device capable of detecting the presence of a string or other object attached to a bill with the intention of extracting the bill after it passes the bill validator validation sensors and credit was given is known from the u . s . pat . no . 6 , 441 , 891 . the bill validator comprises a bill passageway having a first side and a second side , a light source positioned at the first side , the light source for emitting light across the passageway , a reflecting surface positioned at the second side , and a detector device positioned at the first side , the detector device for receiving light reflected from the reflecting surface . the light source apparatus , the reflective surface and the detector portion , being so positioned relative to one another that a bill traveling through the passageway will obstruct the passage of light across the passageway and a trailing foreign object attached to the bill will obstruct at least some portion of the light being laterally transmitted and reflected across the passageway , whereby the continuing obstruction of at least a portion of the light after the bill has moved past said system is indicative of the presence of a trailing foreign object connected to a bill . the cross channel sensor is susceptible to being blocked by water droplets condensing on the inlet housings of the validator . in other conditions fine icing could occur and have a similar effect . this condensation causes a false position where the validator reacts as thought it is being cheated and enters a defense state . in this state the primary stacker plate 62 is positioned in the cash box blocking the bill path . after a waiting period expires the primary stacker plate 62 is retracted and normal operation resumes . however , if the condensation still blocks the cross channel sensor the unit will immediately re - enter the defense state . the condensation literally places the unit out of service . the present method uses the dollar bill presented at the inlet to wick or displace the condensation in an attempt to put the unit back in service . the bill would be transported and moved back and forth in the unit . fig8 is an isometric view of the lower section of the validator inlet in the preferred embodiment of the invention showing the skew sensors 1 , validation and position sensors 2 , cross channel sensors 3 , position rear clear sensors 4 . when the validator is in the defense state and the primary stacker plate 62 is positioned in the stacker box , it will continue to monitor all the sensors that detect the bill position ( skew sensors 1 , locations sensors 4 ) and optical characteristics ( validation sensors 2 ). the inlet leds will remain in operation such that the inlet is illuminated giving the appearance that the unit is enabled . when the skew sensors 1 are broken and the validation sensors 2 are unblocked , the validator will start to transport the dollar bill forward into the unit . when the leading edge of the bill breaks the bill position sensors 2 the bill will be moved a predetermined number of tachometer steps then stopped . this number will place the leading edge of the bill past the cross channel sensor but not to the rear clear sensor . the bill is then moved in reverse until the leading edge of the bill clears the position sensors 2 . this forward then backwards movement is repeated two more times for a total of six passes past the cross path sensor area . the bill is then returned . if after the bill is returned all the position sensors ( skews 1 , cross path 3 , position 2 and rear clear 4 ) are un - broken , the plate is retracted and the unit resumes normal operation . the forgoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by the details of the embodiments presented in this description . the above specification , examples provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the invention . many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	6
according to the embodiment ( s ) of the present invention , various views are illustrated in fig1 - 3 and like reference numerals are being used consistently throughout to refer to like and corresponding parts of the invention for all of the various views and figures of the drawing . also , please note that the first digit ( s ) of the reference number for a given item or part of the invention should correspond to the fig . number in which the item or part is first identified . one embodiment of the present technology comprising method for manufacturing pork sausage teaches a novel method for manufacturing pork sausage from a butcher hog using certain portions of the butcher hog as part of a hot bone pre - rigor process . the details of the invention and various embodiments can be better understood by referring to the figures of the drawing . referring to fig1 , fig2 and fig3 the picnic / jowl meat can be hot boned 102 where the temperature of the meat is at 97 ° to 105 ° fahrenheit ( however the temperature of the meat can be within approximately the range of about 80 °- 110 ° f .). during the hot bone process , the temple meat 206 can be removed from the head and collected for hot chopping at a temperature at about 87 ° to 90 ° fahrenheit ( however the temperature of the meat can be within approximately the range of about 80 °- 110 ° f .). the head back meat 204 and pate meat 202 can be removed from the head and collected for hot chopping at a temperature at about 90 ° to 93 ° fahrenheit ( however the temperature of the meat can be within approximately the range of about 80 °- 110 ° f .). the cheek meat 208 can be removed from the head and collected for hot chopping at a temperature at about 94 ° to 95 ° fahrenheit ( however the temperature of the meat can be within approximately the range of about 80 °- 110 ° f .). the hot meat can be passed on to a bowl chopper or similar device for processing 104 the pre - rigor meat . the temperature of the picnic jowl at chopper can be about 94 - 95 ° f . ( however the temperature of the meat can be within approximately the range of about 80 °- 110 ° f .). the temperature of the temple at the chopper can be about 83 - 86 ° f . ( however the temperature of the meat can be within approximately the range of about 80 °- 110 ° f .). the temperature of the head back at the chopper can be about 86 - 88 ° f . ( however the temperature of the meat can be within approximately the range of about 80 °- 110 ° f .). the temperature of the cheek meat at the chopper can be about 88 - 89 ° f . ( however the temperature of the meat can be within approximately the range of about 80 °- 110 ° f .). after chopping the hot meat can then be salted and chilled 106 in the chopper to less than 45 °. the chilled , chopped , and salted pre - rigor blend is conveyed to the blender and further chilled 108 to about approximately 27 ° f . ( however the temperature of the meat can be within approximately the range of about 20 °- 35 ° f .). the method for pre - rigor collection and bowl chop can generally include a lean chopper collection step and a fat chopper collection step . the output collected from these steps can be blended 108 in the desired proportions . in the lean chopper collection step , lean is separated and collected from specific portions , including the hot de - bone picnic ; and the hot de - bone cheek meat . the lean can be collected from these portions for about approximately 60 - 90 minutes post mortem ( however , the range can be about approximately 30 - 120 minutes post - mortem ). the lean meat block formulation can include about approximately 50 % ( however the range can be about approximately 30 - 70 %) picnic and 50 % ( however the range can be about approximately 30 - 70 %) cheek lean meat . the lean can be scaled by proportion and added to the bowl chopper and the chopping process can begin . salt can be added to the lean during this process of chopping at about approximately 1 . 5 % ( however the range can be about approximately 0 - 2 %) of total batch weight . the chopping process can continue until piece size of the lean is at about approximately ½ ″. the chopped lean can be chilled with co 2 to about approximately 30 - 35 ° f . the chilled lean can be discharged into a combo and held for up to 72 hours prior to inputting into the final blend . the target can be in the range of about approximately 10 - 14 % blend fat . in the fat chopper collection step , fatty portions can be collected from specific portions including the hot de - bone pate , including trimming ear cartilage and glands , the hot de - bone head back , the hot de - bone temple , the hot de - bone trace lean . the fatty portions can be separated and similarly collected for about approximately 60 - 90 minutes post mortem ( however the range can be about approximately 30 - 120 minutes post - mortem ). the fat meat block formulation can include about approximately 21 . 2 % ( however can be in the range of about 15 - 25 %) head back , 24 . 8 % ( however can be in the range of about 15 - 25 %) temple , 35 . 4 % ( however can be in the range of about 25 - 40 %) trace lean ( which targets the natural fall ). the fatty portions are scaled and added to the bowl chopper . the chopping begins and salt at 1 . 5 % ( however can be in the range of about range 0 - 2 %) of total batch weight can be added during the chopping process . chopping can continue until the piece size of the fatty portions are at about approximately ½ ″. the chopped fatty portions can be chilled with co2 to 30 - 35 ° f . the chopped and chilled fatty portions can be discharged into a combo and held for up to 72 hours . the target range can be at about approximately 24 - 28 % ready to use ( rtu ) fat . rtu denoting already chopped and salted . alternate method identified due to improved operational efficiency . the method for pre - rigor collection and bowl chop can generally include a natural fall chopper collection step . the output collected from this step can be blended in the desired proportions . in the natural fall chopper collection step , pre - rigor meat is separated and collected from specific portions , including the hot de - bone picnic , hot de - bone jowl , hot de - bone cheek meat , hot de - bone pate , hot de - bone head back and the hot de - bone temple . the meat can be collected from these portions for about approximately 60 - 90 minutes post mortem ( range 30 - 120 minutes post - mortem ). the meat block formulation can include about approximately 72 . 3 % picnic , 17 . 71 % jowl , 5 . 16 % cheek meat , 1 . 39 % pate , 1 . 59 % head back and 1 . 85 % temple . the components can be scaled by proportion and added to the bowl chopper and the chopping process can begin . salt can be added to the meat during this process of chopping at about approximately 1 . 5 % ( range 0 - 2 % salt ) of total batch weight . the chopping process can continue until piece size of the lean is at about approximately ½ ″. the chopped pre - rigor meat can be chilled with co 2 to about approximately 30 - 35 ° f . the chilled lean can be discharged into a combo and held for up to 72 hours prior inputting into the final blend . the target can be in the range of about approximately 21 . 7 - 25 . 7 % rtu fat . various blends and percentages of the outputs from the lean chopper collection and the fat chopper collection or natural fall collection steps can be utilized and will vary primarily based on the type of product being produced , including producing a sausage patty product , a sausage link product , a sausage chub , a sausage grind and a dinner brat sausage link product . for the sausage patty process , the procedure can include dumping the pre - rigor lean meat into the holding hopper , and dumping the pre - rigor fat meat into the holding hopper and measuring the fat % of the components . pre - rigor lean and pre - rigor fat can be added to the final blender targeting about approximately 22 % ( or in the range of about 5 - 26 %) meat block fat . at this time various seasoning , salt and water can be added . the inputs can be blended for about approximately 1 to 5 minutes and then chilled to about approximately 27 ° f . ( or in the range of about 20 °- 35 ° f .). the blended and chilled product can be discharged into a stuffer having an in - line grind to about approximately 2 to 4 mm . the product can be stuffed into slicing slicks having a target of about approximately 1 . 5 ″ to 4 ″ diameter . the slicks can be chilled to about approximately 19 - 26 ° f . the casing can be removed and the slicks can be placed into a slicer . the product can be sliced to about approximately 1 . 0 oz to 4 . 0 oz . the slice patties can be placed on a tray and overwrapped with a label and place in the master case . for the breakfast sausage link process , the pre - rigor lean meat can be dumped into the holding hopper and the pre - rigor fat meat can be dumped into the holding hopper . the fat % of the components can be measured . pre - rigor can be added to the blender and the blend can have a 22 % ( or in the range about 18 - 50 %) target meat block fat . seasoning , salt and water can be added and the product can be blended for about approximately 1 to 5 minutes . the blended product can be chilled to about approximately 27 ° f . ( range 20 - 35 ). the blended and chilled product can be discharged into the stuffer having an in - line grind to 2 . 0 to 4 . 0 mm . the product can be stuffed into a 18 to 25 mm collagen casing and having a target length of about approximately 3 . 0 ″ to 4 . 0 ″ and a target weight of about approximately 0 . 8 oz to 2 . 0 oz . the links can be place on a tray and overwrap , labeled and place in the master case . for the sausage chub process the pre - rigor lean meat can be dumped into the holding hopper . frozen trace lean can be course ground at about approximately ½ ″, and fresh lean trim can be course ground at about approximately ½ ″. pre - rigor meat , frozen fat and fresh lean can be added to the blender with a target at about approximately 34 % ( in the range of about approximately 20 - 50 %) meat block fat and at a target of about approximately 82 % ( or in the range of about approximately 60 - 100 %) pre - rigor meat . seasoning , salt and water can be added when blending and can blend for about approximately 1 to 5 minutes . the product can be discharged into the stuffer having an in - line grind to 2 to 4 mm and stuffed having a length at about approximately 5 ″ to 12 ″, and a diameter at about approximately 2 . 50 - 2 . 60 ″, and a weight at about approximately 16 to 32 oz . the chubs can be placed in the master case . for the sausage grind process , the procedure can include dumping the pre - rigor lean meat into the holding hopper , and dumping the pre - rigor fat meat into the holding hopper and measuring the fat % of the components . pre - rigor lean and pre - rigor fat can be added to the final blender targeting about approximately 22 % ( or in the range of about 18 - 26 %) meat block fat ( maximum blend fat of 50 %). at this time various seasoning , salt and water can be added . the inputs can be blended for about approximately 3 minutes ( or in the range of about 1 - 5 minutes ) and then chilled to about approximately 27 ° f . ( or in the range of about 20 °- 35 ° f .). the blended and chilled product can be discharged into a stuffer having an in - line grind to about approximately 3 . 5 mm ( or in the range of about 2 . 0 - 4 . 0 mm ). the product can be extruded onto a tray , overwrapped , labeled , frozen and placed in the master case . for the dinner brat process , the procedure can include dumping the pre - rigor lean meat into the holding hopper , and dumping the pre - rigor fat meat into the holding hopper and measuring the fat % of the components . pre - rigor lean and pre - rigor fat can be added to the final blender targeting about approximately 22 % ( or in the range of about approximately 18 - 50 %) meat block fat . at this time various seasoning , salt and water can be added . the inputs can be blended for about approximately 1 to 5 minutes and then chilled to about approximately 27 ° f . ( or in the range about approximately 20 °- 35 ° f .). the blended and chilled product can be discharged into a stuffer having an in - line grind to about approximately 2 . 0 to 4 . 0 mm . the natural hog casing can be pre - soaked in water overnight . the casings can be placed into warm water prior to stuffing . the product can be stuffed into a 28 - 37 mm hog casing having a target length of about approximately 5 . 0 ″ to 7 . 0 ″ and having a target weight of about approximately 3 oz to 5 oz . the brats can be placed on a tray and overwrapped , labelled and placed in the master case . various tests were perform using the disclosed and claimed technology and various observations were noted regarding the test product including total color change over a selected period of time ( delta e ), generally calculated as δe =[( δl ) 2 +( δa ) 2 +( δb ) 2 ] ½ , and color saturation — chroma c . the following observations were made . 1 . initial steady ph decline beginning 0 . 75 hours post - mortem . picnic was higher in ph than cheek meat . at time 2 hours , a more rapid ph decline begins . a . picnic had a steady ph decline up to 1 . 5 hours to ph 6 . 51 . had a few outstanding data points before stabilizing at ph range of 6 . 56 - 6 . 62 b . cheek meat had a steady ph decline up to 1 hour to ph 6 . 39 . rapid decline began at 2 hours from 6 . 42 - 6 . 19 at 4 hours post - mortem . 2 . initial rise in meat temperature at 1 hour , then steady decline until temperature equilibrium is reached . a . picnic temperature equilibrium at 1 . 5 hours and 87 - 93 ° f . b . cheek meat temperature equilibrium at 1 . 5 hours and 83 - 86 ° f . c . temple temperature equilibrium at 1 . 5 hours and 81 - 85 ° f . d . head back temperature equilibrium at 1 . 5 hours and 81 - 86 ° f . e . pate temperature equilibrium at 2 . 5 hours and 79 - 80 ° f . f . trace lean temperature equilibrium at 2 . 5 hours and 82 - 83 ° f . 3 . initial increase in l values then a slow decline of values exhibited up to 4 hours post - mortem . a . picnic had an increase in l * value at 1 hour to 53 . 77 then steady decline to 46 . 84 at 4 hours post - mortem . b . cheek meat had an increase in l * value at 1 . 5 hours to 51 . 86 then a steady decline to 47 . 56 at 4 hours post - mortem . 4 . initial decline in a * values then a slow increase of values exhibited up to 3 . 5 hours post - mortem . a . picnic had a decrease in a * value at 1 . 5 hour to 16 . 55 then steady incline to 19 . 29 at 3 . 5 hours post - mortem . b . cheek meat had an increase then decrease in a * value at 1 . 5 hours to 15 . 69 then a steady incline to 19 . 39 at 3 . 5 hours post - mortem . 5 . initial increase in b * values then a rapid decline to 1 . 5 hours and stabilization to 4 hours post - mortem . a . picnic had an increase in b * value at 1 hour to 14 . 73 then declined to 12 . 37 at 4 hours post - mortem . b . cheek meat had an increase in b * value at 1 hour to 14 . 83 then declined to 13 . 47 at 4 hours post - mortem . 6 . initial decrease in δe values to 1 hour and stabilization to 4 hours post - mortem . a . picnic had a decrease in δe value at 1 hour to 11 . 92 indicating at 1 hour post - mortem the color of picnics is closest to the target . following the suggested + 2 . 3 for just noticeable difference in δe by the human eye , picnic can be collected for up to 3 hours post - mortem and be within this range . b . cheek meat had a decrease in δe value at 1 hour to 13 . 33 indicating at 1 hour post - mortem the color of cheeks is closest to the target . following the suggested + 2 . 3 for just noticeable difference in δe by the human eye , cheek can be collected for up to 1 . 5 hours post - mortem and be within this range . 7 . chroma values indicate the intensity of the principle hue in the product . a higher number indicates more intensity . a . picnic had an increase in chroma value at 1 . 5 hours and began a slow decline in value to 3 . 5 hours post mortem . optimal hue intensity occurs at 1 . 5 and 4 hours . b . cheek meat had a decrease in chroma value at 1 hour and began a rapid incline to a maximum value at 1 . 5 hours . optimal hue intensity occurs at 1 . 5 hours . 8 . δl * values are an indication of how far the sample deviates from the target color when reviewing white / black . a . at 1 . 5 hours , the picnic sample had a δl * score of − 4 . 19 indicating this is the optimal time for l * value of picnics to be the closest to target . b . at 1 . 5 hours , the cheek meat sample had a δl * score of − 6 . 59 indicating this is the optimal time for l * value of picnics to be the closest to target . 9 . δa * values are an indication of how far the sample deviates from the target color when reviewing green / red . a . at 3 . 5 hours , the picnic sample had a δa * score of − 6 . 38 indicating this is the optimal time for a * value of picnics to be the closest to target . this may indicate oxygenation of the muscle . b . at 3 . 5 hours , the cheek meat sample had a δa * score of − 6 . 28 indicating this is the optimal time for a * value of picnics to be the closest to target . this may indicate oxygenation of the muscle . 10 . δb * values are an indication of how far the sample deviates from the target color when reviewing blue / yellow . a . at 1 hour , the picnic sample had a δb * score of − 7 . 45 indicating this is the optimal time for b * value of picnics to be the closest to target . b . at 1 hour , the cheek meat sample had a δb * score of − 8 . 15 indicating this is the optimal time for b * value of picnics to be the closest to target . the various implementations of the method shown above illustrate a method for processing pork sausage from a butcher hog ; barrow ( a male pig that has been castrated ) or gilt ( female pig less than six months old that has never been pregnant ), ( a pig approximately 285 lbs live weight , 6 months old and ready for market with no abnormalities ). a user of the present technology may choose any of the above implementation , or an equivalent thereof , depending upon the desired application . in this regard , it is recognized that various forms of the subject process for the manufacture of pre - rigor sausage could be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . as is evident from the foregoing description , certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein , and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications , or equivalents thereof , will occur to those skilled in the art . it is accordingly intended that the claims shall cover all such modifications and applications that do not depart from the sprit and scope of the present invention . other aspects , objects and advantages of the present invention can be obtained from a study of the drawings , the disclosure and the appended claims .	0
in the following description the term intelligent bookmark is used to refer to an associated collection of information , including an address ( e . g ., a url ) for a document ( e . g ., web page ) or other hyper - media enabled item and selected other information ( referred to herein as identifier information ). typically , the document in question is a webpage , and the description which follows assumes such is the case . however , it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the document may also be an item stored locally on a user &# 39 ; s computer , such as a word processing , spreadsheet , or presentation document , etc . accordingly , the following is by way of example , and not intended to be a limitation on the spirit and scope of the present invention . fig1 illustrates a sample , representative internet webpage 4 , displayed in a window 6 by a web browser application . using a mouse , pen and tablet , or other computer interface means ( not shown ), a user may capture a selectable area , 10 , which the user may wish to bookmark . that is , area 10 may contain information such as text , picture , audio , video , etc ., which the user may wish to quickly recover ( among other options which are discussed further below ) at a later time . the captured area becomes the source for data which will form an intelligent bookmark according to the present invention . by default , the image captured in the process of constructing the intelligent bookmark is the whole screen the user is currently viewing ( although this may be set to other selection choices by the user in appropriate applications of the present invention ). once the page is captured , the process of creating identifier information by extracting portions of the page in the best - suited manner is initiated . for example , text and html information that can be extracted from the webpage are identified and saved at 14 . keywords 16 may be identified and extracted from text 14 or other portions of the webpage . one method for identifying relevant keywords is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 470 , 307 titled “ method and apparatus for automatically identifying keywords within a document ” which is incorporated herein by reference . see also u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 659 , 730 , and 7 , 082 , 427 for other such techniques ( each of which also being incorporated herein by reference ). the url of the website 18 and the parent site 20 are extracted . other metadata information 22 , present in the webpage may also be extracted based on page metaheaders 24 . for example , date and time stamp information 26 can be extracted from the metaheader 24 . images and non - textual information 28 may be identified and extracted . based on the available information , a category or categories 30 may automatically be assigned . further , the bookmark can also be manually categorized , and keywords can be added by the user . based on user - selectable preferences , the user can also choose to have images and non - textual information 28 scanned by ocr ( optical character recognition ) to extract further text and information . further integration can be incorporated in the intelligent bookmark to generate pdf files from the website text 14 to attach to the intelligent bookmark , if necessary . advertisements 32 ( or links thereto ) can be blocked , removed , or maintained , while creating bookmarks as well . the user can manually rate the bookmark at 34 depending on his / her interest . the bookmarked site can be checked for a community rating at 36 as well , allowing for the user to further update the community rating . other features may include capturing animation / video or other display data that dynamically changes on the screen . there are a variety of cots products that capture screen animation / video by recording the screen . an example of screen capture and recording software is camtasia available from techsmith . com ( http :// www . techsmith . com / camtasia . asp ). if the user would like to capture such information , a “ record ” functionality would allow a video screenshot of such information to be stored in the intelligent bookmark . this type of “ record ” functionality can also allow for user interaction with certain websites to be recorded and bookmarked as well . interface preferences allowing creation of bookmarks with some or all of the aforementioned features will be set as a function of the desired level of complexity of the intelligent bookmarks ( i . e ., how much information should be extracted / stored , or if special functions needed to be performed ) the greater the demand on the computing resources required for a feature ( e . g ., applying optical character recognition to an image files is considered a moderately high demand feature ) the more a user benefits from disabling that feature unless truly required . collectively , the details captured above are referred to as identifier information 40 , and the address 42 and associated identifier information 40 are collectively referred to as an intelligent bookmark 44 , as shown in fig2 embodied as a database record . while the above has provided examples of certain identifier information , virtually any data which may be extracted from a document or added by a user may qualify as identifier information . thus , the concept that an address has associated with it identifier information is not intended to be limited by the foregoing . an intelligent bookmark 44 is typically stored in a data base , either on - line or off - line ( discussed further below ), which can interact with a user &# 39 ; s browser software . fig3 illustrates an interface 46 in which a user may create , view , edit , preview , etc . intelligent bookmarks . based on preferences , the user interface 46 allows the user to edit the intelligent bookmark 44 by modifying , adding or deleting the various elements of the identifier information . for example , a user may create custom categorization and keywords , adding them to those automatically generated as identifier information discussed above , the user may decide if the taken screenshot / video capture adequately contains the content to be stored , etc . this functionality can permit a user to fetch links as well . for example , a web page viewed by a user may itself contain multiple hyperlinks . in addition to bookmarking the viewed page , the user may be prompted to bookmark the pages pointed to by the hyperlinks . this is useful in cases where the user wants to gather information from a informative directory type page . additionally , the user may right - click on a link ( or take another similar action ) to “ fetch ” that link , and “ preview ” how the link would look if the user accessed the page and were to bookmark it . before the actual bookmarking , the user can preview the possible bookmarks of the hyperlinks one after another to decide which , if any , should be bookmarked . based on this , the user can save the bookmark , open the bookmark to edit , visit the actual link to bookmark manually ( screenshot / video capture ), or discard the bookmark . essentially the user is permitted to bookmark a page without accessing it manually , allowing the user to choose to bookmark selected links ( with selected identifying information ) present on a website being viewed . this allows the user to browse websites more efficiently , without having to visit pages in separate windows or pop - ups . a user can easily search through and sort intelligent bookmarks based on identifier information 40 . for example , the text / html 14 captured in the intelligent bookmark 44 may be searched . additionally , users may sort and group links based on categories 30 , or websites ( e . g ., parent website 20 ). users can also search and sort intelligent bookmarks by the frequency they have been visited or the time frame of those visits . the time frame / frequency of the visits is the number of times the user accesses the bookmark / visits the url after the bookmark has been created . the time of creation would be a time - stamp of the bookmark . users can view intelligent bookmarks in a time - line type display , illustrated in fig4 which sorts bookmarks based on the data and time stamp on the bookmark ( for example filtered by a keyword , bookmark rating , etc .) once created , an intelligent bookmark can be saved and accessed offline , fig5 a , or online , fig5 b . in the offline software model shown in fig5 a , a bookmark database 50 resides directly on the user &# 39 ; s computer 52 . the user can access intelligent bookmarks stored directly on his or her computer 52 . by being on the user &# 39 ; s machine , the software accessing the intelligent bookmarks would be able to execute commands and process information quickly without network latency . in the online model shown in fig5 b , the user &# 39 ; s computer 52 is connected to a remote server 56 . the bookmark database 58 resides on the server 56 . the software itself may be operating system - independent , allowing it to reside on a separate device 60 such as a portable usb device , an mp3 player or a bluetooth enabled device . an application that does not depend on the computer &# 39 ; s operating system directly can be portable , which allows the user the option of running it on a computer that does not have the software installed or available , such as a borrowed or public computer . this way , a user may have access to intelligent bookmark information from a number of sources , local , remote or a combination of the two . based on the device , the user can choose what resolution in which to access bookmarks or bookmark metadata . that is , a bookmark may be presented differently depending on the platform from which it is accessed . for example , accessing an intelligent bookmark via a mobile device such as a smart phone , the url and a small version of the screenshot is likely all that would be desired or prudent to display . yet accessing that same bookmark on a powerful , networked desktop pc may produce a high resolution , large format screenshot as well as a number of identifier information items . knowing the type and capabilities of the device accessing a bookmark may also permit certain specific tool behavior . for example , knowing that a bookmark is being accessed from a smartphone may cause the bookmark to be displayed with easily identified phone numbers , one - touch dialing of those phone numbers , etc . therefore the type of presentation and operational logic for bookmarks may depend upon the interface device . this also means that the information captured and stored as part of the intelligent bookmark can anticipate specific device types , and the various access formats can be preset , allowing fast access of such information without further burdening computing time with reformatting display formats , etc . in the online server model , the user &# 39 ; s computer 52 could run a pre - installed software application that communicates with the server 56 to access the remotely stored intelligent bookmark database 58 . other embodiments may include plug - ins , toolbars or flash - based applications that could run on the user &# 39 ; s computer 52 ( such as in conjunction with a web browser application ) allowing communication with the online server 56 . the user can access an interface to view , add or modify the intelligent bookmarks . this feature allows for users to easily have files accessible from the internet for later use . intelligent bookmarks on the server 56 may easily be interlinked based on category , keywords , ratings , and other metadata . essentially , users form directories or run queries to view similar intelligent bookmarks . recommendation technologies , such as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 113 , 917 , 6 , 266 , 649 , and 6 , 064 , 980 , each incorporated herein by reference , would be a way ( when applied to bookmarks ) to conceptually relate bookmarks for recommendations . the server ( or an element of the db management software ) may also prevent duplicate intelligent bookmarks . in such cases , when users want to contribute information to the bookmark , ratings , keywords , articles , pictures , video , similar websites , and other information may be contributed . besides the identifying information 40 , other relevant metadata such as the member &# 39 ; s location and other geographical factors may be used to group or categorize intelligent bookmarks . a combination of the offline ( fig5 a ) and online ( fig5 b ) model may be utilized , allowing the user to synchronize the offline data base 50 and online database 58 . since server database 58 can be accessed from a network , a user may be provided a degree of flexibility in accessing the intelligent bookmarks . referring now to fig6 , an on - line model in which a number of users 62 , 64 , 66 are in communication with a server 68 , which is in turn in communication with intelligent bookmark database 70 , is illustrated . in such a model , a community of users may share , edit , add , etc . individual intelligent bookmarks or collections of intelligent bookmarks . for example , a user 66 can initiate access to intelligent bookmarks stored in database 70 through use of a community portal ( software , not shown ) resident on server 68 . user 66 can then search , browse , copy , follow links in , etc . the intelligent bookmarks stored in database 70 . each intelligent bookmark in database 70 can include properties allowing a creator of such a bookmark to permit or deny third parties from editing or deleting the bookmark once stored . user 66 may contribute to a community rating 36 of the intelligent bookmarks in database 70 according to a rating system , designed for example to help users quickly narrow a search to relevant material . in searching by keywords , metadata , dates , ratings , etc ., urls of sites others have found relevant to a topic are more efficiently and quickly identified . a user may then follow the urls to the underlying document or site at which the information the user seeks will likely be found . the interlinked intelligent bookmark system present on a community server thus facilitates finding information through the use of the stored intelligent bookmarks . by incorporating appropriate filters , the community server can also ensure that spam and other harmful items do not reach the server , for example based on examining the individual intelligent bookmarks and the urls to which they point . furthermore , the community server can track whether links are alive and mark bookmarks as obsolete , current , new , etc . while the community aspect of the present invention is , in one sense , an adjunct to traditional web searches , the community server may itself have search engine type technology to make searches for intelligent bookmarks very efficient . intelligent bookmarks can be set to automatically expire or be archived from their database ( e . g ., 50 , 58 ). users may be prompted before such expiration or archiving depending on set preferences . archiving or deleting old bookmarks or non - relevant bookmarks preserves the wealth of information in the offline or online database 50 , 58 . fig7 presents process 80 by which a user can share an intelligent bookmark with others . sharing is typically initiated at step 82 from within an interface through which a user may interact with the intelligent bookmarks . once a user selects one or more intelligent bookmarks to share at step 84 , the user can export , share , publish or select from a number of other sharing options as follows . the user interface will typically control converting the bookmark into an appropriate format , so that a user can most easily select the appropriate sending option . while in the following we refer to the sending of an intelligent bookmark , it will be understood that the actual item delivered may be the database record representing the intelligent bookmark , a pointer to the database record located on a server or networked computer , or a combination of the two . first , an intelligent bookmark can be sent by e - mail at 86 to a user - specified address . the bookmark may be an attachment to the email message or may be a portion of the email note itself . an intelligent bookmark can be sent using instant messaging at 88 . intelligent bookmarks can either be directly instantly messaged to another , or the bookmark can be inserted as an attachment . an intelligent bookmark can be sent using a web log ( blog ) system at 90 . users can create the blog post within their bookmarks . for example , a user could comment on the selected bookmarks as they would do in a blog . this blog entry could be stored on the bookmarks as well in another metadata category . the bookmark can be activated by an html script , or by cutting and pasting into the online blogging interface provided by the blog provider . this way , users can share their blog with comments and attach the bookmarks to the post . an intelligent bookmark may be shared through internet communities at 92 , as previously discussed . again , there is significant value in providing intelligent bookmarks to an appropriate networked community , with its members able to search , rate , add to , etc . those bookmarks . the server software will typically control the uploading of bookmarks online , such as to the community database . there may be links from the community bookmark to individual bookmarks depending on whether or not the user wants the bookmark to be accessible after updates or deletion . the community may allow users to have automatic ratings of bookmarks and to find similar bookmarks based on topics , categories , etc . intelligent bookmarks may include private data and public data , and the creator of such intelligent bookmarks provided with the ability to control third party access to the private data . an intelligent bookmark can also be exported , from a client machine or a server , and saved as other types of documents at 94 . for example , a bookmark can be saved in the form of a word , excel , powerpoint , pdf , html or some other document tool or other standard . once a user selects one or more intelligent bookmarks at 84 the user may also generate bibliographic information at 96 based on the identifier information . the bibliography or other useful reference information can be easily copied and pasted into other documents . this simplifies the use of bibliographic and reference data from a bookmark . users may also import information into their bookmark database at 98 . while a typical intelligent bookmark interface will permit fetching urls from a file and generating identifier information therefrom , users may also import intelligent bookmarks from the community or other users . intelligent bookmarks may be downloaded , received via im or email , taken from a blog , or manually copied from storage media . information from intelligent bookmarks within a user &# 39 ; s database can be used to create a user profile 100 as shown fig8 . this type of profile generation does not require user accounts to be created and the profile generated can be non - personal material . fig8 shows some of the areas from which a user profile is developed . different categories 102 , topics 104 , and keywords 108 listed in the user &# 39 ; s bookmarks can provide insight into which areas are of interest to the user . based on the interaction with the user &# 39 ; s bookmarks , such as the frequency of visit which is captured at 112 and time spent which is captured at 114 , a count of the number of types of links ( e . g ., a weighting factor ) captured at 116 , and other data , behavior data 110 may be generated . also , any specific characteristics 106 of the websites bookmarked can be further informative of the user profile . the information available from the user &# 39 ; s bookmark database may be analyzed by the server and compared to other databases to derive certain conclusions on generating a user profile . profile information may also be manually set or controlled by users . once a user profile 100 is created , the user can be notified of internet websites and advertisements that might be of interest to the user . having a user profile makes it very easy for users to get suggestions to topics of interest from the community in an effective manner . in an embodiment , there may be a browsing companion ( e . g ., a plug - in software module ) on the user &# 39 ; s browser which can offer similar website and topics the user can browse based on his / her profile . as with topics of interest , advertisements and other sponsored material may be sent to users in a non - intrusive manner by the browsing companion . the user receives such targeted ad information from the server which combines user profile information with current browsing or bookmark information . this would allow for more location and demographic based advertisements as well . fig9 depicts one embodiment according to the present invention of how a category can automatically be assigned to an intelligent bookmark by referencing other databases that may reside remotely or on a user &# 39 ; s computer . these various databases may contain keyword ratings and categories , website ratings and categories , advertisement indexes , etc ., and may be updated periodically for improvement , accuracy , content , etc . depending on the embodiment , this metadata may be gathered from other third - party sources as well which may interface with the intelligent bookmark for purposes of categorization , organization and other functionalities . that is , it is possible to provide recommendations , narrow searches , and provide other services based on extrinsic data . by accessing this extrinsic data , one can use existing relational information to provide categorization , organization , recommendations , etc ., of or for information . for example , if a third party maintains a database that says that most people that like blues music will like jazz as well , this third party ( i . e ., extrinsic ) knowledge can help associate bookmarks or underlying information about blues with bookmarks or underlying information about jazz . as another example relating to articles , there may be a automatic categorization based on extrinsic categorization of frequently available keywords . if an article mentions “ c ++” and other sites frequently categorize c ++ as science & amp ; technology → computers , the system could employ that as a “ suggestion ” to similarly categorize that topic . fig1 depicts one embodiment according to the present invention of how an intelligent bookmark is created . a user begins the process 140 of creating an intelligent bookmark by accessing a bookmark interface ( bi ) at 142 . the bookmark interface may be a stand - alone software program or may be part of another program , such as a web browser application . the bookmark interface may reside on the user &# 39 ; s computer , or may be resident on a remote server . at 144 the bookmark interface captures the url of the website or document of interest . at 146 - 156 the identifying information is obtained . for example , at 146 the user may capture certain elements of the screenshot of the page of interest with a selection tool provided by the interface . a user may then drag - and - drop the selection to a desired location , representing for example storage of those selected image or image portions . users may also be able to use pull - down menus to create the intelligent bookmark . additionally , the browser may include a tool bar or button that automatically creates a fixed or customizable bookmark for a particular web page . other drag - and - drop functionalities may assist the user in changing the metadata or data fields of the intelligent bookmarks . users may drag - and - drop bookmarks from certain categories to others to have the data fields automatically reflect such changes . the bookmark interface may provide for timeline views which let a user see bookmarks chronologically , and slideshow view which allows a user to see bookmarks as a slideshow . in addition or as an alternative to drag and drop abilities and menu commands , the user may capture information via capture tools . image selecting and cropping tools may be available for user &# 39 ; s to highlight which area of the website should be in the screenshot . while default settings may simply capture as much information as possible and automatically recognize the important information of the webpage ( distinguish between menu items , advertisements , article content , etc . ), a user may use selecting and cropping tools to highlight only certain text to be captured ( or to be ignored , such as certain images , advertisements , etc .) intelligent bookmarks may also be used within documents and internet content that may be on the user &# 39 ; s computer ( not within a browser window ). this is grounded in the concept that a bookmark need not necessarily be to a web page , or even a networked document , but may in fact be the address of a local document or portion of a document . this allows a user to capture and store various content through one interface , making it easy to deal with gathering information . a tool such as a capture button is provided within the context of an application such as microsoft word . the user bookmarks content within the word document , for example by highlighting a section of the document and clicking on the capture button , which stores the bookmark to the highlighted section in the bookmarks database . this permits a user the option of capturing information while reviewing many different types of document , such as word processing documents , data bases , spreadsheets , etc . as previously mentioned , according to one embodiment of the present invention a system for creating and employing intelligent bookmarks includes a “ record ” functionality that allows the user to capture interactions and video / animation content as a video screenshot . this type of capturing functionality allows a user to bookmark video and dynamic content in addition to articles and other static elements of websites . another type of capturing interface , such as a submit button , allows users to submit bookmarks to an online server to be processed remotely . once submitted , a server may analyze the website for categorization , keywords , etc and store it in the online database . layering may also be added to intelligent bookmarks , such as present in image and video editing applications . for example , it is possible to annotate an intelligent bookmark with handwriting or highlighting on a “ layer ” above the bookmark itself , such that the addition of the annotation does not change the underlying bookmark . a view of the bookmark with or without one or more layers is possible . this layering allows users to collaborate on intelligent bookmarks as well . being able to markup information gathered from the internet in a digital version ( as opposed to printed material ) allows users to interact more efficiently with research material . such layering , highlighting , and markup allow some of the unique aspects of tablet pcs and pdas , such as pen - based interactions with content , to be employed . essentially , users are able to treat internet content as printed material by being able to easily markup and highlight the material . being digital , however , allows users all the functionality of being to hide / save / undo changes and easily communicate them to others . document versioning may also be integrated to keep track of changes in the intelligent bookmarks to reflect changes of the original website . also , document versioning may be used to allow for multiple versioning of highlights and markups to the intelligent bookmarks . while a plurality of preferred exemplary embodiments have been presented in the foregoing detailed description , it should be understood that a vast number of variations exist , and these preferred exemplary embodiments are merely representative examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability or configuration of the invention in any way . for example , while the foregoing describes certain aspects of creating , using , sharing , etc . intelligent bookmarks via a computer such as a pc , there is nothing in the various aspects of the present invention precluding its use with portable or handheld devices such as tablet computers , personal digital assistants ( pdas ), and appropriately enabled cell phones . thus , the foregoing detailed description provides those of ordinary skill in the art with a convenient guide for implementation of the invention , and contemplates that various changes in the functions and arrangements of the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention defined by the claims thereto .	6
example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings . referring to fig1 there is shown a system 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure . the system is well suited to sensing the presence and / or absence of equipment at each u location within an equipment rack 12 . in this example the equipment rack has eight u locations labeled u 0 - u 7 . locations u 0 , u 2 , u 3 and u 5 have assets positioned therein . the assets may be servers , network switches , an integrated keyboard / display system , etc . it is also possible that one asset may take up two or more u locations in the rack 12 , although for this example the assets are all shown as each taking up a single u location . each asset further includes an rfid tag 14 positioned thereon . the rfid tags are each positioned on a common side of the asset , in this example along the left side of each asset and preferably near either a forward edge of the asset or a rear edge of the asset . preferably , the rfid tags 14 are generally vertically aligned with one another when the assets are fully inserted into the u locations of the rack 12 . each rfid tag 14 may be programmed in advance with various information about the asset to which it will be attached . various information such as make , model number , type of device , serial number , power requirements , warranty information , etc ., may be encoded onto each rfid tag 14 . the system 10 further makes use of a plurality of switchable antenna systems 16 0 - 16 7 , which are positioned on the rack 12 to correspond to u locations 0 - 7 . by that it is meant that they are aligned with their respective u location such that when , for example , an asset is inserted into the u 0 location , the switchable antenna system 16 0 will be in close proximity to the rfid tag on the asset and will be able to wirelessly sense or “ read ” the data encoded onto the rfid tag 14 . it will be appreciated that wherever the rfid tags 14 are located on their respective assets , the wireless reception range will be quite limited , preferably on the order of about one meter , and more preferably less than one meter . more preferably still , the rfid tags will be selected and / or configured such that a transmission range of each is on the order of only an inch or two , which eliminates the possibility of one antenna picking up wireless signals from two different rfid tags . it will also be appreciated that , preferably , there will be one antenna system for each u location of a rack . thus , if a rack with 10 u locations is being used , then there would be ten antenna systems 16 employed . it is possible , however , that if one knows in advance that a rack will be using one or more components that each take up 2 u locations in the rack 12 , that a correspondingly lesser number of antenna systems could be employed . but a separate antenna system 16 should be used for each component that will be placed in the rack 12 . each of the switchable antenna systems 16 0 - 16 7 may incorporate an antenna element 16 a and a switch 16 b . the antenna element 16 a may take any variety of forms , for example a trace antenna on a printed circuit board ( pcb ). the switch 16 b may also take a variety of forms but in one preferred form may be an rf fet switch . when the switch 16 b is open , the antenna element 16 a is disabled , meaning it is not able to pass any sensed data from an adjacent rfid tag 14 on to an rfid reader subsystem 18 of the system 10 . when the switch 16 b is closed , then the antenna element 16 a is active and will be providing any wirelessly sensed information from an adjacent rfid tag to other components of the system 10 . an rfid reader subsystem 18 is able to decode the signals received from each of the antenna systems 16 and to pass the decoded signals on to a processing system 20 . together the rfid reader subsystem 18 and the processing system 20 form a subsystem for obtaining and using the information collected via the antenna systems 16 from the rfid tags 14 . referring further to fig1 , the system 10 may include a controller 22 responsive to the processing system 20 , or as part of the processing system 20 , for controlling activation of each of the antenna systems 16 0 - 16 7 via an associated control line 21 . more specifically , the controller 22 may be a microcontroller that selectively opens or closes the switches 16 b of each antenna system 16 0 - 16 7 via its associated control line 21 , one at a time , so each antenna system 16 0 - 16 7 may wirelessly sense and obtain any information from an adjacently positioned rfid tag 14 on an asset . the controller 22 may turn on the antenna systems 16 0 - 16 7 sequentially while incorporating a suitable delay between the turn on of adjacent antenna systems , or the antenna systems may be activated in any desired order . it is not imperative that the sensing of each u location be accomplished at very short time intervals . since the system 10 is using newly obtained information and comparing it to previously obtained information for a given u ( i . e ., shelf location ) to detect whether a change in equipment configuration has occurred in the rack 12 ( i . e ., either the insertion of a new component into a u location or the removal of a component at a given u location ), and since these actions will not be happening several times per second , it would be sufficient if each antenna system 16 0 - 16 7 is turned on possibly only 1 or more times per hour throughout the day . however , virtually any desired frequency of checking the u locations could be employed . optionally , a display 24 may also be used by which the processing system 20 can use a suitable software program to display information on the assets present in each and every equipment rack in the data center . the information could be displayed in a list format , or possibly in a graphical format , or even a combination of the two . turning now to fig2 , a flowchart 100 illustrating one example of a sequence of operation will be described for the system 10 shown in fig1 . initially at operation 102 the controller 22 is used to initiate a polling cycle by turning on the antenna system 16 0 at rack location u 0 . at operation 104 the rfid reader 18 is then used to read the information obtained by the antenna element 16 a . at operation 106 a check is then made to see if all the u locations of the rack 12 have been checked during the current polling cycle . if the answer to this check is no , then the u location is incremented by 1 , as indicated at operation 108 , and operations 104 and 106 are repeated . if the check at operation 106 indicates that all the u locations of the rack 12 have been checked during a single polling cycle , then a check is made at operation 110 to determine if there are more racks 12 to check . if the answer at operation 110 is “ no ”, then the routine may end , or may be altered to immediately start over checking the first numbered rack . if the check at operation 110 indicates that there are additional racks to check , then at operation 112 the rack number of the next rack to check is incremented by 1 , and then operations 102 - 108 are repeated . it will be appreciated that a suitable software system may be running on the processing system 20 which has information coded into it that indicates the total number of racks in the data center that need to be checked . the methodology shown in fig2 could also allow the system 10 to go to any specific rack in the data center and make a check of the components within every u location of the chosen rack . still another feature that could be easily implemented would be a component lookup feature where the user types in a component identifier ( serial number , model number , etc . ), and the system 10 indicates ( either graphically or via a list ) the location ( or locations ) of any and all such components present in the data center . those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other enhancements could be made to accommodate specific data center needs . a significant advantage of the system 10 is that only a single rfid tag needs to be used for the u location sensing to be accomplished . this may result in a significant cost savings over asset identification / tracking systems that require the use of two rfid tags for each u location of a rack . also , no manual action is required by a data center person to collect or track asset information . the system 10 will automatically sense when a component is inserted into a rack , as well as when a component is removed from a rack , and will record this information for data center personnel to use . by “ automatically sense ” it is meant that the insertion of an asset in the rack or removal of an asset from the rack will be detected by the system 10 during its polling of the antenna elements 16 and its comparisons of newly obtained information with previously obtained information for each u location of the equipment rack . the foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure . individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment , but , where applicable , are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment , even if not specifically shown or described . the same may also be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure , and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure .	6
fig1 schematically illustrates an example gas turbine engine 10 including ( in serial flow communication ) an inlet section 14 , a centrifugal compressor 18 , a combustion section 26 , a turbine wheel 30 , and a turbine exhaust 34 . the gas turbine engine 10 is circumferentially disposed about an engine centerline x . during operation , air is pulled into the gas turbine engine 10 by the inlet section 14 , pressurized by the compressor 18 , mixed with fuel , and burned in the combustion section 26 . the turbine wheel 30 extracts energy from the hot combustion gases flowing from the combustion section 26 . in a radial turbine design , the turbine wheel 30 utilizes the extracted energy from the hot combustion gases to power the centrifugal compressor 18 . the examples described in this disclosure are not limited to the radial turbine auxiliary power unit described and may be used in other architectures , such as a single - spool axial design , a two spool axial design , and a three - spool axial design . that is , there are various types of engines that could benefit from the examples disclosed herein , which are not limited to the radial turbine design shown . referring to fig2 - 4 with continuing reference to fig1 , within the combustion section 26 of the engine 10 an example combustor liner 50 is secured relative to a turbine nozzle 54 . the combustor liner 50 establishes a combustion area 58 . a fuel nozzle 62 is configured to spray fuel into the combustion area 58 . air is delivered to the combustion area 58 through apertures 66 in the combustion liner 50 . as known , the air pressure within the combustion area 58 is less than the air pressure outside the combustion area 58 . an igniter 70 ignites a mixture of fuel and air within the combustion area 58 to generate hot combustion gases g that are forced through the turbine nozzle 54 . the hot combustion gases g drive turbine wheel 30 . in this example , eight fuel nozzles 62 are circumferentially arranged about the engine centerline x . the fuel nozzles 62 are arranged such that the spray pattern of fuel from one of the fuel nozzles 62 slightly overlaps the spray pattern of fuel from an adjacent one of the fuel nozzles 62 . arranging the fuel nozzles 62 in this manner facilitates evenly driving the turbine wheel 30 with the hot combustion gas g moving through the turbine nozzle 54 . the combustor liner 50 and the turbine nozzle 54 meet at an interface 74 . in this example , the turbine nozzle 54 provides an annular opening that is defined by spaced apart , concentric outer and inner walls 64 and 65 . the annular opening of the turbine nozzle 54 is configured to receive inner and outer collar portions 80 and 81 of the combustor liner 50 . in this example , the inner and outer collar portions 80 and 81 are placed within the annular turbine nozzle 54 between the outer and inner walls 64 and 65 . the inner collar portion 80 is placed adjacent to a radially outer surface 75 of the inner wall 65 in this example . a flange 78 extends from a radially inward face of the combustor liner 50 and is configured to hold a plurality of axially aligned sealing rings 82 , such that the inner wall 65 of the turbine nozzle 54 is positioned radially between the inner collar portion 80 and the sealing rings 82 . in this example , a portion of the flange 78 is secured directly to the combustor liner 50 . welding secures the flange 78 to the combustor liner 50 in this example . other adhesion techniques are used in other examples . the flange 78 is also formed from a single sheet of material , which , in this example , is the same type of material used to manufacture the combustor liner 50 . another portion of the flange 78 establishes a channel 86 that facilitates holding the sealing rings 50 . in this example , the flange 78 has a j - shaped portion 88 that establishes the channel 86 . the sealing rings 82 are not secured directly to the flange 78 in this example and are thus moveable within the channel 86 . in this example the inner collar portion 80 , the outer collar portion 81 , the outer wall 64 , and the inner wall 65 are aligned with the engine centerline x . the higher air pressure outside the combustion area 58 exerts forces f on the sealing rings 82 , which urges the sealing rings 82 against the flange 78 and the turbine nozzle 54 to seal the interface 74 . more specifically , the sealing rings 82 are urged against the flange 78 and an inner surface 83 of inner wall 65 . in one example , the inner surface 83 is machined to facilitate maintaining the seal with the sealing rings 82 . referring to fig5 , the example sealing rings 82 have a break 90 . that is , the example sealing rings 82 are not continuous rings . as known , the interface 74 is exposed to extreme temperature variations , which can cause the sealing rings 82 , and surrounding components , to expand and contract . the break 90 accommodates movements of the sealing rings 82 as the sealing rings 82 expand and contract due to temperature fluctuations within the engine 10 . in another example , the sealing rings 82 are a continuous spiral snap ring . in this example , the break 90 of one of the sealing rings 82 is circumferentially offset from the break 90 of another of the sealing rings 82 . offsetting the breaks in this manner prevents the break 90 from becoming a significant leakage path for air through the interface 74 . that is , area of the break 90 in one of the sealing rings 82 is sealed by another of the sealing rings 82 . two sealing rings 82 are shown in this example . other examples include using more or fewer sealing rings 82 . five sealing rings 82 may be arranged together , for example . the radially outer and radially inner faces 94 of the example sealing rings 82 are rounded . in this example , the radially outer face facilitates sealing the sealing rings 82 against the turbine nozzle 54 . pointed faces or flattened faces are used in other examples . in one example , an axially directed face 98 of the sealing rings 82 includes features such as grooves or ribs that limit rotation of the sealing rings 82 relative to each other . the example sealing rings 82 are made of a carbon - based material . other examples include sealing rings 82 made of other materials . the example sealing rings 82 have a radial thickness tr of about 0 . 25 inches ( 0 . 6 cm ) and an axial thickness ta of about 0 . 08 inches ( 0 . 2 cm ). the diameter of the example sealing rings 82 is about 12 inches ( 30 . 5 cm ). features of the disclosed examples include using a sealing ring to seal an interface between a combustor and a turbine nozzle . using the sealing ring facilitates assembly of the interface between the combustor and the turbine nozzle because the sealing ring can be moved relative to the combustor liner . if leaks are found when using the sealing ring , the leaks are typically more predictable and uniform than leaks at interfaces in the prior art designs . controlled leakage amounts can also be created by the sealing rings . another feature of disclosed examples includes using breaks in the sealing rings to accommodate expansions and contractions . although a preferred embodiment has been disclosed , a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention . for that reason , the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention .	5
the preferred embodiments may be used with rake - type receivers of spread spectrum communications which have two or more time tracking units . the preferred embodiments exploit the ability of each of the time tracking units to have knowledge of the relative timing of the remaining demodulated paths and to then cancel out interfering paths which have time differences within the non - zero portion of the unit &# 39 ; s discriminator characteristic from the decision statistics forming that characteristic ( s - curve ). a look - up table , with a number of finite values equal to the number of samples per chip interval , may be used for the cancellation computations in order to provide a code auto - correlation value for time separation corresponding to a specific number of samples that is less than the total number of samples per chip . fig1 summarizes the first preferred embodiments . note that interim standard is - 95 and the wideband cdma ( wcdma ) proposals include a pilot signal which is much stronger than the data signals and can be used for time ( code ) tracking . a code time tracking unit as illustrated in fig3 has various design parameters which are further defined immediately after their presentation . these parameters provide differing unit control characteristics . the first preferred exemplary embodiment tracks a pilot signal and has the following parameters for the case of 8 samples per chip interval : ( b ) decision statistics formed with coherent averaging followed by non - coherent averaging . ( e ) early / late offset of 2 samples for path distances of at most 12 samples and offset of 4 samples otherwise . other parameter values can be readily chosen to those skilled in the art . the decision statistics ( b ) are formed by first coherently averaging the known symbol stream of a pilot signal or of a demodulated data signal for a time period over which the phase distortion introduced by the channel remains approximately constant . the non - coherent averaging that follows provides the simplest implementation for the removal of the phase dependence from the decision . non - coherent averaging is basically performed by averaging the magnitude of the coherently averaged signal . for a qpsk modulated signal , this is equivalent to computing i 2 + q 2 , where i is the in - phase component and q is the quadrature component , and averaging its value over several coherent averaging periods . alternatively , an approximation to { square root }{ square root over ( i 2 + q 2 )} may be evaluated because of simpler implementation . the threshold ( c ) for the decision statistic ( the value of the s curve of fig4 at which a delay of one sample is inserted or removed in order to adjust the timing synchronization ) and the offset ( e ) are related and selected as follows . the objective is to achieve and maintain an absolute average time error with an average value smaller than half sample period and maximum value less than 1 sample . therefore , the tracking unit should respond to time errors close to or larger than 0 . 5 sample and do so before the time error approaches 1 sample ( note that the time adjustment can only be a multiple of a sample ). notice that a time correction of 2 or more samples will necessarily introduce or have to tolerate time errors larger than 1 sample . since most frequently the time error will be less than 1 sample , the time correction should be one sample . this specifies the choice of parameter ( d ). moreover , the threshold should be such that it provides some immunity to the variations of the decision statistics due to fading and noise . therefore , since a large snr provides immunity to noise and non - coherent averaging ( large update period in the order of 10 msec ) provides relative immunity to fading , the threshold value should be within the decision s curve values for time errors in the range of 0 . 4 to 0 . 7 samples . for non - coherent averaging , the s curve value when the time error is t and the early / late offset is 6 is computed as s =( r ( t + δ ) 2 − r ( t − δ ) 2 )/ 2 r ( t ) 2 where r is the autocorrelation ; for a bandlimited signal r ( τ )= sin ( πτ / t c )/ πτ / t c . thus computing the values of s for various offsets ( 1 , 2 , 3 , or 4 samples ) and various time errors ( 0 . 5 , 1 , 2 , and 3 samples ) indicates that the best discriminator characteristic occurs for a threshold ( c ) in the range [ 0 . 12 , 0 . 20 ] ( based on { square root }{ square root over ( i 2 + q 2 )}) and an offset ( e ) of 4 samples . however , this needs to be modified for the case that the multipaths are separated by 12 samples or less ( i . e ., close to one chip ) in order to account for the presence of interference . it is preferable to decrease the discriminating ability of the s - curve by having an early / late offset smaller than 4 samples in order to reduce the non - zero range of the s - curve , increase the time separation between the early or late instant and the interfering path , and thereby decrease the effect of the interference on the decision statistics of the tracking unit . thus , if paths separated by 12 or less samples are assigned to rake fingers , a preferable value for the early / late offset is 2 samples . this value still maintains good discriminating ability for the s - curve , relative to a value of 1 sample , while providing better interference immunity than a value of 3 or 4 samples . the choices for ( f ), the duration of the coherent and non - coherent averaging periods , are determined by the phase stability properties of the channel and the update rate ( g ), respectively . the latter depends on the total time drift ( due to the clock error and the doppler shift ) and on the performance of the time tracking unit . the phase stability of the channel is about 50 - 100 microseconds for frequencies around 2 ghz and about twice as large for frequencies around 1 ghz . the phase stability also depends on the mobile &# 39 ; s speed with the channel changing faster for higher speeds . the number of non - coherent averaging periods is determined by the update rate . assuming a time clock accuracy after correction of 0 . 3 ppm and a maximum speed of 200 km / h , the maximum time drift , including the doppler shift , of the mobile &# 39 ; s clock is 0 . 5 ppm . thus , after each update period the maximum time error in samples is for an update period of 10 milliseconds , 20 milliseconds , and 40 milliseconds , the sample time error is 0 . 056 , 0 . 112 and 0 . 224 samples , respectively . the main consideration in choosing the update rate value is to provide immunity to the decision statistics of the time tracking unit from the deep fades that may be experienced by the signal as it is transmitted through the channel . the smaller the mobile speed , the longer the fade lasts , and the duration may exceed 20 milliseconds for relatively small mobile speeds . if the doppler shift is roughly estimated at the receiver , the update rate can be adjusted according to the expected fade duration . this is because the doppler shift is related to the mobile speed and the expected fade duration . however , the update rate cannot become as large as for the time drift between update periods to approach or exceed 0 . 5 chips . therefore , the update rate is lower bounded by the requirement to provide immunity to the decision statistics against fading and it is upper bounded by the requirement for the time drift between successive update rates to be adequately smaller than 0 . 5 samples . the latter requirement takes precedence of the former whenever both of them cannot be fulfilled . moreover , if the time drift during each update period is smaller than half sample , a second order time tracking loop is generally not needed . otherwise , a second order time tracking loop is needed in order to accommodate the large time drift and account for the doppler and clock shift after every update period . the update period can then be made large enough to overcome most channel fades . in urban and indoor areas the path separation can be very small , as small as 1 chip ( 8 samples ) or less , and the decision statistics of a time tracking unit with a large early / late offset may be considerably affected by the presence of other paths . this can cause noticeable performance degradation and even loss of lock . indeed , if two paths are separated by just one chip ( or slightly more ), the early statistic of the weaker path may be dominated by a stronger path that arrives on the early side and the same applies for the late statistic when the stronger path arrives on the late side . the presence of the stronger path may overwhelm the actual statistics generated for the weaker path or even change the correct sign of the early / late difference . if no provisions are taken in this case , the time tracking unit of the weaker path may gradually shift the perceived “ on time ” instant towards the stronger path and the two paths will be perceived as collapsing into one . one approach to avoid the above problem is to disregard time updates that cause the time difference of two paths to become smaller than one chip . if the time difference between two paths actually becomes smaller than one chip , the energy estimate will indicate that event by producing a signal - to - interference ratio at the time instant of 1 chip , relative to the stronger path , that is too small to be useful . then , the weaker path may be disregarded and the corresponding demodulation element may be labeled free for assignment to another path , if one exists . otherwise , the weaker path may still be considered to exist at 1 chip distance from the stronger path . paths that are actually separated by much less than a chip should not be tracked because they cannot be perfectly distinguished after despreading ( mutual interference cannot be adequately suppressed ) and the degree of diversity is reduced since the two paths are no longer completely independent . in that case , only the tracking of the stronger path should continue . the provision to prohibit the “ on time ” instants of two or more paths from coming closer than one chip may not avoid a significant increase in the time error unless one of the paths , preferably the stronger one , is allowed unconstrained time updates . for example , consider two paths separated by 1 chip interval ( or another time separation anywhere in the non - zero range of the s - curve ). if the weaker path arrives later ( earlier ) and the time drift , due to clock mismatch and doppler , is positive ( negative ), the time tracking unit of the weaker path will try to follow the clock drift but it will be inhibited from the interference from the stronger path which will in effect indicate the opposite time direction . constraining the time updates to be such that the two paths do not come closer than 1 chip may prohibit the time tracking unit of the stronger path from making the correct decision . this is because the time tracking unit of the weaker path may not be able to move the perceived “ on time ” instant and increase the perceived minimum path distance to 9 samples in order to allow the tracking unit of the stronger path to make the correct decision . obviously , the larger the early / late offset , the more prominent those effects will be . this can be avoided by always allowing the stronger path to move without constraints , enforce on a weaker path a relative distance from the stronger path that is always 1 chip or larger ( that is , time tracking updates bringing the weaker path closer than 1 chip to the stronger one are neglected ), and determine the actual existence of the weaker path at the presumed offset by the resulting sir measurement at that offset . this provision may be avoided by employing cancellation of the effect from the interfering path ( s ) on the statistics of the affected time tracking units . this is discussed in detail later in the invention . the first preferred embodiment may also exploit the ability of each time tracking unit of a rake - type receiver to have knowledge of the relative timing of paths tracked by the other time tracking units . this information can be provided by the software through knowledge of the pn code offsets used for despreading of the received signal paths and the sample taken for each signal path ( out of a total of say 8 samples , 1 sample is selected as the one being “ on time ”). the pn code offset and the selected sample depends on the relative arrival time of the paths and on the accumulated time correction associated with each time tracking unit . alternately , each time tracking unit can maintain the relative time information itself through inter - unit communication of the time updates among all time tracking units . fig1 illustrates the first preferred embodiment method for the cancellation of the interference effects from other demodulated paths on the decision statistics of the time tracking loop . it assumes that the paths causing interference are separated by 1 chip interval or less . in particular , the look - up table contains the energy - independent effects of the interfering paths on the decision statistic of each individual time tracking unit . those effects are described by a vector whose elements have a one - to - one correspondence with the discrete relative delay ( in number of samples ) of an interfering path . the actual effect from interfering paths on the s - curve of the time tracking unit of another path can be fully determined if the relative delay and the energy of the interfering paths are known . the relative delay if initially obtained using the knowledge of the offsets of the pn code used for despreading the multiple paths and the selected sample . the time information is subsequently maintained at each tracking unit by using its own time updates and importing the time update information from the other time tracking units . alternately , the software can provide the relative time information by comparing the pn code offsets used for despreading the paths and the selected samples . the energy of the multiple paths can also be provided by the respective tracking units because each tracking unit requires and obtains knowledge of the energy for the path it tracks . this energy estimate is used to normalize the decision statistic of the time tracking unit as it was previously described ( square value of the “ on time ” correlation ). once the energy of the interfering path and its relative time delay from the reference path are known , its effect on the decision statistics ( s - curve ) of the reference time tracking unit can be fully determined . the sign of the net effect of the interfering path &# 39 ; s contribution ( negative or positive ) depends on how the decision statistic is formed and whether each interfering path arrives earlier or later . for example , a path arriving later than the reference path will have a greater effect on the “ late ” part of the decision statistic of the tracking unit . thus if the decision statistic is formed as “ late ” minus “ early ” correlations , the later - arriving path will influence the decision statistic by increasing its actual value . this is because the paths are assumed to be separated by less than 1 chip . therefore , the correlation value of the interfering path with the late decision statistic of the time tracking unit will always be positive and greater than the correlation values with the early and “ on time ” decision statistics . the effect of the interfering path is quantified by the correlation value scaled by the interfering path energy . the signal used for time tracking is assumed to be demodulated ; this is the case when a pilot signal is used or when the data signal is used after tentative decisions are made on the data symbols in order to remove the data uncertainty and provide a known symbol stream . the effect of the interfering path can then be subtracted from the late statistic of the time tracking unit of the reference path , or from the “ on time ” and early statistics if the corresponding correlation value is also non - zero . same arguments apply for the early decision statistic when the interfering path arrives earlier than the reference path . if the path separation is small enough for the interfering path to be separated by less than 1 chip from both the early , late , and “ on time ” instants , its effect should be subtracted from all corresponding statistics . the functionality of the invention can be summarized as follows . the conventional approach is used for time tracking when all paths assigned to rake fingers are separated in time by an amount that is large enough so that no path affects the decision statistics of the time tracking unit of another path . typically , time separation larger than 1 . 5 chip intervals is adequate for the previous condition to be met . for paths separated in time by more than 1 chip and their time tracking unit decision statistics experience interference from other paths , the interference effect can be mitigated or completely avoided by reducing the early / late offset of the affected time tracking units below its normal ( optimally designed ) value . for example , reducing the early / late offset from half chip to quarter chip will remove any effect that an interfering path , separated in time by 1 . 25 to 1 . 5 chips from the reference path , has on the time tracking unit decision statistics of the reference path . for paths separated in time by more than 1 chip and , for the selected early / late offset value , interference with the time tracking unit decision statistics cannot be avoided , one option is to neglect time updates for the weaker path is they bring the paths closer than 1 chip interval in time . time updates for the stronger path are allowed and the existence of the weaker path is determined by an sir measurement at 1 chip interval away from the stronger path ( in the direction of the weaker path ). another option is to allow all time updates and if the paths are deemed to be separated by 1 chip interval or less , perform cancellation of the interference from one path on the time tracking decision statistics of the other . the following code excerpt illustrates a preferred embodiment interfering path correction for the simple situation of two paths . it is assumed that the interfering path affects only the late decision statistic while the effect on the “ on time ” statistic is either zero or negligible ( time separation of 7 or 8 samples ). in this code the prefix s indicates a state variable which may change , the prefix p indicates a parameter set for a simulation , and the prefixes i and o indicate input and output during iterations . the second path is assumed to arrive later than the first path and consequently , its correlation increases the value of the late statistic . dstat = i_earlylate − s_corr [ s_dist − i_tm2 ] * i_ontime2 ; if ( \| dstat \| & gt ; p_threshold * i_ontime1 ) { if ( dstat & gt ; 0 ) { o_dtime = p_step ; s_dist = s_dist − p_step − i_tm2 ; } else { o_dtime = p_step ; s_dist = s_dist + p_step − i_tm2 ; } } in the foregoing code the first line defines the decision statistic “ dstat ” to be the usual “ late ” offset correlation minus the “ early ” offset correlation for the first - arriving path timing ( i_earlylate = i_late − i_early ) minus an interfering contribution from the second - arriving path made up of the product of two terms : s_corr [ s_dist − i_tm2 ] * i_ontime2 . the other lines of code adjust these state variables in response to changes in the timings . the variable s_dist is the distance ( number of samples ) from the first - arriving path time to the second - arriving path time . i_ontime2 is the energy of the second - arriving path . i_tm2 is an adjustment of the time for the second - arriving path ; this comes from the time tracking unit for the second - arriving path and is sent to the time tracking unit of the first arriving path ( or is done in the receiver software ). i_tm2 is equal to p_step if the decision to move the “ on time ” instant towards the early instant is made , it is equal to − p_step if the decision to move the “ on time ” instant towards the late instant is made , and it is equal to zero if the decision to make no correction is made . the vector s_corr [ . . . ] component index ( s_dist − i_tm2 ) relates to the distance ( time separation ) of the second - arriving path from the first - arriving path using the current timing . vector s_corr [ . . . ] comprises of correlation values from the second arriving path for various relative delays in samples . for example , for 8 samples per chip , s corr [ . . . ] may have the following component values : s_corr [ 0 ]= 1 . 00 , s_corr [ 1 ]= 0 . 95 , s_corr [ 2 ]= 0 . 81 , s_corr [ 3 ]= 0 . 62 , s_corr [ 4 ]= 0 . 41 , s_corr [ 5 ]= 0 . 22 , s_corr [ 6 ]= 0 . 09 , s_corr [ 7 ]= 0 . 02 , and s_corr [ n ]= 0 . 00 for all n ≧ 8 . the absolute value of statistic “ dstat ” exceeding the threshold ( p_threshold * i_ontime ) implies a needed adjustment to the timing of the first - arriving path ; and o_dtime is the output time adjustment . for “ dstat ” positive , o_dtime is negative , and for “ dstat ” negative , o_dtime is positive ( o_dtime will form i_tm1 to perform time tracking for the second path ). p_step is the number of samples in a time adjustment ; typically , p_step = 1 . because the tracking unit for the stronger path makes the more reliable time correction , the tracking unit of the weaker path may use the time correction from the current update period for the stronger path while the tracking unit of the stronger path may use the time correction from the previous update period for the weaker path . as a heuristic example , consider the decision statistic for a normalized first - arriving path y ( n ) using an offset of 2 samples and a pseudo - noise code c ( n ), the desired decision statistic is : however , a delayed second - arriving path ay ( n − k ), with a the relative amplitude and k the positive delay in samples , k being smaller than the number of samples per chip , yields a received signal y ( n )+ ay ( n − k ) and the tracking loop generates : σ c ( n )[( y ( n − 2 )+ ay ( n − k − 2 ))−( y ( n + 2 )+ ay ( n − k + 2 ))]= σ c ( n )[ y ( n − 2 )− y ( n + 2 )]+ aσc ( n )[ y ( n − k − 2 )− y ( n − k + 2 )] ≅ σ c ( n )[ y ( n − 2 )− y ( n + 2 )]− aσc ( n ) c ( n − k + 2 ) because aσc ( n ) y ( n − k − 2 ) is negligible compared to aσc ( n ) y ( n − k + 2 ) for k positive , and y ( n − k + 2 )≅ c ( n − k + 2 ) if the second path timing is accurate . thus the correction for interference should subtract aσc ( n ) c ( n − k + 2 ). hence , the decision statistic , including interference cancellation , equals σ c ( n )[ y ( n − 2 )+ ay ( n − k − 2 ))−( y ( n + 2 )+ ay ( n − k + 2 ))]− aσc ( n ) c ( n − k + 2 ) ≅ σc ( n )[ y ( n − 2 )− y ( n + 2 )] where the first sum is just i_earlylate , a corresponds to i_ontime2 , the second sum is s_corr [ s_dist + i_tm2 ] for s_dist = k − 2 , and i_tm2 = 0 reflects the accurate second path timing ( no correction ). the code for the functionality of the second time tracking unit is similar to that of the first , but with the interference effects now applying to the opposite decision statistic ( early instead of late ). the first preferred embodiments could be varied in how they modify the decision statistic to account for nearby paths . in particular , a weighted combination of simultaneous multiple early - late offset cross - correlations with corresponding nearby path corrections could be used for the decision statistic . the preferred embodiments can be modified in various ways while retaining the features of a correction to the decision statistic of a tracking unit based on the states of one or more of the other tracking units in a multipath receiver . for example , the s_corr [ . . . ] vector could have different component values ; the time tracking units may have different selections for their parameter values , the decision statistics may be formed coherently , the sampling rate may be different than 8 samples per chip , etc .	7
preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig3 shows an optical system of an optical pickup according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig3 , when a laser diode light source 31 operates , the 650 nm wavelength light emitted in the divergent form from the light source 31 is sequentially reflected and transmitted by a first polarization beam splitter 32 and a second polarization beam splitter 33 . the light transmitted by the second polarization beam splitter 33 is incident to a collimating lens 34 . when a laser diode light source 40 operates , the 780 nm wavelength light emitted in the divergent form from the light source 40 is reflected by the second polarization beam splitter 33 and then , is incident to the collimating lens 34 . the collimating lens 34 collimates the light beam incident from the second polarization beam splitter 33 to be parallel to an optical axis perpendicular to the surface of a variable aperture 35 , and the collimated light is selectively transmitted by wavelength by the variable aperture 35 . referring to fig7 a and 7b , the variable aperture 35 has a region 3 for transmitting both the 780 nm wavelength light and the 650 nm wavelength light and a region 4 for transmitting only the 650 nm wavelength light . the region 4 has a hologram structure . the hologram structure includes a diffraction grating portion whose diffraction efficiency is maximized with respect to the 780 nm wavelength light having a diffraction order of non - zero and whose diffraction efficiency is 100 % with respect to the 650 nm wavelength light having the diffraction order of zero . therefore , the 650 nm wavelength light can be transmitted without diffraction by the hologram structure . referring to fig1 showing the diffraction efficiency of zero - order diffracted light corresponding to the groove depth of the diffraction grating portion , when the groove depth is 3 . 8 μm , the 650 nm wavelength light has the diffraction efficiency of 100 % as shown in a solid line overlapped with the symbol “++”, and the 780 nm wavelength light has the diffraction efficiency of 0 % as shown in a solid line overlapped with a circle . therefore , the region 4 of the variable aperture 35 is designed with the diffraction grating portion having a groove depth of 3 . 8 μm . in this embodiment , a na of 0 . 5 is used for partitioning the regions 3 and 4 . therefore , the region 3 is the portion having a na of 0 . 5 or below , and the region 4 is a portion having a na more than 0 . 5 . thus , according to the embodiment of the present invention , the light beam transmitting the portion having a na not more than 0 . 6 coinciding with the diameter of the objective lens 37 is selectively transmitted in the regions 3 and 4 of the variable aperture 35 according to the wavelengths . the variable aperture shown in fig7 b which is constructed with a hologram pattern of an asymmetric shape , eradicates a feedback noise produced by the light proceeding to an optical detection portion . the light beam transmitting the variable aperture 35 transmits through a phase plate 36 ( to be described later with reference to fig4 ), and then is incident to an annular shielding objective lens 37 . the objective lens 37 according to the present invention is designed to be focussed on an information recording surface of the dvd 8 . if the phase plate 36 of the present invention is not used , the size of the light spot formed in the information recording surface of the cd - r 9 becomes 1 . 8 μm or above when changing the disk currently in use from the dvd 8 to the cd - r 9 . however , since the conventional size of the light spot which is used in the cd - r 9 is generally 1 . 4 μm , information cannot be recorded on or read from the cd - r 9 via a light spot having a size of 1 . 8 μm . therefore , the present invention uses the phase plate 36 in order to reduce the size of the light spot so that information can be recorded or read on or from the cd - r 9 . the phase plate 36 is , as shown in fig3 , positioned between the variable aperture 35 and the objective lens 37 . the phase plate 36 includes an annular groove 361 ( see fig4 ) which is concave inwards from the surface closer to the variable aperture 35 and has a predetermined width and depth . the annular groove 361 is manufactured by injection molding or conventional molding using an etch or metal mold , in which the depth d is determined by the following equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ). here , m is an integer , n ′ and n denote a refractive index at wavelength λ ′ ( 650 nm ) and λ ( 780 nm ), respectively . in the above equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), if m ′= 3 and m = 2 , the depth d of the annular groove 361 becomes about 3 . 9 μm . the phase plate 36 having the annular groove 361 of the depth d phases - shifts the 780 nm wavelength light by 180 ° and phase - shifts the 650 nm wavelength light by 360 ° when the two wavelengths proceed to the objective lens 37 from the variable aperture 35 . fig1 is a graphical diagram showing phase variation of the two wavelengths according to the depth d of the annular groove 361 on the phase plate 36 , in which a solid line represents the phase variation with represents that with respect to the 780 nm wavelength light . when d is 3 . 9 μm , the 780 nm wavelength light has the phase of 180 ° and the 650 nm light has the phase of 360 °. thus , the 780 nm wavelength light which is phase - shifted by 180 ° has a substantially super - resolution effect and passes through an aperture compared with the case when the phase plate 36 is not used . by using the phase plate 36 , the size of the light spot formed on the information recording surface in the cd - r 9 is reduced to a degree such that information can be recorded or read on or from the cd - r 9 , to thereby remove any spherical aberration . the phase plate 36 can be modified into a protrusion form having a predetermined width and height protruding outwards from the surface closer to the variable aperture 35 . since such a modification is apparent to one having an ordinary skill in the art who knows the function of the phase plate , the detailed description thereof will be omitted . the objective lens 37 , to which the light transmitting the phase plate 36 is incident , includes an annular shielding portion 371 as shown in fig4 . the annular shielding portion 371 shields part of the light transmitting the region 3 . thus , the spherical aberration due to the changing of the dvd 8 to the cd - r 9 is reduced , and the sensitivity of the focus error signal in the focus servo system ( not shown ) is increased . the light beam reflected from the information recording surface of the dvd 8 or cd - r 9 proceeds to a light detection lens 38 from the objective lens 37 , and is focussed in the light detector 39 by the light detection lens 38 . thus , the fig3 apparatus can record or read information on or from both the dvd 8 and cd - r 9 . fig6 shows an objective lens 47 which is constructed by combining a phase plate 36 and an objective lens 37 of fig3 into a single unit . fig5 shows an optical system of an optical pickup having such an objective lens 47 . the fig6 objective lens 47 includes an annular groove 471 which is concave inwards from the surface closer to the variable aperture 35 and has a predetermined width and depth . the objective lens 47 , which is engraved with such an annular groove 471 , phase - shifts the 780 nm wavelength light by 180 ° as in the phase plate 36 and phase - shifts the 650 nm wavelength light by 360 ° . thus , among the 780 nm wavelength light incident to the objective lens 47 from the variable aperture 35 , the light beam diffracted by the annular groove 471 serves to decrease the spherical aberration with respect to the cd - r 9 . the annular groove 471 removes the spherical aberration when the dvd 8 is exchanged with the cd - r 9 . accordingly , a beam spot of a small size is formed on the information recording surface so that information can be recorded or read on or from the cd - r 9 with respect to the 780 nm wavelength light . the fig5 optical pickup includes a single unit 49 combining a light source 491 with a light detector 493 for the 780 nm wavelength light , in addition to a light source 31 , a light detection lens 51 and a light detector 53 for the 650 nm wavelength light . the fig5 optical pickup further includes a hologram type beam splitter 48 for the light output from the light source 491 of the unit 49 and the light incident to the light detector 493 . since the construction and operation of the fig5 apparatus is apparent to a person skilled in the art who can fully understand the fig3 apparatus through the above - described explanation , the detailed description thereof will be omitted . the annular groove 471 formed in objective lens 47 as shown in fig6 can be modified into a protrusion form which protrudes outwards from the surface of the objective lens 47 and has a predetermined width and depth . fig7 a and 7b are views showing a single structure combining a phase plate with a variable aperture according to the present invention . referring to fig7 a and 7b , a phase variation region contained in the region having a na of 0 . 5 or below has a ring - shaped structure . since the phase variation region performs the same function as that of the phase plate 36 , the detailed description thereof will be omitted . fig8 is a graphical diagram showing a reduction efficiency of a spot size and a side lobe . in fig8 , a curve ( a ) indicates when a conventional optical pickup optimized for a dvd is used for a cd - r , in which the spot size formed in the information recording surface of the cd - r is 1 . 53 μm . a curve ( b ) indicates when an optical pickup apparatus according to the present invention is used , in which the spot size is 1 . 33 μm . a curve ( c ) indicates when an conventional optical pickup is used for a cd - r , in which the spot size is 1 . 41 μm . it can be seen from fig8 that the optical pickup apparatus according to the present invention reduces the size of the spot by about 8 % compared with the conventional optical pickup . also , as the size of the side lobe is smaller at the time of the disk recording and reproduction , it can be seen that an amount of light in the peripheral portion of the spot which is called a side lobe , is reduced with respect to an optical pickup having a desirable optical characteristic . fig9 shows that the optical pickup apparatus according to the present invention has an excellent characteristic with respect to a focus servo signal during reproduction of the cd - r , when the optical pickup apparatus detects an optical signal in the astigmatism manner , as shown by a relatively lower graph . the above - described embodiments have been described with the structure including a variable aperture , a phase plate and an annular shield objective lens . however , using only a phase plate , the spherical aberration due to a disk exchange is reduced and an optical spot appropriate for the cd - r can be formed on the information recording surface . the above - described embodiments have been described in connection with a infinite optical system which is made by the collimating lens 34 . however , the present invention can be applied to a finite optical system which has no collimating lens located between a beam divider and an objective lens , as is apparent to one skilled in the art . as described above , the optical pickup apparatus according to the present invention uses a phase plate . accordingly , the present invention can provide an optical pickup which is used compatibly with a dvd and a cd - r with a single objective lens , without using a conventional optical apparatus which creates a problem in a manufacturing process . while only certain embodiments of the invention have been specifically described herein , it will apparent that numerous modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	6
the various features of the invention will now be described with reference to the figures , in which like parts are identified with the same reference characters . in the following description , for purposes of explanation and not limitation , specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details . in other instances , detailed descriptions of well - known methods , devices , and circuits are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention . in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention , the present invention will be described below in connection with object - oriented programming concepts . the description of the present invention in connection with object - oriented programming concepts is intended to be merely illustrative and is not meant to limit the present invention in any manner . in traditional object - oriented programming , a particular object has a state , a behavior , and an identity . the state of an object is generally considered to be the condition of the object , or a set of circumstances describing the object . a behavior can be considered as how an object acts and reacts in terms of its state changes . the identity of an object is a given value that identifies the particular object . it should be noted that the present invention takes advantage of the distributed object paradigm which allows objects to be distributed across a heterogenous network , and allows each of the components to inter - operate as a unified whole . in accordance with the present invention , the state of a user is the total amount of information sent to other users . the state of the user ( object ) can be comprised of images , personal information , 3d graphics models , position information in 3d space , and live video and audio . the behavior of a user ( object ) includes both low level functions and high level functions . low level functions include the ability to send various types of multimedia content to other clients . high level functions relate to an end user &# 39 ; s ability to understand the information and can include computer vision face analysis algorithms and other measurement tools which are used for measuring an end user &# 39 ; s ability to understand the multimedia content . the identity of an object consists of a user &# 39 ; s name and terminal identification , e . g ., in internet protocol the terminal identification can be the ip address of the terminal , while for a mobile phone , the terminal identification information can be a phone number of the mobile phone . through the exchange of state , behavior and identity information two or more users ( objects ) can individually negotiate the type and amount of multimedia content to be communicated to a particular user which provides the best understanding of the content of the multimedia data . to provide the best use of bandwidth given the concepts that one wishes to communicate , the present invention uses a set of communication heuristics that will produce the optimal state to be presented to the receiving user given a set of behaviors supported by the transmitting user . it should be noted that the heuristics are also constrained by the receiving user &# 39 ; s ability to realize the transmitted state , i . e ., the receiving user &# 39 ; s ability to reproduce the appropriate format of the multimedia content . fig2 illustrates the factors used to establish the channel mode in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention . as illustrated in fig2 , the present invention uses communication heuristics which account for network bandwidth , terminal performance , and user behavior to establish a channel mode for communication of the multimedia content to a user terminal . as will be described in more detail below , the present invention employs the maximum entropy method as the communication heuristic . since communication channels are typically bidirectional , the present invention advantageously employs two different channel modes , one for each user . accordingly , each user can be provided with the type of multimedia content needed for understanding the content therein regardless of the reproduction abilities of the other user &# 39 ; s terminal , i . e ., the present invention is not limited by the lowest common denominator between the two terminals . a user with a terminal with high processing power and a high bandwidth connection which is communicating with a terminal with a lower processing power and lower bandwidth , can receive a “ richer ” state of the other user , i . e ., more multimedia content can be provided to this user . on the other hand , the user with the lower processing power and lower bandwidth connection will receive less multimedia content . in accordance with the present invention , the maximum entropy method is used to select an optimal behavior from the list of media and media formats combinations . the formats can be e . g . given mpeg video rate , or size and compression rate of an jpeg image . first , each media format &# 39 ; s entropy is calculated . for each different combination , the entropies of its components must be added to produce its total entropy value . the combination with the largest associated total entropy value is chosen as the optimal behavior . in accordance with the present invention , entropy which conventionally is an indication of the amount of information transferred , is used to indicate the level of understanding of an end user . to determine how to efficiently produce modes of communication with various levels of detail , the maximum entropy method is employed by the present invention . in general , the maximum entropy method can be represented by the following formula : h = - ∑ i = 0 n ⁢ p i ⁢ log ⁢ ⁢ p i ( 1 ) wherein p 1 is the probability of receiving the ith piece of information in a set of n pieces of information . accordingly , entropy , h , is the amount of bits , provided log base 2 is employed , necessary to represent a given piece of information in a system . it will be recognized that the equation above results in a maximum h provided that h is 0 when there exists an i such that p 1 is equal to 1 . to account for the real - time delivery of multimedia content , time should be considered in the determination of entropy . the following formula provides a maximum entropy method which accounts for time : h ′ = - m ⁢ ∑ i = 0 n ⁢ p i ⁢ log ⁢ ⁢ p i ( 2 ) wherein m is the rate at which the symbols are sent across the channel . accordingly , the calculation of total entropy can be determined provided that there is an approximation of the probability distribution for the set of symbols or pieces of information to be transmitted . this distribution can be easily achieved by assuming that each probability of a symbol in a set of symbols is the same as every other , or more accurately by taking examples of each type of media and measuring the relative occurrence of the symbols present . these examples can be acquired in real - time or off - line depending upon the requirements of a particular application . once each media &# 39 ; s entropy per second has been calculated , they are summed to provide an estimate for the amount of entropy for the given media combination . for example , the following formula illustrates an estimate for the amount of entropy for a media combination of video , audio and 3 - dimensional models . h ′ total = h ′ video + h ′ audio + h ′ 3 d — model ( 3 ) fig3 illustrates an exemplary method for implementing the present invention . when a communication session is initially established high level and low level behavior information of terminals participating in the communication session are collected ( step 310 ). next information regarding user preferences of each of the terminals is collected ( step 320 ). the behavior information received from each of the terminals are compared to determine the behaviors common between all participating terminals to establish a filtered list of behaviors ( step 330 ). using the filtered list of behaviors and respective user preferences the maximum entropy method is employed to determine the optimal object behavior ( channel mode ) for each terminal ( step 340 ). each participating terminal then communicates multimedia content in accordance with the established channel modes ( step 350 ). it will be recognized that the description of the collection of high level and low level behaviors and the collection of user preferences in the method described above was broken into separate steps for ease of explanation . however , it will be recognized that these two steps can be combined into a single step . further , the collection of information and establishment of channel modes for each of the terminals can be performed in a central network location such as a server or gateway , or it can be performed in each terminal . fig4 illustrates an exemplary network including two users in accordance with the present invention . assume that user a is a terminal with a large amount of processing power and has a large bandwidth connection to the network and user b is a terminal with a small amount of processing power and a low bandwidth connection to the network . as discussed above , at the initiation of the communication session , user a and user b exchange information regarding their own behavior . assume that user a &# 39 ; s behavior includes video formats mpeg 1 - mpeg 4 , audio formats pulse code modulation ( pcm ) and mpeg 1 - mpeg 4 , image format jpeg and 3 - d modeling support and user a has a preference for mpeg 4 video and audio format . further assume that user b &# 39 ; s behavior includes support for video formats mpeg 1 - mpeg 4 , audio formats pcm and mpeg 1 - mpeg 4 , and image format jpeg and user b has a preference for pcm and jpeg . accordingly , the behavior lists of users a and b are filtered to include only those behaviors which the users have in common . for users a and b this is video formats mpeg 1 - mpeg 4 , audio formats pcm and mpeg 1 - mpeg 4 , and image format jpeg . using the filtered list , the user preferences are taken into consideration . this results for user a in a list of combinations of different formats ( qualities ) of mpeg 4 for sound and video , and for user b in a list of combinations of different formats of jpeg and pcm . the resulting lists must be further scrutinized for an optimal behavior . first , each media format &# 39 ; s entropy is calculated . for each different combination , the entropies of its components must be added to produce its total entropy value . the combination with the largest associated total entropy value is chosen as the optimal behavior . accordingly , user a will appear to user b in a mpeg 4 image and audio format ( with optimal combination of video and audio qualities ) and user b will appear to user a as a jpeg image along with associated pcm audio ( with optimal combinations of image and audio qualities ). it will be recognized that the user preference needed is not be explicitly set by a user . for example , a computer vision feature tracking algorithm in user b &# 39 ; s terminal may determine that user b is not facing the monitor of user b &# 39 ; s terminal . detecting that user b is not facing the monitor , the computer vision feature tacking system can set user b &# 39 ; s preference to audio since video information will not provide user b with any information because user b is not facing the monitor . although the present invention has been described above as establishing channel modes at the initiation of a communication session , it will be recognized that due to changes in the communication environment , it may be desirable to reevaluate the established channel modes during a communication session . for example , in third generation ( 3g ) wireless networks , the bandwidth can vary between 384 kbits / s to 2 mbits / s . a user that is changing his location may become eligible for more bandwidth , and in turn , may be able to receive more types of multimedia content , or “ richer ” multimedia content . accordingly , the channel mode may be reestablished when a user moves into a location which supports a higher bandwidth connection . although the present invention has been primarily described above as establishing channel modes when a communication session is established between two users , it will be recognized that the present invention is equally applicable for establishing channel modes for communication sessions between more than two users . in addition , the present invention can be implemented such that additional users can join an existing communication session . when a new user wishes to join an existing communication session , the users of the existing communication session have three possible choices as to how to allow the new user to join the communication session . first , the users of the existing communication session can accept the new user and all users must reestablish their channel mode based upon behaviors common between all users . for example , if the existing communication session employed live video for communication and the new user does not support live video , the existing users would not be able to continue to communicate using live video . if the existing users do not want to give up their “ rich ” communication , but still wish for the new user to join , the new user can maintain passive communication with one or more of the existing users . in this situation , bandwidth and processing cycles remaining after the existing users communicate will be used to support communication with the new user . negotiation can then take place between each of the existing users and the new user . the final alternative is that the existing users can reject the new user . in the embodiments of the present invention the object is to establish some method for relating the concepts one wishes to express with the media available . the proposed method is a more “ humanistic ” approach to scaling media than the piece - wise , or per media , approach traditionally accepted . it should be noted that the described scheme does not contrast from traditional compression methods but employs those results to enhance communication . the effects of entropy related in specific media help to compare the different media and thus , provide a better communication solution for the end user . the invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments . however , it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that it may be possible to embody the invention in specific forms other than those described above . this may be done without departing from the spirit of the invention . embodiments described above are merely illustrative and should not be considered restrictive in any way . the scope of the invention is given by the appended claims , rather than the preceding description , and all variations and equivalents which fall within the range of the claims are intended to be embraced therein .	7
the following description of the preferred embodiment ( s ) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . referring to fig1 there is shown an alternator / inverter system 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the system 10 is ideally suited for use in a portable electric power generator , however , it will be appreciated that the invention is not so limited and may find utility in a variety of related power generating applications . the system 10 includes two identical alternator / inverter sections or subsystems 12 and 14 . alternator / inverter section 12 includes a three phase permanent magnet generator ( pmg ) 16 for providing a three phase ac output signal to a full wave bridge rectifier circuit 18 . rectifier circuit 18 is coupled across dc bus lines 20 and 22 which form a dc bus . coupled across the dc bus is a first , full h - bridge circuit 24 comprised of four identical power switching devices 26 a - 26 b . an inductor 28 and a capacitor 30 are coupled across points 32 and 34 and form an lc filter for attenuating harmonic distortion in the output waveforms generated by the h - bridge 24 . point 36 forms a first output and point 34 forms a second output . each of the power switching devices 26 a - 26 d may comprise a variety of suitable power switching components , but in one preferred form comprise insulated gate bi - polar transistors ( igbts ). a dc bus capacitor 38 is also coupled across the dc bus . the second alternator / inverter section 14 is identical in construction to the first alternator / inverter section 12 and includes a three phase permanent magnet generator 40 providing an ac output to a full wave bridge rectifier circuit 42 . bridge rectifier circuit 42 is coupled across dc bus lines 44 and 46 and across dc bus capacitor 48 . the dc output from the rectifier 42 drives a second , full h - bridge circuit 50 having four power switching devices , which in this example are illustrated as igbts 52 a - 52 d . coupled between points 54 and 56 are a capacitor 58 and an inductor 60 which form an lc filter for attenuating harmonic distortion in the output waveforms produced by the h - bridge 50 . point 54 forms a third output point and point 62 forms a fourth output point . a first ac power receptacle , in this example a 120 volt ac receptacle 64 , is coupled across first output point 36 and the second output point 34 by the connection to ground . a second ac power receptacle , illustrated as a 120 volt ac receptacle 66 , is similarly coupled between the fourth output point 62 and the third output point 54 , via the connection to ground . coupled across output points 36 and 62 is a third ac receptacle , which in this example is illustrated as a 240 volt ac receptacle 68 . 240 volt ac receptacle 68 also has coupled in parallel with it a power relay 70 which is controlled by a controller 72 . the controller 72 operates to switch the contacts of the power relay 70 between an open condition , wherein the 240 volt ac receptacle 68 receives the output across points 36 and 62 , and a closed position in which the receptacle 68 is shorted by the power relay 70 . a user switch 74 allows a user to provide a signal to the controller 72 to select whether the 240 volt ac receptacle 68 is switched “ on ” for use or not . the controller 72 also provides pulse width modulated ( pwm ) control signals to each of the h - bridges 24 and 50 to control switching of the igbts 26 and 52 to produce the desired ac output waveforms across points 34 , 36 and 54 , 62 . in operation , a dc bus voltage of preferably around 200 - 220 volts is provided across the dc bus lines 20 , 22 and 44 , 46 . the controller 72 controls the first h - bridge 24 such that igbts 26 a and 26 b are switched on while igbts 26 c and 26 d are off . igbts 26 a and 26 b are then turned off while igbts 26 c and 26 d are turned on . the second h - bridge 50 is controlled in the same fashion by first turning on igbts 52 a and 52 b while igbts 52 c and 52 d are turned off , and then turning on igbts 52 c , 52 d while igbts 52 a and 52 b are turned off . the controller 72 switches the h - bridges 24 and 50 on and off using a well known sine wave pwm pattern that produces a constant frequency sine wave output . in the present embodiment , this provides 120 volts ac across capacitor 30 and 120 volts ac across capacitor 58 . when the power relay 70 is in the closed position , the first ac receptacle 64 and the second ac receptacle 66 are coupled in parallel . thus , each ac receptacle 64 and 66 is able to receive the full ampere output from the system 10 . by that it is meant that the full ampere generating capacity of the system 10 is available to either ac receptacle 64 or 66 . if both ac receptacles 64 and 66 are used , then the full current generating capacity of the system 10 will be split between the ac receptacles 64 and 66 according to the loads imposed by the devices coupled to the ac receptacles 64 and 66 . the 240 volt ac receptacle 68 is shorted and inoperable when the power relay 70 is closed . when a 240 volt ac load is to be driven by the system 10 , the user selects switch 74 , which in turn sends a signal to the controller 72 to open the switch contacts of the power relay 70 . in this condition ( shown in fig1 ), the 240 volt ac receptacle 68 is then effectively placed across output points 36 and 62 . the controller 72 also controls the second . h - bridge 50 such that the 120 volt ac output across capacitor 58 is 180 ° out of phase with the 120 volt ac output across capacitor 30 . thus , a 240 volt potential difference exists between output points 36 and 62 . it will be appreciated , however , that the first h - bridge 24 could also be controlled by the controller 72 such that its output is changed in phase by 180 ° instead of the output of the second h - bridge 50 . when the 240 volt ac receptacle 68 is operable , only one half of the total ampere generating capacity of the system 10 will be available to each of the first ac receptacle 64 and the second ac receptacle 66 . importantly , the system 10 adheres to the wiring convention used in north america which provides for one leg of each 120 vac receptacle 64 and 66 to be tied to ground . the system 10 also provides 4 - blade ( 120 - 240 volt ) twist - lock compatibility . the use of inverters provides a faster response to load changes than would otherwise be possible with a conventional synchronous alternator with its typically large field inductance . the use of inverter technology also allows the system 10 to be made smaller and lighter than what would be possible with a conventional synchronous alternator . referring now to fig2 an alternator / inverter 100 in accordance with an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown . the alternator / inverter 100 is identical in construction to the alternator / inverter 10 with the exception of a pair of voltage regulation circuits 180 and 182 . for convenience , the components of system 100 identical to those of system 10 have been labeled with reference numerals increased by 100 over those used in connection with system 10 . the overall operation of the two alternator / inverter circuits 112 and 114 is identical to that provided in connection with the description of operation of system 10 , and will therefore not be repeated . furthermore , since the components of each of the voltage regulation circuits 180 and 182 are identical in construction and operation , only the construction and operation of circuit 180 will be described . it will be appreciated that good voltage regulation is an important attribute of any electric power generation system . since the user will generally be using power at the end of an extension cord , it is desirable to compensate for the voltage drop in the electrical power cable . this can be done by monitoring the ac output voltage and current in the inverters 124 and 150 , but measuring dc currents and voltages is easier and can be done faster . thus , the voltage regulation circuits 180 and 182 operate to control the dc bus voltage of each alternator / inverter section 112 and 114 independently and compensate for not only the voltage drop of the extension cord , but the drops caused by the inverters 124 and 150 as well . referring further to fig2 a plurality of three silicon controlled rectifiers ( scrs ) 118 a are substituted for three of the conventional diodes used with rectifier 18 of system 10 . each of the scrs 118 a has its gate 118 b coupled to an output of a gate driver circuit 186 . the gate driver circuit 186 receives an output from a microcomputer 188 , which in turn receives a signal from a conventional current sensing circuit ( i . e ., shunt ) 190 and a differential dc voltage signal representing the potential difference between the two dc bus lines 120 and 122 . the microcomputer 188 preferably comprises an 8 - bit microcontroller such as the mc68hc08mr4 available from motorola , but it will be appreciated that a variety of other suitable controllers could be implemented as well . in operation , the current sensing circuit 190 senses a change in the dc current flowing in dc bus line 122 and provides an output indicative of same to the microcomputer 178 . simultaneously , the microcomputer 188 measures a differential voltage between bus lines 120 and 122 via circuit lines 192 and 194 . the microcomputer 188 includes an internal look - up table for providing a “ v ref ” value needed to adjust the dc output voltage of the system 100 . the v ref vs . dc current look - up table is constructed using an assumed value of internal resistance ( h - bridge and ac filter ) and an assumed value of extension cord resistance . an exemplary table , as shown below , increases the v ref ( and , therefore the dc bus voltage ) such that the output voltage of the system 100 increases linearly with increased current until the output voltage reaches 126 volt ( a limit set by regulatory agencies ). at this point , the slope of the dc bus voltage vs . current curve changes so as to maintain the 126 volts at the output terminals of the h - bridge 124 . the voltage at the end of the cable will equal the output voltage minus the ir drop of the particular cable used . the output of the current sensing circuit 190 “ i ” is a measure of the “ ir ” drop due to the resistance of the cables coupled to the outlets 164 , 166 orf 168 , and the voltage drop due to the losses associated with the inverter 112 and the output filter formed by inductor 128 and capacitor 130 . the microcomputer 188 uses the measured dc current “ i ” to obtain the current value for v ref from its internal look - up table . the microcomputer also measures the dc bus voltage , “ v bus ” between the two dc bus lines 120 and 122 . when the microcomputer 188 detects that the dc bus voltage , “ v bus ”, is lower than the current value of v ref , then it signals the gate driver circuit 186 to turn on the scrs 1118 a , thus charging the dc bus capacitor 138 . the rectifier 118 functions as a normal six diode bridge when the scrs are on . when the microcomputer 188 detects that the dc bus voltage exceeds the present value for v ref , then it signals the gate driver circuit 186 to turn off the scrs 118 a . in this manner , the microcomputer 188 continuously monitors and adjusts the dc bus voltage to compensate for the above - described losses . the pwm duty cycle of the signal used to control h - bridge 124 is not changed during the process of adjusting the scrs 118 a to compensate for changes in the dc bus voltage . referring to fig3 another alternative preferred embodiment 200 of the present invention is shown . embodiment 200 is also identical in construction and operation to the system 100 of fig2 with the exception of the use of a pair of analog voltage regulation systems 280 . again , the components in common with the system 10 are designated by reference numerals increased by 200 over those used in connection with fig1 . the voltage regulation system 280 comprises a current shunt 282 , a voltage divider network 284 , a gate driver circuit 285 , and a “ v + ir ” compensation circuit 286 . the current shunt 282 is inserted into the lower dc bus rail 222 to measure dc current (“ i ”). the voltage across the lower resistor of the divider network 284 is a fraction of the dc bus voltage . the center node of the divider network is connected to the inverting input of a comparator 288 of the compensation circuit 286 . the current signal from the left side of the shunt 282 will be negative with respect to the signal ground when the bus capacitor 238 is supplying power to the h - bridge 224 . therefore , the current signal is inverted and amplified via an inverting amplifier 290 of the compensation circuit 286 , with a gain of “ r ”. the “ ir ” signal is added to a fixed voltage reference “ v ref ”. the output of an adder 292 of the compensation circuit 286 ( v ref + ir ) is fed to the non - inverting input of the comparator 288 . when the dc bus voltage ( vbus ) across the dc bus capacitor 238 exceeds the value of “ v ref + ir ”, the comparator 288 sends a low signal to the gate driver circuit 285 which turns off all the scrs 218 a . when the dc bus voltage is lower than the value of “ v ref + ir ”, then the comparator 288 sends a high signal to the gate driver circuit 285 &# 39 ; which turns on all of the scrs 218 a . the 3 - phase bridge rectifier circuit 218 then recharges the dc bus capacitor 238 . referring to fig4 the system 200 is shown with simplified voltage regulation circuits 300 and 302 incorporated . since the circuits 300 and 302 are identical in construction and operation , only circuit 300 will be described . circuit 300 represents an even less complicated means for implementing the “ v + ir ” control described above . circuit 300 includes a current shunt 304 which is inserted into the bottom rail 222 of the dc bus to measure current (“ i ”). a resistor divider network 306 is again coupled across the dc bus lines 220 and 222 , but now it is located to the left of the current shunt 304 . the signal ground on the bottom dc bus rail 222 is still to the right of the current shunt 304 . the center node of the divider 306 is still connected to an inverting input of a comparator 308 . the “ i ” signal from the left side of the shunt 304 still will be negative with respect to the signal ground when the dc bus capacitor 238 is supplying power to the h - bridge 224 . the “ ir ” drop of the current shunt 304 will be negative with respect to the dc voltage ( vbus &# 39 ;) at the center node of the divider 306 . therefore , the signal to the inverting input of the comparator 308 will be “ vbus &# 39 ;− ir ”. the non - inverting input of the comparator 308 is connected to the reference voltage (“ v ref ”). when “ vbus &# 39 ;− ir ” is greater than v ref , the comparator 308 sends a low signal to a gate driver circuit 310 which turns off all the scrs 218 a . when “ vbus &# 39 ;− ir ” is less than v ref , the comparator 308 sends a high signal to the gate driver circuit 310 which turns on all the scrs 218 a . however , “ vbus &# 39 ;− ir ”& gt ; than v ref is equivalent to vbus &# 39 ;& gt ; v ref + ir , and vbus &# 39 ;− ir & lt ; v ref is equivalent to vbus &# 39 ;& lt ; v ref + ir . thus , the same function is achieved with fewer parts . the voltage regulation circuits 180 , 280 and 300 thus provide a means for controlling the dc bus voltage of each of the inverters of the present invention to thereby compensate for losses associated with electrical cabling coupled to the ac receptacles , as well as internal losses of each of the inverters . the various preferred embodiments of the present invention also provide for an alternator / inverter system which meets the grounding convention used in north america , as well as providing compatibility with the 4 - blade twist lock wiring convention . the inverters of the present invention provide excellent control over total harmonic distortion of the output waveforms produced , and are able to respond faster to load changes than conventional synchronous alternators . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms . therefore , while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof , the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , specification and following claims .	7
in the following , an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the present embodiment , an automobile is described as an example of a transport apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a block diagram of a control system relating to safety driving support of automobile 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated in fig1 , an automobile 1 includes a radar module 10 and a safety driving support operation section 20 . the radar module 10 is , for example , a millimeter - wave radar of a fmcw ( frequency modulated continuous wave ) type which uses a millimeter wave of 79 ghz band . the radar module 10 is disposed at a front bumper and / or a rear bumper of an automobile as illustrated in fig2 , for example . fig2 illustrates detection ranges in the case where the radar modules 10 are disposed at a center portion of a front bumper in the vehicle width direction , and both side portions of the rear bumper in the vehicle width direction . with this configuration , a target object which is present at blind spots of the driver can be detected . the radar module 10 detects the surrounding environment of the automobile 1 ( for example , other automobiles , pedestrians , obstructing objects and the like around the automobile ), and outputs the information relating to the surrounding environment to the safety driving support operation section 20 . the information relating to the surrounding environment includes the presence / absence of the target object , the distance to the target object , and the identification result of the target object ( whether the target object is a human or not ). the safety driving support operation section 20 performs a safety driving support operation for avoiding unsafe situation or reducing the degree of the unsafe situation based on the information relating to the surrounding environment output from the radar module 10 . details of the safety driving support operation will be described later . fig3 is a block diagram of the radar module 10 to be mounted in the automobile 1 . as illustrated in fig3 , the radar module 10 includes a signal source 11 , a transmission section 12 , a transmission antenna 13 , a reception antenna 14 , a reception section 15 , a signal processing section 16 , an external interface 17 and the like . in the radar module 10 , it is possible to apply a one - chip ic in which the signal source 11 , the transmission section 12 , the reception section 15 , the signal processing section 16 , and an i / o port ( not illustrated ) are disposed on one substrate . the transmission antenna 13 and the reception antenna 14 are , for example , composed of a copper foil pattern formed on a printed circuit substrate . a one - chip ic having the signal source 11 and the like , an ic external component , the external interface 17 and the like are mounted to the printed circuit substrate provided with the transmission antenna 13 and the reception antenna 14 . this printed circuit substrate is covered with a shield , and thus the configuration of the radar module 10 is obtained . signal source 11 generates a frequency modulation ( fm ) transmission signal by adding triangular wave modulation signal to a control voltage of a voltage controlled oscillator ( vco : voltage controlled oscillator ). the transmission section 12 includes a directional coupler which outputs a transmission signal to the transmission antenna 13 , and distributes a part of the transmission signal to the reception section 15 , for example . the transmission antenna 13 radiates a transmission signal as a transmission wave to the surrounding regions of the automobile 1 . when reaching the target object , the transmission wave is reflected in accordance with the reflectance of the target object . the reception antenna 14 receives a reflection signal generated by reflection at the target object and outputs the signal to the reception section 15 . the reception section 15 includes a mixer which mixes a reflection signal output from the reception antenna 14 and a transmission signal output from the transmission section 12 ( directional coupler ) to generate a beat signal ( reception signal ), for example . the reception section 15 outputs the generated beat signal to the signal processing section 16 . the signal processing section 16 includes a frequency analysis section 161 , an object detection section 162 , and a human determination section 163 . the frequency analysis section 161 performs frequency analysis by executing processes such as fast fourier transform ( fft ) on a beat signal digitized with an ad convertor ( not illustrated ). on the basis of the frequency distribution ( the peak of beat frequency ) of the beat signal calculated at the frequency analysis section 161 , the object detection section 162 detects a target object , and calculates the distance to the detected target object and the relative speed with respect to the target object . the human determination section 163 determines whether the detected target object is a human based on the reception power of the beat signal of the detected target object . the object identification process in the human determination section 163 will be described later . the information relating to the surrounding environment generated at the signal processing section 16 is output to the safety driving support operation section 20 through the external interface 17 . fig4 is a flowchart of an example object identification process of the human determination section 163 . the object identification process of fig4 is started when object detection section 162 detects a new target object , for example . it is to be noted that the beat signal input to the signal processing section 16 is stored in a storage section ( not illustrated ) for a predetermined period . at step s 101 , the human determination section 163 acquires multiple pieces of reception power p r of the beat signal of the detected target object . to acquire a stable distribution of the reception power p r , the number of the data to be acquired is preferably seven or more . at step s 102 , the human determination section 163 calculates average value e of the reception power p r . at step s 103 , the human determination section 163 calculates variance value v of reception power p r . at step s 104 , the human determination section 163 compares the square of average value e and variance value v . when determination index e 2 / v obtained by dividing the square of average value e by variance value v is smaller than first reference value s1 , the process is advanced to step s 105 . when determination index e 2 / v is greater than first reference value s1 , the process is advanced to step s 106 . the “ first reference value s1 ” is a value used for identification of the target object by determination index e 2 / v , and is set to 1 or a value approximately equivalent to 1 . at step s 105 , the human determination section 163 determines that the detected target object is “ human .” at step s 106 , human determination section 163 determines that the detected target object is “ artificial object .” incidentally , the reception power p r of a radar in a free space is as expressed in expression ( 1 ). p r = p t g 2 λ 2 σ /( 4 n ) 3 r 4 ( 1 ) p t : transmission power g : antenna gain λ : wavelength σ : radar cross section ( rcs ) r : distance to target object in expression ( 1 ), the items other than the radar cross section ( rcs ) σ are considered to be constant values , and therefore the reception power p r is proportional to rcs . when the target object is a human , rcs is not a constant value and varies since the surface of a human is vibrating . when it is assumed that rcs is set in accordance with the exponential distribution , the reception power p r is also set in accordance with the exponential distribution . here , it was confirmed by experiment that the reception power p r is close to the exponential distribution in the case where the target object is a human . fig6 is a histogram showing measurement results ( distribution ) of the reception power in the case where the target object is a human and an artificial object ( here , a reflector ). it can be said from fig6 that the distribution of the measurement data of a reflector is close to rice distribution , and the distribution of the measurement data of a human is close to rayleigh distribution . in view of this , it can be said that the reception power p r in the case where the target object is a human is set in accordance with the exponential distribution . accordingly , ideally , the square of an average value e and a variance value v of the reception power p r are equal to each other , that is , e 2 / v = 1 when the target object is a human . this relationship does not change regardless of snr as illustrated in fig5 . on the other hand , it is considered that rcs is a constant value in the case where the target object is an artificial object ( a vehicle or the like ) other than a human . in this case , the difference of the reception power p r varies in accordance with snr , and the square of the average value e of the reception power p r is obviously greater than the variance value v , that is , e 2 / v & gt ; 1 ( see fig5 ). in view of this , when the ratio e 2 / v of the square of the average value e to the variance value v of the reception power p r is used as a determination index , it is possible to accurately determine whether the target object is a human or an artificial object other than a human . in addition , as illustrated in fig5 , a determination index e 2 / v of the case where the target object is a human and the determination index e 2 / v of the case where the target object is an artificial object are largely different from each other , and therefore a proper first reference value s1 can be readily set . as described , the radar module 10 includes : the transmission antenna 13 , the reception antenna 14 , the signal source 11 configured to generate a transmission signal , the transmission section 12 configured to send the transmission signal to a target object through the transmission antenna 13 , the reception section 15 configured to receive a reflection signal generated by reflection of the transmission signal on the target object through the reception antenna 14 , the signal processing section 16 configured to perform signal processing based on a reception signal ( beat signal ) output from the reception section 15 ; and the external interface 17 configured to output information obtained at the signal processing section 16 . the signal processing section 16 ( the human determination section 163 ) calculates the average value e and the variance value v of the reception power p r of the reception signal , and identifies the target object by use of the calculated average value e and the calculated variance value v . to be more specific , the signal processing section 16 ( the human determination section 163 ) compares the square of the average value e and the variance value v of the reception power pr , and determines that the target object is a human when the determination index e 2 / v which is obtained by dividing the square of average the value e by the variance value v is smaller than the first reference value s1 which is set to 1 or a value approximately equivalent to 1 . since the radar module 10 uses the average value e and the variance value v of the reception power p r of the reception signal to identify the target object by utilizing a fact that rcs of a human has an exponential distribution , it is possible to accurately determine whether the target object is a human or not even under low snr environments . the identification result of the target object obtained at the human determination section 163 of the radar module 10 is output to the safety driving support section 20 as information relating to the surrounding environment together with the presence / absence of the target object , the distance to the target object and the like . the safety driving support operation section 20 performs the safety driving support operation for avoiding unsafe situation or reducing the degree of the unsafe situation based on the information relating to the surrounding environment . as illustrated in fig1 , the safety driving support operation section 20 includes a stop operation section 21 , a driving operation section 22 , and a warning section 23 . the stop operation section 21 supports a stop operation of the automobile 1 based on the information relating to the surrounding environment . to be more specific , under the control of a stop control section 211 , a brake 212 is activated , and the automobile 1 is automatically decelerated or stopped . with this configuration , the unsafe situation can be quickly avoided . a driving operation section 22 supports a driving operation of the automobile 1 based on the information relating to the surrounding environment . to be more specific , under the control of a driving control section 221 , a wheel 222 is activated , and the travelling direction of the automobile 1 is automatically changed . with this configuration , the unsafe situation can be quickly avoided . a warning section 23 issues a warning to a passenger or outside based on the information relating to the surrounding environment . to be more specific , under the control of a warning control section 231 , a seatbelt 232 is automatically wound up to stimulate the passenger . the passenger can recognize the unsafe situation by perceiving the change of the touch of the seatbelt 232 . in addition , under the control of the warning control section 231 , a seat 233 vibrates to stimulate the passenger . by perceiving the change of the touch on passenger which is caused by the seat 233 , the passenger can recognize the unsafe situation . in addition , under the control of the warning control section 231 , a display section 234 issues a warning on the display . applicable examples of the display section 234 include a liquid crystal display of a car navigation system and the like , a front glass , eyeglasses or a head up display of the passenger , a rear - view monitor and the like . the display section 234 issues a warning to the passenger by indicating the direction of a human on the display section 234 in 2d , and / or by changing the color of the display ( background color ) of the display section 234 in accordance with the distance to a human ( blue ( safe ), yellow ( intermediate ) or red ( unsafe )), for example . the passenger can visually recognize the unsafe situation . in addition , under the control of the warning control section 231 , a sound output section ( speaker ) 235 issues a warning with a sound . the passenger can recognize the unsafe situation by the sense of hearing . in addition , under the control of the warning control section 231 , a radio communication section 236 sends warning information to a mobile terminal ( for example , a smartphone ) owned by the passenger or the pedestrian . when the mobile terminal receives the warning information , a warning is issued with an indication on the display or a sound . the passenger or the pedestrian can recognize the unsafe situation from the information from his or her mobile terminal . in addition , under the control of the warning control section 231 , an odor generation section 237 generates odor . the passenger can recognize the unsafe situation by the sense of smell . furthermore , unsafe situations may be indicated with flashing of the head light , or a horn . in addition , the way of illumination of the head light may be changed in accordance with the distance to the target object or the direction of the target object . in the automobile 1 , safety the driving support operation section 20 performs the above - described operation based on the information relating to the surrounding environment , and thus not only the safety of the automobile itself , but also the safety of the other automobiles and pedestrians is remarkably ensured . while the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments , it is not intended to limit the present invention to the above - mentioned preferred embodiments but the present invention may be further modified within the scope and spirit of the invention defined by the appended claims . for example , as the determination index for determining that the target object is a human , a value obtained by subtracting the variance value v from the square of the average value e of the reception power p r ( e 2 − v ) may also be used . in this case , when the determination index ( e 2 − v ) is smaller than a second reference value which is set to 0 or a value approximately equivalent to 0 , it is determined that the target object is a human it should be noted that the difference between the determination index ( e 2 − v ) of the case where the target object is a human and the determination index ( e 2 − v ) of the case where the target object is an artificial object is smaller than that of the case where the determination index of e 2 / v is used , and appropriate setting of the second reference value becomes difficult , and therefore , it is preferable to use e 2 / v as the determination index . in addition , the radar module 10 of a pulse type or an fsk ( frequency shift keying ) type may also be used as well as the radar module 10 of the fmcw type . in addition , the radar module according to the embodiment of the present invention may be mounted in a transport apparatus such as a railroad vehicle , a ship , and a plane , or a road side machine installed on a road as well as in an automobile . other radar modules ( for example , a 76 - ghz millimeter - wave radar ) and a sensor such as a stereo camera which are combined together may also be mounted in a transport apparatus . when a plurality of sensors are mounted , the surrounding environment of the transport apparatus can be more correctly determined . the embodiment disclosed herein is merely an exemplification and should not be considered as limitative . the scope of the present invention is specified by the following claims , not by the above - mentioned description . it should be understood that various modifications , combinations , sub - combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors in so far as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof . although embodiments of the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustrated and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation , the scope of the present invention being interpreted by terms of the appended claims . this application is entitled to and claims the benefit of japanese patent application no . 2014 - 072291 dated mar . 31 , 2014 , the disclosure of which including the specification , drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety .	6
in a first embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of compounds of formula ( i ): r 1 is selected from h or nhr 1a ; c 1 - c 8 alkyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , c 2 - c 8 alkenyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , c 2 - c 8 alkynyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )- substituted with 0 - 4 r 1c , a 5 - 10 membered heterocyclic ring system having 1 - 3 heteroatoms selected independently from o , s , and n , said hetero cyclic ring being substituted with 0 - 4 r 1c , and c 1 - c 6 alkyl substituted with a 5 - 10 membered heterocyclic ring system having 1 - 3 heteroatoms selected independently from o , s , and n , said heterocyclic ring being substituted with 0 - 4r 1c ; r 1c is h , halogen , cf 3 , cn , no 2 , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , and c 2 - c 5 alkoxycarbonyl ; r 2 is selected from h or c 1 - c 10 alkyl ; r 3 and r 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 2 - c 6 alkynyl , c 3 - c 7 cycloalkyl , and aryl substituted with 0 - 2 r 3a ; r 3a is selected from the group consisting of c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , halo , cf 3 , no 2 , and nr 3b r 3c ; r 3b and r 3c are each independently selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 10 alkyl , c 2 - c 10 alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 10 alkylcarbonyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylsulfonyl , heteroaryl ( c 1 - c 4 alkyl ) sulfonyl , aryl ( c 1 - c 10 alkyl ) sulfonyl , arylsulfonyl , aryl , heteroarylcarbonyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , and heteroarylalkylcarbonyl , wherein said aryl and heteroaryl are optionally substituted with 0 - 3 r 3d ; r 3d is selected from the group consisting of c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , halo , cf 3 , and no 2 ; r 5a is selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , aryl ( c 1 - c 10 alkoxy ) carbonyl , c 2 - c 10 alkoxycarbonyl , and c 3 - c 6 alkenyl ; a is a single or double bond , with the proviso that if a is a double bond , it is not simultaneously substituted with r 3 and r 4 ; r 6 is selected from the group consisting of h , cf 3 , cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 1 - c 8 perfluoroalkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 2 - c 6 alkynyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 7 - c 10 arylalkyloxy , c 1 - c 6 alkyloxy , aryloxy and aryl substituted with 0 - 5 r 6c ; r 6c is selected from the group consisting of h , halo , cf 3 , cn , no 2 , nr 6d r 6e , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , and c 2 - c 5 alkoxycarbonyl ; r 6d and r 6e are independently selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 10 alkyl , c 2 - c 10 alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 10 alkylcarbonyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylsulfonyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 10 alkyl ) sulfonyl , arylsulfonyl , heteroaryl ( c 1 - c 4 alkyl ) sulfonyl , heteroarylcarbonyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , or heteroarylalkylcarbonyl , wherein said aryl and heteroaryl are optionally substituted with 0 - 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , halo , cf 3 , and no 2 ; with hydrogen under a suitable pressure in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to form a compound of formula ( i ) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt form thereof . in a preferred embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound of formula ( i ), wherein : said hydrogenation catalyst is selected from the group consisting of palladium on carbon , palladium hydroxide on carbon , palladium on calcium carbonate and platinum on carbon . in a more preferred embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound of formula ( i ), wherein : r 1 is selected from h or nhr 1a ; r 1a is — c (═ o )— o — r 1b or — so 2 — r 1b ; c 1 - c 8 alkyl substituted with 0 - 1 r 1c , c 2 - c 8 alkenyl substituted with 0 - 1 r 1c , c 2 - c 8 alkynyl substituted with 0 - 1 r 1c , c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl substituted with 0 - 1 r 1c , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )- substituted with 0 - 3 r 1c , a 5 - 10 membered heterocyclic ring system having 1 - 3 heteroatoms selected independently from o , s , and n , said heterocyclic ring being substituted with 0 - 4 r 1c , and c 1 - c 6 alkyl substituted with a 5 - 10 membered heterocyclic ring system having 1 - 3 heteroatoms selected independently from o , s , and n , said heterocyclic ring being substituted with 0 - 4 r 1c ; r 1c is selected from the group consisting of h , halogen , cf 3 , cn , no 2 , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy and c 2 - c 5 alkoxycarbonyl ; r 2 is h or c 1 - c 10 alkyl ; r 3 and r 4 are h or c 1 - c 6 alkyl ; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , c 1 - c 10 alkyloxy , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyloxy , c 6 - c 10 aryloxy and c 7 - c 11 arylalkyloxy ; r 6 is selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 2 - c 6 alkynyl , c 3 - c 7 cycloalkyl , c 1 - c 8 perfluoroalkyl , c 7 - c 10 arylalkyloxy , c 1 - c 6 alkyloxy , aryloxy , aryl substituted with 0 - 2 r 6c ; r 6c is h , halogen , cf 3 , cn , no 2 , nr 6d r 6e , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , and c 2 - c 5 alkoxycarbonyl ; and r 6d and r 6e are independently selected from h or c 1 - c 10 alkyl ; a is a single or double bond , with the proviso that if a is a double bond , it is not simultaneously substituted with r 3 and r 4 . in an even more preferred embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound of formula ( i - a ): r 1a is — c (═ o ) och 2 ( ch 2 ) 2 ch 3 or 3 , 5 - dimethyloxazol - 4 - yl - sulfonyl ; wherein r 6 is h , methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , pentyl , hexyl c 7 - c 8 arylalkyloxy , c 1 - c 5 alkyloxy , aryloxy or aryl ; with hydrogen under a suitable pressure from about 20 to about 50 psi in the presence of palladium on carbon , in the range of about 1 % to about 10 % by weight of compound ( iv ), to form a compound of formula ( i ) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt form thereof . in a second embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of compounds of formula ( iv ) or a salt thereof comprising : with an acylating agent of formula r 6 co — o — cor 6 or r 6 cox , wherein x is fluorine , bromine , chlorine or imidazole , in a suitable solvent to form a compound of formula ( iv ) or a salt thereof . in a preferred second embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound of formula ( iv ), wherein : r 1a is — c (═ o ) och 2 ( ch 2 ) 2 ch 3 or 3 , 5 - dimethyloxazol - 4 - yl - sulfonyl ; in a third embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of compounds of formula ( iii ), comprising : with a salt of hydroxyl amine in the presence of a suitable base to form a compound of formula ( iii ). in a preferred third embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound of formula ( iii ), wherein said salts of hydroxyl amine are hydroxylamine hydrochloride and hydroxlyamine sulfate . in a more preferred third embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound of formula ( iii ), wherein : r 1a is — c (═ o )— o — ch 2 ( ch 2 ) 2 ch 3 or 3 , 5 - dimethyloxazol - 4yl - sulfonyl ; h , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 7 - c 8 arylalkyloxy , c 1 - c 5 alkyloxy , aryloxy and aryl ; in a fourth embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of compounds of formula ( i ): r 1 is selected from h or nhr 1a ; c 1 - c 8 alkyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , c 2 - c 8 alkenyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , c 2 - c 8 alkynyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )- substituted with 0 - 4 r 1c , a 5 - 10 membered heterocyclic ring system having 1 - 3 heteroatoms selected independently from o , s , and n , said heterocyclic ring being substituted with 0 - 4 r 1c , and c 1 - c 6 alkyl substituted with a 5 - 10 membered heterocyclic ring system having 1 - 3 heteroatoms selected independently from o , s , and n , said heterocyclic ring being substituted with 0 - 4r 1c ; r 1c is h , halogen , cf 3 , cn , no 2 , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , and c 2 - c 5 alkoxycarbonyl ; r 2 is selected from h or c 1 - c 10 alkyl ; r 3 and r 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 2 - c 6 alkynyl , c 3 - c 7 cycloalkyl , and aryl substituted with 0 - 2 r 3a ; r 3a is selected from the group consisting of c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , halo , cf 3 , no 2 , and nr 3b r 3c ; r 3b and r 3c are each independently selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 10 alkyl , c 2 - c 10 alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 10 alkylcarbonyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylsulfonyl , heteroaryl ( c 1 - c 4 alkyl ) sulfonyl , aryl ( c 1 - c 10 alkyl ) sulfonyl , arylsulfonyl , aryl , heteroarylcarbonyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , and heteroarylalkylcarbonyl , wherein said aryl and heteroaryl are optionally substituted with 0 - 3 r 3d ; r 3d is selected from the group consisting of c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , halo , cf 3 , and no 2 ; r 5a is selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , aryl ( c 1 - c 10 alkoxy ) carbonyl , c 2 - c 10 alkoxycarbonyl , and c 3 - c 6 alkenyl ; r 6 is selected from the group consisting of h , cf 3 , cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 1 - c 8 perfluoroalkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 2 - c 6 alkynyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 7 - c 10 arylalkyloxy , aryloxy and aryl substituted with 0 - 5 r 6c ; r 6c is selected from the group consisting of h , halo , cf 3 , cn , no 2 , nr 6d r 6e , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , and c 2 - c 5 alkoxycarbonyl ; r 6d and r 6e are independently selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 10 alkyl , c 2 - c 10 alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 10 alkylcarbonyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylsulfonyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 10 alkyl ) sulfonyl , arylsulfonyl , heteroaryl ( c 1 - c 4 alkyl ) sulfonyl , heteroarylcarbonyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , or heteroarylalkylcarbonyl , wherein said aryl and heteroaryl are optionally substituted with 0 - 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , halo , cf 3 , and no 2 ; a is a single or double bond , with the proviso that if a is a double bond , it is not simultaneously substituted with r 3 and r 4 ; for a time sufficient , and to a temperature sufficient to form a compound of formula ( v ): and ( b ) contacting said compound of formula ( v ) with hydrogen under a suitable pressure in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to form a compound of formula ( i ) or a salt thereof . in a preferred fourth embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound of formula ( i ), wherein : said hydrogenation catalyst is selected from the group consisting of palladium on carbon , palladium hydroxide on carbon , palladium on calcium carbonate and platinum on carbon ; said sufficient temperature is from about 30 ° c . to about 120 ° c . ; said sufficient time is from about 10 minutes to about 24 hours ; wherein an amount of catalyst loaded on carbon is from about 1 % to about 10 % by weight ; and wherein an amount of a hydrogenation catalyst is from about 1 % to about 30 % by weight of compound ( iv ). in a more preferred fourth embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound of formula ( i ), wherein : r 1a is — c (═ o )— o — ch 2 ( ch 2 ) 2 ch 3 or 3 , 5 - dimethyloxazol - 4yl - sulfonyl ; h , methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , pentyl , hexyl , c 7 - c 8 arylalkyloxy , aryloxy , c 1 - c 5 alkoxy and aryl ; said sufficient temperature is from about 50 ° c . to about 120 ° c . ; said sufficient time is from about 10 minutes to about 3 hours ; wherein an amount of catalyst loaded on carbon is from about 3 % to about 5 % by weight ; and wherein an amount of palladium on carbon is from about 3 % to about 7 % by weight of compound ( iv ). in a fifth embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of compounds of the formula ( i ): r 1 is selected from h or nhr 1a ; c 1 - c 8 alkyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , c 2 - c 8 alkenyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , c 2 - c 8 alkynyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 1c , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )- substituted with 0 - 4 r 1c , a 5 - 10 membered heterocyclic ring system having 1 - 3 heteroatoms selected independently from o , s , and n , said heterocyclic ring being substituted with 0 - 4 r 1c , and c 1 - c 6 alkyl substituted with a 5 - 10 membered heterocyclic ring system having 1 - 3 heteroatoms selected independently from o , s , and n , said heterocyclic ring being substituted with 0 - 4r 1c ; r 1c is h , halogen , cf 3 , cn , no 2 , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , and c 2 - c 5 alkoxycarbonyl ; r 2 is selected from h or c 1 - c 10 alkyl ; r 3 and r 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 2 - c 6 alkynyl , c 3 - c 7 cycloalkyl , and aryl substituted with 0 - 2 r 3a ; r 3a is selected from the group consisting of c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , halo , cf 3 , no 2 , and nr 3b r 3c ; r 3b and r 3c are each independently selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 10 alkyl , c 2 - c 10 alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 10 alkylcarbonyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylsulfonyl , heteroaryl ( c 1 - c 4 alkyl ) sulfonyl , aryl ( c 1 - c 10 alkyl ) sulfonyl , arylsulfonyl , aryl , heteroarylcarbonyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , and heteroarylalkylcarbonyl , wherein said aryl and heteroaryl are optionally substituted with 0 - 3 r 3d ; r 3d is selected from the group consisting of c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , halo , cf 3 , and no 2 ; r 5a is selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , aryl ( c 1 - c 10 alkoxy ) carbonyl , c 2 - c 10 alkoxycarbonyl , and c 3 - c 6 alkenyl ; a is a single or double bond , with the proviso that if a is a double bond , it is not simultaneously substituted with r 3 and r 4 ; z is selected from r 6 so 2 — or ( r 7 ) 3 si —; r 6 is selected from the group consisting of h , cf 3 , cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 1 - c 8 perfluoroalkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 2 - c 6 alkynyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 7 - c 10 arylalkyloxy , aryloxy and aryl substituted with 0 - 5 r 6c ; r 6c is selected from the group consisting of h , halo , cf 3 , cn , no 2 , nr 6d r 6e , c 1 - c 8 alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 11 cycloalkyl , c 4 - c 11 cycloalkylalkyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl )-, c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , and c 2 - c 5 alkoxycarbonyl ; r 6d and r 6e are independently selected from the group consisting of h , c 1 - c 10 alkyl , c 2 - c 10 alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 10 alkylcarbonyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylsulfonyl , aryl , aryl ( c 1 - c 10 alkyl ) sulfonyl , arylsulfonyl , heteroaryl ( c 1 - c 4 alkyl ) sulfonyl , heteroarylcarbonyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , or heteroarylalkylcarbonyl , wherein said aryl and heteroaryl are optionally substituted with 0 - 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , halo , cf 3 , and no 2 ; r 7 is selected independently from c 1 - c 10 alkyl or aryl substituted 0 - 3 r 7a ; and with hydrogen under a suitable pressure in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to form a compound of formula ( i ) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt form thereof . in a sixth embodiment , the present invention provides a process for the preparation of compounds of formula ( vi ): z is r 6 so 2 — or ( r 7 ) 3 si —; r 7 is selected independently from c 1 - c 10 alkyl or aryl substituted 0 - 3 r 7a ; and in the presence of a suitable acid scavenger in a suitable solvent to form a compound of formula ( iv ) or a salt thereof . in a seventh embodiment , the present invention provides a compound of formula ( iii - i ): in a eighth embodiment , the present invention provides a compound of formula ( iv - i ): in a ninth embodiment , the present invention provides a compound of formula ( v - i ): the reactions of the synthetic methods claimed herein are carried out in suitable solvents which may be readily selected by one of skill in the art of organic synthesis , said suitable solvents generally being any solvent which is substantially nonreactive with the starting materials ( reactants ), the intermediates , or products at the temperatures at which the reactions are carried out , i . e ., temperatures which may range from the solvent &# 39 ; s freezing temperature to the solvent &# 39 ; s boiling temperature . a given reaction may be carried out in one solvent or a mixture of more than one solvent . depending on the particular reaction step , suitable solvents for a particular reaction step may be selected . suitable halogenated solvents include : carbon tetrachloride , bromodichloromethane , dibromochloromethane , bromoform , chloroform , bromochloromethane , dibromomethane , butyl chloride , dichloromethane , tetrachloroethylene , trichloroethylene , 1 , 1 , 1 - trichloroethane , 1 , 1 , 2 - trichloroethane , 1 , 1 - dichloroethane , 2 - chloropropane , hexafluorobenzene , 1 , 2 , 4 - trichlorobenzene , o - dichlorobenzene , chlorobenzene , fluorobenzene , fluorotrichloromethane , chlorotrifluoromethane , bromotrifluoromethane , carbon tetrafluoride , dichlorofluoromethane , chlorodifluoromethane , trifluoromethane , 1 , 2 - dichlorotetrafluorethane and hexafluoroethane . suitable ether solvents include : dimethoxymethane , tetrahydrofuran , 1 , 3 - dioxane , 1 , 4 - dioxane , furan , diethyl ether , ethylene glycol dimethyl ether , ethylene glycol diethyl ether , diethylene glycol dimethyl ether , diethylene glycol diethyl ether , triethylene glycol dimethyl ether , anisole , or t - butyl methyl ether . suitable protic solvents may include , by way of example and without limitation , water , methanol , ethanol , 2 - nitroethanol , 2 - fluoroethanol , 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethanol , ethylene glycol , 1 - propanol , 2 - propanol , 2 - methoxyethanol , 1 - butanol , 2 - butanol , i - butyl alcohol , t - butyl alcohol , 2 - ethoxyethanol , diethylene glycol , 1 -, 2 -, or 3 - pentanol , neo - pentyl alcohol , t - pentyl alcohol , diethylene glycol monomethyl ether , diethylene glycol monoethyl ether , cyclohexanol , benzyl alcohol , phenol , or glycerol . suitable aprotic solvents may include , by way of example and without limitation , tetrahydrofuran ( thf ), dimethylformamide ( dmf ), dimethylacetamide ( dmac ), 1 , 3 - dimethyl - 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 - tetrahydro - 2 ( 1h )- pyrimidinone ( dmpu ), 1 , 3 - dimethyl - 2 - imidazolidinone ( dmi ), n - methylpyrrolidinone ( nmp ), formamide , n - methylacetamide , n - methylformamide , acetonitrile , dimethyl sulfoxide , propionitrile , ethyl formate , methyl acetate , hexachloroacetone , acetone , ethyl methyl ketone , ethyl acetate , sulfolane , n , n - dimethylpropionamide , tetramethylurea , nitromethane , nitrobenzene , or hexamethylphosphoramide . suitable hydrocarbon solvents include : benzene , cyclohexane , pentane , hexane , toluene , cycloheptane , methylcyclohexane , heptane , ethylbenzene , m -, o -, or p - xylene , octane , indane , nonane , or naphthalene . suitable carboxylic acid solvents include acetic acid , trifluoroacetic acid , ethanoic acid , propionic acid , propiolic acid , butyric acid , 2 - butynoic acid , vinyl acetic acid , pentanoic acid , hexanoic acid , heptanoic acid , octanoic acid , nonanoic acid and decanoic acid . suitable pressures range from atmospheric to any pressure obtainable in a laboratory or industrial plant . suitable hydrogenation catalysts are those which facilitate the delivery of hydrogen to the n — o bond of an n - acylated hydroxylamine . such hydrogenation catalysts by way of example and without limitation are palladium on carbon , palladium hydroxide on carbon , palladium on calcium carbonate poisoned with lead and platinum on carbon . as used herein , suitable acid scavengers include those compounds capable of accepting a proton from a hydroxyamidine during either an acylation , sulfonation or silation reaction without reacting with the agent reacting with the oxygen of the hydroxyamidine . examples include , but are not limited to tertiary bases such as n , n - diisopropylethylamine , 2 , 3 -, 2 , 4 -, 2 , 5 -, 2 , 6 -, 3 , 4 -, 3 , 5 - lutidine , triethylamine , 2 -, 3 -, or 4 - picoline , pyrrole , pyrrolidine , n - methyl morpholine , pyridine and pyrimidine . as used herein , suitable bases include those soluble in the reaction solvent and capable of free - basing hydroxylamine . examples include , but are not limited to : lithium hydroxide , sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , lithium carbonate , sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , imidazole , ethylene diamine , n , n - diisopropylethylamine , 2 , 3 -, 2 , 4 -, 2 , 5 -, 2 , 6 -, 3 , 4 -, 3 , 5 - lutidine , triethylamine , 2 -, 3 -, or 4 - picoline , pyrrole , pyrrolidine , n - methyl morpholine , pyridine , pyrimidine or piperidine . as used herein , acylating agent refers to an acid halide or anhydride , which , when reacted with a hydroxyamidine results in o - acylation of the hydroxyl amidine . such acylating agents by way of example and without limitation are of the general structure r 6 cox or r 6 co — o — cor 6 , as defined above in the specification . by way of further example , and without limitation , where x is fluorine , chlorine , bromine or imidazole , r 6 is h , cf 3 , cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , ethenyl , allyl , ethynyl , cyclopropyl , phenyl , benzyl , c 7 - c 10 arylalkyloxy , c 1 - c 10 alkyloxy or aryloxy . as used herein , agent refers to a compound of the formula z - x , which , when reacted with a hydroxyamidine results in placement of the z group on the oxygen of the hydroxyamidine . by way of further example , and without limitation , where x is fluorine , chlorine , bromine or imidazole , z is either r 6 so 2 — or ( r 7 ) 3 si —, r 6 is h , cf 3 , cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , cf 2 cf 2 cf 2 cf 3 , methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , ethenyl , allyl , ethynyl , cyclopropyl , phenyl , benzyl , c 7 - c 10 arylalkyloxy , or aryloxy , and r 7 is independently selected from c 1 - c 10 alkyl or aryl substituted with 0 - 3 r 7a , and r 7a is c 1 - c 10 alkyl . the compounds described herein may have asymmetric centers . unless otherwise indicated , all chiral , diastereomeric and racemic forms are included in the present invention . many geometric isomers of olefins , c ═ n double bonds , and the like can also be present in the compounds described herein , and all such stable isomers are contemplated in the present invention . it will be appreciated that compounds of the present invention that contain asymmetrically substituted carbon atoms may be isolated in optically active or racemic forms . methods on how to prepare optically active forms from optically active starting materials are known in the art , such as by resolution of racemic forms or by synthesis . all chiral , diastereomeric , racemic forms and all geometric isomeric forms of a structure are intended . when any variable ( for example but not limited to r 1b , r 1c , r 3a , r 3b , r 3c , r 6c , etc .) occurs more than one time in any constituent or in any formula , its definition on each occurrence is independent of its definition at every other occurrence . thus , for example , if a group is shown to be substituted with 0 - 2 r 3a , then said group may optionally be substituted with up to two r 3a and r 3a at each occurrence is selected independently from the defined list of possible r 3a . combinations of substituents and / or variables are permissible only if such combinations result in stable compounds . by stable compound or stable structure it is meant herein a compound that is sufficiently robust to survive isolation to a useful degree of purity from a reaction mixture , and formulation into an efficacious therapeutic agent . the term “ substituted ”, as used herein , means that any one or more hydrogen on the designated atom is replaced with a selection from the indicated group , provided that the designated atom &# 39 ; s normal valency is not exceeded , and that the substitution results in a stable compound . as used herein , “ alkyl ”, is intended to include both branched and straight - chain saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon groups having the specified number of carbon atoms ; for example , c 1 - c 4 alkyl includes methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , i - propyl , n - butyl , i - butyl , s - butyl , and t - butyl ; for example c 1 - c 10 alkyl includes c 1 - c 4 alkyl , pentyl , hexyl , heptyl , octyl , nonyl , decyl , and isomer thereof . as used herein , any carbon range such as “ c x - c y ” is intended to mean a minimum of “ x ” carbons and a maximum of “ y ” carbons representing the total number of carbons in the substituent to which it refers . for example , “ c 3 - c 10 alkylcarbonyloxyalkyloxy ” could contain one carbon for “ alkyl ”, one carbon for “ carbonyloxy ” and one carbon for “ alkyloxy ” giving a total of three carbons , or a larger number of carbons for each alkyl group not to exceed a total of ten carbons . “ alkenyl ” is intended to include hydrocarbon chains of either a straight or branched configuration and one or more unsaturated carbon - carbon bonds which may occur in any stable point along the chain , such as ethenyl , 1 - propenyl , 2 - propenyl , 1 - butenyl , 2 - butenyl , 3 - butenyl , 1 , 3 - butadienyl and the like . “ alkynyl ”, is intended to include hydrocarbon chains of either a straight or branched configuration and one or more triple carbon - carbon bonds which may occur in any stable point along the chain , such as ethynyl , propynyl , butynyl and the like . “ aryl ” is intended to mean phenyl or naphthyl . the term “ arylalkyl ” represents an aryl group attached through an alkyl bridge ; for example aryl ( c 1 - c 2 ) alkyl is intended to mean benzyl , phenylethyl and the like . as used herin , “ cycloalkyl ” is intended to include saturated ring groups , including mono -, bi -, or poly - cyclic ring systems , such as cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cycloheptyl , cyclooctyl , and adamantyl . as used herein , “ alkyloxy ” or “ alkoxy ” represents an alkyl group of indicated number of carbon atoms attached through an oxygen bridge , for example methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , i - propoxy , butoxy , i - butoxy , s - butoxy and t - butoxy . the term “ aryloxy ” is intended to mean phenyl or naphthyl attached through an oxygen bridge ; as used herein , “ carbonyl ” means a carbon double bonded to oxygen and additionally substituted with two groups through single bonds ; “ carbonyloxy ” means a carbon double bonded to oxygen and additionally bonded through a single bonds to two groups , one of which is an oxygen . as used herein , “ sulfonyl ” is intended to mean a sulfur bonded through double bonds to two oxygens and bonded to two additional groups through single bonds . as used herein , “ hydroxy ” means a group consisting of an oxygen and a hydrogen bonded to another group through the oxygen . “ halo ” or “ halogen ” as used herein refers to fluoro , chloro , bromo and iodo . as used herein , the term “ heterocycle ” or “ heterocyclic ” is intended to mean a stable 5 - to 10 - membered monocyclic or bicyclic or 5 - to 10 - membered bicyclic heterocyclic ring which may be saturated , partially unsaturated , or aromatic , and which consists of carbon atoms and from 1 to 3 heteroatoms independently selected from the group consisting of n , o and s and wherein the nitrogen and sulfur heteroatoms may optionally be oxidized , and the nitrogen may optionally be quaternized , and including any bicyclic group in which any of the above - defined heterocyclic rings is fused to a benzene ring . the heterocyclic ring may be attached to its pendant group at any heteroatom or carbon atom which results in a stable structure . the heterocyclic rings described herein may be substituted on carbon or on a nitrogen atom if the resulting compound is stable . examples of such heterocycles include , but are not limited to , pyridyl ( pyridinyl ), pyrimidinyl , furanyl ( furyl ), thiazolyl , thienyl , pyrrolyl , pyrazolyl , imidazolyl , tetrazolyl , benzofuranyl , benzothiophenyl , indolyl , indolenyl , isoxazolinyl , quinolinyl , isoquinolinyl , benzimidazolyl , piperidinyl , 4 - piperidonyl , pyrrolidinyl , 2 - pyrrolidonyl , pyrrolinyl , tetrahydrofuranyl , tetrahydroquinolinyl , tetrahydroisoquinolinyl , decahydroquinolinyl or octahydroisoquinolinyl , azocinyl , triazinyl , 6h - 1 , 2 , 5 - thiadiazinyl , 2h , 6h - 1 , 5 , 2 - dithiazinyl , thianthrenyl , pyranyl , isobenzofuranyl , chromenyl , xanthenyl , phenoxathiinyl , 2h - pyrrolyl , pyrrolyl , imidazolyl , pyrazolyl , isothiazolyl , isoxazolyl , oxazolyl , pyrazinyl , pyridazinyl , indolizinyl , isoindolyl , 3h - indolyl , 1h - indazolyl , purinyl , 4h - quinolizinyl , phthalazinyl , naphthyridinyl , quinoxalinyl , quinazolinyl , cinnolinyl , pteridinyl , 4ah - carbazole , carbazole , β - carbolinyl , phenanthridinyl , acridinyl , perimidinyl , phenanthrolinyl , phenazinyl , phenarsazinyl , phenothiazinyl , furazanyl , phenoxazinyl , isochromanyl , chromanyl , imidazolidinyl , imidazolinyl , pyrazolidinyl , pyrazolinyl , piperazinyl , indolinyl , isoindolinyl , quinuclidinyl , morpholinyl or oxazolidinyl . also included are fused ring and spiro compounds containing , for example , the above heterocycles . as used herein , the term “ heteroaryl ” refers to aromatic heterocyclic groups . such heteroaryl groups are preferably 5 - 6 membered monocylic groups or 8 - 10 membered fused bicyclic groups . examples of such heteroaryl groups include , but are not limited to pyridyl ( pyridinyl ), pyrimidinyl , furanyl ( furyl ), thiazolyl , thienyl , pyrrolyl , pyrazolyl , imidazolyl , indolyl , isoxazolyl , oxazolyl , pyrazinyl , pyridazinyl , benzofuranyl , benzothienyl , benzimidazolyl , quinolinyl , or isoquinolinyl . as used herein , “ pharmaceutically acceptable salts ” refer to derivatives of the disclosed compounds wherein the intermediates or final compound are modified by making acid or base salts of the intermediates or final compounds . examples of pharmaceutically acceptable salts include , but are not limited to , mineral or organic acid salts of basic residues such as amines ; alkali or organic salts of acidic residues such as carboxylic acids ; and the like . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the intermediates or final compounds include the conventional non - toxic salts or the quaternary ammonium salts from non - toxic inorganic or organic acids . for example , such conventional non - toxic salts include those derived from inorganic acids such as hydrochloric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , sulfamic , phosphoric , nitric and the like ; and the salts prepared from organic acids such as acetic , propionic , succinic , glycolic , stearic , lactic , malic , tartaric , citric , ascorbic , pamoic , maleic , hydroxymaleic , phenylacetic , glutamic , benzoic , salicylic , sulfanilic , 2 - acetoxybenzoic , fumaric , toluenesulfonic , methanesulfonic , ethane disulfonic , oxalic , isethionic , and the like . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts are generally prepared by reacting the free base or acid with stoichiometric amounts or with an excess of the desired salt - forming inorganic or organic acid or base in a suitable solvent or various combinations of solvents . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the acids of the intermediates or final compounds are prepared by combination with an appropriate amount of a base , such as an alkali or alkaline earth metal hydroxide e . g . sodium , potassium , lithium , calcium , or magnesium , or an organic base such as an amine , e . g ., dibenzylethylenediamine , trimethylamine , piperidine , pyrrolidine , benzylamine and the like , or a quaternary ammonium hydroxide such as tetramethylammoinum hydroxide and the like . as discussed above , pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of the invention can be prepared by reacting the free acid or base forms of these compounds with a stoichiometric amount of the appropriate base or acid , respectively , in water or in an organic solvent , or in a mixture of the two ; generally , nonaqueous media like ether , ethyl acetate , ethanol , isopropanol , or acetonitrile are preferred . lists of suitable salts are found in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , 17th ed ., mack publishing company , easton , pa ., 1985 , p . 1418 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the present invention is contemplated to be practiced on at least a multigram scale , kilogram scale , multikilogram scale , or industrial scale . multigram scale , as used herein , is preferably the scale wherein at least one starting material is present in 10 grams or more , more preferably at least 50 grams or more , even more preferably at least 100 grams or more . multikilogram scale , as used herein , is intended to mean the scale wherein more than one kilogram of at least one starting material is used . industrial scale as used herein is intended to mean a scale which is other than a laboratory scale and which is sufficient to supply product sufficient for either clinical tests or distribution to consumers . the methods of the present invention , by way of example and without limitation , may be further understood by reference to scheme 1 . scheme 1 details the general synthetic method for synthesis of compounds of formula ( i ). compound ( ii ) can be prepared by methods described in j . org . chem . 1997 , 62 , 2466 - 2470 , and tetrahedron lett . 1996 , 37 , 4455 - 4458 . it is understood to one skilled in the art that the anhydride or acid chlorides used in the acylation step can be prepared by conversion of carboxylic acid derivatives as described in advanced organic chemistry , march , 4th edition , john wiley and sons , inc ., 1992 , p . 401 - 402 and p . 437 - 438 . in reaction 1 , a compound of formula ( ii ) is dissolved in about 10 liters of suitable solvent per kilogram of compound ( ii ). a suitable salt of hydroxyl amine is added . while a wide range of solvents such as halogenated , protic , aprotic , hydrocarbon , or ethers can be used , protic solvents such as methanol , ethanol and isopropanol are preferred , of which methanol is most preferred . suitable salts of hydroxyl amine include phosphate , sulfate , nitrate and hydrochloride salts ; a most preferred salt is hydroxyl amine hydrochloride . the hydroxyl amine salt is free - based with about 1 . 0 to about 2 . 0 equivalents of an appropriate base . preferrable bases are tertiary amines ; most preferred is triethyl amine . the reaction mixture can then be heated for a time sufficent to form a compound of form ( iii ). by way of general guidance , compound ( ii ) may be contacted with free - based hydroxyl amine at about 40 ° c . to about 65 ° c . for about 1 to about 5 hours to produce compound ( iii ). preferred temperatures are from about 55 ° c . to about 65 ° c . preferred reaction times are from about 2 to about 4 hours . the product precipitates as a white solid during the course of the reaction . the solids can then be filtered and the cake washed with a solvent , the choice of which is readily understood by one skilled in the art . the product is dried to afford pure compound ( iii ). in reaction 2 , a vessel is charged with compound ( iii ). the solids are dissolved in a suitable solvent followed by the slow charging of the vessel with a second solution made by dissolving a suitable acylating agent in the solvent being used for the reaction . preferably , the addition of the acylating agent solution should be done over a period of about 15 minutes to about one hour . while a wide range of reaction solvents such as halogenated , aprotic , hydrocarbon , ether , or organic acids are possible , preferred solvents are acetic acid , trifluoroacetic acid , pyridine , chloroform , dichloromethane , dichlorobenzene , acetonitrile , and tetrahydrofuran . most preferred are carboxylic acids which are structural derivatives of the acylating agent being used . by way of general example , acetic acid would preferably be used as the solvent when acetic anhydride is the acylating agent , whereas triflouroacetic acid would be preferably used when trifluoroacetic anhydride is the acylating agent . certain solvents such as aprotic , ether , halogenated and hydrocarbon solvents may require the addition of an acid scavenger . preferred acid scavengers include tertiary bases such as triethyl amine , diisopropyl ethylamine , n - methyl morpholine and pyridine . most preferred is triethyl amine . solvents capable of reacting with the acylating agent , such as alcohols , water and the like are not preferred as is readily understood by one skilled in the art . preferred acylating agents are anhydrides . most preferred is acetic anhydride . further , the acylating agent ( and preferable solvent ) can be strategically chosen to form the desired salt of the reaction product . by way of general example , acetic anhydride would be selected as the acylating agent if the acetate salt of the product is desired . the choice of acylating agent and solvent in this regard is readily understood by one skilled in the art . after the addition of the acylating agent , the reaction progression can be monitored by hplc analysis performed on an aliquot of the reaction solution . the acylation reaction is considered finished when compound ( iii ) is completely consumed . typical reaction times are in the range of about 5 minutes to about 24 hours . preferred reaction times are about 5 minutes to about 3 hours . the product can be isolated by the removal of the solvent via distillation and precipitation of the product through the addition of a suitable aprotic solvent . preferred aprotic solvents are ethers . the choice of precipition solvent and the methods of isolation are readily understood by one skilled in the art . preferably , the product is carried forward without isolation . reaction 3 , comprises the hydrogenation of the o - substituted hydroxyamidine . this reaction can be carried out without isolation of compound ( iv ), by the addition of a slurry of a suitable hydrogention catalyst in the solvent used in the preceding reaction . if compound ( iv ) is isolated , the hydrogenation can be carried out in protic , aprotic , hydrocarbon , ether , or organic acid solvents . the preferred solvents are methanol , ethanol , 2 - propanol , dimethylformamide , ethyl acetate , anisole , acetic acid and trifluoroacetic acid . most preferred is a mixture of methanol and acetic acid . while numerous hydrogenation catalysts are possible , palladium on carbon is most preferred . the amount of catalyst loaded on the carbon ranges from about 0 . 5 % to about 30 %. the preferred amount of catalyst on carbon is about 1 % to about 10 %. most preferred is about 3 % to 5 %. the total weight of the catalyst and carbon per gram of starting material is preferably about 1 % to about 10 %. most preferred is about 3 % to 7 %. the total weight of catalyst and carbon is based on the weight of the o - alkylated hydroxyamidine . the reaction solution is then subjected to a hydrogen atmosphere under a suitable pressure . preferred pressures range from about 1 psi to 100 psi . most preferred is 20 psi to 50 psi . the reaction time of the hydrogenation is dependent on cumulative factors , including the amount of catalyst present , the reaction temperature and the hydrogen pressure . by way of general example , an acetylation reaction containing 10 . 0 kilograms of compound ( iii ) required the use of 0 . 5 kilograms of 3 % palladium on carbon , under 5 psi of hydrogen at room temperature to reach completion in about 5 hours . varying any one of these conditions will effect reaction time which is readily understood by one skilled in the art . reaction completion can be monitored by hplc analysis performed on aliquots of the reaction mixture . the reaction is considered complete when compound ( iv ) has been completely consumed . after the reaction is judged complete , the catalyst is filtered off and washed with reaction solvent . the filtrate is concentrated , and the product precipitated by the addition of a suitable aprotic solvent . the most preferred solvent for precipitation is acetone . the choice of precipition solvent and the methods of isolation are readily understood by one skilled in the art . the product is then filtered and dried to give pure compound ( i ). in reaction 4 , the resultant reaction solution of step 2 is heated to form compound ( v ). the heating range is from about 30 ° c . to the reflux temperature of the solvent . preferred temperatures are from about 30 ° c . to about 120 ° c . preferred solvents for the cyclization are acetic acid , trifluoroacetic acid , pyridine , chloroform , dichloromethane , dichlorobenzene , acetonitrile , and tetrahydrofuran . the most preferred solvent for the cyclization is acetic acid . the preferred time of reflux is solvent dependent due to the limitations of boiling points . by way of general example , the use of acetic acid as the solvent required a heating time of about 3 hours . the product can be isolated by the removal of the solvent via distillation followed by the drying of the solids . preferably , compound ( v ) is carried forward without isolation . in reaction 4 , compound ( v ) is hydrogenated under the identical conditions of reaction 3 to give compound ( i ). the present invention may be further exemplified without limitation by reference to scheme 2 . the following examples are meant to be illustrative of the present invention . these examples are presented to exemplify the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the inventors scope . a 100 gal stainless steel reactor was charged with methanol ( 87 kg ), compound ( ii - i ) ( 11 kg ), hydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 3 . 6 kg ), and triethylamine ( 5 . 2 kg ). the reaction mixture was heated at 60 ° c . for 3 h and a large amount of solid precipitated during the reaction . after cooling to 0 - 5 ° c ., the solid was filtered through a nutsche filter and the cake was washed with a mixture of methanol and water ( made from 20 kg of methanol and 25 kg of water ). after dried the cake , the product ( 11 . 8 kg ) was obtained . a 50 gal stainless steel reactor was charged with acetic acid ( 63 kg ) and ( r )- methyl - 3 [[[ 3 [ 4 [ amino ( hydroxyimino ) methyl ] phenyl ]- 4 , 5 - dihydro - 5 - isoxazolyl ] acetyl ] amino ]- n ( butoxy - carbonyl )- l - alanine ( batch 1 : 10 . 0 kg ; batch 2 : 10 . 0 kg .) a solution of acetic anhydride ( batch 1 : 2205 g ; batch 2 : 1983 g ) in acetic acid ( 21 kg ) was charged into the reactor slowly over 30 min from a pressure cylinder using nitrogen pressure at rt ( 22 ° c .). additional 5 . 3 kg of acetic acid was then used to rinse the cylinder . after stirring at 22 ° c . for 30 min or until a clear solution was attained , a small sample was taken for hplc analysis . after the reaction was complete as determined by hplc . a slurry of pd / c ( batch 1 : 3 % pd / c , 0 . 5 kg ; batch 2 : 5 % pd / c , 0 . 4 kg ) in acetic acid ( 5 l ) was added and the resulting mixture was hydrogenated under 5 psi hydrogen pressure for 4 - 5 h . after the reaction was complete as determined by hplc , the catalyst was filtered off and washed with acetic acid ( 21 kg ) to give a solution of the product . anisole ( 80 kg ) was then added to the filtrate and the resulting mixture was concentrated at about 70 ° c . under vacuum ( 40 mm hg or lower ) in a 100 gal reactor . the distillation was stopped until that the distillate was about 148 l or the solid became visible in the batch . cooled the reactor to 40 ° c ., 72 kg of acetone was added over 30 - 90 min . the slurry was stirred at ambient temperature for 1 h and the 0 - 5 ° c . for another 1 h . the solid was collected on a rosenmund filter / dryer and the cake was washed with 10 % methanol in acetone ( made from 6 kg of methanol and 57 kg of acetone ). the solid cake was dried until lod & lt ; 1 %. a hot ( 80 ° c .) mixture of acetonitrile ( 27 kg ) and acetic acid ( 18 kg ) was charged into the filter to dissolve the cake and the hot solution was then transfer back to 100 gal reactor . the transfer line was washed with a mixture of acetic acid ( 0 . 9 kg ) and acetonitrile ( 1 . 4 kg ). after the solution was cooled to 40 - 45 ° c ., acetone ( 65 kg ) was added within 10 min . the resulting slurry was stirred gently at 25 ° c . for 1 h and then 0 - 5 ° c . for another 1 h . the solid was filtered by the rosenmund filter / dryer and the cake was washed with 10 % methanol in acetone ( prepared from 5 . 5 kg methanol and 50 kg of acetone ). after drying the cake until lod & lt ; 0 . 1 %, the product was obtained ( batch 1 : 6 . 3 kg . batch 2 : 6 . 8 kg ). heels from both batches in the rosenmund filter / dryer were dissolved in acetonitrile and acetic acid and combined , which was crystallized in the kilo lab to give additional 2 . 86 kg of product . to a suspension of ( r )- methyl - 3 -[[[ 3 -[ 4 -[ amino ( hydroxyimino ) methyl ] phenyl ]- 4 , 5 - dihydro - 5 - isoxazolyl ] acetyl ] amino ]- n -( butoxycarbonyl )- l - alanine ( 11 . 76 g ) in acetic acid ( 50 ml ) was added acetic anhydride ( 3 . 6 g ) dropwise . after the completion of addition , the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature 15 min . the reaction mass became clear . ether ( 200 ml ) was added slowly and a thick slurry formed . the resulting mixture was then stirred for another 1 . 5 h at room temperature and the solid was filtered . the cake was washed with ether ( 50 ml ) and dried to give ( r )- methyl - 3 -[[[ 3 -[ 4 -[( acetyloxyimino ) aminomethyl ] phenyl ]- 4 , 5 - dihydro - 5 - isoxazolyl ] acetyl ] amino ]- n -( butoxycarbonyl )- l - alanine ( 12 . 3 g ). to a suspension of ( r )- methyl - 3 -[[[ 3 -[ 4 -[ amino ( hydroxyimino ) methyl ] phenyl ]- 4 , 5 - dihydro - 5 - isoxazolyl ] acetyl ] amino ]- n -( butoxycarbonyl )- l - alanine ( 1 . 05 g ) in acetic acid ( 7 ml ) was added acetic anhydride ( 0 . 35 g ) dropwise . after the completion of addition , the reaction mixture was refluxed for 3 h . the solvent was distilled under vacuum and the solid was dried to give ( r )- methyl - n -( butoxycarbonyl )- 3 -[[[ 4 , 5 - dihydro - 3 -[ 4 -( 5 - methyl - 1 , 2 , 4 - oxadiazol - 3 - yl ) phenyl ]- 5 - isoxazolyl ] acetyl ] amino ]- l - alanine ( 1 . 05 g ). a mixture of ( r )- methyl - n -( butoxycarbonyl )- 3 -[[[ 4 , 5 - dihydro - 3 -[ 4 -( 5 - methyl - 1 , 2 , 4 - oxadiazol - 3 - yl ) phenyl ]- 5 - isoxazolyl ] acetyl ] amino ]- l - alanine ( 70 mg ) and 3 % pd / c ( 30 mg ) in methanol ( 3 ml ) and acetic acid ( 0 . 5 ml ) was stirred under hydrogen atmosphere for 3 h . the catalyst was filtered off and washed with methanol ( 4 ml ). the combined filtrate and wash was concentrated to small volume . acetone ( 2 ml ) was added slowly and a slurry was formed . after stirred for 30 min , the solid was filtered and the cake was washed with 10 % methanol in acetone ( 4 ml ) and dried to give the product ( 25 mg ). hplc conditions column : eclipse xdb - c8 4 . 6 × 250 mm mobile phase : a : 0 . 1 % trifluoroacetic acid / 0 . 1 % triethylamine in hplc grade water b : tetrahydrofuran ( unstabilized - suitable for liquid chromatography )/ 0 . 1 % trifluoroacetic acid gradient : t = 0 min 85 % a 15 % b t = 10 min 85 % a 15 % b t = 32 min 50 % a 50 % b t = 40 min 50 % a 50 % b flow rate : 1 . 5 ml / min injection volume : 10 microliters stop time : 40 minutes post time : 10 minutes oven temp . : 40 ° c . detector : uv ( 280 nm , 230 nm , 260 nm ) sample prep . : dissolve approximately 0 . 5 mg of sample ( dry solids weight ) per ml in 50 % tetrahydrofuran 49 . 9 % h 2 0 / 0 . 1 % acetic acid . filter any undissolved solids through an acrodisc 0 . 45 micron nylon filter .	2
in one embodiment , the present invention provides an apparatus for nasally delivering a supraglottic jet ventilation , comprising : a . an elongated flexible tube having : i . an annular cylindrical wall defining at least one tube lumen extending substantially the entire length thereof , a cylindrical wall having external and internal surfaces and having proximal and distal ends , ii . a first catheter lumen extending lengthwise within a cylindrical wall between an external surface and an internal surface and along a dorsal region thereof , the first lumen having a first opening through the external surface of a cylindrical wall adjacent the proximal end thereof and a second opening through the internal surface of a cylindrical wall adjacent the distal end thereof , iii . a second catheter lumen extending lengthwise within the cylindrical wall along a ventral region thereof , the lumen having a first opening through the external surface of the cylindrical wall adjacent the proximal end thereof and a second opening through a distal face of the aid cylindrical wall at the distal end of the cylindrical wall ; b . a first catheter extending dorsally through the first catheter lumen , the first catheter having a proximal end extending outside of the cylindrical wall through the first opening and having a distal end extending into the tube lumen through the second opening ; and c . a second catheter ventrally through the first catheter lumen , the second catheter having a proximal end extending outside of the cylindrical wall through the first opening and having a distal end extending through the second opening . in another embodiment , the present invention provides that an apparatus for nasally delivering a supraglottic jet ventilation is a device of the invention . in another embodiment , the present invention provides that an apparatus for nasally delivering a supraglottic jet ventilation comprises ( see fig1 ) proximal end of the jet nasal airway ( away from the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cord ) and an adaptor for connecting to conventional mechanical ventilation ( 100 ); proximal end of the built - in end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter / jet catheter ( 2 ); distal end of the built - in end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter / jet catheter ( 3 ); proximal end of the built - in jet catheter / end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter ( 4 ); distal end of the built - in jet catheter / end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter ( 5 ); proximal end of the jet nasal airway ( close to the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cord ) ( 6 ). in another embodiment , the present invention provides that the length of jet nasal airway is 2 - 20 cm . in another embodiment , the present invention provides that the length of jet nasal airway is 2 - 5 cm . in another embodiment , the present invention provides that the length of jet nasal airway is 4 - 10 cm . in another embodiment , the present invention provides that the length of jet nasal airway is 10 - 20 cm . in another embodiment , the present invention provides that the id and od for nasal jet airway are 1 - 10 mm and 2 - 12 mm respectively . in another embodiment , the present invention provides that the id for jet catheter or end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter is 0 . 1 - 2 . 5 mm . in another embodiment , the present invention provides that the jet catheter is used as an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter and vice versa depending on the condition to achieve maximum chest rise and end - tidal co 2 . in another embodiment , the first catheter is adapted to accommodate a jet ventilator . in another embodiment , the first catheter is adapted to accommodate a jet device . in another embodiment , the first catheter is adapted to accommodate an oxygen insufflation . in another embodiment , the first catheter is adapted to accommodate a co 2 monitoring means . in another embodiment , the second catheter is adapted to monitor co 2 . in another embodiment , the second catheter is adapted to accommodate a jet ventilator . in another embodiment , the second catheter is adapted to accommodate a jet device . in another embodiment , the second catheter is adapted to accommodate an oxygen insufflation . in another embodiment , the cross - sectional area of the jet catheter lumen is smaller than the cross - sectional area of the tube lumen . in another embodiment , the jet catheter extends to the point adjacent the distal end of the tube . in another embodiment , the jet catheter lumen has a cross - sectional area of between about 0 . 1 mm and 2 . 5 mm . in another embodiment , the co 2 monitoring catheter lumen has a cross - sectional area of between about 0 . 1 mm and 2 . 5 mm . in another embodiment , the tube lumen has a cross - sectional area of between about 1 mm and 10 mm . in another embodiment , the apparatus further comprises a visual monitoring means for observing the vocal cord . in another embodiment , the visual monitoring means is positioned within said tube lumen . in another embodiment , the apparatus further comprises a jet ventilation source for providing jet ventilation through the jet catheter and / or co 2 monitoring catheter . in another embodiment , the apparatus have a length of between about 2 and 20 cm . in another embodiment , the jet ventilation source is controlled for jet pulse frequency , pulse pressure , inspiratory / expiratory ratio ( i / e ) ratio , and the oxygen concentrations in the jet pulse . in another embodiment , the present invention further provides a method of ventilating a subject afflicted with a pathology resulting in compromised breathing , comprising the steps of : a . within a nasal airway of a subject , positioning an apparatus for nasally delivering a jet of air or oxygen at various concentrations : an elongated flexible tube having a proximal end , a distal end , an external surface , an internal surface and a wall portion defining at least one lumen extending substantially the entire length of the tube , an opening through the external surface of the tube located dorsally adjacent the proximal end , an opening through the internal surface of the tube located dorsally adjacent the distal end and a lumen therebetween , an opening through the external surface of the tube located ventrally adjacent the proximal end , an opening through the wall portion of the tube located ventrally adjacent to the distal end and a lumen therebetween ; a jet catheter extending between the dorsally located external opening and dorsally located internal opening , the first catheter having a proximal end and a distal end , wherein the proximal end is extending from the dorsally located external opening ; and a co 2 monitoring catheter extending between the ventrally located opening and wall portion opening , the second catheter having a proximal end and a distal end , wherein the proximal end is extending from the ventrally located external opening ; and b . initiating jet ventilation through the jet catheter tube or co 2 monitoring catheter using a jet ventilator or device . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the step of adjusting the position of the jet pulse in the nasal airway to obtain the maximum end - tidal co 2 with a capnogram having a stable plateau . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the step of observing the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cord ( s ) by at least one visual monitoring means . in another embodiment , the visual monitoring means is laryngoscope or a regid laryngoscope or a fiber - optic scope . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the step of changing jet ventilation through the jet catheter to the co 2 monitoring catheter , and using jet catheter for co 2 monitoring . in another embodiment , the choice of the catheter function depends on best chest rise and maximum end - tidal co 2 obtained with use of each of two catheters . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the step of capping the proximal end of the jet catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the step of capping the proximal end of the co 2 monitoring catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the step of providing conventional ventilation using a breathing bag to the subject through the first tube . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the step of delivering medication to the subject through the jet catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the step of delivering medication to the subject through the co 2 monitoring catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the step of applying suction forces to the nasal airway in a subject through the jet catheter or co 2 monitoring catheter . in another embodiment , the pathology is respiratory depression , apnea , hypoxia , hypercapnia , or any combination thereof , or during the placement and / or removal of an oral and / or nasal endotracheal tube . in another embodiment , the present invention further provides a system for ventilating a subject afflicted with a pathology resulting in compromised breathing , comprising : an apparatus for nasally delivering a jet of air or oxygen at different concentrations , comprising : i . an elongated flexible tube having : 1 . an annular cylindrical wall defining at least one tube lumen extending substantially the entire length thereof , the cylindrical wall having external and internal surfaces and having proximal and distal ends , 2 . a first catheter lumen , extending lengthwise within the cylindrical wall between the external surface and the internal surface and along a dorsal region thereof , the first lumen having a first opening through the external surface of the cylindrical wall adjacent the proximal end thereof and a second opening through the internal surface of the cylindrical wall adjacent the distal end thereof , 3 . a second catheter lumen extending lengthwise within the cylindrical wall along a ventral region thereof , the lumen having a first opening through the external surface of the cylindrical wall adjacent the proximal end thereof and a second opening through the internal surface adjacent to a distal end of the cylindrical wall ; i . a first catheter adapted to deliver a jet pulse or to monitor end - tidal co 2 extending dorsally through the first catheter lumen , the first catheter having a proximal end extending outside of the cylindrical wall through the first opening and having a distal end extending into the tube lumen through the second opening ; and ii . a second catheter adapted for monitoring co 2 levels or for providing jet ventilation ventrally through the first catheter lumen , the second catheter having a proximal end extending outside of the cylindrical wall through the first opening and having a distal end extending through the second opening ; b . a jet ventilator or device ; and c . a co 2 monitoring device . in another embodiment , the system further comprises means for viewing a vocal chord . in another embodiment , the jet ventilator is any device that generates jet pulses . in another embodiment , the co 2 monitoring means is capable of monitoring end - tidal co 2 . in another embodiment , the means of viewing vocal cords is a fiber optic scope . in another embodiment , the system further comprises means for applying suction to the apparatus through the tube lumen . in another embodiment , the system further comprises central control means . in another embodiment , the central control means comprises a sensor of breathing , a computer to integrate breathing signal and provide triggering signal for jet ventilator to synchronize the jet pulse from jet ventilator with spontaneous breathing of subject . in another embodiment , provided herein a jet nasal airway device ( fig2 ) comprising a nasal airway unit ( 1 ) comprising : a tube ( 7 ) having a proximate end ( 9 ), a distal end ( 6 ), an anterior surface ( 10 ), and a posterior surface ( 11 ), a first tube wall ( 15 ) and a second tube wall ( 16 ) enclosing a tube lumen ( 8 ); a jet catheter ( 4 ) partially enclosed within the first tube wall ( 15 ) having proximate end ( 12 ), a distal end ( 5 ) and comprising a first jet catheter wall and a second jet catheter wall ( 13 and 17 , respectively ) enclosing a jet catheter lumen ( 14 ), wherein the proximate end ( 12 ) of jet catheter extends outwards from the first tube wall ( 15 ), wherein the distal end ( 5 ) of jet catheter extends inwards from the first tube wall ( 15 ) into the tube lumen ; an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter ( 2 ), partially enclosed within the second tube wall ( 16 ) having proximate end ( 18 ), a distal end ( 3 ) and comprising a first end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter wall and a second end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter wall ( 19 , 20 ) enclosing an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter lumen ( 21 ), wherein the proximate end ( 18 ) of an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter extends outwards from the second tube wall ( 16 ), wherein the distal end ( 3 ) of an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter is located within the second tube wall ( 16 ). in another embodiment , the proximal end of the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter is capped . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter is cuffed . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the jet catheter is capped . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the jet catheter is cuffed . in another embodiment , the terms “ apparatus for nasally delivering a jet of air ” and “ jet nasal airway device ” are used interchangeably . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the co 2 monitoring catheter is capped . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the co 2 monitoring catheter is cuffed . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the jet catheter is capped . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the jet catheter is cuffed . in another embodiment , the first catheter is adapted to accommodate an air jet . in another embodiment , the second catheter is adapted to monitor co 2 . in another embodiment , the second catheter is an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter . in another embodiment , the cross - sectional area of the jet catheter lumen is smaller than the cross - sectional area of the tube lumen . in another embodiment , the jet catheter extends beyond the distal end of the tube . in another embodiment , the first tube wall ( 15 ) has a protruding end . in another embodiment , the second tube wall ( 16 ) has a protruding end . in another embodiment , the jet catheter lumen ( 14 ) has a cross - sectional area of 0 . 1 mm to 4 mm . in another embodiment , the jet catheter lumen has a cross - sectional area of 0 . 5 mm to 1 . 5 mm . in another embodiment , the jet catheter lumen has a cross - sectional area of 0 . 11 mm to 2 . 5 mm . in another embodiment , the jet catheter lumen has a cross - sectional area of 1 mm to 3 mm . in another embodiment , the jet catheter lumen has a cross - sectional area of 2 . 5 mm to 3 . 5 mm . in another embodiment , the jet catheter lumen has a cross - sectional area of 2 . 5 mm to 4 mm . in another embodiment , the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter ( 21 ) has a cross - sectional area of 0 . 1 mm to 4 mm . in another embodiment , the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter has a cross - sectional area of 0 . 5 mm to 1 . 5 mm . in another embodiment , the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter has a cross - sectional area of 0 . 1 mm to 2 . 5 mm . in another embodiment , the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter has a cross - sectional area of 1 mm to 3 mm . in another embodiment , the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter has a cross - sectional area of 2 . 5 mm to 3 . 5 mm . in another embodiment , the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter has a cross - sectional area of 2 . 5 mm to 4 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 1 mm to 12 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 1 mm to 9 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 1 mm to 3 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 2 mm to 4 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 3 mm to 5 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 4 mm to 6 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 5 mm to 7 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 6 mm to 8 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 7 mm to 9 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 3 mm to 8 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 2 mm to 5 mm . in another embodiment , the tube &# 39 ; s lumen has a cross - sectional area of 6 mm to 9 mm . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device further comprises a visual monitoring means for observing the vocal cord . in another embodiment , the visual monitoring means comprises an optic fiber . in another embodiment , the visual monitoring means is attached to the jet nasal airway device . in another embodiment , the visual monitoring means is comprised within the jet nasal airway device . in another embodiment , the visual monitoring means is positioned within the tube &# 39 ; s lumen . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device further comprises a bendable , shape - retaining stylet for shaping the jet nasal airway device . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device is compressible . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device is flexible . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device is elastic . in another embodiment , the terms “ apparatus for nasally delivering a jet of air ” and a “ jet nasal airway device ” are used interchangeably . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device further comprises a jet ventilation source for providing jet ventilation through the jet catheter . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device further comprises an inflatable insufflation cuff . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device of have a length of 2 - 20 mm . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device of have a length of 2 - 5 mm . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device of have a length of 4 - 8 mm . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device of have a length of 5 - 10 mm . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device of have a length of 8 - 12 mm . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device of have a length of 10 - 15 mm . in another embodiment , the jet nasal airway device of have a length of 12 - 20 mm . in another embodiment , the device is an implantable device that is positioned within an anatomical cavity of the nose . in another embodiment , the device is an implantable device that is positioned within the anatomical cavity of the nose . in another embodiment , the device is comprised of a biocompatible material . in another embodiment , the device is comprised of a combination of biocompatible materials . in another embodiment , the device is comprised of a biocompatible material that provides the necessary physical properties for the device of the invention . in another embodiment , the device is comprised of a polymeric material ( both natural and synthetic ), a polymeric fiber , a ceramic material , a composite material , a metal , a metal oxide , and combinations thereof . in another embodiment , the device is comprised of amylose and amylopectin derivatives , polyamides , polyvinyl alcohol , polyvinyl acetals , polyvinylpyrrolidone , polyacrylates , epoxy resins , and polyurethanes ( mixtures thereof , blends with other ingredients , or copolymers thereof ) and combinations thereof . in another embodiment , the device is coated . in another embodiment , the device is coated with a polymer or coating composition . in another embodiment , the device is coated with hyaluronic acid . in another embodiment , the device is coated with perylenem ™. in another embodiment , the device is coated with heparin . in another embodiment , the device is coated with a lubricant . in another embodiment , the device is coated with a thrombo - prevention compound . in another embodiment , the device is coated with an anti - bacterial compound . in another embodiment , the device is coated with an anti - inflammatory compound . in another embodiment , the device is cross - linked or bound to a drug by gamma irradiation , chemical binding ( as with binder or crosslinking molecules such as n - hydroxysuccinimide ), or any other method . in another embodiment , the device is capable of the controlled release of a drug such as a surfactant , lubricant , antibiotic , anti - acid , antifungal agent , anti - inflammatant , or the like . in another embodiment , the device is formed in part or in whole from a number of materials . in another embodiment , the materials are typically selected so as to ensure optimal device performance given the particular construction and / or geometry of the device . in another embodiment , the materials are tailored to the environment conditions to which the device may be exposed . in another embodiment , the environmental conditions of the nose may vary according to a number of factors , e . g ., the particular temperature of the animal whose nose is to receive the device , whether the animal is healthy or diseased , whether pus or other bodily fluids are present , edema of the mucosa , etc . in another embodiment , the device is substantially uniform in composition . in another embodiment , the device comprises of a plurality of regions that form an integrated whole . in another embodiment , the device is comprised of an interior region and a peripheral region , wherein the regions exhibit different compositions . in another embodiment , the peripheral region is formed from a biocompatible material . in another embodiment , the microstructure of the materials used with the invention is controlled in order to produce a device of controlled mechanical properties ( e . g ., tensile strength , elasticity ). in another embodiment , the material is typically synthetic or man - made . in another embodiment , naturally occurring composition are used . in another embodiment , biocompatibility requires a material purity of a pharmaceutically acceptable grade . in another embodiment , the material is a hydrophilic polymer . in another embodiment , the material hydrophilic polymers include polyethylene glycol , polyoxyethylene , polymethylene glycol , polytrimethylene glycols , polycinylpyrrolidones , and derivatives thereof . in another embodiment , the polymers are linear or multiply branched . in another embodiment , the material is polyethylene glycol ( peg ) containing compound . in another embodiment , the material is a polyvinyl alcohol , polyacrylic acid , polyglycolic acid , polydioxanone . in another embodiment , the material is a biodegradable material such as polyesters of an α - hydroxy acids , lactic acid , glycolic acid , lactic esters , caprolactone , polyether - polyester combinations especially of polyethylene glycol ( peg ) and aliphatic polyesters like poly ( lactic acid ), poly ( glycolic acid ) and poly ( caprolactone ), either as a blend or as a copolymer , in order to increase the hydrophilicity and degradation rate . in another embodiment , the material is a biodegradable polyanhydrides or polyorthoesters having labile backbone linkages . in another embodiment , the material is a polysaccharide . in another embodiment , the material is hyaluronic acid . in another embodiment , the material is cyclodextrin . in another embodiment , the material is hydroxymethylcellulose . in another embodiment , the material is cellulose ether . in another embodiment , the material is a glycan . in another embodiment , the material is a collagen and other collagenic ( collagen - like ) materials in another embodiment , the device is used in conjunction with pharmaceutical technologies known in the art . in another embodiment , a pharmacologically active constituent is bound to the device member or may be eludable . in another embodiment , such pharmacologically active constituents may promote healing and may include , for example , antibiotics , antifungal agent , anti - inflammatory , or the like . in another embodiment , the biocompatible material may be free from any pharmacologically active constituents . in another embodiment , the device comprises a pharmaceutical substance that treats or prevents a microbial infection , the substance delivered may comprise pharmaceutically acceptable salt or dosage form of an antimicrobial agent ( e . g ., antibiotic , antiviral , antiparacytic , antifungal , etc . ), a corticosteroid or other anti - inflammatory ( e . g ., an nsaid ), a decongestant ( e . g ., vasoconstrictor ), a mucous thinning agent ( e . g ., an expectorant or mucolytic ), an agent that prevents of modifies an allergic response ( e . g ., an antihistamine , cytokine inhibitor , leucotriene inhibitor , ige inhibitor , immunomodulator ), etc . in another embodiment , the device is inserted for a long period of time . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for a long period of time . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least one year . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least two years . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least three years . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least one year . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least a month . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least three months . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least four months . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least five months . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least seven months . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least an hour . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least a day . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least three days . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least four days . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least a week . in another embodiment , the device remains in the nose for at least two weeks . in another embodiment , the device is degraded at a programmed rate . in another embodiment , the device is designed to degrade at a rate wherein structure may be completely removed by aqueous solution flushing . in another embodiment , the device maintains sufficient structural integrity to maintain patency for a designed period of time . in another embodiment , the period of treatment may be for a period between two weeks , two months , six months , twelve months or more . in another embodiment , a measure of the ability to maintain structural integrity would be that the device can sustain a radially applied force without breaking ( after the defined period of time ) that is at least one - half of the structural force that can be sustained prior to implantation or immersion in a test environment . in another embodiment , it is well - known in the art that chemical materials , including lubricants , medicaments , and the like , may be dissolved or dispersed in a polymer and this will bloom or exude or migrate from the polymer for local delivery of the material . in another embodiment , the device provides high frequency jet ventilation ( hfjv ) or low frequency jet ventilation ( lfjv ) characterized by its opening system , low tidal volume and low airway pressure . in another embodiment , the device maintains effective oxygenation and / or ventilation . in another embodiment , provided herein a method of ventilating a subject afflicted with a pathology resulting in compromised breathing , comprising the steps of : i . within a nasal airway of the subject , positioning an apparatus for nasally delivering a jet of air comprising : an elongated flexible tube having a proximal end , a distal end , an external surface , an internal surface and a wall portion defining at least one lumen extending substantially the entire length of the tube , an opening through the external surface of the tube located dorsally adjacent the proximal end , an opening through the internal surface of the tube located dorsally adjacent the distal end and a lumen therebetween , an opening through the external surface of the tube located ventrally adjacent the proximal end , an opening through the wall portion of the tube located ventrally adjacent to the distal end and a lumen therebetween ; an air jet catheter extending between the dorsally located external opening and dorsally located internal opening , the first catheter having a proximal end and a distal end , wherein the proximal end is extending from the dorsally located external opening ; and a co2 monitoring catheter extending between the ventrally located opening and wall portion opening , the second catheter having a proximal end and a distal end , wherein the proximal end is extending from the ventrally located external opening ; and ii . initiating jet ventilation through the air jet catheter tube using a jet ventilator . in another embodiment , provided herein a method of ventilating a subject afflicted with a respiratory depression , apnea , hypoxia , hypercapnia , or any combination thereof comprising the steps of : a . within a nasal airway of a subject , positioning an apparatus for nasally delivering a jet of air comprising an elongated flexible tube having a proximal end , a distal end , an external surface , an internal surface and a wall portion defining at least one lumen extending substantially the entire length of the tube , an opening through the external surface of the tube located dorsally adjacent the proximal end , an opening through the internal surface of the tube located dorsally adjacent the distal end and a lumen therebetween , an opening through the external surface of the tube located ventrally adjacent the proximal end , an opening through the wall portion of the tube located ventrally adjacent to the distal end and a lumen therebetween ; a jet catheter extending between the dorsally located external opening and dorsally located internal opening , the first catheter having a proximal end and a distal end , wherein the proximal end is extending from the dorsally located external opening ; and a co 2 monitoring catheter extending between the ventrally located opening and wall portion opening , the second catheter having a proximal end and a distal end , wherein the proximal end is extending from the ventrally located external opening ; and b . initiating jet ventilation through the air jet catheter tube using a jet ventilator . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the co 2 monitoring catheter is capped . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the co 2 monitoring catheter is cuffed . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the jet catheter is capped . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the jet catheter is cuffed . in another embodiment , provided herein a method of ventilating a subject afflicted with a respiratory depression , apnea , hypoxia , hypercapnia , or any combination thereof comprising the steps of : a . within a nasal airway of a subject , positioning a device for nasally delivering a jet of air comprising a nasal airway unit ( 1 ) comprising : a tube ( 7 ) having a proximate end ( 9 ), a distal end ( 6 ), an anterior surface ( 10 ), and a posterior surface ( 11 ), a first tube wall ( 15 ) and a second tube wall ( 16 ) enclosing a tube lumen ( 8 ); a jet catheter ( 4 ) partially enclosed within the first tube wall ( 15 ) having proximate end ( 12 ), a distal end ( 5 ) and comprising a first jet catheter wall and a second jet catheter wall ( 13 , 17 ) enclosing a jet catheter lumen ( 14 ), wherein the proximate end ( 12 ) of jet catheter extends outwards from the first tube wall ( 15 ), wherein the distal end ( 5 ) of jet catheter extends inwards from the first tube wall ( 15 ) into the tube lumen ; an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter ( 2 ), partially enclosed within the second tube wall ( 16 ) having proximate end ( 18 ), a distal end ( 3 ) and comprising a first end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter wall and a second end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter wall ( 19 , 20 ) enclosing an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter lumen ( 21 ), wherein the proximate end ( 18 ) of an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter extends outwards from the second tube wall ( 16 ), wherein the distal end ( 3 ) of an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter is located within the second tube wall ( 16 ); and i . initiating jet ventilation through the jet catheter tube using a jet ventilator . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the tube is flared . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter is capped . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter is cuffed . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the jet catheter is capped . in another embodiment , the proximal end of the jet catheter is cuffed . in another embodiment , the co 2 monitoring catheter is an end - tidal co 2 monitoring catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises adjusting the position of the distal end of the jet catheter to obtain the maximum end - tidal co 2 with a capnogram having a stable plateau . in another embodiment , the method further comprises observing the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cord ( s ) by at least one visual monitoring means . in another embodiment , the method further comprises observing the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cord with a fiber - optic scope . in another embodiment , the method further comprises monitoring the chest rise and breath sound of the patient on the subject &# 39 ; s exterior chest wall . in another embodiment , the method further comprises shaping the jet nasal airway device within the nasal airway . in another embodiment , the method further comprises discontinuing jet ventilation through the jet catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises discontinuing jet ventilation through the jet catheter , and providing ventilation to the subject through the tube . in another embodiment , the method further comprises capping the proximate end of the jet catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises sealing the proximate end of the jet catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises providing conventional ventilation to the subject through the first tube . in another embodiment , the method further comprises providing jet ventilation to the subject through the tube . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the delivery of medication to the subject through the jet catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises the delivery of medication to the subject through the tube . in another embodiment , the method further comprises applying suction forces to the nasal airway through the jet catheter . in another embodiment , the method further comprises applying suction forces to the nasal airway through the tube . in another embodiment , the device is controlled for pulse frequency , pulse pressure , pulse waveform , amount of air or oxygen at various concentrations per pulse , or their combination . in another embodiment , the nasal airway unit is controlled for pulse frequency , pulse pressure , pulse waveform , amount of air per pulse , or their combination . in another embodiment , provided herein a system comprising a jet nasal airway device . in another embodiment , provided herein a system comprising a device as described herein . in another embodiment , the system further comprises a co 2 level monitoring means . in another embodiment , the system further comprises a tank comprising a composition of compressed gasses . in another embodiment , the system further comprises a tank comprising compressed air . in another embodiment , the system further comprises a tank comprising a composition of compressed oxygen . in another embodiment , the system further comprises a tank comprising compressed oxygen . in another embodiment , the system further comprises an ecg . in another embodiment , the system further comprises at least one visual monitoring means . in another embodiment , the system further comprises a fiber - optic scope . in another embodiment , the system further comprises a cap fitting the proximate end of the jet catheter . in another embodiment , the system further comprises a medication delivery unit . in another embodiment , the system further comprises means providing suction . the prototype of the jet nasal airway is shown in fig3 . its concept has been tested in patients using a regular nasal airway together with a suction catheter as a jet catheter connected to a sander &# 39 ; s manual jet ventilator ( fig3 ). the inventor of the instant application has tested the concept in at least 50 patients receiving procedures of colonoscopy , upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography ( ercp ) under heavy sedation with the continuous intravenous infusion of propofol ( 100 - 150 mcg / kg / min ). in a preliminary study , a regular nasal airway as shown in fig3 is inserted in one of the nostril in patients . a jet catheter with id around 2 mm is placed into the lumen of the regular nasal airway with its distal end parallel to the distal end of nasal airway and proximal end connected to a manual jet ventilator . jet ventilation was performed with respiratory rate of 15 / min , driving pressure of 15 psi and i / e ration of 1 : 2 . patients were monitored for sao2 , heart rate , breathing rate , blood pressure and end - tidal co 2 ( petco2 ). the inventor has found that supraglottic jet ventilation using this setting up significantly improved oxygenation in patients under heavy sedation , with obvious chest rising and increase of sao 2 to a desirable level (& gt ; 96 %). there were no significant complications in these patients using supraglottic jet ventilation . this work demonstrates how to use a regular nasal airway and a jet catheter in its lumen for improving oxygenation in obese patients receiving upper gastrointestinal endoscopy or colonoscopy under heavy sedation with intravenous propofol infusion . having described preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments , and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims .	0
referring to fig1 the gyratory crusher 1 embodying the invention includes a lower frame 2 provided with a vertical hub 3 , an upper frame 4 supporting a crusher bowl or liner 5 , a spider - like frame 6 mounted on the upper frame 4 , and a centrally located gyratable head shaft 7 carrying a crusher head or cone 8 in spaced relation to the interior of the bowl to provide an annular crushing zone or gap 9 between the bowl and the crusher cone . the head shaft 7 , which is carried on an axial thrust bearing 10 supported by a piston and cylinder unit 11 mounted on the lower frame 2 beneath the shaft , is rotatably journaled within an eccentric sleeve bearing carried within the vertical hub 3 to direct the gyratory movement of the shaft . as shown in fig1 the sleeve bearing includes an eccentric sleeve 12 having an outer cylindrical surface 13 journaled within the hub 3 and an eccentrically disposed internal bore 14 which receives the shaft 7 along an axis inclined to the external surface of the sleeve . the eccentric sleeve is carried by a supporting bearing 15 on the lower frame 2 and includes a ring gear 16 secured about its periphery which is driven by a driving pinion 17 mounted on a horizontally extending drive shaft 18 journaled within the lower frame 2 . the drive shaft 18 is connected with a suitable rotary drive ( not shown ) which in turn rotates the sleeve 12 through the ring gear 16 and pinion 17 to effect gyratory movement of the head shaft about the bushing 19 mounted in the spider - like frame 6 as is well known in the art . the piston and cylinder unit 11 includes an outer cylindrical casing 20 having an open upper end and a closed lower end which is enclosed by a removable cover plate 21 secured to the casing by bolts 22 or the like . as shown in the drawings , a pair of cylindrical pistons 23 and 24 are reciprocably mounted within the cylindrical casing 20 to form a gas chamber 25 and a hydraulic chamber 26 , it being noted that piston rings or seals 27 and 28 are secured in associated annular grooves about the respective peripheries of the pistons to seal each of the chambers 25 and 26 within the casing . the gas chamber 25 is connected with a conventional gas storage cylinder 29 through a valved inlet 30 in the cover plate 21 secured to the lower end of the casing . this arrangement accommodates precharging of the gas chamber 25 with air , or preferably nitrogen , to form a fluid cushion urging the lower piston 24 against a fixed cylindrical bushing 31 secured in the casing above the piston 24 . the upper piston 23 , which is sized to reciprocate within the bushing 31 and the outer cylindrical wall 32 of the lower piston 24 , cooperates with the lower piston 24 to contain the hydraulic chamber 26 . hydraulic fluid is supplied to the hydraulic chamber 26 from a hydraulic reservoir 33 by a reversible pump 34 connected via conduit 35 having a pressure relief valve 36 to a port 37 in the wall of the casing . the port 37 opens into an external annular groove 38 about the circumference of the outer cylindrical wall 32 which in turn opens into an internal annular groove 39 about the inner face of the wall 32 through a plurality of ports 40 spaced about the circumference of the wall , and the internal groove 39 communicates with the hydraulic chamber 26 through a series of ports 41 spaced about the circumference of the cylindrical wall 42 of the upper piston 23 . thus , by using the reversible pump 34 to vary the quantity of hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic chamber 26 , an operator can adjust the axial spacing between the upper piston 23 carrying the head shaft 7 and the normally stationary lower piston 24 to maintain the desired crushing gap between the crusher head and the crusher bowl , and , in the event a particularly large piece of tramp iron becomes jammed in the crushing gap causing the lower piston 24 to bottom - out in the cylinder , the pressure relief valve 36 accommodates evacuation of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic chamber 26 to allow the upper piston and thus the crusher head to drop to prevent damage to the crusher head and driving mechanism . additionally , it should be noted that the upper piston 23 includes a duct 43 for directing lubricant to the thrust bearing 10 from a lubricant port 44 including an interiorly opening annular groove in the wall of the bushing 31 through an exterior groove 45 in the periphery of the upper piston . the lower piston 24 includes a closed housing 46 affixed to the piston head 47 which provides a pressure relief chamber 48 contained within the lower piston . the pressure relief chamber 48 communicates with the gas chamber 25 through the piston head 47 by means of a check valve 49 which accommodates one - way flow of gases from the gas chamber 25 into the pressure relief chamber 48 , and through an open gas return port 50 which is sized to throttle or attenuate a return flow of gases into the gas chamber 25 to prevent the development of &# 34 ; water hammers &# 34 ; within the system as will be described . as shown in fig2 the check valve 49 is preferably of a conventional ball and spring design which is adapted to open only when the pressure in the gas chamber 25 exceeds the pressure in the pressure relief chamber 48 . referring to fig1 and 2 , during normal crushing operations , the upper and lower pistons 23 and 24 are supported in the positions shown by the precharged gases in the gas chamber 25 and the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic chamber 26 . as can be seen from the drawing , the upper piston 23 is shown in its lowermost position relative to the lower piston 24 . this position generally corresponds to the position of the upper piston after a new , unworn mantel has been installed on the crusher head . since the rock passing through the crusher wears down the mantel after extended use , without some means of adjusting the position of the crusher head relative to the crusher bowl , the crushing gap will continue to grow until it is necessary to replace the mantel in order to continue crushing operations . as shown in fig5 the present arrangement deals with this problem by providing a system wherein hydraulic fluid can be periodically pumped into the hydraulic chamber 26 to lift the upper piston 23 relative to the normally stationary lower piston 24 until the desired spacing between the crusher head and the bowl is obtained . conversely , if it is desired to enlarge the crushing gap to produce a larger aggregate size , this process is reversed . when a piece of tramp iron jams in the crushing gap , the crusher head is forced down by the jammed tramp iron . this forces upper piston 23 carrying the head shaft 7 downwardly in the casing 20 as generally shown in fig6 until the tramp iron has passed through the crushing gap . since the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic chamber 26 maintains a relatively constant spacing between the upper and lower pistons , both pistons are driven downward in concert . thus , as the lower piston moves down in the casing to compress the precharged gas in the gas and pressure relief chambers 25 and 48 , these chambers function as an accumulator within the casing which essentially minimizes the time required to lower the crusher cone enough to allow the tramp iron to pass through the crushing gap as well as the time necessary to lift the cone back into its normal operating position . typically , as the lower piston 24 is driven down in the casing 20 , the gas pressure in both the gas and pressure relief chambers 25 and 48 increases to about 900 - 1000 psi from a normal operating pressure of 400 - 500 psi . since the one - way check valve 49 provides negligible resistance to the gases as they flow into the pressure relief chamber to equalize the pressures in those chambers , the present arrangement has essentially eliminated any increase in the system &# 39 ; s response time due to frictional losses such as those encountered in the hydraulic pressure relief systems discussed above in regard to the prior art . after the tramp iron has passed through the crushing gap , the compressed gases in the gas chamber 25 act on the lower piston 24 to begin moving the pistons upwardly within the chamber and to return the crusher head to its normal operating position . the resulting pressure drop in the gas chamber 25 induces a return flow of gases from the pressure relief chamber 48 into the gas chamber 25 through the return port 50 until the crusher head has returned to its normal operating position . in that position the pressures in the gas and relief chambers are substantially the same . it should be particularly noted that the throttling or flow attenuating feature of the return port 50 enhances the stability of the system both during the compression or tramp iron relief stroke as well as during the return stroke . specifically , when the gyrating crusher head encounters a piece of tramp iron in the crusher bowl , it tends to create pulsing pressure surges or &# 34 ; water hammers &# 34 ; within the gas chamber 25 . this phenomenum is described in detail in the assignee &# 39 ; s u . s . pat . no . 4 , 060 , 205 which is discussed above in regard to the prior art . in the present arrangement , this problem is effectively eliminated by throttling the backflow of gases through the return port 50 during the relief or compression stroke , and by attenuating the gas flow through the return port as the crusher head returns to its normal operating position .	1
example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings . example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough , and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art . numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components , devices , and methods , to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed , that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure . in some example embodiments , well - known processes , well - known device structures , and well - known technologies are not described in detail . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting . as used herein , the singular forms ‘ a ,’ ‘ an ,’ and ‘ the ’ may be intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . the terms “ comprises ,” “ comprising ,” “ including ,” and “ having ,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . the method steps , processes , and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated , unless specifically identified as an order of performance . it is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed . it &# 39 ; s well known in the art that certain salts mixed with water will naturally regulate humidity . typical humidity control devices either add moisture or remove moisture . in one embodiment of the present invention , the humidity control device performs both functions , monitoring the rh ( relative humidity ) inside the container and regulating to the specific rh engineered into the humidity controlled package . in one embodiment , the humidity control device does not need to be activated or maintained . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 and 2 , the humidity control device is a boveda 2 - way humidity control pack , however , any suitable two - way and non - two - way humidity pack may be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention . in one embodiment , humidity control device 30 includes a case with a plurality of openings , a polymeric pouch having walls sufficiently thin to permit migration of water through the film in the form of water vapor and yet thick enough to prevent the escape of liquid water , and a solution including an organic or an inorganic solute ( e . g ., salt or sugar ), vegetable gum and water . the saturated solution contains excess solute ( e . g ., salt or sugar crystals ) and is preferably made more viscous with a thickening agent . in some select situations , a fungicide or inhibitor as well as a small amount of a buffering salt mixture may be necessary . continuing with the illustrated embodiment of fig1 and 2 , humidity control device 30 of the present invention may be constructed of any polymeric material such as polyethylene , polystyrene , polyvinylchloride , polybutylene , polycarbonate , cellophane , microporous polyethylene , microfiberous polyethylene and the like that will provide the porosity necessary for the movement of the water vapor and retention of liquid water . the most suitable materials are polyvinylchloride , e . g . shrink wrap , polyvinylchloride , microporous polyethylene and microfibrous polyethylene . other suitable materials are k - resin , low density polyethylene if less than 0 . 3 mil thick , cellophane , and polystyrene films of 0 . 5 mil or less , and thin polycarbonate . typically the film from which the pouch is constructed will have a thickness of 0 . 25 to 1 . 0 mils . the film may be as thin as 0 . 15 mils or thinner . depending upon the polymer from which the pouch is made , the film may have a thickness of 1 mil or greater , providing sufficient moisture migration can take place through the film . as a general matter , thinner film is preferred providing the strength of the film is sufficient to avoid rupture during normal use . the solution of the illustrated humidity control device 30 may be any suitable solute which has a saturated solution at 20 % solute in water as a minimum and any solute that will provide a saturated solution at 75 % solute in water as a maximum . the preferred range of solubility is 25 to 50 %. the preferred saturated solution contains 50 % solute and 50 % water , however , the maximum range contemplated in the present invention provides a saturated solution at 5 % solute and as high as 90 % solute by weight . a suitable solution may include a 50 / 50 combination of ammonia nitrate and calcium chloride , this solution will provide a relative humidity slightly under 70 %. some sugars may be suitable . sucrose is suitable , but works at a slower rate than salts . glucose and fructose work well for disposable pouches . these two sugar solutions work for five to ten cycles . sodium chloride is a preferred salt which is used in a large range of applications because of its humidity ( ca 75 %), good solubility ( 25 %), non - toxicity , and cost . other salts or solutes would be used if a different humidity is desirable . cedar spills , or cedar splits , are an historic and traditional method for lighting a cigar . use of the cedar spill helps preserve and protect the taste and / or flavor of the cigar . the user lights the cedar spill and then carefully lights the open tip of the cigar by rotating the cigar over the flame . alternatively , matches or butane lighters may be used to light the cigar , but these lighting devices frequently scorch or contaminate the tobacco , oils and water within the cigar upon lighting giving the cigar an off - taste . traditionally , cedar spills are produced from a cedar sheet which is commonly provided with the cigars in a cigar box . the cedar spills are made by folding the cedar sheet to a desired width and breaking the spill or strip off at the fold seam . keeping cigars at a constant humidity level can help keep them fresh and the flavor truly at its peak . the type of wood used can have a big effect on the overall aging process and results . in one embodiment , spanish cedar is used . spanish cedar is frequently used to line the inside of cases or used for humidor trays is because it is absorbent and helps stop moisture from building up and developing bacteria or mold , which is an important factor in keeping cigars fresh and flavorful . another reason spanish cedar is chosen is due to the strong smell . tobacco worms are drawn to a tasty cigar . the strong odor of spanish cedar drives them away . in addition , the smell of spanish cedar is strong enough to impart a light woody flavor and aroma to the stored cigars , a flavor that many people enjoy . reference is first made to fig3 in which a cedar spill constructed in accordance with the present invention is generally noted by the character numeral 10 . the cedar spill 10 has a first end or lighting end 12 , a second end or finger end 14 , and a body 16 . further , the cedar spill 10 defines a length l . spanish cedar wood is highly recommended for production of the cedar spill 10 of the present invention because it has a continuous and even burn rate that leaves only the burnt ash and minimal embers . however , any wood that with an even burn rate may be used to manufacture the spill 10 of the present invention . in a preferred embodiment , the cedar spill 10 is made from spanish cedar wood . the cedar spill depicted in the figure is selected solely for the purposes of illustrating the invention . other and different cedar spills may utilize the inventive features described herein as well . the illustrations are not intended to be representative with respect to dimensions . one of the reasons cigar smokers prefer a spill over a match or lighter is that , when lit , the cedar strip imparts a slight cedar flavor to the tobacco . plus , cedar is “ cleaner ” than typical matches , and since spills are longer , you have more time to properly light your cigar . in addition , a cedar spill is specifically designed for the cigar smoker to get the most out of their cigar by enabling the ignition process to start slowly . this enables the true flavors and aromatics of the tobaccos to come forth as the cigar maker intended . moreover , spanish cedar burns quickly and hot and provides a vibrant flame for lighting the actual cigar . the cedar is used to light the cigar as would be any other implement , the cigar is rotated , the smoker puffs until an even and hot cherry is generated . referring initially to fig1 and 2 , a preferred exemplary embodiment of the humidity controlled package 20 and humidity control device 30 of the present invention is illustrated in front and back views respectively . the humidity controlled package 20 includes a front side 22 and back side 24 , which are joined together to create the air tight seal and create a humidity controlled environment ( not shown ) within the package . a cigar would be placed in the humidity controlled environment prior to sealing the humidity controlled package 20 off from the environment . a key aspect of the present invention is that the front side 22 and back side 24 are formed in such a manner that an “ airtight seal ” is maintained to create the humidity controlled environment within the humidity controlled package 20 . a substantially hermetic seal is maintained between the front side 22 and back side 24 by sealing a foil material . the humidity controlled package 20 may be sized to receive a single cigar or a plurality of cigars . in operation , one or more cigars , a cedar spill and a humidity control device are placed within the humidity controlled environment of the humidity controlled package . the foil material is then hermetically sealed to create isolate the cigar , cedar spill and humidity control device from the environment . the humidity control device maintains the relative humidity in the humidity controlled package at the predetermined level , such as 65 , 69 , 72 , 75 or 84 % to name a few non - limiting examples . the humidity controlled package 20 may include a cigar cutter in addition to the one or more cigars , cedar spill and humidity control device . while the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof , those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations , combinations , and equivalents of the specific embodiment , method , and examples herein . the invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment , method , and examples , but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention .	1
reference now should be made to the drawings in which the same or similar components are designated by the same reference numbers throughout the different figures . the fifth wheel mounting assembly , which is shown in the drawings , is constructed to be mounted on a tractor frame behind the rear of the cab of a tractor . the structure of the tractor and the frame on which the apparatus shown in the drawings is mounted is unimportant to an understanding of the invention . consequently , only a portion of the tractor frame in the form of the two parallel longitudinal side frame members 10 and 11 , to which the conventional fifth wheel assembly normally is attached , have been shown in the drawings . in place of mounting the fifth wheel assembly directly on top of these frame members 10 and 11 , as is common practice , the fifth wheel mounting assembly shown in the drawings is used . reference first of all should be made to the embodiment shown in fig1 and 3 . a generally u - shaped base plate 15 has a pair of edges or legs 16 and 17 which overlie and extend along the length of the tractor frame members 10 and 11 . the plate 15 is a flat plate , preferably made of steel , such as t - 1 steel having a thickness of 3 / 4 inches . mounting holes 18 are spaced at uniform intervals along both of the legs 16 and 17 to accomodate mounting bolts 19 which pass through matching holes 20 drilled through the flat top surfaces of the frame members 10 and 11 . typically , the holes 18 and 20 are spaced apart at 4 inch intervals , although other intervals could be used , if desired . in mounting the assemblies shown in the drawings on a truck frame , the desired location of the fifth wheel for the particular trailer to be towed by the tractor is selected by longitudinally adjusting the position of the plate 15 on the frame members 10 and 11 . when the desired proper position is determined by aligning the holes 18 with appropriate holes 20 in the frame members 10 and 11 , the bolts 19 are passed through the holes and secured in place . as an alternative to this manual adjustment of the plate 15 , hydraulic or air - driven positioning of the plate 15 relative to the tractor frame members 10 and 11 may be provided . to facilitate the positioning of the plate 15 by whatever method is selected , suitable lubricants or lubricating surfaces may be provided between the undersurface of the legs 16 and 17 and the upper surface of the frame members 10 and 11 contacted by the legs . a fifth wheel support plate 25 , which also may be made of t - 1 steel having a thickness of 3 / 4 inches , is pivotally mounted on the base plate 15 . this is accomplished by means of pivot mounting blocks 26 and 27 welded or otherwise attached to the base plate 15 near the left - hand end , as viewed in fig1 of the drawings . corresponding mounting blocks 30 and 31 are welded or otherwise attached to the upper surface of the plate 25 , and a pair of heavy duty steel pivot rods 33 and 34 pass through corresponding openings in the respective pairs of blocks 26 / 30 and 27 / 31 . the pivot rods 33 and 34 are held in place by any suitable conventional means to permit pivoting of the upper fifth wheel support plate 25 about the rods 33 and 34 relative to the base support plate 15 . depending upon the particular configuration used and the manner of mounting a fifth wheel on the support plate 25 , it may be desirable in some cases to use a single pivot rod passing all of the way through all of the support blocks 26 / 30 and 27 / 31 . the manner of operation , however , is the same as described for the embodiment shown in fig1 . there also is shown in fig1 in dotted lines , a conventional fifth wheel mounting on the top of the plate 25 . whenever a fifth wheel is mounted on the plate 25 , however , it is always in the same fixed location on the plate 25 illustrated in fig1 . all longitudinal adjustments of the fifth wheel position relative to the tractor frame members 10 and 11 is effected in the manner described above by longitudinally locating the entire base plate 15 in alignment with appropriate holes 20 in the frame members 10 and 11 , and thereafter securing the base plate 15 in the selected position to the frame members 10 and 11 by means of the bolts 19 . this ability to adjust the entire unit longitudinally on the tractor frame with the fifth wheel mounting always being on the same position on the plate 25 permits a maximum utilization of an air bag suspension isolation of the trailer with respect to the tractor in the manner generally described in assignee &# 39 ; s prior u . s . pat . no . 4 , 279 , 430 . to achieve a fifth wheel hitch between the tractor and the trailer which allows the trailer to float independently of the tractor , the lower side of a pneumatic suspension bag or air bag 35 is mounted on the top of the base plate 15 ( as shown most clearly in fig2 ). a protective steel cylindrical section or ring 37 , approximately 3 / 8 inches thick , completely surrounds the air bag 35 and is welded to or otherwise attached to the upper surface of the plate 15 . a circular opening is formed in the top of the fifth wheel support plate 25 , and a corresponding slightly larger steel cylindrical section or ring 39 is welded or otherwise securely attached to the circular opening to overlap the ring 37 in a manner most clearly shown in fig2 . the circular opening on the top of the ring 39 then is closed with a circular support plate 40 , which also is welded to or otherwise securely attached to the upper edge of the ring 39 . the top of the air bag 35 then is attached to the plate 40 in a conventional manner . the air suspension bag 35 is of a type similar to those used as the heavy duty air suspension springs or cushioning members for railroad cars and the like . it is shown in fig2 in its inflated position , where the plate 25 is rotated counterclockwise ( as shown in fig1 and 2 ) relative to the base plate 15 to elevate the plate 25 two and one - half to three inches above the plate 15 in the region of the central axis of the air bag 35 . air for inflating the air bag 35 is obtained from the conventional tractor air supply system through a supply line 42 under the control of an electrically - operated valve 43 . whenever a trailer is to be hitched or unhitched from the tractor , air is released from the air bag 35 , causing the right hand end of the plate 25 to rotate clockwise until the plate 25 rests on top of the extensions 16 and 17 of the base plate 15 . as mentioned previously , a standard tractor trailer fifth wheel assembly is attached to the plate 25 to center it over the axis of the air bag 35 . the entire assembly then is positioned to cause the fifth wheel location to be the same as it would normally occupy if it were attached in a standard manner directly to the frame members 10 and 11 of the tractor . it should be noted that the trailer is not elevated any significant amount above the height which it has for a conventional tractor trailer fifth wheel structure , where the fifth wheel assembly is attached directly to the frame of the tractor . the only difference is the thickness of the two plates 15 and 25 ( 11 / 2 inches for the present example , where each of these plates is 3 / 4 inches thick ). this is a relatively insignificant height difference . consequently , if is necessary for the tractor trailer combination to pass under low overhead structures , the suspension system can be deflated to permit the plate 25 to rest directly on the top surface of the extensions 16 and 17 . normally , however , the air bag 35 is inflated under control of the operation of the valve 43 to a point where the fifth wheel assembly mounted on the plate 25 for supporting the trailer is elevated to the position shown in fig2 . in this position , the weight of the trailer is carried by the air bag 35 which assumes the general shape shown in fig2 . this provides significant isolation between the trailer and the tractor to enable the tractor and trailer to work relatively independently of one another . consequently , the shock normally transmitted between the tractor and trailer through the fifth wheel assembly is significantly reduced , prolonging the mechanical life of the equipment and reducing the possibility of damage to freight carried within the trailer . to prevent overinflation of the air bag 35 , conventional sensors and limit switches may be employed to sense the inflation of the bag or the height of the plate 25 . in addition , safety pin stops or other limit devices may be provided to prevent lifting of the plate 25 beyond some maximum height . this is important if a driver forgets to release the air from the bag 35 and proceeds to unhitch the trailer . without some limit to the elevation of the plate 25 relative to the plate 15 , significant damage could result to the air bag 35 , as well as to other components of the system . consequently , a simple safety pin stop or pair of stops ( not shown ) may be provided to preclude any possibility of damage occurring in such an event . as is readily apparent from an examination of fig2 the rings 37 and 39 , in conjunction with the upper surface of the plate 15 and the circular plate 40 completely enclose the air bag 35 . this prevents the air bag 35 from being damaged by flying rocks and from undergoing premature deterioration due to sunlight or chemicals , such as salt and the like , which are widely used in colder climates to remove ice and snow from roadways on which the tractor and trailer may be travelling . in addition to providing this protection for the air bag 35 , the circular rings 37 and 39 are located with a close spacing ( approximately 1 / 8 inch ) between them . this space may be provided with or filled with grease or other suitable lubricant , and whenever the relative movements of the tractor and trailer cause forces other than perpendicular forces to occur between the tractor and trailer , the rings 37 and 39 act as wear plates and stabilizing members for twisting forces in any direction which may otherwise subject the air bag 35 to damaging stresses . the rings 37 and 39 stabilize the entire tractor / trailer combination as it moves down the road over rough or uneven terrain , or whenever it is subjected to strong wind forces in any direction . in addition to the rings 37 and 39 , however , a pair of vertically extending flat wear plates 50 and 51 extend downwardly from the ends of the legs 16 and 17 , respectively , for engaging , in a close sliding relationship , corresponding wear plates 53 and 54 which are welded to openings or cut - outs in the right - hand end of the plate 25 and depend downwardly from it . the orientation of these pairs of wear plates relative to one another is shown most clearly in fig3 ; and , as shown in fig1 and 2 , these plates extend longitudinally parallel to the frame members 10 and 11 of the tractor . a pair of conventional shock absorbers 57 and 58 interconnect each of the respective pairs of wear plates 50 / 53 and 51 / 54 to dampen oscillations of the air bag spring 35 which take place in the operation of the system . reference now should be made to fig4 and 5 which illustrate an embodiment similar in all respects to the embodiment shown in fig1 and 3 , except in which the upper surface of the fifth wheel mounting plate 25 is flat and the air bag 35 is mounted below the plate 15 on a circular support member 60 below a corresponding circular hole in the base plate 15 and attached to a circular ring 61 . located in sliding relationship to the ring 61 is a smaller cooperating ring 62 welded or otherwise suitably attached to the underside of the plate 25 to encase the air bag 35 . the rings 61 and 62 cooperate in the same manner as the rings 37 and 39 for the same purposes described above in conjunction with the embodiment of fig1 through 3 . in all other respects , the embodiment of fig4 and 5 operates in the same manner as the embodiment described previously and shown in fig1 and 3 . from a consideration of both of the embodiments described above , it also will occur to those skilled in the art that , for some applications , it may be desirable to mount the entire unit on the underside of the front of the trailer . to accomplish this , a provision may be made to spring - load the plate 25 or otherwise bias the plate 25 into engagement with the plate 15 and extensions 16 and 17 when the unit is turned upside down . then , instead of mounting a fifth wheel assembly on the plate 25 , the trailer &# 34 ; kingpin &# 34 ; would be mounted on the plate 25 over the central axis of the air bag 35 for interconnecting a trailer so equipped with a conventional tractor fifth wheel . the operation of the various parts which have been described and their function would be the same as for the fifth wheel plate assembly described above and shown in the two embodiments of fig1 through 3 and fig4 and 5 , respectively . the fifth wheel mounting assemblies which have been described above and which are shown in the drawings should be considered illustrative of the invention only and are not to be considered limiting . for example , in the embodiments illustrated , the axis or pivot for the plate 25 is located near the rear end of the tractor frame . this pivot also may be located near the forward or cab end of the tractor frame , if desired . the suspension of the fifth wheel above the frame on the plate 25 , by virtue of the operation of the air bag 35 , provides the desired isolation between the trailer and the tractor , irrespective of the location of the hinged or pivoted end of the assembly . various other changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art , without departing from the true scope of the invention .	1
referring now to fig1 , a snowboard 10 has a top surface 12 extending between a nose 14 of the snowboard 10 and a tail 16 where a direction of normal travel 18 of the snowboard is in the direction of the nose 14 . two bindings 20 may be attached to the top surface 12 , a first binding 20 a attached to the binding rotational system 22 of the present invention to swivel between a skateboarding orientation 24 shown in solid lines along skateboarding angle 27 , and a regular snowboarding orientation 26 shown in dotted lines along snowboarding angle 28 . in the skateboarding orientation 24 , the front of the foot faces the nose 14 , while in the snowboarding configuration , the front of the foot extends along a snowboarding angle 28 extending generally along a transverse axis 29 . the rear binding 20 b extends along the transverse axis 29 at a fixed stance angle according to conventional technique . referring to fig2 , a snowboard 10 may also be used in so - called “ goofy ” mode in which the front of the bindings 20 a and 20 b and hence the foot orientation extends along the transverse axis 29 to the left as viewed in fig2 rather than the right as viewed in fig1 . the present invention provides swivel mounting for both regular and goofy stances . referring now to fig3 , the binding rotational system 22 of the present invention provides a swivel connector 30 that may be attached to the top surface 12 of the snowboard 10 and that provides an upper swivel section and lower swivel section that freely rotate with respect to each other about a vertical axis perpendicular to the top surface 12 of the snowboard 10 . radially outwardly extending teeth 112 on the upper swivel section of the swivel connector 30 are received by corresponding radially inwardly extending teeth 42 of a central bore 40 of a base plate 38 so as to lock the two together preventing rotation or lifting of the base plate 38 when the swivel connector 30 is attached to the snowboard 10 . radially outwardly extending teeth 119 on the upper swivel section of the swivel connector 30 are received by corresponding inwardly extending teeth in a central bore 114 in the upper surface of a skateboard plate 62 . the root of the teeth 119 also engage a lip 111 of a bore 114 in the upper surface of the skateboard plate 62 retaining the skateboard plate 62 toward the snowboard 10 when the swivel connector 30 is attached to the snowboard 10 . the top of the swivel connector 30 includes four threaded holes 32 for attaching a binding 108 ( shown in fragment ) to the top of the swivel connector 30 and four access holes 34 providing access to series of recessed mounting holes 36 a and 36 b to be described below , that are used ( with bolts ) to attach the swivel connector 30 to the snow snowboard 10 . referring momentarily to fig4 , the recessed mounting holes 36 a and 36 b together provide standard bolt hole patterns 31 for different snowboards 10 having different threaded hole spacing patterns . recessed holes 36 a allow use of either a four bolt patterns or use of three hole patterns found in the base simply by rotating the upper swivel portion of the swivel connector 30 so as to expose the desired bolt hole pattern the base plate 38 is a circular disk approximately nine and a quarter inches in diameter with a single lateral protrusion for mounting the lock 45 on vertical mounting pegs , rising from the eighth of an inch high base . as noted above , the base plate 38 includes a central bore 40 having inwardly extending teeth 42 sized to engage the outwardly extending teeth of the tooth portion 112 so as to lock the base plate 38 to the top surface 12 of the snowboard together as a single fixed unit . the lock 45 has a lock lever 46 is attached to the periphery of the base plate 38 as will be described below . referring again to fig4 , the interengagement of teeth 42 and teeth 112 allow the base plate 38 to be positioned at a variety of rotational angles with respect to the lower portion of the swivel connector 20 . because the base plate 38 is immovably mounted on the snowboard it controls the location of the lock 45 . as will be described , this fixed position allows a stance selector plates 50 and skate plate 62 to rotate their respective notches 54 and 64 into a lock position with pawl 86 to achieve a hard - lock position of the snowboarding stance angle 28 as will be understood from the description below . stance - selector plate 50 is of comparable dimensions to base plate 38 , but includes regular and goofy hard - lock notches 54 a and 54 b and wider regular and goofy clearance notches 56 a and 56 b , the latter centered approximately forty - five degrees from corresponding notches 54 a and 54 b . each of these notches 54 is in the periphery of the stance - selector plate 50 . generally , one of notches 54 a and 54 b may engage with the lock 45 to define the hard - lock angular position of stance - selector plate 50 with respect to base plate 38 for the snowboarding stance angle 28 . as shown in fig3 , a partial ring gear 58 extends from the upper surface of the stance - selector plate 50 having upwardly extending teeth 60 . slots 59 extending through the partial ring gear 58 allow a t - nut 61 to slide along the slots 59 , the t - nut 61 fitting below the stance - selector plate 50 and exposing a threaded nut opening through the slot 59 accessible from above the stance - selector plate 50 . referring now to fig3 and 5 , a skateboard plate 62 has dimensions similar to that of base plate 38 and stance - selector plate 50 , but includes soft - lock goofy notches 64 b and soft lock regular notches 64 a flanked by clearance notches 66 a and 66 b , each comparably spaced to the notches 54 and 56 on ride stance - selector plate 50 . skateboard plate 62 likewise has a central bore 68 fitting about a cylindrical axle portion of the swivel connector 30 to turn co - axially with the swivel connector 30 . as shown in fig5 , the undersurface of the skateboard plate 62 has a partial ring gear 70 having downwardly extending teeth 72 that may engage the upwardly extending teeth 60 of the ring gear 58 when skateboard plate 62 is placed on top of ride stance - selector plate 50 . the interengagement of teeth 60 and 72 allow the relative positions of stance - selector plate 50 and skateboard plate 62 to be locked in any of a variety of rotative positions to rotate jointly with the upper portion of the swivel connector 30 . the relative positions of stance - selector plate 50 and skateboard plate 62 define the separation between the soft lock notches 64 and the hard lock notches 54 ( for either regular or goofy stance ), and thus allow adjustment of the separation of the snowboarding and skating stance angles . one of the notches 66 in the stance - selector plate 50 overlaps a notch 54 so as to prevent interference of notch 54 by the skateboard plate 62 , and likewise one of the notches 56 in the stance - selector plate 50 overlaps a notch 64 in the skateboard plate 62 so as to prevent interference of notch 64 by the stance - selector plate 50 . the particular angle of relative rotation between stance - selector plate 50 and skateboard plate 62 may be read off of a scale 74 printed on a flange 76 between notches 54 and 56 of the stance - selector plate 50 where it is exposed at one edge of notch 66 a or 66 b . ring gear 70 may flex upward slightly to disengage with ring gear 58 allowing easy adjustment of the relative positioning of the stance - selector plate 50 and skateboard plate 62 . the ring gear 70 may then be engaged with ring gear 58 by tightening an adjustment screw 80 exposed at the top of the skateboard plate 62 and visible in fig3 . the adjustment screw 80 fits through slot 59 in the stance - selector plate 50 to engage the t - nut 61 . the screw 80 is accessible even when the binding is in place to allow simple adjustment on the slope or the like through a coin which will engage with the slot of screw 80 . referring still to fig5 , the lock 45 provides a lever 46 attached to a pawl 86 which may engage notches 54 a or 64 a ( e . g ., for regular stance ) to cause the co - rotation of the stance - selector plate 50 and skateboard plate 62 to stop at those positions as the pawl 86 engages those notches 54 a or 64 a . the pawl 86 is spring loaded by spring 88 and pivots about an offset pivot 90 so that the pawl 86 is self - disengaging with clockwise rotation 92 of the notches 54 a or 64 a , but self - engaging with counterclockwise rotation 94 of the notches 54 a or 64 a . that is , sufficient force in a clockwise direction ( absent the stops to be described ) will cause the pawl 86 to rise up a slope side of the notches 54 or 64 a to disengage from them by compressing the spring 88 and rotating about the pivot 90 whereas with counterclockwise rotation , the forces are such as to further engage the pawl 86 with the notch 54 a or 64 a . a hard stop at notch 54 a is provided by providing a mechanical stop 100 extending upward between notches 54 a and 54 b that prevents further clockwise rotation when the pawl 86 is engaged with notch 54 a despite the natural self - disengaging mode of the lever 46 . similarly , a stop 102 is placed between notches 64 a and 64 b . the pawl 86 may be a split pawl , one level engaging the stance - selector plate 50 and the other engaging the skateboard plate 62 and having a stop engaging , non - retractable member positioned therebetween the levels to engage the stops 100 and 102 . accordingly hard stop or soft stop locations may be created at selected of the notches 54 a and 64 b with notch 54 a providing a hard stop and notch 64 a providing a soft stop . a hard stop means that the pawl cannot be disengaged from the hard stop at notch 54 a without manual movement of the lever 46 , whereas when the pawl is engaged with the soft stop location of notch 64 a sufficient force in torque is on the stance - selector plate 50 , and skateboard plate 62 will disengage the pawl from the notch allowing the plates to freely move with the swivel connector 30 . it will be understood that relative rotation of the skateboard plate 62 with respect to the stance - selector plate 50 allows adjustment of the separation distance in angle 106 between hard stop and soft stop locations , and thus the ability to move the base plate 38 together with the ability to adjust the relative positioning of the stance - selector plate 50 with respect to the skateboard plate 62 , allows complete freedom of adjustment of both the hard - and soft - lock positions of snowboarding and skateboarding at angles 28 and 27 per fig1 . referring again to fig3 , the upper surface of the skateboard plate 62 may have the binding 108 ( shown in fragment ) that may be attached to the swivel connector 30 to retain the two together against the top surface 12 of the snowboard 10 with the plates 38 , 50 and 62 captured there between . the attachment is such as to allow free movement of the stance - selector plate 50 and skateboard plate 62 when released from the lock 45 . referring now to fig6 , the present invention provides for symmetry of stance - selector plate 50 and skateboard plate 62 with mirror symmetric notches 54 b and 56 b serving for the goofy stance on stance - selector plate 50 and mirror symmetric notches 54 a and 56 a serving for regular stance . a first orientation of skateboard plate 62 with notch 64 a to the right and notch 66 a to the top , provide for the combination of the detent positions for regular stance whereas when the notches 64 b and 64 b are positioned to the left and top , respectively , detents are provided for goofy stance . referring also to fig5 , the lever 46 , spring 88 , and pivot 90 as held in a cartridge held within the lock 45 may be flipped to positions shown in fig4 as lever 46 ′, spring 88 ′, and pivot 90 ′ as to provide for a goofy lock 45 shown in fig6 or a regular lock 45 also shown in fig6 reversing the hard and lock functions with respect to rotational directions as is required . it is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein , but include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the following claims .	0
studies were conducted in which several overlapping sequences of the amino acids in naf were synthesized . two peptides made of sequences contained within naf were found to interfere with the chemotactic activity of the native molecule . neither of these peptides was chemotactic . peptides naf ( 3 - 25 ) and naf ( 44 - 72 ) were both found to reduce the action of native naf and were found to be approximately additive in their effects . the respective structures of these peptides are kelrcqciktyskpfhpkfikel and sdgrelcldpkenwvqrvvekflkraens . this is the first demonstration that a peptide containing a portion of the amino acid sequence of naf is both an antagonist of naf without detectable neutrophil chemotactic activity . five overlapping peptides were synthesized and designated according to their correspondence to the native molecule . the peptide sequences were as follows : naf ( 3 - 25 ), kelrcqciktyskpfhpkfikel ; naf ( 19 - 32 ), pkfikelrviesgp ; naf ( 25 - 43 ), lrviesgphcanteiivkl ; and naf ( 35 - 55 ), anteiivklsdgrelcldpke ; naf ( 44 - 72 ), sdgrelcldpkenwvqrvvekflkraens . naf ( 19 - 32 ) was synthesized at the university of texas health center at the tyler ( uthct ) core facility by dr . d . k . blumenthal . the other peptides were synthesized by advanced chem tech , inc . ( louisville , ky .). each of the peptides was synthesized using t - boc solid phase methodology . each peptide eluted in a single peak from a reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography column under the influence of a linear gradient . ( solvent a : 0 . 1 % trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ), solvent b : 90 % acetonitrile / water + 0 . 09 % tfa , gradient 0 % b to 60 % b in 30 min ). the amino acid sequences were confirmed on an applied biosystems model 477a liquid pulse sequencer with an on - line 120a amino acid analyzer ( foster city , calif .) by the protein biochemistry core facility of the uthct . a total of five overlapping peptides naf ; ( 3 - 25 ), naf ( 19 - 32 ), naf ( 25 - 43 ), naf ( 35 - 55 ) and naf ( 44 - 72 ) were synthesized . each of the peptides was assayed for its ability to induce the directed migration of neutrophils towards itself . neutrophils exhibit random , chemokinetic movement when incubated in rpmi - 1640 medium plus albumin alone . the distances migrated by the cells , under the influence of the various peptides , was therefore expressed as a percentage of the distance travelled in rpmi tissue culture medium alone . in the first experiments the effect of native naf on the cells was compared to that of fmlp ( fig . i ). both of these peptides increase the cell migration at a peptide concentration of 1 × 10 - 9 m and both peptides exhibit a prophase at higher concentrations ( fig1 ). none of the synthetic peptides induced chemotaxis either alone or in combination with one another when the synthetic peptides were examined under the same conditions ( fig2 ). the peptides were examined to determine if any of the peptides could block the action of the native molecule . in these experiments the attractant in the lower well of the boyden chamber contained both native naf ( 1 × 10 - 8 m ) and one or more synthetic peptide ( s ) ( 1 × 10 - 6 m ) table 2 . the migration of the cells in rpmi tissue culture medium alone , or under the influence of native naf or the individual peptides was also examined in each experiment . two of the peptides naf ( 3 - 25 ) and naf ( 44 - 72 ) were both found to reduce the action of native naf . the mean migration of native naf was an average of 79 % ( s . d .= 3 ) above that of buffer alone , while the mean migration towards native naf in the presence of naf ( 3 - 25 ) was 32 % ( s . d .= 10 ) and the mean migration towards native naf in the presence of naf ( 44 - 72 ) ( s . d .= 13 ) was 52 % above control migration ( table 2 ). these reductions are statistically significant at p & lt ; 0 . 002 by student &# 39 ; s t test . these two peptides inhibited naf induced migration by 59 and 34 % respectively . when naf was incubated in the presence of both peptides the mean migration towards native naf was 24 % ( s . d .= 3 ) above controls for a total inhibition of naf activity of 70 %. therefore , the inhibitory effects of the peptides were approximately additive . if the neutrophils were pre - incubated for ten minutes at room temperature before being added to the upper chamber the cells were found to be chemotactically unresponsive to the native naf molecule . furthermore , the inhibition was specific and the peptides did not interfere with the chemotaxis induced by fmlp , complement component c5a , or leukotriene b 4 . human blood was anticoagulated with heparin . neutrophils were separated by dextran sedimentation and erythrocyte lysis by the method of boyum 17 as modified in earlier studies . 18 - 20 previous studies 18 showed that cell preparations containing 80 - 90 % purity gave the same results as cells isolated to 90 % purity by the boyum method . table 2______________________________________inhibition of naf - inducedneutrophil chemotaxis . sup . a distance moved inhibitionchemotaxis (% of control ) (%) ______________________________________rpmi - 1640 100naf 179 ± 3naf ( 3 - 25 ) 100 ± 6naf ( 19 - 32 ) 100 ± 11naf ( 25 - 43 ) 94 ± 11naf ( 35 - 55 ) 100 ± 2naf ( 44 - 72 ) 97 ± 6naf + naf ( 3 - 25 ) 132 ± 10 59 ± 13 . sup . bnaf + naf ( 19 - 32 ) 187 ± 8 -- naf + naf ( 25 - 43 ) 181 ± 13 -- naf + naf ( 35 - 55 ) 190 ± 6 -- naf + naf ( 44 - 72 ) 152 ± 13 34 ± 16 . sup . bnaf + naf ( 3 - 25 ) + 124 ± 3 70 ± 4 . sup . bnaf ( 44 - 72 ) naf + naf ( 3 - 25 ). sup . c 97 ± 11 104 ± 14 . sup . bfmlp 180 ± 17fmlp + naf ( 3 - 25 ) 190 ± 18 -- ______________________________________ . sup . a concentrations of naf = 1 × 10 . sup .- 8 m , fmlp = 5 × 10 . sup .- 9 m , and peptide = 1 × 10 . sup .- 6 m . sup . b significantly different from naf alone ( p & lt ; 0 . 002 ) by ttest of means . sup . c neutrophils were preincubated with naf ( 3 - 25 ). chemotaxis was performed using the leading front method as described by zigmond and hirsch . 21 the test material was placed in the lower well of a blind well chemotaxis chamber . 22 a five micron pore size , and 100 μl aliquot of the neutrophil preparation ( 1 × 10 6 cells / ml ) in rpmi - 1640 containing 1 % albumin was added to the top of the filter and incubated at 37 ° c . for 30 min . ( in some experiments neutrophils were pre - incubated in the presence of peptide for 10 min at room temperature before being added to the upper chamber .) the filter was then fixed and stained and mounted on a glass microscope slide . the leading front was determined by the position of the leading two cells . the distance that the leading two cells had moved through the filter was measured for six fields on each filter . the measurements were made with two filters for each set of conditions . neutrophil enzyme release was measured by a modification of the method of goldstein and colleagues . 23 cytochalasin b ( sigma chemical co ., st . louis , mo .) was stored in dimethylsulphoxide at a concentration of 5 mg / ml and diluted to a concentration of 100 μg / ml in hanks &# 39 ; balanced salt solution ( hbss ) immediately before use . neutrophils were prepared as described and incubated at a cell density of 5 × 10 6 cells / ml for ten minutes at room temperature in the presence of cytochalasin b ( 10 μg / ml ). aliquots of 100 μl of the primed cell suspension were then distributed into the wells of a 96 - well microtiter plate and 100 μl of stimulant was added . the cells were then incubated at 37 ° c . for 30 min . the plates were centrifuged at 850 rpm for 5 min , and 100 μl of supernatant was removed . the supernatants were assayed for β - d - glucuronidase activity . the ability of native naf and the synthetic peptides to induce the release of β - d - glucuronidase from cytochalasin b primed neutrophils was examined using a microtiter plate technique . after incubating the primed cells with the peptides the supernatant was examined for β - d - glucuronidase in a dose dependent manner . neither naf nor any of the synthetic peptides caused the cells to degranulate ( fig3 ). β - d - glucuronidase was measured by determining the change in absorbance of phenolphthalein β - d - glucuronide ( sigma chemical co .) at 540 nm by the method of gianetto and deduve . 24 the results were expressed as picomoles of substrate hydrolysed per hour . patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome ( ards ) were identified by high permeability pulmonary edema characterized by rapidly developing diffuse lung infiltrates and an inability to oxygenate the arterial blood as a result of a massive insult such as sepsis or trauma in the absence of left - sided heart failure . bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from these patients were provided by drs . t . maunder and r . martin from the university of washington in seattle . fluids which were directly aspirated from the lungs of patients with high permeability pulmonary edema and cardiogenic pulmonary edema were provided by dr . m . mathay , university of california , san francisco . naf was measured in lung wash fluids from patients with ards . early in the disease , when the neutrophils were high , the naf concentration was also high ( table 3 ). the mean concentration of naf in normal subjects was 2 . 26 × 10 - 8 m ( s . e .= 0 . 35 ). in patients with early ards , bronchoalveolar lavage fluid naf concentration was 16 . 68 × 10 - 8 m ( s . e .= 0 . 64 ). the concentration of naf was statistically significantly higher in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids obtained early in the patients course than late ( table 3 ). the patients with early ards included both survivors and non - survivors , while the patients with late ards included only survivors . the cell population in the patients with early ards was predominantly neutrophils , but the cell population in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from patients with late ards ( survivors ) had returned to a macrophage population . in a separate study , naf was measured in fluids aspirated without the addition of washing fluid directly from the lungs of patients with ards or with hydrostatic pulmonary edema . the patients distributed into a bimodal distribution . the patients with high permeability pulmonary edema had higher concentrations than the patients with hydrostatic pulmonary edema ( fig4 ). neutrophils in the fluids corresponded to the naf concentration . in these studies , overlapping peptides were synthesized which spanned nearly the entire sequence of naf . none of these peptides had the ability to attract neutrophils or to release azurophilic granule enzymes from them . the synthetic peptides did not induce chemotaxis , but two of them inhibited chemotaxis . these data suggested the possibility that naf requires two binding sites to induce full chemotaxis . tanaka et al . 25 who synthesized three inactive peptides corresponding to residues ( 7 - 37 ), ( 30 - 72 ) and ( 17 - 37 ) of the naf sequence did not find that any of their synthetic peptides inhibited chemotaxis . however , in the present invention , two of the peptides , naf ( 3 - 25 ) and naf ( 44 - 72 ), were able to reduce neutrophil chemotaxis due to the whole recombinant naf molecule . table 3______________________________________naf concentration in lung washes ( molar concentration × 10 . sup . 8 ) ards normal early late n = 12 n = 10 n = 10______________________________________mean 2 . 26 16 . 86 * 2 . 43 ** std . error 0 . 35 7 . 25 0 . 64______________________________________ * a t test of the differences between means showed that naf concentration was significantly greater in early ards than in normal lung lavages ( p = 0 . 019 ) ** a t test of the differences between means showed that naf concentration in late ards was not significantly different from normal ( p = 0 . 404 ), but was significantly lower than in early ards lung lavage fluids ( p = 0 . 0314 these observations are not readily explained , however , the larger peptides may fold into tertiary structures which are unlike the native molecule . furthermore , recently published data 26 suggest that the amino - terminal end of naf is important for its function . in addition , native naf failed to release β - d - glucuronidase from cytochalasin b - treated neutrophils . this observation is similar to the findings of willems and colleagues 14 but different from those of schroder and colleagues . 7 there are many examples in the literature of functions which were imputed to cytokines which were purified from cells , but which could not be demonstrated using recombinant cytokines . the most likely explanation is that &# 34 ; purified &# 34 ; naf contained contaminants . however , it is possible that recombinant naf may be processed differently from native naf by the cells which synthesize it . measurement of naf in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from normal subjects and subjects with ards showed that naf was higher in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from patients with early ards who had large numbers of neutrophils but not from patients with late ards who had a dominantly macrophage cell population . in addition , when fluid was aspirated from the airways without adding washing fluid , patients with high permeability pulmonary edema had larger amounts of naf than patients with hydrostatic pulmonary edema . therefore , naf coincides with the high neutrophil counts in high permeability pulmonary edema . the dominant theory about one of the causes of lung injury in patients with ards is that the enzymes and oxidants released from neutrophils injure the lungs . 27 - 29 most animal models of ards require neutrophils to cause the lung injury . 30 , 31 therefore , it is very possible that patients with ards would benefit from treatment with the peptides described herein which inhibit the chemotactic effects of naf . if other forms of inflammation are also caused by naf , they also may be benefited by therapy with these peptides . the citations appearing in the application and to which full references are given below are hereby incorporated by reference into this application . 1 m . thelen , p . peveri , p . kernen , v . von tscharner , a . walz , m . baggiolini , faseb j . 2 , 2702 ( 1988 ). 2 t . yoshimura , k . matsushima , s . tanaka , et al ., pnas 84 , 9233 ( 1987 ). 3 a . walz , p . peveri , h . aschauer , m . baggiolini , biochem . biophys . res . commun . 149 , 755 ( 1987 ). 4 j . van damme , j . van veeumen , g . opdenakker , a . billiau , j . exp . med . 167 , 1364 ( 1988 ). 6 j . j . oppenheim , k . matsushima , t . yoshimura , e . j . leonard , r . neta , agents actions 26 , 134 ( 1989 ). 7 j .- m . schroder , u . mroweitz , e . morita , e . christophers , j . immunol . 139 , 3474 ( 1987 ). 8 c . g . larsen , a . o . anderson , e . appella , j . j . oppenheim , k . matsushima , science 243 , 1464 ( 1989 ). 10 n . mukaida , m . shiroo , k . matsushima , j . immunol . 143 , 1366 ( 1989 ). 11 j . kowalski , d . t . denhardt , mol . cell . biol . 9 , 1946 ( 1989 ). 12 k . matsushima , k . morishita , t . yoshimura , et al , j . exp . med . 167 , 1883 ( 1988 ). 13 p . peveri , a . walz , b . dewald , m . baggiolini , j . exp . med . 167 , 1547 ( 1988 ). 14 j . willems , m . joniau , s . cinque , j . van damme , immunology 67 , 540 ( 1989 ). 15 i . lindlay , h . aschaver , j : m . seifert , c . lam , w . brunowsky , e . kownatzki , m . thelen , p . peveri , b . dewald , v . von tscharner , a . walz , m . baggioliri , proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 85 , 9199 ( 1988 ). 16 sticherling , m ., j .- m . schroder , e . christophers , j . immunology 143 , 1628 ( 1989 ). 17 a . boyum , scand . j . clin . lab . invest . 21 , ( 1968 ). 18 a . b . cohen , d . e . chenoweth , t . e . hugli , am . rev . respir . dis . 126 , 241 ( 1982 ). 19 c . k macarthur , e . j . miller , a . b . cohen , j . immunol . 139 , 3456 ( 1987 ). 20 a . b . cohen , c . macarthur , s . idell , et al , am . rev . resp . dis . 137 , 1151 ( 1988 ). 21 s . zigmond , j . hirsch , j . exp . med . 137 , 387 ( 1973 ). 22 r . snyderman , m . c . pyke , in : in vitro methods in cell mediated and tumor immunity , b . r . bloom , j . r . david , eds . ( academic press , new york , 1976 ), pp . 651 - 661 . 23 i . goldstein , s . hoffstein , j . gallin , g . weissmann , proc . nat . acad . sci . usa 70 , 2916 ( 1973 ). r . gianetto , c . deduve , biochem . j . 59 , 433 ( 1955 ). 25 s . tanaka , e . a . robinson , t . yoshimura , k . matsushima , e . j . leonard , e . appella , febs lett . 236 , 467 ( 1988 ). 26 k . suzuki , a . koshio , m . ishida -- okawaja et al ., biochem . biophys . res . commun . 163 , 1298 ( 1989 ). 27 w . mcguire , r . g . spragg , a . b . cohen , c . g . cochrane , j . clin . invest . 69 , 543 ( 1982 ). 28 s . idell , a . b . cohen , clinics in chest med . 6 , 459 ( 1985 ). 29 s . idell , u . kucich , a . fein , et al , amer . rev . resp . dis . 132 , 1098 ( 1985 ). 30 l . j . carpenter , k . j . johnson , r . g . kunkel , r . a . roth , tox . and appl . pharmacol . 91 , 22 ( 1987 ). 31 r . b . fox , j . r . hoidal , d . m . brown , j . e . repine , am . rev . resp . dis . 123 , 521 ( 1982 ).	2
fig1 shows a schematic view of an attachment 1 in a vehicle ( not shown in detail ), for example a toolbar of a tractor . the attachment 1 has a hydraulic cylinder 2 , which in the present embodiment is made as a single - acting cylinder . however , it is also possible to use a double - acting cylinder instead of a single - acting cylinder 2 . a control device 3 , which will be explained in detail in the following , controls the cylinder 2 . a load 4 is attached to attachment 1 to show that the attachment must be able to lift a corresponding load . the load 4 can , for example , be a plough , which must be pulled by a tractor . this plough must have a certain penetration depth into the earth . this penetration depth is achieved in that the attachment 1 is set to a certain height position , in the following called “ position ”. in fig1 , this position is shown by “ x ”. however , it is not sufficient to set this position once . when the tractor changes its driving direction , and the plough has to throw the blocks in different directions , or when the tractor leaves the field , the plough must be lifted . after reassuming the work , the plough has to be lowered to the desired position again . for this purpose , the control device 3 has a 3 - way , 3 - direction control valve 5 in the form of a proportional valve . by means of the control valve 5 it is possible to let hydraulic fluid flow from a pressure connection p to the inlet a of the hydraulic cylinder 2 to lift the load . or the load 4 can be lowered by means of the control valve 5 by connecting the inlet a of the cylinder 2 with a tank outlet r 1 . alternatively , the control valve 5 can also be divided into two valves , as known , for example , from u . s . pat . no . 6 , 058 , 343 . in this case , one valve serves the purpose of lifting the load 4 and one serves the purpose of lowering the load 4 . in the case of a double - acting cylinder , a valve can be used , which controls four ways and three directions . also such a valve can be divided into two valve parts or four valve parts for the separate control of the individual functions , as known from u . s . pat . no . 5 , 960 , 695 . the hydraulic system , which comprises the cylinder 2 and the control device 3 , has a pilot - controlled non - return valve 6 , which can be used , when it is desired to avoid a leakage from the connection a , so - called zero - leakage . in this connection , fig1 shows that a pilot pressure pf is supplied to the pilot - controlled non - return valve 6 via the control valve 5 . alternatively , the pilot pressure can be supplied directly or via a solenoid valve . this causes that the non - return valve 6 can be controlled independently of the position of the control valve 5 . this may be advantageous in cases involving a control , in which the dynamics of the pilot - controlled non - return valve 6 plays a role . for the inlet control is used a pressure control valve 7 , which produces a constant pressure drop over the control valve 5 . thus , in wide limits , a load - independent lifting behaviour of the cylinder 2 can be achieved . for the outlet control is used a pressure sensor 8 and a microcontroller 9 . the pressure sensor 8 produces an output signal , which can be evaluated by the microcontroller 9 . the pressure compensation can be made in different ways , for example by means of a feedback linearisation or with a flow estimation function and control . the microcontroller 9 also serves as position sensor , that is , it detects the position “ x ”. this is shown schematically by a line from “ x ” to the microcontroller 9 . fig2 shows the principle of the feedback linearisation . the measured pressure drop δp , that is , the pressure difference between the connection a of the cylinder 2 and the outlet r 1 , is led back to an inverted model 10 of the valve 5 , which results in a linearised feedback system , in which the desired flow q r is equal to the flow q , independently of the load pressure . k is a valve constant . fig3 shows a model , which uses an estimation function to control the outlet of fluid from the cylinder 2 . the estimated flow q est is fed back and compared with the specified reference flow q r in a controller r . this flow is simply estimated in that the pressure difference δp between the connection a of the cylinder 2 and the return connection r 1 , and the valve control signal u , are converted with a throttling behaviour . also in this case it can be achieved with good proximity that the flow q leaving the cylinder 2 is in fact equal to the desired flow q r . when a double - acting cylinder is used instead of the hydraulic cylinder 2 , and for this reason the inlet control and the outlet control is separated , for example with two or four control valves , then the outlet pressure and the inlet pressure must be controlled to avoid that the load 4 runs away . however , in many cases the separation is not required . when a 4 - way , 3 - direction valve ( 4 / 3 - valve ), which is controlled on the basis of the flow ( meter - in flow controlled valve ), is used to control the double - acting cylinder , the flow in both directions is proportional to the control signal , provided that the valve has been dimensioned correctly for the maximum load . in this case a return - flow measuring ( meter - out ) is not required . as the flow control device produces a linear function between the desired flow value inlet q r and the speed of the load dx / dt , the fastest movement time , as shown in fig4 , between the positions x 0 and xf is the time t min ( in seconds ), v max being the maximum speed at completely open valve 5 and a load pressure δp . when a lower speed v set is desired , the opening time t set of the valve 5 must be longer to achieve the same movement . theoretically , the linear profiles shown require an indefinitely large acceleration . in practice , the pressure δp limits the acceleration , with large loads it may , however , happen anyway that the front wheels leave the ground , because the inertia forces are too large . for this reason , an acceleration limit is introduced , as shown in fig4 . the acceleration profile has a maximum a and a minimum − a . the position of the load is simply found in that the acceleration profile is integrated twice and the desired speed v set is included , that is , is used as integration limit . this gives a controlled acceleration , which , however , causes a somewhat longer movement time tf . the profile is optimal in that it gives the shortest movement time for a predetermined maximum acceleration and a maximum speed . the speed can also be replaced by a time specification . a further integration will convert the speed profile to a trajectory for the movement of the load 4 or the attachment 1 , respectively . this is obvious to a person skilled in the art and therefore not shown in detail . when other acceleration limits are chosen , the speed course will change . however , in any case it can be avoided that a maximum acceleration is exceeded . when a monitoring of both acceleration and speed is wanted , the desired trajectory gets somewhat more complicated . for this reason , a follower is expedient . fig5 shows a first embodiment of such a follower . as described above , a trajectory generator 11 produces a trajectory , that is , the individual positions x over the time , as shown , for example in fig4 . the control has a directly connected part , which represents an inverted model 12 of the attachment 1 . the transfer function from x r ( specification ) to x will thus be 1 . this does not necessarily mean that x r = x , and also not that x approaches the course x r . as , however , the attachment system itself is unstable , a position control with a controller c is additionally used . the immediate position x of the load 4 is supplied to this controller c . the effect of this measure is that x approaches the specification x r and that the control system gets stabler in relation to parameter variations and interferences . in a preferred embodiment , the model approaches the attachment with a constant and an integrator in such a manner that the inverted model becomes a constant and a differentiator . the approach simplifies the control and is sufficiently accurate for moderate accelerations . the controller c is dimensioned so that the control system has a predetermined stability area . it is expedient to arrange a dead - band compensator 14 between the outlet control 13 , as shown , for example , in fig2 or fig3 , and the system of the attachment 1 , in order to compensate a dead - band db , which is required in the valve 5 to let the load - sensing and pilot pressure signals pass . of course , the system described can be used in both directions , that is , both when lifting and when lowering a load . during lifting , the outlet control 13 will play no role . an alternative method for combining an outlet control and a follower is shown in fig6 . this embodiment comprises an adaptive follower . in this case an outlet control is not absolutely necessary , when the load is constant or changes slowly . the adaptive follower adapts the inverted model of the system of the attachment 1 .	0
fig1 shows a schematic side view of a traveller assembly 10 . the traveller assembly 10 comprises a basic body 12 and a first group of guide member units comprising guide member units 14 and a second group of guide member units comprising guide member units 16 ; in fig1 only the guide member unit 16 lying in front of a guiding raceway or track 20 can be seen . the guide member units 14 , 16 lie against a respective abutment face f of the basic body 12 with respective counterfaces g . a further guiding raceway 22 is arranged between the guide member units 14 of the first group and extends substantially perpendicular with respect to the guiding raceway 20 . in accordance with the extension of the respective guiding raceways 20 , 22 the guide member units 14 and 16 , respectively , are arranged on the basic body 12 such , that they extend in a respective longitudinal direction of the corresponding guiding raceway 20 and 22 , respectively . i . e . also the respective guide member units 14 and 16 , respectively , of the different groups are arranged on the basic body 12 substantially perpendicular with respect to each other . the guide member units 14 and 16 , respectively , lie against the guiding raceways 20 , 22 via guiding members , for example guiding rollers , as discussed later , and via guiding wires 24 and 26 , respectively , provided on the respective guiding raceways . as can be seen in fig1 a plurality of positioning tracks in the form of profile grooves 28 are provided on the basic body 12 and , as discussed later , in the region of these profile grooves 28 , the respective guide member units 14 , 16 can be attached to the basic body 12 in a positionally variable manner . with respect to fig2 and 3 , it can be seen that the respective guide member units 16 are fixed to the basic body 12 by means of support members , such as fastening bolts 30 . the fastening bolts 30 are threaded bolts having external threads , i . e . at least in both end portions thereof they are provided with external threaded portions , and they penetrate respective passage openings 32 in the guide member units 16 . in the respectives grooves 28 , groove blocks 34 are received . the groove blocks 34 serve as positioning track engagement elements and have such a cross - sectional profile that they can be displaced in the substantially t - shaped grooves 28 in a positioning direction p , but cannot be turned within the grooves and cannot drop off the grooves . each of the groove blocks 34 has an internal threaded opening 36 into which the fastening bolts 30 can be screwed with their external threads . for fixing a guide member unit 16 to the basic body 12 , the following measures are taken : at first the respective groove blocks are positioned approximately in the desired position on the basic body 12 , i . e . the associated groove 28 . thereupon a fastening bolt 30 is screwed into each of the groove blocks but only so far that it does not abut the groove bottom 40 with its end portion 38 . for screwing the fastening bolts 30 into the groove blocks 34 at the other ends 42 thereof a tool engagement arrangement 43 , for example in the shape of a hexagon opening 43 or the like , is provided . as in such a position the fastening screws 30 do not abut against the groove bottom 40 with their ends 38 the groove blocks 34 can still be displaced together with the fastening bolts 30 within the grooves 28 . if a desired coarse positioning or fine positioning has been carried out , the guide member units 16 are pushed over the fastening bolts 30 with their passage openings 32 . in fig2 this for example can be done with simultaneously arranging the guiding raceway 20 with the guiding wires 24 between the guide member units 16 . next the fastening bolts 30 are further screwed into the groove blocks 34 by means of a tool until the ends 38 thereof press against the groove bottom 40 , such that in a corresponding manner the groove blocks 34 are displaced from the groove bottom 40 and press against faces or undercut faces 46 ( see fig1 ) of the groove 28 with respective clamping faces or undercut clamping faces 44 . if the fastening bolts 30 are tightened fixedly , due to the generated clamping action a secure fixation of the fastening bolts 30 to the basic body 12 is obtained . after or before such a fixing of the fastening bolts 30 nuts 48 can be screwed to the fastening bolts 30 in the region of the ends 42 thereof , but only so far that only an unintended dropping of the guide member units 16 off the fastening bolts 30 is prevented but the guide member units 16 still are not finally fixed to the basic body 12 . as can be seen in fig2 advancement devices generally indicated by 50 are associated to the respective fastening bolts 30 , by means of which advancement devices the guide member units 16 can be advanced against the guiding raceway 20 , i . e . the guiding wires 24 thereof , with the support of the fastening bolts 30 , in order to set a desired clearance of motion . the basic construction and the function of such advancement devices is described in the following with reference to fig6 . in fig6 a sectional view of the guide member unit 16 having a guiding roller 52 is shown , which guiding roller is arranged between two passage openings 32 . the guide member unit 16 comprises a body 54 having a recess 56 , and a lining 58 turnably receiving a guiding roller 52 therein is accommodated in the recess 56 . the lining 58 constitutes a lubricant pocket for the guiding roller 52 , such that the guiding roller 52 can be moved along the guiding raceway 20 in a lubricated manner . at both axial ends of the body 54 passage openings 60 extending substantially perpendicular to the guiding raceway 20 are arranged , which openings in a portion 62 proximate to the guiding raceway 20 have a bigger cross - section and in a portion 64 remote from the guiding raceway 20 and coaxial to the portion 62 have a smaller cross - section . the portion 64 having the smaller diameter is an internal threaded portion . in each of the passage openings 60 an adjustment element 66 is arranged , comprising a spool - like first portion 70 having a bigger diameter and being fixedly connected or integrally provided with an external threaded portion 72 having a smaller diameter . the portion 72 having the smaller diameter is an external threaded portion screwed into the portion 64 of the passage opening 60 . the passage opening 32 for the fastening bolt 30 and the passage opening 60 are substantially perpendicular with respect to each other and are arranged such that they partly overlap . this leads to a partial engagement of the fastening bolt 30 into the circumferential groove 74 of the portion 72 of the adjustment element 66 , such that the fastening bolt 30 is engaged by the circumferential flange portions 76 , 78 on both sides in an direction of advancement v , as can be seen in fig6 . the passage opening 60 is open to the backside 82 of the body 56 remote from the guiding raceway 20 in its portion 64 , such that a tool can be introduced into a tool engagement arrangement 80 provided on the portion 72 of the adjustment element 66 , for example a hexagonal opening . by turning the tool and thereby turning the adjustment element 66 the adjustment element 66 is displaced in the direction of the direction of advancement v . since the circumferential flanges 76 , 78 engage both sides of the fastening bolt 30 the fastening bolt 30 received in the passage opening 32 with a clearance of motion in the direction of advancement v is displaced with respect to the body 54 in the direction of advancement v of such a displacement of the adjustment element 66 . however , since the fastening bolt 30 is fixed to the basic body , such a relative displacement between the fastening bolt 30 and the body 54 of the guide member unit 16 leads to a movement of the body 54 in a plane of advancement e constituted by the drawing plane in fig6 ( see fig2 ). by appropriately operating the both adjustment elements 66 within the body 54 , a desired advancement of the guide member unit 16 against the guiding raceway 20 and therefore the desired adjustment of the clearance can be carried out . since the direction of advancement v is substantially perpendicular with respect to the guide axis a of the guiding raceway 20 the advancement is carried out with maximum efficiency . in order to allow the above advancement of the guide member units 14 and 16 , respectively , towards the respective guiding raceways 20 and 22 , respectively , with the use of the supporting action of the fastening bolts 30 , as already discussed , the fastening bolts 30 are secured in the respective grooves 28 against displacement in the positioning direction p . this is of particular importance for the guide member units 16 shown in the upper part of fig1 since for these guide member units 16 the direction of advancement v , which is perpendicular with respect to the drawing plane in fig1 and therefore to the guiding axis a , extends parallel to the grooves 28 which also are orthogonal with respect to the drawing plane in fig1 . if the fastening bolts were not secured against displacement within the grooves 28 as discussed above the advancement of the guide member units 16 due to the supporting function of the fastening bolts 30 would lead to a displacement of the fastening bolts 30 within the grooves 28 . also with the guide member units 14 shown in the lower part of fig1 for which the guiding grooves 28 extend perpendicular with respect to the direction of advancement v provided for the guide member units , the fixing of the fastening bolts within the guiding grooves 28 is advantageous since even in this case a lateral tilting of the fastening bolts 30 can be avoided , which might occur because the groove blocks 34 have a clearance of motion . after the respective adjustment elements 66 have been operated for generating the desired advancement and therefore the guide member units 14 and 16 , respectively , have been positioned in their desired relative position with respect to the guiding raceways 20 , 22 , the nuts 48 can be tightened and the guide member units 14 and 16 , respectively , can be finally fixed to the basic body 12 . after that a correction of the position can be carried out by loosening the nuts 48 , i . e . loosening the clamping engagement of the fastening bolts 30 at the groove bottom 40 . in fig4 and 5 an alternative embodiment is shown which with respect to its construction substantially corresponds to the one described with reference to fig2 and 3 . therefore the respective components are indicated by the same reference signs having the appendix &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;. in the following only the differences with respect to the embodiment according to fig2 and 3 are described . as can be seen in fig4 a groove strip 90a is provided instead of the groove blocks 34 , and the groove strip is associated to both guide member units 16a . the groove strip 90a again comprises internal threaded openings 36a for the fastening bolts 30a . in this embodiment the fastening bolts 30a are normal screw bolts having a head 92a . for fixing the groove strip 90a within the respective guiding groove 28a the groove strip 90a comprises further internal threaded openings 94a , into which clamping screws 96a are screwed . for fastening the guide member units 16a to the basic body 12 , the following measures are taken : first the or every groove strip 90a is brought into the desired position and the clamping screws 96a are tightened by means of a tool , such that they press against the groove bottom 40a . thereby a displacement of the groove strip 90a within the guiding groove 28a is obtained , as already explained above , until the groove strip 90a abuts against the undercut face of the groove 28a and thereby is clamped within the groove 28a . next the guide member units 16a , for example having the guiding raceway 20a disposed therebetween , are attached to the basic body 12 by means of the fastening bolts 30a , which are screwed into the internal threaded openings 36a . the fastening bolts 30a are screwed in only so far that an advancement of the guide member units 16a by means of the advancement devices 50a can still be carried out . the advancing procedure corresponds to the procedure as described with reference to fig6 . after the advancement has been carried out to the desired extent , the fastening bolts 30 are further tightened , such that the guide member units 16a are fixed to the basic body 12a . the fastening screws 30a are dimensioned such that upon completely fixing the guide member units 16a to the basic body 12 they do not abut against the groove bottom 40a , which possibly could prevent a sufficiently fixed clamping action for the guide member units 16a of the basic body 12a . instead of that , even in a condition in which the fastening bolts 30a are completely tightened a sufficient clearance is provided between the ends 38a and the groove bottom 40a . of course , such groove strips 90a can be provided for each of the fastening bolts provided for the respective guide member units 16a . for enhancing the security against displacement of the fastening bolts 30 and 30a , respectively , in the embodiment shown in fig1 - 6 a profile can be provided on the undercut clamping faces 44 and 44a , respectively , of the groove blocks 34 and the groove strips 90a , respectively , for example in the shape of ribs extending perpendicular with respect to the positioning direction p and biting into the opposing undercut faces 46 on the basic body 12 , if the fastening bolts 30 and the clamping screws 96a , respectively , abut against the groove bottom 40 and 40a , respectively , such that a displacement of the groove blocks 34 and the groove strips 90a in the positioning direction p can be substantially impeded . a variation of the embodiment according to fig2 and 3 is shown in fig7 a and 8b . screws 30b having a head 100b and a threaded shaft 104b are used instead of the groove blocks 34b , and the head 100b is introduced into the grooves 28b . the introduction can be carried out from the open end of the respective groove 28b , or the head 100b of the screw can be pushed through the groove opening extending transversely to the positioning direction at an intermediate portion of the groove 28b and can then be turned into a rotation locking position defined by the abutment of a locking portion of the head 100b of the screw against a wall of the groove , which position for example corresponds to the position shown in fig7 . the locking portion can be constituted by a portion of the screw head 100b radially projecting with respect to a longitudinal axis of the screw . the screws 30b can then be moved , i . e . displaced , to the desired position within the respective grooves 28b ; thereupon the guide member units 16b are pushed with their passage openings over the screws 30b and are fixed by means of nuts 48b which are to be attached to the screws 30b . in order to provide security against displacement of the screws 30b in the positioning direction p the undercut clamping faces 44b of the screws 30b are provided with profile ribs 102b , which upon the insertion of the hammer - shaped screw head 100b in the associated groove 28b extend transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the groove and therefore transversely with respect to the positioning direction p . for fixing the guide member unit 16b to the basic body 12b the following measures are taken : first the necessary screws , for example the hammerhead bolts or screws 30b shown in fig8 a and 8b are introduced into the respective grooves 28b with their heads 100b and are coarsely moved to the desired position . thereupon the guide member units are pushed with their passage openings over the screw shafts 104b , as discussed above , and the nuts 48b are screwed to the screws . in this condition the screws 30b , which until now have not been tightened , can still be moved with respect to the basic body 12b together with the guide member unit 16b held thereon . after the desired position has been reached the nuts 48b are further tightened such that the profile ribs 102b bite into the undercut faces 46b in the basic body 12b and therefore prevent the displacement of the screws 30b in the positioning direction due to the positive coupling of the screw heads 100b and the basic body 12b . however , the nuts 48b are only tightened so far , that -- although there is generated a positive coupling between the screws 30b and the basic body 12b -- an adjustability of the guide member unit by means of the respective advancement device in the respective direction of advancement is still possible . i . e ., the frictional force acting between the guide member units 16b and the basic body 12b during a displacement in the direction of advancement has to be lower than the frictional coupling or the positive coupling acting between the screw heads 100b and the basic body 12b . after the advancement has been carried out the nut or all the nuts 48b can be further tightened in order to finally fix the guide member unit 16b to the basic body 12b . even with this embodiment an arbitrary positioning of the guide member unit 16 along the respective groove 28b can be obtained and the possibility of advancing and of using the fastening bolts as a support can be maintained . various modifications can be carried out to the above embodiments . for example it is possible that the grooves 28a do not have the shown t - shaped profile but have a dove - tailed profile , in which case the groove blocks and the grooves strips , respectively , have a complementary dove - tailed profile . further a dowel - like fixation of the fastening bolts in the grooves is possible . by means of the traveller assembly according to the present invention the construction of a working machine working in two or more coordinate directions can be carried out in an easy manner . in particular a high freedom for the design of a moving system can be obtained due to the displaceability of the guide member units on the respective basic bodies . since the fastening bolts according to the present invention are secured within the guide grooves against displacement it is not necessary for the grooves to be defined such that they extend perpendicular with respect to the direction of advancement v on each side of the basic body 12 , in order to prevent an undesired displacement of the fastening bolts when advancing the guide member units . instead in all sides of the basic body 12 guide grooves 28 extending parallel to each other can be provided . this allows the easy and inexpensive manufacturing of the basic body 12 from plastics material or aluminum or the like in an extrusion process by means of a correspondingly shaped extrusion head . therefore , additional working steps for generating the undercut grooves in the basic body are not necessary .	5
the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings . fig2 is a sectional view of a piezoelectric resonator utilizing a short side spreading vibration mode , in accordance with the invention ; and fig3 is a perspective view of essential components of the piezoelectric resonator . the piezoelectric resonator is a small one having a high resonance frequency . in fig2 reference numerals 1 and 1 &# 39 ; designate the upper and lower halves respectively , of a case 3 of synthetic resin . each of the upper and lower halves is in the form of a shallow box which is open on one side . the case 3 is formed by combining the upper and lower halves 1 and 1 &# 39 ; in such a manner that the open surfaces are put together . as shown in fig3 a piezoelectric element 2 has an integral frame 4 which is formed by subjecting a permanently elastic metal plate of material , such as those sold under the tradenames &# 34 ; elimvar &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; imvar &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; coelimvar &# 34 ;, to pressing or etching . the frame 4 is such that a vibrating plate 5 whose main part 5a is substantially rectangular as viewed from above is supported by a rectangular holding frame 7 through a pair of coupling pieces 6 and 6 &# 39 ; which extend from the centers of the short sides of the vibrating plate 5 . a piezoelectric film 8 of zinc oxide ( zno ) is fixedly formed over a predetermined area of one main surface of the frame 4 ; i . e ., the entire surface of the vibrating plate 5 and the region which is extended from the vibrating plate through the coupling piece 6 to a predetermined corner of the holding frame 7 , by sputtering or the like . furthermore , a vibrating electrode film 9 overlying the vibrating plate 5 , and a leader 10 are vacuum - deposited on the piezoelectric film 8 . the leader 10 extends from the electrode film 9 through the one coupling piece 6 to a predetermined corner of the holding frame 7 . the vibrating electrode film 9 is of aluminum or the like . in fig3 reference numerals 11 and 11 &# 39 ; respectively designate two lead wires extending from the integral frame 4 . lead wire 11 is connected to the end of the leader 10 , while the lead wire 11 is connected to the holding frame 7 . both sides of the piezoelectric element 2 thus constructed are covered by the above - described upper and lower halves 1 and 1 &# 39 ; of case 3 , and then the upper and lower halves are sealingly joined together by welding or by using adhesive . with the integral frame 4 situated in the case 3 as described above , then the four corners of the holding frame 7 are clamped by protrusions 12 which are extended from the inner surfaces of the halves 1 &# 39 ; in such a manner that the protrusions 12 are in point - contact with the holding frame . thus , the integral frame 4 is held in place in the case 3 . reference numeral 13 ( fig3 ) designates compensation parts ( described later ). fig4 is a plan view of the vibrating plate 5 . in fig4 the region a ( indicated by the oblique lines ), which is located between the pair of coupling pieces 6 and is not vibrated even when it is electrically energized , because the forces of support of the two coupling pieces 6 and 6 &# 39 ; are applied to the region a . in order to compensate for the dead region a where no vibration takes place , according to the present invention the compensation parts 13 extend outwardly from peripheral parts ( i . e ., both ends ) of the piezoelectric element 2 in the direction of vibration , of the vibrating plate 5 . the configurations of the compensation parts 13 correspond to those which are obtained by dividing the dead region a into two symmetrical ( equal ) parts with respect to the centers of the short sides of the vibrating plate main part 5a . in other words , each compensation part 13 configured as is a pair of right - angled triangles which are symmetrical to each other with respect to the center of the long sides of the vibrating plate main part 5a . the length l of the short side of the vibrating plate 5 is determined according to the following expression : where lef is the effective length in the direction of the short side ( or the length , in the direction of the short side , of the middle of the vibrating plate ), and t is the width of each coupling piece 6 and 6 &# 39 ;. in the vibrating plate 5 thus determined in dimension , the resonance resistance becomes minimum and the quality factor ( q ) maximum as indicated in fig5 a characteristic diagram . in the above - described embodiment , the technical concept of the invention is applied to the piezoelectric resonator operating in the spreading vibration mode utilizing the short sides of the vibrating plate 5 whose main part 5a is rectangular . however , the technical concept of the invention is applicable to a piezoelectric resonator whose vibrating plate is square . furthermore , even in the case of a vibrating plate having more than two coupling pieces 6 and 6 &# 39 ;, compensation parts can be provided for each dead region a . the present invention is also applicable to a piezoelectric resonator shown in fig6 . the piezoelectric resonator has a pair of coupling pieces 6 and 6 &# 39 ; extending outwardly from the centers of the long sides of the vibrating plate 5 having a rectangular main part 5a , such resonator utilizing the spreading vibration mode of the long sides of the vibrating plate . the foregoing describes a spreading vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator which has a piezoelectric element and is supported through at least one pair of coupling pieces by a holding frame . compensation parts for compensating the dead region of the piezoelectric element formed between the coupling pieces extend outwardly from the peripheral parts of the piezoelectric element . such spreading vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator may be miniaturized for high resonance frequency applications . moreover , the resonance resistance of the piezoelectric element is appropriately decreased , and the quality factor ( q ) is appropriately increased . in addition , the fluctuations in the resonance frequency characteristic of the piezoelectric vibrator and other characteristics of the vibrator are decreased . although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been described , many variations and modifications will now be apparent to those skilled in the art , and it is therefore preferred that the instant invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein , but only by the appending claims .	7
the trap for catching animals of the present invention is indicated generally at reference numeral 10 . trap 10 is received within a sleeve 12 which is provided with an open end 14 and a closed end 16 . in a presently preferred embodiment the sleeve 12 is constructed of a relatively stiff and preferably dark colored cardboard , but it can also be constructed of plastic or fabric , as is known in the art . the sleeve 12 can be extended forward so as to completely enclose and hide from view the body of an animal entrapped therein ( not shown ). the function of sleeve 12 is that sleeve 12 causes the mouse or other small animal to approach a bait 18 through and within the base jaw 20 and spring jaw 22 of trap 10 . in a presently preferred embodiment , the bait 18 functions as a trigger to release the trap . bait 18 is preferably a dried , formed pasta or other bait such as an edible plastic or hard candy . generally mice and other rodents prefer to eat hard , protein - rich foods . the applicant believes that one of the foods mice especially like to eat is dry pasta . dry pasta satisfies a mouse &# 39 ; s need to chew on hard foods . if the pasta is made with nutritious or aromatic oils or other flavorings and high protein grain flours such as the commonly used semolina or triticale wheat , the pasta appears to be a preferred mouse food . in the applicant &# 39 ; s experience a mouse will choose to eat pasta rather than other available foods . in tests conducted by the applicant , the pasta bait trigger 18 of the present invention easily attracts mice although other appropriate baits can be used . the applicant has also observed that mice are extremely inquisitive . mice tend to investigate dark enclosures containing food . thus , the dark colored funnel - like sleeve 12 containing the trap 10 and jaws 20 and 22 of the present invention provides an excellent opportunity for a mouse to both investigate and feed . referring to fig3 the bent and twisted wire construction of the invention is shown as it appears within sleeve 12 . the trap 10 constructed according to the teachings of the present invention is formed of a high tension wire such as tempered steel wire . other types of wire can be used in constructing trap 10 , as is known in the art . the presently preferred construction of trap 10 is unitary , such that the trap 10 is formed of a single piece of wire , the wire having bends at 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 , 46 and 48 , a total of twelve bends in the wire . beginning at end 24 of the wire , a bend at 26 forms a hook 50 upon trigger arm 52 for engaging the bait 18 thereon . second and third bends 28 and 30 form and define latch receptacle 54 . latch receptacle 54 includes bends 28 and 30 and the portion of the wire therebetween . trigger arm 52 includes hook 50 , latch receptacle 54 , and the portion of wire therebetween . bend 32 is a downward and inward bend in base jaw 20 , and bend 34 within base jaw 20 bring the wire of trap 10 into a broad v - shaped configuration . a u - notch 56 is formed at bend 36 . base spring 58 extends between bend 38 adjacent u - notch 56 and end bend 40 in the wire forming trap 10 . torsion spring 60 is twisted relative to base spring 58 . although the presently preferred embodiment of the invention is formed of a single piece of wire , it can be formed of more than one piece of wire as is known to those of skill in the art . torsion spring 60 extends between end bend 40 and bend 42 in the wire forming trap 10 . bend 42 joins torsion spring 60 and spring jaw 22 . spring jaw 22 is formed in a u - configuration between bend 42 and bend 46 of the wire . spring jaw 22 is provided with an intermediate bend 44 which forms spring jaw 22 in a u - configuration . opening 62 is formed between spring jaw 22 and base jaw 20 when trap 10 is set with bait 18 and biased in a first open position shown in fig1 - 3 . a final bend 48 in the wire forming trap 10 is provided in close proximity to end 49 of the wire . bend 48 forms a latch 64 which is releasably set adjacent latch receptacle 54 when trap 10 is baited and set . the pasta bait 18 is slipped onto the torsion spring 60 and base spring 68 at an end 66 of the bait 18 , and is slidably received at a second end 68 on the hook 50 upon trigger arm 52 . bait 18 can be held between trigger arm 52 and springs 58 and by string or other attachment means ( not shown ). both base spring 58 and torsion spring 60 are spring biased apart from each other and both function as torsion springs . the trap 10 is released by breaking of the bait 18 , which would normally occur when the bait 18 is nibbled by the animal to be caught . to nibble on the bait 18 , the animal must approach the bait through opening 62 , placing the head and the body within the trap 10 and between the jaws 20 and 22 of the trap 10 . upon release of the trap 10 by breaking bait 18 , the jaws 20 and 22 of the trap almost instantaneously are spring biased together and impelled closed by the now - released tension in the torsion spring 60 , and , in an opposing direction , the now released tension in the base spring 58 . to use trap 10 , trap 10 is baited with bait 18 which is set so as to exert forces on trigger arm 52 and base jaw 20 . those forces exerted on trigger arm 52 and base jaw 20 bend trigger arm 52 downwardly from latch receptacle 54 and bend base jaw 20 toward the interior of trap 10 . with trap 10 biased in the first open position shown in fig1 - 3 , the aforementioned downward and inward bending of trigger arm 52 and base jaw 20 , respectively causes latch receptacle 54 to force and hold latch 64 closely adjacent bend 30 . when the forces exerted by bait 18 are eliminated by the breaking of bait 18 , trigger arm 52 and base jaw 20 are able to slide upwardly and exteriorly from the interior of trap 10 . such sliding or trigger arm 52 and base jaw 20 releases latch 64 from engagement with trigger arm 52 . once latch 64 is so released , spring jaw 22 and base jaw 20 are able to close opening 62 since bends 44 and 32 are then able to move towards each other and since spring jaw 22 is pivotable within u - notch 56 of base jaw 20 . thus the jaws 20 and 22 of the trap 10 close instantly around the head or body of the intruding animal ( not shown ). it should be noted that the pasta bait 18 does not hold the force of the jaw 20 , 22 . rather , the pasta bait 18 holds bend 30 of latch receptor 54 in close engagement with latch 64 . such close engagement , in turn , holds torque of base spring 58 opposite torque of torsion spring 60 through the points of engagement between latch receptacle 54 and latch 64 . the spring arm 22 pivots within u - notch 36 adjacent to the base jaw 20 . when the trap 10 is in a set position , the spring arm 22 is both slidably and pivotally received within the u - notch 56 of the base jaw 20 , and the latch 64 is slidably abutted adjacent latch receptacle 54 . as can be understood from the foregoing , a mouse or other animal will be caught humanely and quickly in the trap 10 as the spring jaw 22 and base jaw 20 close towards each other trap 10 . the entire trap 10 within sleeve 12 can then be discarded if desired , and a user of trap 10 is not required to touch the entrapped animal at any time , or even to see the entrapped animal if the sleeve is extended ( not shown ) beyond the jaws 20 and 22 of the trap 10 . as can be seen from the description of the invention , the trap can be re - set and re - baited if desired . referring to fig2 a set trap 10 having bait 18 is shown from the mouse &# 39 ; s eye view . a hungry mouse smells the pasta 18 within trap 10 , and enters trap 10 between base jaw 20 and spring jaw 22 to investigate within the interior of sleeve 12 . when the hungry mouse has gnawed on the pasta 18 sufficiently to break the pasta 18 , the forward tension of base jaw 20 is released , permitting base jaw 20 to slide forward so that latch 64 is disengaged from latch receptacle 54 , and base jaw 20 and spring jaw 22 close around the animal . the animal is caught within trap 10 , and held between base jaw 20 and spring jaw 22 as it dies quickly from asphyxiation or a severed spinal cord . although the invention has been described in conjunction with the foregoing specific embodiment , many alternatives , variations and modifications are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . those alternatives , variations and modifications are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the following claims .	0
referring to the drawing , a toaster 10 is shown with an outer casing body 11 defining an upper access opening 12 to a vertically arranged toasting compartment 13 . the compartment 13 includes resistance heating elements 31 arranged on either side of the toasting compartment 13 in any conventional or known array . the casing body 11 illustrated is a non burnable plastic material , however , it is clearly also possible to use any other non burnable material such as sheet metal . the casing body 11 , however , provides a substantially enclosed inner space accessed only through the upper access opening or slot 12 . arranged within the toasting compartment 13 is a product supporting carriage 14 movable between an upper product receiving position and a lowered position ( fig2 ) for a toasting cycle . at one end of the compartment 13 , the carriage 14 is moved corresponding to movement of the lug 19 . alternatively a motorized movement mechanism could be provided to move the carriage 14 between the upper and lower positions . a conventional or known brownness selection knob 16 is provided together with any suitable and known toasting control system . obviously the system should preferably include features adapted to minimize the likelihood of fires commencing , however , these features are not relevant to the present invention and are not further discussed hereinafter . as shown in fig1 and 2 , a flameproof member in the form of a cover flap 17 is provided hinged at 18 along one side of the access slot 12 so that it can be pivoted from an access providing position ( fig1 ) to a second position overlying the slot 12 as shown in fig2 . the flap member 17 may be formed from any other material that prevents a flame passing outwardly from the toasting compartment 13 . one possible form of linkage connection means is shown in fig2 although it should be appreciated that other arrangements could also be employed . the mechanism is shown outwardly of the body 11 in schematic fashion although normally the mechanism would be located within the body 11 adjacent one end of the toasting compartment 13 . as shown in fig2 a lost motion link 60 is provided so that it slides up and down on a stationary substantially vertical guide member 20 . an upper end of the link 60 is pivoted at 21 to a transversely extending part 22 of the cover 17 . a carriage supporting member 23 is moved up and down on the guide member 20 by actuation of the external lug 19 . the member 23 is generally urged upwardly by a spring element 66 so that the carriage 14 is normally located in its upper position . a lower end 25 of the member 23 mechanically latches with a catch member 26 when the member is moved to lower the carriage 14 to the lowered toasting position . in so doing a wake up or power actuating switch 27 is activated to enable power supply to the toasting elements for commencement of a toasting cycle . alternatively a separate manually operable toasting cycle start up switch could be employed for reasons discussed hereinafter . as illustrated in fig2 the member 23 includes a portion 61 which is adapted to engage opposed abutment parts 62 and 63 . thus with the cover flap 17 in an open position ( fig1 ) the lug 19 and therefor the member 23 must be moved downwardly a certain distance before the portion 61 engages the abutment part 63 to thereafter automatically move the cover flap 17 from the position shown in fig1 to the closed position shown in fig2 . similarly there is a certain distance of travel of the lug 19 upwardly from the position shown in fig2 before the portion 61 engages the part 62 to commence opening of the cover flap 17 . this arrangement enables the cover flap 17 to be manually moved to the closed position ( fig2 ) without movement of the lug 19 for storage purposes . in an alternative arrangement , if the wake up switch 27 is omitted and a separate start up switch is used , then the lug 19 can be moved to its lowered position so that the end 25 catches with catch member 26 to lower the cover flap 17 for storage without the need of any lost motion mechanism as illustrated in fig2 . it is , however , desirable with this latter configuration that some separate means be provided to ensure that the separate start up switch does not commence a toasting cycle with the cover flap 17 in an open position . in accordance with a preferred aspect of the present invention , the latch mechanism 32 identified illustratively in fig2 by members 25 , 26 form an automatic mechanical latch which must be manually delatched to enable the cover flap 17 to be only operable by a person upon completion of a toasting cycle . thus , in the unlikely event of a fire having ignited in the chamber , the cover flap 17 will not have automatically opened by the toaster mechanism ( when unattended by the operator ) to allow flames to escape from the compartment 13 . fig3 to 8 illustrate a second preferred embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the toaster 10 also has an outer casing 11 ( preferably formed from a non - burnable plastics material , metal or the like ) having an upper access slot 12 adapted to receive a product to be toasted and to ultimately eject a toasted product therethrough after completion of a toasting cycle . as can be seen in fig4 and 5 , an inner enclosure 64 is provided ( conveniently produced from sheet metal ) within the outer casing 11 , the inner enclosure also has a generally rectangular upper access opening 65 substantially aligned with the access slot 12 in the outer casing . the inner enclosure 64 defines a toasting compartment 13 with heating elements of any known configuration ( not shown ) located adjacent the inner face of each longitudinal side wall 15 , 16 directing radiant and convection heat inwardly of the toasting compartment 13 when energized . similar to fig1 a lug 19 capable of being operatively gripped is provided which is directly connected to a product support carriage 14 located at least partially within the toasting compartment 13 . the product support carriage 14 is mounted on a vertical slide post ( not shown ) so that it is capable of movement upwardly and downwardly thereon . a spring 66 is provided to normally urge the carriage 14 upwardly but against which an operator can move the carriage 14 down to a lowered toasting position by gripping the member 19 and moving same downwardly in the slot 67 in the outer casing 11 . the product supporting carriage 14 has a part 23 located outwardly of the toasting chamber 13 and a part 24 located within the toasting chamber on which a slice of bread or the like is supported during a toasting cycle . the part 24 extends through a vertical slot 68 in an end wall 69 of the inner enclosure 64 . as shown in fig3 to 6 , a closure means 70 is provided arranged to overly the access openings 12 , 14 to the toasting compartment 13 . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , the closure means is conveniently located generally between the outer casing 11 and the inner enclosure 64 and comprises a pair of cover members 28 , 29 . each cover member 28 , 29 comprises an upper plate 30 covering approximately half of the access opening 65 when closed , a longitudinally extending side plate 31 adapted to extend downwardly from the access opening 65 outwardly of one of the inner enclosure side walls 15 , 16 and a pair of end plates 32 , 33 adapted to extend downwardly and outwardly of the end walls of the inner enclosure 64 . one of the cover members 28 , 29 preferably has an inwardly ( or outwardly ) located laterally extending lip 34 adapted to overly the small longitudinally extending space between the cover members 28 , 29 when closed as illustrated in fig4 . conveniently , if the cover members 28 , 29 are to be identically shaped ( as may be desirable for manufacturing purposes ) the lip 34 may extend over only half the length of the cover member 28 or 29 so that in an assembly , the overlying lip extends from each cover member over half the length of the cover member with an overlying obstruction thereby extending the full length of the access opening 65 . by this means , the escape of flame is prevented from the toasting chamber 13 between the cover members 28 , 29 . an operating mechanism 36 for moving the cover members 28 , 29 from the generally closed ( illustrated ) position to an open position is best seen in fig5 to 8 of the annexed drawings . each end plate 32 , 33 of the cover members has a downwardly depending hinge plate member 37 so as to locate a fixed hinge connection 38 to an end wall 69 of the inner enclosure 64 downwardly of the lower edge of the cover members 28 , 29 and outwardly spaced from the central dividing line 42 between the cover members 28 , 29 . in addition a floating hinge connection 39 is provided acting between the two cover members 28 , 29 . the floating hinge connection is formed by tab members 40 , 41 located at the lower edge of the members 28 , 29 adjacent the dividing line 42 between the cover members 28 , 29 . each tab member 40 , 41 has a first portion 43 extending outwardly from and at the same level as the lower edge of the cover member and a second portion 44 extending downwardly and towards or across the dividing line 42 . one or both of the portions 44 includes a slot 45 and a hinge pin 46 extends through portion 44 connecting same together with a downwardly directed link member 47 . movement of the link member 47 downwardly or upwardly causes the hinge pin 46 to move downwardly or upwardly . as a result the cover members pivot about hinge pins 38 and also tend to move outwardly when opening or inwardly when closing because of the floating hinge 39 caused by the slot or slots 45 . thus the cover members 28 , 29 can be arranged to completely close the access opening 65 to the inner enclosure 64 ( when closed ), or open this access opening 65 with the cover members 28 , 29 moving to a position between the outer casing 11 and the inner enclosure 64 . the operating link member 47 is divided along most of its length from its lower end to form a first part 48 and a second part 49 . the first part 48 has a lateral tab 50 at its lowermost end which is engaged by he carriage part 23 on its downward travel near to the end of its downward travel and in so doing the final downward movement of the carriage part 23 drags with it the link member 47 and thereby the pivot pin 46 to close the cover members 28 , 29 . fig7 shows the carriage part 23 at its uppermost position whereas fig8 shows the carriage part 23 at its lowered toasting position . in the lowered toasting position , the carriage part 23 has been stopped by a physical limit ledge 51 and a manual latch member 52 has been engaged to prevent the carriage part 23 from moving upwardly from the position shown in fig5 whether or not a toasting cycle has been completed . moreover in the lowered toasting position ( fig8 ), a dowel pin 53 carried by the carriage part 23 is engaged in a recess 54 formed in the lower end of the second part 49 of the link member 47 and is locked therein by fixed cam ledge 55 . thus when the carriage part 23 is moved upwardly at the end of a toasting cycle and after delatching the member 52 , the dowel pin 53 drives the second link 49 upwardly ( and thereby the link member 47 and hinge pin 46 ) to immediately open the cover members upon the carriage 20 starting its upward eject motion . a slot 59 is formed in the part 48 of the link member 47 and the carriage part 24 extends through the slot 59 and slot 25 into the toasting chamber 13 . the carriage part 24 through spring 66 keeps the link 47 in its up position in the absence of external manipulation . as will be apparent from the foregoing , the latch member 52 and latch 51 form an automatically engaged manual latch which must be manually delatched to enable the cover members 28 , 29 to be opened and necessarily requires the attention of a person at the toaster when this event occurs . thus in an unlikely event of a fire having ignited in the chamber , the cover members 28 , 29 will not have been automatically opened by the toaster mechanism ( when unattended by the operator ) thereby allowing flames to escape from the toasting chamber 13 . conveniently , to assist operation of the toaster , visual and / or audible indicators 71 , 72 may be provided to show that a toasting cycle has commenced and separately has been completed . although the foregoing description has been given with reference to a toaster having a carriage 23 moved manually down and a spring 66 to eject the toasted product , it should of course be appreciated that any known mechanism for driving or moving the carriage 23 might also be employed .	0
the present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments . it is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purposes of illustration and description only ; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed . please refer to fig2 , which is a block diagram showing the ac power supply testing circuit for a main board in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the ac power supply circuit includes a single - chip 8051 microprocessor 21 , a relay 22 , a main board 23 , an ac power supply 24 , a system power supply 25 , two led display devices 26 and a dip switch 27 . the single - chip 8051 microprocessor 21 is connected with the dip switch 27 , the two led display devices 26 , the relay 22 and the gpio device on the main board . the relay 22 is also connected with the ac power supply 24 and the system power supply 25 . the dip switch 27 is used to configure a system power on / off time in the single - chip 8051 microprocessor 21 in consideration of a specific time required for the power contained in a capacitor of the system power supply 25 to be fully discharged between a power - off state and a power - on state . the single - chip 8051 processor 21 functions as the coordinating part for the ac power supply testing upon booting , and is responsible for storing the system power on / off time , displaying the system power on / off time on the led display device 26 , counting down the system power on / off time , controlling the on / off of the relay 22 , and receiving a signal from the main board 23 to inform it of the successful completion of the ac power supply testing . the relay 22 functions as a channel between the ac power supply 24 and the system power supply 25 . the ac power supply 24 can only supply power to the system power supply 25 of the main board 23 when the relay 22 is at an on state . then the system power supply 25 supplies power to the main board 23 , and the booting procedures and the ac power supply testing are carried out . when the ac power supply testing is completed , the bios ( not shown ) drives the gpio device to send a signal to the single - chip 8051 microprocessor 21 for notification . the components included by dash lines shown in fig2 and the corresponding functions are mastered by the single - chip 8051 microprocessor 21 . what the single - chip 8051 microprocessor 21 replaces in the conventional ac power supply testing configuration is the function of the controller 3 in fig1 . meanwhile , the floppy driver 2 and the com port 4 are also eliminated . instead , new components such as the gpio device and the relay 22 are introduced . in addition to the structural difference , the functions between fig1 and fig2 differ in that ( 1 ) the single - chip 8051 microprocessor 21 has more precise control over time , not only reading the power on / off time upon booting and displaying the count - down value of the power on / off time , controlling the timing and ensuring the event occurrence when the time is out , but also utilizing the relay 22 to precisely control the on and off states of the ac power supply 24 ; ( 2 ) the bios directly controls the gpio device so as to support the main board 23 having no super io interface ; ( 3 ) the bios provides a single - step diagnostic procedure specific to the respective chipset and the components dedicated for the control over the ac power loss of the chipsets ; ( 4 ) the large voltage and small voltage in the circuit are isolated and converted . due to the existence of the relay 22 , when the main board 23 is switched off and the ac power supply ( 110 v ) is not supplying power , the power left in the capacitor of the system power supply 25 can still be supplied to components operated with small voltages ( 3v , 5 . 5v , 12v , etc .). when a system power on / off time expires , the residual power in the capacitor is roughly used up . in the meantime , the relay 22 is switched on so that the ac power supply 24 supplies power to the system power supply 25 . as such , the large voltage and small voltage in the circuit can be isolated and converted , thereby ensuring a safe operation of the circuit . please refer to fig3 , which is a flow diagram showing the ac power supply testing method for a main board in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the ac power supply testing method includes the following steps : ( 1 ) the system power on - off time is set up and read out ( step 31 ), in this step , the dip switch can be used to set up the required system power on / off time in the single - chip 8051 microprocessor for it to read ; ( 2 ) the system power on / off time is displayed ( step 32 ); in this step , the single - chip 8051 microprocessor displays the system power on / off time on an led display device ; ( 3 ) the count - down of the system power on / off time is initiated ; in this step , the single - chip 8051 microprocessor initiates its timer to count down the system power on / off time ( step 33 ); ( 4 ) the count - down value of the system power on / off time is displayed ( step 34 ); in this step , the single - chip 8051 microprocessor displays the real - time count - down value of the system power on / off time on the other led display device ; ( 5 ) the count - down value of the system power on / off time is determined ( step 35 ); this step fulfills a logic judgment on the real - time count - down value of the system power on / off time ; ( 6 ) the step ( 35 ) is executed if the count - down value of the system power on / off time is not zero ; ( 7 ) the current state ( on / off ) of the relay is determined if the count - down value of the system power on / off time in step ( 35 ) is zero ( step 36 ); ( 8 ) the relay is shut off if the current state of the relay is on ( step 37 ) and then the step ( 33 ) is executed ; the consideration of shutting off the relay is to ensure that the residual system power of the main board is fully consumed and / or released under the condition that the ac power supply supplies no power ; ( 9 ) the relay is powered on if the current state of the relay is off ( step 38 ); ( 10 ) the ac power supply is used to supply power to the system power supply of the main board via the relay ( step 39 ); in this step , as the relay is switched on , the ac power supply automatically supplies power to the main board ; ( 11 ) the system power supply of the main board is tested ( step 310 ); in this step , the system power supply testing procedures for each chipset and the relevant components on the main board are carried out ; ( 12 ) whether the system power supply testing is completed is determined ( step 311 ); in this step , the testing can be deemed completed unless the power supply testing for all chipsets and the relevant components are all passed ; ( 13 ) a system power diagnostic procedure is performed if the testing in step 310 is not finished ( step 312 ); in this step , the power supply testing procedure stays at an idle state , detect the error manually and with instruments and perform debugging ; after the error is identified and corrected , skip the idle state and return to step 310 ; basically , the aforementioned procedures can form a single - step diagnostics ; ( 14 ) the bios on the main board is used to instruct the gpio device on the main board to send a signal to the 8051 microprocessor for reporting the completion of the system power supply testing if the testing in step 310 is completed ( step 313 ); and ( 15 ) jump back to step ( 33 ). in summary , the present invention provides a design using an external single - chip 8051 microprocessor and an external relay to address an ac power supply testing method upon booting a main board , which is free of the com port and floppy drive , so as to control the gpio device on the main board using the bios . in contrast to the prior art designed with a controller , a floppy drive and a com port , the ac power supply testing method of the present invention saves the space allocated for testing , operates without additional programs , supports various operating platforms , shortens the testing time by closely controlling the testing progress with the testing status displayed on the led display device through the 8051 microprocessor , and provides a single - step diagnostic means during the testing procedures to clearly isolate and solve the issues on a step - by - step basis . consequently , the simplification of the circuit configuration , the compact size implemented by the single - chip design , good performance and low cost make the present invention innovative , progressive and practical . while the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention need not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures .	6
referring to fig1 a co - extrusion combining adapter assembly is shown including a plug type flow diverter 10 . the flow diverter 10 is apparatus in which polymer flows from multiple extruders are each divided into a plurality of discrete flows exiting it at a plurality of discrete flow paths . such a flow diverter is shown u . s . pat . no . 4 , 839 , 131 or u . s . pat . no . 4 , 784 , 815 , previously mentioned . the flow diverter provides a plurality of feeds in generally parallel feed paths into an intermediate height adjusting block 12 for delivery , without modification , to a transitional aspect ratio block 14 . the block 14 is provided with a plurality of polymer inlets , corresponding to the polymer outlets of the flow diverter 10 , for delivery of the converging flows of polymer to the inlet of a flow velocity profile block 20 made in accordance with this invention . the block 20 may be set into a recess of an extruder die 22 or other forming apparatus and accurately delivers multiple layers of extrudate to a combining region immediately or substantially immediately at the inlet 23 of a die or other utilization apparatus . the improved flow velocity profiler or block 20 of this invention is best seen in fig2 - 4 . it is formed essentially ( apart from its inserts ), of three components : a central block - like cartridge body 30 having opposite side faces closed by a pair of essentially identical side plates 32 and 33 . the shape of the block 20 may be liken to that of an inverted truncated pyramid with an outlet 34 at the smaller end as a final feed into a die or the like , such as the die 22 . the body 30 is provided with a plurality of parallel slot type inlets 40 , as best seen in fig4 at the base face or wall 41 of the adapter . these inlets are aligned with corresponding polymer passageways at the exit face of the transitional or aspect ratio block 14 , fig1 . also , while fourteen passageways or flow paths are shown , it will be understood that this is only illustrative of the concept , and fewer or greater number of flow passageways may be provided as known in the art , at the flow diverter 10 with corresponding suitable passageways provided in the blocks 12 and 14 . the truncated end of the body 30 is in the plane of a combining region and forms a common combined outlet 34 ( fig5 ). when one of the side plates 32 or 33 is removed , it exposes the construction of the cartridge body 30 , and this construction is shown in sectional view in fig5 . the inlet slots 40 are shown as being paired , two each opening into an end of an insert - receiving cavity 45 . since there are fourteen such inlets shown , seven of the cavities 45 are shown with proximal ends intercepting a pair of inlet passages 40 and with remote ends closely grouped together at the outlet 34 . each cartridge cavity 45 is identical and each is of uniform size throughout the width or thickness of the body 30 . however , each cavity tapers from a maximum width at the proximal end intercepting the passageways 40 to a narrower width at the remote end , and the cavities are separated from each other by intermediate tapered walls 48 of the body 30 with the outer most cavities tapered inwardly so that their remote ends are closely grouped together immediately at the outlet 34 , while the intermediate separating walls 48 terminate at pointed ends inwardly of the outlet 34 . the cavities 45 are identical , are uniformly arranged about centerline 49 , and are configured each to receive one of the precision cartridge inserts 60 as shown in fig6 - 8 . the cartridge inserts have spaced enlarged ends or rails 62 designed to fit precisely within one of the cavities 45 . between the rails 62 , material has been removed to define a center web 63 with tapering side walls 64 , 65 . the walls of the web 63 define , with the cartridge walls 48 and the outer cartridge walls , the passageways of precisely controlled dimensions which passageways converge along the walls 64 , 65 to a joining region point 66 . these joining points are in close proximity to corresponding points or terminal ends of the tapered dividing walls 48 . the upper or proximal end of the web 63 is formed with a dimension which extends arcuately fully between the pair of inlet slots 40 so that the slots are fully isolated from each other by the inserts . the cartridge inserts 60 are removably received within the cartridge body 30 by removing one or both of the side caps 32 or 33 and sliding the insert transversely of the length of the respective cavity 45 . the height of the insert corresponds to the full width of the cartridge body so that the enlarged rail ends of the insert , at the outer flat surfaces 68 of the insert 60 are co - planer with the side surfaces of the cartridge body and co - planer with the adjacent enclosing surfaces of an side cap . the insert 60 may be tailored to provide controlled flow paths through the combining adapter or may be made identical so that layer thicknesses can be controlled by combining polymer flows at the combining adapter , as required . where fourteen such flow paths are shown , as in the drawings , each passage way defined between the insert and one of the confining walls of the cartridge body provides about 7 . 14 % of the total thickness of the laminate . where desired , a “ blank ” insert may be inserted having a profile that fills the cavity 45 entirely , that is , with no side relief or defining passage ways , thereby closing off one or both of the inlets 40 associated with the cavity 45 . one or more electric heater recesses 80 may be formed in the cartridge body 30 as required to receive rod type heat elements and maintain the flow temperature of the polymers . the side caps close the left and right sides of the cartridge body , with the inserts in place , and these are retained by screws 84 as shown in fig3 . precise adjustments may be made by opening the block 20 by removing one or both of the covers or caps 32 and 33 and replacing one or more of the inserts 60 with other inserts that provide different flow paths , in terms of thickness or flow area . however , it is an important feature of the invention that the flow paths define on either side of the body of the insert 60 within the recesses 45 , are of the same length and assuming the pressures and the flow rates are the same , the flow velocities at the joining region at the outlet 34 of the several layers are substantially the same , and the degree to which each layer of material is subjected to shear will be substantially the same as that of the other layers . in a further aspect of the invention , as illustrated in fig9 and 10 , provision is made by which the individual flow passages from the aspect ratio transitioning block . such as the block 14 in fig1 is delivered to a novel flow combiner block 70 through a plurality of inlet passageways 72 . at least some or all of the passageway 72 are controlled in width by pairs of mutually adjustable flow control divider blades 75 , as best seen in fig1 . the blades 75 extend into the ends of the parallel passageways 72 and control the feed area of the respective passageway leading into the flow combining block 70 . the block 70 maybe used in place of the block 20 in the description of the embodiments of fig1 - 8 , however , the embodiment as shown in fig9 and 10 lack the flexibility , convenience , and advantages of interchangeable divider cartridges 60 . rather , the flow combining adapter includes a plurality of flow defining walls , including intermediate dividers 78 leading to a common joining region 80 . however , the advantages of this embodiment may also be applied to the flow velocity profile adapter 20 and further advantages thereby realized . the employment of pairs of moveable flow blocking blades 75 may be controlled , for example , to totally block off outside feed passageways to the flow combiner which may be opened , as desired , in cases where the die width increases , for the purpose of improving layer uniformity . further , the blades 75 may be adjusted , in a very repeatable manner , moving toward or away from each other , either together or individually , as shown by the arrows 82 , for the purpose of controlling a flow velocity in any one of the plurality of inlets 72 and thereby provides an adjustable flow combining cassette in which the width of one or more of the flow passages leading between the flow divider plates , may be adjusted . this creates the effect of preferentially promoting polymer flow of adjacent polymers towards the end of the die . further , if desired , the combiner block 70 may be provided with dividers which are shaped , by shaping the intermediate defining walls or plates 78 for adjusting non - linear flow anomalies . while fig1 shows ten feed passageways in which blade pairs are provided in six of the passageways , it will be understood that this is for the purpose of illustration only , and fewer or greater number of blades 75 may be employed as desired .	8
further objects , features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawing in which : the single figure is a schematic drawing of the automatic control system incorporated into a direct current shunt motor . referring to the drawing , the automatic control system of the present invention , indicated generally at 10 , functions to regulate the field of a direct current shunt motor 12 to maintain or change the speed of the motor to a desired value . the direct current shunt motor 12 is provided with an armature 14 and a shunt field winding circuit 16 connected in parallel with the armature 14 . the shunt field circuit 16 has reversing switches 18 and 20 at its terminals to provide for reversal of motor rotation . a direct current power source comprising a battery 22 provides electrical energy to the armature 14 and the field circuit 16 . the negative pole of the battery 22 is connected to ground . an armature voltage controller , in the form of a chopper circuit 24 , provides a variable input voltage to the armature 14 to control the speed of the motor 12 . the chopper circuit 24 comprises a controlled rectifier 26 connected in series with the armature 14 to provide a time - average voltage to the armature 14 to control the motor speed . the controlled rectifier 26 is fired by an oscillator 28 at a pulse rate of the oscillator 28 . the oscillator circuit includes a variable resistor 30 for adjusting the oscillator frequency . the wiper 32 of the variable resistor is connected by suitable means to a manual control device such as an accelerator pedal 34 positioned on a vehicle such as a forklift truck . the operator of the vehicle controls the motor speed by varying the output of the oscillator 24 through movement of the wiper 32 when the accelerator pedal 34 is depressed or released . the oscillator circuit also includes a fixed resistor 36 in series with the variable resistor 30 . a shorting switch 38 is connected across the resistor 36 and is activated by a plugging relay 40 , referred to below . the chopper circuit 24 is provided with a turn - off 42 which momentarily bypasses the rectifier 26 to terminate conduction in the rectifier 26 after it has been fired for a predetermined length of time . a free wheeling or fly - back diode 44 is connected across the armature 14 and provides a current path during the fly - back voltage with the controlled rectifier 26 turned off . the fly - back diode 44 has its anode connected to the junction 46 between the armature 14 and the controlled rectifier 26 and its cathode is connected to the other terminal of the armature 14 through the plugging relay 40 . the voltage across the diode 44 during the off time of the controlled rectifier 26 varies with the amount of armature current in the motor 12 . in the illustrated embodiment , this voltage varies between approximately 0 . 7 and 2 volts . the chopper circuit 24 has an output that varies between 40 and 200 pulses per second . when the chopper circuit 24 is operated in the low frequency ranges , the fly - back current flow through diode 44 may cease before the successive turn - on of the controlled rectifier 26 . a diode 48 having its anode connected to the negative pole of the battery 22 and its cathode connected to the armature 14 provides a path for current flow when the motor 12 operates as a generator during regenerative braking . when the counter emf becomes greater than the applied voltage , power is directed back to the battery 22 thus reclaiming a portion of the energy required to drive the vehicle . the motor 12 generates energy when the speed of the vehicle is increased as a result of external forces such as when it descends a decline . a comparator circuit , indicated generally at 50 , functions to compare a control voltage with a reference voltage and in response to a difference between those voltages produces a field demand or command signal which controls the field strength to in turn control the speed of the motor 12 . the control voltage is a function of the motor counter emf , the armature current , and the duty cycle of the chopper circuit 24 . the reference voltage has a magnitude corresponding to torque demand and is changed when the operator of the vehicle depresses the accelerator pedal 34 . the comparator circuit 50 includes transistors 52 , 54 and 56 . it is a comparator having one input at the base of transistor 52 and the other input at the base of transistor 54 , and an output , which corresponds within limits to the voltage difference of the inputs , is derived from the emitter - collector circuit of transistor 56 . the control voltage is developed by control voltage means 58 connected with the armature circuit across the voltage controller 24 . the control voltage means comprises a voltage divider network including resistors 60 , 62 and 64 connected between the junction 46 and ground . the control voltage is derived across resistor 64 at junction 66 and a capacitor 68 is connected across resistors 62 and 64 to smooth the control voltage . the control voltage applied to the base of transistor 52 is a time - average value corresponding to the instantaneous voltage at the junction 46 . the reference voltage is developed by a reference voltage means comprising a potentiometer 70 which has its terminals connected to a constant voltage source through the resistors 72 and 74 . a constant voltage is provided across the zener diode 76 which is connected through a resistor 78 across the battery 22 . the reference voltage signal is obtained at the wiper contact 80 on the potentiometer 70 and is applied to the base of transistor 54 . as shown in the drawing , the wiper contact 80 and the wiper contact 32 on the variable resistor 30 are coincidentally controlled by suitable means through actuation of the accelerator pedal 34 . referring to the comparator circuit 50 , the transistors 52 , 54 and 56 function as an absolute value amplifier of the difference between the control voltage and the reference voltage at the bases of transistors 52 and 54 , respectively . the output circuit of transistor 56 from emitter to collector is connected across the zener diode 76 through resistors 82 and 84 . the collectors of the transistors 52 and 54 are connected to the base of transistor 56 . the emitter of transistor 52 is connected to the base of transistor 54 and to junction of resistors 82 and 84 through a diode 86 . similarly , the emitter of the transistor 54 is connected to the base of transistor 52 and to the junction between the resistors 82 and 84 through a diode 88 . diodes 86 and 88 provide a negative feedback to the transistors 52 and 54 to stabilize the amplifier . because of the biasing characteristics of the transistors 52 and 54 , i . e . the base - to - emitter voltage requirements , base current will not flow in transistor 56 unless there is a predetermined difference between the reference and the control voltages , having a magnitude , for example , greater than 0 . 6 volt . when a difference greater than 0 . 6 volt occurs , the transistor having the lower voltage value will be cut off and the other transistor will be conductive and allow emitter to base current flow in transistor 56 . output current will flow through transistor 56 and produce an output across resistor 82 having a voltage of approximately twice the value of the base voltage of the conducting transistor . this output is the field demand or command signal and is applied to a field current controller 90 which will be described presently . the field current controller 90 comprises a transistor 92 and a shunt resistor 94 connected in series with the field winding 16 . the transistor 92 has its collector connected to the field winding circuit 16 and its emitter connected to ground . the resistor 94 is connected across the collector and emitter of the transistor 92 ; when the transistor 92 is shut off , the current flow in the field is limited by the resistor 94 thereby limiting field strength to a minimum level . thus , current flow through the transistor 92 strengthens the field and the degree of conductivity through transistor 92 regulates current flow above the minimum level . a plug sensing circuit 96 comprising a diode 98 , a transistor 100 , and a resistor 102 is provided to control the output of transistor 56 when the motor is plugged ; that is , when the motor is rotating in one direction and current flow through the field winding 16 is reversed as a result of reverse positioning of the switches 18 and 20 . the sensing circuit 96 also affects the value of the control voltage applied to the base of transistor 52 when a high armature current exists as a result of full depression of the accelerator 34 , for example . diode 98 has its anode connected to the junction 46 and has its cathode connected to the emitter of transistor 100 which in turn has its base connected to the positive pole of the battery 22 . resistor 102 connects the collector of transistor 100 to the junction of resistors 60 and 62 . when current flow through diode 44 is of a sufficient magnitude so that the voltage drop across the diode 44 and relay 40 is raised to a predetermined value , for example , 1 . 4 volts , conduction through diode 98 will occur and transistor 100 will conduct . as a result , an increased control voltage is applied to the base of transistor 52 . a diode 104 is connected between the base of transistor 52 and the emitter of the transistor 56 . in normal operation , the diode 104 remains back - biased by the voltage across the zener diode 76 . when armature current is high , the sensing circuit 96 applies an increased control voltage to the base of transistor 52 to thereby increase the output of transistor 56 which in turn increases current flow through transistor 92 to increase the field strength . as a result , the motor 12 is accelerated to the desired speed . during plugging , however , the output of the sensing circuit 96 is great enough to forward bias diode 104 and cut off transistor 56 which terminates conduction in transistor 92 to provide minimum field strength . assume that the forklift is at a standstill . the operator depresses the accelerator 34 to a desired position to accelerate the forklift to a desired speed . when the accelerator 34 is depressed , the wiper 32 on the variable resistor 30 is moved to a position to increase the frequency output of the oscillator 28 thereby increasing the voltage applied to the armature 14 . simultaneously , the wiper 80 on the potentiometer 70 is moved to a position to lower the reference voltage applied to the base of transistor 54 . because the counter emf of the motor 12 is at a minimum due to low motor speed , the control voltage applied to the base of transistor 52 will have a magnitude greater than the reference voltage applied to the base of transistor 54 and this magnitude will exceed the bias voltage required to operate the absolute amplifier in its linear amplification range . transistor 54 will be shut off and collector current will flow in transistor 52 thus causing current flow through transistor 56 . the output of transistor 56 is proportional to the absolute value of the difference between the control voltage and the reference voltage . transistor 92 is conductive in accordance with the field demand signal and increases the current through the field winding circuit 16 thereby increasing the strength of the field . as a result of increased field strength , the motor torque is increased to accelerate the motor 12 to the desired speed . as the motor speed increases , the counter emf also increases thus reducing the control voltage applied to the base of transistor 52 . as the control voltage gradually decreases , the output of transistor 56 decreases thereby decreasing conduction through transistor 92 and weakening the field . when the motor 12 has achieved a speed in accord with the load and the torque demand set by the operator , the control voltage at the base of transistor 52 will stabilize at a given value and a steady state conduction through transistor 56 will maintain the field at the desired strength . assume that the forklift truck is operating at the desired speed and it begins to travel down a decline . in this operating mode , the kinetic energy of the vehicle tends to increase the motor speed above the desired level so that the motor is driven as a generator and the counter emf increases above the supply voltage . the motor is now in a regenerative braking mode with current flowing through diode 48 through the armature 14 and back to the battery 22 . the increased counter emf further drives down the control voltage at the base of transistor 52 below the reference voltage at the base of transistor 54 . transistor 52 is thus cut off and collector current flows through transistor 54 and transistor 56 becomes conductive and increases the field demand signal at transistor 92 which increases the current in the field circuit 16 . as a result , there is an increase in the torque which opposes the rotation of the armature . as the vehicle decelerates to the desired speed , the control voltage at the base of transistor 52 gradually increases toward the voltage at the base of transistor 54 until a state of equilibrium is reached . the operator commonly initiates reverse energization of the motor 12 before it is brought to a standstill . this is plugging of the motor and is produced by reversing the switches 18 and 20 in the field winding 16 to reverse current flow therethrough . it is important that a smooth , continuous deceleration occur to avoid operator injury and equipment damage . for this purpose , the sensing circuit 96 functions to weaken the field so that the deceleration is reduced . when the field is reversed , the counter emf in the armature 14 is reversed thereby increasing voltage across the armature 14 and the current through diode 44 . the voltage drop across the diode 44 and the relay 40 is increased sufficiently so that current flows in diode 98 allowing current flow in transistor 100 to develop an increased control voltage applied to the base of transistor 52 . this voltage is sufficient to forward bias diode 104 and transistor 56 is turned off . transistor 92 is consequently turned off and current flow through the field 16 is limited by the resistor 94 . consequently , minimum field strength is produced to enable a continuous smooth slow - down of the motor 12 . the relay 40 is connected in series with the diode 44 and is activated in response to a value of current through diode 44 which indicates that the motor 12 is being plugged . the relay 40 is connected to the normally closed switch 38 which shorts the resistor 36 that is connected in series with the variable resistor 30 . when the relay 40 is activated , the switch 38 is opened causing the frequency of the oscillator 28 to decrease and thereby reduce the voltage applied to the armature 14 . thus , both the field and the armature 14 have reduced current flow to decrease the deceleration during plugging . as the motor speed decreases , the current through the diode 44 decreases . transistor 56 will remain turned off until diode 104 becomes reversed biased . a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed . the invention , however , is not to be limited to the specific structure shown , but rather is to be limited only by the following claims .	8

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